Linus Lam Network News
convention coverage report of
Sabakon 2014!
 

Welcome to another edition of Linus Lam Network News for 2014!  This news report covers our trip to Sabakon 2014 for a huge weekend of anime and manga enjoyment and a whole lot more!  Held at the Alexis Park Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada over the weekend of April 26-27, Sabakon 2014 saw lots of attendees ready to party on with a bunch of dedicated artists, live performances, gaming events, cosplay fun, and plenty of opportunities to hang out with fellow anime and manga fans. Our exciting trip to Sabakon 2014 starts here!  Coverage you can count on, here at Linus Lam Network News!

Highlights: Various live programming events kept the attendees well-covered throughout the weekend. Guests of Honor included Kyle Hebert, Chuck Huber, Wind of the Stars, Aimee Lee Lucas, and DJ Katsuhiko Jinnai. Main events included Tamaki's Masquerade Ball, Masquerade, Canarelli orchestra, Taiko Drum Performances, and more. Panels and workshops included Nyotalia, Weathering Techniques for Costumes, KPop in las Vegas, Otome Anime, Ball-Jointed Dolls, Origami Workshop, Sakura Clow Card Tarot Readings, Go-go Dancing, and more.
Cosplay: This year's trip to Sabakon saw lots of inspired costumes from numerous anime and manga characters and more! Chart-topping displays for this year included characters from Drammatical Murder, Attack on Titan, Vocaloid, Sailor Moon, League of Legends, Hetalia, Persona, Black Butler, Kiriko no Basket, Kill la Kill, Frozen, and much more! 
Please check out more cosplay photo coverage from our Sabakon stock convention archives!
Report: Just when I thought I had a fair amount of Las Vegas vacation times, I get another excuse to visit this wondrous land of opportunity in the form of Sabakon!  Now in its third year, Sabokon continues to grow and my first visit came out pretty well.  I have only good things to say about my experience.

Last time we visited Las Vegas was for Otakon Vegas in January and not much has changed since then.  Las Vegas has small-sized cons with big hearts.  Sabakon was held at the Alexis Park resort hotel and is located just minutes away from the airport.  It was able to sustain a couple hundred of attendees, although the main events room capped off a small amount due to fire code.  Because of that, I wasn't able to attend the Masquerade but that didn't mean I couldn't hang out with fellow cosplayers and grab some dinner along the way.  The resort hotel was really anything but a resort by modern standards.  Maybe by standards of the 70's or 80's.  One should definitely not compare this resort to the Aria or the Wynn.  The rooms were spacious but it seemed more like recycled apartment buildings with decent pools and decent rooms.  Not much to write home about, but for the low-low-low hotel rate of around $80/night, hey, not a bad deal!  Just kind of wish it was in a cleaner complex.  At least the three or four weddings around the convention area didn't mind the attendees.  Some even wanted pictures taken with the cosplayers.

Registration badge pick-up was a blast.  Arrived around noon on Saturday and picked up my pre-reg badge in 5 spiffy minutes through a short line.  The Dealers' Hall was nice, with two entrances also counted as exits and most attendees congregated in the wide center aisle between the dealers tables and the artists alley.  I bought a few Ramune drinks for $1-2 each at several different tables to quench my hourly thirst.  The convention layout was a bit confusing but the maps were helpful in locating the panel rooms and manga lounge which were in a separate part of the hotel and not in the general convention center area.  Gaming room had a decent amount of dancing and music performance machines as well as consoles and button-mashing arcades.  As the previously windy weather warmed up, many attendees re-grouped outside near the Poolside area to catch some sunshine rays and cosplayers could get their pictures taken in better surroundings.  Panels and workshops seemed to go nice and smoothly as most were well-received.  I had a really pleasant chat with fellow KPop fans and we engaged in a good hour-long session about KPop artists and recent concerts.

The Sabakon staff were nice and courteous.  I never had any issues with them and they seemed genuinely caring about any attendee concerns and kept quiet line control.  As far as I could tell, I didn't see any power-tripping staffers.  Having to cap off the Masquerade attendance due to fire code safety was a disappointment but staff went out of their way to broadcast it with many humble apologies so that was nice to see.  From what I could tell, those who watched the show seemed to agree with the cosplay awards results and how the performances ran.  Good feelings all-around.

Recommended for local anime fans and those who want a little more spice to their Las Vegas delights, Sabakon is another refreshing convention us fellow geeks and nerds can rejoice in.  I just kind of wish they had a better hotel but all in all, not a bad deal.  I look forward to attending next year's Sabakon and seeing if anything has improved.

Come check out more cosplay and events photo coverage from our Sabakon stock convention archives!

Be sure to visit the next Sabakon!

Comments or suggestions? Email!