I just got back from Necronomicon in Tampa which was held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton. It is a three-day event from Friday-Sunday and compared to other conventions it was smaller, yet more personal. The first thing you could easily notice was a photo booth and The Suncoast Ghostbusters.
There were vendors, artists, and panels. It was a mix of Science Fiction and Horror. The area that really stood out was the tables in front of the ticket window. There you could see horror masks set up by Fantasm and a big area of the Suncoast Ghostbusters. I spent a lot of time talking to them and learned the detail that goes into the props.
The Suncoast Ghostbusters do different charity events and fundraising events, including Light The Night which is a 501(c)(3) corporation raising funds to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. The stats of the organization are impressive. More than $431 million has been raised in co-pay financial assistance and they helped advance over 85% of the blood cancer treatment options used today.
I also met Joe Belcastro, a former WWE writer, who now has a book out called “DOMINATURE: What if the Devil…Banished God…from Heaven…” I am excited to get into it and start reading. It sounds like a battle not to be missed and something that should get turned into a movie or long-running TV series.
Necronomicon’s vendor hall was small compared to other events but there were some impressive vendors that attended. I wish I had gotten the chance to know all of them. Small halls have some benefits such as getting to talk in a more confined space and not feeling rushed by big crowds. It has a more personal feeling to it as well.
Overall, if you are into horror and science fiction I would recommend attending at least once to see if Necronomicon is your type of convention. Everyone was friendly. I attended on a Saturday and did not see a whole lot of cosplay. I did not expect to see much but what I did see was impressive.
For a one-day ticket to the event, it was $30, if you pre-registered for the weekend it was $45. There were panels that I had missed due to having limited time at the convention this year. If you want to find out more you can do so here: https://www.floridacomiccons.com/event/necronomicon-tampa-2022/