I'm not going back to Steel City Con! I can't recommend you do either.
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
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I am a former steel city con attendee. I started going around 2016, and I used to attend every year. Lately, things have gotten so bad that I have no desire to go whatsoever. They raised the prices, and now it's jam-packed, and it's too miserable to even enjoy yourself. I used to go there to cosplay and meet up with my friends, and now it's not even worth going up there to do that. It's absolutely not cosplayer-safe whatsoever. I haven't gone up there for about 2 years, and I have no intentions of going ever again.
I went Saturday with my son. He preordered tickets. I didn't figure I needed to. I waited outside for 3 1/2 hours hoping to find a way to get in. Then once I got in the "vendors" were more of a yard sale. It was so crowded. They kept going on the loudspeaker saying to to stand still on the tunnel between the north end and the south end, but there was no where to go. Also, they had no idea who was in line for which celebrity. My son go yelled at for being in line for an auto from someone. They yelled at him saying the line was full, only to realize no one was in line for that celebrity. They need a bigger venue for sure. It was rediculous.
Always preorder admission tickets.
It's like they're trying to operate a 5-star restaurant from a lemonade stand. 🙄 couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching. It used to be so much fun. And I'm glad the business is growing it means it's doing well. But if the business grows the building needs to as well
Damn. Nailed it on the head with that. They gotta get a bigger venue somehow. I didn't go this time, but heard not many good things.
I've been going to this convention ever since the late 90's when it was the Pittsburgh Comic con. Back then and into the 2000's it was crowded,sure,but it wasn't that bad. Going even on a Saturday you could still get a decent parking space,and the guest list wasn't massive. You could actually move inside the Expo mart(where it used to be held). It certainly has changed over the last decade and not for the better. And it's not just Steel city con. Most cons are like this now. They are all wayyyy too crowded,the prices are getting absurd and it's becoming more of a hassle. I tried going to Steel city con this past weekend and had to leave after an hour. I didn't get to meet who I wanted because it was just too packed and most guests now are charging $80-100 just for an autograph.Back in the day you would be able to go to these cons,pay maybe $25-30 for an autograph and get a free selfie with the guest. But now they have "professional photos" with the celebrity that can run in the hundreds. And of course,in order to make more money these conventions now sell VIP passes. I mean,look...I've been going to cons like this,Horrohound and Monstermania since the 2000's and I do love the atmosphere. I love interacting and meeting other fans of what I love. And I love the fact that they are getting these big celebrities. But like San Diego Comic Con,these things have gotten too massive and I feel like instead of giving us fans a cool experience,it's become this giant money making machine. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to go again,to any con. Sorry for the long rant,but let me just say that I understand how you feel.
Sounds a lot like Pensacon in Pensacola, FL. The ticket sales are larger than the venue. They cram so many things in one spot, the volunteers don't understand crowd control and they don't label anything to make directions easy once in the venue.
Tbh they're very similar. I used to go to Pensacon every year but this upcoming February is a pass for me. Plus the guy that runs Pensacons social media is a total dick
10 minutes of a grown man complaining because his favorite con is more expensive and there's more people 🙄
Did you even watch the video? I'm complaining about the safety violations and ignorance on SCC's part.
What you said is exactly how i felt about MEGACON here in Orlando Florida. To be fair tho, the venue was massive, yet still not enough room, like it MUST not have been organized 100 %
To some extent with the massive conventions, you have to expect it. Megacon doesn't really have any options for venues they're in the biggest you can get. Still doesn't mean it's not crowded but st least they've done what they can
Chevy Chase was at Magacon too. I went to meet Mark-Paul Gosseler and have him autograph my "brick-phone."
That said, it was NOT a good day. My cell phone got stolen!!
I'm hitting Spooky Empire next month. Gonna meet Alice Cooper!! Have him autograph my Bible!!
(That's right - Bible)
Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good time. I wanted to see the Scream cast and sat through the prior two speakers in the event room eagerly waiting. I also had a 3 day pass, so a priority seat, but they accidentally put the sign for the VIP section up one row too far - so I got kicked out because the room filled up and the VIP people were mad. I turned around and there were no seats left - standing room only. I wasn’t going to kick someone else out of their seats, so I just left. People actually cheered b/c they thought I was trying to steal the VIP people’s seats.
Boo-hoo me, right? I made the decision to leave, so I’m not complaining, but I like it when everyone has fun. Would have been nice if I could have too. However, I am going back this year, and hope you return too. I try not to hold it against the staff who set it up.
It was crowded, though. - LOL
I'm willing to try it again but they have to get the perfect guest to catch my eye. Gotta do an update now this video is like 2 years old 🤣
It was the worst experience I’ve ever had. I was chewed out by three different security guards. If this video is taken down, then we have to do everything to ensure that people know how bad this one was.
I got towed out of there... im pretty much done with with it. $400 fine... when they should have BIG folded out sign in other businesses saying no event parking but they dont... small sign very very small signs saying no event parking bery small! screw that place. if I go it's in n out... too expensive!!!
Yeah the convention center has like 100 spots. In my book that means don't sell over 100 tickets. But whatever I guess it's totally big enough
You hit the nail on the head...just don't go. I havent gone in years. Way too big and overcrowded. What a mess.
In the collector community the phrase "vote with your wallet" is used a lot. Basically if the con sucks don't spend money there and they'll either be fine with it or feel the loss.
@@HybridToyReviews Yep, I think I posted that exact phrase in the FB fan page. It doenst matter what business it is, consumers can and should always vote with their wallet. Gets the point across quickly if everyone does it.
I've never been to a comic con so can someone explain to me why guests were not allowed to mention other shows they were on or TV networks? I was watching a clip with David Fuastino and Katey Sagal and there was this big deal about them not mentioning other shows they were on. Why is that?
Usually they can but with that writers strike last year everything got weird and the actors were quiet about stuff. Its over how tho
I was there this past weekend. Not like it use to be. It seems like they're focused more on bringing the big names in to make more money. They need to downsize, maybe only bring in a couple big names or get a bigger convention.
The fact you don't know who Chevy Chase makes it hard to value your opinion, haha. We went and got everyone we needed. You have to get up early and get in line and make some type of effort. If you don't like lines, if you hate crowds, it's best to stay home.
Trust me I know the whole get up early and deal with lines part. I go to tons of cons a year. Usually they just don't oversell tickets past fire code limits and refuse to get a larger venue when they do so
I’m still LOLing that you don’t know who Chevy Chase is. But everything else you said is correct. It sucked this year and I’m not going back. Wish you’d go back on the fan page and read the comments. The SCC fan boys need smacked.
totally agree, they banned me because i told them they need to get a bigger venue and they were crappy about it
Fr like if every single person is saying it maybe its true lol
@@HybridToyReviews i am breaking down for December though cause Ming Na Wen will be there, all three days...... never happens and i need to hang with her since she is from here.....
Went on Sunday... what a shitshow
The only time I'll go is when they have very few "famous" people. It used to be $5-10 to get in, and they had maybe one guy from Star Wars. It used to be a toy convention, and everybody was really polite. Now prices are $30-40 and it's swamped with rude people.
They'll never move to the downtown convention center because it would cost them too much and people would complain about now having to pay for parking.
I heard this most recent convention had the fire marshall show up and kick people out because they were beyond capacity. Steel City Con has become an overpriced trainwreck.
I don't mind them having a bunch of guests and charging $40 at the door. That's standard modern con pricing I don't care about it being $5-10 back in the 90s/early 2000s. If they want to have 40 guests it needs to be in a larger building. Overselling tickets over fire code is just greedy and negligent to what I'd consider a criminal degree
@@HybridToyReviews "Standard con pricing" also includes ample space, capable organization, and competent employees/security. Steel City Con has none of these.
Over the past couple years it's been proven that people will keep buying tickets for this thing at ever-increasing prices, regardless of how poorly the organizers run it or how greedy they get. So if it moves to downtown it's going to be a lot more than $40. It'll easily be in the $65-70 range, and that doesn't include parking fees or anything else. And vendor costs will increase, and therefore those increases will be passed onto customers by increased merchandise prices. You don't find deals at Steel City Con as it is now; it won't get better if they move downtown. Unless you're there to meet "stars", it's not economical to go. You're just burning your money to get shoved around and wait in endless lines.
The Monroeville convention center was never suited for gigantic conventions. I'd rather someone just split it off into the small toy/collectible convention it used to be and that keep that at Monroeville, and moved the wannabe Wizard World thing to downtown.
I agree with splitting it up. I don't go for vendors I exclusively go for autographs and I've never been to a celeb having con that was less than $40 to get in. Paying for parking is just part of the city experience too it's no biggie.
Yep, same here. We went Sunday to take part in the Costume Contest. We couldn't even get in the door. I was working on building up content for my channel on all our costume upgrades and stuff in preparation.
But now instead of having a "Going to Steel City Con!" video, ill be having a "I'm never going to Steel City Con again!" video.
We pre-ordered tickets, couldn't find a parking spot, had to park at the mall entrance. There was no way I was lugging my Warhammer suits across all that traffic, and then stand in line for hours.
I'm never going back.
Oh man that's even suckier than most stories this weekend. Where are you out of?
@@HybridToyReviews Altoona. This would've been our 4th or 5th time there. Its never been this bad. Line was wrapped around the building. We got there before the doors opened and we still had to park towards the mall entrance.
Its always been cramped for cosplayers, but now its not a cosplay friendly environment at all, unless you're wearing something incredibly casual.
Honestly stick to Sci Fi Valley Con or make the hike to Fan Expo Philadelphia. No sense in wasting more money at SCC
Good we don't need you here . Thanks
Have been going since probably 2015 or so. I remember getting a picture with a Batmobile in that back area while getting a sig from Neal adams. Haha. Now the car is shoved in the panel room
And god forbid they bring in a comic celeb lol Honestly love 3 Rivers Con a lot more anymore.
I went on Sunday, big disaster
Sunday was when I was thinking of going. Glad I didn't
@@HybridToyReviews yeah you didn't miss much unless you wanted to see appearances from the special guests the fire marshal and city of Monroeville police
I didn’t go Sunday but can’t imagine it being worse than Saturday because Undertaker and Chevy, Paula Abdul, etc being there for one day.
@@dontrumpjr2244 they didn't even let us back in on Sunday. The lines just to get in were clear all the way out to Burlington and Joann fabrics. Cars everything with nowhere to park. We had wristbands, left to go to panda express for lunch, came back and they said we couldn't enter. It was a big mess
@@strawberryshinxtess5876that’s messed up. And the SCC fanboys on their fan forum page make me sick. It’s time to give them hell and let them have it.
Ownership sucks. They don’t give AF so long as they continue to rake in $15-20 million a year.
Steel City Con needs a new place. I said that one year ago. The last time I was there. It's too small. Until they move, I will stay away from them. Fan Expo Cleveland, I hope picks up in 2024.
Fan Expo Cleveland is always a hit! If you go Saturday you'll see me there!
I'm with you way 2 many headliners. And fan bases collide.
I went to one in Salt Lake City a few years ago to meet Cobra Kai’s Jacob Bertrand, Martin Kove and William Zabka. I’m considering going in August too meet more CK cast.
I love SCC - ❤❤❤
Happy we didn’t end up going! Sounded rough this uear
Yeah its not worth it rn. I'm glad we didn't go
I only go on Friday and so far it’s been pretty decent.
I try to go on Fridays myself, the drawback is that all the guests aren’t there.
Bro you dont know who chevy chase is? christmas vacation is on every year and you never seen it you got to be jokeing.
I've never heard if those films before steel city con dedicated their guest list to them
@@HybridToyReviews Epic L bro what plantet are you from.
We were there today.... For like an hour. Left to go to panda express for lunch. Came back and they weren't letting anyone back in. We just went to Barnes and noble instead 🤷♀️
It's always something with this con.
@@HybridToyReviews many of the cosplayers/attendees were showing up to the mall, Barnes and noble etc instead. We all called it Barnes and Noble Con lol. There were so many cars driving around looking for parking, lines were clear out to Burlington coat factory and it was a broken down mess. I don't even want to return in April.
@@strawberryshinxtess5876 I agree it was horrible today!
@@erikchabek7659 I'm confused....I got there around 1 and the Gaten line was outside lined up to the home goods store. I was able to get right in the MCC and the hotel without any wait. The only huge lines were Charlie, Dustin/Argyle, and Chevy. I saw most celebs with absolutely nobody in line.
Yesterday was criminal. It was impossible to get into the hotel. Unfortunately it was due to the poor line management of Taker and Charlie. The con needs to invest in more paid staff, signage, and proper sections to form lines. If the staff didn't have 10 different answers to the same question most of this aggravation wouldn't happen.
@@chrisridolfi227 the staff had no idea what they were doing. I agree with the signage. People were tripping over others just to find where to go and no staff could even figure out what was what. I felt like I didn't even see that many staff members working the con?
The prices were steep too
That's a real bummer man. I've been wanting to go to steel City pond for sometime now. I just never have the time to get around to cons, but after watching this video I'm not sure if it'll be worth the time and money all the way down then-Jacob
Don't go to steel city man. There's way better ones local than them. We'll hit up Cleveland someday or Buffalo
Honestly philadelphia comic con sucks too I haven't been there since 2018 and they shrank the hall to like 1/4th the size of it normally is and the philly hall is huge. Maybe it'll be different post covid
I haven't gone there yet but cleveland and Columbus are spectacular
TRUUUUUUUUUUTH!!!!! I won't go back until they get a new building..
Wow guy......whine much?
This is a terrible take, sorry to say.
He’s not wrong though. Other cons handle events much better. They don’t continue to stuff 10 pounds of sh!t into a 5 pound bag.
Are you located anywhere near this event? It’s actually pretty great for the area. They do well with what they have.
I live an hour and 45 minutes away from Pittsburgh in NE Ohio. Compared to Cleveland, Columbus, and Buffalo which are comparable distances Steel City is a much lesser con by a significant margin. I understand they're trying with what they have. My problem is when you try to talk on their comments section about upgrading things they want to laugh react and shit talk you for having a take. You cannot dare suggest the con go to the david Lawrence convention center without people saying you'd have to pay to park. Tough nuts it's a city of course you pay to park. At least you're parking at the center instead of a half mile down the road
It started to morph into a horror type con but they botched it hard with Robert England. They kept bringing him back. Same for the vacation stars. Twice now they've been back. I've been to Fan Expo and Galaxy Con because the venues are bigger, flow better, and the staff is way nicer and courteous. Plus they are under the main Comic Con money wing so their range is comics, voice artists and sci-fi as it should be.
Also the ticket thing is bs. FanExpo is 3x the size and it's still about 27 bucks for a Saturday access.
I hate the constant repetition with the big name guests. If they'd just not mess it up the first time they wouldn't need to bring them back to fix up the folks who miss out on the first go.
They can get anyone they want dummy
I absolutely agree with what you said. I attended every event from 2013 to the one after covid in June 2021. I am extremely saddened the event has morphed into a money grab. I miss going and strolling up and down vendor aisles, talking with new people and just being able to have fun. When I found out they took out the tables and chairs to put the photo ops in that spot, I knew that was the first sign that no one cared about the attendees.
I’m relieved to see this video after this weekend. I got real sick and I’m still trying to recover. I don’t think I will be going back either. By the way, I was waiting in the VIP line at the Doubletree Hotel for Elijah Wood and Gaten Matarazzo of Stranger Things was walking out with his crew to get to the photo op section in the convention center. He saw the long lines of crowds and he said “Oh, sh##!”
I can agree with you i was at steel city once for Chevy Chase and yeah surprised how small the venue was for all there was but I am dedicated to meet and get autographs on my personal items by qs many I want before its to late ive waited up to 11 hours for one in the past beforeit persoannly don't bother me to much if it's crowded inside once i get my stuff signed i leave hope not to argue with anyone just sharing my opinion
I only go for autographs but I don't dislike walking around to do some shopping. The place is just way too small
@@HybridToyReviews yeah I was so shocked how small it was and the amount of guests there was smaller then one held at a hotel I guess its cause yeah covid but not only that but also all types of cons have gotten much bigger over the years and maybe the runners of them like to keep it where they know its where the time and money's worth it for them to run them for us
How do you not know Chevy chase? If you don’t like it don’t go. I never have a problem there. Any issues they quickly fix. And Pittsburgh is literally like 15 mins away man.
You just watched this 10 minute video and all you got from it is "this dude doesn't know Chevy Chase"? You must have one of those Pittsburgh educations
@@HybridToyReviews yea I didn’t watch the full 10 mins because clearly all you were doing was crying the whole time
@ucw7243 Not crying. Making valid criticisms of a con you're too busy slobbering over the cock of to see if it's good or not. I'm going back on December after a year off to see if it's improved so check back then
I went with my family on Saturday. We had 3 day early access tickets and VIP. The lines to get in were a cluster and we didn’t get into the hotel until 9:55. Waited forever in Charlie Hunnans line while several people had dozens of items signed.
Had to go get pro photo ops and then came back to hotel to get rest of SOA signed. Took 45 minutes to get back inside because nobody knew what they were doing managing lines!
Convention was as crowded as ever. People couldn’t move. Folks in wheelchairs were stuck in place.
Nobody was in control. Photo line was too narrow and people were getting yelled at for not staying I. Their assigned lanes. Well it’s hard to stay in your lane when the taped lines are smaller than what a wheelchair can fit.
SCC doesn’t care about inconvenience they only care about profit. But these fools would get more people and happier people if they moved to a bigger place. WERE WILLING TO PAY IT!!! Nothing will change because they’ve already said so. Bottom line is all they care about.
More moving to a bigger place . They've said they won't do that. It would cost to much for people and parking in Pittsburgh is worse than monroeville. Don't like it don't go . Less crowds is good
It's gotta gave some merit since everyone is saying it. People are deciding not to go back it'd be wiser for the con to relocate and sell even more tickets
FWIW, December 2022 was my last SCC as well. Same reasons you cite.
I just can't justify spending my money there. It's not fun anymore
I make the 2 hr drive from Cleveland to be there for a 1/2 hr. What happened between August and today? August was so fun and organized after many horrible times being there i thought they improved. Parked way the heck out and was not let back in when we left.
I got there Friday as celeb guests arrived and 1-1.5 hours early Sat/Sunday, stood in line for up to 3.5 hours, and still had a great time. Main reason they’ve given for not moving to the convention center is they can’t guarantee the regular dates. And if they did move ppl would just whine about traffic, price increase, and parking. I’ve talked to ppl who’ve been to sdcc, nycc, la con, and they’ve said scc is comparable in terms of crowd and much cheaper so *shrug*
My main issue is there’s no limit on items to get signed. Some people (obvious resellers or consigners) had up to 40 items. Other issue is the lack of a reputable athenticator like JSA on site. The use of the hotel improved things last con but has also given them a reason to stack the guest card- they need to limit top tier guests better. Too many big names this time made for excessive lines.
It used to be possible to get everyone’s auto fairly quickly on Friday and Sunday, which had far smaller crowds than Saturday. That was nice but the guest list was pretty small pickings. Much rather have the better guests even if it means bigger crowds.
I don't mind bigger guests, but the current layout doesn't work for them. I've heard the dates issue with David Lawrence convention center but other events have their dates there lined up a year in advance so I struggle to believe it. I've heard they have some ownership stake in the Monroeville center which would explain the greed of it
@@HybridToyReviews we’ve been suggesting they line up dates for years. They could’ve booked a bigger venue by now. They just don’t care. And the diehard bootlickers don’t want anything to change.
@@HybridToyReviews Agree about the layout. The organizers of momento con chimed in and said the closest reschedule date was over a year out. Exact quote from them "When we rescheduled our May 2022 show due to ongoing COVID concerns, the next available weekend was over a year away until August 2023." So... when SCC has 3 shows a year, how can they reliably get their dates during the desired months? I've not heard anything about an ownership stake. Only thing I've heard is they have a lengthy contract with them that is expiring soon.
They have authentication at the booth where you buy the autographed photos. Stop lying they've always been there . And they have a limit of like 4 items . If you see the celebs signing a bunch of stuff it's for people who bought those online at the convention. Not some scuzzy resealer . Hate to break it to you .
@@HybridToyReviewsthey move to David l Lawrence the traffic , parking pricees , inconvenience, and ticket prices won't be worth it to a LOT of people . We can't stand people who want to force their will on this con. If you don't like it don't go. Stop being. A Karen . I hope the owners actually ban you .
How do you keep all those figgers from falling over?
I use poster putty under the feet!
Do you remember how much Gaten charged for an auto and photo?
I don't remember it being too terribly much. Something like $80 each abouts? Give or take $20
@@HybridToyReviews thanks for the info bro! Want to know in case he comes to Chicago this year (hopefully fingers, crossed 🤞)
Heck yeah. He was reasonable for sure. Keep an eye on the channel I do lots of con content
Honestly I understand this, but I’m still gonna go cuz it’s was my first con and my current fav to go to, and I never had a bad experience there
I’m very sorry you had bad experiences though
It's probably okay if you're a local and you don't go on Saturday. But it's a little over 2 hours for me to drive there. I'm just not doing it anymore
@@HybridToyReviews yea I live like 45 mins away at the most, most of the time we go Friday (except for the last one we’re we went all 3 days)
Hope ur next conventions are as good as ur others!
Yeah I've heard Friday is a good less crowded day. I'm near Cleveland OH so its a haul. Fan Expo Cleveland is in a few weeks and fingers crossed it was a blast last year
Ive heard its gotten better recently
I've been debating going in August for a very critical vlog 🤣. To see if it's improved
How do you NOT know who Chevy Chase is????
I agree with 98% of what you've said because I was there in December and it was 1. EXPENSIVE and 2. a total nightmare. However, Monroeville is 10 minutes out of Pittsburgh. I live in Plum (even more east) and my office address is Pittsburgh, so just stop. They're not going to David L Lawrence. Ever.
Unfortunately David Lawrence is the only fix they could do that would actually be a fix. And I never saw the vacation movies. I know of his name but I've never seen him in anything
There is Tekko in July.
Oh gee I’m nervous now. Going in March for MCH and Julie Benz. That’ll probably be a shit show and a half 😮
Wow. You really said what many of us were feeling (especially the Catherine Tate part.) I was going to go this time because I wanted to see Ming-na Wen, who I went to high school with, just to see if she remembered me... but when she canceled, I was kind of relieved. I was angry they ditched the trivia contest. I was sad Mike and Doug were gone. Not sure I can go back either.
I’m just passing through here, as I did a video search for the con, but, dude, hearing you explain you reasons makes me think you’re just showing your age. The arguments you present are those that someone getting older would make.
Granted, I decided not to go to this year’s December show just because there weren’t any celebrities I was interested in meeting, but I’m keeping an eye out for the next show’s guest list.
One thing you should be aware of is that the Con is very anal about the occupancy number, and will not allow it to exceed the maximum allowable amount. If it seems too crowded than past years, either they changed their policy, or it just seems so to you.
I hope you’re able to change your mind over time. Maybe I’ll see you there. 😀
It's definitely gotten busier. The fire Marshall showed up and that's new.
Oh. I didn’t hear that! Well, it looks like there’s truth to the crowd size after all.
Yeah I don't mind a busy event but if they're breaking fire code they need to either take it to a bigger venue or shrink the event lol
@@HybridToyReviews true, that! I’ll be curious what happens next April.
Hey, we’re an hour away from Christmas Day (assuming you’re in EST, same as In Pittsburgh) so if Christmas is your thing, let me be one of the first to say “Merry Christmas”!
@@mudvalveThe Fire Marshal showed up more than two times and it has gotten so hot in the vendor alley from the amount of bodies people were close to fainting. They also got rid of seating areas
Yeah, they sold way too many tickets this time. Ive attended everyone, 3 day vip pass, 3 times a year for 5 yrs now. On sunday i went out to smoke a cig and they wouldnt let me back in...i get there 2 hours early for a parkin spot and even though, they were well over capacity, they were still selling tickets for the 1 day passes!!...shameful...need a bigger venue or dont sell so many tickets!!!