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On the day before Dragon Con, there’s a line for the elevator that takes convention goers from the underground Hilton Atlanta parking deck to the lobby. The people standing in this line have suitcases packed for the long weekend, but they’re also manning wagons filled to the brim with snacks: chips, crackers, bottles of water, and more. Because God forbid one gets hungry while standing in line to meet Katee Sackhoff or John Boyega.
When you finally make it to the lobby, the crowds that will fill the convention all weekend long – around 75,000 people – have already started to appear. People are carrying around stray pieces of cosplay, handmade masks, and small dragons made to perch on the shoulders of their owner. But most importantly, volunteers are still running around the entirety of the Dragon Con complex, making sure everything is prepared for the main event.
Dragon Con is one of the biggest pop culture and gaming conventions in the country. But here in Atlanta, it can feel a bit old hat. If it’s Labor Day weekend, it’s Dragon Con. That’s the way it’s been for 40 years.
Because us Atlantans are so used to Dragon Con and its presence, it can be easy to forget how much work goes into putting on a convention of this size. So, ahead of this year’s event, which runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with Renee Cooper, director of the Animation Track at Dragon Con, about how the sausage gets made.
Cooper started volunteering with Dragon Con roughly 8 years ago, but before that had been attending the convention since 2009. Cooper runs the Animation Track – think everything from “X-Men ‘97” to “Steven Universe.” There are more than 30 “tracks” at Dragon Con, covering everything from “Star Trek,” to anime/manga, to all things British for all you “Dr. Who” heads out there.
Like everyone at Dragon Con, Cooper started out as a fan, and she and all of the other track directors at Dragon Con are volunteers. As the director of the animation track, Cooper is in charge of helping to build out the schedule – panels, parties, sing-alongs, etc. – for all things animation. She normally starts building out her schedule in February, about six or seven months before the main event, and spends her time watching as much animation as she can, keeping up with what’s popular and the conversations that are happening online.
Read in full at RoughDraft Atlanta
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