BrickCon 2024 from a newbie's perspective
Posted by Huw,
This article was written by arselus (@arselus.bricks):
BrickCon is the longest running LEGO Fan Exhibition in the world. This year's event, held over the first weekend in September, marked the 23rd BrickCon, held annually since 2002 in the vicinity of Seattle, WA (USA).
It was my first time attending the event, and my first time attending any LEGO convention. What follows is a show report from an AFOL newbie's perspective.
If you have any of the following questions, but are not interested in reading the whole article, let me answer these quickly:
- “Should I attend a LEGO Fan Exhibition?” – Yes
- “Should I submit a MOC to my local LEGO Fan Exhibition?” – Yes
- “Should I volunteer at a local LEGO Fan Exhibition?” – Yes
- “Should I bring friends and/or family?” - Yes
Day 1 (Thursday) Setup
I bought a ticket to the AFOL Builder’s Convention. This more expensive ticket (~$80USD) covered entry for all four days, free entry for my young child (4yo), a swag bag, allowed me to volunteer to set up, and allowed me early access to set up my MOCs for display. Additionally, I was able to skip entry lines during the public expo.
I volunteered on the setup team, putting out table cloths, hanging signs, and doing similar tasks to assist the event organisers. This proved to be a fun experience, and a great intro to the convention. I made some of my first AFOL friends, got to hear about people’s favourite themes, follow one another on social media, and see their MOCs, whether on IG, ReBrickable, or in-person. I also heard about several LUGs (Lego User Groups), which hold monthly meetups at local libraries to encourage building and community. Everyone I spoke with was very pleasant, and happy to share about themselves and their builds.
If you are new to the AFOL scene and have an interest in sharing your hobby with others, or hearing about other AFOLs, I would recommend volunteering at a local Fan Expo. It was an easy and natural way to make friends amongst hobbyists.
Day 2 (Friday) AFOL-only experience, MOC display hall and special interest sessions
On day two there were several special interest sessions, such an LDraw presentation, a session on designing and selling MOCs on Rebrickable, and numbers of others. I loved hearing from experts who volunteered their time to coach interested AFOLs on various topics. We heard about setting up and developing a Rebrickable catalogue from one of the pros. We heard about LDraw, which has been an essential building block for LEGO CAD software like Bricklink’s Studio, now used by many builders worldwide. These sessions also provided great opportunities for Q&A, and naturally led to conversations with other attendees that shared niche knowledge and interests within the LEGO world. Highly recommended. I only wish I had time to attend more sessions.
I was also in the MOC display hall early, and had a chance to talk to a number of AFOL MOC builders as they set up their various MOCs. Below are photos of some of my favourites:
Chris Foss Tribute in Teal by Daniel Fortine:
Various Ships by Tyler Tsujii:
Greenhouse by Kimberly Giffen:
Siege at the Gates of Minas Tirith by Jason Gianou:
Sapphyra City: A Utopian Fantasy by Conner Gibbs:
3 to 1 Scale Classic Moonbase by Jason Ruff:
Magikarp by Anthony Frosberg:
Treebeard on the March by Josh Parkinson:
Days 3-4 (Saturday and Sunday) Public Expo
The public expo was on Saturday and Sunday. These days were the busiest, hosting hundreds of people each day, viewing nearly one thousand MOCs. The display hall, empty on Thursday (and inviting for many longer conversations and part trading) was crowded and loud.
I brought my 4-year-old. We toured some of the tables. Her favourites were the motorised builds, especially the rockets blasting off into space. We also met up with friends, and toured the hall together. Be warned, young children’s attention span is very short, and looking closely at the many brilliant MOCs is very difficult – this is better done during the AFOL-only Builder’s Convention (days one and two).
Numbers of builders were near their builds, answering questions for attendees about their MOC stories and building techniques.
The vendor section (about half of the total display hall) was fully set up on these two days. I did not spend too much time touring – but did see some of my white whales, namely 6280 Armada Flagship, though its $500 price tag deterred me.
For those looking for some LEGO nostalgia, minifigs, accessories, loose bricks, or classic sets - whether sealed or used (resealed), the vendor section was excellent.
Special interest sessions continued during the public expos on topics such as robotics and others. I was not able to attend these. Build tables were open for young builders, games and competitions were being hosted throughout the days also.
In Summary
For fans seeking to go deeper into the hobby, I found that BrickCon was an excellent outlet. I suspect your local LEGO convention would be as well, especially for fans who have somewhat exhausted buying official sets, designing in LEGO CAD software, and simply building MOCs.
These EXPOs provide a great additional outlet for the hobby, and a very pleasant experience meeting other AFOLs.
Have you been to a LEGO convention or show? Or do you intend to? Let us know in the comments.
The UK's longest-running show returns to the STEAM museum in Swindon at the start of October. Find out more here.
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18 comments on this article
Interesting report - thank you!
Great pictures too. I hope there’ll be more reports like this. It’s always nice to see some of the MOCs.
Thank you for the great insight.
Those 3 to 1 Classic Space MOCs I find particularly fascinating.
Very cool. Too bad I can't go to it.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"Very cool. Too bad I can't go to it."
BrickCon, in particular, has a virtual attendance option for AFOLs via Zoom/Discord with access to the live presentations plus virtual games, virtual MOC submissions, etc for the virtual attendees to participate.
Whoa, that Treebeard and colorful tree from the greenhouse are awesome! The Classic Moonbase MOC is “cute” and accurate. I have never seen a surfboard used in such a clever way like as a roof piece. (Other than the NPU in the bouquet from the Botanical Collection.) Nice photos.
I've always been intrigued by LEGO conventions, having grown up reading posts just like this about them. Sadly, not many around nearby where I am in the midwest. I don't particularly want to travel about, but perhaps someday I could just to see what it's all about.
I love those LOTR displays especially, looked like an interesting time.
@TBOC said:
"I've always been intrigued by LEGO conventions, having grown up reading posts just like this about them. Sadly, not many around nearby where I am in the midwest. I don't particularly want to travel about, but perhaps someday I could just to see what it's all about."
I am fortunate to live within 180 miles of two long-running conventions: Bricks Cascade and BrickCon. They are highlights of my year. I'm very grateful to the people who make them possible. Travel to Lego conventions is worth it for any AFOL. Take the plunge!
I would probably buy that Treebeard Day 1.
This year was also my first time attending BrickCon, it was a lot of fun! Thanks for spotlighting my Magikarp.
Heyyy!! I've been going to BrickCon for over a decade!! Welcome!! It's a great experience
Great writeup! Thank you
I went this year for the first time in a few years. It seemed much smaller than it had been when it was held at the Seattle Center in Seattle proper. I'm wondering if it is smaller because the venue is smaller or if they moved to a smaller venue because the convention got smaller. Still a great LEGO convention with lots of great builds, just not on the scale I remember.
The Meydenbauer provides a slightly larger exhibition space plus there are no support columns to work/plan around. In addition, talks and other events can be held in the same building as opposed to having to trek back-and-forth to the Cornish (which I kinda miss). Also, there are hotels very close to the convention space along with near immediate access to mass transit with the bus depot and light rail station within short walking distance. It's more accessible for people traveling in from further away than was the Seattle Center for this. Plus, the carpeted convention space is easier on the feets and helps reduce the noise from both the big and little humans.
Thanks for the writeup and the great pictures! Those ships were probably my favorite thing there, glad Brickset readers get a chance to see them too.
@ickis said:
"The Meydenbauer provides a slightly larger exhibition space plus there are no support columns to work/plan around. In addition, talks and other events can be held in the same building as opposed to having to trek back-and-forth to the Cornish (which I kinda miss). Also, there are hotels very close to the convention space along with near immediate access to mass transit with the bus depot and light rail station within short walking distance. It's more accessible for people traveling in from further away than was the Seattle Center for this. Plus, the carpeted convention space is easier on the feets and helps reduce the noise from both the big and little humans."
Wonderful explanation. That all makes sense. Funny that I thought it was smaller -- guess not!
@TBOC said:
"I've always been intrigued by LEGO conventions, having grown up reading posts just like this about them. Sadly, not many around nearby where I am in the midwest. I don't particularly want to travel about, but perhaps someday I could just to see what it's all about."
Register for Virtual BrickCon. Almost as good as being there, minus the treasure hunt of shopping in person.
@TBOC said:
"I've always been intrigued by LEGO conventions, having grown up reading posts just like this about them. Sadly, not many around nearby where I am in the midwest. I don't particularly want to travel about, but perhaps someday I could just to see what it's all about."
Not sure where you are in the midwest. I'm in central Iowa and hit up Brickdays in Lincoln in the fall and Omaha in the spring, Brickfalls in Sioux Falls in late summer, Brickworld Chicago in June, and there are more that our LUG gets invited to. I would recommend looking at the LAN for something near you.