Guys! One of my favorite cons is almost here! And I want YOU to come too if you are in the area or willing to drive to this amazing show. Wonderland will have a spot for you to tumble safely down the rabbit hole with us! =) I had the honor of interviewing the creator and co-chairs of SEMO, and they are going to give you all the tea you need to attend this party!
Order your tickets, learn about the events, guests, and panels, see the cosplay rules to get your character to shine, and much more on their website here:
1. Let’s start with the epic origin story: how did SEMO Con begin, and for how many years now?
JAMES: “2014 was the first SEMO Cosplay Festival, a one-day event for 3 years, then partnered with SEMOcon for a 3-day event in September, going on 12 years total now.”
CHRIS: “James had started the SEMO Cosplay Festival and ran it for 3 years. Then Mr. Bill started his journey to create SEMOcon, reached out to me, and I connected him with James in hopes that they would combine their powers to create an amazing event. I was fortunate that they did, and it has been epic ever since.”
2. What got you personally into nerd culture growing up to the present? Why do you cherish it?
JAMES: “I was nerd/geek before nerd/geek was cool. Knew that computers and gaming were the future and was interested in acting and comics at the time. Cherish it to help keep it alive and pass it down.”
CHRIS: “I was always more into this kind of stuff than things like sports. In college, I met new friends who introduced me to conventions, and I’ve not turned back since. This community is for everyone; there is no need to put people down because of things they enjoy. That’s why I cherish it; everyone can just be themselves.”
3. Tell us about the team that makes this great show possible.
JAMES: “It is good to be able to push each other to be better and better.”
CHRIS: “James is the head of the panels and the cosplay side of things. We’ve got a small group of volunteers that help make sure the event goes smoothly. I take care of most of the rest of the things, like getting vendors and special guests to the event.”
4. What traits does a con committee need to make their show run smoothly?
JAMES: “Eagerness- cooperation- work together – want to make a great show.”
CHRIS: “I think the single most needed trait is to WANT to see the event not just succeed but to grow; that’s the kind of people you want to be a part of putting together something like this.”
5. Tell us about your charity this year. Why is this cause special to you guys?
CHRIS: “This year is the Recycling Grace Women’s Center here in Poplar Bluff. They are doing great things to help out women, and we strive to help local charities instead of larger ones because they have more of a local impact.”
6. Do you work with students in the community?
CHRIS: “We absolutely do when the opportunity arrives. Last year we had about 100 students from the Jr. High School create art that we displayed at the entrance to the con; that was superheroes on vacation. It was so much fun to get to see their creations, and I know they were excited to have their art on display at the event.”
7. How do you come up with your yearly themes?
CHRIS: “That’s a closely guarded secret that we cannot give away, but it does involve magic, a spruce tree, and a Hot Wheels car; but I can’t say much more than that…”
8. What is this year’s theme? 🙂
JAMES: “‘Alice in Wonderland’ (don’t be late for the very important date).”
9. What do you look for in a guest?
CHRIS: “Someone who would have an appeal to a large audience and be fun to interact with.”
10. Why would a vendor want to be a part of SEMO Con?
CHRIS: “Well, most vendors, that is their livelihood, so when they make decisions for what shows they want to try to vend at, they have to figure out if it will be worth their time or not. We are still growing, but feel we put on a great show. And part of that is the fact that most everything activity-wise that we have at the show, including things like the escape room and the arcade, is completely free to do, which means attendees keep more money in their pocket to be able to spend with the vendors instead of giving more money to the con.”
11. How do you market your convention? What secrets have worked for you that you’re willing to share with other show chairs?
CHRIS: “We do facebook/social media ads, radio, this year we are looking into TV ads, we hang flyers, go to other events for word of mouth (not just conventions), and this year we are trying out free kids tickets.”
12. Tell us what’s going to happen at this year’s event.
CHRIS: “We will have the Boar Predator from Predator 2, the Yellow Zeo Power Ranger, and 2 voice actors as our guests. We will have 9ft tall transformers, a magician, an escape room, a free-to-play arcade, a costume contest, a ramen eating contest, vendors, and so much more that I don’t really have the time to list everything here.”
13. Why should someone consider coming to SEMO Con?
CHRIS: “It’s an affordable, super-fun weekend that packs a massive amount of entertainment; from free-to-play arcades and tabletop games to celebrities right here in Poplar Bluff. We’ve built a welcoming, family-friendly space where you can celebrate what you love.”
14. How would you describe SEMO Con in five adjectives and/or a tagline?
CHRIS: “Welcoming, fun, affordable, exciting, family-friendly. “Don’t be late for this very important date!”
15. Are there events for all ages?
CHRIS: “Yess!!!”
16. Where can attendees go during the show (gaming rooms, panels, vendors, food, etc)?
CHRIS: “The attendees have access to the multiple game rooms, panels, escape room, maid cafe, vendors, food, celebrities, blacksmith, RC car area, photobooth, and I’m sure I’m forgetting something, lol!”
17. What is your goal for your guests?
CHRIS: “We want our guests to have fun with us for the weekend and get to meet some of their fans from this local area.”
18. How is the cosplay circuit at SEMO Con?
CHRIS: “The event started as the cosplay festival, which was an event that was more or less focused on cosplay, so I think it’s a pretty big part of our con.”
19. How many vendors does the convention have?
CHRIS: “We have over a hundred booth spaces on the main floor alone. Some vendors have more than one booth, but we have a lot.”
20. Any panels you want to hype up?
CHRIS: “One of the fan favorites is the Ramen Eating Contest, but I hope that the Iron Cosplay gets just as big as well.”
21. Does Semo Con have a mascot?
JAMES: “Yes, Tek the Turtle.”
22. Who makes the promotional graphics and badges for the show?
CHRIS: “We have an artist who created Tek, and I take him and build most of the graphics for the show.”
23. What’s one of your favorite memories from a past show?
CHRIS: “When we were giving away prizes during the ‘let’s make a deal’ style giveaways, I moved over to a small group of people and went on the microphone to let everyone know that I was looking for someone to show me something ‘Wizard of Oz’ to win a prize, and the person sitting next to me slapped their arm down and showed me their ‘Wizard of Oz’ tattoo! I was shocked it happened so fast and I somehow sat next to someone without realizing it who had something like that.”
24. What are your overall goals for SEMO Con in the upcoming years?
CHRIS: “Just to continue to grow bigger into an event that will continue to help Poplar Bluff and the surrounding communities.”
25. Any final information or comments you all want to share about SEMO Con and yourself?
CHRIS: “We just appreciate everyone who continues to support SEMO Con.”
