- FanX Salt Lake Pop Culture and Comic Convention is back and has attracts over 100,000 attendees.
- Fans enjoy meeting celebrities like David Tennant and showcasing elaborate cosplay costumes.
- Vendors and artists thrive at the event with popular booths and unique offerings.
SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of fans lined up outside the Salt Palace Convention Center Thursday morning, waiting for the doors to open to one of the largest annual events in the state.
More than 100,000 attendees are projected for the three-day FanX Salt Lake Pop Culture and Comic Convention, not including the hundreds of vendors who participate. At the large convention hall, you can find a vendor selling almost any type of collectible item you can think of.
Pop culture memorabilia lines the booths of the vendors, who are selling everything from T-shirts, action figures, artist depictions, cutting boards and charms. The possibilities seem endless.
"This is our third year coming to FanX. I love just coming, seeing everyone's costumes, and it's a great vibe," said Abbey Jenkins, who was waiting in line with her best friend Nicole Carvalho to meet the "Doctor Who" actor, David Tennant.
The pair live in Hawaii but come to Salt Lake's FanX because of the atmosphere and the size of the convention. "We do have some small conventions — FanX is a whole new ballgame," Carvalho said.
While many fans are there to meet their favorite celebrities, others are simply there to dress up as their favorite character. "They spend thousands of dollars on their costumes, building it themselves," said Chelsea Welch, a vendor and owner of Shrunk 3-D Booth. The booth is lined with what one would assume are action figures at first glance. A closer look at the booth reveals that the figures are 3D printed versions of various fans in cosplay costumes.
"We have 95 cameras inside of our trailer. You come inside, we take a scan from all different angles and then make a 3D file out of that, and then create a statue for you," Welch said. "We love it here at FanX. It's really big with all the cosplayers, because they can come in their costume and get however they're dressed – They can have a permanent record of that."
The booth runs all three days, and according to Welch, it is "very popular with the FanX community."
Tony Poulson, a local artist, has been attending FanX for several years. His art, which began as a Valentine's Day card to his wife, has now turned into one of the most popular booths at the convention."
With over 160 renditions using his signature style of two arms holding a superhero, the Hand Over the Hero owner sells his original art and creates vinyl stickers of the originals.
According to Poulson, many artists simply do not make the final cut to be allowed to showcase their art at FanX. Those who can get in are surprised by the number of fans and demand in Salt Lake City.
"For me, it is one of my best shows, and just having the local crowd and the ability to make new fans everywhere, anytime," Poulson said.
After spending hours in lines for celebrity photo ops, or simply walking around the 515,000 square feet of exhibit space the convention has to offer, they will work up an appetite.
Kelti Olson and her mom run one of the many Sugar Bear booths at the convention. The booth sells various cinnamon-roasted nuts.
The 19-year-old recently graduated from Copper Hills and now assists her mom in working for her aunt's company. The company does not have a permanent location, relying on conventions, fairs, art festivals and gun shows. For Olson, FanX and the Western Hunt Show are their most popular conventions.
"It's really chaotic. We've got four booths, and we run nuts between all four booths because some booths are busier than others," Olson said. "This one is really busy. By Saturday, it is so busy you can't walk."
With so many people attending the show, the convention relies on the "A-Team" to help keep the convention running smoothly and organized. Chris Mather is a volunteer at the convention and one of the lieutenants on the A-Team. Each lieutenant oversees five to 12 volunteers. In the celebrity section alone, there are six lieutenants.
"We just kind of manage people and manage the lines," Mather said. "We have different groups that manage the celebrities and transport them from here to there, to bring them to different areas. We just kind of make sure things flow nicely."
FanX started Thursday and runs through Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Salt Palace Convention Center. For tickets or more information, visit fanxsaltlake.com.
