Ever since I joined the team in June of this year, I’ve written about different kinds of MICE facilities. From new convention centers internationally to including the MICE stats on hotels set to open, I have become pretty familiar with the concepts.

Despite my growing familiarity with the concept, however, I had never attended a convention that would truly make use of one of these massive spaces. Last Saturday, my fiancée and I attended Walker Stalker Con New Jersey, the fan-made convention centering on The Walking Dead. For a bit of reference, The Walking Dead was my favorite fictional universe for a few years. I loved the television show, kept up to date with the comic books and played the video games. I still watch the show, but much of the other facets of the franchise have fallen by the wayside for me.

Opening my birthday gift and finding we were going to the convention was a cool feeling. The prospect of watching my favorite characters’ actors participate in a panel, meeting them and getting to peruse some awesome merchandise from the vendors was an exciting thought. I ended up deciding not to meet any of the actors while at the show, but watching the panels was an excellent experience. At one point, Austin Amelio, who plays Dwight, walked by me while we were watching the stage. Instead of harassing the man while he went on break, I just took the moment in.

Walker Stalker Con is different from many other conventions because the fans arrange it. The show seemed organized to allow the show’s fan base to congregate in a warm and welcoming setting. While I can’t be totally sure, the actors seemed to be having a great time as well.

For my first convention, the show was excellent. We saw cosplayers and actors and a ton of cool things I barely held off on buying. Although I waited 25 years to go to my first convention of any kind, I can’t see waiting that long again.

— Erich Martin, assistant editor