BrickFair VA-What to Expect?

[AwesomeBantha]

Hi all,

I'll be attending my first LEGO convention! BrickFair VA! (Not sure if there's a thread on this, I'm new)

Has anyone attended? If so, what should I expect?

[Legogal]

Dress for the extreme heat both inside and outside with comfortable clothes. Bring a swimsuit for the pool parties. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be on a hard cement floor it seems like forever. If you are exhibiting, bring a comfy packable chair and a cooler with your favorite drinks. Get some sleep before you arrive!

The crowds will be huge on Saturday and Sunday, the public days, so see the exhibits before then and get your photos as well. You will probably take several hundred photos if it is your first BF.

If you want to get rid of any LEGO, participate in the two yard sales...also a great place to buy LEGO.

Introduce yourself to everyone who looks interesting and let them know it is your first BF. Southerners tend to be pretty darn friendly and usually welcome newbies. Please introduce your self to me as I hope to be there with a huge Duplo display of playhouses in the "we don't know what to do with them" section usually called miscellaneous or overflow or catch all,...

Stay in a hotel close to the exhibit hall as parking will be a problem as the day progresses. If you want to eat healthy food, bring it with you as fast food rules in that neighborhood.

You will see a lot of really cool MOC's and have a great time if you just let your hair down a bit and go with the flow. It is much easier at the second BF when you know what to expect!

Hope this helps. Do ask as many questions as you can think of before the event so you will be on top of things. Have fun!

[danny316p]

Expect to be overwhelmed. BrickFair VA is the largest fan convention and it is not possible to see and do everything.

I'm assuming by "attending" you mean staying for the whole event (which starts on Wednesday) - if not, you really should register to get there on Wednesday so that you can properly enjoy the event instead of having to fight the public day crowds to see anything.

It's too late to sign up for games (except for drafts), but you should bring things for games that don't require signing up (Dirty Brickster comes to mind).

Expect to hear plenty of LEGO people - everyone tends to be a bit laid back and happy to talk LEGO with anyone. The only catch being that people are likely to ask you what you brought or what you build - so you'll be the odd person out if you don't bring something to display.

New this year: expect to see a miniland-scaled model of the convention itself. The parts for the bulk of the layout are actually owned by BrickFair itself (myself and another co-coordinator assemble the empty map early during the event), and attendees bring miniland versions of themselves and their MOCs.

[AwesomeBantha]

Dress for the extreme heat both inside and outside with comfortable clothes. Bring a swimsuit for the pool parties. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be on a hard cement floor it seems like forever. If you are exhibiting, bring a comfy packable chair and a cooler with your favorite drinks. Get some sleep before you arrive!

The crowds will be huge on Saturday and Sunday, the public days, so see the exhibits before then and get your photos as well. You will probably take several hundred photos if it is your first BF.

If you want to get rid of any LEGO, participate in the two yard sales...also a great place to buy LEGO.

Introduce yourself to everyone who looks interesting and let them know it is your first BF. Southerners tend to be pretty darn friendly and usually welcome newbies. Please introduce your self to me as I hope to be there with a huge Duplo display of playhouses in the "we don't know what to do with them" section usually called miscellaneous or overflow or catch all,...

Stay in a hotel close to the exhibit hall as parking will be a problem as the day progresses. If you want to eat healthy food, bring it with you as fast food rules in that neighborhood.

You will see a lot of really cool MOC's and have a great time if you just let your hair down a bit and go with the flow. It is much easier at the second BF when you know what to expect!

Hope this helps. Do ask as many questions as you can think of before the event so you will be on top of things. Have fun!

Thanks Legogal. Your advice is useful and I hope that I can meet you.

I'll only be attending on Saturday (the 2nd) but have already pre-purchased the tickets so I won't need to wait in line

One question-are the yard sale/vendor prices equal/cheaper/more expensive than Bricklink and eBay? Is it worth bringing money to make "large" purchases? Have you had some great finds the past few times?

Expect to be overwhelmed. BrickFair VA is the largest fan convention and it is not possible to see and do everything.

I'm assuming by "attending" you mean staying for the whole event (which starts on Wednesday) - if not, you really should register to get there on Wednesday so that you can properly enjoy the event instead of having to fight the public day crowds to see anything.

It's too late to sign up for games (except for drafts), but you should bring things for games that don't require signing up (Dirty Brickster comes to mind).

Expect to hear plenty of LEGO people - everyone tends to be a bit laid back and happy to talk LEGO with anyone. The only catch being that people are likely to ask you what you brought or what you build - so you'll be the odd person out if you don't bring something to display.

New this year: expect to see a miniland-scaled model of the convention itself. The parts for the bulk of the layout are actually owned by BrickFair itself (myself and another co-coordinator assemble the empty map early during the event), and attendees bring miniland versions of themselves and their MOCs.

What? You can register on Wednesday? I checked the website and it seems that you can only visit for two days. I won't be exhibiting, but is there a way to get early access?

BTW, I'm jealous that you get to assemble the map. I'd pay to build it !

[danny316p]

What? You can register on Wednesday? I checked the website and it seems that you can only visit for two days. I won't be exhibiting, but is there a way to get early access?

I'm very sorry to hear that you didn't find the AFOL link - most of the conventions have started intentionally making information for public (kids and their parents, mostly) much easier to find than info for AFOLs (diehard LEGO people who usually bring things to display). "Public Hours" is a short period of time on Saturday and Sunday, but the full convention starts a few days earlier. Most of the games and activities you hear about at conventions aren't open to the public. The link for the AFOL site is http://www.brickfair.com/afol/

BrickFair tries to push people to register far in advance (engraving brick badges, printing MOC cards, and packing goodie bags all take time), but there's usually a few people who show up at the door and pay to register on the spot, just for early access. Registering now will run you $65, and that will give you access to the convention center Wednesday through Friday (not to mention before and after public hours on Saturday and Sunday).

BTW, I'm jealous that you get to assemble the map. I'd pay to build it !

Yes, I was trying to figure out how to describe that back at BrickFair Alabama. It's a very unique experience being handed giant bags of parts direct from LEGO and told to build something (even if it is a few hundred identical tiny tables). I suspect the only comparable feeling is actually working at a model shop.

One question-are the yard sale/vendor prices equal/cheaper/more expensive than Bricklink and eBay? Is it worth bringing money to make "large" purchases? Have you had some great finds the past few times?

This varies widely. Generally, any great deals at the vendors will be bought by registered attendees before public hours. Some vendors have started holding back some stock until public hours so they won't be completely picked over, and some will discount things before the public gets in to support the people exhibiting MOCs. The yard sales aren't open to the public at all - they've been an ongoing experiment for BrickFair, with the Virginia event generally being so busy that the yard sale barely works. This is the first time there's been more than one yard sale at BrickFair. You should also keep in mind that you're not paying for shipping when you buy things in person - that frequently makes the difference in whether or not something is worth buying. I'd recommend bringing cash for large purchases, but it's hard to predict in advance.

The charity auction (Friday night) is the exception - things usually sell for more because people want to raise money for charity. This year, we actually have a bet against Brickworld to see who raises more money, so it will be even more competitive than usual. Of course, this is also where the rarest items are offered.

This year also has a few trading events on Thursday: a minifig swap and a promotional collectibles trading post (think DUPLO Promo Bricks and LEGO store exclusives).

[Aanchir]

Rule #1: Be sure to say hi to me! I love meeting people from Eurobricks and the other sites I use. I should be spending a good deal of time at the BIONICLE table, since that's where a lot of my MOCs and artwork will be. I'll basically be wearing this name badge, though it's bigger now than it was two years ago, and has more yellow since they changed the brick color to yellow when they started having separate Brickfair events in Alabama and New England. Even if you don't have a lot to talk with me about, I think we'll both enjoy knowing we were able to find somebody else from Eurobricks.

On a more serious note, try to connect with people in general! Talk to people about their MOCs and tell them about what you do in the community. A lot of the events will be a lot more fun if you have friends you can talk to. Plus you'll have people you can look forward to seeing if you come back next year! Don't be shy even if you think some of the MOCists are way beyond your building level. Even some of the most advanced MOCists at the event tend to be really friendly, and love telling others about their creations.

Wear something that will get people's attention! A lot of people who have LEGO shirts of any kind wear those. But if you don't have any, wear something related to one of your other interests and it might help you start a conversation with somebody who shares that interest. It's good to stand out! With that said, I can't agree more with Legogal's advice to dress for the heat. Virginia is my home state, and in my hometown (Fredericksburg) it's already at the point where you don't want to be outside in the middle of the day if you can avoid it.

If you do register as an attendee (which is more expensive than a public ticket), it's already too late for you to get a brick badge or get your name in the program guide. You had to be registered by July 14 to get either of those perks (also, if you had registered before then, you'd get a $15 discount). So maybe just attending this as a public guest might be the best thing for this year, and you can save full registration for next year. The public days do not have as many cool events and panels as the earlier days, and they also are very crowded as others have said. But that doesn't make them any less of an exciting new experience!

This is the schedule of events. Not a whole lot of events happen during the public hours on Saturday and Sunday, but there is the public bingo which can have some pretty sweet prizes (albeit small ones — Bingo Grande on Wednesday gets most of the big prizes). Even if you don't win anything, bingo is a great chance to get off your feet if you get tired. There are three rounds of bingo on each of the public days.

Here is the event map so you can start planning what you want to see when. The Great Ball Contraption (located towards the back of the expo center) is something you DEFINITELY want to make time for. The vendors are in the middle of the expo center this year. As with any convention, bring plenty of cash if you hope to buy anything — you can't count on everybody accepting other forms of payment.

[danny316p]

Aanchir, I swear you had your screen name on your badge last year too. I know your real name now, but I wouldn't have recognized you back then without the screen name.

[blksuperman2]

Man, I should have checked this thread weeks ago. I didn't know about the AFOL link. I plan on bringing my kids w/ me tomorrow.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Well, I'm out front stuck in line. This is sure moving slow.

[just2good]

I notice, so there's no set reveal this year?

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Well, we got in. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've honestly never been to a Lego convention before. We got a late start this morning and didn't get there until around noon, so we had to wait in line for a frustrating hour after that before we could get in. On the other hand, it could have been worse given that the line got severely long while we were waiting, and my daughter and I were at least at the front of the line during the wait. We got in by one p.m.

So, it was OK and probably reasonably priced for what we saw. It seemed to be the equivalent of a model train show with people showing off various minifigure-sized environments, mostly City themed but definitely a large Castle and Space section as well. We only hit a few vendors, as I didn't have a lot of cash to blow. I got the elusive Wyldstyle with MicroManager polybag for myself, and my daughter got a Ginny Weasely minifigure (we've gotten into Harry Potter very late in the game), some chickens, and a custom Lego hairbow.

Not a bad day, but the waiting in line was obnoxious. I'd suggest that they keep online ticket sales open a lot longer--my understanding is that those were only available a few months ago. I can't make plans that far in advance, and we only decided that we were coming this week. If I'd been able to buy online tickets last night, that would have helped.

[lego_ff]

Went down to Brickfair VA yesterday with the wife and boy. We arrived around 11:20 and were in by 11:45. The line was long but moving very quickly at that time. The crowd was crazy and it was hard to get close enough and spend enough time to really enjoy the MOCs at first. Around 1p it really thinned out at the exhibition tables (but not in the food area for sure) and we were able to spend more time enjoying the creations.

The GFLUG and PennLUG table were our favorites, but there were so many well executed and original MOCs around the whole venue. It was really cool to see what people do with LEGO.

It won't be an every year event for us, probably every other, unless we decide to exhibit (but that means I actually need to finish one of the four MOCs I have started).

I took a bunch of pics and put them on flickr. Enjoy. https://flic.kr/s/aHsk1mtza1

[Legogal]

Glad you made it! Thanks for posting photos of a BrickFair! Most of us are still in the recovery mode and slower to post.

The crowds were greater than expected and too heavy during the 11 to 1 early hours. By 3, things slowed down a lot. At 22,000 tickets over Saturday and Sunday, the crowd in the lines outside was too large. Advice for future visits would be to go later if your children no longer need afternoon naps.

[eurotrash]

Thanks for posting pictures lego_ff!

[lego_ff]

You're welcome Legogal and eruotrash re. the pictures. I just wanted to share some of what caught either my eye or the families eye.

Wow 22,000! Maybe the public hours need to be extended next year? I imagine that makes it hard on the exhibitors but seems like there is obviously interest out there in the general public.

[Legogal]

You are correct on the level of interest. Every time I mention the show to anyone with kids living in the DC area, they all want to go. There is massive interest in LEGO around DC, so BFVA is a great location for an event. And household incomes tend to be high in that area making it possible for families to buy more LEGO.

The extended hours are tough on the exhibitors and volunteers because many are using their personal vacation time to work the show and have long drives to and from there. And are dead tired after 4-5 days of nonstop activity. The noise level bothered me more than the crowds. It is very hard on the ears to endure that much noise for 6-10 hours a day. I had sound deadening earphones but never managed to put them on because so many people wanted to talk. Silence at home is wonderful!

[CP5670]

Great show as usual. The 5 day format allows them to space things out more on the AFOL days and make things more relaxed. I was a little disappointed by the World of Lights though, as there were only a handful of lighted models (my space ones were the only ones on that table) and the room wasn't dark enough for them really stand out.

As for the crowding, the line looked unusually bad on Saturday. I heard there were so many people that they had to make people wait outside to stay within fire regulations for the maximum number of people in the building, which led to extending the show by a hour. Sunday seemed to be better.

The extended hours are tough on the exhibitors and volunteers because many are using their personal vacation time to work the show and have long drives to and from there. And are dead tired after 4-5 days of nonstop activity. The noise level bothered me more than the crowds. It is very hard on the ears to endure that much noise for 6-10 hours a day. I had sound deadening earphones but never managed to put them on because so many people wanted to talk. Silence at home is wonderful!

I typically spend 30 minutes or so at each of my MOC areas talking to the public, and then go into one of the hideouts or the area in the back behind the moon bounce for a while to get away from the noise.

[Legogal]

That is a great strategy for avoiding the sounds beating into your skull from every angle. God, was it noisy. If I wanted to go to a heavy metal rock concert, I could catch almost as much noise at BFVA. My fault was staying too long trying to rebuild my Duplo layout Saturday afternoon after finally getting it put together. Will take more breaks outside next time and wear my noise canceling headphones and act deaf.

[Legogal]

One of the high points for me this year was the first BF VA Mini Con, which was a micro scale replica of the entire convention center exhibits. Not many folks knew about it and built a micro scales of their MOC's on exhibit and placed them on the Mini Con table in their assigned location.

Danny P and Marianne A did a wonderful job assembling the gigantic base, which uses several bazillion bricks and has been at a couple of BrickFair events this year. This should become an extraordinary collective build as more exhibitors begin adding their micro MOC's in the future. It is especially fun for those of us not used to collective builds. Thanks to those two folks for going the extra mile and setting this up for everyone.

[Bricksnaps]

Thanks for this info. I attended brickfair alabama this year and we have decided to make the drive to VA in August. Really excited, we know what to expect with the flow of events.

I have a question on MOC's- we will be registering at least one big one which will be out on the map I am sure, for the smaller ones, is there a lot of space or is it limited to how many we can bring, Alabama was light on MOCs so we were encouraged to bring many.

As for the public hours, my son is 8 and I think that was some of our fav time. We loved watching people's reactions to our creations and then asking questions, it was great for my son for confidence building.

Great advise on the cooler for drinks- and to bring your own food, we didn't plan on that for Alabama.

Anyway, really excited about VA, alabama was hae if this year on sat and thinned out on Sunday, cannot wait until August. Cheers.

[danny316p]

One of the high points for me this year was the first BF VA Mini Con, which was a micro scale replica of the entire convention center exhibits. Not many folks knew about it and built a micro scales of their MOC's on exhibit and placed them on the Mini Con table in their assigned location.

Danny P and Marianne A did a wonderful job assembling the gigantic base, which uses several bazillion bricks and has been at a couple of BrickFair events this year. This should become an extraordinary collective build as more exhibitors begin adding their micro MOC's in the future. It is especially fun for those of us not used to collective builds. Thanks to those two folks for going the extra mile and setting this up for everyone.

Aww, thanks. Mariann's on here as Model_Gal, but doesn't post much these days (not that I was ever that active here... )

That collaboration has gotten very popular over the years...we're running it again at BFVA this year, and it's going to be at Brickworld Chicago, Bricks By the Bay, BrickCon, and BrickFair New Jersey too (although it's smaller and run a little differently at the other events).

Thanks for this info. I attended brickfair alabama this year and we have decided to make the drive to VA in August. Really excited, we know what to expect with the flow of events.

I have a question on MOC's- we will be registering at least one big one which will be out on the map I am sure, for the smaller ones, is there a lot of space or is it limited to how many we can bring, Alabama was light on MOCs so we were encouraged to bring many.

There's plenty of space at BFVA, but it is managed more closely than at BFAL. There's no limit to how many you can bring, but you'll want to check with theme leaders when you get there to make sure you're not spreading out too much. The theme leaders make sure everyone has enough space, and will let you know if you need to move something to a different table.

Great advise on the cooler for drinks- and to bring your own food, we didn't plan on that for Alabama.

Anyway, really excited about VA, alabama was hae if this year on sat and thinned out on Sunday, cannot wait until August. Cheers.

In Virginia, you have the advantage of a Wal-Mart within walking distance of the expo center. Registered exhibitors (not public) can pick up snacks and drinks there, hide them under their display tables, and then grab fresh ice from the hotel before heading back to the expo hall in the mornings. Coolers are nice, but the convenience of the location works even for those of us flying in.

[Bricksnaps]

Thanks Danny- good to know about walmart.

I just saw the program has been posted, I was not aware that everything started on Wednesday- a day earlier than alabama.

With that being said, when do the tables start filling up with MOC's. I'll be hailing the wife and two kids on a 12 hour drive and we were planning on driving part way on weds and arrive lunch time on Thursday to begin to set up. With that being said we will have at least a 9ft moc and then my children's ones too all in the same theme in pop culture. I want to make sure we get there early enough tk have a good location and to be able to keep all of our stuff together. Hoping thurs midday will be good, however I'll try to twist my wife's arm and skip a trip to the Biltmore in NC on weds so that we will be there in time for thurs for the mini fig swap.

Anymore advise and tips are more than welcomed :)