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Review of Up in the Aether Steampunk Convention 2013

May. 28 Conventions, News no comments

I had the opportunity to attend the Up in the Aether steampunk convention at the Doubletree Hotel Southfield/Detroit. What did I think?

Here I was hunting Steampunk fans in their natural environment – Up in the Aether Steampunk Convention 2013

Broken Misconceptions

I went into the Up in the Aether steampunk convention with certain misconceptions about steampunk conventions. Don’t blame me as I had never attended a steampunk convention before. I expected everyone to be talking in strained and feigned European accents and to be in character the entire time. I found this was not the case as there were only a few people who attempted to hold perception of character. The fake accents, though, could not be missed.

The Overall Feel of the Up in the Aether Steampunk Convention

Most of the guests at the Up in the Aether steampunk convention appeared to be having a good time. They were in their element. If you are a steampunk cosplayer, or someone who has a deep love for the genre, I could see you having a blast at the convention. I have been to many different types of conventions and can usually pick those people who are simply there because they have to be or because they believe they need to be to make it through the motions of tradition. I was hard-pressed to find those types of individuals at this convention.

Up in the Aether Steampunk Convention 2013

The Casual Attendee

I am a fan of steampunk literature and media adaptations, but have never considered following the “steampunk lifestyle.” I know this is a genre convention, but I am sad to say that I did not gain the level of excitement at the convention that fans of the “steampunk lifestyle” did. I am not making a suggestion that they make the show more inviting to non-genre fans as that might take from the magic enjoyed by the traditional attendees of a steampunk show. As with most genre-strict conventions, non-genre fans are not catered to and should not expect to be catered to. If you are considering the “steampunk lifestyle,” the Up in the Aether steampunk convention would be a great convention to check out. If you are a casual fan of the literary genre, you might not find very much to do.

The Convention Itself

I have to commend the planners and promoters of the convention for having a constant schedule of events for attendees to participate in. Panels on attire creation, historical classes, and weapons displays filled the roster of events. Live bands, DJs and a marionette animation could also be experienced. There were very few dead times during the convention.

One Area for Improvement

There was only one area where I could say that the promoters and planners of the Up in the Aether steampunk convention needed to improve upon. While this is a hurdle created by the layout of the Doubletree Hotel, it is something the convention’s minds need to figure out.

The hallways on the first floor of the hotel are fairly narrow. If something is going on in one of the hallways, maneuvering around can be very difficult. They had a live mermaid perform, and whenever she would be swimming in the pool, the hallway would fill up with people trying to see her swim. This made it difficult for hotel guests to get to their rooms as they had to pass through that particular hallway. As someone who has covered conventions for years for various sites, areas of congestion are a pet peeve of mine, but still believe they can ruin an event or an evening for conventiongoers.

All-in-all, I would say that the Up in the Aether steampunk convention gave a great showing for the first time out. I wish them many years of success. You can learn more about the convention by following this link.

You can see pictures of the costumes in our Cosplay Photo Gallery.