Hello, all!
So, yesterday was my one-day sample of Tora-con, and, I must say, I was impressed!
I was thinking it would be along the lines of MEW-con, which runs at about 1000 people total over two days. But! It was, in fact, in-between MEW and Kumori-con. It was only two days, Saturday and Sunday, but on Saturday, they reached their cap of 2500 people. It was well-run, for the most part, and the line/crowd control was very good for an almost entirely volunteer staff working in a very limited space.
The guest list was impressive, to say the least! For such a small, student-run event, Tora-con managed to get notable voice actors, including Uncle Yo and John St. John, as well as a hologram concert featuring Miku from Vocaloid. Of all the cons I've been to, that is something I have never actually seen before.
The cosplay quality was good, especially considering the relatively limited community the con draws from.
A few events were cancelled, and I think the staff was un-prepared for the sheer volume of people who attended. The dealer's hall was decently sized, but a bit on the small side. The artists alley had a good amount of artists, but crammed into far too small a space. I would have liked to see them move the vendors closer, and give the artists more space, as their booths were far more interesting, varied and popular than the booths selling mass-produced merchandise.
Overall, I would give Tora-con a big thumbs up, especially if you live on or near the RIT campus! I will definitely be attending next year!