I was very lucky to be able to attend my first strictly K-Pop convention this past weekend on June 28th, Kpop Con Miami! This was not only my first, but the first event of its type to take place in Miami or the state of Florida period. The event sold extremely well, around 1,500 tickets sold, and was held in the Miami Convention Center downtown.
It was a one-day event, with events beginning at 10 am and ending around 11pm in the evening. There were general admission tickets sold, as well as VIP admission, which included a goodie bag at a $30 value. My friends and I arrived around noon, with a lengthy ticket line waiting to greet us, demonstrating the popularity of this event.
The convention included panels of all kinds, such as information on K-dramas, fun trivia games, DVD viewings, education about the industry, and even how to learn Korean. Below is the full schedule that was included:
The first panel I myself was able to attend was the one on “Ships and OTPs.” For those who may be unfamiliar, ‘shipping‘ is when you pair up members of groups with one another, either romantically or in a familial sense. ‘OTP‘ refers to your ‘one true pairing,’ in other words your favorite couple. The panel was actually quite informative and a whole lot of fun, with fan interaction throughout.
The hosts of the event had a huge vendor area set up as well, with everything you could imagine available for sale. I got a free poster with admission, but they also had plenty for sale, as well as t-shirts, bags, light-sticks, hats, and of course CD’s and DVD’s. I picked up a copy of the first SHINee World Concert CD, as well as a hat I’d been wanting.
My favorite event of the entire convention was the Cosplay Contest, which ran from 4pm to about 5:30. I was cosplaying SHINee’s Onew, in his military uniform from the “Everybody” music video. We had appearances from some BTS members, as well as a young lady dressed as CL, the entire group SPEED, a G-Dragon, and even a Doom Dara. We all got one minute on stage to strut our stuff, and the judges reviewed and picked their favorites. The winners were SPEED, a male CL from “Come Back Home,” and f(x)’s Amber.
Shortly afterward came the dance contest, where different groups got to show their stuff and impress the judges. So much talent came out for this, it was truly incredible to watch the dancers and see how hard they worked.
Directly after, everyone gathered in what had been the vendor hall to dance the night away at the K-Rave. Raffle tickets were called and prizes given away while we all grooved to funky mash-ups and K-Pop favorites.
All-in-all, I’d say Florida’s very first K-Pop con was a raving success. I personally had a wonderful time, met some new friends, and made some great memories. I hope this is the start of more events of this type in Florida and throughout the US!
For more pictures from the event you can check them out here.
Photo credit: Source: kpopconmiami.com , South Florida.com
Edited by: Angelspatience
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