Back from Anime North Texas 2017!

Finally back from Anime North Texas, and I gotta say despite the location change this convention turned out really great!

Cosplay of the Anime North Texas mascot.

This year the convention took place at the Sheraton DFW in Irving, TX.  I love Sheraton hotels and my expectations where high and they were certainly achived, Sheraton staff is always courteous and professional and that's what I love
about them.
Registration lines for ANT went pretty fast and that is always a plus, especially since the registration area was in the lobby area of the hotel and there was not very much room, but like I said it went by fast so it did not create a problem.

Panel Room 1 and the Maid Cafe where next to each other right next to a hallway that created a bit of a traffic jam when people were lining up to get to the panels, the issue was quickly fixed by Saturday by designating areas to line up, smart move. Panel Room 2 and 3 where upstairs in the second floor, unfortunately to get up there, the only way was through the elevator. This did create a lot of congestion unfortunately, due to there not being a main set of stairs to get the the mezzanine level of the hotel. There was a good line organization with con volunteers patrolling the elevator to make sure they did not go over capacity, but this did create a long line at the elevators which caused delays for people trying to rush up to the second floor in a timely manner.   Maybe next year the issue could be fixed by putting the other panel rooms downstairs perhaps? It seemed this year there was another event going on at the same time as the convention so not all the downstairs conference room areas where available so that is understandable.

Parking...
Well honestly in my opinion, the ANT website and social media did a fair job warning everyone that there was limited parking. But unfortunately for people that are not from around here, I don't think they made the effort to even look for offsite parking.
What I thought was really cool though was when I saw the Freedom Park valet people coming in and parking cars on Saturday, I hope next year maybe this could happen again.  Or maybe a shuttle service can be provided for offsite parking elsewhere?  I managed to find parking at he hotel by planning ahead and arriving early, the one day that I did arrive late was on Sunday, and I was able to find parking at the Esters Business center about a block away, it seems like the business offices over there are closed on weekends so the entire parking lot was pretty much empty except for the other con-goers who parked there as well.   I've noticed conventions in Irving, TX, always seem to be short on parking, so it's probably something to think about for anyone planning to go next year if they stay at the same hotel, carpool, uber, or plan to park offsite because those 400 parking spots are gone fast!

 Main Events were well done, I was able to see the opening ceremonies, a couple of concerts, the cosplay contest, and the closing ceremonies. Unfortunately some of these events did get full so again anyone planning to attend cosplay contest and closing ceremonies plan ahead to be at the designated line up area because it fills up fast.


Video of the cosplay contest is coming soon so be sure to check back here for updates!

Food availability at the convention was as expected.  The closest off-site venue to eat was Denny's which is open 24 hours so that is definitively a great place to have nearby, especially since the food trucks did not stay at the hotel late. Althought the selection of food trucks was a great choice! My personal favorite is the Nami Truck, and I have now become a fan of the Bobbadiction truck, thanks to their sponsorship and the availability of their drinks at the Maid Cafe, they certainly have new clientele, that place is delicious!
Speaking of Maid Cafe, this was a great place to grab a bowl of Ramen and make some new friends! Maid Cafe needs to be on your list of things to check out at Anime North Texas if it isn't already! 
The hotel also had a variety of foods available at their bar, snack bar, and the hotel restaurant.

Dealers and Vendors area was well set up, it looks like there were a lot more dealers and vendors this year than previously so that is always good to see.

Overall the convention went great! I have nothing but positive memories from my experience at ANT2017, extra points for, all the great karaoke panels, amazing Maid Cafe, superb cosplayers, the availability of a Denny's near the hotel, and the wonderful staff of the convention and the Sheraton itself.  If you didn't get to go this year, definitively plan on going next year because this convention just keeps getting better!

Here are a few pictures I took of the event, cosplayers, and general atmosphere.