Any convention weekend can be full of awesomeness. When you have great friends, awesome events, and the warm embrace of the nerd community, it can be such a riveting experience. This was what I felt when I went to Orlando Nerd Fest this year. What was an event that rose from the ashes of the former Nerdapalooza was a sight to behold. Back at the old stomping grounds of the Orlando Airport Marriott, Nerd Fest felt like Nerdvanna.
I want to personally thank all of those who helped bring this event together. You created an event that became a warm haven of nerdery and closeness to a wonderful community. it was an honor and a privilege to be counted among the staff photographers for this first time event. Being that close to a legend like Nobuo Uematsu was a dream come true and something I had never thought possible when I started Geek World Order. It was a rush to be among great names in the con photo scene and to exchange and learn from them. I feel like I took some of my best pictures yet.
The music was outstanding. All three stages were filled to the brim with the best nerd music talent. Even the jamspace had some stacked lineups and a few secret shows from main stage talent. From nerdcore and chiptunes to more hard rock selections, the variety of music represented was a great mix and show the true diversity in nerd music.
Hanging out with the talent at Nerd Fest was a blast. Being around these creative minds really inspired me that weekend. It was a much needed refresher for me. Building relationships in this community has been such a great experience. I definitely need to step up my game. I have really been more inspired to keep finding my voice in this geek community and step up to promote geekdom. Even in my normal life, the high of the weekend still lingers and keeps me going even when work wants to crush me.
The nerd community stepped up to the plate on this one. It was a great time with no drama that I was aware of. We all came together as a family to bond over some awesome music. Even guests like Nobuo and his band seemed to enjoy themselves. The show was by all means a success. When we come together and we sweat, bleed, and cry geekdom, great things can and will happen. Orlando Nerd Fest was the culmination of a year’s work that brought together a lot of details.
I want to personally thank the staff of Orlando Nerd Fest for assembling this show, booking awesome talent, and taking care of their guests with a great hotel, the in room stream of the show and all the other little details that went into making one of the most memorable weekends of my life. I can’t wait to do it all again next year.