Hello my Fellow Geeks! Today blog, Is a special guest blogger. My friend Admrl Suval has written about Star Trek Las Vegas. Enjoy!
I recently attended the largest gathering of trekkies at
a convention held in Las Vegas, NV the beginning of August. This con is always
a lot of fun and is a four day long party that never stops while the convention
runs. This blog will explain what STLV is and why people attend every year.
I’ll share some stories and experiences from this year’s con in a future blog.
What is STLV?
Star Trek Last Vegas (STLV) is the largest Trek
convention in the world spread across at least 4 days with over 100 guests. The
guest list contains not only actors from the shows / movies, but makeup
artists, writers, and sometimes those that worked in the background such as Dr.
Trek himself Larry Nemecek. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Nemecek in the
vendor's hall and speak with him for a few minutes. He was kind enough to sign
a TNG companion I brought along for reference (in case of trivia nights.
There are not only official events that go on during the
day (such as Panels, Official photo shoots, autographs, etc.) but many Facebook
groups get together to do Photo Ops in various locations throughout the
convention hall. Many groups setup events outside of convention hours. One such
event was celebrating an anniversary for two con goers that got married during
the 2014 convention.
Creation Entertainment (the company that runs STLV) sets
up so many great places to get Photos taken such as the ones below:
The convention hall is laid out in 4 major parts, the
main theater, secondary theater, Photo Ops room, and a huge Vendors hall.
·
The main and secondary theaters are where you
will see many of the guests and panels that are being presented.
·
The Photo Ops room is where Photo Ops are taken
with the guest and also where you will pick up those Photos once ready.
·
The Vendors hall is where all the vendors are
located and there are a wide variety of booths ranging from actual vendors to
guests that get a table for the weekend to meet fans and sign autographs for a
nominal fee.
·
Photo Ops locations throughout the convention
hall
Over 5000 regulars attend this convention every year and
it keeps growing. There are as many as 20- 30,000 attendees throughout the
weekend. Many regulars return each year not only to see the many panels but to
catch up with each other. Some only see each other once a year at STLV. The
STLV crowd is like one big family and is one of the safest places you can ever
be. A good example is I left a bag at my spot in the main theater to go get a
drink of water in the back of the massive room. I was gone for a little bit as
I ran into a con friend I hadn't seen yet and we talked for a little bit (no
panel or actor was on stage at this point). I was probably gone about 20
minutes or so. When I got back to my seat my bag had not been touched, and I thanked
my seat mate for watching my bag. There are many stories like this. You may
even run into some of the guest walking about in the hallways. Most are willing
to stop and talk with you for a few minutes. It’s rare that a guest won’t speak
to you or at least say Hello in passing by.
Why do people come
from all around the world?
STLV is an experience in itself and every trekkie should
go at least once. For me personally I go every year to see friends and those
that have become family over the years. This year was my 13th trip and I plan
to go as long as STLV is held. To further explain why people go to the
convention (and honestly explain it better than I can) see this video
In my next blog, I’ll talk about my experiences this year
and share a few stories from STLV. Until then Live Long and Prosper.
Thanks ,
Admrl Suval
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