Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t know I was going to attend this convention? I’m as surprised as you are, I promise. On Wednesday morning, something very interesting happened. Daniel Gillies (Elijah Mikaelson in The Originals) announced on his Instagram stories that he would attend Portugal Comic Con the following weekend. So I spoke to my friend in Lisbon and booked my flight and tickets by 4pm.
It wasn’t a very big convention, but they also had Zachary Levi (Shazam in Shazam). It looked promising.
Saturday morning
I’d arrived by 7pm to Lisbon, since I took the first flight in the morning -without sleeping the night before, by the way-. It was quite easy to arrive by metro to the convention place, surprisingly. I couldn’t get an early entry, but the queue wasn’t too long when I arrived. At the con I also met a Spanish fellow to spend the time with.
I left my suitcase in the cloakroom and ran inside trying to find the booth to get my activities. After getting lost -twice-, I found the place. I got all my activities for the day and checked the autographs and photos section. To be honest, I was a bit afraid I’d feel lonely or bored. I hadn’t had the time to schedule a meeting with anyone attending the convention. Luckily, I made friends very quick! The volunteers at Daniel’s activities were absolutely lovely. There weren’t many fans for the autograph, so it was very relaxed and chill.
The autographs got delayed. When they started, I hid behind the girl before me. I hadn’t told ANYONE I was coming here except my dad and a couple friends, so it was an absolute surprise for Daniel too. When it was my turn and he saw me, he was absolutely shocked and couldn’t believe I was there! It was adorable. He didn’t expect to see me, since he announced his appearance just a couple days ago.
He really loved the chocolates I got him, and it was great not being rushed, since there weren’t many people behind me.
Saturday afternoon
After the autograph, I checked the place with a couple fans I met there and ate a snack. They had some very cool things, like a collection of famous paintings in Spongebob Squarepants version. They also had an HBO booth with some props -the Iron Throne stole the show- and Marvel figures. My favorite thing was the Doritos one: We could win some free Doritos! Simulating to be a human crane was very funny.
Around 1pm, we had Daniel’s photographs, which were quite fast but very cool. It was very funny trying to see if our first photo was okay or if we needed to repeat it. After that, my con-friends wandered around and then went to his panel. It was very interesting to see a panel happening in a crystal cage while we were behind a wall. We felt like we were in a zoo, but it was a very funny experience.
When the panel was done, we had the m&g. We were only 4 people, it was the smallest m&g I’ve ever been in, and I loved it! We talked about many things: his life before becoming a successful actor, “The Originals” characters, football and rugby, Madrid. In the end, we all took selfies. I absolutely adored it.
Then the final activity happened: the last autograph. It was quite long, but so lovely. He thanked me for coming all the way there, spoke to me in Spanish, and hugged me when I told him I wouldn’t come see him on Sunday. The autograph experiences here were actually one of the most relaxed and intimate ones I’ve ever had.
Comic Con Portugal Review
I enjoyed the experience very much: I met cool people while I wandered around and waited for my extras, but there are MANY things to improve. I’ll explain some things that bothered/surprised me after my experience in conventions:
- While we queued to get in, they announced we couldn’t bring food or water inside. This was a big surprise: normally organizations allow a few things to eat and drink (especially considering some people have special food needs).
- It shocked me so big that there were dozens of policemen around the place. I understand security guards, but…dozens of POLICEMEN? I was even more shocked when I managed to get inside without having my backpack and suitcase registered. Speaking of prohibitions: They had many rules, and many didn’t make sense. They didn’t allow umbrellas because, according to them, they could be used as weapons. But inside the convention swords and many big props were being sold.
- I was shocked when I learnt we couldn’t buy our tickets online, just in place. I think I was lucky Daniel was announced just a couple days in advance, otherwise I believe I could’ve had troubles getting my extras.
- The convention place was MASSIVE, but there weren’t too many things to see or do. They didn’t have more than 5 guests, and they had just a few artists related to comics or books. The space wasn’t well used at all, and you could see people VERY bored.
- Their indications to arrive to the convention venue were VERY poor. They didn’t specify the exact address, just the area we had to go to.
I’ve seen complaints about the staff not being helpful at all or not knowing basic things about what was happening. I am very lucky I went for Daniel and that I absolutely enjoyed my experience. I’d do this sprint trip again in a heartbeat!
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Hello! I’m Paula, a Spanish deaf girl who absolutely enjoys and loves watching movies and shows, as well as traveling, reading and writing. I grew up reading adventure books and writing fictional stories, and continued watching cartoons, movies and shows. I soon found myself enjoying that SO much that it became my special place and a way to escape from reality and problems, while it helped me to learn a lot and grow. My friends call me Dori and/or minion, but it's only my distinctive aspects that make me unforgettable. Don’t believe me? Well, consider yourself challenged to prove me wrong.
