Why I wont be going back to Summer In The City: SITC 2017 Review

Summer In The City is a YouTube event that I have wanted to go to for many years. In fact, on my Facebook you can see I clicked 'going' to the event in 2011 which was literally just a party in the park. This year I finally took the plunge and went to Summer In The City at the Excel! I really didn't know what to expect as the event has grown astronomically but I was excited nevertheless.

I chose a Sunday ticket, mostly because I had work on the Saturday and also because I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy creator day. I'm at a really awkward stage in my YouTube 'career' where I've either got to pursue it and work every single day or I've got to throw in the towel. I have around 1000 subscribers but it drops below 1000 frequently because I'm currently pretty inconsistent with my uploads and video style. Am I a kawaii YouTuber or a Lush YouTuber? Nobody knows! I understand everything I'm doing wrong with my YouTube and how I could potentially make my videos more consist but honestly, currently I'm just enjoying posting what I feel like.

I didn't want to buy a creator day ticket because I don't know if 1000 subscribers is justification of being a 'creator' or not. I suppose it is but honestly I was scared of the judgement but after my experience on Sunday, I realised I am very much a creator and not a YouTube 'fan' as such. I don't know, I really don't know the way to word it, the lines are very much blurred and I really don't know where I fit on the YouTube spectrum.

ARRIVAL AND EASE OF ACCESS

Anyway, I arrived bright and early on the Sunday, ready for 11am start! The actual process of getting tickets and my meet and greet wristbands was incredibly easy and well-organised which was a very promising start. It made me feel super excited but it was a reminder that I had a LOT of meet and greets, five in total. I also didn't really know what to do about clashing schedules.

My arm of many wristbands!

When the doors opened the mad rush of people and energy was super exciting, I've never been able to film 'talking' vlogs whilst at an event before but here it felt so easy as everyone was doing it! Getting into the exhibition haul I was surprised that the amount of people didn't feel very overwhelming. As somebody who has only previously been to the ExCel centre for Comic Con, SITC felt so empty in comparison, as it was only one part of the centre.


THE STALLS

I had a quick look around the art stalls, this is always my favourite part of any convention because I'm a wannabe artist and I admire all the different art styles and all the cute stuff available at these events! There was lots of amazing art and little trinkets and it was nice to look at.

I then looked at all the activities which was things like the Instagram swing and the McFlurry van, both things I felt uncomfortable to do on my own, so I missed out. That's my fault though as there's no rule about having to be with a 'squad', just I didn't feel comfortable.

The word 'funfair' is also a very grandiose term for one ride and some bumper cars. Not that this bothered me that much as it wasn't something I was planning on spending my money one!

Another thing which I can't decide whether it bothered me or not is that the creators merchandise stalls had queues to get into, I understand it in the respect that if the creator is there it's a good way to get everybody to queue up to meet them but I also found it roped people into buying merchandise when perhaps they might not have wanted to. Considering the event is primarily for children, I felt that there could have been an easier way to look at the merchandise as I'm sure not every child (or even adult!) had £10-20 to spend on every creator.

Due to this set-up, I only approached the creator stall that I was interested in meeting and purchasing from. Honestly, I had a bad experience meeting this creator and my social anxiety means I'm absolutely terrified I did something wrong. I'm hoping they were just tired as it was a Sunday evening but I'm still feeling so bad that perhaps I did or said the wrong thing and upset them. Which wasn't what I wanted to do obviously.

THE MEET AND GREETS

Honestly, the meet and greets were a bit of a disaster. I had lots of clashing meet and greets, luckily, my social anxiety has improved enough that asking for a little bit of help wasn't an issue. The first person told me to queue up for my first meet and greet and I'd be 'fast tracked' for the second. This didn't make sense! (And was wrong!) So I queued up to meet Dodie, I met some lovely girls in the queue who had drawn Dodie some beautiful artwork and they also had clashing meet and greets! A lot of people in my queue did and honestly some of them were as young as 11/12 so would have definitely struggled even more than me to ask about what to do!

The queue for Dodie took me two and a half hours. This is fine, it's what I expected! I wish I'd had known having two meet and greets I could fast track it but honestly, none of the volunteers seemed to know and it wasn't worth sacrificing my place in the queue. Unfortunately, due to a mix of mine and their mistakes I missed my other meet and greet entirely and I was pretty gutted. Not just because I really wanted to meet the other creator I was scheduled to meet but also because that meet and greet ticket had now been wasted on me when somebody else could have benefitted from it.

Meeting Dodie was lovely though, I found it difficult and I didn't manage to get any words out whatsoever but she was kind and pure. They say never to meet your heroes but honestly meeting her was an amazing experience. I was only very quick in saying hello because I tried to speed it up for everybody else in the queue but it was a lovely brief hello!

Excuse the fact I look so awkward! I was really aware of the massive queue behind me and I felt like I needed to be as quick as possible!

By the time I'd finished at the Dodie queue it was almost time to queue up for the Evan Edinger queue. I hadn't eaten at all at this point and there was nowhere to buy food in the 'meet and greet' section. I ran to the toilet, contemplated going back to the main arena to get some food but honestly after missing one of my meet and greets and feeling like crying, I decided the queue to get back into the meet and greet section was too long, so after hanging around trying to watch a panel on the main stage,  I queued up for Evan.

I was about 5th in the Evan Edinger queue as most people had been held back at the queue to get into the meet and greet hall. Unfortunately I didn't realise I could fast track this one and be at my other meet and greet (Mimei and PDR) even faster but to be honest I was so close to the front of the queue this really didn't matter!

Meeting Evan was amazing! He's a creator I've been watching for years and sort of feel like I've been on every holiday he's been on with! I found meeting Evan and Dodie quite bizarre because a YouTuber friend of theirs grew up very local to me and to all my friends, Evan and Dodie were just that YouTubers friends. It's really weird. If you are an Evan fan and are considering going to a meet and greet of his I would 110% recommend it! I was greeted with so much energy and enthusiasm and as I watched the queue from another one, I noticed that he greeted even people who had been waiting for two hours with the same energy as the first person he met! I even vlogged with him, it's super embarrassing and I'm not sure it'll see the light of day on my YouTube channel but you know, it's a nice reminder of how much my confidence has grown!

Evan was so full of energy! A lovely creator to meet if you ever get the chance!

I then got in the queue for Mimei and PDR. It was an insanely long queue and that same stress about missing my 4 o'clock meet and greet sunk in. At this point I'd been in the meet and greet haul since 11.30am and it was now nearly 4pm. I was so thirsty and so hungry. I waited in the queue for Mimei and PDR for an hour and realised that the queue for my 4pm meet and greet was really tiny and if I wasn't careful I'd miss it. I asked if there was anyway I could fast track as I explained my situation but they said as they were different timed meet and greets there was nothing they could do. Fair enough, I didn't want to be given an unfair advantage, so I just dropped out of the Mimei and PDR queue and jumped into the Beckie queue!

The Beckie queue took longer than expected but that was because she really took time to talk to everybody. I loved meeting her because she was probably the worst YouTuber I ever watched, in 2008-2009 or so when she used to make videos up in her attic room. She was very warming and made everybody in her queue feel important and valid to her. It was heartwarming, she's truly something special in the YouTube community.

Beckie is a very special part of the YouTube community! She needs to be protected and cherished. 

So by the time I got out of that queue it was about 5.30pm. I contemplated getting back into the Mimei and PDR queue but it was stilled looped around and I'd been in that meet and greet hall for 6 hours without food or drink. So I couldn't face it. I tried to get somebody to give them the card I had written but I struggled and just ended up leaving.

IS THE MEET AND GREET BALLOT WORTH IT? 

Meet and greets are definitely worth it but be warned if you are going on your own you are going to have a miserable time waiting in queues. I also think people should be limited to one or two meet and greets each. Having five was amazing but I missed two despite being in the hall for six whole hours on my own. It meant I missed all the panels I wanted to see, I was desperate to see 'Women who Write' and a couple of others. I missed them all for the sake of meet and greets. I could have ditched the meet and greets but honestly I felt so lucky to have gotten them that I had to go to them because other people were missing out so I could meet these creators, there was no way I was just not going to bother because of how unfair that would have felt.

PANELS

As I've stated, I really didn't get any time to see the panels because of my experience with meet and greets but from what I read about them and the glimpses I did see, the panels were really informative and insightful. They had an amazing range of topics and creators. It was a really inclusive atmosphere and I'm sure they would have been wonderful to listen to properly. From the bits I did see of them, the ones on 'stages' in the main hall were difficult to hear because of all the other stuff going on around them. There was also never enough seating but this is always difficult to provide.

AWARDS AND PERFORMANCES

Honestly, this was the part I was most excited for but I ended up missing it due to my day being so long and painful. I was desperate to see Dodie perform but I ended up leaving the ExCel at 6pm, I had been awake for 12 hours and hadn't even drunk anything for 9 of those. I had a headache. I know it was partially my fault for being unprepared without food or drink but I didn't realise quite how long I'd be in that meet and greet hall.

WOULD I RECOMMEND GOING TO SUMMER IN THE CITY?

Overall, maybe. If you are a YouTube fan and going with a group of friends, yes definitely. There's lots for friends to do together, sitting in meet and greet queues looked an awful lot more fun with friends and it really could be an amazing day out!

If you are a 'YouTuber' like me where you are just a small creator and just want to meet and learn from other YouTubers, I'd probably give it a miss unless you are planning on going on the creator day. My day was lonely, tiring and stressful. I didn't learn anything about creating on YouTube like I'd hoped for. If I do go again it'll be the creator day but honestly, I still don't know if it'll be worth attending on my own.

PROS
- A very inclusive environment. Everybody felt comfortable being themselves. 10/10
- Fun things for friends to do together
- Creators are lovely people!
- A safe environment for young people to meet their 'idols'
- Everything is easy to find
- Can leave/ re-enter venue quite easily
- Informative and interesting panels
- Not too busy, great first time convention for children
- Food is available in lots of places, just very expensive!
- Lot's of opportunities to meet YouTube creators

CONS
- Not really a place for lonely people
- Lots and lots of waiting
- Very expensive, did not feel like it was worth £28 and it will only be more expensive in 2018
- Feeling pressure to buy creator merchandise when you've already spent a lot on the ticket
- Panels in the main arena were hard to hear and watch


I hope this review helped you decide on whether to go to Summer In The City in the future. I'm sorry it's not the most positive review. I'm definitely not saying that SITC isn't worth a trip because for some people it definitely is totally worth the trip and the money. It's just for me, as a small creator, I felt like I was out of place entirely and I didn't fit in.

Zono xxx

The Art of Writing Letters

I know what you're thinking. Writing is so 20th Century. You're sort of correct, except writing is so old it pre-dates pretty much everything else on the planet. I love to write letters, it's something I've always done. At school, me and my best friend at the time Rosie used to write eachother letters in every single Spanish lesson. We were in seperate classes but that didn't stop us. These letters sort of turned into a really artistic competition. I'd be given these pop-up cards, letters in paper fortune-teller form, letters that had carefully been folded into the shape of fish! I wasn't quite so artistic but I used a lot of coloured pens to make my letters back almost as impressive.

Since then it's carried on, occasionally, I will write out my love to you on a piece of paper. It doesn't really matter who you are but if I look up to you, you could potentially get a lot. I also like to give letters to people who I feel don't often get appreciated as much as they should. Don't worry though, it's not out of pity! I just like to make sure I make somebody feel valid.

My super cute Rilakkuma letter sets! I love writing really personal letters on these tiny pieces of paper that people can treasure forever, or throw away, I suppose, although I try not to think about people doing the latter!

You can never go wrong with little stickers! (Unless like me you have a friend who's terrified of stickers and the way they feel!) Alternatively cute little doodles work very well too!

Cute cards and little bits of cardboard are also extra fun to include. I love every letter I write to be instantly recognisable as being from me! So that's cute paper, a pastel or bright rainbow theme and a lot of stickers!

Here's my video on my cute, kawaii letter writing style! Hope it inspires you to be more open! 

I hate how writing to tell people they are appreciated or loved isn't really accepted. Many years ago as a teenager, I would write my friends letters and make them little photo scrapbooks but if the friend was male, I'd always get accused of being madly in love with them. I hated it and eventually it stopped me from making the scrapbooks altogether. I hated this assumption that I had to be madly in love with someone just because I wrote them a thank you. I'll be honest, the love I feel for people is potentially more than how an average person feels (either that or everybody I've ever met hides their emotions) but I've never really been 'in love' with anybody, a bold statement I know!

So if you've ever got a present or a letter from me telling you how great I think you are that doesn't mean I'm in love with you! I'm not! I love you and cherish you as a friend and don't mind saying things that most people would feel like is a 'bit much'.

Slowly, I am learning to write slightly shorter letters! Not ten page essays for everybody. Unless you want one, of course! I love to cover them in stickers, draw little doodles of hearts and stars all over them. As a child I even used to spray them with perfume (well, more Impulse Body Spray!) - I don't do that anymore though!

Sometimes, I just think we all need to step back and take a moment to write a sentence or two about why we appreciate people. What it is about them that makes you bound up to their front door a little faster than you usually would, let them know that sometimes your cheeks hurt after seeing them from how much they make you laugh and smile. How much you look up to them. You never know when it'll be your last chance to say the things on your mind.

Sorry, the last note really was a bit on the emo side but it's all too easy to forget!
Zono xxx

Hyper Japan 2017 Review

Hello Everybody!
Hyper Japan 2017 has already been and gone, I can't quite believe it! This trip to Hyper Japan was my third trip and I thought I would share some thoughts for anybody deciding whether or not to go for Christmas or for the July Convention in the many years to come!

THE LOCATION:
Tobacco Dock is beautiful but it definitely doesn't feel like a convention centre. It's pokey, slightly awkward and often confusing. It felt like there was a lack of toilets for the sheer volume of people. The queues were large. It was also incredibly hot and slightly dark. It could have done with a lot more light in some of the more hidden rooms. I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy the convention being here, I just found it difficult to find my way around. Everything was in little rooms and often I felt like that I might be going the wrong way. The staff that actually worked for the convention centre didn't feel particularly helpful and if I did lose my way a bit, they'd just shoo me away and point to a map as I tried to find my way around. Most of the time though, it just felt wrong and it wasn't actually wrong.

Sorry for such negative notes there. I'm just trying to give the full experience. Tobacco Dock itself is full of character, is easy to find from either Shadwell or Wapping station (and about equidistant from each) and once you do manage to find your way around is a lot of fun!




THE STALLS:
As somebody that goes to Hyper Japan almost solely for all the kawaii fashion stuff, I was truly in my element. The stalls were absolutely amazing for this. There was so much beautiful art, cute clothes and genuinely amazing stuff to look at. It was like a dreamworld for someone like me! No matter what your J-Fashion style is you will find something for yourself at Hyper Japan. You will find too much, you will not be able to afford everything you want to buy!

As always, TofuCute, Cakes With Faces, Artbox and Dreamy Bows really did make the convention this year. They had amazing displays, cute photo areas, an absolutely incredible amount of stock and really made the place pop!

There were apparently less anime stalls than usual, I can't comment as it's never been something I've really looked at too much but my sister was far more interested in them. To me, it felt like a lot of the anime stalls were overpriced tat. A lot of rip-off posters that had been reprinted and slightly unfortunate looking pokemon plushes! Personally I wouldn't spend my money on it but I can see the appeal to an 11 year old anime fan! There were also some bargains so it's not all a rip-off. My sister also loves the idea that she has super cool anime bags and posters that her friends will find hard to find so that's cool too! I honestly don't think it's a complete waste of money as long as you go into it knowing that you might not be buying the genuine stuff!

HOW BUSY WAS IT?
I went for Friday and Sunday so I can't comment for Saturday (notoriously the busiest day) but Friday was the quietest. Friday was still busy but it felt manageable, nowhere got to crowded, I managed to see everything I wanted to see and didn't feel too claustrophobic.
Fast forward to Sunday and it was packed, it felt like almost double the people. Trying to get into the TofuCute, Artbox and Dreamy Bows stalls was almost impossible, my sister had to wait outside while I got her Ramune as she was too anxious to even attempt to enter. Honestly it was not an enjoyable experience on the Sunday with the levels of people. Queues for food and toilets made it feel like it wasn't worth eating or drinking. (not something I say lightly!)


THE FOOD:If you could bring yourself to try and wait in a disorganised queue, the food was a really interesting and varied selection of Japanese goodies. It was expensive, which goes without saying at all conventions and I don't think it's fair to give the food a bad wrap on this alone. I wish I could have tried it all but the thing that caught me and my sister's eyes the most was the bubble wrap waffles. Honestly, those things were heaven. Sent from above. It was a bubble wrap waffle, some ice cream, cream, chocolate, melted nutella and oreos. A dream come true when you're crashing from a lack of sugar in a hot convention haul. I couldn't recommend these enough. They are seven pounds a pop which is on the expensive side but truly worth every penny!

The other food I didn't get to try but it sure smelled good!

THE PERFORMANCES:
Honestly, this is a part of Hyper Japan I often miss and forget about, which is a shame really because it's probably mostly what I pay for! I made sure to see a few this year, I really wanted to see the fashion show but I only managed to watch it on YouTube as my sister was not interested. I watched a few performances, Shin was a favourite, completely crazy J-Rock, not my usual style at all but I really enjoyed his crazy bouncing around the stage and screaming!

MY VLOG OF THE CONVENTION:

Mostly a vlog of the 'kawaii stalls' and amazing artists I met!

OVERALL:

Would I go again? Yes, I love Hyper Japan and will continue to go and support the convention and the amazing artists. 

Do I think it's worth the money? Mostly yes, priority entry was too expensive and hardly anybody except my sister used it (but it did mean we cut all of the queue inside - you still had to wait outside like everybody else though!)
I do think the Friday and Sunday tickets were fairly priced. Just make sure you see everything and get your moneys worth. I won't be buying a weekend ticket again. At £45 this was too expensive as I missed a lot of stuff due to not being able to attend on the Saturday. 

What would I improve?

A lot of stuff. I'd probably change the venue back to The Olympia if I could (haha, obviously I don't have that level of power!), there needs to be more lighting definitely and more toilets. The food stalls could also have done with a better queueing system, the lines were so long and honestly it was hit and miss as to what you were lining up for! The First Aid room also felt pretty hidden and needed better signage from a safety point of view. 

Do I have any tips?  

Take cash! It makes your life and everybody else's lives so much easier!
If you are taking children or anybody that might need a little bit of extra help, you definitely need to arrange a meeting place in case they get lost. It would be far too easy to get lost in tobacco dock! (I am a grown woman and I got lost, many times!) - I'd recommend the fountain as a good place to have as a meeting point.

Watch performances. This is one of the things that makes Hyper Japan so interesting and full of culture. These are things that you can't buy on the internet later so definitely make the most of them!
Have fun! Dress cute and how ever you want! I was absolutely showered with compliments both days I attended for my outfits and it made me feel amazing!

I hope I have given you a realistic and informative review of Hyper Japan!
Zono xxx