Thank You For Attending Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con - Photos, Stories & Reactions

[Ferefire]

We'd like to thank all of you for attending Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con!

We look forward to seeing you all at the next Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con which will be on the 8-9 November 2025! You can get tickets for it now HERE. You can also download the phone app at https://www.animeleague.app to view our full calendar of our events elsewhere in the UK.

Got any stories, photos or feedback? Put them in this topic Thank you all.

[Rich-Allen1976]

Good event.

Definitely better than last year, although I think next year we'll come on the Tram and I'll change into the first of at least 2 costumes at the venue due to getting robbed by an idiot Taxi driver.

[DaylightHarmony]

So this was my first time attending a convention in Sheffield, along with my family and we were very disappointed. I've been to conventions up and down the country all varying in size but this was one of the smallest I've seen. The main reason we often visit conventions is for the artist alley, and... there were 3 artists. Three. I cannot physically express our disappointment and upset. This also put us off waiting another 5 hours for the cosplay competition. Please please consider making the artist alley bigger next time! Also the vendor section, they were all selling the same things.. blind bags, figures and swords. We did hope to see manga, anime, games merch or other goods.

To everyone who cosplayed.. you guys were the highlight whilst we walked around

[Dplayer1232]

Enjoyed the con met some really nice people staff was amazing to me and the stalls was amazing not the biggest con I've been to but it was good got 2 amazing figures love them and got a photoshoot done the first day

[djd001]

The heat is my big take from this one. It was quite draining especially as you went further down. Looks like the hotel didn't turn the AC or air circulation on, if it was, it was running at 1 on the dial.
The coffee shop/cloakroom down on the bottom level near the lifts wasn't there this year as that's where I drank about 8 coffees from at about £1.50 each last year, which left the bar in reception, and that was £4.50 a cup. Hotel provisions were a bit dire and extortionate on that front. Luckily, town centre.

Quiet this year too, didn't seem as much going on, went and said Hi to Mel (Nice to have seen you again @LikkleMel!) who said it was sold out, but a conversation with a disgruntled man (not worth £20!! - It' was £20 last year, no price rise, I'd take that as a win) near the entrance made me think have people gone to a convention at Magna (I think). He also mentioned the sheer heat and next to nothing happening, and basic stores selling next to nothing for over inflated prices. I did try to go through the book to him, to show him what was on, but he seemed he'd already made his mind up.

Also thank you to the lovely gentleman in the Red shirt who pointed me in the right direction to get my daughters glasses repaired. was that you @Ferefire?
And of course the lady with the bag of doom (Amy??? you said your forum name as well but my hearing was awful) who actually repaired the glasses.

Upshout to the blue T-shirt (Carly? Charlotte? young blond girl) who tried to help, regarding the glasses, shot off to find help, but couldn't.

Downshout to the Blue shirt on the door, who after checking my tickets, put the wristband on my daughter's wrist so loose it fell off and she lost it, only for him to stop us entering again 2 hours later, practically demanding I show him the tickets, despite me having my wristband on and she was carrying a blind goody bag. He hid his name badge. Yes security, but seriously, a bit of common-sense wouldn't go amiss considering.

I tend to go for my girls, who loved it and want to go next year. But we won't be attending Sheffield next year, as the weekends fall wrong. Nottingham on the other hand...

Met a fellow 'buster, again some good costumes out there, but didn't stick around for the costume parade this time, how did the 6 Mario Tennis players get on?!

[Ojisama]

Sorry I couldn't make it this year.

[Feelin-Lo]

This was my second largest con I've ever been to, I had a lot of fun but it got stuffy very quickly, the vendors were pretty much the same all around, figures, mystery bags/boxes... At much smaller cons I've been to, there's been a LOT more variety in vendors for example.
When I was cosplaying, I was overjoyed, the atmosphere was fun and welcoming, but I often doing myself being photographed without permission.

Still can't believe I came second on Sunday, I've never placed in a Cosplay Competition/masquerade before so it was definitely a life changing experience for me, but I'll definitely make sure to reinforce it next time!

[Sugarflump]

This was our first time at your con and although our daughter (in the Wybie costume) enjoyed it I have to say that as a disabled person who attended on a mobility scooter it was not easy to get around due to a lot of people and stalls being in such a small space. If it’s difficult to get around a place then I’m not likely to attend again because it becomes stressful and frustrating. Although the event was technically accessible it might as well have not been as me and my husband took to just sitting in a corner out of the way for most of it because it was too crammed for us to get around so if I were the organisers/advertisers of this event then I would make sure it’s clear that it’s not appropriate for people on mobility scooters and possibly wheelchairs. I’ve seen that you’ve already got tickets on sale for next year and unfortunately we won’t be attending because of the venue. I suggest that if you want the event to be more inclusive of disabled people with mobility issues that you choose a more appropriate venue for them.

[Rich-Allen1976]

We'd like to thank all of you for attending Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con!

We look forward to seeing you all at the next Sheffield Anime & Gaming Con which will be on the 8-9 November 2025! You can get tickets for it now HERE. You can also download the phone app at https://www.animeleague.app to view our full calendar of our events elsewhere in the UK.

Got any stories, photos or feedback? Put them in this topic Thank you all.

Why is next year's event so late in the year?

Mid September's great.

Although next year, I'll bring the costumes on the Tram and change at the venue (damn you Veezu and your robbing barsteward drivers)

[Solarisblade22]

I attended and gonna be honest, it wasn't a great experience. I wasn't even in the con for an hour before leaving.

The location wasn't very good and quite cramped. There were only a few stalls in a narrow corridor leading to the main hall which wasn't much bigger. It didn't help for people who needed the accessibility support. E.g. I saw someone carry a wheelchair and another person with a pram struggle to get through the hall/corridors

The stalls didn't have much to offer despite stating a variety of anime dvds/video games would be on sale which they weren't. (I lapped around at least 3 times and didn't see anything match the description). I went to CEX and HMV shortly after I left and they had more to offer merchandise wise than what was available for sale at this event.

The event schedule not being available till the night before is pretty slack as it's normally one of the deciding factors for someone to go to one of these events.
Doesn't create a good impression leaving this last minute.

The tabletop room didn't have much of a structure to it, especially if you're holding multiple tournaments (it was one circular table and two rectangle tables) and although a piece of yugioh based art was used to promote the room, no Yugioh events. Felt misleading.

No accessible food points in the venue is very disappointing for those not wanting to leave the venue solely for food. (The bar and the Japanese snack stand don't count)

Ive been to small cons before but they had more structure and organisation than what was offered here. This con didnt feel worth the admission fee. I won't be attending again.

[Rich-Allen1976]

I attended and gonna be honest, it wasn't a great experience. I wasn't even in the con for an hour before leaving.

The location wasn't very good and quite cramped. There were only a few stalls in a narrow corridor leading to the main hall which wasn't much bigger. It didn't help for people who needed the accessibility support. E.g. I saw someone carry a wheelchair and another person with a pram struggle to get through the hall/corridors

The stalls didn't have much to offer despite stating a variety of anime dvds/video games would be on sale which they weren't. (I lapped around at least 3 times and didn't see anything match the description). I went to CEX and HMV shortly after I left and they had more to offer merchandise wise than what was available for sale at this event.

The event schedule not being available till the night before is pretty slack as it's normally one of the deciding factors for someone to go to one of these events.
Doesn't create a good impression leaving this last minute.

The tabletop room didn't have much of a structure to it, especially if you're holding multiple tournaments (it was one circular table and two rectangle tables) and although a piece of yugioh based art was used to promote the room, no Yugioh events. Felt misleading.

No accessible food points in the venue is very disappointing for those not wanting to leave the venue solely for food. (The bar and the Japanese snack stand don't count)

Ive been to small cons before but they had more structure and organisation than what was offered here. This con didnt feel worth the admission fee. I won't be attending again.

I've been to a myriad of out of Town cons at rubbish venues, IMO the Mercure in Town is one of the better ones, apart from the prices at the Bar, I mean come on, I know it's a "posh" Hotel but £7.50 for a sandwich? Eh? We ended up in Gregg's on Pinstone St, considerably cheaper for a Cheese and Ham Baguette, bag of crisps and a coffee.

[LikkleMel]

The heat is my big take from this one. It was quite draining especially as you went further down. Looks like the hotel didn't turn the AC or air circulation on, if it was, it was running at 1 on the dial.
The coffee shop/cloakroom down on the bottom level near the lifts wasn't there this year as that's where I drank about 8 coffees from at about £1.50 each last year, which left the bar in reception, and that was £4.50 a cup. Hotel provisions were a bit dire and extortionate on that front. Luckily, town centre.

Quiet this year too, didn't seem as much going on, went and said Hi to Mel (Nice to have seen you again @LikkleMel!) who said it was sold out, but a conversation with a disgruntled man (not worth £20!! - It' was £20 last year, no price rise, I'd take that as a win) near the entrance made me think have people gone to a convention at Magna (I think). He also mentioned the sheer heat and next to nothing happening, and basic stores selling next to nothing for over inflated prices. I did try to go through the book to him, to show him what was on, but he seemed he'd already made his mind up.

Also thank you to the lovely gentleman in the Red shirt who pointed me in the right direction to get my daughters glasses repaired. was that you @Ferefire?
And of course the lady with the bag of doom (Amy??? you said your forum name as well but my hearing was awful) who actually repaired the glasses.

Upshout to the blue T-shirt (Carly? Charlotte? young blond girl) who tried to help, regarding the glasses, shot off to find help, but couldn't.

Downshout to the Blue shirt on the door, who after checking my tickets, put the wristband on my daughter's wrist so loose it fell off and she lost it, only for him to stop us entering again 2 hours later, practically demanding I show him the tickets, despite me having my wristband on and she was carrying a blind goody bag. He hid his name badge. Yes security, but seriously, a bit of common-sense wouldn't go amiss considering.

I tend to go for my girls, who loved it and want to go next year. But we won't be attending Sheffield next year, as the weekends fall wrong. Nottingham on the other hand...

Met a fellow 'buster, again some good costumes out there, but didn't stick around for the costume parade this time, how did the 6 Mario Tennis players get on?!

It was lovely seeing you ^_^ Not gonna lie the AC was apparently on, but I was dying downstairs and the venue itself had just relaxed a lot this year. The reason why Sheffield is in November next year is that we are hoping for a bigger venue, but things are still being worked out so we will have bigger space, more dealers and everything we have just outgrown this venue

Mike wouldn't of worn a red shirt that sounds like Walden who is lovely! Mario Tennis had a honorable mention I LOVED THEM!!

[cosmicstella]

First time attending an AnimeLeague convention and now my most recent con since 2019/2020. Though my previous cons had been at the arena, I had hope with this hotel venue as there would be actual rooms & floors to seperate all the events, stalls, main stage and thought it could maybe potentially be better layout wise. 
However upon arrival, my friend and I quickly found that there was little space for movement on the main floor in particular, especially for anyone using a mobility aid such as a wheelchair. Small venue with a lot of people. 

We were also quite concerned with the way artist alley was set up. There were only THREE artists for the whole of artist alley, all tucked away in a corner near the bottom of the staircase.
I'm genuinely baffled by the lack of artists and hope they were treated well during their time there, they were super nice. It got pretty warm in the venue as the time went by too. 

Including artist alley, it took us like less than 20? minutes to have a look around the main floor.
There were 2 or 3 stalls all selling the same lucky bags and there were only 2 food/drink stalls. One selling donuts and the other selling bubble tea. While we did try the donut stall and really liked them, I personally think they need more food and drink options for an hours long event like this. There may have been more options at the actual hotel bar, but we didn't have a look as there was a bit of a queue and had a feeling their prices would be more on the expensive side. 

I really think they need to move to a bigger venue if they can, especially if they can have the main stage seperate from or at least turned away from stalls as it was very loud when we were looking around.

Another big thing is social media promotion - this wasn't planned very well.
The timetable was posted THREE DAYS bfore the con started and the weekend guide was uploaded the DAY OF on saturday instead of posting it the day before, like they usually do.
Performers were literally anonounced a WEEK before the start of con. 
My friend and I were struggling to decide which tickets to get as a result of not knowing who was going to be there and what would be on. I was initially hoping there would be some panels throughout, but was a bit dissapointed when I saw there wouldn't be any at all. 

While it was super cool seeing all the cosplays and did manage to bag a few awesome art prints, plushie and a figure, I don't think I'll be attending this con again unless the venue gets changed and has some more variety with the stalls.   



 

[Rich-Allen1976]

First time attending an AnimeLeague convention and now my most recent con since 2019/2020. Though my previous cons had been at the arena, I had hope with this hotel venue as there would be actual rooms & floors to seperate all the events, stalls, main stage and thought it could maybe potentially be better layout wise.
However upon arrival, my friend and I quickly found that there was little space for movement on the main floor in particular, especially for anyone using a mobility aid such as a wheelchair. Small venue with a lot of people.

We were also quite concerned with the way artist alley was set up. There were only THREE artists for the whole of artist alley, all tucked away in a corner near the bottom of the staircase.
I'm genuinely baffled by the lack of artists and hope they were treated well during their time there, they were super nice. It got pretty warm in the venue as the time went by too.

Including artist alley, it took us like less than 20? minutes to have a look around the main floor.
There were 2 or 3 stalls all selling the same lucky bags and there were only 2 food/drink stalls. One selling donuts and the other selling bubble tea. While we did try the donut stall and really liked them, I personally think they need more food and drink options for an hours long event like this. There may have been more options at the actual hotel bar, but we didn't have a look as there was a bit of a queue and had a feeling their prices would be more on the expensive side.

I really think they need to move to a bigger venue if they can, especially if they can have the main stage seperate from or at least turned away from stalls as it was very loud when we were looking around.

Another big thing is social media promotion - this wasn't planned very well.
The timetable was posted THREE DAYS bfore the con started and the weekend guide was uploaded the DAY OF on saturday instead of posting it the day before, like they usually do.
Performers were literally anonounced a WEEK before the start of con.
My friend and I were struggling to decide which tickets to get as a result of not knowing who was going to be there and what would be on. I was initially hoping there would be some panels throughout, but was a bit dissapointed when I saw there wouldn't be any at all.

While it was super cool seeing all the cosplays and did manage to bag a few awesome art prints, plushie and a figure, I don't think I'll be attending this con again unless the venue gets changed and has some more variety with the stalls.

Apparently they're changing the Sheffield event to a different venue next year, but November instead of mid September for some reason?

[Sugarflump]

It’s a shame there’s not much of a response from the organisers in here to address these issues. I for one would like to know if disabled people with accessibility needs will be taken into consideration when a new venue is being decided upon, especially when it’s comes to mobility scooters as a lot of the time when events consider accessibility they only gear it towards wheelchair users