They herd you into a room to pose for a photo with the celebrity, you pose for five to ten seconds, hand you a number for your photo, and herd you out. The convention promoters make it obvious that it is all about money. “At comic cons, we are numbers and cattle. “What I value most about MANC is the personal attention,” says Josh Michnik of Vancouver, Canada. Thousands of people attend the convention annually from all over the globe attendees fly in from Britain, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Australia. “The fact our attendance still grew in size was a testament to the retention rate of returning attendees, along with word of mouth recommendations from fans. “To add, last year we missed a few opportunities due to a busy schedule and as a result, we conducted the least amount of publicity in the history of the convention,” recalls Martin Grams, events coordinator. Last year showed the smallest growth, 14 percent, but two major celebrities had to cancel due to professional and personal commitments (celebrity cancellations are not uncommon at conventions) and a hurricane roared up the coast to threaten attendance numbers. If all of these bullet points gives pause to question the success of an unconventional business model, check this out: statistically attendance numbers are growing between 14 to 19 percent every year. Shirley Jones (THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY) poses with a fan at the Nostalgia Con. The answer most paramount is often the simplest: whatever is best for the attendee. “We have a system in place so if there is a change in schedule or venue, everyone on the staff will be aware of the change within seconds.” During the weekend, it was explained, staff members oftentimes have to make a judgment call in their positions. “I recall reading unfavorable reviews on a website once where attendees were complaining about how they were fed conflicting information from multiple staff members,” Michelle explains. ![]() Modern technology is applied to ensure the volunteer staff of the nostalgia event are on the same page. Convention policy is to never ask for a percentage of the autograph fees so we can ensure the pricing does not creep up into an uncomfortable number. “We have turned down celebrities who wanted to charge too much for an autograph. “We have to maintain a standard at the Nostalgia Con,” he explained. WWE Wrestlers and Playboy Playmates are instantly rejected the decision is not based on who is playing the starring lead in today’s hottest television program. Celebrities are welcome to the convention based on the requests of attendees, it was explained by volunteer staff Terry Salomonson. Over the past thirteen years, MANC has brought over 100 celebrities to Maryland including Patty Duke, Davy Jones, Shirley Jones, Robert Wagner, Stefanie Powers, Robert Conrad, Lee Majors, Robert Fuller, the cast of Lost in Space, Tony Dow ( Leave it to Beaver), David Hedison ( The Fly), Roy Thinnes ( The Invaders) and many others. Instead of actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe or popular Netflix programs, the celebrity guests are more of appeal to a fan base over the age of 50. But closer examination reveals a variation-on-a-theme. Dawn Wells (GILLIGAN’S ISLAND) poses with a fan at the Nostalgia Con.įrom the outset, an attendee would not consider the Nostalgia Con too much different from Comic Cons, science-fiction and horror conventions. The convention itself is something altogether different. The celebrities at MANC, however, are not the same that attend those heavily-publicized Comic Cons. For three days every year in September, Hollywood celebrities are flown into Maryland to meet and greet fans, answer questions, pose for photos and sign autographs. That is why the staff of the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention (MANC) provides people the opportunity to meet their childhood heroes. ![]() Revisiting cherished memories from drive-in experiences to classic television programs of the 1950s and 1960s provide feelings of social connectedness. ![]() Once viewed as a disease, nostalgia is now considered to be an important resource.
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