As you read this, Star Wars Celebration Europe has ended. The biggest Star Wars event of the year has wrapped, secrets were revealed and we all collectively geeked out over the latest news coming from Lucasfilm and Star Wars.
Now, I was not able to attend Celebration Europe. I’m sure the majority of the people reading this were not able to attend either. Even though we couldn’t be there, the fans and Lucasfilm have done a fantastic job of making sure that we all felt like we were included. Ever since my first Celebration, I’ve tried to follow the idea of “No fan left behind.” An idea that I will try to share my experiences and what I’ve seen with those who could not make it. Lucasfilm’s fantastic coverage through StarWars.com and social media has helped with keeping all fans involved.
Attending an event like Celebration, it’s simply impossible to see everything. The online coverage helps those of us at home and those who couldn’t make it to everything on the convention floor.
Since the convention was in London, the time difference for those of us in the US was a major hurdle in trying to keep up with the live coverage. However, I find it great that I can browse through my Facebook and Twitter feed, search hashtags and see all the news and reactions as they happened. Seeing pictures of the various costumes, the con floor, highlights from the panels, and more makes me feel like I’m actually there. It’s great to live vicariously through my friends.
As great as Facebook and Twitter are, they can’t compete with the fantastic coverage from Lucasfilm directly. The live streaming of panels, interviews, and interstitials is simply unprecedented. No other major convention provides the kind of coverage and access that they have provided for Celebration. Watching their coverage of Celebration makes me wish that more major conventions would follow suit (San Diego Comic Con I’m looking at you).
A convention from our couch. That is how we have described watching the convention coverage from StarWars.com. Of course, nothing can replace the experience of actually being at the convention. There is an atmosphere and an experience that comes with being there at the convention. The online coverage is the next best thing though. At the end of the day, everyone at this Celebration has done a great job to make sure that no fan feels left behind.
Author: Paul Depaola
Born in the desert, raised on the beach and now residing in the mountains. An obsessive, compulsive geek with a tendency to bring everything back to Star Wars. In his spare time he is TK-5990, a proud member of the 501st Legion. Paul is also the host of his own podcast, Fanboys Talking.