4
My first time at comic con!
Edited to add: I have recently seen posts from others who reported that during a health event, other guests were able to find first aiders who responded well. I also learned that others received great help from staff in Highland Hall.
I drove to Edinburgh and we found the venue with ease, based on the directions given on the website. Parking was simple and in the blue badge area there was tarmac, whereas there is grass and gravel in other areas. When you reach the gates, on the far left side there is a gate for wheelchair users, I think the other gates are turnstiles. When we went through the gates there were toilets on the right, a spacious outdoor areas, a gated food and drinks area, and a slight downhill towards the doors to Highland Hall. The doors to get in were manual and no double doors were wedges so I needed help from my PA to get through, you are then in the main reception area where there are more toilets and some statues, and access to the outdoor food area. We went though another set of doors which brought us into the main hall. There was loads of space here and I could easily get around the stalls. There were separate queues for wheelchair users for photo ops but not for autographs. The accessible queue to the photo op was still within barriers but they were straight forwards facing, they were quite slim, my wheelchair is not very wide and I got down fine but there was no space for anyone at the side of me so a wide wheelchair may struggle. I also needed help from two people (PA and guest) to turn into the queue as there was a banner and a blue bin blocking the way. I wanted to get out of my wheelchair for the photo which I did do but I was furiously rushed which left me looking shocked in the photo, I did not get a chance to ask for my pose- I would recommend if you have processing issues or a disability that you have someone to help advocate for you here. I also think some actors had far too many photo op bookings, making the queues long and complicated, and the photo ops themselves rushed and impersonal. Moving from this hall to the next involved another set of closed doors which I went through with help, there were more toilets here and entrance to Central Hall which is a bit of an indoor/ outdoor feel so well ventilated, this is where all the sets were which was ideal for taking my mask off and feeling more comfortable. There was plenty of space here again. To enter was one way (which I believe is different from the year previous and avoided bottleneck issues) and had a long ramp to come down which was no problem in a power chair and should not be too difficult in a manual. To exit this hall back to Highland hall was on the left of this entrance and was easy to navigate in my wheelchair, it takes you outside where you re-enter through an open double-door fire exit. To exit Central Hall into Lowland hall was a slightly rough incline. Lowland hall had the stalls really well spaced out again which made them easy to navigate and they were also at a good height. I was never in a crowd of people or struggling to get about; I heard 2023 was quite difficult and in some places inaccessible but the entire venue was accessible and easy to navigate for me, although I needed help with doors. At the far end of Lowland hall was the area where panel talks are. The stage is near the wall with many rows of foldable and moveable chairs. The sound at the back was terrible, I could barely understand it and my friend who is hard of hearing could not make anything out, despite it not being very far. There were no staff available to assist or direct people so it becomes a bit of a free-for-all, I went on Saturday and found this easy, I arrived for the second to last talk and sat at the back, then I moved down to the front for the last talk. I had a great view and could hear perfectly, however, I was in the isle which is where guest came down to ask questions, thankfully, the microphone was a meter or so infront so I felt comfortable and relatively inconspicuous. Other wheelchair users would have to go in front of the first row, which blocked their view, or along the side of the stage. I was happy with my experience here. When talks are on, and at the end of the day there is almost no one around which made it very calm and relaxed for shopping. I intended to go on Sunday for the Supernatural panel but could not manage due to my health, however, my friends there reported absolute chaos. Their entire space between seats and stage was taken up hours before the SPN panel by SPN fans just sitting on the ground, every inch of floor was full of people which made getting about extremely difficult. The staff did nothing to calm this chaos. I hope the venue will invest in more staff, increased seating, better sound, utilising the screen by showing the guests on it live instead of a photo, and having seating managed better with spaces allocated and prioritised for wheelchair users, if I had gone, I probably would have abandoned the talk and gone to look around. This was my first comic con and my Saturday experience was very positive, I had a great time and didn't encounter any problems. I would definitely go back, although I would hope for some changes with the photo op and panel shows. There were random seats around which allowed people breaks to sit down, and I saw many people with disabilities. It felt like a very friendly and community based even and I felt happy and comfortable. I did wear noise cancelling headphones which I feel helped.
Edited to add: I have recently seen posts from others who reported that during a health event, other guests were able to find first aiders who responded well. I also learned that others received great help from staff in Highland Hall.
I drove to Edinburgh and we found the venue with ease, based on the directions given on the website. Parking was simple and in the blue badge area there was tarmac, whereas there is grass and gravel in other areas. When you reach the gates, on the far left side there is a gate for wheelchair users, I think the other gates are turnstiles. When we went through the gates there were toilets on the right, a spacious outdoor areas, a gated food and drinks area, and a slight downhill towards the doors to Highland Hall. The doors to get in were manual and no double doors were wedges so I needed help from my PA to get through, you are then in the main reception area where there are more toilets and some statues, and access to the outdoor food area. We went though another set of doors which brought us into the main hall. There was loads of space here and I could easily get around the stalls. There were separate queues for wheelchair users for photo ops but not for autographs. The accessible queue to the photo op was still within barriers but they were straight forwards facing, they were quite slim, my wheelchair is not very wide and I got down fine but there was no space for anyone at the side of me so a wide wheelchair may struggle. I also needed help from two people (PA and guest) to turn into the queue as there was a banner and a blue bin blocking the way. I wanted to get out of my wheelchair for the photo which I did do but I was furiously rushed which left me looking shocked in the photo, I did not get a chance to ask for my pose- I would recommend if you have processing issues or a disability that you have someone to help advocate for you here. I also think some actors had far too many photo op bookings, making the queues long and complicated, and the photo ops themselves rushed and impersonal. Moving from this hall to the next involved another set of closed doors which I went through with help, there were more toilets here and entrance to Central Hall which is a bit of an indoor/ outdoor feel so well ventilated, this is where all the sets were which was ideal for taking my mask off and feeling more comfortable. There was plenty of space here again. To enter was one way (which I believe is different from the year previous and avoided bottleneck issues) and had a long ramp to come down which was no problem in a power chair and should not be too difficult in a manual. To exit this hall back to Highland hall was on the left of this entrance and was easy to navigate in my wheelchair, it takes you outside where you re-enter through an open double-door fire exit. To exit Central Hall into Lowland hall was a slightly rough incline. Lowland hall had the stalls really well spaced out again which made them easy to navigate and they were also at a good height. I was never in a crowd of people or struggling to get about; I heard 2023 was quite difficult and in some places inaccessible but the entire venue was accessible and easy to navigate for me, although I needed help with doors. At the far end of Lowland hall was the area where panel talks are. The stage is near the wall with many rows of foldable and moveable chairs. The sound at the back was terrible, I could barely understand it and my friend who is hard of hearing could not make anything out, despite it not being very far. There were no staff available to assist or direct people so it becomes a bit of a free-for-all, I went on Saturday and found this easy, I arrived for the second to last talk and sat at the back, then I moved down to the front for the last talk. I had a great view and could hear perfectly, however, I was in the isle which is where guest came down to ask questions, thankfully, the microphone was a meter or so infront so I felt comfortable and relatively inconspicuous. Other wheelchair users would have to go in front of the first row, which blocked their view, or along the side of the stage. I was happy with my experience here. When talks are on, and at the end of the day there is almost no one around which made it very calm and relaxed for shopping. I intended to go on Sunday for the Supernatural panel but could not manage due to my health, however, my friends there reported absolute chaos. Their entire space between seats and stage was taken up hours before the SPN panel by SPN fans just sitting on the ground, every inch of floor was full of people which made getting about extremely difficult. The staff did nothing to calm this chaos. I hope the venue will invest in more staff, increased seating, better sound, utilising the screen by showing the guests on it live instead of a photo, and having seating managed better with spaces allocated and prioritised for wheelchair users, if I had gone, I probably would have abandoned the talk and gone to look around. This was my first comic con and my Saturday experience was very positive, I had a great time and didn't encounter any problems. I would definitely go back, although I would hope for some changes with the photo op and panel shows. There were random seats around which allowed people breaks to sit down, and I saw many people with disabilities. It felt like a very friendly and community based even and I felt happy and comfortable. I did wear noise cancelling headphones which I feel helped.
