Dragon Con 2022
Atlanta, GA – September 1 through September 5, 2022
Dragon Con!
It’s an annual tradition for me. It’s also a family reunion of sorts as I catch up with dear friends from around the world. This year will be my (lucky) thirteenth time attending and my (lucky) seventh year as an attending professional.
If you plan to be there, you can find me at various places over Labor Day weekend according to the schedule below. This year is still a bit lighter than normal due to the continuing spread of COVID-19. It is neither joke nor hoax, and I fully support masking and vaccination until the spread is knocked down. I’ll still be around having fun while adhering to Dragon Con masking policies to combat the virus.
The convention app is available now – look for Dragon Con by Core-apps in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store – and will have the schedule of events soon. The list of confirmed guests, performers, artists, and attending professionals is available on the official Dragon Con site.
Dragon Con itself takes place in downtown Atlanta spanning five hotels (Sheraton Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, and Westin Peachtree Plaza) and the AmericasMart Atlanta exhibition center. The convention draws approximately 70,000 to 80,000 attendees (or more) annually and showcases one of the city’s most popular parades on Saturday morning at 10am. This year, the attendance numbers will be lower with a pandemic-related attendance cap between the reported 85,000 in 2019 and 42,000 in 2021.
Dragon Con prides itself on contributions to charity and the community. You can find more information about those efforts on their webpage. Each year, the convention partners with a local charity organization and this year’s partner is Open Hand Atlanta. Open Hand’s mission is to help underserved individuals prevent or better manage chronic disease through tailored nutrition interventions, which include a variety of therapeutic meal plans as well as nutrition counseling and coaching delivered by an experienced team of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. With the dedicated support of over 14,000 volunteers, they currently prepare, pack, and deliver over 5,500 meals per day in Metro Atlanta and rural Georgia. Donations can be made at various locations around the convention, including donation buckets in each track room and contributions from the annual charity auctions. Dragon Con will match every donation up to $100,000.
The convention hosts the Dragon Con Hustle, a virtual 5K conducted on the honor system. The registration fee is donated to the annual charity and each participant gets a physical medal two weeks after the convention ends. This is probably one of my favorite ways to donate since I routinely log 30 to 35 miles during the convention as I walk to and fro. You can run, walk, roll, or even skip your way to the goal, and all Dragon Con asks is for a progress update on social media with the #DragonConHustle hashtag.
Dragon Con also hosts one of the most successful blood drives with the donations going to the non-profit Lifesouth Community Blood Centers. Lifesouth serves 125 hospitals in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and the Dragon Con blood drives routinely outperform those held at that big west coast corporate convention.
If you’re new to the convention, consider stopping by the Dragon Con Newbies group on Facebook. It is run by Kevin Bachelder, Sue Kisenwether, Kim McGibony, and me, and is an in-depth community resource for information about this massive (and sometimes overwhelming) event. Memberships (tickets) for this year’s convention are available, however, due to the pandemic-related attendance caps, memberships are limited.
Along with the attendance caps, all attendees are required to wear masks that adhere to CDC guidelines. The other preventative measures taken by the con this year can be found on their website.
Note: All Dragon Con schedules are tentative until the convention ends on Monday. Even then, things are a bit suspect. As things change before the convention, I’ll update this post.
Revision History:
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- Rev 0 – 19 Aug 2022: Initial post.
The Schedule
Attendees start rolling in up to a week before the convention and start partying. I don’t have any big plans for Wednesday yet, but I will definitely be in the area on Thursday to check in to the hotel, pick up my badge and Hard Rock Dragon Con gear, and get started with programming.
12:00p-4:00p: Dragon Con Newbies Walking and Rolling Tours (4 hours)
Main Programming
Marriott Marquis, Atrium Level, A601-A602
Want to get a ‘lay of the land’ and find your way around the hotels? Did you know there’s a food court? Meet others new to Dragon Con and get a tour with some veteran con-goers. The last tours will leave at approximately 3:30pm.
Panelists include: Kevin Bachelder, Sue Kisenwether, Kim McGibony
5:30p-6:30p: Dragon Con Newbies Q&A (1 hour)
Main Programming
Marriott Marquis, Atrium Level, A601-A602
First Dragon Con? Confused or overwhelmed? Savvy con attendees will share tips and tricks.
Panelists include: Kevin Bachelder, Sue Kisenwether, Kim McGibony
8:30p-9:30p: James Bond: No Time to Die – A Review (1 hour)
BritTrack
Hilton, Galleria 5
Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007 has finally been released. Love it or hate it, it was definitely climactic. Our discussion will answer the burning question: was it finally time for Bond to die?
Panelists include: Caro McCully, Alan J. Porter, Janné McKamey, Tony Bowers, Niki Veasey
10:00a: Dragon Con Newbies 101 (1 hour)
Main Programming
Hyatt, Regency V
First Dragon Con? Confused or overwhelmed? Savvy con attendees will share their tips and tricks for making your experience an awesome one.
Panelists include: Kevin Bachelder, Sue Kisenwether, Kim McGibony
11:30a: Go Web! Spider-Man Movie’s 20th Tobey-Versary (1 hour)
American Sci-Fi Classics
Marriott Marquis, M103-M105
Bonesaw is ready for our tribute to the movie that launched the Spider-Verse as well as webs from Peter Parker’s hands (that’s still weird.)
Panelists include: Michael Bailey, Kevin Cafferty, ToniAnn Marini, Derek B. Gayle, Gary Mitchel
1:00p: 60 years of James Bond (1 hour)
BritTrack
Hilton, Galleria 5
The 007 film franchise is turning 60 on October 5th, 2022. This panel investigates the long-lasting impact the film franchise has had on the action movie. Where has Bond Been, and where will the franchise go after ‘No Time to Die.’
Panelists include: Caro McCully, Lauren Carey, Van Allen Plexico, Alan J. Porter, Janné McKamey
2:30p: Severance: Of Two Minds (1 hour)
American Science Fiction and Fantasy Media
Marriott Marquis, Marquis Level, M302-M303
Working at Lumon Industries is complicated. First, you have to agree to a specialized medical procedure called severance, and then you are not entirely sure what you’re working on. It’s pretty stressful. Take a look at what the MDR team, Mark, Helly R, and one of its former members, Petey, have to say about the experience. Oh, wait, you can’t, unless you’re talking to their ‘innie’, since their ‘outie’ doesn’t have a clue. A unique story, an intriguing allegory, consider our panelists’ perspectives, and then offer your own.
Panelists include: Thomas Mariani, M.C. Williams, Felicity Kusinitz, Kevin Cafferty, Lindy Keelan
4:00p: Earth Station Who Podcast: A Look Back at the 13th Doctor (1 hour)
BritTrack
Hilton, Galleria 7
The era of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th incarnation of the Doctor is slowly coming to an end. The crew from the Earth Station Who Podcast will host a retrospective of her time in the TARDIS. We will look at how The Doctor and her “fam” took on villains of all shapes and sizes from across the universe as well as figuring out the mystery of the Timeless Child & the Flux, and reveal the good, the bad, and the Chibnall.
Panelists include: Mike Faber, Michael Gordon, Mary Ogle
5:30p: Doctor Who New Series (1 hour)
BritTrack
Hilton, Crystal Ballroom
Doctor Who returned to our screens this year with the “Flux” saga and two other specials showcasing the Daleks and the Sea Devils (last seen in 1984’s “Warriors from the Deep”) We will discuss the themes, storylines, and ramifications of these stories, and how they might affect the upcoming 60th Anniversary special.
Panelists include: Caro McCully, Sue Kisenwether, Anthony Williams, J.M. Tuffley
11:30a: Host, Co-Host, or Group Host That is the Question
Digital Media
Hilton, Galleria 6
Do you need a co-host? Do you want one? What about group hosting? How do you find a compatible co-host and what do you do if the honeymoon is over? Whether it’s a new podcast or you are changing it up with your current one, we’ll talk about how you can find the right co-host, how to divorce a co-host, and how to create connections for guests to fill in the gaps without needing an HR department.
Panelists include: Tyra Burton, Mike Faber, Tony P Henderson, Sue Kisenwether, Leighann Lord, Lali DeRosier
1:00p: Space: 1999 – 45 Years Later (1 hour)
Military Science Fiction
Westin, Chastain DE
What is the enduring appeal of Space: 1999? Where else could it have gone? We look at this iconic show that, even now, still lives on in the hearts of fans. This cross-track panel between BritTrack, American Sci-Fi Classics, & Military SciFi Media discusses the legacy of Moonbase Alpha.
Panelists include: James Henson, Ryan Carey, “Badger”
2:30p: Shake Your Tailfeathers: You Have a Podcast, So Now What?
Digital Media
Hilton, Galleria 7
What do you need to do to take your podcast to the next level? How do you keep your listeners engaged while continuing to come up with evergreen content? We’ll talk about networking, topic generating, watching for scammers, and when you need to tackle the business of podcasting.
I will be the moderator for this panel.
Panelists include: Tyra Burton, Mike Faber, Bobby Blackwolf, Marc Leary
4:00p: So, You Have A Face For Radio: Surviving The Evolution of Podcasting To Video
Digital Media
Hilton, Galleria 7
Podcasting has evolved from being audio-only to including video and live broadcasts. How do you make the switch to being on camera? Join us as we chat about equipment, setup, solutions, and apps. Get ready for lights, camera, and action whether it is on Twitch, Facebook Live, or YouTube.
Panelists include: Tyra Burton, Mike Faber, Bobby Blackwolf, Rob Roberts, Todd Cochrane, Kyle Sullivan
No panels scheduled at this time.
11:30a: Battle of the Fictional Bands: This One Goes to 11 (1 hour)
American Sci-Fi Classics
Marriott Marquis, M103-M105
Be part of the discerning audience of music connoisseurs who decides the winners in a tantalizing tournament of bands from Josie and the Pussycats to Spinal Tap.
Panelists include: ToniAnn Marini, Chris Cummins, John G. Hartness, William Joseph Roberts
Creative Criticality 