For a few reasons, I had to skip Smoky Mountain Fan Fest for the first time last year. However, this year I returned, but I had one lingering concern as I ventured to this convention once again. The last time I was here, the Meadowview Convention Center was cramped and challenging to move around in. It wasn’t long after I entered the doors that I noticed a lot had changed.

Let’s first talk about the guests, as always, SMFF features an impressive variety of talent from shows like Home Improvement, Charmed, 7th Heaven, Power Rangers, Hannah Montana, The Walking Dead, as well as movies like the X-Men series and even social media stars like The Ranch Guy. They even had Mario Lopez, and honestly, some of the people here I didn’t even know attended conventions. Lines were very easy to navigate as there was one for general admission and one for VIPs. While many of the celebrities had a line, they didn’t block foot traffic to the vendors. I think a lot of this is due to there being fewer guests this year, and that was a very smart decision. It significantly improved things by allowing more room to walk around, and they still managed to maintain the level of variety I’ve come to expect from this event.

One of the main benefits of this change comes in the shopping experience. With the lines more manageable, I had a noticeably easier time walking around the vendors. Another smart decision was made here as the space between the booths was wider, which made it easier for people to shop without blocking foot traffic. I got to see a lot of cool items, such as very unique Pokémon pins, all kinds of artwork, custom T-Shirts, and, to my surprise, a good variety of anime merch. It was a good mixture of vendors with merch that I’ve come to expect, with a lot of stuff brand new to me. This leads to yet another change I love is that I found ATMs spread around the venue. If you’re a long-time con goer like myself, you know cash is king and ATMs are vital for those wanting to spend as much as possible.

We also got a fun variety of panels featuring ensembles of the legendary shows the guests are from. I ended up going to a couple of the panels and had a great time. What makes SMFF panels stand out from other events is Lee-Lee Williams. He’s one of the guests and hosts a lot of the events at the convention. With his background as a stand-up comedian, he puts on a mini show before the panels as things are getting ready, and he’s extremely entertaining. It makes waiting for things actually fun as he’s very charismatic and funny. The panels themselves are what you would expect, as you have a series of Q&A panels with the guests. This does lead to one thing I’m not a fan of: the panel room is not cleared after panels. While this never prevented anyone from finding a seat for panels, I’m just not a fan of it. I feel like it encourages people to attend panels they have no interest in to get a better seat for the next one. So while this didn’t create any problems, it’s not something I personally get behind.

SMFF prides itself in having fun events, and this year is no exception. They had a karaoke party on Saturday, a concert with one of the guests, and a late-night burlesque show. Continuing with their trend of creative ideas, they had a coffee date with Scott Patterson of Gilmore Girls. I didn’t end up going as I’m not a fan of coffee or Gilmore Girls, but I still liked the idea, and I always support events trying to bring new ideas to life that entertain the fans that attend them.

Overall, I was extremely impressed. Ever since SMFF moved to the Meadowview Convention Center, I felt like they struggled to really use the venue, as they just had too much to fit in the space they had. It’s very clear they took a long, hard look at this and made a plan to fix these concerns, and they absolutely did so. This year was so much fun that I’m now seeing if this could be the year I attend every Smoky Mountain event.