Status Active Location(s) Seattle, Washington Inaugurated 2002 | Genre LEGO Country US | |
Venue Seattle Center Exhibition Hall | ||
BrickCon (Formerly known as NorthWest BrickCon) is a LEGO convention and exhibition in North America. It is held annually for adult fans of LEGO and hobbyists in Seattle, Washington. BrickCon runs over four days, generally Thursday through Sunday, and is usually held the first weekend in October. The event brings together the fan community that has evolved as a result of the Internet and helps them explore and develop their LEGO hobby. BrickCon is not affiliated to the LEGO company. BrickCon is made up of two parts: the private convention and the public exhibition.
Contents
Private convention
The private convention's main focus is to provide a venue for adult fans of LEGO to bring and display their own LEGO constructions. Activities at the convention include presentations, seminars, round-table discussions, contests, games, door prizes and many experiences unique to a LEGO Fan Convention. The full attendee receives a convention packet containing personalized bricks, a name badge, a program of activities, handouts and coupons.
Public exhibition
The public exhibition's main focus is to invite LEGO fans of all ages of the general public to view hundreds of hobbyist-built creations and meet their creators. Visitors may watch the Mindstorms robot battles or Brickfilm (a LEGO-themed film), browse and shop at various LEGO vendors, or have their kids build something in the building zone.
Events
2002 – The first NWBrickCon - Be There, Be Square
Location: Center House at Seattle Center
Attendees: ~30
Public Guests: 3,000 – 5,000
Layout:
"Back Room" (800 sq.ft.)
"Lobby" (1,000 sq.ft.)
"Main Floor" (200 sq.ft.)
Notes: There were no "Attendees", but there were 25 adult builders displaying. This was an all-exhibit event.
2003 – The first NWBrickCon with attendees and guests - Be There, Be Square
Location: Snoqualmie Room at Seattle Center
Attendees: ~35
Guests: 2,000+
Layout: All in one room (3,000 sq.ft.)
Notes: This event was the first to have paid Attendees, paying Guests, Presentations, Brick Bazaar, and a Special Guest (Brad Justus from Lego Group).
2004 – NWBrickCon is held on Halloween weekend - Halloween!
Location: (Dan Parker’s Studio), The Commons, Federal Way
Attendees: ~45
Guests: ~2,000
Layout:
"Exhibition Hall" (1,600 sq.ft.)
"Bazaar + General Meeting" (1,200 sq.ft.)
"Racing" (900 sq.ft.)
Notes: This was a fallback situation as initial plans fell through. Due to the arrangements, there was no charge for Public Guests nor could the Bazaar open to the Public.
2005 – NWBrickCon returns to the Center on the first weekend of October - Ghostly!
Location: Rainier Room of the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center (6,000 sq.ft.).
Attendees: 65
Guests: 2,000+
Layout:
"Exhibition Hall" (4,500 sq.ft.)
"Bazaar + General Meeting" (2,500 sq.ft.)
2006 – NWBrickCon moves to a larger facility and keeps the first weekend of October - Heroes!
Location: The Seattle Center Pavilion A + B at Seattle Center (13,000 sq.ft.)
Attendees: 85
Guests: 3,500
Layout:
"Exhibition Hall + Kid Build" (8,000 sq.ft.)
"Bazaar + General Meeting" (5,000 sq.ft.)
Notes: The event began to show definite signs of growth.
2007 – BrickCon swells to overflow the Pavilion - Pirates!
Location: The Seattle Center Pavilion A + B at Seattle Center (13,000 sq.ft.)
Attendees: ~145
Guests: ~3,700
Layout:
"Exhibition Hall + General Meeting" (8,000 sq.ft.)
"Bazaar + Kid Build" (5,000 sq.ft.)
2008 – BrickCon moves again to a larger facility - Be Part of the Adventure!
Location: The Exhibition Hall (half) at Seattle Center (20,000 sq.ft.)
Attendees: ~235
Guests: ~6,900
2009 – Continued growth- Imagination in Motion!
Location: The (whole) Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center (34,000 sq.ft.)
Attendees: ~375
Guests: ~9,300
2010 – Added the Rainier Room for all convention activities (34,000 + 6,000 sq.ft.) - Tales of the Brick!
Location: The Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center
Attendees: ~475
Guests: ~11,000
2011 - Used all of the Northwest Rooms for convention activities (34,000 + 17,000 sq.ft.) - Building a Community!
Location: The Exhibition Hall and Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center
Attendees: 535
Guests: 11,000
2012 - 10th Anniversary BrickCon
Location: The Exhibition Hall and Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center
Attendees: 470
Guests: 12,000+
2013 - 12th BrickCon - Pigs v s. Cows!
Location: The Exhibition Hall and Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center
Attendees: 445
Guests: 12,000+
2014 - 13th BrickCon - Invasion!
Location: The Exhibition Hall and Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center
Attendees: 435
Guests: 13,100+
2015 - 14th BrickCon - MOCking History!
Location: The Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center
Attendees: 470
Guests: 13,600
2016 - 15th BrickCon - Madness
Date: September 29th - October 2nd 2016
Location: The Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center
2017 - 16th BrickCon
Date: October 5th - 8th 2017