PORTLAND, Ore. — Organizers of WasabiCon PDX, an annual anime, gaming, and cosplay convention in downtown Portland, are apologizing for moving artists and vendors into the parking garage of a hotel. Many artists who spoke to KGW said the filthy, poorly-ventilated and smelly conditions made them sick and resulted in dirt, grime, and vermin getting into their belongings.
WasabiCon has been operating in Portland under various ownership for more than a decade, and reported bringing in 5,576 attendees in 2023. This year's convention was held at the Hilton Portland Downtown, just like the past several years, but this time around the organizers moved the Artists Alley -- typically a large space where artists can sell their merchandise -- into the hotel's parking garage.
"This year was kind of a mess from start to finish," said artist Adrian Sjoquist. "We all received an e-mail three days prior to the event being told that we were going to be in an in the garage underground. They sent pictures of a very well-lit, clean area. And then when you got down there, it was extremely dirty."
Sjoquist and Rhys Anderton run N2Operation, a fashion and accessories business selling handmade jewelry. They're based in Washington, but they're regulars at conventions throughout the west coast, and they had sold at WasabiCon several times in the past.
But they said this year's convention was hazardous, unsafe, and worse than anything they've ever experienced. Sjoquist and Anderton said that they got covered in dirt, tar and grime setting up their booth.
"My knee and my whole leg were like, just black," Anderton said.
They said they've heard from other participating artists, either directly or on social media, who also dealt with filthy conditions throughout the parking garage, including mice.
"Someone we knew personally approached us and said 'we saw the mice and when we were packing up all of our things, the mice were in our belongings,'" Sjoquist said.
Sjoquist and Anderton said that the garage was hot during the late July convention, and the fans set up by convention staff didn't do much to cool the space down, so artists and visitors had to leave their booths when they got overheated. They also said the smell was overwhelming.
"We've never been in a place like that," Sjoquist said. "By the second day, I was feeling very lightheaded, dizzy, not very good."
They said there was a strong smell of cigarette smoke, and other artists complained of headaches, dizziness and coughs.
The artists said that restroom access was difficult from the garage, and that people who use wheelchairs were unable to navigate the steep ramp into the garage. There was an elevator, Anderton said, but it got crowded and took a long time to arrive.
Anderton and Sjoquist said their sales took a "massive" hit from the convention — only about a sixth of what they're used to making at WasabiCon — and they blame it on the decision to move the Artists Alley to the garage. There were far fewer visitors to the artist booths than in past years, and attendees appeared to not know where the Artists Alley was.
WasabiCon did not reply to request for comment. The convention organizers did post on Instagram and blamed the garage problems on the Hilton Hotel, writing "The idea of converting a garage space into exhibitor space isn't a new one. Based on precidence (sic) and ressurances from our host hotel, we decided to move forward with the idea... However, it still resulted in a less-than-perfect experience for our Artists and, for that, we apologize."
In a subsequent post, WasabiCon announced that artists would be getting a 25% refund on their tables, and that the convention would remain at the Hilton for 2025, with the Artists Alley in a space other than the garage. But artists who commented on the post called the 25% refund "a slap in the face" and are asking for a full refund which, according to emails provided to KGW by N2Operation, WasabiCon has refused to provide.