MosaiCon, an event hosted by Mosaic IT of Nanaimo, is rolling cosplay, video and board gaming into one big event.
The convention, Sept. 12 at Vancouver Island University, is the first in Nanaimo to blend the gamut of electronic and board gaming with Island-based game vendors and designers, cosplay groups and comic book creators while showcasing the newest gaming hardware and software from major manufacturers.
More than 20 exhibitors are expected at the conference, which will also include a League of Legend PC game tournament, Nintendo and cosplay contests and a Magic: The Gathering tournament, all offering prizes for winners.
Marc Gervais, event general coordinator, said he came up with the idea to host MosaiCon after realizing that to attend conventions, he and other enthusiasts had to travel to other Island cities or the Lower Mainland.
“We’ve tried to incorporate everything into one because I don’t feel there’s enough of these types of events for people in town,” Gervais said.
MosaiCon should reveal what the enthusiast base is in Nanaimo. He and Jan Kubal, who is organizing the League of Legends tournament at the event, hope about 1,000 people will attend, but they’ll be happy with 500.
Interest has been strong since the event was first posted on social media.
“As soon as I put this out there, vendors started coming to me, people started coming to me and, ‘Oh, can I do this and can I do this and can I do this?’ Gervais said.
Those queries led to the cosplay contest, League of Legends and Nintendo tournaments from new businesses in town, which will be giving away video game consoles among the top prizes.
“The Dungeons and Dragons Adventurers League contacted me a couple of weeks ago and they also want to do a couple games,” Gervais said.
There is also an exhibitor bringing about 60 different board games for people preferring analogue over digital entertainment.
“Everyone who is taking part and everyone who has come on board – everyone has so many ideas for the future that we’ve already started planning for next year,” Gervais said.
For more information, please visit www.mosaicit.ca/mosaicon.