The last year for Otakon in Baltimore. The convention center was getting crowded with the number of people attending since it had moved there in the 90s. The Hilton Hotel helped by offering space because it had a attach enclosed walkway to the center and provided meeting rooms for different activities. The arena had to be used up the street for part of the events which had restrictions for camera use and food. There had been talk of restructuring the older part of the convention center before the move for 2017 and now the talk has resumed to surround the whole block and raise the building higher and build a new arena and pull another hotel which is just on the corner into the convention center. Many other things have changed in the area. Two above the street walkways, one to the Bank Of American build and one which got you to the Inner Harbor, were taken down due to structure conditions. The fountain which was a cosplayer place for poses for photos at the Inner Harbor will be torn down. A open parking area near the Inner Harbor has become a construction site for a new apartment building and retail center.
Otakon will be moving to the convention center in Washington DC for 2017 not far from the White House. It is a larger a convention center than Baltimore. Now there have been other events that used Baltimore. Firehouse Magazine had Firehouse Expo which started in the arena before it moved into the convention center. 2015 was the last year for Baltimore. It has now moved to Nashville Tenn. Otakon and Firehouse Expo were back to back at times in Baltimore. I guess I will miss traveling to Baltimore and will have to see what will be there in a few years after the work is finished.
Will Otakon return there in that time? Will there be something interesting to attend at the convention center sometime to come and see the changes?