It’s not a big convention, and it’s also focused on a specific (if broad) fandom.  So if you’re used to something like Dragon*Con or ComiCon, it’s a somewhat different experience.  Everybody is there for Sherlock Holmes, in some form or another.

I didn’t really go to all that many panels (though AbundantlyQueer’s presentation on John Watson is legendary, and the late-night fanfic workshops are, I hope, helpful to authors, editors, and people who want to be one or both!).  The big draw was absolutely the people.  I got to meet a lot of the folks I have spent the last few years sharing fandom with.  They were all at least as amazing in the real world as they are online.  The main issue was finding enough time to hang out with everybody.

So what it was like was really a three-day-long party spread across several floors and conference rooms of a hotel, with groups of people you want to hang out with scattered all over the place, and a lot of “What are you doing?  Busy?  Come over here!” going on.

For doing it next year, I’d encourage you to keep in mind the following factors:

1: You won’t want to sleep, even if you need to.

2: Don’t fill all your time with panels.  Panels can be fun, but people are better.

3: Keep an eye out and ask around for unofficial events.  Sometimes people throw together discussion circles or workshops or meetups that aren’t part of the official con schedule, and they’re frequently awesome.

4: If you are mostly into a specific corner of the Sherlock Holmes universe, this is a great time to stick your toes into other corners!  If you like BBC Sherlock, I find that it becomes a richer experience if you open yourself up to Elementary, Grenada Holmes, the original Canon, etc.  You may find you don’t like every interpretation of Holmes, which is fair enough, but getting a look at all the ways Holmes can be read and reimagined is just wonderful for opening up your horizons and getting the creativity flowing.  And you can find yourself in really interesting places suddenly.  AQ’s panel, for instance, is the most entertaining crash course I have ever had on the history of the Victorian British Empire and its military.  And even more than BBC Sherlock, poking your nose into Elementary can dump you into really great conversations about representing diversity in the modern media.

4: If you’re international, US cell phone service sucks for you.  Look into picking up a discardable tracphone or something for the con.  It becomes much more convenient if you’ve got a way to keep in contact with people.

5: Atlanta is a beautiful city in the spring, and it has amazing food, and it may be worth getting out and doing a little shopping or exploring with some friends, rather than staying in at the hotel the whole time.  Especially if the weather is nice.  Esp. esp. if you are a pasty Yankee who has not experienced 70 F weather in five months.  (I got to go outside without a coat one day, AND IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL *sob*)