Have you ever wondered about the other AFOLs who are attending your convention? Sure we all know the types, but what about the trends!? Am I in the majority or one of the few, proud, not-so-normies?

Well, your resident nerds here at BrickNerd are certainly curious, and what better way to find out than to pass out a poll and then crunch the numbers to share with you readers! So we put together a very unscientific poll about AFOLs at conventions and gave it a trial run at Bricks Cascade 2022.

Let’s Get Nerdy with Stats and Charts

Our (again, very unscientific) poll was set up to get a sense of the different ways people enjoy the same LEGO convention. It was an anonymous poll with a series of entertaining questions all about the con experience.

The slips of paper looked like this! (The poll isn’t active anymore, FYI.)

With the blessing of the event organizers, I got the message out about the poll by first sharing a link to it on the con’s Discord channel, followed by some word of mouth and then passing out little slips of paper with a QR code in-person at the show. And here, students, we learn Lesson 1—don’t rely on yourself to get the poll out to a large crowd by simply walking around with pieces of paper a few times during the weekend when you get distracted by all the cool LEGO builds around you!

In the end, 29 builders filled out the poll—and I’m quite certain a large percentage of them were my close pals in the castle theme who were doing me a solid. For the next convention, we’ll strategize on ways to get more engagement, perhaps enlist the help of some fellow con-goers! So keep in mind the results that follow are in no way statistically significant to represent the whole Bricks Cascade crowd with such a small sample size. We will have fun enjoying the answers and showing off the numbers in a nerdy fashion, but we won’t draw any broad conclusions beyond the scope of the crew who did fill it out.

I know I had fun writing the questions, and even after just a few responses, I enjoyed reading the replies. So here we go, let’s dive into the questions, the replies, and my surface-level conclusions!

Part 1 - Before the Con

Q1. How many years have you been to Bricks Cascade (public or attendee) including 2022?

I clearly stumbled upon the more experienced crowd with this poll, it’s nice to see that so many people are repeat offenders… I mean participants! But it was also neat to have caught some first-year participants in the show!

Q2. Where are you coming from?

I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the responders were from other states beyond OR and WA… but that makes me wonder if that was mostly California… guess we’ll never know! I was also really happy to have spent time with the AFOL from France (Jonah) who kindly filled out my survey as well as kicking butt helping us nearly win the team speed build.

Q3. What form of transportation do you take to get there?

Sadly we had no teleportations (that were willing to admit it), but I’m pretty sure I met the person who rode the train the to con—who apparently had brought his train MOC with him for quite the meta experience! But the car remains king to get to the Pacific Northwest cons.

Prepping my own car. As much as it looks like I am moving, I promise I’m just going to a LEGO convention.

Q4. Where’s home base during the con?

I imagine that if I were to have caught more participants in the poll we’d have seen the blue chunk grow and the yellow shrink, but that’s just a guess. Still, I think it’s no surprise that locals who drive home and people in nearby hotels made up the majority.

Q5. Do you bring MOCs?

These results represent what I expected, in that typically I only run into a few people who don’t bring MOCs—but that group is a real percentage of the population. I also have generally observed that once you start bringing MOCs… you only want to bring more and more! It’s fun to show off your work and talk to people about it, but many people enjoy the con just as an AFOL attendee free of any MOC obligations.

Q6. If you bring LEGO creations to display, when do you finish your MOCs?

We have arrived at a few questions that respondents could select multiple answers, so don’t worry that the totals don’t add up to 100. I asked this question because I’m in the group that typically is done with their MOCs well in advance—and I wondered how typical that was. I think it’s surprising just how many people are finishing last minute, but that could have been skewed by the subset of builders who responded. I know my group of pals in castle are always pushing the time limits.

Q7. How do you pack up your MOCs before/after the con?

No surprises here: the most common methods are the mainstream cardboard boxes and plastic bins and typical packing materials. Then we have the elite packers who really bring things to another level with wood and custom cases, but they remain the small minority. Kudos to the brave soul who destroys their MOC after a con rather than transport them again!

Q8. Besides MOCs, what “essentials” do you bring with you to the con?

This question was fun because not only did we get a sense of what wasn’t important—i.e. ladders just weren’t a thing this year—but we also got additional write-ins opening up the can of worms. All these things could be part of a “con essentials kit” you bring to every fan event. I hadn’t thought to include the X-Acto blade in our initial list of suggestions… and I definitely would not have expected to see a Dremel on the list! (It looks like the LEGO customizers are out in force!)

Part 2 - During the Con

Q9. Do you have your own cart for unloading?

I asked this question because I just bought myself a cart finally for this year’s Bricks Cascade, and I loved the experience. It made both the arrival and departure much easier as I didn’t have to search out con equipment or make multiple trips on my own. I also kept it unfolded and slid it under the table during the con and kept a lot of my stuff in there as a way to more easily decipher what stuff was mine—all those Bricks Cascade green bags look alike after all! I think it’s a bit surprising just how many people who replied did bring carts, so seems like it’s really catching on.

Q10. How does setup usually go for you?

Frankly, I’m very jealous of the modular or quick setup people, so selfishly I almost hoped that percentage was smaller! Though it’s great to see how many people have it all figured out and keep setup from being a big headache. One day I’ll learn how to just drop off a MOC and not need an hour or two posing minifigures or getting the look just right.

Q11. What's your brick badge like?

In the US, brick badges are huge! (Not so much in other parts of the world, we hear, though.) I think we tend to notice the giant brick badges some people wear/MOC into their builds, but that made me wonder how typical it is for the biggies, or is it just a few noticeable exceptions? And lo and behold, the majority of people really only tend to wear a few. I personally have stopped wearing a lot because they tend to fall off if you don’t tape the back—but in the interest of transparency, I answered that I make additional badges because that is something fun I’ve started to do with collabs or groups. They make great souvenirs, mini trophies or just a brick that helps label a MOC.

Q12. Do you play con games?

Personally, games are one of the main things that set a con apart from other typical AFOL interactions. I love them! Everyone is excited, the games are always interesting and fun to participate in, and heck, you usually get to keep the set so it’s a win-win! You can speed build, speed un-build, make a MOC out of a set or more. I’m glad to see most others take advantage of the opportunity but I’m also not surprised to see that games just aren’t for everyone… and that’s ok! Not everyone likes the competitive nature while others thrive on it.

Q13. What’s the best game at Bricks Cascade and why?

The creative game was my favorite, so here’s my build. But I should mention Austin won with a really groovy and fantastic NPU on his space squid build!

We got a whole slew of responses for this one all over the place so not one chart would do it justice. I guess variety is the spice of life!

Not surprisingly, the Team Speed build came up a lot—I know my close group is big on that game and they comprised a large percentage of my poll participants! Notably, they admitted we typically lose to a certain team of Canadians, however, the gauntlet was thrown down for future years!

Other fun games listed included: blind bag, standing speed build (challenging), one hand build, free build, dirty brickster (white elephant), drafting (fun that some consider it a game!), techno challenge, the claw (can’t see what you’re building at your partner’s direction), speed build (people liked that you can sit for it), and then the general activity of “bothering Grant Davis” which is amusing at all times. (Speaking of which, I need to ask him about an interview for BrickNerd sometime.)

Q14. Do you attend sessions/classes/talks?

The results for this question were interesting to me because I typically find two or three sessions that I want to go to per con… and then almost always miss them due to other activities. I personally liked that during COVID in the virtual cons, I was able to attend many sessions because I wasn’t busy doing other things (not that I’d prefer virtual to the real deal of course ) But it was still nice to finally make the time! I see that at least the majority of others who replied are in a similar boat, either some or no sessions for most respondents. Perhaps it is a good thing that LEGO conventions have too much going on because everyone can make the most of what they like best?

Q15. What are your favorite sessions/talks at Bricks Cascade and why?

I’ll list these straight out as I think they’re all interesting replies!

I love sessions about design and creation in parts of the fandom I don't experience or building styles I'm not as interested in. It’s so cool hearing the passion that other people have for what they love to build!
Stuart from LEGO House / LEGO Masters panel
Stuff that inspires creativity
Talks about the technical aspects of building and talks about what's happening at The LEGO Group and associated companies like BrickLink (mentioned several times)
The awards ceremony!
Lighting
LEGO Masters
Well-rehearsed and prepared ones!

It’s fun to see that even in my small cross-section of poll participants that the favorite session varies wildly! No two similar answers in the lot.

Q16. How much do you explore Portland during the con?

I imagine that my small sample size had something to do with these results as my group tends to stick to the con almost exclusively—except to run to Wendy’s for a quick bite. But certainly, it was fun to find the few explorers willing to join me at a local brewery and make a few jaunts here and there during the weekend! (I’ve even heard that Paul Hetherington MUST find a tiki bar wherever he goes!)

Q17. What are your favorite non-convention-related things to do in Portland when you are there?

Generally, there was some great snark in the replies to this question, which was quite amusing! The reasoning was that the replies often came from those who assuredly clicked the “uh what’s Portland” option in the prior question. But “food” was mentioned quite often (including donuts and Wendy’s), and there were a few drinks-related replies, and one person mentioned visiting the coast which is a neat idea. The most unique response was that a Portland local mentioned that the only thing that might get them out of the con for a quick wandering around would be a Pokemon Go event.

Activities include trying the local beer!

Q18. What’s the best place to eat during Bricks Cascade?

The replies to this were pretty entertaining mainly because I like laughing a bit with my group about their poor taste in food. I think Taco Bell and Wendy’s topped the list—fine cuisine to be sure! Though someone did suggest they’d want to eat anything BUT Wendy’s! Others bring their own food, and there were a few replies of hotel restaurant fare being the preferred option. The jokes were in evidence again as one reply mentioned eating the LEGO at the bulk table…

Q19. Who do you hang out with usually at the con?

In my experience, these results perfectly represent what I was expecting to see. It’s possible my own perception and the results of this poll are skewed because more of my group filled it out, but I think we all see the social butterflies flitting around the hall. But mostly I notice people wander and relax with their little posse, most often around their theme table during setup and during public hours. It makes sense—proximity and similar interests win out!—though it might be hard for con newbies to break into a social group at the beginning. That’s why theme tables are great at starting conversations and friendships!

The crew: What a great time with amazing friends! Can you tell who we photoshopped in later… because we couldn’t find him when we had to take the picture??

Q20. What do you do during public hours?

I’m glad we did get an introvert to bite on the first option, but it was interesting to find that was a far minority of those I got replies from. To me, the spread of remaining replies indicates people are really doing a wide variety of things during public hours. Though we always have those stalwart displayers who are public-facing all day and they love that crowd energy (or who are gunning for the People’s Choice award!).

Q21. Are you a parts drafter?

I was interested to learn just how large a percentage of the poll participants are/aren’t into drafting. (Drafting is a way to get lots of one element from a set. It is when there are multiple copies of a set that are sorted by piece type with lots selected by participants one by one in random order.) I get it, drafting is time-consuming and the parts are only as good as the sets selected… but I have come o enjoy a small draft among friends as a unique thing. We tend to gravitate to a quiet corner of the convention center to get away from the hubbub for a little relaxing fun or seeing who will get the first (or last) pick.

Q22. Will we see you rooting around the bulk table?

I partly asked this as an inside joke for my group who seriously frequent the bulk LEGO tables that vendors bring for sale… like A LOT. But it is interesting to see that even with that group being a large percentage of my replies, we still got a pretty good spread of different interests. Personally, I enjoy an hour or two looking for interesting pieces tops, but it can be a nice, relaxing activity while chatting with friends (or strangers) who are sifting through the parts next to you. You’ll see all sorts of builders pop in while you’re there, but I advise you to go before public hours if you are looking for the best selection. (And if you are missing a part for your MOC that you are desperately searching for, good luck buddy…)

Q23. Do you buy anything from vendors?

I think this is interesting because I typically spend very little time at the vendor tables. But the results show I’m in the minority. The majority either frequent or at least visit the vendors as a rule. I’m heartened to see it as I think they’re a super important part of the community and want to see them do well!

Part 3 - After the Con

Q24. When do you head home from the convention?

It looks like many people share my rough Sunday evenings. Boy, it would be great to be part of that orange wedge in that pie chart and stay another day. One of these years… we all keep telling ourselves.

Q25. What’s your favorite part of Bricks Cascade?

I think the answers here speak for themselves. They sum up for me, overwhelmingly, that the most important aspect for AFOLs at conventions is the community. Our friends, the activities, being with other AFOLs (and not to mention being surrounded by a bajillion LEGO bricks) all make up part of the amazing experience of being an AFOL. Oh, and a decent amount of people care about the public too and putting on a good show—we’re not totally insular, yay!

Q26. After the con, I feel...

That’s a lot of tired people! I personally love to see people energized and excited to get building right after the con, but I’ll admit I’m in the blue pie piece… I’m beat after cons! It’s a lot of rushing to get out the door and driving on Sunday evening after a super fun-packed weekend where you’re mostly on your feet chatting with friends, then WHAM! Real life. (Not to mention unpacking and sorting…) So I can tell you, I sleep very WELL Sunday night after a con. But we all hopefully know LEGO conventions are so worth it every time!

Q27. If we were to create the ultimate guide to LEGO conventions, what should we not miss?

Here at BrickNerd, we are constantly on the lookout to publish stories and tools that build up the LEGO community. As we explore what AFOLs need and want in relation to conventions, we were curious what rose to the top of people’s minds. I won’t get into every answer here as it’s quite the list of sprawling answers, but here are some of my favorites.

When builds evolve over the course of the con.
Bring snacks! And turn off your internet! The wifi/cell service sucks anyway. :D
After parties!
An ultimate guide needs to acknowledge that every con has its own unique flair.
There's something for everyone. Build, display, learn, chat, play, party.
Just the chance encounter with other builders.
Stay busy, hang out with friends, the best part about the con is always memories made with friends (also looking through the bulk!).
Don't eat fast food at every meal, it's bad for you.
All the awesome MOCs.
Cliques hurt LEGO conventions—Bricks Cascade is great because most people are so inclusive, kind and welcoming.
Take time to sit down. And water is usually nice!
Small things are often the most complicated.
Make tear-out pages with answers to all the basic questions, i.e. Is this all LEGO? How many pieces? How long did it take to build?

I think those are all great comments! Many of these reflect all the different perspectives from responses above, so I’ll let them stand on their own.

Closing Thoughts

Next time we’ll have to think about the logistics to get a higher participation rate—feel free to share your ideas in the comments below. I do hope we continue and poll more conventions to get the perspectives from more and more of you amazing AFOLs across the globe! We got some good suggestions of additions/edits to our questions so we’ll take that into account as well.

I want to say a huge thanks to those of you who took the time to respond to the poll, it was really neat to read through your replies and share them here!

What would you want to see in the ultimate AFOL guide to LEGO conventions? Let us know in the comments below!

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