Another Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo has wrapped up, so scenes like the one above should be less prevalent Monday than it was over the weekend.
Expo organizers learned from their crowd-control tribulations on Saturday. Sure, people were in lines everywhere, but the process was generally efficient and steady. From personal experience and one other account, a person’s turn in line never lasted more than about 30 minutes — and happily all pass holders were allowed admission Sunday.
Those wishing to buy tickets at the door might have been disappointed, as those sales were halted mid-morning.
Let’s face it: Calgary Expo has become a big event. Attendance figures for the whole weekend are expected to pass 50,000, according to news reports. No one should expect to just walk in without a little bit of waiting.
If nothing else, Calgary Expo 2012 provided the ultimate learning experience for the people in charge, who told media they will soon be looking for even better ways to accommodate the crowds next year.

Despite that piece of sobering news, there are still many reasons to have fond memories of Expo.
Meeting the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation tops my list and is sure to top that of many others.
Being able to see all the hard work people put into their costumes was a real treat, too.
If I was a bigger comic book/action hero nerd, I’d have flipped out even more.
So to the staff and volunteers of the Calgary Expo, thanks for the (mainly) good times over the past three days.
I wish you a bigger and better show for 2013.

Sir Patrick Stewart with host Cynthia Loyst at the Corral Sunday afternoon:

Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn joke around for the crowd: