Youmacon 2009 gathered beyond 5,000 attendees in the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, offering anime screenings, dozens of panels, a giant videogaming room, and much more.
Youmacon is one of the larger anime conventions in the area, and they manage to run a well-oiled convention despite their size. The dealer's room, packed into a smaller area of the convention than we expected, had it's own dedicated line for admission - but most people we spoke with did not have to wait more than a few minutes to get inside. Even inside there was a line progressing circularly around the room. Thanks to the oversight of convention staff, though, attendees did not usually have to wait too long.
At most anime conventions we see, major events nearly always run around an hour late, and Youmacon's masquerade and their special Potter Puppet Pals event were no exceptions. Once inside, though, fans greatly enjoyed the events, with plenty of applause for each throughout the events.
The videogaming room at Youmacon rivaled even some of the best arcades, featuring full-size arcade Dance Dance Revolution, dozens of other arcade game, several consoles, and even computer gaming.
Overall, Youmacon 2009 was a well-organized, energized, fun-filled convention.