A Continued Success: University Unites Tri-Cities Pop Culture Fans

March 7-8, East Tennessee State University hosted one of its most anticipated events, ETSU-Con. The convention averages more than 3,000 attendees every year. The debut ETSU-Con occurred in April 2013, bringing more than 900 attendees on the first day.

Nick Papworth serves as the staff advisor for ETSU-Con and was one of the founders of the first event. Papworth graduated in December 2015 and began working at ETSU in August 2017. “In gathering up and sitting down with some 10 to 12 people at that very first meeting, none of us had a clue what we were getting ourselves into, nor did any of us come with previous convention management experience," said Papworth. "Nevertheless, we all agreed that this was a thing we could do, should do and despite all of our trepidations, needed to do for the area.”

ETSU-Con features a lineup of special guests, a large vendor hall, panels, gaming tournaments, food trucks and more.

Gerald Burke is a game developer and has hosted a table for ETSU-Con since 2018. He assists with the group TriGameDev, a collective of game developers across all genres. “We like to say every year that we host a table, somebody tells us they had no idea there were game developers in the Tri-Cities, so we tend to hit a lot of people that kind of don’t know we’re here at these events," Burke said.

Itzel Alvarenga, the registration coordinator for ETSU-Con, sets up pre-registration tickets online, manages payments at the door and ensures the convention runs smoothly.

“ETSU-Con is a community. It’s amazing to see the community come together on campus to just enjoy everything pop culture," Alvarenga said.

Alvarenga said it’s a great opportunity for students and anyone local to volunteer. Whether it’s for networking, building a resume or pursuing a passion, ETSU-Con has something to offer everyone.

ETSU-Con is free for ETSU students and University School students. The convention provides affordable rates for non-students.

“In that first year, I’ll never know how we pulled it all together,” Papworth said. “We felt and still do feel strongly about the missions we had set out for ourselves. We expanded it to a two-day show, seen over 3,000 attendees since 2023, and wanted to continue what many had so highly praised. We were so proud of the joy we had brought to others, and that meant the world to us.”

Photo Contributors: Avaleigh Davis and Noah Reed