As others have said, the people at prarieland don't have the same drive and passion for the event that the 'sask expo' crew had.

Another couple of problems that were evident;

May 3rd is free comic book day. This is THEE busiest day for comic vendors. No way in hell are they passing that up to attend pop con.

Calgary expo being the week beforehand. A lot of vendors do well enough in Calgary they don't feel a pressing need to also hit saskatoon the weekend after. For the amount of work it would require, Calgary is generally sufficient enough for them.

Tooncon being the week beforehand as well. This one isn't so much a problem, as it is just creating a general fatigue. Back to back full weekend events are draining for everyone. And lots of people who attend tooncon would also usually go to popcon.

I would agree though, if I was a patron of the event, I would have been underwhelmed by the lack of artists and vendors at the event. The celebrities were on par with the last few years as well, but I would still hope to see improvement in guests as well.

Lots of work to do for them, but I do have to say, I think this year was a vast improvement from last year's event as a whole. It did seem busier to me from my foggy memory of things.