Eyecon: Vampire Diaries Takes Over Atlanta

It is putting it mildly when we say that vampires took over Atlanta this past weekend. The Westin was host to the first ever Vampire Diaries convention held by Eyecon, which is based out of Orlando, FL. Set to appear at this event was Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Steven McQueen, Michael Trevino, and Robert Pralgo. The crowds started pouring in on Thursday, but the event didn’t kick off until Friday at 4 pm when registration opened. Piles upon piles of envelopes holding passes, tickets to the banquet, the ball, the cocktail party, and chances to be up close and personal with your favorite celebrities. When registration kicked off, you could already tell that this event was going to blow all others out of the water. People were bouncing up and down in anticipation of what was to come.

Friday evening turned out to be a fairly relaxing evening of drinks by the pool, mingling with fellow fans, and if you stayed up late, you would find members of the band ‘The Nova Echo’ roaming the halls and lobby early into the morning. By 9 am Saturday, you could hear the hum of voices through your hotel room door. Registration was opening and fans were very ready for the events to get underway.

Fans lined up at 10:30 am on Saturday to begin filtering in for photo ops with their favorite celebrities. Rob Pralgo, Paul Wesley, Michael Trevino, and Steven McQueen were all on hand to let fans snuggle up close to their sides for a flash to lock in that memory forever. So many people were waiting for this chance, that they had to take row by row in order to keep the hallways clear for fans mingling for merchandise at the vendor tables or just enjoying the atmosphere. Rob Pralgo and Paul Wesley started out the day with Q & A sessions that filled the house. Paul got a scream when a fan asked what his favorite scene to film was and he said it was when he and Nina first ‘did the deed’ and he struggled with keeping his vampire ways locked up. 

After the Q & A’s Rob Pralgo decided to grace the fans with his presence and set up a table where fans could come over and get free… yes you heard correctly, free autographs from him. He even provided the head shots to sign along with posters from his new movie Bloodties. He was the only celebrity to roam the halls a majority of the convention. Fans lined up to take advantage of the chance to talk to him, ask him more questions, get stuff signed, and he even posed for pictures with them. We even witnessed him hugging some fans that agreed to donate blood if they could get a hug! Way to be there for a good cause.

The evening festivities kicked off with a banquet with the stars. Good food and company as the celebrities got to take group shots with everyone at the banquet and even chatted with some of the fans. Once the banquet was over, everyone started getting dolled up for the best part of the evening; the concert and the ball that followed. The concert this time was Eyecon favorite, The Nova Echo who kicked it off with a bang as they sang some of their fan favorites, Satellite A.I., Arrival, Titan, and even did a cover of the popular Cee Lo Green song “Fuck You”. The room was packed and even the celebrity guests made an appearance. Steven McQueen, Michael Trevino, and Robert Pralgo were among the celebrities standing off to the side watching the show. The fans got an even bigger surprise when Candice Accola (Caroline) and Matt Davis (Alaric) made an appearance for the concert. Camera flashes were going off like crazy as the fans pressed in closer. When The Nova Echo finished up their show with “Satellite A.I.” it was time for Jessarae to take the stage. Little brother to Vampire Diaries star Steven McQueen, the screams could be heard down in the lobby of the hotel. Jessarae performed for a good 45 minutes playing his guitar with a friend playing drums as back up. The fans couldn’t get enough and I am sure they want him to come back for more. Once the concerts ended, it was time to file downstairs to the ball.

Fans put on their dresses, their face masks (as it was a masquerade ball) and entered into a dimly lit room with balloons, lights, and their very favorite MC, Just Josh (also an AOD staff member) dancing on a table. Music from Paramour, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and T.I. filled the room and the celebrities mingled among the fans for a bit too.

Sunday woke up with excitement sweeping over the crowd. The final Salvatore brother, Damon, played by the ever gorgeous Ian Somerhalder was making his appearance. Every time a glimpse of him was seen you knew as flashes on cameras went off, and screams filled the air. Hundreds upon hundreds of fans lined up to have their picture taken with Ian, as well as to get a Salvatore brother photo op with him and Paul Wesley, or even better, a group shot with all of the celebrity guests. Steven McQueen, Michael Trevino, and Robert Pralgo also stepped up as fans wrapped their arms around them for pictures.

Michael Trevino and Steven McQueen joined each other on stage for a Q & A that had fans screaming when Steven showed his abs to the audience. You could hear laughing and screaming as well as see lots of dreamy gazes if you peeked in on this session. The Grand ballroom was packed full as Ian Somerhalder stepped into the room for his Q & A. Every seat in the room was full and fans were lined up along the edge of the room trying to catch a glimpse, a picture, or some video of the brooding brother. The evening dwindled down as the Miss Mystic Falls pageant took place and then the final after party to wrap up the weekend of memories.

All in all the weekend went smoothly, packed with fans, great music, excellent guests, and lots of energy. Eyecon owner and promoter Kenny Smith sure knows how to make the fans happy and looks as though they keep getting better. Make sure to keep an eye on the website, www.eyeconfla.com so you know when the next event is coming. If the tradition remains, we should be looking forward to another annual True Blood convention coming up later in this year. Swing over to FB and leave Eyecon a message letting them know all the fun you had and send your favorite pictures our way to add to our Eyecon collage!