It’s Time To Get Your CAPE ON … Celebrating 10 Years This Weekend!

Chatting with Carol and Randy Sauve, the founders of CAPE, Cornwall & Area Pop Event on the Eve of CAPE’s 10th Anniversary Event – happening this weekend, Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th at the Benson Centre in Cornwall.

For those who may not be familiar, what is CAPE, and what inspired its creation? Looking back over the past decade, what were some of the key milestones, challenges, or memorable moments that have shaped CAPE’s journey into one of Cornwall’s largest indoor events?

CAPE is Cornwall & Area Pop Event, an annual pop culture event that happens every April. The show features celebrity guests, exhibitors, cosplayers, panels and something fun for all ages and fandoms. It was inspired by our love of all things geek. We both attended many conventions (Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and nearby US) and felt Cornwall needed its own version. The key milestone is that it is now celebrating 10 years since the first show in 2015. It’s always a challenge to put together a fun and diverse event but we have had many beautiful moments along the way – special guest appearances, our own wedding at the event, watching cosplayers grow their own fanbase and seeing fans and the community support our event for the past 10 years.

How has CAPE evolved over the years in terms of scale, attractions, and fan engagement? Are there any traditions that have developed within the CAPE community?

CAPE has evolved over the years as we now have a list of more than 500 different exhibitors who have been featured since 2015. We now have a wait list every year. Fans work on their cosplay and budget to attend every year knowing they will meet up with old friends and make new ones. Some groups of friends join us every year and have their own traditions. One tradition that CAPE is happy to bring back is our CAPE Cosplay Contest (thanks to Robby at Aeries Cosplay for initiating its return).

Since CAPE started in 2015, the pop culture landscape has changed significantly. How have shifts in fandoms, social media, or industry trends influenced how you plan the event?

Social media and the industry definitely influences the trends with cosplay, product and even guest selection. We try to plan around these trends and incorporate them in the guests we choose or themes we include. The benefit of Randy having had our local comic shop for 40 years is definitely a significant factor in the aspect that he has an almost “inside view” of the current trends and market and this is very helpful when planning CAPE.

Being a decade in, what has been the most rewarding part of running CAPE for you personally? And what is one lesson you’ve learned that you wish you had known in year one?

We always feel the smile and energy of the children that attend are the rewarding part and we love to see the joy they bring to the show. We also love that we can offer an affordable event to families and keeping our price point low allows more people to attend. It’s never been about charging high attendance fees for us – allowing fans to come and not spend a fortune is rewarding for us since we know not everyone can afford to spend hundreds of dollars to travel to bigger cities and pay high admission, parking, etc. The lesson we wish we’d have known in year one is that we went too big, too fast. We booked 2 pads the very first year hoping to include every single vendor who was interested but looking back, it was too much too soon. The logistics of having two pads increased the overwhelm as everything was new and there was too much at one time. Having said that, we now have had one pad for the past 5+ years and feel this is the best way for CAPE to feature a good variety of vendors and guests while still maintaining quality and fun.

What’s next for CAPE? As you celebrate this milestone, do you have any dreams or plans for how CAPE might grow in the next 10 years?

We hope to continue to grow, attract more people and offer high quality experiences at affordable prices. We dream of having Ryan Gosling as a featured guest some day but that’s a big dream! CAPE will continue to exist as long as fans support it and we will continue to be grateful for that support.

Bonus Question: For those planning to attend this year’s CAPE, can you share the key details—when and where it’s happening, admission prices, special guests, and any unique vendors or attractions that attendees can look forward to?

CAPE will happen this weekend, April 26-27th at the Benson Centre. Admission is $15 Saturday and $10 Sunday (+ HST). Special guests include Brian Posehn (Big Bang Theory), Kaniehtiio Horn and Michelle Millett (Letterkenny) along with Dylan Playfair (also from Descendants 2 &3). We will also feature Melissa McIntyre and Mike Lobel (Degrassi Next Generation). CAPE always features some fan favourite exhibitors every year but we also feature many new ones who join us. We will also have the panels and Cosplay Contest on Saturday. And don’t forget we also have a CAPE After Party (18+ event) being held at Best Western featuring Radio Nova Band. Plan to join us – tickets for CAPE and After Party are available at Fantasy Realm. Check out our website, www.cornwallpopevent.com for full details.