A Look Back At The 2023 Edition Of CaliCON!

The 2023 edition of CaliCON was held on November 11 at Calimacil's premises at 1150 rue Deschaillons in Sherbrooke.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Calimacil factory opened its doors to welcome visitors from all over the U.S. and Quebec to learn more about our manufacturing processes, visit our boutique and spend a magical day with the family!

Here's a look back at a day full of emotions, smiles and discoveries!

What is CaliCON?

CaliCON is a convention organized and hosted by Calimacil that showcases the artisans, immersive recreation industry community leaders and creators who contribute to the betterment of LARP and immersive experiences. It aims to bring the LARP community together, attract new faces to this enchanting universe and create networking opportunities. 

The first edition, held in 2016, was an initiative of Sherbrooke Innopole under the industry open house component. Primarily aimed at hiring and retaining staff, we benefited from unprecedented Team Building leverage!  The following year, the building at 1150 rue Deschaillons was inaugurated with a very special lightsaber ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The energy released by the benefits of the event offers a positive balance sheet despite the efforts, opportunity costs and realization expenses. Like the company, CaliCON had to evolve, marvel and innovate in its formula to share its original and inclusive corporate culture.

Now, its doors are open to all. Participants have the chance to go behind the curtain and explore the behind-the-scenes of this hobby by meeting organizations and companies that help bring this passion to life and discover it for as many people as possible.

New Features

The 2023 edition saw the introduction of a number of new features, the two most important of which were the character sheet and the boss sheet!

Yes, this year visitors had the opportunity to obtain a character sheet and improve their stats throughout the day! The first step was to choose between 3 class types (Warrior, Archer or Mage).

By taking part in the various activities offered during the event, and by receiving stamps, their character gained in level just like in a real game of D&D!

The activities

The doors opened at 9 a.m., and already a line of visitors was present to kick things off!

For those of you who don't know, CaliCON isn't just a factory tour - there are plenty of activities to do on the day!

For example, you could:

• Try your hand at fencing with Sher-Lames, a Sherbrooke institution renowned for its performance and learning methods!
• Take part in a mini escape game with Évasion GN
• Take part in a tabletop role-playing game with Souffle d'Odin and Production Diratia
• Leather workshops with Fille du Triskel and Zardwin
• Attend combat demonstrations with Académie Scrimicie
• Take on your friends with Calimacil weapons in the Legendary Camps arena
• Become a one-day model for Dracolite
• Or get your fill at the Faim Renard food truck!

You could also practice archery with ... or discover CaliWorld and its entire creation process! For the first time in the history of CaliCON, the program also included a visit to the Calimacil Museum, where you could discover old Calimacil relics (first weapons, prototypes...).

All in all, we welcomed more than 700 people, who were able to immerse themselves in the world of Grandeur Nature, meet our partners, take part in various activities and enjoy exclusive in-store discounts!

We'd like to thank all our employees, volunteers and partners who helped make this event such a success! Without them, CaliCON definitely wouldn't have the same flavor!

And to future partners and collaborators not on the list, we're sorry, but we don't turn down any collaboration that fits in with our values and principles. The offer is open worldwide, so ask our committee and suggest that your colleagues sign up. It's a great party, and if everyone pitches in, there's something in it for everyone!

See you next year for an even greater 2024 edition!