Pensacon Responds: Inside the Uphill Battle to Save Pensacola's Biggest Convention

Something unexpected happened after that critical article about Pensacon.

Julio Diaz showed up.

Not with a PR statement, or with corporate damage control. Just... Julio. Posting under his own name, answering questions for hours, acknowledging problems directly, and - here's the part that caught people off guard - actually listening.

Then Diaz did something you almost never see from event organizers facing public criticism: he opened himself up to an impromptu AMA: Ask me anything.

The Man Behind the Curtain

For those who don't know, Julio Diaz is part of Pensacon's executive team, handling media and guest relations. He's one of the people responsible for convincing celebrities to fly to Pensacola, negotiating with agents, coordinating venues, and somehow making the whole sprawling operation function year after year.

What became clear reading through his responses is that this isn't some detached executive collecting a paycheck. This is someone who genuinely cares about an event that has become increasingly difficult to manage.

Seven weeks: that's the window he's working with while simultaneously fielding criticism on Reddit, responding to individual complaints via direct message, and presumably doing the actual job of putting together a convention.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room

The original article hammered Pensacon on several fronts: the cramped Bay Center, the disastrous scheduling changes, the broken app, the communication failures. Diaz didn't dodge any of it.

On scheduling - arguably the most painful criticism - he was blunt:

He explained that they've already begun overhauling the process. Earlier timeline. Fresh perspectives on the scheduling team. Better communication protocols when changes do happen. The suggestion about using the Bay Center's video screens to display real-time updates? "A good one," he said. "We are looking into it."

What he couldn't promise was perfection. These are human beings - actors with filming schedules, flights that get delayed, illnesses that strike at the worst possible moment. "Change does happen," Diaz acknowledged. But the goal is having a rock-solid schedule before it goes public, and communicating immediately when the inevitable curveballs arrive.

The Venue Problem Isn't Being Ignored

One Redditor pushed back on my previous article's claim that organizers were "dancing around" the venue issue "like it's some kind of taboo subject." As it turns out, that's not quite fair.

Diaz confirmed this, while laying out a reality that most attendees probably don't fully appreciate: Pensacon has never been just the Bay Center. From day one, it's been a multi-venue operation spread across downtown Pensacola. The Pensacola Grand Hotel used to be part of that ecosystem before Hurricane Sally gutted it in 2020. "We miss it as much as you do," Diaz wrote.

Since then, they've expanded to facilities on Wright Street - hosting panels, the film festival, gaming events, the adult costume contest. They've grown Poseidon's Bay outside the main venue with food trucks, live entertainment, and community groups. They partner with downtown businesses for themed events during and after convention hours.

But here's the fundamental constraint Diaz articulated clearly:

That's the bind. Stay and struggle with inadequate infrastructure, or leave and lose the entire identity of the event.

"We're watching the discussion of renovation and/or expansion of the Bay Center as closely as anyone," he added. "Obviously, we'd love to see growth there."

The Crowd Weighs In

The Reddit thread became a fascinating snapshot of where Pensacon stands in the community's collective mind. The sentiment wasn't uniformly negative - far from it… but it was complicated.

One volunteer who works the event annually put it simply:

That tension - loving something while acknowledging its flaws - ran through most of the comments.

A longtime attendee described the evolution of their own relationship with the convention:

Another added:

There's something bittersweet about that. The convention has become so synonymous with the weekend that people show up in costume just to hit the bars - The Fish House with its Harry Potter decorations, O'Riley's, the themed nights at venues that aren't officially part of Pensacon at all. The spirit of the event has outgrown the event itself.

The Guests Who Keep Coming Back

One commenter raised a point about seeing the same celebrities year after year. Lou Ferrigno, specifically - a beloved figure who clearly loves his fans, but whose repeated appearances start to feel less special over time.

When someone suggested Pensacon had become "a SoCal former TV star convention," Diaz pushed back with a list of 2026 guests spanning Star Wars, Star Trek, Starship Troopers, the DCU and MCU, Stranger Things, The Lost Boys, Highlander, Mortal Kombat, Total Recall, Terrifier, Saw, Wednesday, and "multiple anime favorites."

He also teased that they're not done announcing guests. "We still have some surprises up our sleeves!"

But here's the uncomfortable economic reality that emerged in the discussion: bringing in A-list talent costs money. Someone asked about Mark Hamill. Diaz's response was illuminating:

Celebrity pricing isn't set by Pensacon - it's set by the celebrities and their agents. And those agents know exactly what the market will bear. When asked why autograph prices aren't posted on the website, Diaz explained that "current agreements don't allow this." It's not secrecy for its own sake; it's contractual obligation.

The Steve Downes Situation

Perhaps the most difficult exchange in the thread involved the attendee whose experience with Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes was highlighted in the original article. They paid $70 specifically to see Downes on Sunday, only to discover he'd been moved to Saturday with no notification.

That person showed up in the Reddit thread. They raised a point about the app that cuts to the heart of Pensacon's communication issues:

Diaz responded by sending a direct message to discuss further - and publicly acknowledged the app visibility issue:

Small thing? Maybe. But it's exactly the kind of detail that separates a frustrating experience from a functional one.

What We're Really Watching

Reading through the entire thread, what struck me wasn't the complaints. It was watching someone try to hold together something they clearly love while the infrastructure difficulties intensify.

Diaz didn't get defensive or make excuses. He explained constraints, acknowledged failures, and committed to specific improvements. When someone reported a rude volunteer from 2019, he asked for details so he could investigate. When an attendee raised accessibility concerns for autistic attendees, he asked for specifics and offered to discuss via DM.

This is not someone phoning it in.

Diaz wrote near the end of the thread:

He pointed people toward the UWF College of Business survey team in Poseidon's Bay. He mentioned the Sunday Talkback panel where attendees can raise issues directly with staff. He asked people to continue the conversation, to DM him anytime.

"We hope to see you at Pensacon 2026!" he closed.

The Real Question

Here's what I keep thinking about: Pensacon brings nearly $30 million to the local economy since 2014. It's put Pensacola on the map for an entire community of fans who previously had nothing like this within driving distance.

This thing matters.

But conventions don't survive on goodwill alone. They survive on execution. On delivering experiences that justify the ticket prices. On making people feel like they got more than they paid for.

Julio Diaz seems to understand that. Whether the rest of the organization can translate his responsiveness into actual systemic change - whether the Bay Center ever gets its desperately needed upgrades, whether the app works properly, whether schedules ever stay stable - remains to be seen.

But for now, at least, someone is listening. Someone is showing up, taking the criticism seriously, and promising to do better.

That's more than a lot of organizations offer.

Seven weeks until Pensacon 2026. The clock is ticking. And a lot of people who love this event are watching to see if anything actually changes.

The Reddit AMA with Julio Diaz remains open for questions. Pensacon 2026 runs February 20-22 at the Pensacola Bay Center and venues throughout downtown Pensacola.

View the original Reddit post here:

This article about Pensacon's problems pretty much nails it

View the original Blog post here:

Why Pensacon Has Gone Downhill - And What Can Be Done About It

Visit the Pensacon website here:

Pensacon - February 20-22, 2026