Let's be honest (and nice) here. This is the FIRST EVER Cookie Con! Like all "firsts", it's awkward, not perfect, slightly unorganized, and has TONS of room for improvement! But like all firsts, it was as good as it can be! I'm pretty much cookie wasted from the day! My suggestion to guests would be to get here later in the day...for example at 1:30pm since the crowd dies down around that time and there's still plenty of samples going around. I was lucky that I got there at 2pm with a good 3 hours to walk around (with ample space) and taste. All the vendors were adorable, creative, super friendly, and had great treats! There were shows, lessons, kits, accessories, photobooths, tons of samples, etc. Overall, I had a really fun time here! I'm definitely heading over to LA Cookie Con 2016 if they do it again next year....and i REALLY hope they do!! Hopefully they'll have it a bit more organized than this one. I also hope they could extend the hours as well as use more than 1 hall...more walking space would reduce the risk of fire hazards and accidents. read more

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My first time at LA Cookie Con and I had a great experience. I came on Superbowl Sunday and the lines weren't too bad overall. My friend and I were thankful for VIP tickets, which allowed us to get in 1 hour before general admission doors opened. However, VIP lines were already formed by the time we arrived. Although long, it moved quickly and we perused around all the booths. She's a veteran to the LA Cookie Con and knew exactly what to get in line for first, which was the ice cream/cookie truck. I was able to get 1/2 a cookie with a small sampling of ice cream. I actually got full from eating lots of sample from various booths. My top favorite would be the balloon lady, she took requests and made whatever balloon animal or thing you wanted. I requested for a cupcake headband. This was probably the longest wait, but so worth it! My other favorites included the tamales booth and the organic raw milk. $15 to park at the LA Convention parking structure. Overall, I had a great time! read more

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:: CHECK-IN :: The set up in "registering" to get into the event is LAME. We arrived at 10am on a Sunday. We parked at LACC for $15. Then we walked straight to the "lobby" of LACC. 1st -- you have to wait in line just to get the wrist band from the booths sent up inside LACC (took anywhere from 30-45 min). They only allow 1 program pamphlet per group! Even though we each paid for our own tix. LAME. 2nd -- you have to wait in another line to get into the actual event. Only one hall was rented out for this event. So it's not huge like AnimeExpo. This line went out the door! For us it was another 30-40 min wait cuz people were cutting in line!! LAME. There was not single a security watching the actual line where people were cutting in. Only securities there were, was at the entrance of the escalator, entrance to the vendors & where people come in from the parking garages. By about 1PM we left & went out to grab lunch. When we got back around 2:30 PM & went for our 2nd rounds of samples. By this time, there wasn't much left for all was given out to much/quickly in the beginning. :: VENDORS/BOOTHS :: Vendor layout was poorly done. But all the vendors we did hit up was very friendly & professional. Below are pretty much the most notable ones for me: PARADISE COOKIES & ICE CREAM [5/5] -- Wait for this sample from a "food" truck was insane. We waited for 45 min & got our mini scoop of ice cream w/ 1/2 a cookie. We tried the expresso & horchata ice cream & it was yummy, Cookie was baked fresh and chewy. Line for this never got short! CHOCTÁL [5/5] -- Gotta go early for the ice cream flight. Otherwise by early afternoon you can only choose 1-2 picks of ice cream to try. Both the vanilla & chocolate ice cream was absolutely unique & tasty. BANZAI JERKY [5/5] -- One of the very few vendors that is not sweet-related. Love their spicy bacon jerky! TATRATEA [3.5/5] -- Original Tea Liqueurs. To me they tasted like straight up strong alcohol shots! But hey, something different then all the sweet vendors around! :: OVERALL :: Would I attend again? Nope Nope Nope. Not worth my time again. I hate waiting in lines. Plus I wasn't quite interested in their onstage appearances, demonstrations, baking demo or workshops. The decorators showcase was cool but wish they had more on display though. :: NOTES/TIPS :: 1) Security does not check bags or body, only to see if u have an event wrist band or not. 2) Vendors giving out samples are not a WHOLE samples but bite size for tasting purposes. 3) Bring your own water or beverage 4) "Food Cafeteria" option provided w/in the event hall was an absolute disappointment & unappealing. Hence, why we stepped out to grab lunch instead. 5) Those who purchased their ticket thru LivingSocial or Groupon are allowed to get a LA CookiCon tote bag & for us regular tix hlder peepz - NADA!!! read more

LA Cookie Con - 2/7/16 (Sun): Various Cool Cake Art Display, Choctál (ice cream flight) & Paradise Cookies & Ice Cream Truck (expresso w/ velvet cookie) - Unofficial Yelp Events Near Me

So I came on a Sunday! As I drove by I already saw a long line, but later realized that was just the VIP line. I had to go in a line to register to pick up my wristband. I ended up spending about 4+ hours here walking around and checking everything out. Yes, I feel it is pretty small but there are a lot of places and many places giving out delicious samples! Have patience and everything will be fine. I had a great time and ended up trying everything I wanted to try and more. The one that stood out was the ponchiks! I loved them when I had them before awhile ago. So many pretty things to see here, I had such a good time! TIP: Bring a water bottle to quench your thirst, or you will have to find some coffee vendor to try their samples. read more

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This was the first ever Cookie Con so let's be honest - it's going to be hit and miss but that allows for a learning opportunity. Parking was a bit confusing to find. I saw one sign but luckily I did see that. Others resorted to parking in nearby structures which is all fine and dandy because of the validation. Event parking was only $10 so I didn't care and there was ample parking when I arrived so that was good too. I saw the line but also noticed the security guard yelling directions every so often so that was helpful. I got the VIP experience so my line was a bit shorter than general admission but next time I suggest more people up front checking people in. I only saw 3 people and that's not enough for 3,000 people who all showed up at once. The convention size was tiny for what it was. I suggest going bigger and badder next time and having the speaker section in another area or to the side vs right smack dab in the middle. A lot of us were cramped in one area and even the vendors were overwhelmed by us so I also suggest widening the aisles to allow for more walking space. Other than that, I think it was an overall great first event. I tried lots of great samples and can't wait for round two! read more

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Considering this is the first year hosting this event, there are bound to be some mishaps along the way. My friend and I arrived at 10:30 AM (event supposedly started at 10 AM) and there was a line wrapped all the way to the entrance of the parking lot. Fortunately, we were able to get in. Other Yelpers have done a thorough job of describing the areas of improvement, so I will just reiterate by suggesting the following: -Rent out two rooms instead of one. The place was packed the crowds made it nearly impossible to actually get to talk with the vendors. -If you're going to have vendors handing out sweets, have more milk stands. That is all. read more

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We came to explore this sweet gathering of all things cookies and cake... Must check out stations are: 1. Otis Spunkmeyer (334, no cookie crumbs here, they give generous sample portions) 2. Paradise (cookies and ice cream, it's a food truck by main stage, worth the long wait) 3. RumBundticious Cakes (530, key word is Rum) 4. Banzai Jerky! (434, spicy Teri beef jerky best) 5. The Cake Mamas (357, rice crispy treat sample bomb) Price of admission pretty hefty, convention center parking $15 (This entry written by the husband) read more

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Huge improvements from last year. Although I had VIP weekend, I only planned for Saturday entry and I didn't make in time for early admission. Registration was much more organized this year! They had several lines for VIP which was awesome! I liked that the cookie con photobooth was right next to registration. I think it helped alleviate the entry blockage that happened last year with this booth. The yelp booth guy was very energetic and fun. I won me a cool yelp pack of gum (I loooooove gum!) There was much more breathing room. I didn't feel suffocated! I appreciated that there were more baking tools/accessories booths. Last year I think I only ran into 2 or 3. This year they had a few smaller stages set up for classes and demos. The main stage was set up towards the back of the space. Whoever thought of this... EXCELLENT JOB!!!!! Last year the stage was in the middle of the room and it blocked surrounding booths because people were standing in front of them watching the mainstage. I also thought the foodcourt/ table area was great for resting tired feet and grubbing on all the samples. Perfect set up next to the Kid Zone. Parents could have a break while the kids played. Also, there was a designated Cookie Con photobooth just for Kids!! I have to admit, VIP was somewhat lacking. I didn't do VIP last year, but I can't imagine it was as minimal as it was this year. A few of the Vendors totally got the VIP idea. Full/snack sized samples of cookies, coffee, pastries. But some just didn't seem prepared! Also, there weren't many vendors and I felt like VIP could have just been part of the general section. Definite highlight of VIP was World Empanadas! They had the best empanadas I have ever heard in my LIFE!!! omg! And they didn't grimace or turn us away when we were back in line for another go at a different kind. Spinach and Cheese was my favorite! a few things that were disappointing and I would hope would be taken into consideration on the next go round... 1. Bigger color selection for bigger sized womens shirts. I got 2 extra large. They only had 2 colors... black and blue. On top of that they were 2 different cuts. one fit more like a smaller sized large and the other fit more like a 2xl. 2. Consider getting a few more diabetic sweets vendors - Sarah's Skinny Sweet was the only one I was able to find. This would be such a wonderful addition to anyone who is diabetic! Especially kids! I think this would open up a whole new market for Cookie Con and bring more diabetic sweets some exposure! :) 3. Possibly consider a couple food/drink vendors in your food court area. After all those sweets, I was begging for some water and something to cleanse/balance out my sweets consumption. 4. Make sure registration is prepared with VIP totes. I went twice to get my Dark Side cookie con tote and they were out. I was told it could be either 10 min to an hour wait for a totes. If anything, I should at least have been able to walk away with that - but that wasn't even available for VIP. Looking forward to round 3 and seeing what kind of improvements are made and even though my VIP experience was disappointing, I already know I'll be purchasing one for next year. read more

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I was very excited to come to this event with my assistant. We both were quite excited to actually attend. We ended up waiting two hours outside before we even got to enter the event itself because they were not organized. Definitely expected more. Only one vendor had sprinkles and cupcake liners which were very disappointing. Hardly anyone had samples except for one big cookie company. Overall the event was just kind of sad. All the money we spent on VIP tickets was just not worth it. No vendors selling any baking equipment. No candy molds etc. Oh well... read more

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LA Cookie Con... what a joke! I would give this event 0 stars if I could. This has got to be the worst convention I have ever attended. I have been able to go to many different expos and conventions, and always try to seek out anything food related. This event was extremely disappointing. I had purchased tickets via Goldstar for a small discount and was looking forward to eating/sampling cookies and sweets... because what's life without a little sugar?! It isn't much, and we sure did not get much. I arrived a little past noon at the event with my friend. Parking was $16. We walked through the convention center and saw a ton of people leaving without any goodies or merchandise. I spoke to several groups of people and asked them what they thought of the event. Many saw the line and left. Another group stated they were in line for over two hours and only spent a little over 5 minutes once they were in as all the cookie samples had run out. They could not even see what was on display at the tables due to large crowds of people covering each vendor. They did mention they finally were able to see a beef jerky vendor and window installation services, which were unrelated to cookies and sweets. As I walked from the end to the front of the line, which felt like a mile long (it was about a 6 minute walk)... I continued to see people leaving the convention center. No one looked happy... and I only saw one woman holding a bag... not sure if it was one of her own or if she'd actually got to purchase something worthwhile from the convention. By the time I left, there was probably a 2 hour wait. I did not bother to get in line and ended up leaving. I would have if the event was worth getting in to, but come on, window installation and beef jerky?! I like beef jerky, but this is a cookie con!! And yes, the only con here is we were conned of our money and time. I spent a total of $41 for my ticket and parking. The organizers, whoever they were, had clearly oversold tickets at $25-30/person without having a sufficient amount of vendors. I will NEVER attend this event again. Beware folks! Please do not waste your money here. GO TO A DESSERT OR COOKIE SHOP INSTEAD where you can get cookies and sweets galore. I have to say I felt the worst for the families that attended. Their children probably had their hopes up only to have them crumbled. One little girl showed me the special cookie shirt she wore for this specific event, and said she did not get to try any cookies. So sad. No cookies for the Cookie Monster :( read more

This wasn't what I expected it to be. I'm not sure what I expected but, I left there feeling like it was a complete bust. I seen a couple vendors I follow on IG that I've been wanting to try. They were really my entire reason for purchasing tickets. Unfortunately, both of those vendors were a bust as far as product. I was so bummed by that. It brings true meaning to what's on IG isn't always what it seems. I was so disappointed. I will not name names because maybe it was just a bad day. I wouldn't try them again to see but, hey, I don't want to rate a vendor I didn't go visit & their home shop. Does that make sense? It's wasn't too crowded (Thanks goodness) because it was Super Bowl. My daughter was super excited to see Rosanna Pansino (she follows on YouTube) Adriano Zumbo (from Sugar Rush on Netflix). I did see that one of our favorite bakeries were there, The Cake Mamas, so I had to stop By and show them some love. I also purchased some candy scrubs from Bonblissity. They did a little scrub presentation on my hands & I was sold on the Mango Sorbet! When I tell you my hands felt like silk...baaaabyy! Let me tell you! I have extremely dry hands & they felt amazing after. They were $20 for a 30 piece pack which also came with a travel box with other assorted scents. This was my highlight. Parking of course was $16 . With the rain I was happy we didn't have to actually get wet. From the parking to the inside of the convention center, it was all covered. Good! My hair was fresh off the press lol so I was happy about this. Anyways, I probably will not attend next year. read more

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Hi all! I'm a fan of LA Cookie Con, we are House of Stewart Confections and we will be attending the event in 2020 as a vendor. We have been looking at this event for the last 2 years, and have decided to attend. I have been to events in my home state where the event was SO popular that there simply were not enough goodies to go around, however, that has yet to be the case for us, we have sampled our product everywhere we've gone, we have yet to run out, and we do not plan on Cookie Con being our first. We are excited for Cookie Con 2020 and cannot wait to be there! read more

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I bought 3 tickets for this event. ($60.00) I took my mother and little sister (through BBBS), we have been looking forward to this event for 2 months. Parking was $16.00, and the line to get in went quickly. We got there about an hour after the event opened on Sunday. But from the moment we stepped inside disappointment hit. Almost every vendor was out of samples and sold out of products. Even the cake decorations to see had started to be taken down! We walked the event in a little over an hour and found 5 samples! I was able to get my little sister in to make a powdered candy straw (an extra $3.00) and decorate a cookie (that was free). We thought today was going to be filled with beautiful sweet things to see and taste. We had joked about our sweet tooth's and the tummy aches we were going to leave with but instead we left feeling robbed and disappointed. I would NOT return to this event again and would NOT recommend it to anyone. There is nothing about it that was worth the time or expense. Sadly disappointed read more

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I'm with the group in that there was not a lot to see and probably not worth the money. But I wouldn't say it was a complete waist of my time and money because my daughter got to decorate a cookie and were some baking demos. There were also plenty of samples to try out if you are willing to wait in line for it. read more

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Cookie Con was 3 Stars Just OK but I am going to bump it up another 1/2 Star for The Cool Cars & Star Wars & for the S'mores & Balloon Man. Gold Star had Discount Tickets for this event. The LA Cookie Con was held this year @ The Fairplex in Pomona on Feb 2020. Cookie Con is trying to get more guys & younger people to come to their shows not just women. Thus they brought in Spider-Man, Star Wars & some really iconic cool cars for the guys. There was KITT the Talking Car from the 80s TV show Knight Rider with the David Hasselhoff signature. There was also The Stainless Steel DeLorean Car with its famous Gull Wing Doors from the 80s Movie Back to the Future. They Ecto-1 Ghostbusters Movie Car also made an appearance. R2D2 was also buzzing around the whole place as was Spiderman. . Inside they had several aisles of vendors, cake shops, confections, dessert & Bakeries, party & cake supplies, props etc. There were multiple Demonstrations on making varied types of desserts. The Big Hit inside was the Hershey's Booth where you got to make your own personal S'mores on your very own burner for FREE. The Balloon Man was making party hat balloons in the shape of cakes for people to wear on their heads. LOL! There was also. a Merch Booth where they were printing T Shirts with the event's Logo. The Over the Top Cakes especially the multi tiered Candy Bar Cake was very unique. I think Guys enjoyed the Show more than the women because of all the Cool Cars. I hope they have more Cool Stuff next year. It used to be, you had to have mega bucks & be really rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget! read more

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By far, the worst "commercial" event I have ever been to. For 24 dollars a ticket, I woke up at 7:30am (Doors opened at 10am) to get in a line that wrapped along two entire blocks, at 10am- mind you, the line was not truly crazy long, it was just not moving. Finally, at 11:00am, we get in, which was confusing- we waited just to get a wrist band without anything being scanned. We walk into a venue that is so crowded we can barely walk. The rows are so crammed from not only the vendors, but the amount of people. The event should have considered all things to make sure it was not so oversold- children do actually count as someone taking up floor space, and I counted several double strollers. Most events of this space size say "No strollers" and enforce it. The LA cookie con did neither. The line formations were vague and frustrating. People didn't know where to start, stop, and just observe a vendor from the row. There were two options- you stand in what you hope is the right line for where you want to eventually move to, or just be a turd and walk straight up to the vendor across the table- most people got frustrated with this waiting method, and just started doing the latter, causing a huge backlog of folks then crowding into the already overfull walk ways. No one was managing lines from the Event staff. No one was instructing where to que or where to observe. Samples became less interesting than just maintaining my sanity. We realized we were averaging about 5 minutes per vendor, just to hope they even had some treats left, which some did not, by about noon (Again, doors opened at 10am, event was supposed to last till later afternoon). Floor layout was awful. The guest presenter section was smack in the middle of the already tiny floor area, with an area blocked off for the backdrop curtains. Normally, a well-planned venue realizes that because of the size of space a presenter section demands, an easier method is to drop it against a wall. Not here, because that would just make too much sense. Finally, our group said "It's not worth it" and tried to leave and get a refund. Of course, there was a poorly managed line for that as well- others that realized driving across the city (or wherever) and trying to fight with beyond-reazonable crowds was not worth trying an eigth of a cookie. Several people in the refund line began yelling at the one person that would irregularly let people back into the main building for a refund, while not noticing people were walking in behind her, and just walking directly up to the refund counter, skipping our line alltogether. I found it ironic that in order to get a refund from such a poorly planned event, with no clear leadership, communications, or just... planning in general besides "Hey Vendors, come here and try to market your business", I had to wait in yet another line for almost an hour, in the sun. Total time in line: 2.50 hours Total treats tasted: 7 TOTAL WASTE OF TIME, MONEY, and GAS, even after the refund. This cookie-con crumbled, super hard. read more

This is my second year in LA Cookie Con. I learn my lesson and won't go back unless I had VIP Ticket which I did this day. The VIP enjoy more than just you can get in early than general admission but also there's now 2 section for VIP only. Those section has shorter line and some of the best samples are there. They said is 3 times bigger than last year, I has to disagree and is more like twice the size but most of the space were use for stage area. There's more VIP guest now but isn't there for greeting the fan and was just there to talk. 90% of the food vendor there are sweet, if you are sweet person you would love it. A lot of samples but very few swags, the only swag you can get are from the cookie con it self, yelp, and lyft. I when there both day, it was less crowded at second day but the line for the cookie ice cream still very long. Most other vendor has short time, I spend most of my time in first day so second day just goes to vendor that I like. The price is far for general admission but there's so much tradeoff and limitation that you can't goes to VIP Section. VIP Ticket is like 3 times more expensive and is worth it if you wanna try everything. But that price tag you can go to a good full meal dinner just saying. Press and celebrities can get the VIP ticket for free upon request approval. read more

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I went to LA Cookie Con 2016 for the first time today! I had a VIP weekend pass that I won but I only went on Sunday because it's also lunar new year weekend. I arrived at 11 even though VIP gets in at 10 so I had no wait in line. I saw this huge line out the door but it was general admission. Once you get inside the exhibit hall, it is so tight and packed. I've been to LACC many times before so it was my first time seeing HALF the exhibit hall being used. So tiny! I wanted to like this event. I really did. I was so excited. Cookie convention? Sounds amazing! But no it still has kinks. Why were the samples so tiny? :( I guess it will be better in a few years (if it continues). I heard that it's better than their first year in Pasadena though so good job on that. TL;DR -the best were part of the VIP perks and hopefully they improve in the next few years. More for mommy bloggers and bakers with companies. Not for foodies like me. @eatwithkim -- VIP Experience (sort of): Registration - I got my wristband at the VIP registration booth when I arrived late (11am). But when I got my band, no one told me that's where I get a VIP tote bag!! They did not hand me one at all! I came back and they said they ran out. Yeah okay thanks. There are two VIP areas that you can go into. VIP 1 has a long line at world empanadas and no one at the other booths. VIP 2 was all the way in the back and pretty crowded because they had better vendors and a massage area. BEST VENDORS (that I tried): For the VIP ones I listed, thanks for actually giving it bite sized instead of a quarter of it. Some VIP vendors just gave a sample on a spoon... Pop'd Up - long line! Everyone kept asking me where I got my drink and I kept directing them towards the long line by the entrance. I mean, if you're having a sweets show, you need drink vendors too... Even though this was soda, people were THIRSTY. Pop'd up has great drinks anyway, I always get them at the 626 Night Market. World Empanadas - VIP only. Finally, something savory! These bite-sized empanadas were so good! They had dulce de leche, chicken, beef, and spinach. My favorite was the spinach with their sauce. So good! Kinda glad it was VIP only so there wasn't a super long line (sorry GA). Churned Creamery - VIP only. Omg their ice cream was the best! If not the best I've ever had. I normally don't like sorbet but their mango sorbet was delicious!! They're opening a store in Tustin so they were giving out some coupons too. Can't wait for their croissant ice cream (it'll be the newest trend)! Papillon Bakery - VIP only. Omg what was this? This donut like bread with Nutella inside was pretty tasty. The tiny Hawaiian umbrella was a nice touch. I enjoyed this one. Massage: there was a long line and only two massagers (sucks for them) and if you do it for 10 mins, you'll be waiting in line for a while. MEET & GREETS: The line for Nerdy Nummies' Rosanna was super long. So I didn't wait in line for a pic. I went to the Masterchef Jr. Kids since they had no line (felt bad for them) because everyone was waiting for Ro. They seemed very excited when I asked for a pic and autographs. They were very sweet. PARKING: $15 or street parking. At least it wasn't jacked up to $30 like for other conventions (not under cookie con's control anyway) because that wouldn't have been worth it. read more

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Yes there will be crowds and lines, just like many other popular conventions. I hope they'll consider timed entry so alleviate the crowds. Bring water. There is one vendor inside the hall for food and drinks and they were inundated. VIPs get a bag to put their swag, general admission doesn't. So bring a bag if your not VIP. You'll need it! Bring baggies and small Tupperware. There is so much to eat, you just can't eat all of it so...the bigger samples you can save in a baggies and put in a small Tupperware to avoid getting smashed. There are lots of places to sit so don't fight the crowds. Browse a bit, sit and people watch. Then repeat. The crowd was heavy in the morning but died down in the afternoon. If you have kids, check out the kid area. My kids got some fun crafts done. We had a good time! Being that this is just the 2nd year of this convention, they are learning what works best. We look forward to a bigger and better LA Cookie Con next year! read more

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Went with no expectation and left with disappointment. Read the reviews from last year's cookie con that the venue was tiny, so I decided to check it out this year's cookie con since space is twice the size of last year. Paid $20 for 2 tickets, paid $15 for parking, totally not worth coming back next year for the event again. There's a lot of vendors which is not as generous with their samples. If you want customers to try and buy your pastries, be more generous! In fact, we bought a bag of each of cookies($10) and brownies ($4) that happens to be more generous with their samples, to be able to taste and know if we really like it. There are definitely people out there like us who is willing to spent on the pastries if it's really good. Came with my boyfriend who has a really sweet tooth and the first few booths that we stopped by for sampling of cookies was a disappointment for us both. Firstly, sample size was pathetically tiny as mentioned above, it was also wayyyyyy too sweet that we simply just took a bite and threw it away. Proceed to the next few booths, and wasn't impressed either. The vendor that I like is the one that is the most creative and yummy! The samples of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Love the way they market 4 sampling ice cream on 4 spoons on a plate, specifying the flavors on a printed brochure placed on the plate. We tasted 4 chocolate and 4 vanilla and all was really good. Very rich and creamy! Thumbs up! I'll definitely look out for this ice cream brand in future. read more

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When it comes to throwing a convention, most places don't get it right the first time and LA Cookie Con was no exception. The lines were disorganized, attendees were turned away and vendors ran out of samples way too early in the day. In hopes that they ironed out last year's kinks, I decided to give this dessert expo another go. Unfortunately, this year's experience was...well, not that much different from last year. General admission opened up at 11AM and we arrived around 10. By then, the registration line was out the door and my friends had waited for nearly an hour before we reached the front. By the time we were nearing our turn, one of the security guards dropped the bomb on us. Turns out guests who were only attending for one day didn't have to wait in line to register. Gee, thanks, would've been nice to know that before spending that hour in line. Luckily, it was pretty much 11 and doors were ready to open so we headed over with our tickets ready to scan, only to be met with yet another cluster of confused people. Had we just gotten our wristbands, we would've been able to go in without having to wait in the new line. By the way, only one person scanning tickets at the door for thousands of attendees? LA Cookie Con, you get the side eye. On a positive note, there were more vendors this year with more spacing in between. An hour into the convention, it started to get crowded but there was still enough space to get by. It was cool to discover and sample delicious offerings from bakeries and sweet shops like Munch Bakery, What a Cookie and Choctal. However, after a couple of hours, some vendors had run out of samples, which sucks for attendees who arrived later on in the day. read more

My sister found this event on Living Social last month so we all decided to buy the promotional tickets and come here (I think Groupon had a promotion too). The Living Social ticket was $22 and included general admission, a sticky bun ensaimada from Baker Cakemaker, salted caramel apple pop-up tart from Pop Up Pastries, and a 3-month trial of Salted (an online cooking course with celebrity chefs). I think regular admission was $21 (without the extras), and VIP admission was $50 (included a gift bag and VIP Lounge access). Kids 12 and under were free with paying adult (I'm not sure if this was just for Living Social or applied to the entire event). The event opened at 10:00a, and we arrived around 10:30 to find an extremely long line that wrapped around Euclid Avenue and ended at Cordova Street (at least when we arrived). The line didn't move for a while, but slowly started to move after 15 minutes or so. We ended up having to wait a long time again when we got closer to the front of the Convention Center (the entrance was on the side). Since it was one of those warm winter days (supposed to reach 80 degrees or so), we were all getting hot and impatient (no shade where we were standing). Some people got upset and left, and a lot were lined up for a refund (which I heard took a long time to get too). Finally, we were able to get in close to 12:30p... Besides the horrible wait outside, the venue itself was okay. There were a lot of sweets vendors handing out samples, so it helped that there were a few savory vendors as well as beverage vendors to wash down the sugar. I particularly liked the Banzai Jerky! vendor who were selling bacon jerky...the spicy teri flavor was so yummy that my older kid wanted her own package (they were $8 for one or 3 for $20). I also bought cookies from Stuffed ($3ea)...their original flavor was filled with Nutella. Need I say more? Some vendors didn't even sell their stuff there, just handed out samples to promote their product in hopes that we'll buy them at the markets. I was hoping to see more decorating products, but there were only a few that sold stuff that were similar from one another. We finished walking through the aisles by 1:30p (if waited for every free sample, it would've taken a lot longer). By then, there was NO LINE at the entrance. Bottom line, not sure if it was worth the general admission price, but I'm assuming the next one will be much more organized if they do decide to make it an annual thing. I got to see Ron Ben-Israel walking in and out of the restroom though...hehehe. read more

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LA Cookie Con was incredible. There were celebs, tons of cookies, lots of desserts and lots of free stuff one could stuff in their face! It did get really busy - especially the first two or three hours. The people who organized it tried their very best to make it a great event for everyone. I'm sure the next year it'll be even bigger and better! read more

LA Cookie Con - Happy Pantry booth at LA Cookie Con - Unofficial Yelp Events Near Me

I don't think you will ever understand my excitement for a dessert type convention but believe me, I was waiting for Cookie Con for a while! Came in and it was a lot smaller than I expected. There were booths set up: some were to samples, bake ware and icings for sale, displays and contests and fancier desserts for sale. There were a lot of cakes and of course, mostly cookies but some one booth had ice cream and toffee. There were a couple booths with some unique flavors but most of them were the standard chocolate chip, etc. Things were really cute and the samples were good. As much as I love sweets, too many is just overwhelming so walking around in a 3 hour span was good! On the day we went, the unfortunately wasn't any drinks so bring water if you go! It was kind of underwhelming, especially for the price but the best part was that local shops or start ups get to showcase their products and we can go support them. Who knows, maybe they'll be the next big sprinkles! read more

I had a great time ! VIP was the best way to go. I especially liked that we got a full hour before General admission came in. The vendors in the VIP area were very nice. All in all it was a great experience. I'm excited to go back tomorrow. read more

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I was excited to attend cookie con this year with my daughter as last year tickets were sold out and we were not able to attend. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive from San Diego and traffic not too bad. Parking was $15 which I expected. We arrived 1 1/2 early and the VIP line was super long. They just started to line up from General Admission so we were pretty much the front of the line. By the time they started checking in General Admission the line was out the door. They only had one person checking people in but it went pretty quick. As soon as we got in we saw the cookie con t-shirt guy and decided to get that first...glad we did! I thought it was pretty cool how they made the shirt right in front of you. We only waited 5 minutes. My favorites were Choctal Ice Cream and the Circus Cookie Rice Crispy Treats from Baking Mamas. The demos were good too and there were lots of places to sit. Hopefully they will improve next years Cookie Con. It was very crowded and it was hard to try everything. There were also alot of vendors that had nothing to do with Cookie Con so I thought that was kind of weird...but ok. They also had one vendor for food and the line was super long...we ended up leaving early to get lunch. Overall I gave it 2 stars as it can be greatly improved. I still had a great time with my daughter and will be attending next year. read more

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The 2016 LA Cookie Con & Sweets Show was very disorganized. There was a line out front but it turned out to be the VIP line. The general line was actually inside but you wouldn't know it if you didn't ask anyone because there are no signs. Once inside the main event, there were so many people that most everyone stayed in single-line formation, slowly moving booth to booth. Not much chance of going to a different booth out of line. Doesn't really matter though because you can hardly walk through the jungle of people. They give out a lot of bags so there's that I guess, but don't expect to fill them with free samples. Most were small pieces/crumbs and a lot did not come wrapped, so there's no saving them. There were some pretty interesting food creations though. Overall if you're in the mood for sweets, you'd be better off going somewhere in your local area (and it'd be cheaper too)... read more

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LA Cookie Con 100% delivers! If you have never been conned, step right up because thieves were running this show. The con is on. Unfortunately scams still exist. Today my friend wanted to check out LA Cookie Con at the Anaheim Convention Center so I told her I'd go with. She paid for slightly discounted tickets on Goldstar (ticket legitimacy was not the issue). The sad part was the show itself. We arrived at 12:15 p.m., about 2 hours after the show had started. There was still a 2 hour wait to get in! Before getting in line we walked to the front to check it out. People were walking out of the show empty handed. Nobody had any free totes, boxes of cookies or fun baking supplies. Nobody looked happy when they walked out. Multiple exiting parties told us to skip the show. It was disorganized, understaffed and barely had any cookie exhibitors. There were more people selling solar roofing and beef jerky than baking goods. The few cookie makers that did give out samples ran out by noon. Average cookies were $10-15 a dozen. People said they spent about 15 minutes in the room and left. Kids that entered with cookie shirts on left without sampling even one cookie. There was a large show floor and they crammed what vendors did show up into 1/3 of the floor space where people could barely walk. Today was the first day of the show. I did tell my friend the Cookie Con last year at LA Convention Center was underwhelming. But this year it was flat out trickery. The first red flag was the website. It provided dead links to supposed vendors that were appearing. I don't expect Betty Crocker or Aunt Jemima to be signing autographs, but you would think notable baking accessory companies (baking pans, Tupperware, wax paper manufacturers, etc.) would want a table at a show like this. There were no large corporate sponsors. Red flags everywhere. It is pathetic when a promoter who does not have enough vendors to hold a half decent show doesn't cancel the show, instead preying on the public (3000 people a day) to pay a $20-$25 admission fee to cover their rear ends so that they don't have to take a loss and pay the convention center a show cancel fee. Words like "I would be better off getting samples at Costco" or "It's a scam" or "They didn't even have any cookies" and "Waste of my life" were heard when exiting people walked by. We skipped getting in line. We went straight back to the parking garage and left. I paid $16 for parking. My friend is going to dispute the charge on her credit card. Anyhow, I feel cheated, but I feel really bad for those people that brought their kids to the show. To that junior high girl who showed me her cookie shirt, my heart goes out to you. read more

Last year this event was sold out so when I saw the living social deal pop up, I made sure to buy it right away. For $20 with this deal you get a tote bag with a couple things inside. After the deal I bought a ticket through Goldstar for $20 plus their $3.50 fee but no tote bag included. The day before another friend wanted to go and we got tickets on the cookie con website for $25 plus a $2.37 fee. So basically best bet is but the living social or Groupon deal next year. The event itself was at the convention center and parking in the area is always steep. If you can score a meter it's still pricey. The lots right across range from $15-$25 and the convention parking structure is $15. If you go a couple blocks down by the Toyota dealership you will see signs for a $10 lot and it's only a 5 minute walk. There were more vendors with other types of products than actual cookies. The highlights are that there are bite sized samples at most booths. Nothing bundt cakes had the best samples. They were as big as a mini cupcake and you could sample 3 different flavors. The Sunday guest was Ken Jeong from the Hangover. There was a pretty long line for autographs so we passed. There were 2 food trucks, one of which was out of 75% of their food at 12:30pm. Besides cookies there were many cake and cookie decorating products, coffee, juices, wine, tshirts, then some random stuff like Asian noodles and frozen Mexican entrees. There were photo ops with a free photo booth and some guys dressed like dancing cookies at another booth. I would say it's great to check it out once if you get a coupon deal but don't expect too much. Here's the online code for 20% off the San Diego Cookie Con September 16th and 17th 2017 at the San Diego Convention center. SDCC17 read more

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The only real Con here is the way whoever put this joke of an event on, actually got people to pay for it. This was very poorly organized from the start. Walking up there was a line literally almost a mile long just to get in, and the only way we knew that this was the line was from people in the line. No show organizers anywhere to be seen. Once inside the disappointment got even worse. A few aisles that were crammed to the edges with people with barely any room to walk. And then it gets even worse. I'd say there was less than 5 booths total with actual cookies. On a day when I look forward to indulging in cookies and other treats, this was not the place to do so. Corner booths of people selling windows and screen printed t-shirts, I fail to see what that has to do with cookies. I will not be attending another event put on by these crooks, this was a complete waste of time. I don't recommend ever going to another one of these to anyone. read more

I HAVE to give this 1 star? Ugh, where do I begin? Worst convention EVER!!! I was really CONned at this event. I'm truly upset about how much I spent and how little there was. We left not even 20 minutes through the doors. An hour in line just to get in and then to stand in even more lines to get samples. Oh wait, and the samples...there were none. By the time you get to the certain booth you have been waiting in line for, oops all samples are gone or you had to chat and buy something from the vendor. The venue-really?! They couldn't have used the entire hall, they had to cram us into 1/2 the room. The walkways were overpacked with people passing by and waiting in lines. Do not bring your children or strollers, please. This isn't Disneyland. Oh, and the air conditioning was off as well so people, myself included, were fanning ourselves with our brochures. I thought this was a "cookie con and sweets show" so why are there people selling filtered water machines, cell phone charger/covers, jewelry, win a package to Hawaii, beef jerky, etc...how sad! I was so excited to come to this event because I had never done anything like this and bought my sister a ticket as well. We were excited to see and try all sorts of baked goods from local and/or out of state vendors. There was maybe five vendors that were actually giving out samples, if they weren't actually out of them. This event had so much potential and it was THE worst thing I had ever experienced. We should be refunded the money. I am not even sure what I paid for. Over $70 is what I paid, and again, I am not sure what it was for. I know $20 of it was for parking. I absolutely DO NOT recommend this event. Someone needs to up their game because this was just awful and a complete waste of time! Sorry, I don't like to give bad reviews, but this absolutely deserved 0 stars. read more

Edit: the people running the event's social media are shady AF! They deleted all the nasty comments they've been receiving and they blocked me for making suggestions and answering attendees' questions! Save your money! Go to your favorite dessert place and spend your money there! This was a huge waste of time and money. Took my friend and I 30 mins just to get into the ticket check-in and we only spent 30 mins at the actual event. Organizers did not utilize the event center properly causing hoards of people in a little space. Very claustrophobic which could have been avoided. Only 30% of space was used. Inappropriate vendors here! Roofing vendor, Mexican food vendor, T-shirts vendor...like what??? read more

FALSE ADVERTISEMENT u get no samples at wat so ever, the line was HUGE and severely crowded inside, no way to walk thru aisles and you will bump with people non stop. U cant even view the vendors items due to over crowdness. Ripped off. Not worth any penny. Never will attend. This is the worse event I have ever attended and was not worth my money. Money went straight to the trash. P.S: they deleted all negative reviews from social media, but they cant stop us here! Never attend their lame rip off events read more

We we're so disappointed. We had pre purchased our tickets for today and this was our Valentine's celebration only to discover that we had to wait in line to get in which was close to an hour and a half. Once we got in the area of cookie con was so small and lots of the vendors were not cookie, candy related. There was jerky, massages, Roofing...... You get the idea. Also there was only one vendor that was giving away samples of chocolate chip cookies. You couldn't get up to any of the other vendors is it was so crowded people were pushing and shoving. Way too small of a place and not enough cookie/sweet things. One vendor apologized for running out of cookies not just samples but actual cookies to sell. Some people were selling three cookies for five and six dollars...... Very overpriced. Sadly this was our first time and our last read more

Bitter Sweet Is My Official Review, Not Worth The Ticket Price of $20, Should Have Been Free and At The Swap Meet. Minimal Dessert Booths and Samples, If You Wanted Cell Phone Accessories or Avocados This Would Be The Spot Be Warned, Don't Waste Your Time, Better Time At The Local Northgate Bakery Section. read more

I should've known better, because this con was not worth the drive/LA traffic or the money. I had read plenty of bad reviews about this convention's first year in Pasadena, but I was completely optimistic. I thought, "They've totally upped their game. I bet they learned from their failings of the first run. They're big enough to move to the LA convention center! That's gotta mean something!" I had envisioned a heavenly sweets packed extravaganza. What I got was a sad pile of disappointment. The one thing I did enjoy was the Paradise food truck that gave out a scoop of ice cream and a half cookie of your choice. I felt really bad for the vendors who were, clearly, trying to make the most of it. The thing that REALLY bothers me is how they handled the negativity and customer complaints. Rather than looking to learn from their mistakes, they got defensive and bratty. (Funny that the event page completely disappeared before the end of the last day.) I understand the blood, sweat, and tears that gets poured into planning and executing a convention. I really do, but the only way to get better is to listen to people. SOME PEOPLE HAD GREAT SUGGESTIONS AND JUST WANT YOU TO IMPROVE! *exhales* Anyways... Save your money and sanity and just go buy cookies at your grocery store, or make your own. OR check out their vendor list and try to support the sad vendors outside of the convention. read more

LA Cookie Con - Unofficial Yelp Events Near Me

"I WANT MY MONEY BACK, NOW !"The majority of vendors on the booklet were not there. At least on Saturday. They only had one main entrance into the parking structure which there was a long lines of cars because there were other events taking place . Also, parking is $16 in addition to the cost of ticket. There was a loooooong line. No staff outside to answer questions from attendees . Oh wait, yes there was and he asked "Did anyone in line drive from San Diego or is it your birthday today with proof of ID? Because we'll let you go in ahead of everyone else." I was like WTF! It was cold and these ppl were going to be let in ahead of the line when we've already been waiting ?! Once we entered the hall it was jammed packed. You couldn't walk , I don't know how many times I had to say excuse me just to get through the crowd. Then ,there were barely any vendors and the ones that were there the booths were so small that it was impossible to look at the items. Vendors that had nothing to do with baking, cookies, or cakes were there. There was a big empty space on the left side of the hall that could of been used to spread out the vendors so it wouldn't be so crowded. The only thing I found amazing were the competitors cakes. I loved the CoCo, Little Mermaid ,and the Haunted House . Kid you not my friend and I finished seeing everything ..only related to baking in 1hr and 48mins , it was a waste of $$$ considering that they made it look like a huge event being that it was taking place in the new Anaheim Convention! False Advertising. Annatainment you need to make up for everyone who attended this CON event ! Give us our money back! I rather drive farther for a real convention that will deliver than the one that I attend that failed miserably! read more

We arrived at the Anaheim Convention Center at 11:00 (show opened at 10:00) to face a mile-long line that required an hour and a half wait just to get in to register. The show was way oversold into a too-small exhibit space, with aisles so narrow one wonders how the fire department permitted it. (Ironically, the hall itself had open space at least two or three times the size of the designated exhibits--just empty blue carpet everywhere.) The buzz surrounding the show seemed to imply that visitors would leave stuffed with free samples. We did get three, all in a one-inch by one-half inch size. We met another couple who turned around and left when they saw the packed in crowd. They were going to ask for their money back. But the Web site says no refunds. Our recommendation: Take your $20 per person ticket price and $16 parking price and go crazy at a good bakery. read more

This years LA Cookie Con and Sweets Show, well, lets jump right into it... Lets start with the- LOW POINTS: This year also had some super off the topic vendors, that for some odd reason, were allowed to have display tables! Things like life insurance, and a booth with nail art stamping, jewelry & soap vendors, and guys selling portable e- stem back massaging machines... Seemingly INAPPROPRIATE things for this type of specialty convention. Upon leaving, my friend and I were hustled on our way back to the car, by some guy on the street trying to gain our entrance bracelets. One vendor that I had met last year, had everything that I like to use for chocolate candy making, and he wasn't there this year---disappointing. HIGH POINTS: The cake art competition displays were AMAZING as usual, the sample food items were fantastic, and the swag bags were different this year, containing a unicorn cookie cutter, and a few different packaged snacks. Looking at their amazing style of food art from all the different vendors was really great. Its such a breath of fresh air to walk into something like this and see the art and happiness with all,of the business owners doing something they are passionate about. They are happy to talk to you about what they offer, and give you samples. Some have areas on their tables that you can try out their products too. Examples- cookie painting and luster dust testing. Lots of sweets and smiles! Seeing so much talent in this grand city makes me truly happy!! If you choose to go, get discounted tickets on Living Social or some site promoting discounts. Parking was about $15. And we walked thru in about an hour and a half. Although, much more time can definitely be spent taking it all in. That time frame was including having several conversations with several vendors. Will I go again next year? Although I like these type of events, Its a very strong MAYBE. read more

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These inaugural festivals always have their growing pains and Cookie Con was certainly not an exception. I am not excusing the organizer for the first time jitters but from my past experiences, cry me a river, people. Wah. I learned my lesson with other festivals. I have had my share of being turned away at the door. If you haven't been to any type of these festivals before, my advice to you: GO EARLY. Back to the Cookie Con, we arrived at 9:10 a.m., parked it on Green for free, and stood in line for an hour. They kept the line moving with a few super long pauses. Even the VIP people started to bitch in line - I don't blame them if they shelled out the money to bypass GA and GA line was moving along. Once we were inside, it was MUCH smaller than I expected it to be and extremely crowded. I was really blown away that the organizers would have such a small space if they were expecting the thousands of people who were in line outside. I quickly made my rounds and tried a few cupcakes and cookies. Nothing was really memorable except for Keruig people, raw milk folks, and Sarah's Skinny Sweets (only because they boasted paleo cookies). Since I bake a lot of paleo goods, it is tough to keep things fresh unlike conventional cookies but it didn't feel like it tasted it was baked recently. I am sure it was fresh but the texture I wasn't fond of. After 20 minutes of weaving in and out of the waves of people, I was fucking so done. The lines weren't bad and I was able to get samples pretty quickly but people were being idiots by standing there and ignoring the space around them. Come on, people, I don't have time for you to suddenly stop in the middle of the walkway to eat your cupcake. Move off the to side! We walked out at 11 am to head off to brunch and marveled at the insanely large waves of people wrapped around Green and Euclid. I felt really sorry for those people because it would be a while before they would be able to go in to experience meh-ness. Hopefully, next year's will be much better since they know what they expect now. Luckily, I came out unscathed compared to the 1st 626 Market and 1st Food Truck Fest (both easily the most frustrating fests I've ever been to). At least, I was able to get in and get a few samples quickly at this fest. BTW, it does bother me that the ticket takers didn't scan our papers. You could have doctored something up and pass it off as free admission! Thankfully, I got my ticket, heavily discounted, but that's still a problem. read more