Get ready, nerds and geeks and everything in between — RenCon is just around the corner.

Renton City Comic Convention (“RenCon” for short), the first convention of its kind in the area, is Oct. 28-30 at Red Lion Hotel. The convention is a celebration of comic books, films, art, video games, technology and the geek culture.

The event is part of Renton Chamber of Commerce’s re-branding strategy, said Director of Special Events Ben Andrews in an earlier interview.

“We had a stretch of suffering and we wanted to rebrand a lot of the things we do,” Andrews said. “One of the ideas that was thrown out was to have a comic book convention at Renton.”

The three-day convention will include panels about Visual FX, larping (which includes a performance), cosplay and more.

In addition to the typical comic book convention panels, RenCon will feature a cosplay competition, Halloween dance party, a live taping of the podcast “Rising Tide: All Things Marvel” and a chance to audition for a locally-produced TV pilot.

Sunday, Oct. 30 is all about “Z Nation,” which means directors of the SiFy Channel show, Juan Mas and Jason McKee, as well as actors Lisa Coronado and Holden Goyette will be present (and available to sign autographs). Season 3 episodes will be screen at the convention.

Tom Cook, who has worked on animating well-known works such as Godzilla, Scooby Doo and Smurfs, the Flintstones and more, will also be attending the convention.

Kim Beaton, an artist based in New Zealand, is sculpting a large dragon for the convention. It is crafted with an all-weather material that doesn’t need to be fired called “pal tiya,” that her husband developed and feels like creamy cookie dough but is very strong and malleable.

Beaton will be completing her dragon at the convention, and volunteers 14 and older can get a chance to work with the material and help Beaton complete her sculpture.

The 501st Legion members, a Star Wars-inspired costuming organization who participates in events to raise awareness about charitable causes, will host a fan booth.

The Lindbergh High School robotics team will also make an appearance at the convention on Sunday to share how they build their robots and overcome obstacles.

Tickets are $100 for a VIP weekend pass, $50 for weekend pass, $20 one-day pass, and kids 10 and under can get in free. Purchase tickets at www.gorenton.com. For more information about the convention and featured guests, visit www.rentoncitycomicon.com.

What to expect this weekend:

Friday:

2 – 3 p.m. Performing Star Trek Panel

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Cosplay: Punished Props -Building Stuff the Right Way

5 – 6 p.m. Nerdlesque Panel

7 – 11 a.m. LARPing Performance

11 a.m. – Noon Cosplay: Foam Leather and Worbla oh my!

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Zach Fischer, Rich Werner and Heather Hudson: How I Create Art

2 – 3 p.m. 3D Printing

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Author KateMarie Collins: So you Wrote a Novel?

5 – 6 p.m. How to Create and Publish your own Comics

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Acting in the Pacific Northwest

5 – 6 p.m. Boyd Morrison -Author

1 – 4 p.m. Kids Activity: Drawing with 3d Pens Renton Library Van

Noon – 6 p.m. Face Painting The Holo Deck – Activity Tent

All day Garrison Titan Washington State’s 501st

All day Interactive Fantasy Sculpting with Kim Beaton Dragon’s Den

Saturday:

11 a.m. – Noon Tom Cook: The Art of Saturday Morning Cartoons

12:30 -1:30 p.m. Kenneth Calhoun: Marvel Movies from the Makeup Chair

2 – 3 p.m. Cosplay: My Journey in Cosplay

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. VR Panel

5 – 6 p.m. Buddy’s Hosts: Star Leaf Movie Director Richard Cranor

7 p.m. – Midnight Cosplay Costume contest and Halloween Dance Party

11 p.m. – Noon Cosplay: Photography 101

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Chris Perkins: Working on Dungeons & Dragons

2 -3 p.m. Flying your Geek Flag

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Youth Cosplay Contest

5 – 6 p.m. Pre Judging Adult Costume Contest

11 a.m. – 2 p.m. “Bloodletter” Auditions

All day Garrison Titan Washington State’s 501st – The Holo Deck

All day Interactive Fantasy Sculpting with Kim Beaton Dragon’s Den

Noon – 6 p.m. Face Painting and Balloons The Holo Deck

Noon – 1:30 p.m. Creating a Cosplay Costume

2:30 – 4 p.m. Zombie Fest – Author Greg Smith

Sunday:

11 a.m. – Noon Steven C. Smith: NASA Mission to Mars

12:15 – 2:45 p.m. Z Nation – Screening and Panel

3 – 4 p.m. Make-up from the Masters Kenneth Calhoun, Tim Pierson and Kirstie Kendall

11 a.m. – Noon Live Podcast from Rising Tide: All Things Marvel

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Modern Robotics: Lindberg High School Robotics Team

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. Punished Props: From Concept to Final Build

3 – 4 p.m. Cosplay: Together as a Family

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Interactive Fantasy Sculpting with Kim Beaton Dragon’s Den

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Garrison Titan Washington State’s 501st

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Face Painting and Balloons