One of the largest popular culture events returns to Motorpoint Arena on May 28 and 29. Em-Con is a two-day event that celebrates the best in popular culture through guest appearances, traders and exhibitions.
Em-Con is also known for its cosplay in which members of the public dress up and emulate their favourite characters from games, TV, film or comic books. Cosplay has also become a huge part of events like this in recent years.
Organiser Lee Wallis is looking forward to the event especially the guest appearances from Walking Dead stars and Jay and Silent Bob star, Jason Mewes. "It's going to be a bit different this year as we will have a selfie zone that will have different areas such as Barbie or Star Trek toy boxes for people to be pictured in.
There will also be a Dr Who area with a Tardis backdrop and a Red Dwarf set. My friend and I built the set ourselves as we knew exactly what it looked like. We built a Ghostbusters set too and I think we've done a really good job."
One of the most highly anticipated parts of the event is the special guest appearances where celebrities join their fans for photos or meet and greets. This year offers a huge array of celebrity guests including Jason Mewes who has become known for his solo stage shows.
Other guests include Arthur Darvil from Dr Who but also Mathew Horne from Newark, Newark. There are some nostalgic touches for those who prefer classic sci-fi or TV.
Several cast members from the hit TV show Red Dwarf including - Danny John Jules, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn and Norman Lovett - will be in attendance. The team has also announced that there will be an exhibition of the bunk room sleeping quarters from the popular show on display for photographs.
There will also be a collection of original Gladiators from the 90s TV game show that aired from 1992 until 2000. Fans will get the chance to take photos with cast members such as Hunter, Panther, Vogue and Cobra at the event.
Fans of the more modern cult classics such as The Walking Dead will be delighted to note that actors Cooper Andrews and Pollyanna McIntosh will be there to greet fans. Lee said: "We just announced six Gladiators and, as soon as we did, others popped up to say they were available too. We had more than enough though.
"We also have Mathew Horne who is a local lad returning to Nottingham and the seven of the Red Dwarf cast which is pretty special. We will be able to do photoshoots on the set which hasn't been done before."
He added: "Jason Mewes will be flying in from the States too and I can't wait to meet him as he seems very laidback and cool. We also have Cooper Andrews and Pollyanna McIntosh from The Walking Dead. I've never missed an episode so I'm very excited."
Visitors can also enter the cosplay competition in order to win cash prizes or simply have their hard work acknowledged by the judges. Previous years have seen competitors dressed as Woody from Toy Story, Batman, Marty McFly and Wonder Woman among many other classic characters.
Tickets are already on sale starting at £15 for general admission. There are package deals available such as the £125 Platinum option that offers customers advantages such as fast-track entry, meet and greets along with VIP entry.
As the event enters its eight year, does Lee have any particularly fond memories of previous events? "My most memorable moment was when I was walking down to the guest area, not in uniform so people didn't know I was the organiser. I overheard three teenagers and their mum when I heard them talking about the event. They were saying it was absolutely brilliant and they wished they had come before then. It nearly made me cry because you go through a lot as an event organiser and when you hear something like this then it makes it all worth it."
