To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new civilizations, to boldly go where no commissioner has gone before. And all it took was walking a mile from my office at the Georgia Capitol to the Hyatt Regency and Atlanta Marriott Marquis hotels and I (the dummy) was there. Dragon Con 2016!

First, I must say, that I have never, ever seen that many people, let alone creatures, crammed into hotel lobbies, convention space, sidewalks, and the Apparel Mart as I did on Dragon Con weekend. Estimates were 75,000, and every fourth person had a costume and some kind of faux weapon.

From Iron Man to Harry Potter characters to Disney Princesses, they were all there. And these costumes were done right. Dragon Con prides itself on being the largest multi-media, popular culture convention in the world focusing on science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film. That is a mouthful, and their 112-page schedule reflected all of that.

Second, if you heard it was a convention of self-proclaimed “nerds,” you heard right. On Sunday alone when I was there all day, there were 79 seminars going on simultaneously throughout four hotels and the Mart — with every meeting room being used. And remember the bar scene in the first Star Wars with the cacophony of creatures? Well, that is what the lobbies of the Hilton, Marquis, Hyatt, and Westin looked like. Lines formed outside for popular ballroom sessions and literally wrapped around the buildings.

Seminars, you say? About what? Being a Lord of the Rings fan, I went to one called “Touring New Zealand as Middle Earth.” My daughter loves the Eragon series so we went to hear the author of the series do a reading from his books. Earlier in the day, we met the Gotham cast and got a sneak preview about season 3 which debuts later this month. As a huge Star Trek fan, there was “The Economics of Star Trek” session followed by “Klingon Karaoke.” I am not joking. The people at Dragon Con are fans, and they can’t learn enough about their fantasy and sci-fi genre.

Finally, think just a second about economic impact on a Labor Day weekend. There were 75,000 people coming in from all over the United States for five days: flights, food, transportation, parking, coffee. That same number of people packed the Georgia Dome on Saturday to watch UGA beat UNC. But it wasn’t just downtown businesses that benefited. The sales tax from four floors of vendors at the Mart was a boost to the Georgia treasury. Dragon Con fans are serious about their science fiction and fantasy.

As for me, I had a blast. The event was educational, entertaining, and eye-opening. I can’t wait to go back next year.

Tim Echols serves on the Georgia Public Service Commission as a statewide elected official. He took his youngest daughter to Dragon Con this year. Follow him on Twitter at @timechols