At CrimeCon true crime obsessives come face-to-face with real loss

CrimeCon, an annual Las Vegas convention for true crime enthusiasts that began in 2017 with 800 attendees and has grown to 6,500 participants, brings together content creators, investigators, and families of crime victims. The event navigates a delicate balance between commercialization—featuring merchandise stores, celebrity meet-and-greets, and VIP packages costing over $1,600—and genuine victim advocacy through awareness campaigns and cold case promotion. While critics point to exploitation concerns within the broader true crime genre, organizers and attendees emphasize the convention's evolution toward centering victims' families and providing them platforms to share their stories with thousands of people.