SALT LAKE CITY — In a crowded vendor hall full of booths displaying everything from fan art of Marvel characters to model swords, this booth stands out.
The backdrop of the booth is a courtroom. After spinning a prize wheel, visitors must answer a question about the U.S. government before collecting their winnings.
“What are the first three words of the Constitution?” one of the volunteers asks a young boy and his friend, and then helpfully adds, pointing to a pamphlet, “The answer is right there.”
But the boy doesn’t need this help.
“We the people!” he says confidently, before claiming his candy prize.
The Utah State Court hosted a booth at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, which ran through this weekend. It might seem incongruous, but for Utah State Courts communication director Geoff Fattah, the combination is natural.
“The people that come to FanX are very curious, and like to learn new things,” he said, explaining that this gives the courts the perfect opportunity to spread more awareness about their work and resources.
He said this is the second year that FanX has donated a space to the courts for a booth, and that they are appreciative of the opportunity. He estimates that they interacted with around 1,400 people the previous year, and is hopeful that this year will be equally successful.
“Our motto is that ‘our courts are for everyone,’” Fattah explained.
He said that the legal system can sometimes seem intimidating, and so they are “excited at this opportunity to connect with the community” in an engaging way.
In the space next to the court’s booth, the Salt Lake County library, in partnership with the group Parents Empowered, has taken a different approach.
Visitors take turns entering the closed-off booth through a heavy “metal” door, where they take on the challenge of escaping the evil Dr. Vorg, who wants to rob children of healthy brains.
For Lisa May, account director at R&R Partners, the advertising agency that partnered with the library and Parents Empowered for this event, this is a natural partnership.
“Libraries and books build brains,” she explained, while Parents Empowered (an education campaign that seeks to prevent and reduce underage drinking), “protects brains.”
According to May, the booth has been popular. As of Thursday evening, all available slots had been filled for the entire weekend, and they already had a waiting list.
For Ryan Izant, associate creative director with R&R Partners, the escape room experience is all about family and getting parents and children to communicate.
“Bonding is a key part of the message,” he said, “whether it’s reading a book together, or doing an escape room — as long as you’re spending time together, it helps prevent underage drinking.”
May agreed, saying that many of the clues in the escape room were geared specifically to parents, to inspire them to find ways to start conversations with their children.
Both May and Izant are hopeful that the experience will continue beyond FanX, with plans in the works for the escape room booth (which was designed to be mobile) to go on a tour of the Salt Lake County libraries within the next few months.
“We didn’t want it to be a one-and-done thing,” said May, expressing her hope that they will continue reaching members of the community.
Fattah hopes as well that their outreach will extend beyond FanX.
He expressed his appreciation for the opportunity that FanX has given the court system to reach out and become more approachable to the local community, and even gave a nod to comic book fans.
“We like to say that we’re the real version of the Justice League,” he said with a laugh. “We don’t wear tights. We wear robes.”