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I stayed at the Fairmont a few years ago (like, around 2010).  It's a fairly nice place.  The lobby is huge with big comfy chairs and the rooms are fairly spacious too.  One kind of awkward thing though, is the shower.  It's this kind of clear glass booth-stall in the corner (think in the same vein as a phone booth), and it's all tile on the bottom so you have to be careful about watching your step.  But IIRC the toilet has a rolling door that blocks it off from the rest of the bathroom, which is nice.

The only other awkward thing I can think of is getting in the building an operating the elevator late at night.  If someone wants to confirm this then go for it, but IIRC at about 9-10 pm they lock the south tower.  This makes it so, in order to get in, you have to insert your room key into a pillar located by the entrance doors.  (You have to be kind of fast catching the door as well.)  Then when you get in the elvator, you have to insert the room key AGAIN before it'll let you choose which floor.  I'm not sure why they do this, but it's a thing, and a good reason to keep track of your room key at all times (besides the obvious ones).

Aside from the little annoying things, it's a nice place to stay.  It's quiet, a short distance from the CC, there are a bunch of restaurants nearby, the rooms are always spotless, the beds are comfy, and just overall it's a good hotel.  Lol only reason I don't stay there anymore is because I like the convenience of the Hilton better.

For me the overall winning factor for the Fairmont is the lack of "elevator frenzy". If you're not on the lower floors getting to and from your room at certain times is very hectic. Fairmont overall has a slower pace. But, the hilton and the marriott definitely win the convenience award! :D

If I have a couple friends that want to help me carry my things in and just hang out with me while I sell (but they wouldn't be selling anything themselves), is that allowed?

You're more than welcome to have people help you move/carry stuff in, but once you're set up you can only have one other person in the space with you, whether they're selling something or not.

I hope that answers your question

will thursday swap meet be badgeless this year like it has been in the past?

Yes. If you are buying on Thursday you will not need a badge. If you are selling you must at least be registered for Fanime, whether for 1 day or 4 days.

It will be a badged event on Friday for both buyers and sellers.

Does anyone happen to know if you are able to use two cards? I was hoping to put the deposit on a credit card and the actual payment on debit.

At the fairmont and the marriott I've been able to do this in the past. Just make sure you make it clear that you want to put your deposit on a specific card beforehand.

Policy may have changed as well so I would echo Spiritofkairi's suggestion of contacting the hotel to double check.

Edited to reflect the fairmont's deposit, which is $100/night

This is my first year staying at the Fairmont and I was wondering how much the security deposit was for those that have stayed there before.
I emailed Fanime housing and they said it's "$100 per night on a card or $300 per night with cash." Is this true? So I'm paying either $400 or $1200 JUST for deposit?! I only paid $100 at the Ramada for my entire stay last year so I am kinda worried...

Yes, this is accurate. Thus the PSA I posted a few days ago.

Be prepared for a total charge of (Your room cost)+(100x nights you are staying) on whichever card you're planning on using. As Mariotheotaku mentioned, credit cards are usually best.

Yes, an update would be great.

I am flying in and will be bringing less than two suitcases' worth of items to sell.
Am looking for someone to share a space with on both nights. I did the same thing
last year and it worked out well for all parties, plus the spaces are bigger this year.
;)

There will likely be a thread where people interested in sharing a space can get together once registration goes live. :)

As I mentioned in the earlier post, as soon as we have more information to share we will be sure to do so! :)

So now that we are in May are you going to tell us when sign up's are happening? I hate not getting any information, and I been checking everyday like 10 times a day to make sure I didn't miss sign up's.

Also side note: Why do I need to fill in three questions before posting?

We will be sure to announce far and wide once swap meet registration goes live. We do apologize for the delay!

Side note: Do you mean the security questions? I think it's to help you retrieve your password to the forums in the event you forget. If it wasn't for that I'm not sure what you're referring to :)

I have a question for seller check-in on Thursday night.
Do we have to get fanime badge in order to checkin swap meet, or we can use our drivers license for checking in?
Knowing the line, I'm worried I might not have time to get my badge before swap meet. and since swapmeet is on Thursday night, there is not a Thursday badge that sells, how is this work?
Thank you

If you have a weekend badge, you can pick up your badge on Thursday starting at 3 PM. While past performance is no guarantee of future results, I can say that last year registration did a legendary job in terms of moving the line quickly to the point that there really was no "line" throughout the con. Assuming they keep this system in place I doubt that getting your badge on Thursday will be an issue.

Additionally, (and this may have changed, correct me if I'm wrong on this Ben), the Thursday night swap meet is not a badged event. This is mainly to welcome in any and all interested buyers to peruse the swap meet, but it's also to help sellers not have to worry about getting their badge beforehand. We will require a photo ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, etc) to check you in of course, but if by chance you have not picked up your badge, that will not bar your entry to swap meet either as a buyer or seller.

Again, this may have changed but I will defer to Ben if there are any corrections to be made.  :)

To the best of my information at this time, a seller will not need to pick up their badge prior to check-in on Thursday.  The online registration will check your name against your Fanime registration, so we should be able to make do with a photo ID and the seller's agreement.  Friday, however, badges will be needed.  If this changes, I will make a post about it here.

Thank you very much for all the details to my question guys! They are really helpful for making my weekend plans. 
2 more questions:
If swapmeet registration is connected to fanime online registration, does it mean only pre-registered 4-day attendees are allowed to sell on Thursday night? or is it not a badged event? Thank you!
Is seller allowed to bring a helper to carry in boxes or everything has to be taken in by the seller himself/herself? (need to decide how to pack my items) Thanks again!

No problem!

1) It will check your name against your fanime registration in general, not whether you have a 4-day pass or not. Since Thursday technically isn't even part of the con, it would make no difference if you had a 4-day badge or a 1-day badge. Basically we're just making sure that you're actually attending fanime and not just a random person looking to take advantage of the thousands of potential buyers at the swap meet! :D

2) Yes you are allowed to bring helper(s) with you, but only one other person can share the space with you. So if you bring a few guys to help you carry everything that's fine. In fact it's recommended as swap meet staff are limited in how much physical labor we can offer for help. However, once everything's moved in and in place only one person can stay in the space with you, sit, etc. There will be a spot on the registration form to identify this person so that if you have to leave (meal run, whatever) there is still someone responsible for the space sitting there.

I hope this helps!

[WANTED: Room at the Fairmont/Hilton/Marriott]

WANTED: Room at the Fairmont/Hilton/Marriott

If you have a room at the Fairmont, Hilton or Marriott and missed your cancellation deadline, please reach out to me. I'd be happy to take the room off your hands so that you don't have to pay a  cancellation fee. :)

(I already reached out to mlarad above, looking for the lower rate rooms. I'd hate to take a Junior Suite up all by myself!)

Thanks!

I want to raffle one item.

Is this allowed?

I don't mind shipping it to the winner after the con if thats the case (in case they leave early.)

Just so you know we haven't forgotten about this question. Ben and I are discussing it and will get back to you once we have an answer. :)

Just a heads up for impending con-goers: don't forget that most of the hotels will charge you a $50/night deposit upon check in ($100/night at The Fairmont). If you are staying for 4 nights, you will see (the charge for your room) + (deposit amount x nights you are staying) as a temporary hold, and then after 2-3 business days the deposit will fall off and  you'll just be charged for the room + whatever additional charges you incurred.

If you are using a credit card with a healthy limit this shouldn't impact you too much, but if you are putting it on a debit card this could definitely tie up funds that should be set aside for the con so I just wanted to remind people to keep an eye out for that.

They won't let you do it if you're under 18. Best option would be to see if you can transfer the hotel room into the name of one of your friends who is 18+. They don't really care who pays for it, but the name on the room has to belong to an "adult". So, I'd give them a call for sure. :D

Some great tips in here already!

- Pick up your badge on Thursday. Last year they announced they would open at 3 PM, but they actually opened at Noon and by the time I got there (around 1 PM?) there was no line and I just breezed right through and got my badge. That being said, past performance is no guarantee of future results so do plan on being there early to get your badge.

-The schedule is your friend. As others have mentioned it's easy to lose track of time wandering around Artist Alley and the Dealers Hall, but there is always great stuff being shown in the video rooms, fun panels and of course guest panels too! When you pick up your badge there will most likely be a pocket schedule/guide in the bag. Review it! The first real "event" of Fanime is the swap meet on Thursday night, and being staff for that event I would highly encourage you to come! However, between picking up your badge and swap meet you can familiarize yourself with the goings-on of the weekend and plan accordingly.

- Food. It can easily chew away (haha) at your budget if you're not careful. Do you have a hotel room? If so, bring flats of water, buy sodas or whatever you want to drink in bulk and snacks to keep you sustained throughout the day. There are some great options for food near the con that aren't too expensive, so familiarize yourself with the area via google maps, or take advantage of that "downtime" on Thursday between picking up your badge and the swap meet. If you don't have a hotel room, a cooler in the back of your car can house your snacks/lunch throughout the day and you can come back to that as a rally point when you need to recharge.

- Now this depends on what kind of shopper you are but I generally stay away from the dealers hall for the first hour or two that it's open. The main reason being that there's usually a very large line and in my experience the "first in the door" don't really have an advantage over anyone else since the layout is different every year and there aren't too many "exclusive" items. Of course, if you want to be first in line you are welcome to do so, but be prepared to be sitting in that line for 3-5 hours in the early morning on Friday. I've found that it's better to just saunter in a bit later in the afternoon on Friday and peruse at a more leisurely pace.

- Save money for Monday. On the topic of the dealers hall, by late morning/early afternoon Monday, a lot of vendors will be having "closeout" deals. It's not guaranteed, but maybe you get a better price on some manga, or can negotiate a slightly lower price on some wall scrolls. Not only that, it's a total bummer when you're broke by Sunday afternoon and have to drag through the rest of the con with no money!

There's so much to see and do! The convention is pretty big, but once you've been wandering the first couple days you get into the swing of things by Saturday and have a good idea where everything is.

This year will be my 11th year and I still have a blast! Have a  great con!

Any word on when sign ups are going to be?

I checked in yesterday to see if there was any update and at this time we don't have any more information. I promise we'll get it out to you guys as soon as we know!

Take some comfort in the fact that we'll have a LOT of spaces this year, so hopefully we'll be able to accommodate everyone who wants to sell!  ;D

I have a question for seller check-in on Thursday night.
Do we have to get fanime badge in order to checkin swap meet, or we can use our drivers license for checking in?
Knowing the line, I'm worried I might not have time to get my badge before swap meet. and since swapmeet is on Thursday night, there is not a Thursday badge that sells, how is this work?
Thank you

If you have a weekend badge, you can pick up your badge on Thursday starting at 3 PM. While past performance is no guarantee of future results, I can say that last year registration did a legendary job in terms of moving the line quickly to the point that there really was no "line" throughout the con. Assuming they keep this system in place I doubt that getting your badge on Thursday will be an issue.

Additionally, (and this may have changed, correct me if I'm wrong on this Ben), the Thursday night swap meet is not a badged event. This is mainly to welcome in any and all interested buyers to peruse the swap meet, but it's also to help sellers not have to worry about getting their badge beforehand. We will require a photo ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, etc) to check you in of course, but if by chance you have not picked up your badge, that will not bar your entry to swap meet either as a buyer or seller.

Again, this may have changed but I will defer to Ben if there are any corrections to be made.  :)

[please]

AX just announced Ryushiki07.  So, about that point you were trying to make when comparing AX's guest list to Fanime's list...

I hear what you're saying, but I think that people who can attend 6+ cons a year are more rare.

I'm one of them.  In the past year, from April 2014-2015, I have attended: Animazement, AX, Japan Expo USA, YaoiCon, PMX, SacAnime Winter, Otakon Vegas/LANTIS and SakuraCon.  The problem with your statement is that you're not acknowledging the income potential of these attendees.  These are the people that just dropped 40K on charity auction items at SakuraCon this year.  They are the ones that travel across the US and internationally just to see a particular guest.  They drop insane amounts of cash on artwork, signed items, etc.  What that means is that, if these same attendees all got together and pitched their funds, just imagine the kind of convention they could put on...I'd say it would be similar to AM2 2011 in terms of guests and caliber of said guests.

This is something that I've never understood.  While small, you have a good portion of possible attendee population who are willing and able to drop $$$ to bring over some fantastic guests.  If someone from a con approached these attendees with a sales pitch, I'd imagine that these same attendees would willingly drop thousands of dollars to fly over guests, especially if you could work something out where the attendees will receive some kind of sweet incentive for their donation...like dining with the guest, etc.

And before I see a "That's elitist and it's unfair to the rest of the attendees", let me remind you that the current trend with conventions and dealers is that they're being offered free booths, panels and all sorts of cushy bonuses to bring over guests.  A couple of conventions have done this this year and I'd imagine, as it costs little for the convention to engage in this arrangement, more and more cons will be moving towards this model.

Except Fanime, which seems to be content with its "Hang out with your friends" con mentality.

I can understand the appeal, but something about that model just doesn't sit right with me. Essentially, conventions would court high-roller anime fans hoping that they could bring over guests in exchange for whatever demands said high-roller has in exchange? I can just imagine the stipulations getting more and more ridiculous, or conventions getting desperate chasing after "whales" to please please come to their convention and/or pay for guests to come out.

For me, the thing that's made Fanime unique is that "hang out with your friends" feeling of the con. I think that's part of the reason the motto for quite some time has been "By fans, for fans". It's not corporate sponsored, they don't have a huge non-profit supporting them...they bring out the guests they can and host a myriad of other events over the weekend that draw tens of thousands of fans from around the bay area and the country as well.

Again, it would be awesome if we get a strong guest lineup. I had the privilege of going to the Yamaga party when the gurren lagaan staff came out and that was a lot of fun. But last year was probably one of the most memorable cons for me in the last 10 years and I didn't see a single guest. I just feel like everyone's con is different. For those who really relish/enjoy the guest element I hope they enjoy the lineup this year.

If you need me I'll be at the swap meet  ;D

Yep, those things are probably more exciting to people who only go to maybe one major con a year.  But if we're attending 6+ cons, at least 3 of them major ones, it really holds no value.  And cosplays are probably even less interesting here simply because there are so many events here, from all the Japantown stuff to the (almost free) seasonal NorCal cosplay gatherings.

I hear what you're saying, but I think that people who can attend 6+ cons a year are more rare. I would be interested in a demographic breakdown of Fanime attendees. It might  be because I'm getting older, but it seems like the majority of attendees are teenagers who are local and don't really have the option of flying around the country to see guests. Sure they pitch in some money with friends to get a hotel at the con, but they wouldn't necessarily have the resources that older fans do in terms of being able to go to conventions in other states solely for their guests.

With that in mind: If A) Fanime hasn't had a very "strong" guest lineup for the last few years, and yet B) they continue to see increased attendance and economic impact, maybe it makes sense that other elements of the convention are focused on more than guests.

Again, I hope that we do see some exciting guests this year, and honestly we'll wait and see who they announce!

Lets ask an honest question here

How many people actually come for the guests?

Honestly Fanime has never been known to be able to bring to A list guests or B list. Not since Flow stop coming, that's when everything kind of starting going down hill.

I know that Anime Expo is a bit further out but just throwing it out there that their guest page only has 1 person on it right now.

Is it exciting when Fanime can bring big guests (like the Gurren Lagaan staff?) Absolutely. But from a strictly logistical standpoint, you have a convention of 25,000+ people, and a guest panel room might hold...a few hundred? And these people wait in line for hours to make sure they have a seat, lessening their involvement in the overall convention. I think that a lot of people go to Fanime for reasons besides the guests because they love the arcade, or the gaming hall, or artist alley, or wandering around the dealers hall, or doing cosplay meetups, or masquerade, or AMV competition, or swap meet, or any one of the numerous activities going on at any moment during the 24-hour Fanime cycle.

I hope that we'll see some exciting guests this year, but regardless I know that thousands of people will have an amazing Con for many other reasons.

Tanq, the bar in the marriot is decent. Safeway is good, you can drive down 1st street to the plant shopping center for bev mo, walmart, target. but walking distance to con, safeway is the best bet, or college liquour if you walk down san salvador towards SJSU.

I would second the Tanq recommendation. Also, the bar at the fairmont is also pretty nice.