FanimeCon 2010 Feedback Thread

[Nina Star 9]

Is it just me, or is Fanime FREEZING in the evening? In the video rooms especially, I was SO COLD. I'm sort of sensitive to the chill, sharp air from air conditioners, and I ended up getting a nasty headache from the AC during bingo. My whole face hurt!
Is there anyway they can turn down the AC in the evenings? I also had this problem last year.

It's not just you. :< On Saturday night, I was in the karaoke room freezing my butt off with a dress + tons of petticoats + socks + bloomers + wig + sweater + scarf. It was pretty bad.

[AR-99]

This is my first FanimeCon in 10 years although I went to WonderCon last year and this year, so I will using that event for some of my comparisons.  I don't know how much the differences between Fanime and WC are funding driven, so please keep that in mind re. my feedback.

Artists' Alley & Dealers' Room
If it hasn't been mentioned before, maps and at least a listing of who is where. I read somewhere for 2008 or so that the dealers' room was very dynamic even up to Friday of the con start date, but is it at the very minimum possible to have a map of where the booths and tables are with the numbers on them, and a list that can be modified if need be even up to the last minute like the schedule was?  If it can't make the print program, what about having it at the info desk or at the entrance and exit to the various rooms?  I asked about a map at artists' alley and I was told something to the effect of, "we don't want you stalking them by knowing where they are." Is this for real???  Also in response to the argument that I can just walk around and find out for myself who is where and so on: this takes time, the most precious resource that anyone has, especially at a time-driven event like a con.  I want to use my time as effectively and wisely as I can.  This is the point of schedules after all, so people can plan.  For WonderCon the program has a map of the dealers' hall with a full directory of who is where.  Although there were Fanime booths at the back of both artists' alley and the dealers' room where people staffed and could point out who was where, I would think that at some of them could be freed up to do other things if there was a map and listing in place which would cut out having to ask location questions.

Autograph policy for LM.C
I didn't know that LM.C has a  very strict autograph policy until I found a mini flyer that stated that they will only sign official merchandise, which means I wouldn't expect them to sign something like the program, which was not an issue with the other GOH signings I was able to attend, even FLOW was cool with it.  A restrictive policy like this would preclude people who didn't attend MusicFest to purchase a shirt or were able to stop by the booth in the dealers' room selling official LM.C merchandise from getting an autograph.  Restrictions like this need to very clearly communicated very openly for groups like LM.C that have ground rules in place that need to be played by as a condition of their appearing.  However one can't play by the rules if one don't know what they are.  This is not about LM.C's policy, but about making policies like their's known as much as possible.

Info Desk
Overall they tried their best and I have no real complaints.  However one incident that's still bothering me (so I guess I do have 1) is that when I went to the one near Stage Zero on Monday to confirm when the dealer's room was closing and con was officially over, I got 2 conflicting answers which were quickly sorted out.  However the person I was asking seemed to take it personally when I pointed out the discrepancy and had to explain why she gave 2 responses.  When I was turning away, I saw her throw up her hands in exasperation that I was wondering why she mentioned 4:00, then corrected it to 3:00.  Or it could have been the way I asked, but I didn't put any undue stress in how I asked, I was just asking for clarification.  I understand that staffing things like this isn't easy and that it takes a lot of patience and can be difficult, but for someone working such a customer-focused point of contact like the info desk, I was expecting more professionalism, and the fact that I even saw kind of visual reaction, and that soon at that, was very disappointing.  It was uncalled for and very unprofessional especially since that particular info desk is in a very visible place.  There was a little area right behind the curtains and if staff need to cool off or vent, then can they at least do it out of sight of the con-goers, their customers?

Autograph signings for Ishiwatari, Mori and Yokota
All 3 GOHs did sketches and signed autographs.  Although the lines were not as crazy as FLOW and LM.C., what happened was that time was seriously crunched for the folks later in the line who were looking forward to sketches and had to settle for autographs.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that these GOHs were willing to do sketches to begin with.  What was done at Yokota's signing on Monday was to determine who wanted what, and for those who wanted sketches, to make a listing of what character for what series so Yokota could work on the ones that were easier for him first and do the trickier ones later.  Autograph people were allowed to quickly get in and out so they didn't have to wait as long.  Now Yokota's line on Monday was not as long as the one on Sunday was, but I'm wondering if something like this can be done next time for the signings where the GOHs may do sketches and autographs as a sort of triage to move people along faster.  I have to mention that for Yokota's Monday session that it was backing up into 12:30 when LM.C. was going to come in prior to their session at 1, so I really appreciate him and staff relocating to the storeroom so he was able to finish, especially since my request was one of the tricky ones.

Schedule
I'm curious as to if the schedule has been as dynamic this year as it has been previously and if it's hard to firm things up sooner, say by the time that the PDF of the pocket guide was posted.  I was lucky enough to discover the mobile schedule on Friday and take note of the major changes.  My understanding is that the copies of the pocket guide at the info desks were updated, but if one relied on the printed program it was already to some extent obsolete for the schedule.  I do like the idea of the mobile schedule, although I don't have a smart phone, so after Friday I went by a printed copy of it, but had no problems attending the signings I wanted to go to.

[melonpan]

Autograph schedules: Autograph schedule needs to be posted by Friday morning.  The schedule was not posted and visible at info desk on Friday morning.  It would be nice to include the autograph schedule in the pocket guide or on fanime's website so we can plan out the events by Thursday.

Yamaga Party: Please introduce the guests of honor attending the party along with Yamaga at the beginning of the party.  Mori & Ishiwatari were just hanging out with the staffs.  They also looked bored.  When the churros were gone, so was Mori. 

The two people that won the Yamaga Party tickets at this year's slient auction were VERY VERY disappointed.  Also, if there is a no paper, pen, bags and backpack policy, put a notice along with the slient auction so people know what to expect. 

Last year's Yamaga party was fantastic which was the reason that they bid on the tickets at this year's slient auction.  Last year's Yamaga party didn't have the no paper, pen, bags and backpack policy.  GOH and party attendees were interacting with each other by asking for autographs which starts conversation about their work in the industry.

If party attendees can not bring pen and paper, give a sharpie to each guest.  The guests can sign each attendees's Yamaga party invitation which will provide interaction between GOH and party attendees.  GOH will not be bored.

Panel name in pocket guide: In the pocket guide, Mamoru Yokota's name were not in any of the schedules.  Put the guest of honors name in the front of the panel name.  Example: Yokota - Illustration...
It also took info desk a while to find Yokota's panel schedule.

Charity auction:  Don't conflict live charity auction schedule with any major events such as the Yamaga party.

[PeppstaR]

Information Booths/Tables needs to have 'information' or at least the right info. Got either "I don't know" or completely wrong info all together from them that I totally gave up on asking them for anything.

[melonpan]

Music Fest: It's really hot inside.  Don't want people passing out during the concert.  Please turn up the air conditioning.
Please communicate the no camera policy at Music Fest before the concert. It should be announced  at info booth, stage zero, and stated in pocket guide.  People who didn't have a place to store their camera had to give up attending one of the concert.  It would be better if we can bring our cameras inside but not use it.  Have the staff monitor camera usage.  

[Mango Bunny]

My biggest problem was.... The in/out policy for the game room. It was a giant pain. GIANT. I understand the room has tons of traffic, but late into the night it was still being enforced. If I am at one end already and am going that way, I don't want to backtrack aaaaaaalll the way the opposite direction to get back to where I originally was, only outside the door. Biggest complaint. Also, other complaint would be the fact we couldn't go to the upper balcony for the fmv contest. =(

[chifunii]

Music Fest: It's really hot inside.  Don't want people passing out during the concert.  Please turn up the air conditioning.
Please communicate the no camera policy at Music Fest before the concert. It should be announced  at info booth, stage zero, and stated in pocket guide.  People who didn't have a place to store their camera had to give up attending one of the concert.  It would be better if we can bring our cameras inside but not use it.  Have the staff monitor camera usage.  

I didn't feel that it was hot inside at all, in fact, the circulation was really good...IMO.
Although for the camera policy, I definitely agree. Different artists and different companies have different policies regarding photos/videos, so if the exact rules could be posted somewhere beforehand, it would surely cause less confusion and panic for the people who want to see artists at MusicFest. :)

[Kdoodha]

The Rovers, especially those at the bonding station, were really nice this year. Because of the tightening on weapon restrictions, I had anticipated a lot more flak coming their way, which it did to a degree. But the rovers handled it with a calm, professional attitude that was exactly what was needed. They even advised some of us whose items passed how to be particularly careful so as not to ruffle any feathers. Big props to them this year. 

[Somebody]

Yeah, I feel bad, I should give my good feedback too.

Egaming/gaming room (Idk what exactly they are called): Everyone I delt with in there were absolutely wonderful! At any time of day or night when I came around they were very polite and helpful, I was very impressed.  :)

[FemmeFatale]

The fanime magazine thing: My biggest complaint is that I would really, really love to have all the summaries for every anime/movies at the con. I don't really know any of the shows that fanime plays so it's kind of hard to decide what I want to watch. I gotta go up to all the salons and read the summaries if the show sounds interesting to me. It would be helpful if people had some kind of wifi device, I guess, but a lot of people don't have those. I'd rather not pay the extra free for the cellphone internet, sorry!

The full list of all of the anime shown at the con includes something like 150+ series. That, coupled with the Asian Movies, would have been 4-5 times the size of the space currently alloted for anime descriptions. Relative to the current size of the whole program guide, to include 50 word descriptions of all the series would take up nearly half of the guide. I agree with your point, but practically speaking it would get kind of crazy and isn't super feasible.

Maybe we could switch to haiku descriptions or 3-word summaries ^_^ That would amuse me and be awesome for space but I assume less helpful.

I totally agree that it would be useful to maybe have some photocopy packets of series and descriptions for people who specifically seek it out. Or to save you time, maybe just assemble a description packet for each info desk or have it all in one place so you're not walking room to room every time.

[blancoisma]

Respecting personal space

I mentioned my experience to a fellow friend who's been staffing for years, but I felt I would share my experience and I apologize if this is similar to other incidents that may have been talked about.

Now, I know staff cannot control people and their more than hyper personalities, but one day a random girl hugged me, out of nowhere and I had no time to react. I made it clear I did not appreciate it and said "Please ASK if you can give me a hug" and I walked away. I was in cosplay, and while my outfit was not damaged, it's not to say that the possiblity wasn't there. I feel like it should be made a clear, and very important notice to any Fanime attendee to please respect a person's personal space, and make hugging/glomping without permission something that will not be tolerated. The last thing I want to see is someone get hurt, or have their hard work on their cosplay be ruined by someone's ignorance and disrespect.

Other than that, I felt Fanime was fun, relaxing, and I give staff a hand.

[doriangray]

Prop policy:  Publish this further in advance of the con.  Several props, which were not even functional as weapons, were made useless by the way that the weapons policy was worded and money was wasted on them.  The rest of us should have to suffer because a few people were not using common sense and courtesy.  In any case, one week before the con isn't enough time to prepare on props.

[melonpan]

Music Fest: It's really hot inside.  Don't want people passing out during the concert.  Please turn up the air conditioning.
Please communicate the no camera policy at Music Fest before the concert. It should be announced  at info booth, stage zero, and stated in pocket guide.  People who didn't have a place to store their camera had to give up attending one of the concert.  It would be better if we can bring our cameras inside but not use it.  Have the staff monitor camera usage.  

I didn't feel that it was hot inside at all, in fact, the circulation was really good...IMO.
Although for the camera policy, I definitely agree. Different artists and different companies have different policies regarding photos/videos, so if the exact rules could be posted somewhere beforehand, it would surely cause less confusion and panic for the people who want to see artists at MusicFest. :)

Main floor towards the front section was hot.

[iomoon]

Good things:

1) I thought the idea of the double-yellow line in the hallway was adorable. It helped a lot with the foot traffic.
2) The rovers who handled the panels and closing ceremony I attended were well-organized. You got people in and out very efficiently, even though there were delays on the panelists' parts.
3) I found the staff very pleasant. They were polite and answered my questions in a patient manner.

Things that could improve:

1) The switching of the entrances and exits were confusing. I entered one side, only to find out an hour later that it became the exit.
2) One person told me that the dealer's room closed at 12:00, so I went to ask another person. They told me it closed at 3:00 p.m. The schedule said 4:00.

I have seen the convention improve in efficiency from last year, so I give you a thumbs up. Thanks for hosting a great Fanime.

[Jelly Soup]

Music Fest: It's really hot inside.  Don't want people passing out during the concert.  Please turn up the air conditioning.
Please communicate the no camera policy at Music Fest before the concert. It should be announced  at info booth, stage zero, and stated in pocket guide.  People who didn't have a place to store their camera had to give up attending one of the concert.  It would be better if we can bring our cameras inside but not use it.  Have the staff monitor camera usage.  

I didn't feel that it was hot inside at all, in fact, the circulation was really good...IMO.
Although for the camera policy, I definitely agree. Different artists and different companies have different policies regarding photos/videos, so if the exact rules could be posted somewhere beforehand, it would surely cause less confusion and panic for the people who want to see artists at MusicFest. :)

Main floor towards the front section was hot.

Might that be due to the large number of people standing closely together towards the front section?

[BenihimeSama]

Panel name in pocket guide: In the pocket guide, Mamoru Yokota's name were not in any of the schedules.  Put the guest of honors name in the front of the panel name.  Example: Yokota - Illustration...
It also took info desk a while to find Yokota's panel schedule.

Panels Staffer Response--When it comes to Pocket Guide, we are really tightened when it comes to space. Any GOH panels were labeled and colored in blue. Going forward, we'll be sure to get the GOH name somewhere in the pocket guide as well. We're sorry about the inconvenience, and thanks for letting us know about that!

[Jelly Soup]

Panel name in pocket guide: In the pocket guide, Mamoru Yokota's name were not in any of the schedules.  Put the guest of honors name in the front of the panel name.  Example: Yokota - Illustration...
It also took info desk a while to find Yokota's panel schedule.

Panels Staffer Response--When it comes to Pocket Guide, we are really tightened when it comes to space. Any GOH panels were labeled and colored in blue. Going forward, we'll be sure to get the GOH name somewhere in the pocket guide as well. We're sorry about the inconvenience, and thanks for letting us know about that!

You could always just put in the name as the guest as the panel name and then explain the panel on a flyer at the panel room or in the full color guide.

[BenihimeSama]

Panel name in pocket guide: In the pocket guide, Mamoru Yokota's name were not in any of the schedules.  Put the guest of honors name in the front of the panel name.  Example: Yokota - Illustration...
It also took info desk a while to find Yokota's panel schedule.

Panels Staffer Response--When it comes to Pocket Guide, we are really tightened when it comes to space. Any GOH panels were labeled and colored in blue. Going forward, we'll be sure to get the GOH name somewhere in the pocket guide as well. We're sorry about the inconvenience, and thanks for letting us know about that!

You could always just put in the name as the guest as the panel name and then explain the panel on a flyer at the panel room or in the full color guide.

We do have the GOH name on the Master Panels Board which is right outside the doors of the panels room. Also since we have many GOH's doing multiple panels, it makes it hard to determine which panel is which on the schedule sometimes. Again, this is something we will work on in the future to be more efficient!

[Crewd]

Prop policy:  Publish this further in advance of the con.  Several props, which were not even functional as weapons, were made useless by the way that the weapons policy was worded and money was wasted on them.  The rest of us should have to suffer because a few people were not using common sense and courtesy.  In any case, one week before the con isn't enough time to prepare on props.

I lost half my cosplays to this D:

[Dracil]

Pocket Guide: If you shift the pages over by 1 it would make more logical sense.  Currently you have something like

Left page/Right Page
Friday PM/Saturday AM
Saturday AM/Saturday PM
Saturday PM/ Sunday AM

Instead, do this:
Friday PM/Friday PM
Saturday AM/Saturday AM
Saturday PM/Saturday PM
Sunday AM/Sunday AM

This way you can just open to any page and have everything for that particular time slot visible, instead of having to flip back and forth.