Con feedback (Feedback will not effectively reach staff if you do not use form)

Started by Bromopar, May 26, 2013, 01:31:38 PM

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SOawesomeness

Just something I thought really funny. I was wearing a strapless dress that was almost too short for your dress code (but I'm pretty short and I passed the bend test) but before I did the test, the staffer asked me "Is there any way to pull down your dress to make it longer?"

.__________. I mean, I could have, but you'd be seeing a lot more top than bottom at that point and that'd probably be the least of your concerns then...
Ellie S.
Head of Registration
FanimeCon - "By Fans, For Fans"
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princesskitty18

Quote from: SOawesomeness on May 28, 2013, 04:07:25 PM
Just something I thought really funny. I was wearing a strapless dress that was almost too short for your dress code (but I'm pretty short and I passed the bend test) but before I did the test, the staffer asked me "Is there any way to pull down your dress to make it longer?"

.__________. I mean, I could have, but you'd be seeing a lot more top than bottom at that point and that'd probably be the least of your concerns then...
LOL
ur completely right about the whole 'seeing more of top than bottom' thing. i was one of the staffers early on (maybe u talked to me? lol) that was asking ladies to see if they could just keep the bottom skirt length as long as possible, meaning pulling it down. but thankfully most of the ladies that i asked that of had straps or sleeves of some type

i personally did that the whole 'try and pull ur skirt down' thing to allow some leeway if the skirts were JUST at the top of the kneecap but because of the tulle/frill/whatever that really itchy material is, it looked a bit shorter so i personally allowed that to slide.
however any lady whos skirt/dress CLEARLY was above the kneecap i unfortunately told them that they wouldn't be allowed in :(
Fanime attendee since 2006
2012 Black & White Ball volunteer
2013-now Black & White Ball Staff

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Abyss1

Cons:
There was absolutely no line at the double tree.. got my badge in 10 minuted. I wish the Con did a better job announcing the two locations tho, i did stand in the long line for 30min and it barely moved...weak. >:(
No friends to hang with this year...was the lonliest con I've had in 13 years

Pros:
Evangelion 3.33
Ruroni Kenshin Live action movie
Some funny ass- AMV's and Parody films
Massively packed Rave on all nights kids are learning to rave properly now thanks to Skrillex ;)
I got leftover food at 3am when the caterers left 8)
Bought a sick looking Katana for $150

irawratyou

Quote from: SOawesomeness on May 28, 2013, 01:56:05 PM
Quote from: lonemeditater on May 28, 2013, 10:17:35 AM

Translation: I know that a lot of people put their personal time and energy into running the convention, but that doesn't really matter...
I'm sorry if you feel that way. I personally know that many registration staff did not sleep Thursday-Friday night because we had closed at 4am (after the line died down and we were cleaning) to setting up opening at 7am. Many of our staff on Friday were running on less than 3 hours of sleep. I personally could not walk on Friday because I had been standing all day on Thursday. Most Registration volunteers/staff work are incredibly dedicated and loyal. No matter what, they will work as hard as they can until the last person walks through those final doors and is registered.

I personally read all feedback concerning Registration and at this moment, I am planning some proposals for next year. If you have any ideas that are new, constructive, and unique, I'd love to hear it. Please e-mail me at registration AT fanime DOT com or leave feedback on this forum (as it will be read).

I would kindly ask you not to heed this person's interpretation of my thoughts. No doubt in my mind that the registration staff year-in and year-out works hard with all their might during the con days with the process and procedures they've been given, which is NOT their fault for the long delays in wait. I thank registration staff for working their butts off and getting everyone into the convention asap.

It feels like the cause of the delays are within the planning phases (which would primarily be decisions most likely made by the higher-ups), with delays to pre-reg online and some other things we don't have insight on. If the planning and preparation to the con sucks, doesn't matter if your staff works 110% if the process isn't up to it's maximum capabilities and bottlenecks during the con somewhere.  But I really appreciate you responding back here and that you are proactive in making changes to the registration line and having everyone wait less.

Some Suggestions I have in mind:

  • You should have pre-reg up and running asap, hopefully by early Fall this year. That way you guys would have more time to prepare for the volume of con-goers and preparing the badge process.
  • I think a good goal to achieve is to have the wait time of 2-3 hours back from like 3 years ago, since that seems like a premium now.
  • I would suggest taking a look at how other cons handle their registration lines in-con and see what you can take from them to make Fanime's better. Sounds like biting off from others, but if they're doing something right, then why not mirror some of their methods?
  • You guys should save your energy for the main days and have Thursday registration start earlier (like before, I would think around 3:30 to 8:00 pm would be great). If people say, "What?! That's too early, I get off work at 8 pm!", I would think when it comes to registration hours, your staff and their energy comes first. The late start would definitely cripple everyone overnight and for the following days, which I think wouldn't result in good efficiency and focus in my opinion. (Then again, I would understand if your reg staff isn't available until later that day too. There's a bunch of variables I don't have insight on and which is probably why reg picked a late start this year compared to other years.)

VicksMagnolia

I maintain that despite the many hiccups Fanime had this year, it's still the people that make it what it amazing, and in that respect it was just as magical this year. The construction sucked, but at least we'll have a cool new addition to the convention center to play with next year.
But still, my sympathies go out to all those who had trouble with the registration lines and Black and White Ball trouble, that kind of stuff can really put a damper on the con and I consider myself extraordinarily lucky I found out about the Double Tree registration.

spycker

Well, I just think the registration should be setup like very early in the morning, I leave Oakland around 5:30 or 6 in the morning to get a good parking spot and a good spot in line and I think the pre registration people should get their own section of a room to pick up their badges. As for homestuck, dont get it confused as Anime, just like people cosplay anything but when it comes down to actual anime, people confuse different cosplays for being anime

Lil_Lost_Lenore

I had fun just wish the con was all in one spot driving from con center to double tree was kinda a pain.

amre1204

(For some reason my post isn't showing up)

Long post, my apologies.

I already submitted my feedback on the google link earlier, but decided to post my experience here as well. Overall, this Fanime felt very disorganized than in previous years. While I was already expecting a long line based on last year's "server is down / crashed" incident, I was not expecting the constant snaking outdoors and then again indoors, especially for Pre-Reg. The line didn't bother me too much, but the snaking did. It felt really unnecessary, and it felt like it added time to waiting for a badge rather than helping it. The con was fun for a while, but I do agree with many of you there was a bit too much Homestuck for my taste. It seemed like for every other cosplayer or con-goer, there was a hoard of Homestuck. But that is ultimately a fan decision and not my concern about why I was disappointed with Fanime this year.

My worst con experience happened on Sunday. I was in Artist's Alley dressed in lolita looking for water (believe me I was dehydrated). I finally found the water area, only to discover it was empty. So, I head on over to the Rover table that just happened to be across from it and asked if there would be any more water. The rover glares at me like I asked a stupid question and shrugs. Then I asked if there was anyone he could call to get more water. He proceeds to open the fridge, pull out a cold water bottle, drinks it, and tells me it's "my problem". Excuse me? I understand there may be some asshole people at the con treating you like an idiot, but for someone asking politely about water only to be given attitude? That is very rude. Extremely. Rude.

Later that evening, I dressed up a bit more with one of my friends and ventured over to Black and White Ball. It was my friend's first Fanime, and she was looking forward to the Ball. Supposedly, new rules were added to the rules already established, and we were not notified until we were AT THE DOOR. We get to the door, and they stop my friend, claiming her heels were too short. As she explained to the rover that she had been wearing these shoes for moths and that these were her only pair, the Rover just gives her attitude and claims that heels like hers "have been driven through people's legs before in years past".

Excuse me? Were people DRUNK in previous years? Who STABS heels through legs? What kind of dancing is that?

I managed to get past the first checkpoint but at the second, I was given both attitude, disrespect, and rude comments. First, the guy was giving me flack about my shoes. I was wearing a pair of Mary Jane shoes with no heel and calmly explained to the guy I cannot wear heels due to problems with my feet. I was given more attitude and flack about shoes then moved to the girl rover who preceded to tell me my dress was too short. My dress was directly at my knee, no higher than that, and I was wearing a petticoat beneath it. I pulled my dress down and showed that it was longer than it seemed, but the petticoat was giving it a more rounded shape. I was given attitude and flack once more. That's when I decided that it wasn't even WORTH the effort to attempt to enjoy the ball, let alone go.

Found out later that night, shoes skinnier and taller than my friend's heels and dresses that were shorter than mine were allowed into the ball. Also, the demos were given by people in short shorts and stiletto like heels. So demos are allowed to not follow dress code? Who let the shorter ones in? Seriously?

Also found out later that the leg stabbing thing was a lie - they were concerned about the floors getting scraped. Why not tell us this in the first place, instead of lying straight to our faces??

If this is supposed to be a con "by fans, for fans" I don't think the attitudes, lies, and overall disorganized scramble is necessary. And that is my two cents.

Xanreo

The Con was very disorganized this year and I'm not sure why; I'm sure the current construction couldn't have scrambled the way FanimeCon handled situations in the past.

I aired out all my grievances with the many Staffers I bumped into and 2/3rds of the time I got the same answer: we're trying something new.
Ok, acceptable. Nevertheless I'm never going to try and pick up my badge on Thursday or Friday ever again.
Glad all the Staffers I ran into were polite and helpful, though.

Fanime 2017
Eromanga-Sensei | Digimon World: Next Order

Lucifargundam

Quote from: spycker on May 28, 2013, 07:50:46 PM
Well, I just think the registration should be setup like very early in the morning
Most of the prereg staff(who are all non-paid) I'm pretty sure would rather have a little more time than that to wake up... That's just me though- I'm personally not a morning person.
Quote from: spycker on May 28, 2013, 07:50:46 PM
I think the pre registration people should get their own section of a room to pick up their badges.
Last time I checked, prereg people were put into a different line than at-con registerees...


if that the master a 'prentice have,
Entirely then that he him tell,
That he the craft ably may know,
Wheresoever he go under the sun.

le_momo

Quote from: amre1204 on May 28, 2013, 08:07:23 PM
Later that evening, I dressed up a bit more with one of my friends and ventured over to Black and White Ball. It was my friend's first Fanime, and she was looking forward to the Ball. Supposedly, new rules were added to the rules already established, and we were not notified until we were AT THE DOOR. We get to the door, and they stop my friend, claiming her heels were too short. As she explained to the rover that she had been wearing these shoes for moths and that these were her only pair, the Rover just gives her attitude and claims that heels like hers "have been driven through people's legs before in years past".

Excuse me? Were people DRUNK in previous years? Who STABS heels through legs? What kind of dancing is that?

I managed to get past the first checkpoint but at the second, I was given both attitude, disrespect, and rude comments. First, the guy was giving me flack about my shoes. I was wearing a pair of Mary Jane shoes with no heel and calmly explained to the guy I cannot wear heels due to problems with my feet. I was given more attitude and flack about shoes then moved to the girl rover who preceded to tell me my dress was too short. My dress was directly at my knee, no higher than that, and I was wearing a petticoat beneath it. I pulled my dress down and showed that it was longer than it seemed, but the petticoat was giving it a more rounded shape. I was given attitude and flack once more. That's when I decided that it wasn't even WORTH the effort to attempt to enjoy the ball, let alone go.

Found out later that night, shoes skinnier and taller than my friend's heels and dresses that were shorter than mine were allowed into the ball. Also, the demos were given by people in short shorts and stiletto like heels. So demos are allowed to not follow dress code? Who let the shorter ones in? Seriously?

Also found out later that the leg stabbing thing was a lie - they were concerned about the floors getting scraped. Why not tell us this in the first place, instead of lying straight to our faces??

If this is supposed to be a con "by fans, for fans" I don't think the attitudes, lies, and overall disorganized scramble is necessary. And that is my two cents.

I want to sincerely apologize to you. There was no changes in the dress code relating to heels this year, but we were trying to enforce it more than the previous year. I don't think that your friend was turned away for shorter heels, though - the heel tips most likely were too narrow, as was the largest issue relating to heels.

The so-called "leg stabbing thing" being a lie is, in fact, not a lie. Even with the heel width requirements, one of my staffers was injured during the night due to a heel that complied with the dress code scraping her already very injured ankle. I have photo documentation of her injury, but there are better examples out there relating to the safety in the partner dancing world. If you would like, I could PM you a slightly graphic example of said injuries. Personally, I have witnessed someone getting the front of their ankle stepped on with a stiletto by accident when dancing, leading to their ankle getting slashed and their tendon severed. I could also give you specific details on said event but to put it simply, the injured person still can't properly walk anymore, let alone dance safely. These types of injuries are not unheard of - I have a feeling most (if not all) of my staffers have some sort of scarring around their ankles/feet relating to similar events, myself included.

The next priority after that was the safety of the floor. I don't think attendees realize that the floor we rent was a custom-made size just for the size of our event. I'm quoting one of my staffers from a separate thread just to make this more clear, as he is our vendor liaison:
Quote from: Okach on May 28, 2013, 09:26:16 AM
Our contract with the floor vendor stipulates that any damage over and above normal wear and tear is FanimeCon's responsibility.  This translates to "FanimeCon pays for it."  The floor vendor commented to us that the conventions that he has the most issues of additional damage with are salsa conventions, mainly due to the use of long, thin heels on a lot of people dancing for many hours. 
After much discussion over the years (and much hair pulling) the four inch heel/diameter of a nickel was decided upon as a compromise between fashion and potential cost (injury/floor).

We had a few situations in which the dress code was highly inconsistent (One of the people at the door decided to wave in a bunch of noncompliant folks through for an unspecified period of time.. they are no longer going to be involved with our department) This will not be happening again. We are already working on a better process to enforce the dress code at the door. If you have any suggestions, please email us at [email protected] or PM me here so we can see what can be done.

However, even with enforcement at the door, many attendees still chose to switch to their non-compliant shoes during the evening. These people were asked to leave, unfortunately, but the damage had been done, so to speak.

Again, I want to sincerely apologize to you for the experience you had. We are doing our best to make sure all of the issues relating to the dress code that occurred this year will not be happening again.

- Rebecca
2017-2024 Extravaganzas Head
2013-2024 Black & White Ball Head
2010-2012 Black & White Ball Instructor/Staff/Second
FanimeCon attendee since 2005

Lucifargundam

There's already alot of variants in badges... adding more(Ex: artistalleyonly-attendee) just further complicates things.


if that the master a 'prentice have,
Entirely then that he him tell,
That he the craft ably may know,
Wheresoever he go under the sun.

Lucifargundam

Quote from: tazo on May 27, 2013, 10:25:09 PM
Yeah the Clockwork Alchemy badge pickup wasn't even relayed to us until we were about 3 hours into the line. It was right under our hotel too. I'm more than a little furious we didnt hear about that sooner. :T
From my understanding, Clockwork wasn't prepared for huge lines of people to pickup their badges.        It was better the way it was this year because people would have suffered at both areas due to networking and communication issues.        It simply could not have been done.

Though at the closing cermonies, people got to ask questions and give inquiries to the chairmen about how to improve Fanimecon. This was one such topic.

Hopefully Clockwork will be setup to take on more people next year so this could be a better option? Who knows? Fanimecon could always use more volunteers to help make things run smoother... like for registration...


if that the master a 'prentice have,
Entirely then that he him tell,
That he the craft ably may know,
Wheresoever he go under the sun.

Wabbit98

Quote from: Okach on May 28, 2013, 09:26:16 AM
 

After much discussion over the years (and much hair pulling) the four inch heel/diameter of a nickel was decided upon as a compromise between fashion and potential cost (injury/floor).

That is an understatement.  More like very public, heated discussions.  One time between me and the old department head after meetings about this.

Since I have been around for a little while longer I will provide some prospective on this issue.  It is an issue that will make some people unhappy.  Not everyone is going to like it.  We have always had rules about the size and length of heels.  And we say it is about the floor and it is.  But it is more than just that as well.  It is about the safety of you and those around you.  Because in the end when you are at the Convention we want you to be safe and those around you safe as well.  That is why we are also a dry con. 

Are there rules?  Yes.  Does everyone like them?  No.  But they exist for a reason and the code of conduct for attendees.

Will the rules ever be perfect?  Will people still complain and then claim they heard, saw or know someone who got in that was against the rules?  The answer to those questions is the following : No and Yes.

In terms of drunks.  This happens every year, seems to be about the same percentages.  We try to keep it under control.  Several people were asked to leave because they were intoxicated.  Some are more visible than others.

We know many young people come to this convention, and are often away from home and from the normal rules they are use to following everyday.  But when they come to Fanime their will be rules, just rules to keep a crowd of 30,000 people a bit under control and civilized.  But then again not everyone like the rules.

If you think you have some good ideas you can either send an anonymous email to [email protected].   Also as a staff member of the Ball, and a long time one, I will also take PM on this forum and they will remain anonymous as well.  And I will respond to each one.

Yours,
Kevin
2010 - 2013 :Black and White Ball Staff

2014-2015 : Black and White Ball Department Second

2015 : Extravaganzas Division Second

spycker

I mean like in different rooms hehe, like ballroom for " at con " and imperial room for " pre-reg " people..:D

Lucifargundam

Quote from: spycker on May 28, 2013, 10:21:06 PM
I mean like in different rooms hehe, like ballroom for " at con " and imperial room for " pre-reg " people.. :D
From what I understood, Fairmont was taking rooms away....      One idea brought up at the Closing Ceremony(which attendees were encouraged to go to), was to have the location of this year's AA- as next year's registration since it was so spacious and long...


if that the master a 'prentice have,
Entirely then that he him tell,
That he the craft ably may know,
Wheresoever he go under the sun.

Lucifargundam

Quote from: Zabi on May 27, 2013, 05:48:17 PM
In order to go faster, you need more booths for pre-reg and reg.
From what I understood(I might be wrong), there wasn't enough Registration staff.
Quote from: Zabi on May 27, 2013, 05:48:17 PM
for at-con reg they should hand out the reg papers while in line so they only have to hand it once up there.
This is a great idea... I didnt hear anyone mention this at the Closing Cermony :P
Quote from: Zabi on May 27, 2013, 05:48:17 PM
Like come on, waiting in line for 4-6 hours in line and missing almost a whole day at con
Last time I checked the con was 24hrs... 24/6= 4.... so 1/4 the day=4/5 the day????      Yeah, the long wait is horrendous- but considering the unique circumstances like having relocate where badge pickup was going to be as well as other factors- this wasn't as bad as it could have been.


if that the master a 'prentice have,
Entirely then that he him tell,
That he the craft ably may know,
Wheresoever he go under the sun.

PinkHairSasuke

Quote from: Lucifargundam on May 28, 2013, 10:34:39 PM
Quote from: spycker on May 28, 2013, 10:21:06 PM
I mean like in different rooms hehe, like ballroom for " at con " and imperial room for " pre-reg " people.. :D
From what I understood, Fairmont was taking rooms away....      One idea brought up at the Closing Ceremony(which attendees were encouraged to go to), was to have the location of this year's AA- as next year's registration since it was so spacious and long...

^I like that idea.

Gigantor

Quote
Quote from: Zabi on May 27, 2013, 05:48:17 PM
Like come on, waiting in line for 4-6 hours in line and missing almost a whole day at con
Last time I checked the con was 24hrs... 24/6= 4.... so 1/4 the day=4/5 the day????      Yeah, the long wait is horrendous- but considering the unique circumstances like having relocate where badge pickup was going to be as well as other factors- this wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I think it depends on what you define as a day at con. In the case of dealer's hall and artist alley, they have limited hours. If you need to spend around 4-6 hours in line that is a significant portion of time spent. Around the half the amount of time that they are open on average.

Dany

[quote author=Lucifargundam link=topic
From my understanding, Clockwork wasn't prepared for huge lines of people to pickup their badges.        It was better the way it was this year because people would have suffered at both areas due to networking and communication issues.
[/quote]

My understanding was that CA had two people manning registration only. There would have been no way to handle a sudden influx of people there if it were to have happened unless it was maybe a few hundred people or so. Also, I think you had to choose your location when you registered and I cannot remember if and when there was a cutoff to change locations.

...which brings me to the fact that Clockwork is going to need more manpower next year.
2012 Costumes (or so we hope!)
Ayukawa, Miime, Oscar, Yuria, D'Eon