Suggestion-Please improve registration process !!!!

Started by naruto 101, May 24, 2008, 07:40:48 PM

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naruto 101

Hi
   I just returned from my first FANIME CONVENTION ,and the one thing that irritated me the most was the
registration process.
   For 30.00 per person per day,I CAN NOT CONCEIVE WHY ANY PERSON HAS TO WAIT 2 HOURS ON 4 LINES TO GET REGISTERED.
        Perhaps you can streamline the process to 1 line.
        Perhaps you can place a simple sentence on your web page and say that on line registration may
reduce wait times on line markedly at the Fanime Convention.Today I waited 1.5 hours on the first line.
I could have avoided the first line wait time if I registered on line.The other 3 lines were shorter.
    I notice that perhaps 75% of the people attending the event were younger than 20.For the admission
price of 30.00 per day ,I would expect that this is a lot of money for them to spend on this event and I
personally believe we should expect better customer service.
    I personally believe you can improve customer service by streamlining the registration process.It is my
hope that someone in authority will view my comments objectively make the next Fanime Convention a
better convention with a shorter registration process.
    If anyone has had a similiar experience,please share your experience so that the convention organisers will recognize this as a problem and try to fix this problem in the future.
    If you have any helpful suggestions, I am sure the organisers will appreciate any constructive  feedback from you.
                                                                 Many Thanks!!!
                                                                         naruto 101

Tsu

Quote from: naruto 101 on May 24, 2008, 07:40:48 PM
Hi
   I just returned from my first FANIME CONVENTION ,and the one thing that irritated me the most was the
registration process.
   For 30.00 per person per day,I CAN NOT CONCEIVE WHY ANY PERSON HAS TO WAIT 2 HOURS ON 4 LINES TO GET REGISTERED.
        Perhaps you can streamline the process to 1 line.
        Perhaps you can place a simple sentence on your web page and say that on line registration may
reduce wait times on line markedly at the Fanime Convention.Today I waited 1.5 hours on the first line.
I could have avoided the first line wait time if I registered on line.The other 3 lines were shorter.




First and foremost, it should be a GIVEN that you're going to get through the line more quickly if you pre-register or early-register.  The site says plain and clear that you're allowed to get your badge as early as Thursday evening if you pre-register- obviously they're giving people an advantage over those who register on site.  I'm pretty sure the site has also mentioned repeatedly that you do get expedited registration if you pre-reg, but I can't find that now.  Secondly, it's to be expected- pre-regging and early-regging aren't mandatory, so there will be plenty of people showing up at every con who haven't registered yet and have to do it on-site for whatever reason.  The con does not already have your name, your payment method, your address, your ID.  They have to do it all there while you're standing in front of them with a huge line behind you.  Problems come up.  Things that could easily be avoided if people pre-reg.

QuoteI notice that perhaps 75% of the people attending the event were younger than 20.For the admission
price of 30.00 per day ,I would expect that this is a lot of money for them to spend on this event and I
personally believe we should expect better customer service.

Furthermore, as you may have noticed at some point, the con's logo is "For Fans, By Fans."  This isn't being run by corporate people who have done this every single day of their lives.  For the most part, people volunteer, and whether or not they have experience (many are returning volunteers), that's what they are.  They're doing the best they can.  The experience isn't streamlined because pre-registration and early-registration gives the Con itself a break.  They can print our badges ahead of time, get an idea of how many attendees are going to be there, know how much material to print, how many seats to set out, and so forth and so on.  It's helpful to THEM, not just to us.  You get a badge for cheaper, you get it earlier and you get through line faster!  What's better than that?  Aside from that, yes, 30 dollars a day may seem steep, but again, if you register earlier, it'll be less expensive (sometimes down to half the cost of a full weekend badge at the end of the season), and it's not uncalled for.  They do have to rent practically the entire convention center AND the hall across the street for the entire weekend, not to mention the equipment for playing the anime, some of the anime themselves, the equipment in the arcade, and so forth and so on.  It takes a lot of time and money to run a con, and I have never really felt that I'm getting gypped out of my money.  It ain't cheap, but it's worth it.
   
QuoteIf anyone has had a similiar experience,please share your experience so that the convention organisers will recognize this as a problem and try to fix this problem in the future.

I've had a similar experience.  For about 6 years running now.  The registration is always long, and if you think it's bad today, you should've experienced the con back when it was in Santa Clara.  Things have improved, and I'm sure your suggestions will be taken into account.  I hope you found the rest of your Fanime experience to be more enjoyable than the registration line- that's always a pain in the neck, but really, the staff isn't to blame.  They do what they can.
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Gaki

Quote from: naruto 101 on May 24, 2008, 07:40:48 PM
Hi
   I just returned from my first FANIME CONVENTION ,and the one thing that irritated me the most was the
registration process.
   For 30.00 per person per day,I CAN NOT CONCEIVE WHY ANY PERSON HAS TO WAIT 2 HOURS ON 4 LINES TO GET REGISTERED.
        Perhaps you can streamline the process to 1 line.

You said it yourself; this is your first Fanimecon.  You should have been here years ago and seen what everything was like before they got it down to what it's like today.  It's really quite a remarkable change.
       
QuotePerhaps you can place a simple sentence on your web page and say that on line registration may
reduce wait times on line markedly at the Fanime Convention.Today I waited 1.5 hours on the first line.
I could have avoided the first line wait time if I registered on line.The other 3 lines were shorter.

o_O  Why?  It makes sense and it should be a GIVEN that someone who registered online and AHEAD of time would be able to get through the entire headache of registration and having to wait in line.  Don't understand?  Then enjoy the lines.  I don't see why you should be complaining anyhow; you're in a line with other people who share the same interest as you, the same passion as you when it comes to anime.  It's not gonna be heard to pick up a conversation with someone else who's waiting with you and pass the time.  And given that you're into Naruto...well, have fun talking to about 25% of the con and undoubtedly the lines.

QuoteI notice that perhaps 75% of the people attending the event were younger than 20.For the admission
price of 30.00 per day ,I would expect that this is a lot of money for them to spend on this event and I
personally believe we should expect better customer service.

Yeah.  Sure. 

We're getting the con at the expense of volunteers who are giving their time to us.  It's for fans by fans, and they do what they can, which to me is a remarkable amount.  It's people who are like us, not people who are a faceless corporation trying to make cash from us fans.  Let's respect their limitations and enjoy the con, ne?
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G.I.R


jeans

Hey y'all, just fyi:

The "online registration" he's talking about has nothing to do with pre-registering or early registration. When I went with some friends to get their badges, Fanime had computers set up where you entered in your own information (First name, Last name, etc.). You had the option of connecting to the registration website wirelessly if you had a computer in line with you, then you could skip to the front of the line. I agree, if this website where people were registering at-con were made available to people at home, they could have quickly had their information sent to Fanime and then paid for and received their badges upon arrival.

Tsu

Quote from: jeans on May 25, 2008, 08:42:36 AM
Hey y'all, just fyi:

The "online registration" he's talking about has nothing to do with pre-registering or early registration. When I went with some friends to get their badges, Fanime had computers set up where you entered in your own information (First name, Last name, etc.). You had the option of connecting to the registration website wirelessly if you had a computer in line with you, then you could skip to the front of the line. I agree, if this website where people were registering at-con were made available to people at home, they could have quickly had their information sent to Fanime and then paid for and received their badges upon arrival.

Whoa.  That's pretty weaksauce.  Did they even mention that on the site prior to the con?  Even so, what a drag...  not everyone can afford to bring a computer with them, or has one... 
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darkstar

Quote from: G.I.R on May 25, 2008, 12:40:49 AM
Darkstar?

Yes??

Con's too big.

What Naruto 101 needs to understand is that this kind of situation is evidence that Fanime (like most of the other large cons) is just too damn big, especially to be held as a "by fans, for fans" con...

Of course, they'll shudder to think at that.  Of course, don't worry -- this is probably the last year of the shows being this big anyway, unless you want to explain how people are even going to be able to afford to get to the conventions when gas is something like $6.00 a gallon...

robofanatics

My first time coming to the con. I waited in line for a hour and a half. After what I being threw, it was worth the wait. I went to this thing at night on saturday and saw alot of people showing off their costumes. People screaming. IT was the bomb. Next year, we are going to get the full 3 day pass and stay in hotel. I live in sf. THis con was the best of my life in 2008, thanks for all ,

Gwydion

I Pre-reg'ed.

I got to the line on Thursday at 7pm. When they were closing at 8. The line wasn't that long, there was maybe 100 people in it. Maybe 150. And it took LESS than an hour to get my badge. If anything, registration this year improved. I remember last year they were running around trying to find badges and I stood at the booth for 10 minutes as they looked for one of my party. This year, I showed my print out to him with my ID, he looked at it, was handed a badge, and I was done. We got out of there so fast it was surprising. I think they did a good job this year with the registration.

And seriously? If anyone thinks Fanime is too big, try Otakon. Fanime's reg line has NOTHING on Otakon's. This was a breeze compared to the 2 hours + standing outside under a sky that's threatening to rain.

Jun-Watarase

I line up every year on Friday and never had to wait for more than 5 minutes. :T

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billgoku

This was my 3rd Fanime, and I waited 40 minutes to grab my badge that I registered for last oct..but that was nothing, I thought the lines went well this year.
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PyronIkari

The lines were amazing this year. 3hours for a major event is actually extremely good. Just to give you some other numbers.

Average wait at AX is 8 hours on friday/saturday.
Average wait at otakon is 3-5hours
Just to throw in other numbers.

At Six Flags Magic Mountain during peak season, it takes upwards to 2-3 hours to get on a single ride. That's right. It takes 2-3 hours FOR 1 RIDE. Imagine if at Fanime it took 2-3 hours just to get into the dealers room, then another 2-3 hours to get into a panel.

There's no way to really "improve" things without having more people. If you want to help lines move faster, apply to staff in registration. The more people in staff, the faster they can move people, it's as simple as that.


G.I.R

Quote from: PyronIkari on May 26, 2008, 10:10:16 PM
There's no way to really "improve" things without having more people. If you want to help lines move faster, apply to staff in registration. The more people in staff, the faster they can move people, it's as simple as that.

That's probably the real answer.  Otherwise SDCC wouldn't get about 40,000 people in on preview night in under 2 hours without as many staffers working.

Kaura117

The lines were quite tolerable, in my estimate. But bear in mind that I have preregistered every year except last year- and last year was dangerously close to being a waste of time for me because of it. Fanime broke 14k this year, I believe- you're not going to have a con that size, run overwhelmingly by volunteers first and foremost, without having to stand in line for a while. I recommend a DS, chatting up your neighbors, bringing a book, some music, or whatever else you can do to while away the hours. I also recommend getting into line as early as possible- and prereg, for Eris's sake.

Also, Darkstar's fulla shite. Public transport remains cheap, and the airline industry's subsidized, in part, by the government. Will the intrinsic cost of attending FanimeCon go up? Inevitably. Will it do so in such a way as to alienate its demographic?

It's demographic is made up almost exclusively of those with disposable incomes in the first place.

You aren't going to be attending FanimeCon if you're dirt poor broke. At least, you shouldn't. If you could attend FanimeCon this year, and survive the week relatively comfortably, you will not see that much of an impact on your budget next year, or even the year after- excluding, of course, a massive economic downturn not seen since decades upon decades in the past. As far as I can foretell, you'll just have to be more frugal in the dealer's room, and not eat at Johnny Rocket's (please don't anyhow- they charge way too much for a simple two-buck burger, even if it's prepared decently). It's a matter of saving up, planning ahead, and treating your wallet and cards as the quickly dwindling resource it really is, and not as the wellspring of fun, games and toys it feels like.

Sucrose

#14
Quote from: Jun-Watarase on May 26, 2008, 10:00:42 PM
I line up every year on Friday and never had to wait for more than 5 minutes. :T

Same here...Fructose and I arrived at ~1pm on Friday and there was literally no line at all. We just breezed on through.
In mammals, Sucrose is digested in the stomach, into its component sugars, by acidic hydrolysis. The Glucose and Fructose are then absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine. (Lactose just isn't cool enough to enter into it.)

Steve.Young

I was epicly amazed at the rate in which lines improved and I only had to assign 4 rovers to at con reg duty =P

I was so happy, I weeped Friday night =)
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crazychichi

Quote from: Steve.Young on May 27, 2008, 08:22:33 PM
I was epicly amazed at the rate in which lines improved and I only had to assign 4 rovers to at con reg duty =P

I was so happy, I weeped Friday night =)

Yeah Steve, there were like a couple dozen people who actually thanked me for how SoS and Regestration had streamlined the event.... very awesome year, and was soooo much better than the lines last year
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Erin

Quote from: Steve.Young on May 27, 2008, 08:22:33 PM
I was epicly amazed at the rate in which lines improved and I only had to assign 4 rovers to at con reg duty =P

I was so happy, I weeped Friday night =)

the rate of the lines wouldn't have improved without some awesome rover staff ;p
Erin
Fan Services Co-Second

Steve.Young

Quote from: vhg on May 30, 2008, 02:17:33 AM
Quote from: Steve.Young on May 27, 2008, 08:22:33 PM
I was epicly amazed at the rate in which lines improved and I only had to assign 4 rovers to at con reg duty =P

I was so happy, I weeped Friday night =)

the rate of the lines wouldn't have improved without some awesome rover staff ;p

If your trying to sweet talk me, your doing an awesome job of it =)
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Staff Moderator - Fanime Forums.

Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

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ewu

We are thinking about expanding to online data entry, but with recent events at other conventions, our exposure to attacks are concerning. We had an ad-hoc network set up and that was finalized late near con. In the end, we have a few things we will try to improve on for next year's con:)

Eric
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