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[Cooking Mama]

Hi all!

I was Cooking Mama on Saturday, and had loads of pics taken, but my own camera didn't work. Anyone have a pic for my family?

Mama needs it fixed!

Thanks so much.

[huge]

As an older woman who attends huge and streamlined knitter's conventions (yes!) where thousands of attendees can buy registrations online and print out their own badges with barcodes right up to and through the entire time of the convention, then simply waltz right in to the con immediately with NO LINES (this takes place over in the wilds of Santa Clara),  I was utterly shocked and appalled at the low-tech, medieval way that registration was handled at Fanime.

In the heart of Silicon Valley, I expected streamlined and efficient methods in line with at least what middle aged knitters can summon.  Instead, because I could not pre-register, I got to sit in line  for 4 1/2 hours with my daughter and several of our new best friends who we got to know intimately as we waited in line after barbaric line. This ambience was improved by officious volunteers coming around at random intervals to tell everyone to stand up in a line that had no discernable movement, breaking up card parties, naps, and much needed leg rest for about half those in line, who would promptly sit/lie down again out of self-preservation almost immediately. These volunteers did not seem able to comprehend the logic that standing or sitting did not change the actual speed of the line.

If nothing else, think of capitalism! All those hours we and our several thousand dearest new buddies from the Reg Line could have been shopping in Artist's Alley and the Dealer's Hall. But no, despite our best efforts at speed shopping, we got thrown out of Artist's Alley when it closed down, still not having made it through, with cash left we would like to have spent. Also, you wouldn't need as many volunteers, or could put them to better (much better!) use.

If I was a dealer or artist, I would demand some of my fee back for lost sales. You deprived them of many, many thousands of lost hours of potential customer shopping, and thus untold sales. I repeat, we spent nearly half of our one day at Fanime IN LINE. How ridiculous. How inefficient.

Once in to the con, it was a blast (I was that Cooking Mama that everyone was taking their picture with). I attended my first con (the World Science Fiction Convention in Heidelberg, Germany) back when I was 16, and since I can remember nothing about registration, assume it was well run even in those ancient days.

I have simply never witnessed or experienced such gross inefficiency in my 58 years. I doubt anyone in my family will be attending Fanime again until we hear that procedures have been brought out of the middle ages up to at least the mid-80's.