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« on: May 28, 2013, 11:23:38 PM »
I would like to preface my post by saying that I have been on convention staff before and I can sympathize with the staff and volunteers at Fanime. while the cons I've worked for do not even come close to Fanime in size and attendee numbers, I understand better than most the kinds of stresses they go through before, during, and (especially in this case) after the con, and as such I tend to be more forgiving of staff shortcomings.
fortunately I did not have to wait very long for my badge, as I was picking up a panelist badge, but I had my share of frustrations getting there.
I had confirmed with programming staff beforehand that there was indeed a special line for panelists, AA, and those with special needs. as instructed, I picked up my discount slip at the panelists' lounge. before I left I asked the programming staff if they knew where the special line was - all they could tell me was that it was at the Fairmont with the rest of registration. I found it strange that they wouldn't know where I could pick up my panelist badge now that I had the piece of paper that allowed me to do so, but I figured that responsibility belonged more to the registration staff, so I let it go.
however, once I reached the Fairmont, every staff member I asked gave me a blank look when I asked about the special registration line. they proceeded to hand me off from staff member to staff member. (at one point I was told to look for "a tall girl wearing a headset" in the lobby of the Fairmont... you want me to chase down a staff member who is probably very busy and running around? I don't think so.) generally the staff members were very nice and did their best to be helpful, but it would have been so much easier for everyone involved if they had just... simply told everyone that there was a special registration line. judging by the comments in this post, it sounds like many of those with special needs were also not aware that they had a line they could go through - my heart goes out to them. Fanime should be ashamed that these attendees were not informed of this.
back on point, once I found someone who actually knew there was supposed to be a special registration line, I was told to come back at 7 pm when registration opened. it was precisely 6:51 at the time... everyone else got to line up early, why couldn't special registration do so as well? to add to the confusion, the special registration was not labeled at all. that would have gone a very long way to clear things up for both attendees and staff. once the special registration line was finally formed the wait was an hour and a half. compared to everyone else, we got very lucky...
I would also like to add that staff did a very poor job of communicating that badge pick up was also available at the DoubleTree. several times while I was waiting for a shuttle on Friday, a rover would come around and let those standing in line know that they could pick up their badges at the DoubleTree. I wish I could have photographed the looks of surprise and utter frustration from those who had already braved the registration line and those who were about to. the rovers then asked us as attendees to spread the word to other attendees... shouldn't staff have done that well in advance? it takes all of five minutes to make posts on the webiste, forum, and social media websites. why this fact wasn't well-advertised (especially after the fiasco that was last year's registration line) completely baffles me.
so, to make my criticism constructive, here are the suggestions I have:
- offer badge pick up for panelists at the panelist's lounge. we already have to go there to pick up discount slips - why not already have the badges printed and ready for panelists?
- obviously mailing badges has its pros and cons, but Fanime is clearly too short-staffed to not consider this as an option. any fears of attendees counterfeiting badges are basically moot, considering how many people already don't buy badges, will not buy badges in the future, or will simply not attend at all in the future because of this year's catastrophe. plus, almost everyone I knew at this con simply borrowed someone else's badge to get into the events they wanted to go to - it's not exactly counterfeiting, but that kind of dishonesty is already alive and well at this convention. I think any con would rather lose a bit of revenue to counterfeiting than to lose attendees in massive numbers.
- whoever is in charge of registration should attend AX this year. or any of the other cons mentioned in this thread that have more attendees and shorter wait times. I waited 45 minutes in line to pick up my badge at AX last year. somehow I waited twice as long in a shorter line at Fanime this year. clearly, there is room for improvement. ask other conventions how they configure registration and take notes.
- surely there is a better system for picking up badges than having staff shouting out names? not only did it make it very loud and confusing at badge pick-up, but I can only imagine how sore their throats must have been by the time they packed up for the night. and that's just on day zero! why not try this instead - after the attendee has checked in and had their badge printed up, they go to the pick-up station, show their ID, and receive their badge. no shouting necessary.
it truly breaks my heart to see how many people are saying they won't attend Fanime anymore simply because of registration. it was my favorite con when I attended last year and I had an amazing experience this year as well. I don't want to see this convention hurt by something that should be second nature by now. I have high hopes that things will improve next year.
