Messages

Trying to get a schedule etc for GoH panels, fan panels and hours sorted, so curious if the panel times for this year's guests will be known/posted any time in advance? Thanks!

[This week]

Definitely be smart about your calories and I'd be eating for the Con THIS WEEK, not just while there. Get yourself ready. Shore up your immune system, get ready for the walking and increased exercise, make sure you've got plenty of water, and be ready for people exposure. Grab a multivitamin to offset anything you might drop over the few days. The week leading up to a convention is as important as the four or five days you're there. Check out as many schedules as you can in advance and plan your meal times too... Do NOT skip breakfast even if you aren't a breakfast person, and load up then if you see difficulties in getting a decent meal later in the day. Try not to eat late in the evening/night, and get more water running through you. This week, not just next.

Things you can eat at room temp or from cooler if needed: mixed nuts, sugar snap peas, steam veggies ahead of time and chill them (broc, carrots, pea pods, green beans, small squash or zucchini, etc-- this is much easier on some people than eating them raw, which if you aren't used to can be crap to taste or texture and introduce other, um, issues), turkey bacon: cook it ahead of time, tuna, red beans/rice- fairly cheap packages and half an hour to make about three to four small meals worth, edamame, baked chicken (slice it up), turkey from deli, avocados, tomatoes, most fruit, dried fruit, chocolate, etc etc etc...

All those national flags walking around with people attached to them...

Ryoko and Mihoshi from Tenchi Muyo... and here I thought no one even knew the series or it was too old to be cosplayed DX The Zelda people made my life better~! <3 So did the Bleach group XD

Holy crap, how'd I miss them? They make it up inside? Or mostly down or outside...?

The Catbus for sure.
Celty! Had only seen photos, never saw anyone irl til this weekend.
Belldandy.

A few others I had expected to see, but enjoyed the quality.. some nice work this year!

[Registration]

Registration
I think the reg system is as effective as it can be, given the number of attendees (more on that in a sec) and that, I think, the desire is to get folks taken care of and into the festivities as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Convention Enjoyment: get in their face!
Reg and the reg lines are an area where FC can make an investment and take some of the suggestions and hints off of the forums and put them to use: that is, some of the great suggestions and postings you make here about enjoying the con? Print them. Large. Makes signs, posters and get them in front of people's faces. For those things that you want to be polite about, but need to make a point, make the point. If you're adamant about behaviors, tolerance and hygiene, don't apologize about it. The 99.9% who don't complain are silently thanking you.

Dealer's Room
Cool group of dealers with the exception of a couple of ass-hats (one 'weapon' dealer and one guy who looked like he was expecting everyone to steal from him. Or he was constipated.)
A few folks were surprised not to see, say, Kinokuniya or a music store or dealer present... I know the idea is not to repeat dealers, try to keep the cross-over down, and I don't know the thought on bringing heavy hitters in or not, but it seems like the room can expand a bit, and the tables at back be reduced. Someone may want to find a way to let the dealers in on that the fans, ahem, know what a lot of the merchandise can be got for. We want them to do well, but man, when I can see something Fri, get it online for 15-20% less on Sat and have it Tuesday... makes me less willing to support the dealers, and I feel bad cuz I know they put a lot of $ into being there, and time. I dug that a couple of them were hitting their first cons, hope they did well. Hours were good, no one seemed interested in bargaining on Monday though?

Panels
Main gripe was not easily seeing which panels the guests were going to be in, and totally mis-judging, based on the panel titles and times, the focus of the art panels I would have loved to sit in. Signage or additions to the guides about the guests and where to sit in with them would rock. I completely missed that the GoH names were on the master panels board (as I somehow completely missed that???)

Lines... Everywhere
What's the general feel of how people are sacrificing time to line-squatting inst. of seeing more of the convention, and being sure, even if arriving later, of getting seats? Can/should panel room sizes be re-thought? Too many cons lose folks b/c it simply isn't worth it to sit for 5 or 6 hours in a ten hour day for one or two panels.

Props and weapons
Playing devil's advocate, this needs to come down to some common sense. The fact that so much is allowed in any form, even bonded, is interesting to me. Being held chiefly in the CC, we're hanging out under the auspices of the city, and SJPD has some pretty straight-up policies about weapons and what reasonably appears to be real or not, as well as potentially used as a weapon, or not. You may understand 'all in good fun', but the reality of maintaining the health and safety of over 15000 people is a serious business, and one that has little leeway. As it is, I saw some things that I couldn't believe were passing unchallenged. If you feel your work was dealt some kind of blow b/c you couldn't hang or flash about your favorite doom devices, stop a second for a reality check. And yeah, I know it sucks when some really innocent piece of your costume also gets looked at sideways, but... This is a common issue at every convention, large ones like this have to err on the safer side. One major incident, well, you don't want to think about the repercussions.

Pocket Guide
Yeah, the flippy back and forth was a bit screwy, esp the midnight cross-overs. But Pocket Guides do rock, so please continue to make them. Great for notes and such too... so maybe add a page or a few in for that?

Guests
Hopefully Fanime will be on of the cons that always strives to bring over the big guns from Japan, the folks who are involved from day one; writers, directors, artists, musicians, personalities, actors... I personally don't care much for the hangers on and glorified groupies that smaller cons seem to have to bring in. This year's group was pretty solid. Huge on FLOW, LM.C, Mamoru Yokota, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Daisuke Ishiwatari.

I sorta had the same reaction... but in the last day or so I've worked it out to a couple of things: didn't read up enough about the guests to see what I wanted to sit in on and what I really could have gotten out of a few more panels. Didn't know anyone til I got there, one friend was down but we didn't get to hang out and he wasn't so into the Con, was just using it as something to do, shopping in the dealer's room and 'people watching', but I was hoping to go and sit and learn a few things on top of all that. I was hoping to find more art related stuff going on- completely missed a couple of poorly named panels on design, should have sat and read the guide a lot more carefully. Now I'm bummed not because of the con, but b/c they had a bit of what I was looking for, but I didn't see it.

I do have to say the lines and having to choose between event or line-sitting is getting a bit old though. I think FC should consider a cap now before it really gets out of hand like some others; too large for their own good and for the fans to enjoy. That can really hit your rep.

It totally helps to have a room and to be connected to what's going on after hours.

I saw a few badges like that, and I'd think they head to reg and get it sorted out- badge goofs can be an innocent mistake, or someone trying to get sneaky. I think folks forget that reg, con-ops... people are there to give you a hand when things get screwy. Sounds as if someone goofed on putting your badge together. Did it get taken care of or did you have to spend the week-end explaining?

^^^ You will!

It's hard to know exactly how to start up conversations... it's always easier for me in panels than in the halls. Plus, it can help to have one or two friends around- did you go to the con alone? If so, any chance you can convince one or two folks for next year?  But don't be attached at the hip. Meet up a few times during the day, check in, see who's doing what. Biggest way to meet folks and have that chance to say Hi is just get involved.

Two thumbs up for the above.

While I was in the dealer's room, I heard a story of one attendant who had a kid in tow, er attached at the hip as the little one was maybe 4-5 months old. Dad said he kept lifting junior up a bit, to see if he had a surprise, cuz... yeah. Nope... wasn't junior. Was eau de geek.

I'm under the impression that the ones who need to read these posts the most... don't.

We know the benefits, shower/room time can be a great way to recharge as well, get your bearings and get ready for another run in the CC and hotels. Sadly, I just don't think those in need are gonna get the clue. Boys or girls.

How to solve this dilemma...???

I emailed you too, but wanted to say again, this was a great time. Hope Scott and the HLJ dig the pictures!

For me the draw is always creators, from Japan. Chiefly directors and designers, animators, and of course manga artists. I'd be really interested in directors and artists whose works have transitioned from manga to anime. These folks are the core of the reason why we're here, yeah? I get that schedules (personal as well as production) can make industry guests hard to schedule, but there have been and will be ways to make it happen. :-)