Quote from: hikanteki on June 05, 2015, 09:49:36 AMI've heard the opposite complaint. There are people who want combined Fanime/Clockwork Alchemy/BayCon registration.
Also, I'm wondering if it isn't time to spin off Clockwork Alchemy to a separate organization/badge system/weekend...whether it's true or not, there's been the impression that CA is using up Fanime's resources. It's been a little disconcerting to see the CA portion of the website ready WAY before Fanime on the combined website. The AnimeCons people have disqualified Fanime from the most-attended cons list due to suspecting that Fanime shares attendance with CA. In any case, it does cut into the availability of hotels.
Clockwork Alchemy has its own resources. Everyone, including the con chair, is unpaid. All those elaborate props are built by volunteers. After four years of CA, and some previous steampunk cons, we now have a lot of props. Many steampunks are makers, after all. We have fun overdoing that. Our directional signs are antique lampposts. We have big clocks on tall posts. Our author's room has a (fake) fireplace and shelves of books. The tea room has a large Tea Engine making boiling water. I'm behind the Telegraph Office and its brass machinery. We don't get any funding from CA, just staff badges or volunteer hour credits. All this may give the impression that CA is draining Fanime's resources, but it's not. (I admit that we're trying to get the Fanime side to up their game on signs and ambiance.)
It's hard to tell about attendance. Some people registered for CA thinking that was needed for badge pickup at the Doubletree. It's not; anyone can pick up their badge at either location. Which con you register for just determines the badge artwork you get. So nobody really knows how many people went primarily to CA vs Fanime.
At CA, Friday was too empty but had full programming, Saturday was busy, and Sunday was busier. Some Fanime members complained that Fanime didn't have enough to do on Friday. Fanime members, please come over to CA on Friday. There's stuff to see and do. It's not overcrowded. We have tea. (And water. The Doubletree is really good about putting water dispensers all over the place. We had a least a dozen of them.)
Mixing Fanime and Clockwork Alchemy has its amusing moments. CA had Congress of Vienna, a very good classical quintet (harp, violin, viola, flute, and lute) playing. They're all Sword Art Online cosplayers, with Asuna on the harp, mixing classical music with anime themes.