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Always sad to see a con favorite close :(

If you guys aren't sure where to eat now that McDonald's is gone, come to my panel Narutrition:Surviving the Convention Food Scene on Friday at 3pm in Panel Room 3!

Exciting news! I just got official approval for the panel. Looking forward to seeing everyone next month!

Sounds good. I don't know if you are local to San Jose, but I am, so if you need any answers as to what is around specifically, I can answer questions, if you've got them.  Downtown SJ has a pretty wide variety of options, unlike some convention centers, so you can probably keep it pretty general and be fine.  Some amount of specifics I think would be helpful, not necessarily sending people somewhere, but info on what's out there, because it seems sometimes convention attendees don't realize there is anything beyond Johnny Rockets.

I'm not local to San Jose, just to the bay area. If I have any questions I'll be sure to shoot them your way.

Yes, I think including some specifics would be good, but without going into excessive detail. And I've heard about the monster crowds at Johnny Rocket's, which is why I've never personally had the opportunity to eat there during con.

Good thing there are plenty of other food options at Fanime besides McDonalds then.

He does bring up an interesting point though.  On the "surviving Fanime" topic, are you going to be covering eateries nearby, since I am guessing that it's going to be difficult for people who haven't already brought healthy food supply options to obtain those.  There are a number of healthier options around, but they can be pricey.  Or were you just thinking of sending everybody to the Safeway on 2nd street?  (speaking of pricey, there's also a Whole Foods maybe a mile and a half, maybe a bit less from the con center, if folks are willing to walk that far and/or hop on the light rail). Those are the main supermarkets within walking distance though.

I'm planning to cover as many food options as I can without specifically sending anyone anywhere. I'm going to include eating in your hotel room, eating at the con, visiting nearby grocery stores, and eating at food establishments around the convention center. My goal is to make people aware of all the different options they have available.

Sounds good.

Learn how to navigate the convention food scene! Get tips and tricks from a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist with more than 10 years of con experience. Show off your nutrition knowledge to win prizes. From how to prepare for your hotel room stay to how to prevent dehydration while in a full fursuit, you'll learn all about how to keep healthy and well fed so you can make the most of your Fanime experience!

When: Friday 5/27/16 from 3:00-4:00pm.
Where: Panel Room 3.

Hi everyone! I'm a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and I'm going to be hosting a panel on nutrition, keeping healthy, and keeping well fed while at Fanime. Topics I plan to include are:

Safe foods to bring with to the convention
Food safety while at the convention
What foods you can store and prepare in your hotel room
CONstipation
Hydration while in cosplay
How to eat a balanced meal while at Fanime
Important nutrients you need to make sure you get to stay healthy and have the energy to do all things you have planned.

Are there any topics that you guys would like to see added or removed?

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at Fanime this year!

Yay progress! Where can we find these new forms?

I have my fingers crossed that this gathering will be on Saturday this year!

Your name was Claire (not sure of the spelling) and I was cosplaying as Clare. We ran into each other a couple times and chatted briefly. You seemed like a cool person to hang out with.

This makes me think that perhaps we should put a platform and allow people to take pictures and get up close to the walk on acts during the intermission.  What are your thoughts?

Actually, that might be kinda cool! I know some of them stay after awards for photographs but often it is difficult to catch them. Maybe set up an area on the ground floor towards the back of the audience and invite people to come get a closer look. That area doesn't usually fill up anyway.

This sounds like a great idea for walk-ons and intermission!  I second/third this! ^_^

That would be awesome. As someone who did a walk-on this year I would've loved the opportunity to let people to see the details of my costume up-close.

Got the iOS app and it looks great guys! However, it doesn't look like the schedule is updated yet?

Doesn't look like it. I can't see the schedule yet either.

The app has been updated for 2014! (At least for iOS). It looks very nice and I'm excited that it's available again this year.

I really hope the update the app (or use Guidebook) for this year. The app was fantastic to have last year.

Swap meet registration and setup went so much more smoothly this year than it has in previous ones.

Even though we didn't get our first choice of spots, I want to thank you for pre-assigning them. We were able to save hours of time by not having to wait in line to ensure we got a good spot. This allowed us to spend more time enjoying the con, and reduced our stress significantly. I really hope that in coming years swap meet spots will continue to be assigned before the convention.

The venue, being inside the convention center, felt much safer this year than last year. We didn't have to worry about transporting our items around outside after midnight.

Overall the swap meet was much less stressful, and consequently more fun, this year.

Offer to let them go to Fanime with you. Thursday (tomorrow!) will be un-badged, meaning they could see what the convention is like for free. Fanime also has an Anime (and Manga) for Parents panel on Friday at 5pm. If they went with you, they could attend that panel and get a better idea of anime and the Fanime community.

This is great! I went looking for a Fanime app a couple months ago and was disappointed to see that there wasn't one available. I'm very happy that it has both a schedule and a map of the convention center.

I do have one request, though. On the schedule, would it be possible to get a more detailed location than "SJCC" or "Marriott?" I'd like to know if say, an event is being held in Panels 1, rather than Panels 2.

Thanks so much for releasing the app.

Hmm, don't know if I can post my question here, but here goes.

Hotels usually provide ice boxes, right? So is it safe to store things like cream cheese (which is the only perishable item I am thinking of bringing for breakfast) in the container without changing ice for more than four hours? If not I would just pack peanut butter, etc.

Perishable foods can be above 41 degrees (ice is about 32 degrees) for 4 hours total (this includes the time it was at this temperature at the grocery store, being transported, etc) before enough bacteria grow in them that they can make you ill. So once your ice melts, you probably don't want to leave your food un-chilled for very long beyond that. Getting sick is a sure fire way to ruin your con experience!

If you're using an ice chest you want to make sure that the ice surrounds the item (top, bottom and sides) to keep it cold as long as possible.

Edit: And to all the people who're planning to bring dozens of bottles of water, consider bringing a reusable water bottle instead! It's way cheaper, and you can fill it up at the myriad of water coolers, water fountains and sinks around the convention for free.

Name: Lisa
# of people in group: 1
Characters/Series: Natsume (houdzuki-gami attire) from Natsume's Book of Friends
Preferred Time Slot: Saturday 10-11am, 2nd choice: Friday 8-9pm

Thanks!

Edit: Oops, I can't do Friday as a 2nd choice, we're going to the swap meet that night :(

Why did you not like the Fairmont for Swap Meet?

I disliked the swap meet being at the Fairmont last year primarily due to safety concerns. The swap meet ends late at night, and carting items around downtown San Jose at that hour, instead of just carting them through the convention center, is way more dangerous.

I will say, however, that the Fairmont staff were amazingly helpful. They helped us transport heavy, cumbersome items from downstairs to upstairs and vice versa, and kept me company after midnight while my sister brought her car over to pick up our unsold items. We weren't even staying at the Fairmont and the staff still went out of their way to help us! If not for the Fairmont staff being so wonderful, I would've been very unhappy that the swap meet was outside of the convention center last year.

If you plan to wait in any long lines for an extended period of time (for example, lining up several hours in advance for the masquerade) or if you plan to be a seller at the swap meet, consider bringing a fabric folding chair (like this).

This will leave both your back and butt much less sore. However, if you're using chair(s) to wait in lines, make sure you have a buddy who can take the chair(s) back to your hotel/car 15-30 minutes before the event starts (usually they can rejoin you in line after putting the chairs away), because you won't be allowed to bring them into the event. Except for the swap meet: you can bring in a chair to sit in while selling your items.