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pre-printed badges: it was done in the past.. but why not this year? because Fanime wanted the capability for people to choose where they can pick up their badge. (yes, people could have gone to Clockwork Alchemy)

What I find extremely irritating, though, is the fact that Fanime specifically made us choose whether you wanted to pick up your badge at Fanime or Clockwork when you pre-registered and it was never mentioned in the actual line or prior to the convention that you could pick up your badge at EITHER location.

And if by chance this was posted on Twitter or something on the day registration opened, that's a good step, but there's also something to be said for face-to-face verbal communication. Or a physical sign. :/

We had internally discussed this and CA was very concerned because of their lack of resources and capabilities to handle a large line. I will be considering solutions or alternatives to your concern. Thank you for your feedback.

I am considering also having a roaming Registration "Info" Booth as well, as I saw the feedback for Info desk's was very popular. I'm actually very excited to explore this possibility! Signage will be increased as well. Definitely.

Actually, CA staff members were announcing to people in the Doubletree shuttle lines that they could indeed pick up badges and to "tell friends, post it on facebook, and post it on twitter."  This indicates that they could have been able to handle many more people, as CA's registration lines were extremely short.  Definitely made for some happy attendees who were spared the several hour long lines.  From what I was told, Fanime staff were discouraged from disclosing that people could pick up their badges from the Doubletree (unless asked first).  Perhaps better communication between Fanime and CA during the actual convention could have helped to bring attendees to the Doubletree, alleviate the lines, and keep CA's registration department busy.

Just boosting this back up a bit. I know we had toooons of photos taken, but I haven't really found any online this year. Anyone else having similar problems?
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Yep!  I know I had a lot of people take pics of me while I was working the shuttle stop at the Doubletree on Friday and Sunday.  There were also a few people (including someone with a big DSLR) that took lots of pictures of my in my Pinkie Pie near Artist Alley on Saturday.  No luck finding anything yet!  I should start giving my e-mail address out!

The theme for next year's Clockwork Alchemy is "Alternate Empires".  Based on what I've read on the forums it seems like Fanime is doing their own separate theme for 2014?

[Friday:]

Hello!

I was the individual at the Clockwork Alchemy Doubletree shuttle stop helping with lines on Friday afternoon and Saturday evening!  Just wanted to thank everyone for being so wonderful and patient!
Friday: Brown corset, brown skirt, brown boots, goggles
Saturday: Red/black corset, black skirt

Early afternoon Saturday, I was in and around Artist Alley dressed as Pinkie Pie.  My shirt was this one: 


I didn't have my camera with me most of the time, so I'm hoping someone can share pics!  Thank you so much! :)

I just want to know when DH and AA opens/closes. :)

Out of curiosity, what is the age range of the maids?  Can one be too old to sign up?

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I like this suggestion for earlier registration. If that doesn't work though, having the info on pricing is more important to me at least. Also, not having registration on a weekday. Lots of people have school and are forced to either skip classes or miss out on a hotel room.

Second this!  Personally, I did not enjoy having to decide between refreshing the website and possibly getting written up for surfing the web during work hours.  Please have hotel registration on a Saturday next year!

Another idea I liked was having the Fanime website up and running before registration starts.  That way you can work out the bugs instead of dealing with them while thousands of fans are trying to access the site.

A correct website would be nice too, but mistakes happen.  Comic-Con similarly posted a wrong link during badge registration last year, which resulted in non-Facebook/Twitter users to completely miss out on a badge because they sold out.  You can only imagine the amount of flaming that occurred afterwards...

Not everyone has a credit card in this economy... ._.

It's fairly easy to qualify for a credit card, especially a student one.  When I was in grad school, I qualified for a credit card despite having no job and no credit history.

Something to look into is applying for a credit card and using that exclusively for credit card charges, that way you don't go over the limit.

Of course, I'd recommend keeping a separate savings fund where you can set aside money each month for Fanime.  Credit card interest sucks, especially for starter credit cards, so it's best to pay off those bills in full if possible.

CORRECTION - ALL of registration will be in the Fairmont.

Just a heads up if someone is looking here instead of the FAQ thread that was just posted but Day 0 Reg lines for this year will be at the Fairmont Hotel, not in the convention center! o.o

The registration area in the SJCC is, due to construction, a mere shadow of what it was. Well, at least the stairs and escalators are gone, and what remains is simply a hole. :(

On that note, this is a fun thread with all kinds of expansion related posts.

Does this mean you don't have to follow SJCC union rules? Sounds promising already! :D

I'll be going as Pinkie Pie... If I learn how to sew in time!

I just want to say that there are a number of threads that address these questions. I would suggest doing a search first before posting. But this being a forum, I understand how information is scattered everywhere and that posts repetitively ask the same questions. So, I'll see how I can gather the information, but until then I will say, me having seen every Fanime post on the forum, I know these questions have been answered in good faith and thoroughly, just not on this specific page of the thread.

TL;DR - use the search function and you'll find direct and specific answers:)

and lets not get mean either, or I will have to lock this thread even if it will stifle discourse.

Thank your for your response.  I'm excited to see what changes are implemented this year.  I'll definitely help out if I can.

i like how very few people seem to grasp that "by fan" means that its all volunteers, and thus if they only get say 15 people to volunteer, they can't really run 30 check in stations (counting each computer as a station).  i think people need to just relax.  if you find the lines to be so deal breaking then please don't attend, it just makes it more annoying of a wait.

i'm sure they understand people have jobs, and that not everyone wants to wait in line, but in the end they are doing the best they can with the resources they have.  if you really want to make a different why not volunteer to help with day zero.  maybe it will help cut down on the wait.  otherwise get over yourself, you aren't entitled to anything.  if you really want to have a short line, just pre reg and show up on day one.  when that line is maybe a 30 mins wait.

From my understanding, the lack of people manning computer was due to union regulations at SJCC, not volunteer issues.

Personally, I've done my share of volunteering at fanime.  I have volunteered at Day 0.  I have stuffed registration bags.  I have helped people with badges.  I plan on helping out again this year.  I think that I am entitled to my opinion, and even if I didn't volunteer, I feel that I should be able to provide my feedback as a consumer who has spent significant amounts of money attending this event for several years.   Implying that people who don't volunteer (for whatever reason) are less legitimate fans is frankly an insult to the hordes of people who flock to fanime each year.  Without their financial support, this event would not take place.

What were the complaints about the line last year? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the biggest complaint was the fact that people had to wait X amount of hours in line. Yes, there were power issues, and printer issues, and other stuff going on, but things happen. Like I've said before, if you're gonna be all like, "ZOMG, I haz 2 wait here 4 s0 l0ng because t3h linez iz t00 l0ngggg," get there earlier.

Last year was the worst I've heard it's ever been. Hopefully the staff will do a better job preparing the badges this year. I've had friends who've pre-registered, only to end up with a paper badge instead of the color one. To me, the only justified complaints are the ones pertaining to registration itself--not the line.

I think the complaint about the line wait times are perfectly justified, actually.  Unfortunately, some people have jobs and don't have the luxury of showing up 6 hours early.  I also have friends who have back and leg problems, though not severe enough to warrant disability.  Standing in line for that many hours is a hardship for them.  Additionally, I had friends who came for a single day on Fridays and weekends and missed half the day because they were stuck in line.  These people woke up early in the morning and drove long distances, too.  It's not really fair, considering they still paid for an entire day.

In previous posts, there were suggestions on how to handle the line situation.  Eliminating custom badges, having more staff on hand, having multiple pickup locations, etc.  Probably too late to implement those now, but caring attendees provide constructive feedback each year.  My hope is to simply see lines run more efficiently this year.  Especially since badge pick-up is going to be at the Fairmont, so they won't be encountering union issues, which I heard was the main reason there were only 10 individuals on computers for badge pickup.  I've talked to people who attended bigger conventions (Comic-Con, Wondercon, and AX) and they've never had to wait more than 2 hours in line.

Like I said, we'll see how things so this year.  Maybe it'll be better, maybe it'll be the same.  As someone who cares about a convention run "By fans, for fans", and someone who cares enough to provide constructive criticism and encouragement, I appreciate that comments be considered than be tossed out because it's from some "idiot" who "haz 2 wait here 5 so long because t3h linez iz t00 l0nggg".

^ i cant believe people already booked their hotel, sucks for you....

Well, you can always try to book a room tomorrow and cancel that one.  Personally, I don't book a room this far in advance unless I know I can cancel it just in case!

You don't need your ID to register online, but your full legal name. You will need to login, however.

Is there any way we can access the website to double check our login?  I do not remember my login password and may have to reset it.  I'm sure this is probably the same for many others who have not logged in in a year!

You will have to recreate your login for the attendee website and will not need to have a login for the hotel website.

Thank you so much!  Such a relief to hear! 8)

You don't need your ID to register online, but your full legal name. You will need to login, however.

Is there any way we can access the website to double check our login?  I do not remember my login password and may have to reset it.  I'm sure this is probably the same for many others who have not logged in in a year!

There is really no way to reduce the lines. If a thousand people want to wait in line for badges, a thousand people will wait in line for badges. The only thing the staff can really do is watch out for people trying to cut in line, and maintain safety.

It's highly unlikely that they would be willing to send badges out via USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. I'm sure people would be willing to spend a little extra on their badges for this convenience, but having to maintain a record of tracking numbers for delivery confirmation purposes would be a burden.

In a nutshell, if you want you badge on Day 0, wait in line. Get there early for a shorter wait.

Sure, it's difficult to reduce the lines, and yes, the Fanime staff seems completely averse to mailing out badges.  However, after the number of complaints following last year's convention, it would be extremely disappointing if Fanime turned a blind eye to its fans and simply told us to "suck it up".  Fanime is growing in size each year, and at this rate we'll be having 10 hour waits.  Other larger conventions have significantly shorter wait times and hopefully Fanime can adopt some of their ideas.

I guess we'll see what happens this year.  Looks like it'll be pretty interesting with the construction and such.

I've sadly forgotten how I booked my housing last year.  Will we need to login first using last year's login ID to access the Fanime housing website?  Or do we just enter in any e-mail address when we pay?  If not, I'm going to have to look up my ID from last year so I'm not trying to remember my password while rooms are selling out like pancakes!

I trust that after last year, the staff has taken measures to hopefully reduce the lines.  Kind of curious to see what new ideas they'll be implementing this time around...