Topics

I know this was brought up last year, but is anyone down to meet up for a hookah session, or many? Yes, there are hookah lounges in the area, but they're too expensive for what they are. So if anyone has a hookah and wants to bring it, maybe we can set something up. My friends and I smoked outside one of the Fairmont's exits last year and no one said anything.

I unfortunately don't have my 4-hose setup anymore, but I'm more than willing to bring my Egyptian hookah.

Well, just throwing the idea out there.

Exactly when are themes decided? And who comes up with them? Do the fans themselves have any say-so in the matter?

This past Fanime was my first since 2001, and I don't remember if there was a theme that year. I also know that sports was this year's theme, but I didn't see too many cosplayers adhering to it.

The reason I'm asking is because of how obscure next year's Gothic Fairytale theme is. Yes, I know that there's another thread on next year's theme, but this thread is about themes in general. But let's face it, a gothic theme, fairytale or not, can lead to a pretty drab con, especially if a lot of people decide to partake in the theme. I can assure you that I will not be doing anything gothic in my cosplays next year. Not that it really matters anyway...

I did a bit of forum searching and found out that the theme for the following year is announced during the closing ceremony, but that still doesn't answer who comes up with the theme itself. I've noticed a couple threads about theme ideas, but no real polls or anything of the sort. That being said, this makes me believe that the staff just comes up with the theme without any fan input.

Fanime is supposed to be 'By Fans, For Fans,' so is there a poll for yearly themes? Are suggestions welcome? OK, so next year's theme is decided, and probably won't change, but would there be a possibility of a Fan's Choice theme for 2014 and on?

Yea, a lot of questions, and who knows how many, if any at all, will be answered. Everyone's thoughts and concerns are welcome.

Hey all. Hopefully someone with some kind of authority reads this, but I'm having HUGE issues with Fanime housing right now.

So my girlfriend and I will be staying at the Fairmont from Thursday-Monday. I had the money set aside to cover the room and deposit, but things came up and we needed to take some of the money out. I still had enough money to pay for the room, just not the deposit. So I called Fanime Housing, which is really ran by CRM (Convention Resource Management), to get some answers. I spoke to Sylvia, she said that we can send a check for the cost of the room as a prepayment. Doing so will exempt us from having to pay the deposit when checking in to the Fairmont on the 24th. I was skeptical, because it sounded too good to be true for our situation, and called back the next day. Once again, I spoke to Sylvia and she confirmed what she had said before. She even went as far as saying that if anything happened to the room, like damage or room service, I would have a bill mailed to me. So she emailed me a copy of the invoice with directions for payment.

We sent out the payment and fast forward a couple weeks, I received an email from Fanime Housing showing that the room has been prepaid. I then called Fanime Housing again to make sure that I wouldn't have to provide a card for the deposit and everyone I spoke to confirmed what Sylvia had told me. There was even a section in the email that said the following:

IMPORTANT HOTEL POLICIES:
Deposit Policy:   Credit Card Guarantee or Check Deposit of 1 Night's Room & Tax
Guaranteed By:   Check, AMOUNT: US$ 405.84
Cancellation Policy:   Last day to cancel is Friday, April 27, 2012

My understanding, and I went over this with the people at Fanime Housing, is that the deposit for the room is 1 Night's Room + Tax via check or Credit Card. OK, I'm staying 4 nights, so let's just say my deposit should be 4 nights' room + tax. Quite obviously, I guaranteed my room by prepaying by check.

Now fast forward to a couple days ago. Since it's getting close to the convention, I figured I'd call the Fairmont to confirm what Fanime Housing had told me. I know that they won't be able to pull up my reservation until May 18, but their policies shouldn't change just because of a convention, right? Well, basically I spoke to the Fairmont's front desk manager, Jennifer, and she had told me that even though I prepaid through Fanime, I would still have to pay a deposit because it is the hotel's policy. This didn't make sense, because the email I received said that I had guaranteed my room be prepaying. Not only that, but it's $100/night by CC, or $300/night cash!!! So I'm led to believe that the people over at Fanime Housing/CRM intentionally lied to me.

Now it's time that I need some answers.

First - Do I really need to find a way to come up with the deposit? I did not sign anything saying I'd pay a deposit and the Fairmont already has my money. What happens if I show up to check in and I can't provide the deposit?

Second - I do not feel that I am going out on too much of a limb, but I feel that someone in the Fanime chain of command is responsible for this massive headache. It's too late for me to cancel my reservation, because it's past the April 27th deadline, and if I were to wait until the 18th to cancel, I'd probably lose money. Is there anything the Fanime staff can do to fix this? Can you guys tell the staff at the Fairmont to make some kind of arrangements with me? It's way too late to change plans now, and I don't have the money to try to get a reservation somewhere else.

This is my first Fanime since 2001, and I'd hate to say it, but it's been way more stressful than anything. The whole ordeal with Fanime Housing has left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm actually not too excited to attend anymore, at least right now. Fanime is supposed to be "By Fans, For Fans." Well, this fan is currently getting screwed, and there's no lube to be found anywhere.

Fanime admins, please help me out here. I can provide all documentation I've received from Fanime Housing as to prove that I'm not trying to scam you guys. I've provided the names of people I've spoken to. I wish to work together with you to come to some kind of resolution in this matter. Please reply ASAP, or PM me if the information is sensitive in matter.

Thank you.