Messages

[doesn't]

Communication is a hard thing to figure out. You don't want to announce anything that isn't already pen to paper, because announcing cancellations sucks. It always hurts when I have to post to Facebook, "X panel has been cancelled due to the host cancelling the event." No one wants to hear what doesn't happen at the convention. Everyone wants to hear what good stuff is happening. In fact, despite the fact that the panels I had to announce cancellations for HolMat2015 were minor panels, people still responded to them more. People see that more. But, as a Panel Coordinator, I had a duty to keep my attendees informed as soon as I knew the information, because its their money, and I wanted them the maximum amount of time to be able to plan their time for the convention, and it was heavily appreciated.

If any Fanime staff is listening, I can tell you that the more you talk to your attendees, the more they appreciate you. I put myself heavily out there from October to December. I had people say some really bad things about cancellations, but, once I got to the convention, I got so many people going, "Thank you for keeping me informed." I never announced anything that didn't have ink to paper, and we timed most of the announcements, but we announced things very consistently, and very quickly. We kept everyone informed. The schedule changed, but people could plan two months before the convention on which panels they were going to go to, which times they were going to schedule their photoshoots, and when they were going to go to an event. We had a solid convention. Things did change, but that's unavoidable.

I wish I could help you all, but its a little late in the game for me to get in and help (if you need help in the first place). :P

["Peacemealing:"]

As someone who helps run a convention, I can tell you that some events are separate for a number of reasons.

1. "Peacemealing:" In order to keep ticket prices down, and make it so you can "peacemeal" your experience, the budget for an event can be left off of the pricing of the ticket. For example, if they expect that only 5% of attendees will attend event A, and the event expects that it would cost $5 per person, rather than raising the price of the ticket by $5 for everyone (meaning that 95% of attendees would get a price increase for something they don't care for), they just make it a separate cost.

2. Not Convention Sponsored: The event isn't considered as part of the cost because the sponsor is not the convention itself. This can happen if an outside source chooses to take on the entire event, especially if there's something like catering involved, or bringing in a guest just for that event (such as a one-event DJ). Outside sponsors can be quite complicated, and I'm not going to bore you with the minutia of details involved in paying outside sources and Per Diems and such, but one-event things can be difficult to justify, also because of the Peacemealing. It also puts the convention on the hook for a set amount of money before the convention starts. This isn't so much greed as ease of use. Quite frequently, pass prices go right into the Convention Bank Account, and paying another group a large amount isn't too difficult, but it can be easier for the convention to setup another account that the funds go right into the bank account of the sponsor.

3. Expenses exceed the viability of expanding the price for everyone: This can be complicated. See, ticket prices usually go to things that happen throughout the weekend, including paying Staff, hotel rooms for Staff and Guests, food for Staff, Guests, and Volunteers, equipment rental, space rental, guest Per Diems, electricity, appearance fees, etc. If there's a major event, you'd think it would be included in the ticket price, right? Well, this is where it gets complicated. This is a variant on #1 Peacemealing, as an event that is attended by more than a minor percentage (roughly 20-40% of the attendee base), but the price may be more expensive than just putting it out there, like if the event costs $10 or more. Something that ends up eating through 20% of the ticket price can be really hard to justify running off of ticket prices. So, rather than raising prices, you get the money by making it optional.

4. Reducing demand by increasing price: Space costs money. If an event is normally attended by 50% or more attendees, you need the space to be able to do it. However, if an event hits the 20-40k mark, you have to consider a few variables:
A. People need space, especially if its a dancing event.
B. Acoustics are a very exact science. I used to be sound engineer, and setting up sound systems can be *very* difficult. There's something that I call "critical mass," that, when an event reaches a certain size, unless the event is outside, trying to get the sound to large room can be *really* difficult, not to mention that the price on equipment that can reach that amount of people moves on a logarithmic scale.
C. The event is a stage event, and it hasn't reached to the point in which it can be filmed and rebroadcast onto the screens.

So, in order to solve this issue, you make the event cost money. This means that some people cannot go, which is the point. Plus, you can raise the quality of the event, because you're charging above the normal ticket prices. You're not going to just sit on the money, you're going to reinvest the money you get from ticket sales into the event and other things that help around the convention.

Hopefully this helps!