This year's Fanimecon had two major shocks for me.
The first was a policy change regarding access points. In previous years, people who didn't buy a pass were only blocked from attending specific events. They were still free to roam the convention center's open spaces on both the upper and lower floors. This year, the entirety of the upper floor and a good chunk of the ground floor were off-limits except to pass-holders. This is a HUGE drag.
The second was the sharp increase in registration prices. The last time I attended Fanimecon, a 4-day pass was somewhere in the neighborhood of $60. This year, it was $85. Look, guys, this isn't Venezuela. We're not experiencing 50% annual inflation. This kind of price increase, in combination with the first policy change that I mentioned, is absolutely inexcusable, especially when Kublacon is still only $60.
It was fun while it lasted. Maybe I'll start my own convention with blackjack and hookers.
The first was a policy change regarding access points. In previous years, people who didn't buy a pass were only blocked from attending specific events. They were still free to roam the convention center's open spaces on both the upper and lower floors. This year, the entirety of the upper floor and a good chunk of the ground floor were off-limits except to pass-holders. This is a HUGE drag.
The second was the sharp increase in registration prices. The last time I attended Fanimecon, a 4-day pass was somewhere in the neighborhood of $60. This year, it was $85. Look, guys, this isn't Venezuela. We're not experiencing 50% annual inflation. This kind of price increase, in combination with the first policy change that I mentioned, is absolutely inexcusable, especially when Kublacon is still only $60.
It was fun while it lasted. Maybe I'll start my own convention with blackjack and hookers.