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[Necro-edit]

Woo-hoo! Our previous thread (Version 2.0) has been inducted into the recently created Hall of Fame! How fun...anyways, one downside is that we have to re-create the thread. So, here we are. Old and new members alike are free to share their tips and tricks for saving money, spending wisely and protecting yourself from scams while at Fanime 2015.

Note: This thread is for people who either have been seriously saving, or are curious for future conventions as to how much money they should bring. This isn't the place for debates regarding poor vs. rich, nor will sob stories be acceptable. This is a place where responsible people wish to find out what kind of money is required for certain aspects of the convention.  Recommendations on how to make money are acceptable as well.

Necro-edit Hello again my lovelies! Just thought I would bring this thread back up since Fanime is rapidly approaching yet again and I figured this thread would be helpful for new and old fanime-goers alike.  :D

Revival Edit Part Deux It lives! And sticky'd too! At this point we'll be gearing up for Fanime 2016 before we know it! I hope this is helpful for board viewers new and old!
~~

Ok so I know many of you are trying to figure out finances early so you can start saving to have a great FanimeCon...and good for you! Below is a sample budget that I"ve put together that includes some of the basic costs (food and lodging) along with fun stuff like the dealers room and arcade. I believe that by using this model you can get a better idea of how much you and your friends should bring to the convention to have a great time. ^_^

NEW SECTION!- Money earning/saving

Before we go into the whole expenditure part, it's important to address a common issue, especially among the younger teenagers, or older teenagers still in High School that are either A) Too busy to get a job B) Their parents won't let them work and go to school at the same time or C) Too lazy *nudge nudge*. Where do I get the money?

Well, let's look at a bare-bones budget and see how much would need to be saved on a monthly basis:
Badge (Pre registering as soon as they become available)- ~$45
Hotel (Sharing a 4 person room with 3 other people for the weekend)- ~$100
Food (7 dollars per meal, assuming all meals Saturday and Sunday, and Dinner/Breakfast sunday and monday)- ~$55
Shopping- ~$100

So you're looking at a budget of about 300 dollars. If you want REAL bare bones, take out shopping and the hotel, and cut about 30 bucks out of the food budget. So, roughly $80.

Assuming you don't get food or a hotel, $80 means that you would have to save $7 a month. I'm going to be pretty honest about this...if you can't find some way to save 7 dollars in the course of 30 days...I don't know what to tell you. Considering that birthdays and christmas all land before Fanime, even setting aside some money there would at least get you a badge.

Tossing in hotel and shopping, and no job to earn the money with, makes things a bit more interesting. Of course there are your typical suggestions: mow lawns, offer your  body to friends and neighbors (for labor...of course), selling off old anime/other stuff on Ebay. Assuming you need around 300 dollars, you're looking at $25/month saving from June through the end of May. That's $6.25 a week. Another option is looking into either freelance writing work for a larger website or magazine to get a free Press pass, or joining the staff to help reduce costs. More recommendations on making money would be greatly appreciated to help expand this section. ^_^

Now then, on to a more detailed examination of the overall budget:

Hotel Costs

I will be using the Marriott as an example, but if you're choosing a different hotel just use my formula to figure out individual rates per day as well as for the whole weekend.

109 per night (Marriott, 2 bed) X 3= 327
+ 20% tax means it'll be about 393.

Divide that by 4 and it will be 98 dollars per resident for three nights. Not bad. About 33 dollars per person per night.

If you're staying on Thursday as well, the total will be 524 for 4 nights...or 130 dollars per resident for four nights. Staying on Thursday night is not necessary, but can definitely help for picking up your badge/starting in on Fanime nice and early on Friday. This may not be an option for those of you still in High School...but you can figure that out yourselves lol.

So, basically, assume 100 dollars per person for three nights in a hotel. Or 135 for four nights.

Food Budget

EDIT: After noticing some board-frequenters responses, I realize that my budget is a bit on the high end. This is what I'm planning on going with, but you can see Jeans' example for a much more affordable food budget. Perhaps I'm a bit too snooty. ^_^

Food budget is variable...it depends on if you eat breakfast or whatever. Assuming you want to grab something for breakfast assume the following meals per day:

(If arriving on Thursday night)

Thursday-Dinner (15)
Friday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Saturday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Sunday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Monday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (15) (one or the other could be eliminated on the last day)

So total food budget could be roughly 145 dollars...if you get there friday afternoon then it would be 110 dollars if you eat breakfast. If you get there Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast then the budget is about 90 dollars.

Again this depends on personal preference and where exactly you want to eat. If you just eat Jack and the  Box and McDonalds all weekend you can save a ton, but I wouldn't recommend it. Because by Monday you feel like crap. >_<

Try to bring snacks to your hotel room. Mini-fridges are in short supply so if you ask really early you can get one, that will help with the food issue.

EDIT: Mini-fridges are reserved for medical uses first and foremost. Better idea- bring a cooler. But be careful with the ice! Last thing you need is a big spill and having to pay for water damage. >_<

So now your  total budget has come to a total of 280 dollars if you're arriving Thursday night and eating all meals, 210 dollars if you arrive Friday afternoon and eat all meals, or 190 dollars if you arrive on Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast.

FUN STUFF!

Now, what FanimeCon is complete without a trip to the dealers hall? My first suggestion, especially to those who will be there every day, is to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SWAP MEET!! You will find great deals here on DVDs, wall scrolls, figures and other random assortments, mostly in good condition, of things that people don't want or need anymore.

I would bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, this should land you a nice stack of DVDs/Figures/Manga.

Dealers room, while huge and full of shiny things, is usually pretty steep. I would wait until Sunday or Monday morning to do your big shopping, since being broke on Sunday/Monday is probably the worst thing. You're kind of wandering around being bored and not being able to buy anything. Not fun.

Wall scrolls were in short supply last year, but you can typically find them for deals like 2 for 20 or 3 for 25 even. I wouldn't recommend purchasing DVDs in the dealers room, as most of the time they are far more expensive than trusted online retailers such as www.rightstuf.com or www.deepdiscount.com .

If you bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, I would suggest about 200 dollars for the dealers hall, bringing total spending money to about 250.

Total Cost
If you arrive on Thursday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $530
If you arrive on Friday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $460
If you arrive on Friday night, skip breakfast and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $440

Keep in mind that 200 dollars in the dealers hall is still a decent amount of swag. A few DVDs, a couple wall scrolls, a soundtrack, a figure or two and a shirt is probably what you'll end up with, not to mention whatever you can snag at the swap meet. If this is your first convention, you can plan on bringing less money because you will be running around to panels, AMV contests, cosplay competitions and showing rooms all day long and won't really have time to do much shopping. ^_^ Don't forget about Artist Alley either!

Finally, if you're a big gamer type...you'll need a separate budget amount for arcade stuff. Games are pretty steep, like 50 cents to a dollar per play. However, some of these games are tons of fun and you'll want to play them more than once. Waiting for consoles may take some time, but the import games are usually tons of fun to play too. Bring about 30-40 dollars for arcade stuff if you're planning on being there often.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

1) SET ASIDE THE HOTEL MONEY!! I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about people who go to the checkout on Monday and realize that their roommates have either:
a) Spent all their money over the weekend and don't have their share for the room.
b) Disappeared like ninjas on Sunday night and left the card-holder to front the whole bill.

Collect the money for the hotel the DAY THEY ARRIVE! Many hotels will take the payments early so you can give them the payment for the hotel the day you check in. This is probably for the best, especially if you (or your roommates) are at Fanimecon for the first time.

2) DON'T SPEND YOUR FOOD MONEY ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN FOOD! Nothing's worse than starving on Sunday and monday because you spent all your money by Saturday night. If you have any surplus of your food budget, wait until Monday to use it.

3) WAIT TO DO MOST OF YOUR SHOPPING UNTIL SUNDAY/MONDAY! The only thing you should buy on Friday or Saturday are limited edition or rare items that you think won't last until Sunday or Monday. Even then, most of the time these retailers (especially if they're local) will re-stock over the weekend.

Well, that's about it.I hope this helps you guys! Let me know if you have any questions.

Tips offered by other Board-frequenters[/i]

Phoenixphire24-
Dealers room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

Kyraensui -
Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

Jeans -
Food will not cost you that much! La Victoria's taqueria sells breakfast burritos for $1.50 (or $1.75? i dunno, under two dollars) that are very filling and nutritious (eggs and protein!). Also, I would not buy the food from the convention vendors--it's all incredibly marked up. There are many restaurants downtown where you can buy really tasty and healthy food for cheap. Try Pita Pit, La Vic's, Iguana's, or even one of the pizza places! There is even a sushi place in Plaza de San Antonio (like 2 streets away from the con).

As for the walking around at night comment...I personally would, but I would be cautious. Always go with a group of friends to be on the safe side! Many of the restaurants downtown are open late for the people leaving clubs and such.

Heeroyuy

NEW I have an idea to those who don't want to wait around to have their credit card charged the full amount for a hotel room. Instead, buy hotel gift cards in small increments. For example, if you know your room is going to cost about $300, then buy three $100 gift cards. You can probably buy one each month after you reserve the room until you get to your desired total. You would still have to put a credit card on file, but when the bill comes around for the hotel you're stuck with the chump change compared to the full charge because the gift cards will take the grunt of the charged amount. It also gives you a easier chance to pay off those small amounts each month (or whatever your payment period is) compared to having to pay off the full amount.
What I did last year was I bought a lot of bottled water - I got 4 cases of 24 bottles from Smart and Final for about $20. Since the group I was in had two rooms, I decided to get 2 cases for each room.

It was a good idea since you save a lot of money on drinks (plus water and, to a certain extent, sports drinks like Gatorade are better for you over the weekend than sodas and energy drinks), but since we stayed at the Crowne Plaza, the accessibility for that water was not immediate, as we had to walk across the street to get to the hotel.

I'm going to do it again this year, and since I'm staying at the Marriot I can always retreat into my room, cool off with water, then go back without having to travel far. This way, the accessibility is much higher.


When I figured out my budget, I used a guide that is provided by the community college district (thank god for my ASG connections Smiley) to determine food budgets for traveling for conferences and other related events that require some sort of stipend. When I go back next week, I'll get one and provide it so that you can figure out it on a form.

I got the figures!

    * Breakfast: $9
    * Lunch: $12
    * Dinner: $21


That comes out to $42 a day, that's not including other items like snacks or drinks on the side.

Again, this is from a form that calculates stipend costs for travel provided by the community college district that I attend.

In reality, no one has $42 for food unless you have a ton of disposable income.

I can see something like this:

    * Breakfast: $6.75
    * Lunch: $9
    * Dinner: $15.75


That knocks it down to $31.50.

I say that these amounts are recommended so that you get the food that you need to keep yourself at optimum level while at FanimeCon

Moonblossom -
For more really tasty and relatively inexpensive food, there's the Asquew Grill.
http://www.asqewgrill.com/

A friend and I stumbled across this place while roaming around looking for dinner one night after everything else was closed, and omg, it's fabulous. The meat is really juicy and tender, and every single one of their sides that we ended up trying were awesome. We went back the next night with a larger group actually, and didn't mind at all.

It's not quite as cheap as La Victoria, but it's so delicious.

And, um, interesting tidbit that I possibly should not be promoting, they never carded me ><. I was 25 at the time so it wasn't an issue one way or the other, but it's handy to know. Should you have, um, forgotten your ID at the hotel, of course.

Superkawaiineko-

I've been doing this for more than ten years now, and I've been to cons as far away as AX. You guys seem to have the money covered, but I've got one tip for you, and that is to always have some extra money (if you can spare it, not everyone can.)

We call this the "Holy Shit! Fund" and the farther away from con you are, the larger this needs to be. If you're local, you could probably get away with around twenty dollars or so. If you're a couple hours away, you'll want at least 50 to 100. If youre from down south or out of state, $100 to $200 is nice. Sometimes, things dont go according to plan. Sometimes, unexpected things happen. And then you go "Holy shit! I need cash!" This is where the Holy Shit! Fund comes into play. Perhaps gremlins poke holes in your tire and you need to buy a new one. Maybe you lose track of time and miss your train, and you need to buy a new ticket. Maybe the omg BEST. BAND. EVAR. is playing one night only and you NEED to go see them. Maybe your friend gets arrested and you need to post bail. Maybe the roads get closed or the train breaks down and you need cash for another night at the hotel.

Maybe you meet the girl or guy of your dreams and decide to elope.

All of these reasons and more is why we have the Holy Shit! Fund. Have any of them ever happened to me? Nope. Do I still set money aside whenever I have enough to spare? Hell yes. You also have to remember that the unexpected can happen both on the way to the con, at the con itself, and on the way home. I suggest setting aside an amount that you deem appropriate, and keeping that money entirely seperate from your normal money (keep it in a different wallet in a different spot on your person, or even leave it in the hotel room (in a place where the cleaning lady wont think it's for her.)) Dont spend it until monday, and if you can keep at least half of it just in case of emergencies on the way home (sometimes I spend my food money and use the remainder of The Fund for food on the way back XD)

Will you need it? Probably not. But if you don't prepare and you end up wishing you had it, I hope you think of meee~ ^_^

OMG Fanime is only SEVEN MONTHS AWAY!!

...
*crickets*

Anyways, just to get the ball rolling, what sorts of things will you be looking for this year?

Myself:

Code Geass Wall Scrolls (These are going to sell out fast I'm afraid)
Code Geass Figures (Also going to fly off the shelves)
One Piece wall scrolls/figures

Soul Eater stuff

more will be added to the list later I'm sure. What about the rest of you?


Mod edit: It ain't extreamly early no more:)

So, how exactly does all the money that flows into the convention work? The way I see it, you use the pre-registration money to pay for things like the bands, reserving the convention center, etc. What about the money you make from at-con registrations?

The treasurer or someone would probably know, right? I'd appreciate an answer.

[PLEASE bring back group registration]

Seeing as how Fanime 2008 is here, I figured I'd start a thread for people to offer feedback and suggestions for next year nice and early. After much consideration, etc. I think I'll be joining Registration staff for next year. We'll see what my college schedule allows for.

Anyways, for next year here's the first idea I've got:

1) PLEASE bring back group registration - This is a system of registration that a lot of people liked, and is perfect for Anime clubs and large groups of friends to get all of their badges together. Perks for group reg also should make a comeback. Either reduced prices, or a separate group registration line, or something like that.

I'm sure more will be added as the weekend goes on and in the coming weeks. Anyways, good luck with the convention Registration staff!

[Please note that it is not impossible to pickup your badge without a government ID, but the process is time consuming and will impact other members' wait in line.]

I've brought this up in a couple other threads, but I don't think anyone's really caught on...so for the last time let me repeat what it says on the registration page regarding State-issued Identification requirements:

Please note that it is not impossible to pickup your badge without a government ID, but the process is time consuming and will impact other members' wait in line.

Translation? If you don't have a government ID at the time of badge pickup for Fanime...DO NOT WORRY! They will take whatever form of Photo ID you have + your postcard. Chances are they'll just need to confirm stuff like your address/phone number to give you your badge.

Of course, government ID is preferred, but honestly they can't expect to enforce the requirement on a group of con attendees who, for the most part, don't need a state ID for a good 3-5 years yet.

So, yeah. Stop worrying and just bring whatever you can + your postcard.

Dear Registration Staff,

First...let me say that I really appreciate all that you do. Really. I know it's really tough dealing with 10,000+ people all pushing and shoving their way into a gigantic convention center, not to mention keeping a line of prominently teenage and preteen customers from rising up in a gigantic mass and slaughtering you all. Kudos.

However, getting rid of group registration was just...a really really bad idea. Granted there were some hiccups last year, but the convenience of having one person go and pick up badges for 10 or more people? How is this not a great way to cut down the size of the lines, and increase the convenience for people who are going in a group (which is usually a majority of the con, I would imagine.)

I"m not complaining about the whole ID thing. I can understand that...and I'm sure by next year people will get the clue and go get a state ID. But please, bring back group registration next year. I can tell you right now the registration and pre-registration lines are going to be way worse because instead of 1 person picking up 10 badges, you'll have 10 people in line. Do the math on all the groups that probably went last year...all the people who are going to show up...it's not going to be pretty.

Thanks Registration team...looking forward to next year.

-FFG

Anyone who was press last year or staff members,

I'll be covering Fanime for Anime News Network. A couple of questions:

1) Will I be able to pick up my badge on Thursday night? If not, does that mean I"m not allowed to go to the Thursday night events since it's stated on your "professional" page that multiple badges are no longer allowed? I would like a clarification because I like going Thursday night for the Swap Meet and early showings.

2) Will my press badge be laminated and fancy looking? Or will it be a neon green piece of paper slapped between plastic like last year? Granted last year it was pretty last minute (for my press badge anyways). I'm just wondering if my supervisor gets the information to you soon if I'll be able to get a nice badge.

That's about it. Thanks for your help.

Well, I'm typically one that budgets out EVERYTHING fairly early on. I'm going to be bringing about 1000 to fanime again this year...not including room, but including food.

Soundtracks...figures and a selection of anime are on my list. Series that I haven't had a chance to pick up yet. I'm also looking for wall-scrolls and of course....more shirts!

How about the rest of ya?

Hello,

I remember in years past having a stamp rally going on, with daily (sometimes hourly) drawings for anime DVDs, sets and other merchandise. I thought that this was pretty awesome. It's a great way to get fans who may not have brought a lot of money to the convention a chance at some sweet swag.

I think what you did was 10 stamps=a shirt that you had a bunch of extras (the Dear Friends final fantasy concert ones) or entries into a drawing. So the person could choose whether they wanted the shirt or to chance it on a DVD set or something.

The stamp locations were all around downtown as well, which was pretty awesome. You could also have hidden stamps, with cosplayer hints or something. If you found that person you could get 2 or 3 stamps instead of the usual 1.

I don't know, I just really like the idea. I hope it comes back.

So...no more group registration. Right? That kinda sucks but whatever, not going to fuss about it. My main dilemma is the following:

I brought my sisters to fanime last year and I'm doing the same this year. They are 18, 16 (and she brings a friend her age) and 13 and the oldest will be 19 when Fanime 2008 gets here. Now, I typically did a group registration and then picked up everyone's badges on thursday night along with my own. However, since Group reg seems to have received the axe...do I have to register them all separately? Can I act as their guardian, being 22 years old and related by blood to almost all of them (besides my 16 year old sister's friend)? Or will my mom have to come to get their badges...as well as the friend's mom?

I really hope it's the first option. I would hate for it to become so complicated. I would think that eliminating group registration would actually cause more headaches than keeping it around, but I don't work with registration so I may be COMPLETELY ignorant to the hell that is group registration.

If this is the case, please...enlighten me. Also, tell me what I'm supposed to do because I'd like to figure it out ASAP.

Thanks a ton.

-FFG

[Hotel Costs]

Ok so I know many of you are trying to figure out finances early so you can start saving to have a great FanimeCon...and good for you! Below is a sample budget that I"ve put together that includes some of the basic costs (food and lodging) along with fun stuff like the dealers room and arcade. I believe that by using this model you can get a better idea of how much you and your friends should bring to the convention to have a great time. ^_^

Hotel Costs

I will be using the Marriott as an example, but if you're choosing a different hotel just use my formula to figure out individual rates per day as well as for the whole weekend.

109 per night (Marriott, 2 bed) X 3= 327
+ 20% tax means it'll be about 393.

Divide that by 4 and it will be 98 dollars per resident for three nights. Not bad. About 33 dollars per person per night.

If you're staying on Thursday as well, the total will be 524 for 4 nights...or 130 dollars per resident for four nights. Staying on Thursday night is not necessary, but can definitely help for picking up your badge/starting in on Fanime nice and early on Friday. This may not be an option for those of you still in High School...but you can figure that out yourselves lol.

So, basically, assume 100 dollars per person for three nights in a hotel. Or 135 for four nights.

Food Budget

Food budget is variable...it depends on if you eat breakfast or whatever. Assuming you want to grab something for breakfast assume the following meals per day:

(If arriving on Thursday night)

Thursday-Dinner (15)
Friday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Saturday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Sunday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Monday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (15) (one or the other could be eliminated on the last day)

So total food budget could be roughly 145 dollars...if you get there friday afternoon then it would be 110 dollars if you eat breakfast. If you get there Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast then the budget is about 90 dollars.

Again this depends on personal preference and where exactly you want to eat. If you just eat Jack and the  Box and McDonalds all weekend you can save a ton, but I wouldn't recommend it. Because by Monday you feel like crap. >_<

Try to bring snacks to your hotel room. Mini-fridges are in short supply so if you ask really early you can get one, that will help with the food issue.

So now your  total budget has come to a total of 280 dollars if you're arriving Thursday night and eating all meals, 210 dollars if you arrive Friday afternoon and eat all meals, or 190 dollars if you arrive on Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast.

FUN STUFF!

Now, what FanimeCon is complete without a trip to the dealers hall? My first suggestion, especially to those who will be there every day, is to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SWAP MEET!! You will find great deals here on DVDs, wall scrolls, figures and other random assortments, mostly in good condition, of things that people don't want or need anymore.

I would bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, this should land you a nice stack of DVDs/Figures/Manga.

Dealers room, while huge and full of shiny things, is usually pretty steep. I would wait until Sunday or Monday morning to do your big shopping, since being broke on Sunday/Monday is probably the worst thing. You're kind of wandering around being bored and not being able to buy anything. Not fun.

Wall scrolls were in short supply last year, but you can typically find them for deals like 2 for 20 or 3 for 25 even. I wouldn't recommend purchasing DVDs in the dealers room, as most of the time they are far more expensive than trusted online retailers such as www.rightstuf.com or www.deepdiscount.com .

If you bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, I would suggest about 200 dollars for the dealers hall, bringing total spending money to about 250, and your overall budget to the following:

If you arrive on Thursday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $530
If you arrive on Friday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $460
If you arrive on Friday night, skip breakfast and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $440

Keep in mind that 200 dollars in the dealers hall is still a decent amount of swag. A few DVDs, a couple wall scrolls, a soundtrack, a figure or two and a shirt is probably what you'll end up with, not to mention whatever you can snag at the swap meet. If this is your first convention, you can plan on bringing less money because you will be running around to panels, AMV contests, cosplay competitions and showing rooms all day long and won't really have time to do much shopping. ^_^ Don't forget about Artist Alley either!

Finally, if you're a big gamer type...you'll need a separate budget amount for arcade stuff. Games are pretty steep, like 50 cents to a dollar per play. However, some of these games are tons of fun and you'll want to play them more than once. Waiting for consoles may take some time, but the import games are usually tons of fun to play too. Bring about 30-40 dollars for arcade stuff if you're planning on being there often.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

1) SET ASIDE THE HOTEL MONEY!! I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about people who go to the checkout on Monday and realize that their roommates have either:
a) Spent all their money over the weekend and don't have their share for the room.
b) Disappeared like ninjas on Sunday night and left the card-holder to front the whole bill.

Collect the money for the hotel the DAY THEY ARRIVE! Many hotels will take the payments early so you can give them the payment for the hotel the day you check in. This is probably for the best, especially if you (or your roommates) are at Fanimecon for the first time.

2) DON'T SPEND YOUR FOOD MONEY ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN! Nothing's worse than starving on Sunday and monday because you spent all your money by Saturday night. If you have any surplus of your food budget, wait until Monday to use it.

3) WAIT TO DO MOST OF YOUR SHOPPING UNTIL SUNDAY/MONDAY! The only thing you should buy on Friday or Saturday are limited edition or rare items that you think won't last until Sunday or Monday. Even then, most of the time these retailers (especially if they're local) will re-stock over the weekend.

Well, that's about it.I hope this helps you guys! Let me know if you have any questions.

Tips offered by other Board-frequenters[/i]

Phoenixphire24-
Dealers room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

Kyraensui -
Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

Jeans -
Food will not cost you that much! La Victoria's taqueria sells breakfast burritos for $1.50 (or $1.75? i dunno, under two dollars) that are very filling and nutritious (eggs and protein!). Also, I would not buy the food from the convention vendors--it's all incredibly marked up. There are many restaurants downtown where you can buy really tasty and healthy food for cheap. Try Pita Pit, La Vic's, Iguana's, or even one of the pizza places! There is even a sushi place in Plaza de San Antonio (like 2 streets away from the con).

As for the walking around at night comment...I personally would, but I would be cautious. Always go with a group of friends to be on the safe side! Many of the restaurants downtown are open late for the people leaving clubs and such.

Heeroyuy

What I did last year was I bought a lot of bottled water - I got 4 cases of 24 bottles from Smart and Final for about $20. Since the group I was in had two rooms, I decided to get 2 cases for each room.

It was a good idea since you save a lot of money on drinks (plus water and, to a certain extent, sports drinks like Gatorade are better for you over the weekend than sodas and energy drinks), but since we stayed at the Crowne Plaza, the accessibility for that water was not immediate, as we had to walk across the street to get to the hotel.

I'm going to do it again this year, and since I'm staying at the Marriot I can always retreat into my room, cool off with water, then go back without having to travel far. This way, the accessibility is much higher.


When I figured out my budget, I used a guide that is provided by the community college district (thank god for my ASG connections Smiley) to determine food budgets for traveling for conferences and other related events that require some sort of stipend. When I go back next week, I'll get one and provide it so that you can figure out it on a form.

I got the figures!

    * Breakfast: $9
    * Lunch: $12
    * Dinner: $21


That comes out to $42 a day, that's not including other items like snacks or drinks on the side.

Again, this is from a form that calculates stipend costs for travel provided by the community college district that I attend.

In reality, no one has $42 for food unless you have a ton of disposable income.

I can see something like this:

    * Breakfast: $6.75
    * Lunch: $9
    * Dinner: $15.75


That knocks it down to $31.50.

I say that these amounts are recommended so that you get the food that you need to keep yourself at optimum level while at FanimeCon
Moonblossom -
For more really tasty and relatively inexpensive food, there's the Asquew Grill.
http://www.asqewgrill.com/

A friend and I stumbled across this place while roaming around looking for dinner one night after everything else was closed, and omg, it's fabulous. The meat is really juicy and tender, and every single one of their sides that we ended up trying were awesome. We went back the next night with a larger group actually, and didn't mind at all.

It's not quite as cheap as La Victoria, but it's so delicious.

And, um, interesting tidbit that I possibly should not be promoting, they never carded me ><. I was 25 at the time so it wasn't an issue one way or the other, but it's handy to know. Should you have, um, forgotten your ID at the hotel, of course.

Superkawaiineko-

I've been doing this for more than ten years now, and I've been to cons as far away as AX. You guys seem to have the money covered, but I've got one tip for you, and that is to always have some extra money (if you can spare it, not everyone can.)

We call this the "Holy Shit! Fund" and the farther away from con you are, the larger this needs to be. If you're local, you could probably get away with around twenty dollars or so. If you're a couple hours away, you'll want at least 50 to 100. If youre from down south or out of state, $100 to $200 is nice. Sometimes, things dont go according to plan. Sometimes, unexpected things happen. And then you go "Holy shit! I need cash!" This is where the Holy Shit! Fund comes into play. Perhaps gremlins poke holes in your tire and you need to buy a new one. Maybe you lose track of time and miss your train, and you need to buy a new ticket. Maybe the omg BEST. BAND. EVAR. is playing one night only and you NEED to go see them. Maybe your friend gets arrested and you need to post bail. Maybe the roads get closed or the train breaks down and you need cash for another night at the hotel.

Maybe you meet the girl or guy of your dreams and decide to elope.

All of these reasons and more is why we have the Holy Shit! Fund. Have any of them ever happened to me? Nope. Do I still set money aside whenever I have enough to spare? Hell yes. You also have to remember that the unexpected can happen both on the way to the con, at the con itself, and on the way home. I suggest setting aside an amount that you deem appropriate, and keeping that money entirely seperate from your normal money (keep it in a different wallet in a different spot on your person, or even leave it in the hotel room (in a place where the cleaning lady wont think it's for her.)) Dont spend it until monday, and if you can keep at least half of it just in case of emergencies on the way home (sometimes I spend my food money and use the remainder of The Fund for food on the way back XD)

Will you need it? Probably not. But if you don't prepare and you end up wishing you had it, I hope you think of meee~ ^_^

Well, it's been a day. Time to start calling people for next year!

Aya Hirano- Voice of Haruhi Suzumiya in Japan, great singer and a total cutie. I would love to see her come out to Fanime.

Crispin Freeman- Voice of Kyon in the English Dub, as well as Alucard from Hellsing and many other great voices. Hosts a 'mythology in Anime' panel that would be really interesting for people to see I think.

Hiroyuki Yamaga- Bring him back! His panel on Gurren Lagaan was great. He said something about trying to bring Kamina's voice actor to America with him next year, try to have him bring an entourage with him!

Ric Meyers- Bring this guy back too. He's so interesting and I really enjoyed chatting it up with him over the weekend.

Matt Greenfield- ADV co-founder and really cool guy. I'd love to see ADV at Fanime next year. He's married to Tiffany Grant too so maybe we could get a 2 for 1 deal and bring Asuka out too? hehehe

Video Game Companies- Square-Enix representatives, Atlus, EA and other companies coming to Fanime to announce new games would be really cool. I have contact info for Atlus if the guest coordinator wants to exchange some information.

That's about it for now.

Feel free to vent or praise or whatever you wish to do regarding your hotel situation this year.

I know one thing that people will mention first off is the whole elevator tango. Unfortunately, with so many people needing to go up and/or down and a limited amount of elevators, that problem is sure to happen and there's not much we can do about it unless we pay to add a couple more elevators to the Marriott and the Hilton.

As far as my actual stay, it was excellent. I was treated very kindly at check in and check out...the suites at the Marriott were nice and big (I will definitely be interested in staying in them again) the bed was heavenly, and so was the view. Easy AV connections made gaming really easy and overall it was an awesome stay.

I've always enjoyed my stays at the Marriott and they certainly didn't disappoint this time either.

Maybe this is being covered in the general response thread, but just in case, here's a thread for feedback about the registration system.

Firstly, let me just say that we all know that the lines are huge. The 3 to 3 and a half hour wait on Saturday was crazy, but when you're dealing with thousands of attendees to any event, that kind of wait should be expected. That just means that more people will pre-register for next year and there will be a longer line on Thursdays. lol

Group Registration needs to be better organized. I went to pick up the badges for my group (it had less than 10 people, but we were still a 'group') and the registration staffer said I needed the receipt since their system only showed my name. It would be unfair of me not to mention that there was a friendly staff member there that allowed me to go to the Marriott to print out my receipt and come back without waiting in line, and for that I was very thankful. However, I think that ANY group's badges should be able to be picked up by the group leader no matter how big or how small they are. Also, maybe lower the group number before offering incentives. Instead of 10 or more, why not 5 or more?

Also, I think that Fanime should start offering pre and early registrations for single day-passes. I think that this will help increase the revenue ahead of time as more and more people will pre-register for Saturday only or Sunday only.

Also, one last thing although it's not that major in my opinion: Our real names are still bigger and more noticeable than our Fan-names. I would prefer it if it were the other way around and I'm sure that others feel the same way. Oh, and more variety on the badge pictures. ^_^

Finally I just wanted to thank the registration staff for all their hard work in 2007. Problems and other stuff aside, it was a great con. Good luck for next year too!

[Thursday]

Here is the official 'Look at all the cool stuff I got!" thread. I'll be updating my list daily. Here's what I got at the swap meet tonight:

Thursday
Infinite Ryvius (Complete Series. Only 20 bucks!!)
This is Trance 3 (8 bucks)
Yuki Nagato Print (4 bucks)

Friday
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Limited Edition that came w/ a nice poster, CD single, first DVD and an armband (65 bucks)
Fate Testarossa Figure (75 bucks)
This is Trance 1 and 4 (16 bucks)
Shirt: I'm Just a Nobody [Kingdom Hearts 2 reference] (15 bucks)
FanimeCon 2007 Sword- Carbon Steel (60 bucks pre-ordered)

Saturday
This is Zeldaaaaa shirt (20 bucks)
Long chinese robe with Blue dragons (35 bucks)

Sunday
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya- small figurine. (7 bucks, I got Tsuruya)

Monday
3 Mai Otome Figures (21 bucks, I got the secret figure of Arika's mom...w00t)
Kiki Kitty (~10 bucks)
Ninja Panda Shirt and Angel Panda shirt (15 bucks)

Pictures will be forthcoming.

This thread is to voice any questions or requests to any soundtrack dealers that may visit these boards.


I just have a request:

Can you bring the Odin Sphere soundtrack? I'm pretty sure it will be out by then. I really really want to get it!

Hey all,

I'm looking to start building up a quality figurine collection. The first figurines that come to mind are the Haruhi ladies: Haruhi, Yuki and Mikuru.

So, I just wanted to get some feedback on the quality of the figurine vendors that are at Fanime, as well as some recommendations for good online figurine dealers.

So, yeah. ^_^

I didn't know where to put it, since it's not really a new idea or suggestion and not really live programming...

Anyways, I had fun with the stamp rally last year and I'm wondering if it will be making a comeback? Response from an admin or staff would be ideal.

Hello everyone!

Now I know that there is a swap meet thread already, but the purpose of this thread is slightly different. I would like this thread to be used to help connect buyers with sellers, as well as allow buyers to post particular items they may be looking for.

I, for example, am looking for a cowboy bebop perfect collection. Preferably the 7 disc set, but it could be another edition.

Those of you who will be bringing certain items like figures or video games, etc, feel free to post an initial idea of what your wares may be.

I figure since we have about 45 days left it wouldn't be too outlandish to see some partial lists as well as requests.

Of course, if the mods don't find the thread necessary I understand if it gets locked.

Thanks!

So, here's what I was thinking.

You know we have the AMV contest, and it's so popular...why not have a contest where people can submit great video gaming achievements? Things like getting over a million points in the original SSX, beating a boss without getting hit once, that kind of thing. There could be different categories, and each year one person would be voted into the 'hall of fame'.

Just a rough idea.

Alright, so LadyKaren and I have been sending a few messages back and forth and we thought it would be cool to start arranging events that suite-holders could participate in. I"m going to be having 2 suites reserved and LadyKaren has another one.

(Of course, this is also for other people too. Just thought I'd start by offering invitations to people who have suites, and anyone else who wants to come, feel free! ^_^)

Friday:
From 2-8 PM: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, Season one will be showing in our room. Please RSVP to secure a spot.

Roughly 9 PM: UPDATE! We are no longer making a Spider Man 3 trip...
HOWEVER, we are making a Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End trip. ^_^ This makes it all the more important that you RSVP and send the money so I can pre-order tickets because this movie is going to be packed for sure.


Saturday:
11-5PM: Gunslinger Girl will be showing. Please RSVP if you are interested in attending this block.

Unfortunately, due to the Play! symphony, and my desire to nab plenty of goodies...I will not be at the dinner on Saturday. If people still want to get together, talk to Karen, she may still be interested.

Sunday Night:
Noon-6PM: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's will be showing. Please RSVP if you wish to attend this block.

NOTE: For now, please RSVP for the shows you wish to see in order 1-3, I will try to fit everyone in but if the room isn't big enough I will have to limit the number of viewers in the room since I don't want to get in trouble. You can RSVP for multiple events at once.

Gaming Tournament! We'll have Smash bros. and SoulCalibur II as well as Guilty Gear X2 set up the two suites (games will alternate) I"m renting out. We'll set up a bracket and entry fee will be 3 dollars. Depending on the number of contestants, we'll have 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes for each game. We'll have a first place prize for sure. Due to the nature of having people in our room and fire hazards, we'll need to rotate players in and probably set up times for people to show up. No lingering about in the executive floors. I don't want to get in trouble. >_< We'll work it out. (CHECK UPDATE ON PAGE 3)

Anyways, those are my ideas as of right now. If any of you would be interested or have any other suggestions, please let me know! Thanks!

Haruhi volume 1 isn't being released until the day AFTER fanime ends, but I'd still love to see it at Fanime (both in the screening rooms and in the dealers room)

In any case, Tony or anyone who is in charge of that department, is there any way you can get Bandai to have a pre-release sort of thing? That would rock.

Thanks.

I love the game myself...and I know it was at Fanime 05...I don't remember it being there last year though. *shrug*


Anyways, anybody else want to see Dance ManiaX at Fanime 07?

I decided to just share a double with a friend of mine from last year. More space to breathe.

I know that staff has put a lot of safety guards and rules in Fanime to make it safe for everyone. Personally I find it very comforting, however, there are a couple loopholes that I have noticed, mainly due to some complaints and stories from people for the last two conventions. So, here are a couple of rules I strongly believe should be enforced for the upcoming conventions:

1) Badge removal for sexual harassment. Many times people have told me about how they were followed around by fangirls/boys for excessive periods of time and felt uncomfortable about it. Others would ask to glomp, and when the person said no they would get all mad and pissy and maybe even chew the person out. I really think this needs to be addressed in a big way. First of all in the form of the person being stalked or harassed politely requesting that the people stop. If that doesn't work, letting a con rover know and letting the rover give the warning. Third strike, badge removal for the weekend. I really think this would help people feel more comfortable about their cosplays without being stalked or harassed.

2) Badge removal for threats. Especially in the E-gaming room this year I guess there were a number of threats against people who won. Threats of actual physical harm. There should be a zero tolerance policy for stuff like that. Just because someone beat you at a game does not mean you get to threaten to beat them up or hurt them later on. Inexcusable. I really think this should be addressed next year as well.

While I personally did not experience either of these, in order for the convention to remain family friendly and inviting to new people, I would highly suggest that these actions be taken so that people who do not know how to behave in a civil manner will be ejected from the Convention.

Thank you.