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Another reason I don't touch your hotels.

That charge just seems to me to be another means to chase off that which you would find undesireable.

Rule of thumb:  They don't want you.

They want you to dump $50-75-100-more/night into a hotel that you will not use.

The only reason these cons are allowed is because they fill the hotel space.

The only hotel I'm going into if I were to attend is the Crowbar Motel, because I should've put that chair through the front window two years ago at 4 AM Monday.

Oh come on...  Anyone knows they don't even want you at the con if you don't have a hotel room for every damned night...  It's the only reason they're around...

Seriously, I almost punched out one of the rovers two years ago...  And far worse than that if I had actually gotten my hands on something by the last day.

I think someone is over exaggerating.

Actually, no.  If I were to attend the con this year, there's about an 80% chance I would end up in jail by Monday.

Oh come on...  Anyone knows they don't even want you at the con if you don't have a hotel room for every damned night...  It's the only reason they're around...

Seriously, I almost punched out one of the rovers two years ago...  And far worse than that if I had actually gotten my hands on something by the last day.

Darkstar?

Yes??

Con's too big.

What Naruto 101 needs to understand is that this kind of situation is evidence that Fanime (like most of the other large cons) is just too damn big, especially to be held as a "by fans, for fans" con...

Of course, they'll shudder to think at that.  Of course, don't worry -- this is probably the last year of the shows being this big anyway, unless you want to explain how people are even going to be able to afford to get to the conventions when gas is something like $6.00 a gallon...

For god's sakes... HAVE a hotel room or transportation back home/to a friends/SOMEWHERE.

A lot of idiots think going to fanime is a great idea, don't have a hotel room and expect to find a friend to crash with last minute without any money, or other such things, and end up sleeping in video rooms, hallways, and the such.

This is not smiled upon, so don't do it.

If you can't afford a hotel room, and you're traveling to the con, you shouldn't be going.

And not getting a hotel room, to save money, so you can spend it in the dealers room, is not a legitimate excuse to break the law and sleep in hallways/video rooms/etc.

My friends and I have a room, but we do like to take naps at the cons as well. (Short day naps, noon'ish, for 2 or 3 hours.) Is that acceptable?

Better be careful, or they'll get you for that too.

Frankly, they better have cops there if I show up... And you can take that as a threat...

I see what you did there!  You used some Common Sense, and Planning.

See, it's not that hard to plan out a budget, and find ways to save money.

But you forgot, darkstar is from bizarro land. Over there incompotence is encouraged when going to fanime. Video rooms are primarily meant for sleeping there.

I can't plan six months ahead.  For all I know and expect, six months from now, I'll be in prison.  I usually can't give more than maybe about three weeks.


(In fact, there's more than one time that deciding to go to cons came down to that.)

Let me put it this simply:

There is zero need for overnight screenings at an anime con unless you wish to accept people will crash out there.

Take it from someone who's been the only person in the room, or the only person awake, at numerous cons that did overnights (and some of them then did away with the practice).

You're not the only one who can stay awake at cons and go to overnight screenings. Don't assume.

I'll assume what I've seen at different cons -- both local and more outlying.

I mean, I've been at other cons where the number of people sleeping at the screening room and out in the hall far outweighed the number of awake people -- and it wasn't even close.

There is NO REASON NOR PURPOSE that the screening rooms should have to be open 24 hours if the expectation is for you to buy hotel rooms.  Not only could those hotel rooms be used for personal viewing of whatever they chose to buy (of course, for many anime fans, actually BUYING the anime would be one Hell of a concept), but you could also (like some other cons do) utilize the hotel's network for such (non-adult) means as well.

Let me put it this simply:

There is zero need for overnight screenings at an anime con unless you wish to accept people will crash out there.

Take it from someone who's been the only person in the room, or the only person awake, at numerous cons that did overnights (and some of them then did away with the practice).

They're there for people to be entertained if they're still awake late at night. They're not slumbering rooms-- if you honestly believe that they're there for the reason of people crashing in there, why doesn't Fanime have a freakin' sign put up saying, "HAY GUYZ, SLUMBER PARTY HERE!!"? Again, Fanime's convention grounds are private property. The hotel's there for a reason. Use it.

If that's the case, then do this:

Anyone caught sleeping anywhere on the convention grounds gets thrown off the premises and cited.  The only warning you get is in your book or posted prominently on the grounds.

The area they are caught in gets noted.  If on an overnight, a second offender shuts down that area til 8 AM.  That happens twice, that area is shut down for the duration of the con.

I mean, let's be blunt:  If you want to go _there_, the only reason Fanime exists is to satisfy the San Jose Convention and Visitors' Bureau.

Let me put it this simply:

There is zero need for overnight screenings at an anime con unless you wish to accept people will crash out there.

Take it from someone who's been the only person in the room, or the only person awake, at numerous cons that did overnights (and some of them then did away with the practice).

The best sound words of advice to darkstar; Shut the f&@k up!
You have some mental defect that keeps you from compotently planning a trip to the con, yet you(as in one person) expect the con to specifically cater to your(again a single person) needs. Really asshole, do you actually think a good chunk of fanime attendees are just like you?
Do us all a favor and walk in front of a light rail train.

Then shut me the f&@k up.

I don't respect you.  Unless you're gonna knock me out or something...

[What the Hell]

Darkstar, What the Hell is your problem?  If Fanime is such a hassle for you, THEN DON'T GO!  Shit man!  You sound like  all you want to do is to stir up trouble when you get there!

And if any Mod is reading this, answer me a question if you can.  Isn't the "No sleeping" (read as "loitering") in the convention center a policy of the convention center?

The rules are the hassle.  When you have to worry more about abiding by the damn rules than enjoying the con, then what money you threw at it was a waste.

Basically, I'm making a point:  If you want to enforce those rules, you had better go above and beyond to deal with people like me, because there is ZERO CHANCE of me going to the con and abiding by those rules.

::) Honestly, what are you trying to say about how should Fanime or any other convention try to do? Certainly, you're trying to state some kind of point about it with arguments after arguments.

I'm saying that larger cons can't police themselves.

Not with volunteers, at any rate.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying -- since it seems that "anime cons are a luxury" and all, and people who aren't rich enough to line hotel rooms they probably wouldn't use unless forced with the money which justifies the cons' presence in the name of th elocal Convention and Visitors' Bureau...

I mean, I've had it put to me that sleeping at the con threatens the future of the con -- well, at that point, I am a threat to future cons.

(Of course, if you saw how mad I was by Monday afternoon, I wouldn't have been here.)

A "no" is not sufficient.  Banishment or a restraining order might be a start.

Nice try, but a lot of this (including when I almost threw a chair through a window last year) is far beyond anything short of people with badges, guns, etc.

As much as they've thrown the inappropriate glomping around here too, unless some of these guys are willing to get physical...

No, if I don't like the law, they can arrest me.  OK?  Let's put it that simply.

I mean, until I had to move to help out a friend, I was putting the odds of getting arrested at this year's con to better than 50-50.

If it's against the law to sleep in the screening rooms, then they needed to arrest me last year, hardcore, because that was the only way I was going to attend that, or any future, Fanime.  Period.

You don't like it?  Do something about it.  With legal force.

As an additional point:  If you're going to have that attitude, institute a means test.  Force people to demonstrate they have the money to attend the con, or they don't attend the con.  That damned simple.

We're here to enforce one basic policy:

to make sure ALL con goers have fun and respectively obey the rules of the Con as well as LAWS enforced by the local SJPD.

If you didnt ask or scream for help- then theres an issue there because we cant read minds nor anticipate all potential hazardous situations.

use common sense please. its really shouldnt by that hard.  :P

I mean, bascially, any observed violation of the law should be immediately reported to the police then -- no matter how minor.

You'd need a far higher police presence than you think, especially if some of the con conduct we've discussed is truly against the law.

Inappropriate glomping, for example, is a sexual assault in some jurisdictions.

I truly think that the con does not take the steps necessary to ensure its safety, and doesn't want to call out sufficiently to the cops, because, if it did, they'd no longer be allowed use of their site.

While it's never happened to me but a couple of my friend problems stalkers/fanboy/fangirls. If you are propositioned for sex, drugs, anything you are uncomfortable with and/or being followed constantly after asking the individual to stop please for your sake and for other people who might also be having troubles with this individual report it to security. They are super nice and they are at the con to help you. Because what's can ruin your experience is constantly having to see/come in contact with that person.

No.

This is where the San Jose Police Dept. has to come in -- this and at least two other things which I and others have spread over this board.

What I said after last year was not in kidding:  They really need to put together an agreement with the SJPD for them to come in and police the con.  A lot of this stuff that I read about some of other people's experiences at Fanime with this kind of stuff just reinforces that the convention can't police itself.

The reason that I think they don't want to is that they don't want the authorities to know what really goes on in one of those things, or the authorities would feel the same way many people around cons I went to told me privately:  Not crazy about having them around.

And to Bawlsy's friend:  One time that happens -- 9 - 1 - 1.  You get his name, you get his badge number, you get him arrested.  Notify con security AFTER you call the police.

I am not getting what you mean [Psycho Express or the Homeless Express.  (Personally, if they're going to make a production of demanding people get hotel rooms, then they really should force all attendees to disclose where they are staying for the con.  No disclosure = see ya.)] Fanime is not forcing anyone to get a hotel. It's the attendee's decision to get a hotel especially for those who do not live close to San Jose.

No, they're making it a force issue -- I just wish that they'd take that force issue to it's logical extent.  All the big cons are getting too big to handle anyway, and any way that they can use to dissuade people like me from attending them probably will do them good in the long run.

Between that and the inappropriate glomping fiascos...

If you live anywhere nearby, you don't need $500 bucks. If you don't have money for a room, then drive or take public transit to get down here, and know when the last trains leave to head back home. In 2005 I drove from Hayward to San Jose all four days to enjoy the con. It was just me going, and I wasn't about to pay 300 bucks for a room to stay there by myself. If you live too far away to drive there well, you're just going to have to get a room or make a friend to share with. That's why there's a roommates thread. You don't need 500 bucks to enjoy the con unless you're going to be spending some major cash in the dealer's room. If you're creative you CAN do it for less.

And if you don't have the money...well there's not much you can do. No one is going to pay for you out of the kindness of their hearts. There are no free rides or lunches. Everything revolves around money. It's a fact of life. Honestly, anyone who thinks they can sleep in random places around the Con (or god forbid, outside) and NOT get their asses robbed or taken advantage of is incredibly foolish.

1) If you take public transit, that pretty much ends your con, if you don't live right on the light rail, probably 8 or 9 PM, in most cases.  That would probably make similar worth of being escorted back to a hotel room that you didn't leave between 9 PM and 8 AM...

I mean, after the Fanime debacle, I tried that with A-Kon, and was left, really, with "Why the Hell did I go to this con just to end up in the hotel room?"

And even if you do live on the light rail, you can figure out that you're not going to be going to see that Hentai marathon you've always wanted...

2) *does some rough figuring*  You'd probably STILL be out at least $150-200 by transportation, food, and the entry fee anyway.  We still haven't touched the dealers' hall yet...

3) I'd really like to know where you can get a real hotel room that'll allow you not to have to miss 12 hours out of every 24 at minimum and NOT pay at least $75/night.  Especially as late as some of us had to actually decide...