Here are my recommendations for the registration line issue, as I believe it's not right to complain unless you're willing to contribute to the solution.
1. A timed ticket system would dramatically improve the line experience. The actual line 'length' is unimportant, what matters is how long someone is 'waiting' in line. People could come up to a counter and get a ticket for a certain time frame (15 minutes), and should come back at that time to get in the line. People are not allowed in the line until the time on their ticket, people who miss their ticket window are added to the end of the line of the next time group. Thus if the line is three hours long, you can issue tickets for +2.5 hours. That gives plenty of buffer, but that's also two and a half hours the attendee could be doing anything else but standing in line. They can go check out the cosplay, hang out in the common areas, go get some food, etc. A three hour line just became "Two and a half of hours goofing around, and then a half hour line." This would require a printing system, but would extensively benefit the impression of the convention.
2. For handling the line itself, utilize the Japanese queue model. Instead of having one giant snaking line where people inch forward every minute, you have rows of people. When the line has moved enough, an entire row is sent in, and then allowed to refill with new people. People do not change rows. Here is a video of the system in action on Black Friday in Japan: http://youtu.be/HTvycOM9xbc . If available, setting out a few hundred chairs in rows would improve organization and experience. One rover carries a sign marking the end of the line to fill in empty seats once a row goes in, and another stands to mark which row is next. This helps prevent people from trying to slip in to the front of the line. Time spent seated and waiting also counts less against effective perceived wait time than time spent standing.
3. My observation of the registration system identifies the badge printing system as the choke point. All of the cash-taking stations were staffed, yet in the 20 minutes I observed they sat idle a full 60% of the time waiting for the go-ahead to process more people. Either more badge printers are required, or a superior badge printing system needs to be obtained. A simple multiplication reveals the problem: multiply the time it takes for the badging station to produce a single badge, and multiply that by the number of people in line.
4. I also learned that there was an entire badge station at Clockwork Alchemy and negligible line there. If this had been announced, many attendees would have gladly taken the bus to and from the Doubletree in order to cut an hour or more off how long they would be waiting in line, speeding up registration process for everyone. It would have also introduced more people to Clockwork Alchemy.
5. That there is a huge line for pre-registration is baffling. These individuals have already paid, and pre-registration closed before the convention began, thus I would be greatly interested to learn why there is such a line for them. There is a FedEx/Kinkos down the street, certainly if their information is already processed and their badges already paid, then an arrangement can be made to print the pre-registration badges in advance.
6. As a service to those in line, have rovers selling bottled water at-cost. If someone dehydrates and passes out in line, it will cost far more in personnel time than a pair of rovers and pallets of water.
1. A timed ticket system would dramatically improve the line experience. The actual line 'length' is unimportant, what matters is how long someone is 'waiting' in line. People could come up to a counter and get a ticket for a certain time frame (15 minutes), and should come back at that time to get in the line. People are not allowed in the line until the time on their ticket, people who miss their ticket window are added to the end of the line of the next time group. Thus if the line is three hours long, you can issue tickets for +2.5 hours. That gives plenty of buffer, but that's also two and a half hours the attendee could be doing anything else but standing in line. They can go check out the cosplay, hang out in the common areas, go get some food, etc. A three hour line just became "Two and a half of hours goofing around, and then a half hour line." This would require a printing system, but would extensively benefit the impression of the convention.
2. For handling the line itself, utilize the Japanese queue model. Instead of having one giant snaking line where people inch forward every minute, you have rows of people. When the line has moved enough, an entire row is sent in, and then allowed to refill with new people. People do not change rows. Here is a video of the system in action on Black Friday in Japan: http://youtu.be/HTvycOM9xbc . If available, setting out a few hundred chairs in rows would improve organization and experience. One rover carries a sign marking the end of the line to fill in empty seats once a row goes in, and another stands to mark which row is next. This helps prevent people from trying to slip in to the front of the line. Time spent seated and waiting also counts less against effective perceived wait time than time spent standing.
3. My observation of the registration system identifies the badge printing system as the choke point. All of the cash-taking stations were staffed, yet in the 20 minutes I observed they sat idle a full 60% of the time waiting for the go-ahead to process more people. Either more badge printers are required, or a superior badge printing system needs to be obtained. A simple multiplication reveals the problem: multiply the time it takes for the badging station to produce a single badge, and multiply that by the number of people in line.
4. I also learned that there was an entire badge station at Clockwork Alchemy and negligible line there. If this had been announced, many attendees would have gladly taken the bus to and from the Doubletree in order to cut an hour or more off how long they would be waiting in line, speeding up registration process for everyone. It would have also introduced more people to Clockwork Alchemy.
5. That there is a huge line for pre-registration is baffling. These individuals have already paid, and pre-registration closed before the convention began, thus I would be greatly interested to learn why there is such a line for them. There is a FedEx/Kinkos down the street, certainly if their information is already processed and their badges already paid, then an arrangement can be made to print the pre-registration badges in advance.
6. As a service to those in line, have rovers selling bottled water at-cost. If someone dehydrates and passes out in line, it will cost far more in personnel time than a pair of rovers and pallets of water.