/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>is there something we could do without running up the cost.

No. The people that are in charge of a lot of what you want fixed 9 times out of 10 do not get paid. The volunteer time so the cannot dedicate full time attention to running a department. The easiest fix would be to actually hire people and pay them, but that drives up the cost.

In terms of cosplay specifically, most convention owners don't know shit about cosplay so they base decisions off of things like media reach, or people that they know/were recommended to them. Since they don't understand the community they don't understand why the decisions are bad.

>>7579757
Well, the initial problem of cost is largely exacerbated by the fact that many cons start at small anime clubs and build up from year to year into huge events with tens of thousands of people. Most con staffs never grow out of the anime club mentality and stay pretty terrible at handling money, running events, and managing a business.

In most cases, the Con Chairs are often in it to party even harder than most of the other attendees. Countless cons have had some pretty ridiculous drama and rumors circulating about the amount of money that goes into buying booze or using their authority to give girlfriends cushy high paying jobs using the con's money.

If more cons were run like legitimate businesses, instead of this non-profit shit that lets them get away with being terrible, it would force them to address a lot of their problems.

>>7581002
Three of the cons in my state are run by a guy who's specifically only in it for the money. The staff is pretty fanbase oriented though, so it comes out to decent cons. It kinda sucks to know your con head only wants to improve the con so that he can make more money, and will try to increase profit margins wherever he can, but he's smart enough to know that if he gives too little and charges too much, he won't succeed.

>>7579757
Agree here, if you want registration to run smoothly hiring people needs to be done. I still remember Sakuracon 2013 in line and the registration person got distracted by a friend and went off to talk for five minutes while there was a line (you bet I got on her case when I was up). Computer problems and handling often do not have an active IT staff, thus driving up wait times.

As for drugs and booze that is up to where the problems are happening. If it is at hotels then it's the hotel's job to enforce the rule and kick people out/banning future bookings. hotels of course don't want to deal with that and will either tolerate it or ban the con from booking there. You would probably have to hire people to look out for these kind of activities and report them. However this might be out of the realm and into the legal department which I have no experience with.

Cosplay contests, age based rankings perhaps going from OP's example? Don't know much about contests but it seems it might just be a problem of "growing pains" since no one knows what they are doing. Pre-screening might be a good thing, have people give a short bio of their costume and how many years they've been cosplaying?

Either way its two things: education and money so without driving up the costs all these cons won't be well organized.

I'd like see cons putting a stop to people buying up large swaths of con hotel room blocks then scalping the rooms.

Make it so that in order to get a hotel room. you must already have already per-registered for the con. This would fix the room availability issues at cons like Dragon*Con.

OP, stop going to fan anime cons then.

Hit up better industry events like Comic Con, E3 and PAX.

Those cons don't have as much of a problem as your local anime cons

>>7581250
Dragon*Con's issue is a bit more complex. It's over Labor Day weekend, and it's not just the convention going on. There are usually several football games going (opening weekend), a baseball game, sometimes Nascar, as well as various other festivals drawing people to the city.

So it's not just Dragon*Con-goers buying those rooms, it's a lot of other people as well.

The main thing I'd like to see is when the Con hotels put up rooms at con rate that you are required to reserve either a Thurs-Mon checkout or something like that. It's bullshit that people can just reserve a Fri-Sat con rate room and break it up for the people who will just buy the whole weekend.

>>7581172
Simplified registration would be ideal. The time spent gathering every customers entire biographical profile by fuckwits who can't even operate a computer, let alone keep a whole network of computers from crashing, is time not spent enjoying the con. It's an inconvenience that has no benefit. No upside.

If they are collecting said data for demographic research and such, it certainly seems like something that doesn't seem to be making a difference in the quality or efficiency of running a convention. Not to mention that I don't really trust their ability to create a proper database from that info when they can't even keep their computers from crashing from normal use.

Simple Alternative: Cons order thousands of blank badges. Simple things with an obvious design and a blank space on the front for a name and some space on the back for any relevant medical information. When a badge is sold, the transaction involves the cashier taking money and handing the badge over to the attendee, then directing them to an area where they can get a lanyard and a pen to write their name on their badge.

If they really want to add an extra layer of control, have 18+ badges and ask attendees to provide ID before purchasing.

If they want to keep track of attendance, all they have to do is keep a tally of how many boxes of badges they emptied over the weekend.

Having run masquerades using a skill ranking system and ones that don't, I honestly feel that the skill rankings that most people use (based on the ICG guidelines) don't work at anime cons for several reasons. Mostly cosplayers tend to put themselves in lower divisions than they should be in because they don't want to compete against the good stuff. This means that novice division is horribly bloated due to fears of moving up and the fact that you need to win a ranked award to move out of it (overall experience making costumes or doing masquerades doesn't count) while Master/Advanced class will have maybe 10 people in it at best.

You really get better judging if you have judges that are skilled enough to account for factors like age and how many costumes someone has made and can determine if someone is working at the level they should be at or if they're half-assing things. But this means judges need to be screened based on resume and portfolio, not on popularity.

>>7581415
Comic-Con and PAX in particular have heinous overcrowding issues and badges sell out within hours of going on sale because they get so overhyped that people buy dozens of badges at once and attempt to scalp them for ridiculous profits.

I have been to PAX and find that, generally speaking, they run their shit right. Their staff is polite and helpful. Their lines are efficient. Their scheduled events are always on time.

However, a lot of that stuff stems from them being a legit, for profit, corporately sponsored business. They have an extensive hiring process for their Volunteers, who actually get paid, and they have a team of experts and professionals running the different divisions of their show, which are controlled and run tightly, with scheduled shifts, assigned duties, and well-thought-out systems in place to ensure smooth operation.

They do everything that the average anime con does not do.

>>7581439
One of the other major problems is that a lot of things get grouped together that really shouldn't and that forces judges to assign worth based on arbitrary decisions.

As said above: Gundams competing against Sailor Scouts.

Some costumes just objectively don't require as much work, and others, despite hours worked, may not always be as impressive, and seeing as 'hours worked' or 'money spent' is not a valid judging criteria, things get balls'd up really easily.

Even just adding additional rewards with small prizes, like "Best Mech" "Best Armor" "Best Prop" with runner ups would allow them to more easily recognize and award cosplayers for having great looking costumes, instead of forcing Judges to simply pick the girl in the pretty dress from that series they like because that's easier than feeling like they simply gave an award to the biggest costume. Additional caveat that winning any one award disqualifies you from winning another.

Not a perfect solution, but additional categories immediately solve a lot of the problem of people getting shat on by being forced to compete with too many other people for the same pitiful kudos.

Also, if you add in pre-judging, like many cons do, you could have judges sort applicants into different tiers that don't correspond to how many previous awards a person has won. There are TONS of cosplayers who make amazing costumes but have never officially competed who would, by the common guidelines, be considered a novice or an amateur, and thus be forced to compete with the majority of teens, and little kids, even when they should be judged against similar skill level cosplayers.

>>7581438
>If they really want to add an extra layer of control, have 18+ badges and ask attendees to provide ID before purchasing.

18+ labeled badges are actually a bad idea, it's basically a visual target for not-so-great people to scope out the under-aged attendees. A con did that once, and as a staffer, it was a mess.

As a person who staffs various anime cons, everyone's concerns so far listed are pretty legit. To give you an idea of how it rolls, as a panel director I start Thursday night to set up panel rooms, run 10AM-2AM Fri + Sat, and 9AM-til the last panel on Sunday. I don't get paid, and I barely see my bed. So, a lot of the issues that attendees have stem from the people who only work the minimum requirements to get a free badge. Unfortunately, there are way too many people who do this, and not enough people who genuinely care to run conventions.

>>7581438
>Cons order thousands of blank badges...
Some smaller cons still do this, but badge-sharing is a huge issue these days, so having a permanent name and badge ID number printed on a badge helps should issues arise with the person wearing the badge.

>>7581482
Creepers gonna creep. 18+ badges or not, they will try to do that shit. All you can do is make sure there's an easy and effective way of weeding those people out. Put a bolded note in the con rules. Keep the police notified. Have staff keep an eye out for suspicious behavior. There's not much else that can be done.

As for lazy attendees not doing their job.. Well, an idea that comes to mind is to not give them the free badges until they are done with their shift, or have them turn in their badge during a shift. Could also make for a good way to keep track of which volunteer is where and doing what.

As for badge sharing.. I've never had anyone check the name on my badge or confirm my identity through it. I've never known any con to do this or attempt this on anyone. Mostly because it's a fairly sticky area that might violate certain rights to privacy when some goony volunteer is trying to force you to take out your ID or trying to confiscate badges because an attendee isn't carrying an ID. More likely to cause problems than solve any problems.

A better solution is to make obtaining a badge a more pain free and quick experience. People are less likely to share, steal, or swap badges if it's only a 15 minute wait to grab one for themselves. Anyone else who would do that likely wasn't intending to buy a badge in the first place. Can't account for lost sales from non-existent customers.

Besides, one badge accounts for one person taking up one person's worth of space at a given panel, dealer's hall, or event. One person lending their badge to another still means only one person can enjoy the festivities.

In other words, a change in attitude might alleviate some of those problems.

I think it's pretty fucking obvious how to save anime conventions.
There was absolutely no fucking anime at Fanime.
Literally fucking zero anime.
K-pop was just playing on the main stage while they showed shitty J-pop videos to make fun of Japan.
Bravo Fanime, bravo.
Fuckers.

>>7581508
Different anon but

No, creepers gonna creep but it's easier when they have visual targets saying HEY I'M UNDERAGED.
Also
>security team/police are way too hassled with drunk assholes than poking around for potential creepers
>nobody reads the fucking con guide, lol
>"make badge pickup more efficient"
>doesn't suggest an efficient way for 3000-4000 people who all want their badge at the same time at 10AM on Friday to get them

>>7581515
I like that image.

>>7581523
>doesn't suggest an efficient way for 3000-4000 people who all want their badge at the same time at 10AM on Friday to get them
>>7581438

>>7581515
ACen was half Superwholock and Marvel shit this year. It's not getting any better at other cons.

>>7581515
In addition to video games, I'm seeing a ton of completely irrelevant western shit everywhere. PAX this year had tons of bronies, western TV, shit like that.

>>7581565

I remember Katsucon 2012 having nothing but Homestuck and MLP panels.

>>7581444
>They do everything that the average anime con does not do.
That's my point. I got fed up with your issues as well and realized that small anime cons are unable to fix them due to having greater resources and connections. If you want the ideal con experience stop going to fan run events and just go for corporate sponsored conventions that are for profit.

>>7581480
There's a con in my state with a duo who runs a separate contest for live action costumes for exactly this reason, because there is no way for the live action costumes to be competitive against mechs and flashier costumes. I feel really bad, because they get scoffed at and disdained for doing it, and I actually think it's a pretty good idea. Too many people get butthurt over the idea of the live action costumes getting "special" treatment though.

>>7581618

The corporates only care about making money and couldn't give a shit about being quality entertainment.

Afterall, Megacon's just a dealer's room.

>>7581444
Comic Con is a bit harder to scalp at as you need IDs to pick up your badge and you can no longer transfer them. You'd need a team to really get a good scalping going. You'd also need a lot of luck because of the raffle to get the chance to buy tickets in the first place. For the actual selling you have to do it on-site because ebay auctions are flagged endlessly and taken down. I guess if you had a bunch of fake IDs you could do pretty well though.

SDCC's overcrowding is due to hype and not so much people scalping.

Maybe I'm just an idiot, but why don't cons just make badges with the holographic barcodes and shit and mail them out to people in advance to eliminate a lot of the registration problems?

>>7581703
shit gets lost in the mail, gets delayed, delivered but the person doesn't see it because their mom buried it under 50 pieces of junk mail and they never saw it, to prevent scalping, etc.

>>7581683
I tried getting badges for comic con this year and after the fact I wondered if there was any security check for people making a bunch of accounts to be able to have more sessions on different machines.
I waited in the 'waiting room' for the entire time and never got pulled to even buy a sunday pass. It was really disheartening.

Ok, so this year I went to C2E2 and ACEN and got my badge mailed to me both times. But wtf, ACEN should have 1 day badge option to be mailed because no one has time to wait in line for that shit and I don't mind paying like an extra $3 for my sanity. Also, the bullshit that was mailed ACEN badges were plastic, but everyone else who picked theirs up was paper.

Radio system for more staff, updated LCD/TV screens in the main lobby with running panels at the moment and next hour, and maps & signs everywhere. Also, partnering up with local businesses and restaurants for convention only discounts when you show your badge.

>>7581712
there are no checks
you are at the mercy of RNGesus
thankfully most scalpers aren't smart enough or rich enough to have enough sessions to really tilt things in their favor and even then they are only able to buy three at a time. there's likely a few who are smart enough but the vast majority are probably just opportunistic

>>7581515
>Literally fucking zero anime.

>What are anime screening rooms
>Anime themed games in the game room
>anime panel
>Anime songs sung in the Karaoke room
>Cosplays from anime
>AMV contests

Yep no anime there

>>7581657
>The corporates only care about making money and couldn't give a shit about being quality entertainment.

Yet the best ran cons are corporate. Comic Con, PAX and E3 are a blast to attend

>>7581726
Yeah, rng god was not in my favor that day

It's not to say that they couldn't ask some family/friends to use their phones for a bit to be able to purchase more than one, but like someone had mentioned that it would be rather hard with the ID system when someone with some time would name their ID random characters

>>7581733
>What are anime screening rooms
1 room out of 6 screened proper anime
>Anime themed games in the game room
League of Legends
CoD
Smash bros
Epoc
Xbone just dance
Ping Pong
Janga
Ninja
Billiards
Mah jong
poker
Sure is anime themed you delusional cunt.
>anime panel
1 pannel out of 70
>Anime songs sung in the Karaoke room
At the back of the convention while Stage Zero was playing K-pop. Do you seriously not understand how insulting it is for the convention comittee to herd the Anime fans and dump them to the farthest place behind the convention while faggots are idolized on the main stage!?
>Cosplays from anime
People who are fans of anime come to a convetion whith no anime event. You're just proving my point.
>AMV contests
Shit.

>>7581736
The problem is like someone stated above, your average joe isn't going to get a badge for those cons. Also, if your main interest is anime, you aren't going to find it as much at your video game and comic conventions.

In regards to judging cosplay contests you have a lot to contend with. The idea that large= good is a huge one that seems to be a trend in my local/semi local con scene as of late. I have seen poorly crafted big ass wings/suits/weapons that look good from a distance and make judges cream themselves because they didn't bother to get a close up look.

Most recently I saw a small con give a placing award to a girls cosplay that was a poorly made CARDBOARD ROBOT. Which honestly wouldn't have been so bad if the place above her was not a fully functioning robot and the one below here was a complex worbla/sewing project with tons of detail work. When judges don't take the time (or in most cases don't have the expertise to examine and know these things) shit like this happens.

The other problem stems from cosplayers not wanting to have to be placed in Journeymen/Master Categories in contests with cash prizes because they want to increase their chances of winning. I have seen a formally popular area cosplayer lie about winning contests to be placed down. The only way to combat this is to do some sort of interview process I guess

It's a messed up problem to try to solve.

>>7581760
I'm just contending that there was "zero anime" You just admitted that 1 screen room had anime and that there were AMV contests. All other comments aside, you just proved that there was not "zero anime"

>>7581967
So you want to play with math now?
Did you know that 1/1000 is 0.0001 which rounds out to ZERO.

>>7581974
I can prove there is anime in Fanime.

fANIME

The word anime is in the name. Ergo There is Anime in Fanime

>>7581951
I saw that shit on FB. What the hell were the judges thinking? On the bright side if Ms. cardboard monster wants to show her face at Mecha this year and compete in a real contest she will have to level up due to placing at some small con. She does NOT have the skills to do it. Winning at a small con is not super hard. Just show up with something big.

I think contests should be pre-judged and part of that prejudging should be a look at some of your past work. Are you getting better? Are you growing? Or are you coasting and sandbagging?

Big does not equal good in a well run contest. Accuracy to character, details, and precision do.

I may also be the only one who thinks that the novice category should not be a dumping ground for store bought/half assed stuff. Novice Craftsmanship is not a bad Miku dress from Bodyline -_-

I think due to wanting to be "Politically Correct" and "inclusive" cons have forgotten what makes a good cosplay. Yes, materials do matter! Yes, details are just as important as big wow pieces. But here have some cardboard glory if you want inclusiveness

>>7581978
Nothing but false advertisement.

>>7581978
Anime at a con called Fanime...you don't bloody say

>>7581951
>>7581981
>small con
Key point here. Everyone knows you can put tinfoil and glitter on a large turd and win at a small con. It's been that since the beginning of time.

Also how do you propose the the novice category be fixed? The contest can only work with what they are given. First X number to show up get to compete. Just happens to be most of the novice class show up with half assed store bought shit.

And how would they tell if your past work is better if they don't have it there to judge in front of them? All that would do is allow people to show off their polished turds. Like the big ball gowns that look like shit up close but great in pics. Unless the judges are the same at every small con, which I HIGHLY doubt.

Gods, registration is something that needs improvement at all the cons I've been to. I've been to Youmacon (anyone at Youmacon 2012 remembers the fiasco with pre-reg taking 4+ hours longer than non pre-reg), Midwest Media Expo, and Anime Midwest.

The main problem with registration and everything to do with a con - is STAFF. Con staff need to be well trained, of appropriate age to be working at a con, and need to respect people.

Anime Midwest was the worst in terms of staff members. The con itself was tons of fun, but the staff... well, they were short-staffed to begin with. Secondly, there were no signs telling con-goers where things were at the panel rooms and when panels started or if anything was canceled. The staff members were generally nice but there were some that were just rude as shit. Girl in pink bandanna and steampunk goggles on Saturday night last year... I'm looking at you. You don't need to scream at people to get up against a wall to make room for those walking by. Jeebus. Oh and when I had a full-on, anxiety attack that required paramedics to come look at me - con staff just looked at me like a deer in the headlights. They gave me a cup of water and talked to me for a bit to help me calm down but once the medical folks arrived they all but ignored my presence.

Youmacon has had really good staff and organization though as far as cons go. Midwest Media Expo was a small first-year con run by the same folks and it was really fun. I liked that it wasn't overwhelming. Plus, Steam Powered Giraffe was there. They make any con fun.

>>7582489
>They gave me a cup of water and talked to me for a bit to help me calm down but once the medical folks arrived they all but ignored my presence.

They weren't ignoring you. When emergency services show up on scene, con staff are pretty much told to stay the fuck outta the way and don't interfere with them in any way shape or form. The only thing the staff should do at that point is to keep the area clear.

>>7581997
Small cons don't have the luxury of people signing up ahead of time and take entries right on the con floor

>>7582489
>Oh and when I had a full-on, anxiety attack that required paramedics to come look at me - con staff just looked at me like a deer in the headlights. They gave me a cup of water and talked to me for a bit to help me calm down but once the medical folks arrived they all but ignored my presence.
>expecting non-medical expertise to meddle in medical affairs
lel you stupid
Now I think you faked that anxiety attack just for attention.

>>7581482
It's done all the time at UK cons and works pretty well.

Put the conventions in the hands of professional sponsors maybe?

>>7581647
no, they run it because they threw a shit fit when they didn't win BIS with a tenth doctor costume.

When you go up to compete you have to acknowledge that if your goal is to place you need a costume that displays enough skill and looks good on stage to do it. There are live action costumes that could pull high titles, GoT, Marvel, LotR, ect. If your goal is to run around on stage as a favorite character then you shouldn't give two shits your tailored suit was beat out by armor and ball gowns and massive leather work or props.

the houston comicpalooza is getting tons or negative reviews on their facebook (lots of it being the registration, and the lack or organization for getting autographs). I've been there 4 times and it doesn't look like a con. more like a flea market with zero color.

>>7583130
Considering how badly most cons run their cosplay events for anime stuff, I'm not sure I really want to see them attempt to run a separate event for western media or multiple events for different kinds of cosplay, like casual tier, or closet tier, or "just for fun" tier.. or whatever.

A con would need to be able to run and manage a large cosplay contest without running behind schedule or going over time or having to do anything last minute.

Several contest I've been in have had the judges scrambling to interview and examine the costumes of the contestants while they were all standing backstage, waiting to hear the results. Somehow, the fucking judges weren't involved in the pre-judging or application process AT ALL.

Can you imagine it? Sitting backstage after doing your walk on, waiting 2 hours while the judges fuck around on stage, only for them to quickly scramble behind stage, ask you 2 minutes worth of questions about your costume while you're sitting there, half-dressed down to keep cool and keep your costume from being damaged, only then deciding who gets each award on a fucking whim.

When that experience becomes a rare and unexpected occurrence, then we can worry about sorting out different categories and shit.

>>7584861
well, this live action contest is run like a hall contest and by a completely separate group than the people that run the stage contest.

I don't understand why they feel the need to pander to LA at an anime con though and I certainly don't think they need to do it because some girl cried all over the internet when she lost out to legitimately impressive costumes.

>>7582831
I can assure you that wasn't a fake anxiety attack. It was awful and not fun at all.

>>7581974
>moving the goalposts
You can't say there's "literally fucking zero anime" and then play around with rounding down to zero.
Besides, I found plenty of anime at Fanime. Don't know where you were looking.

>>7585147

fine, there was "anime", but there's less and less of it every year, and soon it'll be just swarmed with tumblr fandoms and no one will take the con seriously anymore.

Any concrit for screening rooms?

>>7585366
This is nothing new, you know. I remember back in 2001 how some people felt that Anime Expo was being overwhelmed with video game themes and cosplays, and how they should separate into their own con and leave the anime fandoms alone.
Same shit every year, just deal with it and move on.

>>7585409
>Same shit every year, just deal with it and move on.

And that's why AX went to shit, and now it's happening to other cons. Why should anime cons be the ones that have to let video games and comics in, why can't they just stick to their own cons or create their own?

Anime California is making an effort to round up all the video game community and add a dash of anime on the side to keep everyone happy.

Comikaze managed to contain most of the steampunk and comics crowd to their own con, and is cementing itself as a "halloween" event.

now if only someone could figure out where homestucks could go and leave everyone else alone.

>>7585426
Comics may be one thing, and Homestucks too, but you're always always always going to see video game shit at anime cons. Just accept it as fact.
Or are you suggesting that gaming halls of any kind should be banned from anime cons?

>>7579723
>And then there's the rampant drugs, drinking, partying, and other bad decisions that people tend to make...

"Bad decisions"? That's half the reason to go to cons right there.

>>7585426
>Why should anime cons be the ones that have to let video games and comics in,

Yet comic conventions have anime cosplayers and guests yet you don't see them getting all defensive. Hell comic con had an entire panel for Street Fighter 4. Stop being so ungrateful.

>>7585445

>implying gaming halls aren't more like containment rooms for filthy gaymerz.

no one has ever had an issue with gaming halls because they're not part of the main events, they're exactly where people expect them to be. nice and far away from everything else.

>>7581482
Um, how the hell are some creepers gonna see if it's an 18+ badge or not?! Just make every badge the same but have a small mark indicating they're 18+. The kind of mark you can't see unless you have a close enough look.

>>7585469
Not to mention they often stay open 24 hours and provide a place for the under 18 crowd to congregate so they don't bumrush the hentai room and the burlesque show.

>>7585467

When comic conventions let anime fans in, no one complains because the anime fans KNOW that they're not in an event for them and play nice with everyone else. Everything is fine.

When external fandoms come into anime cons, people complain. well shit, i wonder why. because those people walk in, shit all over the con and take over booths and panels and cosplay communities and ruin them.

That's why you hear so many complaints about other fans coming into ANIME cons, and not the other way around.

>>7585471

i'm pretty sure the best way to handle that would be to not let anyone in under 18 in the first place. i wouldn't even mind pay extra for a con that was entirely 18+. tweens are fucking annoying at cons anyways.

>>7585469
>>7585473

Finally, people who understand.

>>7585484
They are, but if you keep them out, you kill the next generation.

Do you want anime cons in 20 years to be like SF cons are now, filled with old people wondering why no new blood is coming to their events?

>>7585500

isn't that a result of the convention-going crowd migrating to other, larger cons?

>>7585519
Nope, it's the result of changing tastes among the youth and old-school cons falling into senseless bickering and squabbling and doing their best not to acknowledge new trends.

>>7581515
>Literally

Stop. I'll agree that there is certainly a high number of non-anime media represented but the majority of the cosplay this year was AoT and KLK which are both undeniably anime. Homestuck and ponies are on the down low. There was definitely a lot of LoL but at least those costumes are interesting. And what the fuck is wrong with Mahjong and Ping Pong and Japanese games? There's a lot of anime with those game themes it seems pretty dumb to flail your "But it's not ANIME" at those. Are you going to tell us now that people can't cosplay from Uzumaki, Yotsuba or Otoyomegatari because those are manga only? As for Stage Zero every time I walked by they were playing that Kuroko No Basuke OP video.

>>7581736
San Diego Comic Con is a nonprofit like Anime Expo, Anime Boston, Otakon, Anime North, Sakuracon. The difference is that SDCC has a lot of money to burn since badges are a lot more expensive, plus hollywood sponsorship.

>>7583130
I don't know what kind of shit you've been smoking, but the drama over that was because they got dq'd from the contest entirely when they shouldn't have according to the contests own rules. I was here when that went down, it was only an issue on 4chan, the person in question didn't even care and everyone else just threw a shit fit and projected, classic cgl fashion. The other half of the duo didn't even compete that year. Don't create drama where there isn't any. Sage for off topic Texas drama.

1/1,000 is 0.001, 1/10,000 is 0.0001

If you're going to try and put someone down, at least get the decimal placement right.

>>7581974
1/1,000 is 0.001, 1/10,000 is 0.0001

If you're going to try and put someone down, at least get the decimal placement right.

>>7585722
She came to /cgl/ to defend herself and wouldn't shut the fuck up about how she had tailored a mens suit and how that takes so much skill. She was pissed she got DQ'ed because she thought she deserved a major title in the main contest.

Nobody was even denying that it took skill to make that costume, just that the people that had won demonstrated significantly more than she did. Now she runs a completely off topic competition at an anime con because she has to defend and protect Live Action cosplayers from ever being overlooked again!

>>7585875
I was there, asshat, and that's not what happened. She was pissed that she got dq'd because she shouldn't have been dq'd. It was wrong. The contest runners admitted it was wrong. She didn't come to cgl to defend herself, she'd been on here for a few years, was always cool and helpful and y'all ran her off.
I know I'm "white knighting" but literally all I said to spark this was that I thought it was a cool idea. It gets the simpler looking live action costumes out of the main contests hair without pissing people of. But whatever, y'all are going to go on hating Kitty for no good reason other than jealously that she became well known in that BBC contest, and you're going to keep projecting your own ideas about her instead of actually listening to facts, that's the internet, that's 4chan, don't know why I expected any different.

>>7585929
anon, she was posting on /cgl/My opinion of her is based off of what she said on /cgl/ She came off as an entitled asshole. I'm sorry you don't like that your friend doesn't know how to talk to people without sounding like a dickbag.

Its a stupid idea to pander to a group that doesn't deserve to be pandered to at an anime convention. If you want to win awards in live action costumes go to a sci-fi or general nerd con. For Christ sakes, there are dr. Who specific cons. Besides, plenty of superwholockshits still enter the main show, this side contest doesn't keep them out so it serves 0 purpose other than to stroke your bff's dick.

For the Live Action contest that is being mentioned in this thread, do a lot of Toku cosplayers enter it? Do you see a lot of Kamen Riders and Metal Heroes? They're allowed to enter because it's LA right?

Just curious.

>>7587194
I don't know who enters, I'm not either of the anons who are arguing, but through Google fu found the rules for what I think is this contest (searched live action cosplay contest Texas), but it looks like they allow anything live action no matter what.
>You must be cosplaying as a character from a live action movie, show, mini-series or web- series in order to enter. In short, there must be a physical costume worn by an actor that you are replicating. Characters from video games, comic books, books or animated series that have a live action movie counterpart are allowed provided your costume is of the live action variant.

>>7581428
Implying most people can take off thurs and monday!

How much vacation time do people get

>>7587656
>working a pleb job where you don't get Monday off paid.

I'm only taking 2-3 days PTO for dragon con. I get 2 weeks.

>>7587194
I think technically they would be allowed but no. I've never seen any enter. This thing caters specifically to the tumblr superwholock crowd. Last year there was a decent amount of LotR too because of the hobbit. Its 90% unfortunate looking girls cross playing dr. Who or Sherlock
they have a category and award specifically for the person that can buy the most accurate shit. Its ridiculous.

>>7587545
>>7587759
Yeah I figured as much. I just was wondering what the point was, because LA would allow these cosplays to compete and having seen a few well made toku suits up close, can say they would easily curb stomp the Dr. Who cosplayers that ironically made this niche contest to give them a chance.

>>7587759
If this was the one at San Japan, I don't remember that being the case? There was the one Supernatural group, but the rest of the winners were from Star Wars and LotR and stuff like that? Top winner was the Sister of Battle girl who does Charlie Chaplin.

>>7587788
you are only talking about the winners (2 of which were in costumes from series called out) not the majority of entries.

Bottom line, this is a contest created by people who think they are entitled to win things in live action costumes at an anime convention for people who feel the same way. Its one big circle jerk.

>>7587772
Having gone to the panel they did at the con last year, they were talking more about the different skills live action stuff takes because the costume literally already exists, and there is less wiggle room to interpret and whatnot. This was brought up in the Facebook group for this con too, the head of cosplay basically said they have it because nobody signs up for the hall contest when it's just an all comers hall contest because they don't realize what hall contests are for, and they narrowed it down to one genre to create niche interest with the hope of expanding it later. I think it's a interesting idea, but I don't think it belongs at an anime con, maybe more a costuming con or something. But then again, San Japan is no longer just an anime con, according to the chairman. It's a "anime focused fandom convention" or something like that. Whatever. We could argue semantics forever, looks like all it really does is piss people off.

>>7587806
Different anon, how do you know who the entries were though, thought it was a hall contest? In fact, you seem to be a bit too invested in making this person look bad. Sounds a bit vendetta. Sage for ot.

>>7587823
Only I forgot to sage. Fun.

>>7587656
>Implying most people can take off thurs and monday!

There's also the crazy cost of just going to Dragon*Con. If you're not local you can easily spend over $1500 there.

>>7587656
I feel like you misread my post. All I meant is I dislike that people can apparently reserve rooms at con rate for only Friday Night/Sat checkout (Or Sat-Sun) (often times to go to the football game). Doing so renders a lot of the con rate blocks useless -- who would reserve Thurs, Sun, Mon and have to figure out Friday or Saturday night?

Most people who attend DragonCon, I thought, went Thurs-Mon or Fri-Mon. The convention is Fri Sat Sun and Mon (til about 5pm). Thursday is usually pretty busy because everyone picks up their badge and the con starts Friday at 10am "officially."

I think in all I'm using 2 days PTO to attend the convention. I get about 2 weeks per year and I save days so I can attend the convention...

>>7585612
> Uzumaki, Yotsuba or Otoyomegatari
a-anon has g-good taste
Seeing an Otoyemagatari cosplay would be soooo incredible

On the topic of people whining about badge pick ups. I've been going to cons for like 15 years and for the last 10 I've never stood in a registration line. Don't most cons mail your badge to you if you register online?

>>7588765
It's not always an option for every con, and on more than a few occasions, they royally fuck up the mailing process and people are forced to get in line and wait a few hours anyways.

I'm calling out the anime purists who wish there was a strictly-only anime convention. I challenge you to put one together then see how long that'll last.

It won't survive as being closed off to other groups telling people that their money isn't good enough for them.

ITT: Many people who have never spent years organizing convention.

It changed my perception when I went going to cons to a person organizing cons.

Try walking in our shoes. If you want change made then work the thousands of free hours in which long time vets get to the top to make the critical decisions that affect the show.

>>7589112
no one is saying other people aren't welcome to come and cosplay whatever they want but a con can easily control the type if programming they offer to be centered on anime and Japan. People are pissed that they are shelling out 50+ for an "anime" convention filled with mlp, homestuck and dr who panels.

>>7589213
But that makes the anime only people look like assholes. Comic conventions have no qualms with hosting anime events and guests in their events so why should anime events be super exclusive when the opposite does not ring true?

>>7589125
Here here brother, its one thing to attend and another thing entirely to staff them

>>7589213
You want an anime only con? Most con's in my country nowadays allow for all of the different fandoms to come and participate because it is what pays the bank.

>>7589213
Do you know why there isn't a good selection of anime programming? It is because a good amount of people just want to run shitty character Q&A jerk-off-on-each-other panels.

Not. Fucking. Original.

You want to know how to fix conventions?

Stop supporting shitty conventions. Don't go because your friends are going. Stick to your word when you bitch that you're never going back.

Have a problem with a convention? Give good descriptive feedback. If they seem disregard your feedback by not making any visible attempts to change then don't support them in the future. Conventions who read your bitching on 4chan know they're just butthurt people who are cowards to confront them to be critical.

You want better everything from Registration to Security? Be willing to Pay Up. Any convention can outsource their registration to a third-party but they'll tack on $1-$2 per person to handle it. More security? They can get the bodies there but that's tens of thousands to make it safer. You want professionals making sure schedules stay on time with all pro-tech issues handled before it started? Okay but it'll be tens of thousands of dollars.

When you're willing to pay $75-$100 for your anime convention badge they'll give you the conveniences you desire.

>>7585481
Lots of people bitch about anime at sci fi cons. It's the same argument: 'why are all these stupid kids here who like stuff I don't like.'

>>7589417
Proof is in the programming. Sci fi cons invite anime guests and have anime themed events. Anime cons should be just as accommodating.

>>7589235
>implying sci-fi and comic con attendees don't feel the same way about anime.

>>7589443
but those cons hardly have any anime programming. If a comic con books anime guests its usually only one or two of them and they usually have cross over apeal. A lot of VAs also do work for western cartoons or video games. Some of them are published artists. Those guests then present a few industry panels. There are hardly ever anime fan panels at comic cons.

Anime cons usually don't bring in cross over style guests, they just approve a lot of shitty fan programming like hamsteak 18+ yaoi orgy pj party and superwholockbbqoncelercest fan fic story time.

>>7589544
Big Wow invited the actors for Ultraman and Godzilla then devoted their programing to Japanese monster movies

>>7589553
>Godzilla
>just had western made movie hit box offices
>implying Godzilla isn't huge in sci-fi/comic culture and is exclusively Japanese

Dude, Godzilla makes more sense at a sci-fi con that an anime con.

>>7589125
>>7589337
The only conventions I've ever worked and volunteered at were Gen Con and PAX East, aka, the biggest fucking Cons around that cater to a million different audiences.

Those things ran smooth as hell and had minimal issues, no ambulance conga line, no overdoses, no incidents with minors being sexually assaulted, no cosplay drama, and all of their shit was more or less on time +/- 15 minutes in the worst cases.

Don't tell me a con can't be run well. "OH MAN IT'S SO MUCH HARDER THAN YOU THINK" is the cry of the amateur who didn't plan for the worst and expected the best.

>>7589235
Don't comic conventions, especially the NY and SD comic cons, have the massive issue of corporate fuckery and drama ruining the spirit of the con?

Like.. Nerds would kill to get a chance to get their shit autographed by the guys from Marvel and DC or here how the new events and story arcs are going to be.. and then fucking Fox and NBC and shit are buying up all the huge advertising spaces and panel rooms to talk about their wacky new sitcoms and shit.

I can understand panels for movies when those movies are comic and cartoon related, but a lot of the major comic cons aren't really about anime and comics as much as they are about hollywood trying to wring their hands around nerdy wallets.

>>7589544
Because >>7589343 is a majority that comes in. Something that isn't shitty Q&As? We'll put that in instead. Stop being an elitest fuck. Organizers don't want to put that shit in but have to as filler because a good majority of anime or cosplay panel submissions are shit, shit, SHIT.

We can't deliver you the goods you want unless you ior your friends decide to put effort in to make the good panels. It is not the responsibility of the con to dance like monkeys to appeal to your bidding. Get out there to make it happen, be original, or shut the fuck up. You're the type that feels like you're owed something that doesn't exist. JFC.

Those people who put in the time to make the shit you anime elitests despise but still gets put on the schedule? At least they put in something most apathetic fucks don't have which is effort.

>>7579723
PAX has an extremely efficient ticket system in that they send you the tickets in the mail. No waiting in lines there. However, the problem is getting a ticket.

I thought they were on their way to fixing this by introducing PAX South, thus splitting demand, but Prime tickets still ran out in an hour this year. I got into East, though, and once there, everything was gravy. It wasn't hard to move around, events were ace and started on time, and all the staff was polite.

DragonCon's ticket system is the worst. I preordered tickets and STILL had to wait hours in line to get mine. The place (spanning like 5 hotels) is STILL overcrowded and it's near impossible to get a hotel unless booking a year out. It's so hard to move around, you feel like you're in the way any time you stop for a picture, and staff can get pushy (though most are ok).

Anime Weekend Atlanta is going downhill. The events and guests are the same year after year (I don't want to see Vic Minogoagoagaaog again for the 10th year), and the staff is fucking awful. Every year they're rude. I've been kicked out of elevators when I was a guest at the hotel, something I'm told shouldn't happen. Waiting 2 hours for the rave with no bathroom breaks is dumb. My very prop looking weapons get checked multiple times (because a foam katana is SO dangerous) and every time a staff member asks about it, they have to stop to inspect it rather than me just pointing to the safety band. I've even had staff members tell me that even though my props were deemed ok by other staffers, they didn't approve and I had to get rid of them. I ignored them and didn't have another problem, but those encounters are bs. Meanwhile, the con keeps growing while the venue and boring events stay the same. There'e almost nothing that the con adds of value each year and I'm considering just going to Momocon, DCon, and skipping AWA all together. Momocon has at least grown in quality and venue each year. The staff is also great.

>>7589654
>Organizers don't want to put that shit in but have to as filler because a good majority of anime or cosplay panel submissions are shit, shit, SHIT.

Organizers don't care about context they just want more people in the con so they allow whatever non-anime flavor of the month in to get butts in the seats. Also I'm a purist, not an elitist it's not the same thing. Any anime or Japanese related media is fine, purely that though.

>>7589653
>Don't comic conventions, especially the NY and SD comic cons, have the massive issue of corporate fuckery and drama ruining the spirit of the con?

Those corporate cons have amazing guests, ran amazingly well, treat their attendees well, have rare merchandise and interesting invents and great swag. If "ruining the spirit of the con" means getting rid of fuckups and keeping things smooth then I don't mind

>>7589644
PAX has over a dozen employees who work full time on their conventions. Gen Con is going on 40 years. Of course they got their shit together. It is a lot harder when a vast majority of cons are rag-tag volunteer groups doing this for no compensation with helpers who don't have training putting in the mininum effort to get a free badge.

Apples and Oranges is what you're comparing.

>>7589678
The difference is that PAX and Gen Con got their shit together and made it stay together for the past several years.

Apples and Oranges if you compare PAX to an overgrown anime club renting out half a dozen rooms at the local hotel, but when you've got the biggest Cons on both coasts and the midwest, and they are still run like shit, despite pulling in tens of thousands of people, it's hard to really say that it's a different thing altogether. Doubly so when some of these cons do have employees, con chairs, and other workers who are technically working fulltime as paid employees of the con.

Not to mention that cons like Otakon and ACen do have some of the larger anime companies supporting them, but they haven't made any notable improvements to their ability to run shit in the past decade.

>>7589726
>Otakon and ACen
>supporting them

Clearly don't know anything about anime convention sponsorships. They aren't paying the big bills to be there. Sorry to burst your bubble.

The only US anime convention that anime companies pay to be at is AX. Corporate sponsorships don't really exist in anime conventions because corporations don't see money in it.

They'll flood Comic Cons because that's the 18-45 demographic market they want to target for their products. Anime conventions are flooded by teens who don't have money to throw around.

>>7581146
AZ?

>>7579723
>Is there a way we could fix conventions?
Yes.

Are anime screening rooms still relevant? Are physical copies of a booklet still relevant? Are dealers' rooms still relevant?

I don't think so. The prevalence of streaming/torrenting, smart phones, and online shopping are making them obsolete. More and more it feels like the only reason they're kept around is because they were around the year before.

Anyone else feel the same way?

>>7590052
You must go to small cons that no one cares about.
Most screening rooms have a 25-50% occupancy rate (unless a first time showing). Many people enjoy the booklets as some hold schedules and/or panel descriptions. I can say some go as far as collect and keep their booklets.

As for the last part....really? If they weren't relevant, dealers wouldn't invest the money into getting a spot. Obviously money is being made and spent.

Dear god, doesn't anyone think before posting on there.

>>7590065
It happens. People see cons as the attendee point of view and think all their solutions are an easy fix and will work.

>>7590070
Con Problems Solved.

>>7590052
I think screening rooms would be more benefit if they had themes and focused on introducing people to more obscure stuff than just showing things everyone's already seen. Pre-90s stuff would be especially great.

Dealers room still draw people and make money for whatever reason, so I don't think removing would be the best option currently.

Totally agree on cons not updating to trends though. Especially on the online front. So many cons websites suck.

>run a tiny (<2k attendees) con
>do our best to pick relevant judges for cosplay
>constantly bitched at for bias
Our community is so small that it's hard to find a knowledgeable judge that doesn't know at least one person planning to enter, and we're small enough that we can't afford to import anyone. It sucks.

>>7590065
These are based on observations from Anime North. Hear me out:

1) Screening rooms seem to exist mostly for people to decompress and sit down as opposed to actually watch anime that they could normally just do at home. Also, how are two 30 minute episodes going to give a good overview of a show?

From a staff point of view, removing viewing rooms (or cutting down on them) would mean less tech set-up and allow for a more economical use of space.

2) A combination of a con specific phone app which people download as well as a website based schedule would fit most people's needs. I don't think we'll ever completely replace a physical schedule but costs could be saved in the long run by not having to print so many. Also, it'd be one less thing to carry around.

3) Dealers rooms take up a lot of space. True, they do bring money into the con, but they also don't offer much that can't be bought online. If dealers rooms were more structured around specialty stores (like the sword replica makers) and garage-sale type vendors (see Nominoichi) then there would be a greater incentive to actually go and buy things because you wouldn't be able to buy them elsewhere.

The idea is not just to create a con based on what works in the present but what will scale well into the future. Right now, I don't see "Downtown Comic Shop Sets Up Booth Where You Can Buy Exactly What They Sell In Their Store" as being something worthwhile.

>>7589778
>But...but...they showed the dub to Attack on Titan at Anime Boston!!!

>>7590052
>irrelevant
>dealers room

You kill the dealers room you kill the con. Dealers put up hundreds each to reserve their spot. Most cons rely on that upfront revenue to operate.

Not to mention they are still an incredible draw.

>>7590103
I don't think you know how dealer's rooms work.
they don't just bring in money.
They bring in thousands of money, in advance.
That money is used to pay for so much. Event space, promotional materials, and of course, paying people to run the website that keeps registration open.
dealers rooms are typically 30% of the con's entire revenue stream. akon makes 6 digit figures from their vendors.

>>7590083
One of the problems with showing things is if your audience is more than 30 people you have to have permission for a public screening from the copyright holders or you can get in trouble. At conventions where there is no industry involvement or support, it's less likely to be an issue that comes up. Generally though it's pretty easy to get permission to screen things from the US licence holder (funimation, viz, sentai, aniplex usa, etc) though weird problems can arise if crunchyroll holds the streaming rights and another company holds the dvd/bd rights. Now if you want to show something that is currently not licenced in the US you need permission from the japanese copyright holders. And then you run into issues like you may have permission to show the video, but not permission to show it with subtitles (because those need approval from the copyright holder!) so it's fundamentally useless to show because nobody understands what they're watching. As for Macross/Robotech, I'm not sure anyone can sort that mess out so don't even bother.

But that's why most of what cons show is stuff that is current and people have already seen online

>>7589672
You're deluding yourself. I've worked closely with a guy before who was in charge of events for a decent size convention (10k+ attendees). Poor guy had to read through, and subsequently throw out, dozens upon dozens upon dozens of poorly planned anime panels submitted by people who had no idea how to run a panel, and then ended up with more MLP and western media panels than he had planned on allowing, because those were the only ones with decent proposals, and then had people like you trying to skin him alive. crying "boo hoo there was no anime programming." I know this guy personally. I know how much he loves anime. I know how desperately he kept reading through the submission for each J media panel being like "please be good so I can actually put you in the schedule."
A lot of cons can only program what gets submitted to them. If you want to see a certain type of panel, submit it yourself, or get a friend to. You can't complain if you don't try to be part of the solution.

>>7590103
>Screening rooms seem to exist mostly for people to decompress and sit down

True dat. Last con I was at, I used one of the video rooms expressly for that purpose. Whenever I started to feel overwhelmed, or just needed to sit down and figure what the fuck to do next, I would retreat to a video room and get my shit together. I would''ve succumbed to a goddamn panic attack otherwise.

>>7590103
as staff:
screening rooms:
>>a place for con goers to sit and relax without being insanely bored. Insanely bored con-goers = con-goers doing stupid, destructive shit to amuse themselves. tech required: screen, projector, speaker, and computer or dvd player. which isn't all that much

booklets/physical schedules/apps:
>>first, you need a well working app, which are hard to find or expensive from either con side or con-goer side. also, some people still dont have smart phones. I didn't have a smart phone until a year ago.
>>paper schedules, people can put them in bags, pockets, etc, are easily printed, can easily give out extras
>>booklets give con-goers a printed copy of rules and policies (can be a safe guard for cons), as well as explanations of panels and events, as well as explaining guests and giving a map of rooms

dealers room
>>are you joking? I went to Japan and walked in most stores in Akiba, and there were STILL dealers at Momocon that had figures I didn't see in Japan. You can't get everything online, some dealers have rare stuff or older stuff that isn't available otherwise.
>>Dealers give cons THOUSANDS of dollars PRE-CON. Which is how some cons pay for guests and venue down payments, etc. Their payments are SUPER important to cons. Also, when cons have shitty dealers room, con-goers complain non-stop and say they might not come back(no matter how the rest of the con was for them). Why else would dealers room often have long lines when they first open? They also keep dealers in business because that is their job.

as for programming:
it entirely depends on what panels get submitted. and a lot of people dont have their shit together when they ask for a panel. or their panel is sounds awful. Often they dont have any redeeming qualities in their emails. no punctuation, you can't really understand what they're trying to say since you can't really read the email. it's like a bunch of 12 year olds that want to squeal about their favorite OTP

>>7589932
Yup.

>>7590360
The problem with screening/video rooms is that they were really popular in the pre-fast internet and netflix era. When everyone traded fansubs by vhs or cd. Now if someone wants to watch anime, they can do it at home easily and cheaply. Video rooms for the most part stay empty or very lightly populated at best. Those rooms are better utilized for panels. I've seen a lot of smaller cons throw them out entirely because they just weren't being used. That said, the crowd is typically a lot younger than at larger conventions.

If people are going to be destructive in their boredom, a video room isn't going to stop them.

>>7590360
>a place for con goers to sit and relax without being insanely bored
Yeah, people are DEFINITELY not bored in the viewing room.

I know it's not that much equipment but most panels require that kind of shit and someone still needs to set them up, as well as occasionally check in and make sure everything is still working. Viewing rooms can be removed.

>explanations of panels and events, as well as explaining guests and giving a map of rooms
That can be included in the app. Agreed, it would be expensive to create initially, but if made correctly it would be inexpensive to update and maintain through the following years.

People without smart phones can get fucked; this is 2014 and soon it will be 2020. There will be no excuse for luddites.

>Dealers give cons THOUSANDS of dollars PRE-CON
I didn't know that. Dealers can stay, I guess.

>Why else would dealers room often have long lines when they first open?
So they can take advantage of the marginal discounts on shitty merch.

>>7590986
Apps are not the solution for everything, at least not yet. Physical schedules and booklets are not only informational, but are a souvernir to be taken home, I don't remeber a single convetion where I didn't bring one back with me. They are not insanelly expensive and can be mass produced at easy, so I don't see your point in removing them.

Even if you create an app people will look for the physical schedule at it instead while in the con. It is just much easier and pleasing to look at a paper than it is to look at a cellphone screen, that can have different sizes anyway.

>>7590360
>I went to Japan and walked in most stores in Akiba, and there were STILL dealers at Momocon that had figures I didn't see in Japan. You can't get everything online, some dealers have rare stuff or older stuff that isn't available otherwise.

Fucking this. Problem with Akiba is unless you get there within days of a release everything's picked over. I only found deals in some tiny cramped shops in Ikebukuro but it was for stuff a couple seasons old. At least with dealer's rooms you have an opportunity to hold the item and look it over and check for signs of bootleg.

It seems like a lot of the smaller cons (I'm talking about anime cons here) have rooms dedicated to video gaming. The last one I was at, there were systems from the SNES to the 360 set up. I mean, it was a nice way to chill for a few minutes, but I think that room could have been used for more panels instead.

Would it negatively affect a con if they didn't have a video gaming room? (Hell, some cons have a tabletop gaming room. Fuck off with that. This con happens once a year, you can play D&D anytime.)

>>7591066
The gamers that attend a con are the most profitable attendees. They pay for a weekend or day badge and then sit in the game room the whole day. The con has to spend very little to keep them coming back.

The other reason you still see gaming/video around is because it is a time killer. If you want to go to a panel at 1 and a panel at 4 you have an hour to kill. Things like video/gaming/dealers room gives attendees something to do and keeps them out of trouble. Idle attendees will make their own entertainment and it often leads to vandalism/drinking. Why do you think raves are still around? It gives all those teens a place to expend their energy. They get so warn out they don't have the energy to start fucking shit up.

>>7591066
Removing the video game room would be a poor choice. It's a great way to get people who otherwise would hall surf or not go to the con to buy a badge for just the tourneys. I've seen many people come to cons for just the fighting game tournaments. Shit I've seen cons sell just video game room wristbands to entice that crowd. Players also really like getting to play offline as the offline metagame is different than online for a lot of fighting games.

Idk about tabletop but giving those fans a small area with practically no set up that they can use non-stop seems much more efficient than a panel room where you might need video, audio, etc and then have to worry about scheduling it in vs. all the other panels and making sure it starts and ends on time.

Also what >>7591076 said.

>>7591010
>Physical schedules and booklets are not only informational, but are a souvernir to be taken home

People will often get their program guides signed by guests so they won't get tossed out. Not to mention as a panelist, it feels really good to have your stuff mentioned and listed in a real professional looking guide,

>>7591076
>>7591194
Not to mention that savy cons will work the game room in their main programming though organizing tons of tournaments and even have their guests who play the games come over and visit and provide commentary for tournaments

>>7590986
>People without smart phones can get fucked; this is 2014 and soon it will be 2020. There will be no excuse for luddites.

Fuck you. I actually enjoy having a phone I don't have to charge on an hourly basis and only use to call people. It's one of the reasons why I get ivited to so many outings as I'm not constantly looking down at my smartphone ever 30 minutes

so how to fix cons according to this post

get rid of everything, have only panel rooms.


no really, some people enjoy dealers rooms, some people enjoy video rooms and game rooms. just because you don't like them, doesn't mean everyone else hates them.

>>People without smart phones can get fucked; this is 2014 and soon it will be 2020. There will be no excuse for luddites

some people cant actually afford a smart phone. some people save up all year to go to one anime con as their vacation.
personally I dont want to waste my internet looking up schedules or info that could be in a booklet. also, people do get their booklets signed by VAs and guests.

>>7591393
>get rid of everything, have only panel rooms.
Actually, those were my next complaint. Certainly we can remove the greater majority, if not all, of the panels at your average con. Ideally the goal would be to slowly phase them out entirely.

>>7591574
So...no dealers, no video, no panels. I think we've just eliminated all the programming and need for any event space.

>>7591596
That's not true, there's still cosplay. Personally I'm not a fan but some people seem to enjoy it so I think I can allow it for now.

>>7591627
But if it's just cosplay, you can go to one of the cosplay picnics or gatherings, you don't need a con.

>>7590103
The con I help organise all uses print program books and uses the Guidebook app. Presently we're still using both because for the last two years our download and web view statistics show that still less than 5% of our attendees are using it, and that's with lots of advertising of the app prior to the event on social media and posters, plugs etc for it on the day.
The numbers might change if you make it their only option, sure, but then you alienate the people who don't have access to it on the day.

>>7591596
no wait! ther's still guests! So nothing but autograph lines

bo-bump.

Seems like a lot of these problems stem from poor management and shitty volunteers.

A more involved hiring process might solve both of those problems, but then again, I know people with years of experience volunteering at absolutely awful conventions, so that might might vetting better volunteers somewhat difficult as well.

>>7595042
The problem you are clearly pointing out is that these people are volunteers, meaning working for free or in exchange for basic attendee status.

It is plausible that with hired work, it could be an improvement but I doubt it. Cons would cost too much. Who would you hire, weeaboos who understand a con or a security guard would wouldn't understand what the hell is going on with these weird people.

>>7595221
You don't even need to hire most of the staff. Just once you break 10K attendees you need a core management staff that are paid enough that their real job is making sure the con works. The problem with larger cons is the competent people refuse to take higher positions because the time you have to invest to do the job well means your day job suffers for 6 months of the year, and its the day job that pays the bills, not the con.

>>7595221
>>7595270
Somewhere else in this thread, it was suggested that volunteers only get single day passes and when on duty, they have to give up their badges until their shift is done.

Add in a rule that no dealer, or game room, or panel room, or any con event can allow in a volunteer who is on duty (maybe designated by volunteer t-shirts or volunteer badges).

Having dedicated department heads and managers would go a long way, even if they only get paid a small amount of reimbursed for gas, parking, or hotel or something. Put all the same restrictions as any other job, meaning they need to be on the job, they are accountable, drinking and drugs are not allowed, and so on.

If the problem is that cons suck because they aren't professional enough, then force them to start acting professional.

>>7595318
Actually not a bad idea.
Minus the costs for the extra stuff, I can see it being a start. Definitely would force people to work more hours to get badges for each day.

On the flip side, I can see a lot of the younger or cheaper crowd only working on Saturday to a badge for it.

>>7589676

Dragon*Con has all this and is fully fan run.

>>7581760
Are you sure you don't mean 6 out of 7 rooms screened anime? A glance at the Pocket Guide proves this.

Not enough anime-themed games may be a valid complaint as I don't know TTG/PC/console content there.

There were several general anime panels and a few show-specific panels. But if you mean not nearly enough anime-specific panels then that is also a valid critique.

The karaoke room has long been in that CC ballroom. The same room also allowed for non-anime songs and the Gong Show. Stage Zero frequently showed anime music videos as well.

Not sure what your last two points were unless you would like to clarify?

>>7582489

As a con staffer who had been at a few code blues, I can assure you that once medical personnel arrive on-scene we let them do their jobs and stay out of the way.

>>7591393
Speaking of panel rooms. We have artist alley threads all the time. But we don't really have too many panel/idea threads from what I've seen. That would be a good place to start for people who want better panels, but aren't sure what to do about it.

>>7601135

Good point!

>>7601135
Make the panels you want yourself. Cons get most if their random, non-guest panels from con-goers (which is why many of them are bad, or end up not happening- con-goer applies, gets approved, but then flakes and doesn't show up at their panel)

>>7601135
Didn't we actually have a panel thread already? Think it faded off the page due to no interest

>>7585469
Because anime fans are just sterling members of polite society.

bump for interesting discussion.