Author Topic: Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?  (Read 7013 times)

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Offline Arashi

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« on: April 19, 2005, 03:54:37 pm »
KUMORI CON OF COURSE. Alright, so Kumori Con was my first con last year. So I had a lot of fun. But everyone kept telling me, you have to go to Sakura Con. It's bigger. And so I did. However, after returning from Sakura Con I can solidly say that I, and most people I talked to as well as everyone I was with, agree that Kumori was at LEAST twice as good. Sakura staff weren't very nice actually... and it just didn't seem like a friendly atmosphere. There were a lot of things going on, yet unlike at Kumori Con, I found myself often bored. It was so organized that it was confusing, and altogether a lot more rule bound. TOO MUCH in fact. I discussed this with a guy I know who is in a traveling cosplay improv group, and he agreed that Kumori Con was better. So my point is, I hope Kumori Con never gets too organized and big and loses what it has. It has that good feeling. It has fun. And nice staff members, as well as people who have time to stop and talk to you or help you out if you need it. So to Kumori Con, staff and goers, I say this: I will always keep coming back. Because you do anime conventions right!
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Offline Kei-Kei

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2005, 04:48:02 pm »
First, let me say your post pisses me off.

I've been to Sakuracon three years in a row, and have each year enjoyed myself. They have the rules because they are a much larger convention that Kumoricon, and if you were bored that's your own fault for taking the opportunity to experience all that Sakuracon had to offer.
Kumoricon and Sakuracon are two very different conventions, if you didn't notice. For me, I'd say Sakuracon was best, with Kumoricon a very close second.

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Offline PezCat

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2005, 05:00:02 pm »
Hmm...

Okay, calm down guys... Kumori is not here to depose Sakura.  In defense of rules/regulations/etc., the bigger a con is, the more problems it will have simply because of sheer volume.  When you have more problems, you need to implement more rules to prevent them.  As Kumoricon grows, yes, certain rules/regulations will come into play that may not have in the past.  It's the nature of the beast.

Now, bearing in mind I've never been to Sakuracon (Kumoricon 2003 & 2004 are actually the only cons I've attended, though I've staffed both years and am staffing this year again), I do know that Kumoricon is trying desperately to avoid becoming "too organized" or distant from its fans.  On the same note, not enough organization would result in the lot of us staffers becoming crazed chickens who randomly peck at congoers and yell "BRAIIINS!" all the time, which wouldn't help at all either.

Some people are going to like Sakuracon better.  Some people are going to like Kumoricon better.  As long as you give us your money, though, Kumoricon will LOVE you!  =^~_~^=  Just kidding... well, we WILL love you, we'll just love you more when you give us money!  =^~.o^=  In all seriousness, each con is going to have its own strengths and weaknesses.

On another note, if when you say "Kumoricon vs. Sakuracon," you mean in a battle-royale brawl-to-the-death, Kumoricon will win hands down.  We's scrappy.  =^~.~^=

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Offline khayman

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2005, 05:03:52 pm »
Quote from: "PezCat"
On another note, if when you say "Kumoricon vs. Sakuracon," you mean in a battle-royale brawl-to-the-death, Kumoricon will win hands down.  We's scrappy.  =^~.~^=

PezCat


Yes, Portland ownz.

Sakuracon was my first con (grrRRRrRRR on Kumoricon for selling out last year, it was my first con, I didn't know enough to prereg :P). I enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll enjoy Kumoricon too though.

Plus....it's in Portland! And Portland ownz   8)
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Offline the_wind_the_sea

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2005, 05:15:27 pm »
I've been going to Sakura-Con for four years and Kumori-Con since it opened, and while I enjoy Sakura-Con. I find myself liking Kumori-Con more and more. I guess that it's just the way that everyone treats everyone and the way things are run. I've never had a dull moment at either convention. But, Kumori-Con, I just find myself doing so much more, and I'm not sure why. But, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Some like Sakura-Con and some like Kumori-Con.

Hell, my friend who has been to Sakura-Con, Kumori-Con, AnimeExpo, AnimeEvolution, and Fanime. She loves Fanime out of all the cons. It's just a matter of people. That's all. No need to argue.

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Offline Dustin

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2005, 08:41:56 pm »
Kumoricon last year was my first con, too. I ejoyed it, but I also enjoyed Sakuracon this year. :D


I admit, I thought Sakuracon would be more fun, but, overall, yeah, I enjoyed myself ALOT. This time, I had friends with me, so it was alot of fun.

Last year at Kumoricon, it was just me and my Gramps (He has friends in Portland, so he hung out with them). I didn't really know anybody at the con, so, I was kinda quiet and kept to myself.

Its better to know people there and have fun. :D

I gotta admit though, I enjoy Kumoricon more.

Its just because its smaller. No two hotels, too. I did a crap load of walking. For normal people that may not mean alot, but I am diabetic and overweight, so its a very hard thing for me to do, personally. Thats why I liked Kumoricon, very easy to get around.

So, while I did enjoy Sakuracon, I will always prefer Kumoricon (Until it gets so big, it takes up more than one hotel, then I am screwed :D).

Anonymous

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2005, 08:42:44 pm »
I'm sorry you had a bad time at Sakauracon this year, but it really is a great con. Next year they'll have triple the space, so maybe if you have the chance check out 2006.

Offline zenix

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2005, 05:12:02 am »
Quote from: "PezCat"
, not enough organization would result in the lot of us staffers becoming crazed chickens who randomly peck at congoers and yell "BRAIIINS!" all the time, which wouldn't help at all either.
PezCat


i love that quote

imo there both great and i enjoy both equally its nice that there far enough apart that i dont have to  choose one over the other


dosent  alot of kumoricons staff staff sakura con to?

Offline BigGuy

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2005, 09:27:31 am »
most all of the  Kumoricon staff go to Sakuracon, it's not a vs. thing, but a "this is cool, let's do our own con" kinda thing. I'm happy to hear people say they like Kumoricon, but Sakuracon has a lot of good points also. Enjoy both and long live the fans!
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Offline shadowfox

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« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2005, 11:38:31 am »
^^ he he he, is there a war going on here? ^^, n-e-ways, i think that they were both ok 'cause i went into kumoricon without knowing what events were going on and i went to sakuracon getting lost all the time^^, either way, i had a blast ^^
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Offline PixeL

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2005, 12:42:41 pm »
Sakura con this year was my first con. [i went there sunday to pick people up...so i dont think that counts ;D] Yeah, SOME staff and volenteers weren't cool but doenst mean that they were all rude..[i was staff..watch what you say or i'll beat you up. Just kidding.]

Anyway the people who ATTENDED the con seemed a bit  snobby, eletiest ect. this year.  Well the majoirty of the random people i  TRIED talking too. Pretty much the majority of the Lolitas and J-rockers were really rude and snobby and dont take complements well. Its very rude to glare or stick up your nose when someone is complamenting you on somthing.

It was like if you didnt go to Japan or you werent asian they didnt like you, wich is really dumb because they're just as geeky as the rest of us. Just because you went to japan, COSPLAYED as a j-rocker,lolita [or maybe you're a lolita everyday? i am Decora/fruit everyday], know someone is japanese, related to someone who is japanese DOES NOT make you "hardcore" or any "better than everyone else". And there were ALOT of people like that at Sakuracon. I hope theres no people [or very few] like that at Kumri and AE this year and next Sakuracon. I know that alot of people or some people on this foum know people like this.

Offline RemSaverem

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2005, 03:15:44 pm »
i have never been to an actual con as a congoer. i've attended only 3 cons: both kumoricons, and this sakuracon; and at each, i've been staff. i couldn't really compare last fall's kcon and this scon experience, because with kcon i had a full year to prepare and knew i was part of a team, and knew at least half of the other staff. however, i can compare my experiences with the first kcon and this scon, because, for the first kcon, i only became involved as a fanfic panelist  and fanfic contest judge about a month before the con, and for scon, i only became invited officially about a month before the con, and actually only adopted some of the tasks after finding no one else doing them, during the actual con!

so from that perspective: i loved all 3 cons, and am dedicated to remaining staff in both k and s. however, it was *much* easier to jump into kcon than into scon. even though i knew almost no one on staff; even though i knew almost nothing about       and less about       cons (just a lot about beta reading and fanfiction).......kcon was, quite simply, fan-friendly, staff-friendly, accessible, and dedicatedly welcoming. at scon, by contrast, it seemed like there were rather tight in-groups among staff, and not always was it possible to find out what i might need to find out to run the events i was empowered to run, nor even know if i were going to be treated as staff when i requested the information. i don't fault anyone for this; i was the newbie, who was only given permission to do things at the last minute; it was logical that only those who already knew me from online or from my work at kcon would start from a position of trying to help me. a couple other particular staff or volunteers turned out to be great in their intention to help, albeit not necessarily able to do so. it seemed like the con was quite simply so big, that it was hard for anyone to know where to go to get all the right answers and assistance. it also seemed like the con was so used to running at that huge a level, that some of the smaller events were almost entirely treated as afterthoughts.

none of this is really that surprising for a con that's been around that long and has become that huge. it was, however, not as thoroughly a sense of a welcoming atmosphere as the (admittedly under 1/10th the size!) kcon #1 was. however, for a con that was just pulling itself together by the seat of its pants (and with sc as one rolemodel both of things to do, and of things to avoid doing), i think it functioned incredibly smoothly both years....most importantly, in keeping the emphasis on fancreations and fanfriendliness, as well as (for the most part) harmony among staff.

of course i couldn't help but be hooked on kcon for life, after someone on staff i hadn't met (sailor naboo), upon hearing that my car had lost its steering mechanism and had transmission trouble on the way to the con, undertook to find someone to be sure i made it home safe, and then that person not only gave me a ride, but took me out to dinner. here was a huge, personal crisis, not really con related, and someone from staff took time out to be sure it all went dreamily well for me. contrast that with scon, which was so huge and so hectic, that a con-specific problem (getting a microphone for the event i was brought up to run), which i had started trying to address online and by phone prior to the con, was not resolved until after the start of the event, despite my having tried through talking to way over a dozen staff and volunteers over several hours on friday night and saturday day and night of the con.

for all these reasons, while i very truly love and admire sakuracon and am dedicated to remaining involved as staff for the artists' den (if given that privilege by whomever becomes the programming director there), i also very truly pray that kumoricon remains, at least in consciousness and orientation if not in number, a smaller and more cohesive con, and more overtly accessible for staff and volunteers as well as congoers, and with a clearer roster and problem-solving matrix.

thanks
rem.
Ellen. 2003: Fanfic panelist & contest judge.
2004: Beta Station Coord. 2005: Fan Creation Station Coord.;pre-event assistant to the con chair.2006: Fanfic Mgr/C.S. Coord.
2007, 8, 9, 10: Fan Creation Manager. 2011: Writing & Editing Coord (Publicity).

Offline Kyuubi

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2005, 09:50:59 pm »
i didnt have enough money to go to Sakuracon plus my parents said"its either kumoricon or sakuracon your choice" and i chose the one i like
so my vote if Kumoricon

Offline Cattiibrie

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Bah!
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2005, 11:21:15 pm »
Yeah >_< I turn 18 in may... one month after Sakura con! So I decided "bah... I'll just go to Kumoricon"

And it sounds like it wasn't a bad decision :D
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Offline superjaz

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2005, 07:55:24 am »
kumoricon or bust!
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Anonymous

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Evolution Curve for Cons?
« Reply #15 on: April 21, 2005, 08:13:56 am »
I really liked Sakuracon about 2 or 3 years ago.

I have heard -terrible- things about AX and I simply will not go .
(That and it's in California - bleah. Flying is now too personally
invasive of my privacy too, so I don't really enjoy that aspect either.)

I am wondering if there is an 'evolution curve' for cons as they get bigger, they get more organizational structure and more rules. Another thing to think about is that if, say, 1 in 3000 people is a dangerous whacko, the odds that con security people will have to deal with a REAL "problem person" (a groper, or some dolts cooking meth in a hotel room) go up the larger the con gets.

What disuades me most from AX is that the info is one-way: "WE " are the commercial artists and industry trade reps, and "YOU" are the fans - sit down sut up and listen to our expertise, fawn over us, and wait in line for hours for your next event or 'pro' autograph.

I much prefer the how-to stuff for fans to DO things and learn hands-on, or a chance to try some thing new yourself, right there at the con. Do you like manga? Here are some drawing tips to try. Like Costuming? Meet some people who are also swapping construction tips, patterns, etc. There's still a lot of the 'fans sharing stuff with and for other fans,' at Sakuracon, but there was even more of that peer-to-peer feeling at Kumoricon last year, and a little less at Sakuracon. I like when info and fun goes TWO ways at panels. Otherwise a con can feel more like a lecture series.

For the con evolution curve as they grow in attendance, if Kumoricon hits 6,000 attendees, the function space will be different, the organization, scheduling, and programming behind the con will also have to be different too. And that might mean that:

a) Sakura con will have grown into a 17,000 member wait-in-line trade-show event, with some of the staff earning $50K-and-up salaries just for managing the con committees,

b) Kumoricon will just be adding a 'pointy looking vegetables' policy to its banned weapons policy, and

c) ... somewhere in the outskirts of Portland, or in some other smaller town along I-5 or I-84, about 550 anime fans gather on some other weekend at a small hotel or community college, somebody brings a 16-port LAN hub, and somthing NEW gets born at the front end of the curve...

- G

Offline Keyta-Kun

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Kumori Con VS. Sakura Con... who will win?
« Reply #16 on: April 21, 2005, 09:39:30 am »
Quote from: "pixxiy"
Sakura con this year was my first con. [i went there sunday to pick people up...so i dont think that counts ;D] Yeah, SOME staff and volenteers weren't cool but doenst mean that they were all rude..[i was staff..watch what you say or i'll beat you up. Just kidding.]

Anyway the people who ATTENDED the con seemed a bit  snobby, eletiest ect. this year.  Well the majoirty of the random people i  TRIED talking too. Pretty much the majority of the Lolitas and J-rockers were really rude and snobby and dont take complements well. Its very rude to glare or stick up your nose when someone is complamenting you on somthing.

It was like if you didnt go to Japan or you werent asian they didnt like you, wich is really dumb because they're just as geeky as the rest of us. Just because you went to japan, COSPLAYED as a j-rocker,lolita [or maybe you're a lolita everyday? i am Decora/fruit everyday], know someone is japanese, related to someone who is japanese DOES NOT make you "hardcore" or any "better than everyone else". And there were ALOT of people like that at Sakuracon. I hope theres no people [or very few] like that at Kumri and AE this year and next Sakuracon. I know that alot of people or some people on this foum know people like this.


Oh I know!!!  Those people where just so snobby acting you didn't even want to be NEAR them at all.  It's really very rude and that can really be downer for a while especially when everyone's there to have a good time!  ^__^ Also some of the staff were kinda mean and off putting... got confused once or twice on where things were, but am too scared to ask... T__T  I'm really kinda shy... --///--;;

And I've gone to Sakura con twice and Kumori only once and I'd have to say... Kumori!  The people there were just a whole lot nicer and easier to talk to, just better atomospher, you know?
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Offline rarnom

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Re: Evolution Curve for Cons?
« Reply #17 on: April 21, 2005, 09:45:53 am »
Quote from: "Anonymous"
c) ... somewhere in the outskirts of Portland, or in some other smaller town along I-5 or I-84, about 550 anime fans gather on some other weekend at a small hotel or community college, somebody brings a 16-port LAN hub, and somthing NEW gets born at the front end of the curve...

- G


That future is already here and it is called LANIME!!!   <----click for info!!!

Come see it for yourself on MAY 14th 2-midnight at Chemeketa Community College building 9 in Salem.

pssst...  ITS FREE!!
The trick is not minding.

Offline Neko_Chan

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Re: Evolution Curve for Cons?
« Reply #18 on: April 21, 2005, 10:51:20 am »
Quote from: "rarnom"
Quote from: "Anonymous"
c) ... somewhere in the outskirts of Portland, or in some other smaller town along I-5 or I-84, about 550 anime fans gather on some other weekend at a small hotel or community college, somebody brings a 16-port LAN hub, and somthing NEW gets born at the front end of the curve...

- G


That future is already here and it is called LANIME!!!

Come see it for yourself on MAY 14th 2-midnight at Chemeketa Community College building 9 in Salem.

pssst...  ITS FREE!!


Is it a potluck like last time?

Offline rarnom

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Re: Evolution Curve for Cons?
« Reply #19 on: April 21, 2005, 10:56:21 am »
Quote from: "Neko_Chan"
Is it a potluck like last time?


yes.  We have one room all dedicated to potluck, eating, and AMV's on the big screen.  (and some kung-fu as well...)
The trick is not minding.

Offline Neko_Chan

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Re: Evolution Curve for Cons?
« Reply #20 on: April 21, 2005, 10:59:44 am »
Quote from: "rarnom"
Quote from: "Neko_Chan"
Is it a potluck like last time?


yes.  We have one room all dedicated to potluck, eating, and AMV's on the big screen.  (and some kung-fu as well...)

^__^- Awsome! Leslie and I are looking forward to it.