Overwhelmed, needs opinions about K-con...

[SiderAnne]

So we were going to attend last year (2009), but plans fell through at the last minute. My hubby wants to be more prepared for this year, and he's been asking me a lot of questions that I can't answer. He's asking me because I'm the one in the forums here, and this plan to attend was all my idea.
  Here's some questions... there may be follow-ups if I need something clarified.

Is staying at the Hotel worth the cost, as opposed to "commuting" everyday?

Were you happy with your room experience? (or did the bed/nightlight/neighbors keep you up all night?)

What percentage of people go full cosplay?

What would you wear that wasn't cosplay, yet still feel "incrowd"?

Do you feel like there's too much activity/shopping/stuff for the number of days?
or is it relatively easy to find "down time" if your feet are sore?

What days would you say the best stuff happens?

What, in your opinion, is "the best stuff" at K-con?


I'll probably have more questions to add later. My hubby can be very thorough in his quest for information.

Conversely, if you have questions about my questions, please ask.

[nikkiolie]

I personally think it is worth it to get a hotel room because you have somewhere to go if you want to rest where if you commute each day you may have a car to rest in but you may not. It is also nice knowing you can stay up latter and just go upstairs. You also don't have to travel while wearing your costume which can be awkward if you are taking public transport. And you have a place to store things that you buy.

The rooms were great. I had three people in my room and it was fantastic. The neighbors weren't loud at all. It was a nice place to go to relax. The major problem was the elevators. I hope that is an issue they get fixed but since part of the hotel was on the very top floor they had a long line for the elevators. The hotel staff also thought it would be a good idea to give priority to guests that weren't part of the con by letting them get on the elevator first. I was a paying guest as well.

I would say that about 1/3 of the people cosplay. That may be an overestimate but there will be a lot of cosplayers there. No one will judge you if you do or don't wear a costume. I wish there was some shots of just crowds of people so you could get a better idea. I would say that at least one in every 3 to 5 people is cosplaying

If you didn't want to wear cosplay then anime/video game related clothes would help you fit in. You really want to fit in it is always a good idea to have a nice camera around your neck. Lots of people will talk to you then

I find it easy to find down time because a lot of the panels and events aren't something I am interested in. And the thing I am usually involve waiting in line for a while so there is some down time too.

The second day is usually my personal favorite stuff happens. That is usually the case with most cons because most of the time the second day is a Saturday but for Kumoricon it is a Sunday. I would say more fun things happen the second day, less lines for registration and usually better cosplays. I know I save my best ones for the second day.

I just like watching people and looking at cosplays and there are more people usually second day but it is pretty close the first and second day. There is also the cosplay contest and a rave/masquerade the second day. If you were only going for one day I would avoid the last day since it ends early and there isn't as much to do. Plus if you are interested in looking at others costumes I have found that there are less cosplayers on the last day, they just want to relax and not pose anymore (especially those that have very recognizable costumes ^_^;)

[JeffT]

I always recommend staying at a con's hotel if you can afford it, particularly in conventions which are directly hosted in the hotel (not a convention center). This completely transforms, in a positive way, the con experience. You have the freedom to take a break or nap anytime you want, you don't have to leave the con and go back to the "real world" each day, and you can go to bed at the last second you feel like it rather than having to "plan" to leave early.

Don't worry about "fitting in" if you're not cosplaying. Although huge numbers of people cosplay, huge numbers also don't, and it's really not something you need to worry about. I would say somewhere between one third and one half cosplay.

To get an idea of what is available, you can browse last year's pocket guide (or see the online schedule) to see what is available. There is so much going on that if you don't study the schedule you'll find you miss stuff you wish you'd seen. I generally recommend to con attendees that they try out new events since there will be plenty of time to "relax" in the open rooms at any time of the day.

The con staff is planning much more carefully to deal with logistics around crowding at the hotel this year. This year, all hotel rooms are dedicated to the convention, and there are no other events scheduled. There was a wedding last year and despite giving those guests elevator preference, they ended up having to comp all of the wedding guests' rooms due to the crowding and other issues they encountered.

[StarryShay]

Is staying at the Hotel worth the cost, as opposed to "commuting" everyday?
I think it's worth the cost for sure! Being able to just wander back to your hotel room and sleep is alot funner then driving every night. Plus, alot of fun stuff happens in the rooms if you go with friends like I do. We watch movies and eat junk food, lulz. xD It can sometimes be chaotic staying in the room though, especially when your checking out, so keep that in mind.

Were you happy with your room experience? (or did the bed/nightlight/neighbors keep you up all night?)
Yes. :3 Granted, we had five people in a room, but the one we got was big with nice beds, a large window, and a beautiful view. The Television was nice, and the bathroom was pretty as well!

What percentage of people go full cosplay?
In my opinion, the majority of people that attend are in cosplay. The first year I went, I didn't cosplay, and I can honestly say I had much more fun the time I did. As far as percentage, I say close to 3/5 are in cosplay. :3

What would you wear that wasn't cosplay, yet still feel "incrowd"?
Anything you wear is fine really. As far as 'incrowd' goes, I'm not sure. Anytime you have a camera though and wanna take pictures, people will be happy, like Nikki said. ;DDD

Do you feel like there's too much activity/shopping/stuff for the number of days?
It depends on what you're interested in doing. o.o Most of the panels at Kumo get crowded really fast, and aren't really worth it. Things like the dances, Choreography, and Karaoke contest are the really fun things that I go to. And don't worry, you don't have to attend everything. o.e

or is it relatively easy to find "down time" if your feet are sore?
Of course. There are so many places nearby to relax, like the parks, fastfood, restaurants, and so on. :3 You can even hang out in the lobby, but that's usually super crowdeddd.

What days would you say the best stuff happens?
It depends... When I went to Kumoricon '08, me and my friends were there from the first day to the third, but when I went this year, we stayed from pre-reg to the third day. I like pre-reg day the best for hanging out, and the second day for fun activities~

What, in your opinion, is "the best stuff" at K-con?
Karaoke room, omg, so fun~ Choreography contest, I usually compete. x3 Cosplay contest, the skits are hilarious. Dealers hall, really crowded and hard to get to, but it has nice stuff. And walking aroud for photoshoots is fun too if you cosplay!

Disclaimer: These views come from a fourteen year old girl, keep that in mind. xDD

[EmAino]

This was my first Kumoricon where I actually got a hotel room as opposed to driving back and forth the past 3 cons or so, and I definitely recommend getting a room if you can afford it.  Obviously, it's much easier to just head up to your room when you need a break (even with the elevator lines of doom) then it is to drive back to wherever it is that you live.   I know that when I would travel back and forth, there were honestly times I missed panels that I found slightly interesting just because I was lazy and didn't want to drive back.

The room itself was really nice.  PLENTY of room for two people...even two big girls like myself and my best friend/roomie.   I LOVED the window and the view of the city below.  Noise wasn't really a factor, which was nice as we were right next to the elevators.

I would have to agree with what others have said....most people do cosplay...or maybe I just notice them more. LOL.

I wore jeans and a t-shirt one of the days and didn't really feel out of place.

I didn't feel like there was "too much" going on...but I didn't feel like there was too little either.  It all depends on what you're interested in doing.  Down time is very easy to find...I liked just mulling around the lobby and different areas and people-watching when I needed a break.

It's hard for me to pick a "best day" really....The cosplay contest is always fun to watch as are the opening and closing ceremonies.  Photoshoots are always awesome, and I LOVE going to the swap meet on the last day.   Good way to get rid of old merchandise I don't need and get stuff in return that I do.

[shanime_panda]

if you stay at the hotel, I highly recommend you stay in the towers across the street since the elevators in the main building had huge lines due to all the people trying to get to rooms/other panels
they cost a little more but it's definitely worth it since the rooms are also bigger

[JeffT]

if you stay at the hotel, I highly recommend you stay in the towers across the street since the elevators in the main building had huge lines due to all the people trying to get to rooms/other panels
they cost a little more but it's definitely worth it since the rooms are also bigger

All rooms at the attendee rate will be in the main tower this year.

[shanime_panda]

really? why the change?

[JeffT]

really? why the change?

I think the main reason was so that non-convention guests wouldn't need to be in the main tower.

[StarryShay]

So now we are forced to stand in huge lines too to get to our room? D:

[AllyKat]

really? why the change?

YAY! SOMETHING I CAN ANSWER!

The change was a dual decision of the convention and the hotel to protect con-goers and non-con goers interests.

95% of everyone didn't really like the idea of trucking across the street to the exec tower after a long day of convention romping... especially all the cosplayers in the rain! Also, if we own the main tower completely, we have more capability to mess with the elevators, change traffic flow and completely OWN that space, as opposed to sharing both spaces with "outsiders" and ending up with congestion, confusion and frustration.

In short: It'll be better this way... truthsies!

~Allykat

[shanime_panda]

really? why the change?

YAY! SOMETHING I CAN ANSWER!

The change was a dual decision of the convention and the hotel to protect con-goers and non-con goers interests.

95% of everyone didn't really like the idea of trucking across the street to the exec tower after a long day of convention romping... especially all the cosplayers in the rain! Also, if we own the main tower completely, we have more capability to mess with the elevators, change traffic flow and completely OWN that space, as opposed to sharing both spaces with "outsiders" and ending up with congestion, confusion and frustration.

In short: It'll be better this way... truthsies!

~Allykat

AWESOME! I hope you're right!

[acton]

I commute in. I can't justify the added expense. specially there more distant cons I want to attend. Where I live in Beaverton it a 15 minute drive. I also save money by eating breakfast at home.
The down side is one there nowhere i can go during down hours. I wish there was a con suite to crash at. Unlike the Double tree, there not many place to lounge. Also I can not stay late.

As for cosplayers I see around 2 cospalyers toe very three attendees.

[nikkiolie]

really? why the change?

YAY! SOMETHING I CAN ANSWER!

The change was a dual decision of the convention and the hotel to protect con-goers and non-con goers interests.

95% of everyone didn't really like the idea of trucking across the street to the exec tower after a long day of convention romping... especially all the cosplayers in the rain! Also, if we own the main tower completely, we have more capability to mess with the elevators, change traffic flow and completely OWN that space, as opposed to sharing both spaces with "outsiders" and ending up with congestion, confusion and frustration.

In short: It'll be better this way... truthsies!

~Allykat

I just thought of something. Maybe you could make two lines, a line for people going to karaoke and a line for people going to their rooms and the people going to their rooms use the elevators on the right and the people going to karaoke use the ones on the left. Not sure if that would work or not.

[AllyKat]

I just thought of something. Maybe you could make two lines, a line for people going to karaoke and a line for people going to their rooms and the people going to their rooms use the elevators on the right and the people going to karaoke use the ones on the left. Not sure if that would work or not.

*winks* You are on the right track nikki my dear! But there is still much more planning involved before I can really go into detail about
my diabolical master plan! ^__^

~Allykat

[nikkiolie]

Alright that will help the flow of traffic. And if I room with Patrick there is no way I am taking the stairs up to the top floor or second to top x.x

[FynХоук]

I commuted for the past two years but it would be much more fun to get a room, you can do more panels and experience the night life of con. Just my Opinion!

[SiderAnne]

Wow!    I was expecting like three people to post, so this is amazing!

This is alot of good information.

I guess what I'm most nervous about now is finding people to hang out with... since my hubby has decided that he wants to spend alot of time watching movies or gaming while we're there.

That, and getting a costume put together. I want to dress up atleast one day.

[shanime_panda]

well when the schedule comes out you can take a look at any panels you might be interested in attending,
also pay attention to the photoshoot schedule. Even if you're not going to cosplay anything, you can still go to the photoshoot of some of your favorite series and take pictures! or maybe even just talk with the people about your love for the series.