Author Topic: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)  (Read 23745 times)

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Offline ~boogiepop~

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #50 on: September 04, 2007, 05:52:28 pm »
Rant:

-Gotta agree with Wanganator on the DDR pads. It got a little crazy with those they moved around A LOT. And one of them always seemed to be tripping out and you had to stomp on the dang thing to get it to work. That and wasn't there suppose to be some other guy there for the contest? I was just curious about that because at the end Tofu seemed to be running the whole thing. It was still fun though

-I was a bit disappointed there was no ParaPara Paradise this year. Last time I went to Kumoricon ::{which was '05}:: they had a controller and such and it was hella fun. I really missed it this year D:

-The crowd was a bit hectic for me @.@ I kept getting bumped against walls and my props got all dinged up ;.;

-Uhh the vendors hall started to smell a lot the first day that was kinda bad.

Rave:

-The people here were so wonderful this year. I absolutely dreaded '05 because of rude people and wasn't going to go to Kumoricon again but I am defiantly glad I gave it another chance.

-Thank you to the Yojimbos and staffers! I had no problems with anyone helping me at anytime, I got clear answers from everyone and was able to get everything I was confused about straight.

-The park was friggin' awesome for photoshoots!

-The Registration line went fast~

I can't think of anything else right now since I didn't go to a lot of the panels and whatnot but I have a renewed outlook on Kumoricon :D I will most defiantly be going to the next one. It was soooooo much better then the '05 con I went to.
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Offline Kyuubi

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #51 on: September 04, 2007, 06:11:34 pm »
Improvements to make:
  • - Very Large Signs, posted well above head height, both labeling rooms and others showing you which rooms are down which direction of a hallway.  (The same for info desk/etc, since crowds blocked the signs)
  • - Signs in the registration area might also help.

As the Signage Coordinator, I was only told to make the signs that I had forms for pre-con. But, since I know what signs are going to be needed and the different types of them. I can make them rather easy now since I know what signs I had to make for them. So, it's partially...or more to the point, mostly my fault for that second thing on the list. But to answer the first thing; I think that 3' by 4' signs are big enough for someone to notice...
« Last Edit: September 04, 2007, 06:18:55 pm by Kyuubi »

Offline reppy

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #52 on: September 04, 2007, 06:16:16 pm »
I really am honestly surprised at all the negativity that people received from staff/volunteers.

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Offline ThiefKingsHier

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #53 on: September 04, 2007, 06:18:08 pm »
I really am honestly surprised at all the negativity that people received from staff/volunteers.

Actually, I was suprised too. Iv always had a problem with SC staff, and praised how much more awesome the KC staff are. Infact when one of the staff got on my case I said "  But I was asured this would not become Sakura con"

Offline Kyuubi

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #54 on: September 04, 2007, 06:20:46 pm »
Since I've never been to Sakuracon...I can't really say anything. ^^; But, from what I've seen/heard. Most of the Kumoricon staff was nice to everyone. Unless all the bad things were happening on the opposite side of the hotel...I'm in the fog here... >.>; Heh.

Offline reppy

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #55 on: September 04, 2007, 06:22:59 pm »
I really am honestly surprised at all the negativity that people received from staff/volunteers.

Actually, I was suprised too. Iv always had a problem with SC staff, and praised how much more awesome the KC staff are. Infact when one of the staff got on my case I said "  But I was asured this would not become Sakura con"

Well, I've heard they were severely understaffed and had very little sleep. Not saying it's an excuse, but cause and effect. (I read your post and .. it seemed pretty awful. I really hate seeing people being treated badly, sometimes even when they deserve it!)

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Offline ThiefKingsHier

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #56 on: September 04, 2007, 08:27:05 pm »
I really am honestly surprised at all the negativity that people received from staff/volunteers.

Actually, I was suprised too. Iv always had a problem with SC staff, and praised how much more awesome the KC staff are. Infact when one of the staff got on my case I said "  But I was asured this would not become Sakura con"

Well, I've heard they were severely understaffed and had very little sleep. Not saying it's an excuse, but cause and effect. (I read your post and .. it seemed pretty awful. I really hate seeing people being treated badly, sometimes even when they deserve it!)

Well Im not very good with faces but unless staff are like storm troopers, Im pretty sure that a lot of the harassing was actually done by the same one or two people.

Offline superjaz

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #57 on: September 04, 2007, 09:21:11 pm »
And dont take it out on me, the insulting was compeltley unnessecery and really only further convicnes me that your perfectly capable of being the rude 'I got no sleep and am going to punish the attendies for it"-type volantter.

Well now you know your nto cut otu for volenteering. And wotn do it again. Seriosuly your being incredibly whiny about this. I may have some  sympathy if you could rant without playing poor little Cinderalla who is being taken for granted by all the cruel attendees.
i didn't say anything about attendees, I took many complaints from them regarding yojimbo, and went to great lengths to see that a situation was resolved happily.
 This is solely on the staff (not all,) not necessarily the attendees.
and sorry if you thought i was whiny but i thought this was the rant and rave which is what i was doing.
I'm not just ranting for my self, but for all the other volunteers who felt hurt. We worked our butts off for a good portion of the year and then again at the con itself and we just want to feel some appreciation from the staff for our efforts. But apparently us wanting that makes us whiny Cinderellas who dont deserve to be treated better then a doormat
 so you think i shouldnt be a volunteer because i don't like being treated poorly?
You threw the first names calling me a maryter I'm just saying these issues weren't right and they need to be addressed for next year if we want to have a good volunteer staff

in all honestly if anyone else dosent want me to be a volunteer please feel free to speak up
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Offline RoamingGnome

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #58 on: September 04, 2007, 09:28:52 pm »
Ok ok.  We really really really need to stop pointing fingers.  I would be the first to admit when somebody complains about something I worked on I get somewhat defensive.  We just all need to look at mistakes being oportunities to improve and learn.  I would really really hope that more would join as staff.  More help means less work landing on any one persons shoulders.  I would also like to see more given to those who volunteer.  I don't know what can be done but I'm sure there are those who are fighting for more to be given to those who spend alot of time on what they love.  Anyways I would hope we can be a little more calm on these forums so that can improve.

Offline Trumby

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #59 on: September 04, 2007, 09:30:14 pm »
Thief, I remember your incident, though I didn't know that had happened up in ops. I remember waffles taking you up there personally and I'm glad to see it got resolved, but even though I wasn't the guy in ops who handled that very poorly I'd just like to apologize for that kind of behavior. I'm a yojimbo and personally I don't think there is any excuse for acting like that towards people, attendees or anyone else. Maybe I am just special in that lack of sleep doesn't really make me irritable or anything like that..but I went 40 hours with zero sleep (until about 2 am Sunday morning) and I don't think I came across as rude to anyone... at least I hope I never came across as rude to anyone I had interactions with <.<

From a staff point of view, I really didn't have any problems with attendees and I'm thankful everyone I talked seemed to be in good spirits and just being patient in general.

I am curious though, what was everyones thoughts on the info booth this year? I worked it for a few hours and it seemed like almost everyone I talked to I was personally able to help out without needing to find someone else.
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Offline kylite

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #60 on: September 04, 2007, 09:30:48 pm »
I think that anyone who has NOT been staff or volunteer can NOT say a staff or volunteer should not be one.  jazz you did so much work that I myself feel extremely lazy in comparison.  I hope you are there every year
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Offline MichaelEvans

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #61 on: September 04, 2007, 09:42:20 pm »
Improvements to make:
  • - Very Large Signs, posted well above head height, both labeling rooms and others showing you which rooms are down which direction of a hallway.  (The same for info desk/etc, since crowds blocked the signs)
  • - Signs in the registration area might also help.

As the Signage Coordinator, I was only told to make the signs that I had forms for pre-con. But, since I know what signs are going to be needed and the different types of them. I can make them rather easy now since I know what signs I had to make for them. So, it's partially...or more to the point, mostly my fault for that second thing on the list. But to answer the first thing; I think that 3' by 4' signs are big enough for someone to notice...

3' x 4' signs Should be large enough.  However I didn't really notice the signs past all of the crowds.  The kind of signs I'm thinking of are more specific.  I actually covered them, but in a prominent location at the start of any hall from an entry way, and posted at every intersection, you note what is in which direction.  Then above each room you post another sign.  These work best if they're hanging above crowd level, but could also work with very noticeable signs posted on the walls in key locations.   They pretty much have to be as high as anyone could possibly notice them, and then you have to hope they see them above the crowds...  Which is why hanging signs work better.
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Offline ThiefKingsHier

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #62 on: September 04, 2007, 09:49:17 pm »
I think that anyone who has NOT been staff or volunteer can NOT say a staff or volunteer should not be one.  jazz you did so much work that I myself feel extremely lazy in comparison.  I hope you are there every year

 Oi, I wanst saying she shoudlnt be, she seemed like she didnt like doing it. If she didnt like it, then shes not obligated to do so.
But if she wants to do it gain then by all means.

I know a lot of people  who do nothing but complain about "Having' to be staff and get really bitter and mean towards atendees ofte nusign the pharse " well why dotn YOU become a volanteer" yet just keep doing it seemingly because they love drama. I thought that was all this was but I it seems I was mistaken and pretty harsh. Gomen ne Jazz.

Trumby, thanks. im glad I didnt come off as a demanding b***ch to everyone. I know I was being kind of nasty but dammit I wanted into the dance. Were you one of the people sitting at the pre-reg desk?
Everyoen there was really friendly and obviously wanted to help. I really appreciated that.

I didnt have a need for the infodesk much, but from what I saw they were quite usefull as well. Pretty friendly too. There was a guy giving us crap about the peace bonding there, btu I think hes one of the same guys whom I regularly recieved crap from. So that doesnt count.



« Last Edit: September 04, 2007, 09:54:45 pm by ThiefKingsHier »

Offline stcrx

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #63 on: September 04, 2007, 10:19:27 pm »
;D ;D ;D On a happy note ;D ;D ;DOn a happy note,
  • This was my first con
  • I had a great time
  • I think 98% of the staff (including hotel) did a MARVELOUS job dealing with all those people
  • I loved that free water was constantly supplied!!!

----------
 :-\ on a bit sadder note  :-\

  • I wish I had the program and times before I arrived so I could plan out things
  • I was so busy having fun, I didn't have time to look at the book and see what other fun things there were till it was over
  • This may have been partially my fault
  • Why couldn't we use the elevators to get to the vendors?  :-\



Offline Trumby

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #64 on: September 04, 2007, 10:29:02 pm »
Trumby, thanks. im glad I didnt come off as a demanding b***ch to everyone. I know I was being kind of nasty but dammit I wanted into the dance. Were you one of the people sitting at the pre-reg desk?
Everyoen there was really friendly and obviously wanted to help. I really appreciated that.
You're welcome ^-^ And no, I was a yojimbo roaming with waffles at the time and was with him when you and Venton (I believe it was him?
) were talking to him.

stcrx: It was a security issue mainly. Having multiple entrances means having to have people watch said entrances, making sure only con people go in and all that. Plus it would have been a huge bottleneck and traffic jam with people waiting outside the elevators (both on the main floor and in the garage).
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Offline Riitsuke

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #65 on: September 04, 2007, 10:39:35 pm »
...I went to one of the raves, ANYONE WHO DANCED MUST TEACH ME :0 XD I can't dance

Offline stcrx

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #66 on: September 04, 2007, 10:49:48 pm »
 :-[ it was just very sad, because I was able to do it once, and then after i noticed a sign in there while going down and then there was a guy who said we had to go all the way back up and around, even though we were like 50 feet from where we wanted to go!

Offline superjaz

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #67 on: September 05, 2007, 12:09:23 am »
(ps it cool)

they try to get the program online as soon as possible but there are tons of last minit changes going on

i forgot one giant rave
charity auction ran by sarah of street team, was a big hit ending with the auction for #1 bagde for next year and it went for the jaw dropping amount of ...i sheet you not
$$$1000$$$$ bucks all going to charity can i hear a woot?!?!?!, that lady who bought it and the peeps who donated stuff to it totaly rock!!!
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Offline Jamiche

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #68 on: September 05, 2007, 12:42:24 am »
In reponse to some of the comments:

Mask making workshop and the Masquerade Ball/ballroom dancing lessons - as has been stated before, we had not anticipated the the interest in both these events, and we were not prepared.  The ballroom was crowded, we didn't have enough supplies for the masks, and although we did try to obtain more and allow time for people to decorate them, some were unable to - this is something we will rectify next year.

Guns in anime/Lolita sewing panel overlap - in order to allow more time for the mask making workshop, the guns in anime panel was moved to be between the religion in anime and Lolita sewing panels, but I had been looking at an old schedule, and I forgot that the Lolita sewing panel had been moved an hour earlier - it was not his fault (he thought he had an hour, not the half-hour that was available), it was mine.  I am very sorry for trouble it caused you, Maetel.

Anime in the hotel rooms - this was the first year we had it, I'm glad people enjoyed it :)  I do apologize for the lack of variety - the hotel had to approve the viewing for their channels, and so we could only submit a few shows for their review.  The plus side was they loved what we sent, and we had the channels, the down side was it was the same shows over and over.  I'm going with the "yay, we had anime in the hotel rooms :D" side, and hope that next year we can do it again, with a little more variety.

Rooms being too small for events - that was a common theme this year... we just had not anticipate the interest in some of these panels, especially panels/event that were new to Kumoricon this year.  We will take this into account next year, and try to accomadate everyone.  The one thing we ask that you keep in mind, tho, is that we are limited by the size of the rooms we have available.  We cannot schedule everything in Main Events - the techs need time between the events to change setups, sound, or even have chairs removed, and that is why we use other rooms like Live Events to run events.  The plus side - we can run events there while Main is being setup, the down side - it's a smaller room, so not everyone is going to be able to attend.  We would love for everyone to be able to attend all the events that they want to see.  Unfortunately, we are constrained by the space we have available.

Variety in panels/lack of panels - we try to provide panels/events that attendees have shown interest in (Suzumiya dance, Cosplay Chess) but are limited by staff available/knowledgeable to run them.  This is why you will often see the response "if you don't like things/think you can do better/(insert comment here), become staff"... please, this is not meant in a bad way, but an honest request for your help - sometimes you just need a different take on the situation.  You don't have to be staff or a volunteer to help out the convention, you can be a big help by being a panelist - even just a one hour panel can make a difference, and if you have a great idea you want to share with other congoers, it's a great opportunity.  We are always on the lookout for new ideas in programming.

All the volunteers and staff worked hard during the convention, and the long hours and lack of sleep are the price we pay for choosing to help put on this convention.  We choose to do this because we love this (or we're crazy ;D), but we're still like you - a bunch of fans - so please, have a little patience with us while we try to get things running as smoothly as we can.  This doesn't mean you have to take abuse/rudeness from a staff member/volunteer... it just means we're human, too.

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Offline Ryu-chan

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #69 on: September 05, 2007, 12:51:14 am »
never underestimate the otaku's intrests in nerdy stuff! mwahahahahhaa!!!cant believe i missed the cosplay chess ;o; too much dancing lol overslept xD now my boss hates me because of this ;o; (that and i beat him in chess after telling him XD)

Offline Sakaki Onsei

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #70 on: September 05, 2007, 02:36:13 am »
In everything that I have seen here, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their responses here so far.

I have to give two responses for certain issues that were brought up that are very important:

Teuvan's rant about the cosplay line and other issues involving the cosplay competition are very much warranted. I was the one in charge of the House floor, which also includes crowd control, and while my explanation may not be of comfort, I hope that it at least gives the idea that any slight was unintentional.

Specifically, the issue of the line being moved from inside to outside was one that was made somewhat last minute. The reason for that was because there were going to be issues of clogging up the corridors, and I didn't want to see anyone inconvienienced either in line or those who may have been walking by. That's the primary reason why the line was moved outside.

As for the delays, the only explanation I can give is the true one. There were sound issues, and there was some safety issues with some pieces of lighting. And that is what delayed everyone for 20 minutes. Being the House manager, while they were out of my control, I do feel that there could have been a little bit better communication between myself, the sound technicians, as well as the spotlight staff.

The seating issue...all I can say is that if I am doing this next year, I will try to do my best. With about 600 people coming in, it was a bit hard, but I will try better to make certain we accomodate accordingly.
------

The second issue was brought up by Thief-san. That was the issue of the person who barked at them in regards to cosplay chess and the moving of chairs afterwards. That was me, and I solemnly apologize for any discomfort or inconvenience this caused you and those who were helping you. I have no excuse to give, because there was no excuse for barking. I only hope that this does not color your opinion of all staff. :)

-----------------

Needless to say, this first year of staffing was exciting and as harrowing as any experience I had before, and if I am still in the country as of next con...I only hope I could do much better as a member of the staff.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2007, 02:38:24 am by Sakaki Onsei »
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Offline Keroleen

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #71 on: September 05, 2007, 03:41:44 am »
Unfortunately, my family and I were too wiped to stay for the rant-n-rave, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to mention a couple things here.

Raves:

Pre-mailed badges - Worked fabulously, glad to hear it's being done again.

Pre-reg for next year on Monday afternoon - If you already know you're going to come back, it's a great timesaver.

Location of hotel - There were plenty of places to eat within walking distance, so we didn't have to worry about parking roulette.

Anime in the rooms - To me, it gave the sense of still being connected to the con goings-on even if I was in our room.

Adult content -  Always good to have adult material around, and the First Episode Hentai Theatre was hysterical. :) 

Pirates Vs. Ninjas - Please, do this again. We Pirates want a rematch. :)


Things that could be improved:

Dealer's room - It was a little hard to tell in some areas where one vendor stopped and another started. A couple times I needed to ask so I'd avoid crossing into another stall. Also, the sales tax issue was a little sticky. Some vendors were charging it, others weren't, still others were folding it into the listed price. (Since we're going back across the river it won't be an issue next year, but it was a bit annoying this one.) One more thing - it'd be nice if it were open later on Monday. I definitely would've spent more of my "waiting for closing" time shopping had the opportunity been available.

Adult content - I understand there were space issues, but it would be nice if the hentai viewing weren't in the smallest room. I was lucky enough to barely get in before people started being turned away.

Yaoi debate - As far as I can tell, to a large extent, yaoi is a teenage phenomena. It might have been better to have placed the actual debate during all-ages time, so those teens who participated in the prep panels had a chance to see how it turned out.

Curfew - speaking of teens, and as the parent of one, it would have been a good thing to note in the rules that this year it was an absolute curfew, particularly given that in prior years it was a must-be-with-an-adult curfew. I know it hadn't occurred to me that this had changed until I heard a staff member mention it in passing.

Anime in the rooms - I note from a prior post in this thread that this year's content had to be pre-approved by the hotel, so in retrospect, I can understand the limited amount of programming. It would be nice if the aux channels could have scheduled programming which is listed in the guide along with that in the viewing rooms. I realize this may not be feasible, but it's something to look at. (Incidentally, did the shonen channel show -anything- but Gundam? I'm not the big fan, so I never left it on that channel, but that's what was on every time I checked. Just curious.)

Signage - I'd like to suggest a "Line Starts Here" sign for next year. I know we were far from the only ones confused about which line went where, where the beginning was and which direction it was supposed to be going in.



I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but if it's anything important, I'll just post again. Overall, we had a great time and have already bought our memberships for next year. Thanks for all the hard work you guys put in - I did a lot of con work in my younger days, so I know how difficult it can all be. Maybe I'll see if I can slide in some volunteer time in the coming year.


Offline rictheron

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #72 on: September 05, 2007, 03:46:25 am »
Hello Everyone.

  I was the Assistant Operations Manager and Head of the Yojimbo during this, the 2007 Kumoricon.  I'm here to help explain a few points and answer a few questions to hopefully help everyone with this past convention.  First let me say that I am happy to read all of this, not just the raves but the rants as well.  Everything that gets written here helps us understand what fell short this year so that we can improve it over the coming year.  We need to know what works and what doesn't so if you are upset about something then telling us helps us confront it.  This convention is for you and we always want it improving to be the best it can be for all of you.  Let me quickly add here that despite my position I could certainly not claim to know everything about this convention so if anyone else on staff would like to correct any mistakes I make then please feel free.

  First I would like to ask that, while this is a Rant & Rave and pointing out a problem one has had with a person or group, pointing fingers and arguing over fault will not help anyone.  No one can ever know the sub experiences of another or the whole truth of a situation.  If there was a problem, knowing about it can help us prevent it from happening again but putting the blame to others will only increase the feelings of resentment and/or anger about such situations and will thus damage your over all experience both now and in the future.  Fault can fall on one person, on many people, or simply on a misheard word.  Attendees, please try to be understanding of what staff have to deal with.  Staff please try to be understanding of what attendees see.  Volunteers please be understanding  of both.  And everyone should hopefully understand that just because we might have a bad experience with one or two people, that we might get snubbed, put down, disrespected, or simply ignored by a few, the vast majority of us realize what you have dealt with, what you have enjoyed and we appreciate every minute that you spent at the convention.  Without Staff, without volunteers, without guests and attendees there would be no convention.  

  The Vancouver Hilton is a relatively new hotel and we were their first convention of this size and did a phenomenol job of dealing with our tremendous turn out this year.  They were incrediably understanding and supported us to an unprecidented degree.  If anyone passing the gaming room this convention noticed the Kumoricon Kafe, this was in no way organized by the convention, it was entirely done by the hotel in an effort to keep our attendees happy.

   Our staff count this year was at it's highest yet, 120 staffers between our various departments.  This is, however, our signup number, not accounting for those that did not show up, which in the Yojimbo accounted for 1/3 of our total number.  

  Our attendence was also at it's highest level so far and was 3000 as of Saturday.

  Kumoricon tried to do a number of new things this year including but not limited to:
        Plastic print ID badges
        Mail out pre-reg badges
        the CCTV channels of anime
        The Masquarade ball
        The color coded lanyard system
        Signage director
        Maid Squad and Pocky Club assistance
  Being new to Kumoricon, we were still working out the kinks as the convention opened.  What we learned at this convention will help us improve for the next year, so please forgive us and understand that any inconvenience or problems with these are more related to their newness then to a lack or effort or lack of care.  For next year it is hoped to have distinct ways of identifying volunteers so they can be recognized as such.  The badge system will hopefully be running much more smoothly this coming year because of what we have learned about how far we can push it.  No one expected the popularity of the Masquarade ball (which to our count exceeded 250!!!).  It was not placed in the main events hall because of the constant setup going on in that room as it was transitioned from cosplay to concert and the Live events room was the next largest available.  Our signage director did an AMAZING job for joining us so late!  If anyone remembers from previous years, the extent of our signage was limited to markers and computer print outs.  The work we recieved from this new member of staff was exquisite and a great help all around.

  I want to thank every staff member, Yojimbo, Maid Squad, Pocky Club, volunteer and attendee who gave even a single hour to help us out.  If you picked up a piece of trash, gave someone else a cup of water, gave a bit of information, watched a room, handed out a flyer or gave anyone a helping hand at any time then you have my profound thanks.  This convention simply wouldn't work without you and I am sorry that you did not recieve the recognition you so rightly deserved.  Please see the thread I will be adding to the general discussion later.

   The rules for the convention and how it was planned to handle some things at this convention were in a constant state of flux.  Often times a change could not make the full rounds or was misinterpretted somewhere along the line.  Thief's problem with getting a replacement staff badge was a good example.  The information about replacement badges was transmitted by the conchair but during the course of making it's way down the lines of communication it was reduced to a sticky note on the side of a laptop next to a half dozen others with only a name and number.  The Yojimbo in question did not know there was any way to get a replacement badge at that late hour.
  
     Another example would be in regards to the point about line delays or miscommunication about how to get into events.  Often times there would be unexpected delays and people tried to hold things together as best they could.  Sometimes these were because something changed mid convention, such as the entrance door to Main events (which was changed at the request of the Hotel to reduce noise travelling into the lobby), and other times was done because of more immediate changes such as needing to find a key piece of equipment which had gone missing before an event could begin.

     The problem with badges at times was due to the newness of this new system, many problems were simply not predicted and no plan was setup ahead of time to deal with them simply because no one had thought they could happen.

    Sometimes problems would crop up which we had to deal with by changing the rules mid convention.  Such as the person limit on elevators came about after one was overloaded.  A projector vanished despite our efforts to keep track of all equipment and delayed a panel.  The noise problems from one event spilling into another.  The broken down elevator.  All of these were unexpected problems which, once aware of them, we strove to solve as best we could.  We can only apologize for the inconvenience and try to account for them ahead of time next year.

    I would love to see volunteers recieve additional acknowledgement.  I am hoping to push for either a reduced registration fee or a post convention refund for volunteers based upon the number of hours given by volunteers.  Volunteers who work like staff should be treated like staff (I mean in the good way, not the bad way).  And staff should be treated by staff.

   If anyone has any ideas on how to improve something which they saw a problem with then please post about them in the help and suggestions section so we can work to make them a reality.  If you have a complaint about something you saw or a staff member you dealt with then please let us know that as well.  I would like everyone to feel comfortable knowing that then can send me a message anytime about anything they feel the need to share.  Always remember that we are here to help you, to keep you safe, and to provide the best experience that we can.

  
Jess Shelton
2008 Operations Director
2007 Assist. Operations Manager/Yojimbo Manager
2006 Assist. Yojimbo Manager
2005 Yojimbo Manager
2003-2004 Security
Credentials: senior Physics Major at PSU,Edu minor, Store Manager, Instructor, Security

Offline superjaz

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #73 on: September 05, 2007, 08:13:31 am »
it apreshated and i'm not just saying things are bad it was a great con, just that with a few small changes it could go better, i mean its crazey for the yojimbo to be expected to know who the volunteers are if they've never met and the volunteers arn't marked visualy

I am thinking of somthing way that this can be helped for the next year, my fiance had a really good idea that we want to hammer out before mentioning it at the next meetings
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Offline XxthepinkpiratexX

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #74 on: September 05, 2007, 09:20:04 am »
i too, missed this session at the con.

  Rave:
*Majority of people were in costume. yeah!
*the people of Vancouver being so cool about us crashing the 150th birthday in the park thingy. they were so nice and polite and into it.
* Most of the con staff was very friendley and polite ( one girl was very rude)
* the hotel staff was very nice too
 
   Rant:
*the cosplay contest. One of the major reasons we went. one of three event we were looking forward too. couldnt get in. too many people. i understand they couldt let everyone in, but maybe next year they should set up an overflow room and have a live feed and project the action an a big screen. Then at least you could see what was going on.
* the badges...we wore then clipped to our belts the whole weekend and it wasnt until  monday morning we were told to put them around our necks
*Sumo wrestling. never happend. that just sucked

Offline kylite

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #75 on: September 05, 2007, 09:23:57 am »
actually sumo was canceled due to staff testing the equipment and discovering that he can get a concussion in under 10 seconds.  we replaced the sumo panel with a boffer combat panel
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Offline gemineye42

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #76 on: September 05, 2007, 10:01:32 am »
Gaming replies:

In regards to the DDR machine - we had one lined up from Ground Kontrol, but sadly it was broken right before the con and could not come. Next year we are going to try for more arcade machines and DDR will surely be one of them.

The Smash Bros. Tournament - I'll say now, this one always gives us a hard time. The number of entrants was over a hundred this year, and getting brackets started for that amount of players does take some time. Next year we may close sign-ups a couple hours before the scheduled start time to avoid this issue, but we will likely get complaints from late-comers about signing up too late. Anyone who has played in the tournament for the last 2 years knows that it has taken between 4-5 hours to run every time. Something to keep in mind when signing up next year.

Para Para - Our donator for this game forgot to bring it this year. It's on our list of arcade games we're trying to get for next year.

Overall I'd just like to say that all the staff did a wonderful job, and I personally didn't meet any attendees I didn't like. You guys are the heart of this con! It may not be glamorous and is definitely hard work, but I recommend everyone try out being on staff. Some of the issues mentioned with the staff are so VERy easily fixed - with more staff! This year we had bigger numbers than EVER, with a ratio of 30 attendees to every ONE staffer. If more people volunteer to be staff, everyone gets a little relief, a little more sleep, and has a little more fun. Also, staff and volunteers are essentially the same, just usually volunteers help more AT con rather than before con (but not always that way). I'm 100% sure that any staff who snapped at anyone for any reason didn't mean to impart anger or frustration at the attendee - there are a number of factors which wear a person thin and I am sure if you ran into them again they would apologize sincerely.

We have big plans for Gaming next year and I would LOVE to see more suggestions! We're definitely interested to know what people would like to see in the room, tournaments, activities, etc.

Thanks for the input everyone, and we'll see you next year!
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Offline ThiefKingsHier

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #77 on: September 05, 2007, 03:14:41 pm »

Yaoi debate - As far as I can tell, to a large extent, yaoi is a teenage phenomena. It might have been better to have placed the actual debate during all-ages time, so those teens who participated in the prep panels had a chance to see how it turned out.


 *Eyetwitch*  No. Never. Absolutely not. It would be an incredible insult to the adult fans.

 It is NOT a 'teenage phenomina'. It just so happens to be mainly the little teenage girls who are the most squeally and obnoxious about it.

Us adults can keep it to ourselves and be mature about it without having to shove it everyone elses faces to prove how 'crazy we are'.

Im personally REALLY irirtated by the image those little fangirls give the rest of us yaoi fans.
Making it 'all ages' will only perpetuates this idea.
That is THE last thing the 'yaoi fandom' (or whatever you want to call it) needs.

If anything, we need to make it MORE adult to send a message that it is NOT for irriattaing little children who are jsut going for shock value orto 'rebel' and keep them OUT.

*End rant*

Offline superjaz

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #78 on: September 05, 2007, 03:51:47 pm »
actually sumo was canceled due to staff testing the equipment and discovering that he can get a concussion in under 10 seconds.  we replaced the sumo panel with a boffer combat panel


people hurtin themselfs testing sumo? never....
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Proud mom of 2 awesome kids

Offline TanisNikana

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #79 on: September 05, 2007, 04:01:57 pm »
I'm sure all of us here experienced the Shinra Tower in Final Fantasy 7, right? 60 floors of stair, stair, stair, stair, stair, GODDAMMIT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

After about 4 hours on the first day, I was fed up with the elevators, so I used the stairs almost exclusively. And when my party (whoever happened to be with me at the time) went up the stairs, I was humming the Shinra theme the whole way.

This is epic win. It is also rant.

Offline Teuvan

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #80 on: September 05, 2007, 04:23:09 pm »
I'm sure all of us here experienced the Shinra Tower in Final Fantasy 7, right? 60 floors of stair, stair, stair, stair, stair, GODDAMMIT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

After about 4 hours on the first day, I was fed up with the elevators, so I used the stairs almost exclusively. And when my party (whoever happened to be with me at the time) went up the stairs, I was humming the Shinra theme the whole way.

This is epic win. It is also rant.

I'm not even an FF7 fan, but I got a flashback to that scene when I used the stairs.
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Offline Rathany

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #81 on: September 05, 2007, 05:15:06 pm »

Yaoi debate - As far as I can tell, to a large extent, yaoi is a teenage phenomena. It might have been better to have placed the actual debate during all-ages time, so those teens who participated in the prep panels had a chance to see how it turned out.


 *Eyetwitch*  No. Never. Absolutely not. It would be an incredible insult to the adult fans.

 It is NOT a 'teenage phenomina'. It just so happens to be mainly the little teenage girls who are the most squeally and obnoxious about it.

Us adults can keep it to ourselves and be mature about it without having to shove it everyone elses faces to prove how 'crazy we are'.

Im personally REALLY irirtated by the image those little fangirls give the rest of us yaoi fans.
Making it 'all ages' will only perpetuates this idea.
That is THE last thing the 'yaoi fandom' (or whatever you want to call it) needs.

If anything, we need to make it MORE adult to send a message that it is NOT for irriattaing little children who are jsut going for shock value orto 'rebel' and keep them OUT.

*End rant*

I agree with you 100%.  I have a *very* large yaoi manga collection and most of it is 18+ and cannot be legally sold to kids.  (And let's not even discuss my doujinshi.)  Just because teenagers tend to be more visible does not mean they are the majority. 

There is a Yaoi Con and it is strictly 18+.  That alone should show that this is not a 'tweeny' genre. 
2003 - 2006 Kumoricon Attendee
2007 - Assistant Registration Manager - PreReg Side
2008 - Vice Chair
2009/2010 - Director of Relations
2011 - Return to Vice
2012 - herp derp

Offline MichaelEvans

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #82 on: September 05, 2007, 05:16:13 pm »
Actually, that is one other thing we could improve next year...

Elevator suggestions
  • Disable elevators for all but one con event floor and the guest floors.
  • Stairwell doors unlocked on all con event floors (for egress).  It would be down only from what I hear of the next hotel, but very helpful.
  • Priority elevator access for other hotel guests, the disabled, VIPs, etc.

However having never been to the Portland Doubletree I am unsure if these are possible or advisable.

One other thing, if the Operations room is in a hotel suite again, maybe it could be across from one stairwell and thus we could have that door open as well.
---
Staff 2007-2010
2010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)
2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Offline rictheron

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #83 on: September 05, 2007, 07:15:47 pm »
  Two points, as much as i am against saying that a panel is for one group and not another because one is more true then another, I feel I must agree that the Yaoi panel should be 18+ unless certain measures are taken.  This is mainly for the same reason as the scared panel in that it would be very easy for the topic to shift into areas which should not be accessable to minors very quickly.  Attempting to keep it from there would also feel restrictive to those adults who prefer to examine it from a more adult perspective. 

  As to Elevators in the Doubletree, no, you do not want to disable the Elevators to the various floors, mainly because the Doubletree is 11 floors and the Elevator is the primary means of getting up and down.  However, the Guestrooms and the actual convention space, while in the same building, are detached from eachother.  This means that the Elevators from guest rooms goes to the lobby, on the other side of which is the Convention area.  There is a second floor section to the convention area but it has indepenent access to that used when getting to and from guest rooms.  However there will most definately have to be controlled access to the elevators so they do not get overloaded.
Jess Shelton
2008 Operations Director
2007 Assist. Operations Manager/Yojimbo Manager
2006 Assist. Yojimbo Manager
2005 Yojimbo Manager
2003-2004 Security
Credentials: senior Physics Major at PSU,Edu minor, Store Manager, Instructor, Security

Offline TomtheFanboy

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #84 on: September 05, 2007, 07:35:30 pm »
Valid complaints:

First of all, thank you for not complaining about Pocky Deliveries, it was not the fault of the con staff after all. I think we missed about half of them this year since I was so distracted with the Hall Cosplay Contest (which went well, luckily). Next year I’ll be doing any work for the convention beforehand and my only focus during the convention will be running Pocky Club. Now that the frustration and sleep dep is gone I’m feeling much better about how my part of the convantion went.

Yojimbo claiming that only certain colors of peace bond ties were for this year. There was no special color of peace bonds, I heard about that happening and was quite embarrassed. Blue were probably completely used up on Friday night before he got there. How silly.

Indoor lines blocking the doors to other events. There was little planning done for how to handle internal lines and I apologize for that as I had something to do with layout. The Hotel may have switched entrances on us but I know that the workshop and Live Events hallways were left alone the whole convention. Maybe we can get some protocol for the yojimbo and Maid Squads next year.

DDR Machines instead of pads that slip. A very popular request and I don't really know what the story is behind this (we now know that it was broken before con). I think that this year they budgeted for Wiis and a PS3. Next year we’ll definitely be able to rent one and at some point we may buy one, but that’s just speculation.

Not having enough staff. Yes we know, we try and get as many as possible. Compared to how many we had regged and signed up, only about %60 of the yojimbo showed up (this number is from memory and I was glad to see rictheron back it up). I know of about a half dozen other staff in other departments who didn't show up (some of whom were panelists, causing even more issues)! We can't just make more people staff and volunteer. We will always be trying to get more staff and volunteers. If it was a big enough issue for you to complain go ahead, just know that we've known about it for 4 years.

Various specific panels. There were such a wide variety of panel issues with so many different people involved that I can't really comment on it much (especially since I am not supposed to go into some of the details in public). Suffice it to say that while some of the issues will likely happen again we are taking steps to fix many of them.

Height of the stage in main events. We did not find out that the stage was so short until very late in the game, too late for the budget to rent one from an outside source. We are aware of this issue and will try and bring it back up to the usual 4 ft tall stage next year. For those of you who helped Friday morning, you'll know how much worse it could have been.

Hotel Layout is what it is. Kumoricon will always have to conform to the space we are in unless a millionaire runs for Chair and builds us a hotel. Complaints about the rooms and passages are always valid and us staff need that information so that we can plan our layout better at each new location. Just make sure to word your complaints correctly and try not to blame the staff.
--Next year we'll be at the Doubletree, those of us who were there in '05 will be able to navigate it but I admit it will be even more of a challenge for people who have never been there before. If you live in the Portland area (that is, you have a Tri-Met stop nearby) I suggest heading out to Lloyd Center sometime and walking around inside the hotel to get a feel for the place. It isn't as high tech as the Hilton but I think you'll like it. There are three levatos that are glass (scaring the acrophobes more than the claustrophobes) and a back elevator for the 2 convention floors. A set of side meeting rooms that are separated from the rest (where creation station was in '05) making them quieter if a bit hard to see. Going by the numbers, the Main Events hall should be bigger than this year's ;) and there's DEFINITELY more guest rooms. The park may not be very good but there is one there, and you can always hop on the MAX and zoom around fareless square if the shopping in the vendor area or LLOYD CENTER isn't enough!


Host Club not seductive. From what I saw when I made my Pocky Delivery there you are absolutely right. If I shape up and lose this belly I promise to get a blue blazer and help Mustash out. ;D (I haven’t watched the videos yet so hopefully I am wrong)

Bullies on staff and in Volunteers. Yeah, some people let power go to their heads. Some people feel that they are entitled to everything and should never be inconvenienced. We have jerks on staff because we need all the staff we can get. We don't like it when they are jerks and we tell them to be more polite but we need as many people as possible working behind the scenes and we have to balance the complaints of rude staff against the complaints about not enough staff. All I can do is apologize to the people who were treated rudely by our staff (both attendees, volunteers, and fellow staff members).


---Corrections:

*Moving Chairs was allowed. STACKING chairs was not, this was policy from the hotel and some staff were more interested in enforcing it than others.

*The Hotel declared the elevator off limits rather than locking certain floors. This was an issue we pushed them on and they seemed to lack the confidence in their technology. We may have been able to do a bit better if we had a relations person working with them for the whole year and not just for 4 months. >_>

*Con as a job. Can we just drop that debate or start a new thread? It's far too complicated to get into attendee rights vs volunteer rights vs staff rights vs other job rights.

*Staff don't get paid. Nope, we don't. We do save about 20 bucks on registration and maybe a 100 on the hotel. That's a lot to someone poor like me! The Executive level of staff gets free hotel rooms (usually) as well as free food most of the time, however they are the ones ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING. I can trace half the issues in this thread to one person or another who might've been able to fix that issue. I'll defer to my original point of this issue being best discussed elsewhere, but I wish to clarify that for people who are lumping staff together with volunteers.

*Photoshoots being poorly organized. These were all fan run events unless they coincided with something on the schedule, like the TMHS dance party or the Host Club Tea Party. If there is a demand for it then we might set up a little protocol for making the photoshoots more official, but it is likely that it will just be up to the cosplayers to organize themselves. To those of you who set up and did organize photoshoots (like the Silent Hill guy who came and told me about the one he planned and Rude from Turk Coffee), thank you on behalf of the cosplayers.
---Also, I did have a print out of the photoshoot list posted at the info booth Friday afternoon before the con even started pre-reg. it seems that most of the people at the desk missed it despite it being present all the way until the last day of the convention. *sigh*

*The Karaoke Lounge was designed as a more intimate location for people to come in and relax with a drink and some karaoke. It didn't quite meet the vision of what was planned (dimmed lights for instance). The size of the room however was exactly what was planned for, though at times it was crowded the lounge in general was not meant to be a main activity and thus it did not get a larger room. If layout allows in the future there may be one dedicated Karaoke Hall for the entire convention, then there will be no confusion when it comes to the contests and the general open to the public karaoke. Time will tell.

*Dances/Raves/Masquerade, all the complaints I've seen can be attributed to the people running them at the time. Sometimes there was more people interested than expected, or a miscommunication between sound technicians. Calling something a Rave implies a more illicit event that the convention doesn't really want to suggest. Yes, it was more like a rave.

*We will try and make sure the convention documentation includes both the con-name for a room and the hotel-name. Also, since there is enough demand for the locations of the fire stairs I will make sure they are included on the maps as well. This year only the East stair was accessible from the con space.

*The first day in the vendors hall was cool and pleasant. There had not been a crowd in there all day and the fans were moved to the entrance late at night too blow cool air inside. After the crowds the fans were not moved back to the entrance on the first and second night which left us with a much worse situation on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunate how that went, but we won't be in a basement car park next year so we'll see how that goes.

*Sakuracon vs Kumoricon. A ton of our staff are also Sakurcon staff. A good number of our staff are trying to get out from under "big sister's shadow" and try and be as different as possible. Staff members respond to comparisons (both good and bad) with varying degrees of seriousness.
Tom the Fanboy
Passion over Pedantry!
Pocky Club President 2005-2010

Offline risotto

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #85 on: September 05, 2007, 08:11:07 pm »
Raves:
  • Dealer's Room: I had no problems with crowds and it was very spacey. The temperature was fine and the location was perfect! Though, as I'm hoping I'll be able to open a table next year, the Artist Alley could've been placed in a better, more traffic-flowed area so they could get more business.
  • Gaming Room: There was a lot to choose from and it was overall enjoyable. The bag checking was quick and efficient so props to the staff/volunteers on that.
Rants:
  • Cosplay Contest: From the performer aspect I won't name names, but the skit I was in didn't have the correct lighting. We gave them specific directions and adjusted to accommodate what they could do, but none of it was followed. In fact, the music started before we even got on stage! The other skits were given PLENTY of time to prepare on stage. I-- I dunno, I just feel cheated :/ I probably won't be in a skit again in the next couple cons until the technical aspect is improved.
  • Programming Pamphlet: It was sort of confusing to figure out which day the events/panels were on since it was written vertically.


There's always going to be complaints with staff/volunteers, so I won't list any.

I have mixed feelings on whether this year was good or not. I didn't go to too many of the panels and activities. But, there's always room for improvement and next year to sort them out :) Please be at the Doubletree next year!!

Offline rictheron

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #86 on: September 05, 2007, 08:41:48 pm »
  Oh yes, Tom, thank you for reminding me.  The peace bonding thing.  This was confusing because one plan was started with then a second was adopted followed by a third.  Each was a valid one and the change mainly came about because of the need to get things done quickly and effectively without enough people to do everything we needed done.  In the end the plans were abandoned completely.  However sometimes the information about the change over did not reach everyone at the same time which led to confusion.  We apologize for this inconvenience and now have an idea of which plan will work best next year.
Jess Shelton
2008 Operations Director
2007 Assist. Operations Manager/Yojimbo Manager
2006 Assist. Yojimbo Manager
2005 Yojimbo Manager
2003-2004 Security
Credentials: senior Physics Major at PSU,Edu minor, Store Manager, Instructor, Security

Offline MichaelEvans

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #87 on: September 05, 2007, 09:14:41 pm »
One more plan (maybe) for Peace Bonding next year:  Pre-bonding while in line.  It might even be possible for any line patrol yojimbo to also do this task.
---
Staff 2007-2010
2010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)
2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Offline ThiefKingsHier

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #88 on: September 05, 2007, 09:25:44 pm »
One more plan (maybe) for Peace Bonding next year:  Pre-bonding while in line.  It might even be possible for any line patrol yojimbo to also do this task.

That is exactly when my sword was peace bound..and I still got crap from staff.

Offline Sakaki Onsei

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #89 on: September 05, 2007, 09:43:08 pm »

Rant:
*the cosplay contest. One of the major reasons we went. one of three event we were looking forward too. couldnt get in. too many people. i understand they couldt let everyone in, but maybe next year they should set up an overflow room and have a live feed and project the action an a big screen. Then at least you could see what was going on.

Hmmmmmm...I like this idea. I have a feeling this next year, the stage will be much higher than it was this past year, which will help in regards to the seating aspect of everything...at least, I would be hoping so. But, still, an overflow room for the main events stuff would probably help things out greatly, and I think Pink Pirate has a very good point to look at there.

Woo for ideas!
Sakaki Onsei
aka Andie's Cosplay Beyotch
"I just want it to go smoothly!"

Offline Keroleen

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #90 on: September 06, 2007, 01:41:41 am »

Yaoi debate - As far as I can tell, to a large extent, yaoi is a teenage phenomena. It might have been better to have placed the actual debate during all-ages time, so those teens who participated in the prep panels had a chance to see how it turned out.


 *Eyetwitch*  No. Never. Absolutely not. It would be an incredible insult to the adult fans.

 It is NOT a 'teenage phenomina'. It just so happens to be mainly the little teenage girls who are the most squeally and obnoxious about it.

Us adults can keep it to ourselves and be mature about it without having to shove it everyone elses faces to prove how 'crazy we are'.

Im personally REALLY irirtated by the image those little fangirls give the rest of us yaoi fans.
Making it 'all ages' will only perpetuates this idea.
That is THE last thing the 'yaoi fandom' (or whatever you want to call it) needs.

If anything, we need to make it MORE adult to send a message that it is NOT for irriattaing little children who are jsut going for shock value orto 'rebel' and keep them OUT.

*End rant*

I agree with you 100%.  I have a *very* large yaoi manga collection and most of it is 18+ and cannot be legally sold to kids.  (And let's not even discuss my doujinshi.)  Just because teenagers tend to be more visible does not mean they are the majority. 

There is a Yaoi Con and it is strictly 18+.  That alone should show that this is not a 'tweeny' genre. 


That's a fair cop - I was expecting to get called on this if my perceptions were incorrect, and I understand the sentiment, as I also have interests where I wish certain segments were less into the squeeing rebelliousness of it all. Although to be fair, some of those teeners do have a legitimate interest, they just don't know how to be less vocal in their enthusiasm yet.

At the heart of it, it was the partial access aspect that was bothering me, so let's modify the original suggestion.

If people want the yaoi debate to be a mature event and not have to worry about someone's parents getting offended or other hazards of dealing with the underage, then place the prep panels in Adults Only time as well. Say, prep for each side from 12-1ish, a short recess for stretching and bio breaks, and the actual debate from shortly after 1 until 2 (or whenever panel curfew is). Alternatively, have the prep panel one night and the debate the next. That way, people can be as explicit as they feel they need to be in getting their point across from start to finish.


Offline Kyuubi

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #91 on: September 06, 2007, 02:12:01 am »
Improvements to make:
  • - Very Large Signs, posted well above head height, both labeling rooms and others showing you which rooms are down which direction of a hallway.  (The same for info desk/etc, since crowds blocked the signs)
  • - Signs in the registration area might also help.

As the Signage Coordinator, I was only told to make the signs that I had forms for pre-con. But, since I know what signs are going to be needed and the different types of them. I can make them rather easy now since I know what signs I had to make for them. So, it's partially...or more to the point, mostly my fault for that second thing on the list. But to answer the first thing; I think that 3' by 4' signs are big enough for someone to notice...

3' x 4' signs Should be large enough.  However I didn't really notice the signs past all of the crowds.  The kind of signs I'm thinking of are more specific.  I actually covered them, but in a prominent location at the start of any hall from an entry way, and posted at every intersection, you note what is in which direction.  Then above each room you post another sign.  These work best if they're hanging above crowd level, but could also work with very noticeable signs posted on the walls in key locations.   They pretty much have to be as high as anyone could possibly notice them, and then you have to hope they see them above the crowds...  Which is why hanging signs work better.
If I could figure out a way to hang them up from doorways without being in the way, I would. ^^; I'm tall, but I'm not that tall. But, I think I know a way to do it. And it'd probably work for next year's con. If I have advance knowledge of what rooms will be where, I can probably do something like what would be at the Zoo and stuff.
Such and such -> This way
<- Such and such that way

Things like that.

Offline MichaelEvans

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #92 on: September 06, 2007, 02:31:09 am »
Improvements to make:
  • - Very Large Signs, posted well above head height, both labeling rooms and others showing you which rooms are down which direction of a hallway.  (The same for info desk/etc, since crowds blocked the signs)
  • - Signs in the registration area might also help.

As the Signage Coordinator, I was only told to make the signs that I had forms for pre-con. But, since I know what signs are going to be needed and the different types of them. I can make them rather easy now since I know what signs I had to make for them. So, it's partially...or more to the point, mostly my fault for that second thing on the list. But to answer the first thing; I think that 3' by 4' signs are big enough for someone to notice...

3' x 4' signs Should be large enough.  However I didn't really notice the signs past all of the crowds.  The kind of signs I'm thinking of are more specific.  I actually covered them, but in a prominent location at the start of any hall from an entry way, and posted at every intersection, you note what is in which direction.  Then above each room you post another sign.  These work best if they're hanging above crowd level, but could also work with very noticeable signs posted on the walls in key locations.   They pretty much have to be as high as anyone could possibly notice them, and then you have to hope they see them above the crowds...  Which is why hanging signs work better.
If I could figure out a way to hang them up from doorways without being in the way, I would. ^^; I'm tall, but I'm not that tall. But, I think I know a way to do it. And it'd probably work for next year's con. If I have advance knowledge of what rooms will be where, I can probably do something like what would be at the Zoo and stuff.
Such and such -> This way
<- Such and such that way

Things like that.

Yes, that's almost exactly what I'm thinking of: mostly because the place I happen to work at is so huge, and has so many different people going new places every day, that they need Really good signs.  I was pointed towards the online version of the 2005 (large) program guide, however the layout is only good enough to aid in the construction of a mental map, and remind someone of what's where, but I can't figure out which floor is which or how they overlay without having been there.  On one of my next days off, or hopefully sometime around the next meeting, I'll be able to see it in person and figure out what methods might be best to suggest.
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2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Offline Kyuubi

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #93 on: September 06, 2007, 02:34:43 am »
*stops the quote towers!* Yay.

@Michael - Yeah, that's what I'm going to do if we get to have a meeting at the hotel itself. Before or after it, I'm gonna walk around it and see what I have to hang signs off of, because I know that I'm going to be able to use blue painter's tape; the best tape in the world for conventions! And, I think that the signs this year were plenty big; especially the ones for Ops, and the Fan Fiction room both had rather large size signs. I think they were 11" by 18" if I remember the numbers right.

In the worse case scenario that I can't find places to hang signs from; I'll just stick them up on the wall as high as I can reach them. And that's plenty ways above the heads of the crowd as I'm 6'4" with a pretty decent arm reach...I think. O.o Or I can get my friend who's a bit taller than me to do it.

Offline MichaelEvans

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #94 on: September 06, 2007, 02:43:04 am »
In the worse case scenario that I can't find places to hang signs from; I'll just stick them up on the wall as high as I can reach them. And that's plenty ways above the heads of the crowd as I'm 6'4" with a pretty decent arm reach...I think. O.o Or I can get my friend who's a bit taller than me to do it.

Good initial idea.  If possible though, I'd like to see them actually out over the hallways.  For setup it would probably be best to bring a small step-ladder.  It's amazing what a difference a few feet can make for visual aids.
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2010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)
2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Offline Kyuubi

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #95 on: September 06, 2007, 02:56:05 am »
In the worse case scenario that I can't find places to hang signs from; I'll just stick them up on the wall as high as I can reach them. And that's plenty ways above the heads of the crowd as I'm 6'4" with a pretty decent arm reach...I think. O.o Or I can get my friend who's a bit taller than me to do it.

Good initial idea.  If possible though, I'd like to see them actually out over the hallways.  For setup it would probably be best to bring a small step-ladder.  It's amazing what a difference a few feet can make for visual aids.
*nods* I'm sure that someone will be able to bring a step ladder for the day before the con so we can hang these signs up well above the crowd head level. But, I don't think that the hotel will let us hang signs from things. Unless we become really creative with how we use tape.

Offline Waffles

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #96 on: September 06, 2007, 04:50:06 am »
Rant: that I have to wait another year to see all your faces and to make sure your con rocks!

Rave: Special Yojimbo badge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, whoever thought that up and put it into action is my personal hero!

Also, ThiefKingsHier thanks so much for mentioning me and I am truly sorry that even that incident happened I am happy that I was able to assist you because i knew you were a con member we hung out Friday night and I am the one to peace badge your sword!
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Offline FizzTheCarbonated

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #97 on: September 06, 2007, 09:10:20 am »
Good initial idea.  If possible though, I'd like to see them actually out over the hallways.  For setup it would probably be best to bring a small step-ladder.  It's amazing what a difference a few feet can make for visual aids.

You don't need a stepladder!  You just need that guy who cosplayed Jack Skellington this year.  He could probably reach the ceilings.
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Offline EmAino

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #98 on: September 06, 2007, 10:44:17 am »
All in all, I thought that the con was amazing as always, but I do have one little complaint...for the main events, can we get a little bit more spacing in between the chairs next year for us bigger people? I felt so sorry to those on either side of me during the cosplay contest because I literally felt like I was jammed up against them.

Other than that, awesome con as always...I especially like the mailed badges...made the pre-reg line quick and painless.
Sakuracon 2014
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Offline Reave_Vanshar

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Re: Rant & Rave (for those who missed it)
« Reply #99 on: September 06, 2007, 12:14:22 pm »
I'd just like to add my voice to the many staff here, expressing my appreciation for all of the feedback we're receiving! Regardless of the issues we had, this was the smoothest year yet that I've worked at K-con and despite the exhausting hours I had a grand time. Also, as a Yojimbo I want to apologize for any of our people who were rude or short with our attendees. We do our best to stress politeness and calm in our staff, but first time Yojimbo can especially have issues, as many people can't know how they will react under the sort of strain and lack of sleep we deal with, and some just don't handle it well. This is not an excuse, it is an explanation, and most who have that problem do not return the following year. We do watch our staffers' behavior, and we do keep track of those that cause problems with attendees, when we can find out which staffer specifically caused an issue. Personally, I'd love it if we could vet each and every yojimbo extensively in the run up to the con, but we are chronically, often critically understaffed and when someone signs up, unless we KNOW from previous experience that they can't hack it we have little choice but to give them a shot and hope for the best. It's hard to find people willing to do this for FREE, and when you add in the fact that we do pay for the privilege of being worked like slaves it's no surprise we don't see a lot of hands. :D Now for my personal rant (which does not reflect the opinions of the Convention staff in any way, this is just me):

My pet peeve every year is to come onto these forums and find people telling us that we were not professional enough, that since we chose to become staff we have no one to blame for our exhaustion but ourselves and we have no right to be tired, snarky, or confused sometimes. There are lots of people in the world who CHOOSE to do tiring and nasty work: police, soldiers, firefighters, emergency room doctors...fortunately as staffers we never have anyone's life in our hands and we (rarely) face real physical danger, but would you walk up to a firefighter and tell him or her to buck up and be polite, since they after all CHOSE to be a firefighter and it's their own fault that they are dirty, burned, and tired? I think not. Just because you volunteer for a job doesn't mean that you lose any right to be tired and stressed in the line of duty. Overt rudeness is never excusable, but if our people get a little frayed around the edges a day or two in, that's the price we all pay for a volunteer force. We could have a professional security team, and charge well over a hundred bucks a ticket. I don't think any of us want that, so please cut us some slack. Tired people make mistakes, we don't do it to be spiteful.
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