pre-rigistration badges?

[laurifer]

Got my badge too. ^^ I was so excited. lol.

Quick random question. What's the signifigance of the different badges? I mean, why do some look different than others? Just random thought tugging at my mind. lol

I think the different badges are for the different age groups, so it's easier to tell who's a minor and who's not. I could be wrong, though. >>

Yeah, then you can easily see who is alone when they aren't supposed to be, and who can go into adult panels without asking to see if it's right. : P

Or to check out who you can legally hit on. JUST KIDDING XD

[Himeno]

*blinks* Are those "real" names I see on those badges in addtion to the 'badge' name?

I hope not, my so called 'legal' name makes me somewhat depressed.

[dakiro]

yes those are real names

[Trumby]

*blinks* Are those "real" names I see on those badges in addtion to the 'badge' name?

I hope not, my so called 'legal' name makes me somewhat depressed.

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

Regarding the differences in badges: We'll have differently colored badges for 12 and under (red I believe), 13-17 is yellow, 18+ is blue. Staff, guests, exhibitors, and the like also have different badges.

Not a clue how the number factors into our badges but most of the time it is in registration order.

[EveofAbyss]

*blinks* Are those "real" names I see on those badges in addtion to the 'badge' name?

I hope not, my so called 'legal' name makes me somewhat depressed.

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

Regarding the differences in badges: We'll have differently colored badges for 12 and under (red I believe), 13-17 is yellow, 18+ is blue. Staff, guests, exhibitors, and the like also have different badges.

Not a clue how the number factors into our badges but most of the time it is in registration order.

Yeah, that's what I figured, but Kahlan and I were the second and third to register, but our numbers are in the 200's. Odd, heh

[goatchild]

*blinks* Are those "real" names I see on those badges in addtion to the 'badge' name?

I hope not, my so called 'legal' name makes me somewhat depressed.

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

Regarding the differences in badges: We'll have differently colored badges for 12 and under (red I believe), 13-17 is yellow, 18+ is blue. Staff, guests, exhibitors, and the like also have different badges.

Not a clue how the number factors into our badges but most of the time it is in registration order.

Yeah, that's what I figured, but Kahlan and I were the second and third to register, but our numbers are in the 200's. Odd, heh

Perhaps it's the order in which they were printed? Cuz mine is 57, and I registered sometime in November I think. XD

[Rathany]

Why are you sending out badges in the mail? Every convention I’ve been to or heard about that sent out pre reg badges in the mail turned into a big disaster for registration. Just the time and manpower requirements before the convention for a start, not to mention the problems on the day with everyone who lost, forgot, never got, damaged etc their badge.
It's not like it saves any time either because anyone with a mailed out badge still has to line up anyway to 'check in' and collect any program book and/or show bag.

Well, when you hear about it, it's usually becuase something went wrong, not right.  One con that does mail outs sent them all out about 10 days before the con.  I forget which con.

Anyway, for us it has worked out really well so far. 

[babysugarbear28]

I thought since I am reg assistant manager I should make a few clarifications

OK So this is the way it is....

Colors are for age grouping, Red -child under age 13, Yellow- Minor under 18, Blue- Adult 18+.  The color scheme makes it easy for Yojimbo and other members of staff to identify people who might be out after hours or who need to be with their registered adult. It is a safety issue for younger con goers, not to mention a legality issue for minors out beyond midnight (even staff fall under this rule, underage staff still have to be in their rooms the same time as underage minors) This works far better imo than other con's that use stickers or stamps to identify minors because it is far more visible than stamps/stickers and is something unable to be altered by a congoer (this happened at sakuracon)

Numbers make it far easier to find you guys in the registery system and YES certain numbers like the first 200 or so are for the first people who registered very first and it isn't all in order because we work with two systems, the online system is updated at regular intervals with the one that is on a hard system. So for events like Sakuracon or the Uwa. festivals we have to make space for those people as well as those registering at any given point in time on the online site. So you may not be in exact order, for instance someone who registered online after Sakuracon may have a smaller number than someone who registered at Sakuracon.

Also for the person who asked about mailout. Have you been to Sakuracon? The wait time for pre-registration the night before the con starts is insane and I would rather go through our check in than theirs. I love sakuracon but reg is insane and I do believe that they may end up taking a leaf out of our book. By sending out hard copy badges with people's names and badge names (nicknames) this gives congoer's more incentive to buy early not to mention it makes check in a great deal easier. By doing this a person simply walks up with their badge and identification and gets checked into the system in a timely manner (less than fifteen minutes last year, a far cry from the two+ hours in line at sak) and they are given con issued swag and other identifying material that shows you've been let into the convention. For those who choose willcall, it takes a bit longer to find the badge and get everything altogether (Trust me I worked willcall last year). Besides this prevents us from having to do the icky paper badges which can be easily copied, and it also keeps families/groups together because if you've got a kid with a diferent last name eg. Swift and another who's last name is say Alder, then they can remain in the same line instead of having to break apart to get their badges and it just over all takes far less time to deal with.

ALSO Please anybody that takes a picture of their badges, please do so by taking an angled picture if you are going to put it up on the web. I generally don't mind the pictures but it is a thing that must be done because the big bosses say so. <3

Anyway <3 I hope you all get your badges in good time. Take care all I hope to see you all soon.

BSB28
Assistant Reg. Manager
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

[Himeno]

Also for the person who asked about mailout. Have you been to Sakuracon? The wait time for pre-registration the night before the con starts is insane and I would rather go through our check in than theirs.

I was there in 2005. It took me all of 20 mins to get my badge. Have you been to Otakon? They process about 12,000 people through the pre reg pick up night in under 3 hours.

I love sakuracon but reg is insane

Then they have problems in reg and need to fix them. (I am on staff for two conventions, I have a good idea about these things)

By sending out hard copy badges with people's names and badge names (nicknames) this gives congoer's more incentive to buy early not to mention it makes check in a great deal easier.

While increasing total req manpower and time requirements and also adding many potential problems should mail get lost or not get collected by the right person or should the person forget, lose or damage their badge.

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

I haven't seen it on that many, and most of those that I have seen it is not in a large visible position on the badge.
In that case, I hope you don’t mind seeing black marker all over that depression causing name.

[EveofAbyss]

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

I haven't seen it on that many, and most of those that I have seen it is not in a large visible position on the badge.
In that case, I hope you don’t mind seeing black marker all over that depression causing name.

I'm sure the real name is of some importance, otherwise it wouldn't be on there. So, instead of permanently marking over the name, I'd suggest just slipping a piece of paper in front of the name inside the lanyard-thing. May prove better in the long-run.

[Hawkeye]

That is precisely correct.  It makes a yojimbo's job easier to detect who can and cannot go into a panel room.  I would also like to mention that we may require government issue identification (it's not set in stone yet) to get into an age-restricted panel or event (18 and over) to prevent badge-swapping for those attendees who are underage and try to sneak in.  Also, if you are escorting a red-badge attendee, just a reminder that you cannot leave your child outside in the hallway while you attend the event, as red-badge attendees must stay with their guardians at all times.

[babysugarbear28]

Also for the person who asked about mailout. Have you been to Sakuracon? The wait time for pre-registration the night before the con starts is insane and I would rather go through our check in than theirs.

I was there in 2005. It took me all of 20 mins to get my badge. Have you been to Otakon? They process about 12,000 people through the pre reg pick up night in under 3 hours.

I love sakuracon but reg is insane

Then they have problems in reg and need to fix them. (I am on staff for two conventions, I have a good idea about these things)

By sending out hard copy badges with people's names and badge names (nicknames) this gives congoer's more incentive to buy early not to mention it makes check in a great deal easier.

While increasing total req manpower and time requirements and also adding many potential problems should mail get lost or not get collected by the right person or should the person forget, lose or damage their badge.

Real names are on a lot of con badges, but yes your real name will be on it.

I haven't seen it on that many, and most of those that I have seen it is not in a large visible position on the badge.
In that case, I hope you don’t mind seeing black marker all over that depression causing name.

oky dokey.... I am glad Otakon has the man power do achieve such a feat, but as I have a limited number of staff and a limited amount of space at the convention itself processing pre-reg at our level is still far faster when we mailout badges. Last year as far as I know the longest wait in pre-reg was 45 min and that was because the congoers got into line 45 minutes before we opened pre-reg. As for the rest of the time it only took about five minutes or so to get through the line and fully processed.

Like I said though, Sakuracon is actually considering doing some of the things that Kumoricon does to make reg go alot quicker.

Manpower during the convention year is not a problem, during the convention itself it really is. People get really worn out if you throw a large load on them all at once but since there is a good at least 9 months in which we have time to do mailouts and what not its really not that bad. Volunteers do an awesome job when it comes to stuffing envelopes and my dedicated superior has put a good amount of time into printing out all the envelopes and badges.

Lost/Damaged/Forgotten badges aren't that hard to replace and for a small fee can be done in a relatively short amount of time. I am not entirely sure what the exact price of the fee is but that is why we always have the option to pick your badge up at the convention itself.

As for the black marker over your name on your badge. I wouldn't suggest it, chances are your badge might be taken away if we can't read your name. It is a safety issue for one, if something were to happen to you it makes it a great deal harder to find you in the system without your name, which means it takes longer to get your emergency contact number and what not. Also because we do use gov't issued id's for those over the age of 18 to verify who you are it might be advisable to have your name visible.

I don't know if you can get away with having a piece of paper covering your name but that is probably your best bet at this point.

Can't wait to see you all at the con <3
BSB28

[superjaz]

eccoing baby suger and hawkeye

At kumoricon the safety of our attendees the the most important aspect of the con.
and having names on the cards make it just plain easyer to find people when we need to, like in the case of a lost child or family emergency

and once again we mailed out badges last year no problem infact people who had them got into last years mini con 5$ cheaper for having it

and yes people lose things but as badge are an important piece of ID they should be taken care of and put in a safe place until the convention.  Look at oregon drivers licences they come in the mail no problem and somehow people manager not to lose them

i should know cuz i was the first person to lose one of the new kumoricon badges, badge #7, within 3 hours of reciving it, luckly i found it, it fell into a math book and i almost sold it back to the school with the ID in it ...almost

[Invader spleen]

My sister and I got ours yesterday. It's happy stuff. : D

[Sugarlat]

o.O I haven't gotten mine yet T_T when were they sent out?

[dakiro]

over the weekend i think they said but depends where live it mite take longer to get to you. thats snail mail for you

[Himeno]

It is a safety issue for one, if something were to happen to you it makes it a great deal harder to find you in the system without your name, which means it takes longer to get your emergency contact number and what not. Also because we do use gov't issued id's for those over the age of 18 to verify who you are it might be advisable to have your name visible.

I'm 25.
Any ‘emergency contact’ I might provide wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. You’d have to dial 0011 61 (2) 625* **** to contact them anyway. Even then, they’d be off on their own trip and you wouldn’t be able to reach them. If anything were to happen to me, you’d end up having to call an ambulance and let my travel insurance deal with it. (I live in UTC+10, 17 hours ahead of PST)

[Hawkeye]

It is a safety issue for one, if something were to happen to you it makes it a great deal harder to find you in the system without your name, which means it takes longer to get your emergency contact number and what not. Also because we do use gov't issued id's for those over the age of 18 to verify who you are it might be advisable to have your name visible.

I'm 25.
Any ‘emergency contact’ I might provide wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. You’d have to dial 0011 61 (2) 625* **** to contact them anyway. Even then, they’d be off on their own trip and you wouldn’t be able to reach them. If anything were to happen to me, you’d end up having to call an ambulance and let my travel insurance deal with it. (I live in UTC+10, 17 hours ahead of PST)

Obviously your situation is unique, however, if you have anyone within the US that can be a valid emergency contact that would help us greatly.  Since you're traveling overseas, make sure you have your passport with you though, as I had mentioned for age-restricted events we will likely need government-issued identification with birthdate on it for entrance.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

So I got mine today but my name's misspelled. What can be done about this?

[babysugarbear28]

please send me a pm with your name and badge number and I will pass the info along to the man with the printer. ^_^ We can see what we can do about getting it printed correctly. Are you by chance going to Kumoricon Lite or the Uwajimaya Fest. on the 10th or the 17th? If you are we could possibly get you a faster printout if you bring your badge and Photo ID to one of those events. Like I said pm me and let me know so we can get you a badge with correct information.

BSB28 <3

[superjaz]

So I got mine today but my name's misspelled. What can be done about this?

hee hee it happens, it happend to me before we should start a club!!!

[BlackjackGabbiani]

Are you by chance going to Kumoricon Lite or the Uwajimaya Fest. on the 10th or the 17th?

10th possibly, but I'll be at Otafest on the 17th.

[babysugarbear28]

Are you by chance going to Kumoricon Lite or the Uwajimaya Fest. on the 10th or the 17th?

10th possibly, but I'll be at Otafest on the 17th.

Try hard to get with us on the the 10th and we will get you a new badge printed out, just make sure you bring your ID and the misprinted badge. ^_^ Sorry for the inconvenience!

BSB28

[Syd-chan]

Woot! Got mine!
Someone post what the underage badge looks like! :O

I will! XD Once I get mine. I think it'll be yellow....

[Sugarlat]

I just got mine, It's green, I'll post it up soon, I was stupid and had my name printed on it twice XD

[Invader spleen]

I just got mine, It's green, I'll post it up soon, I was stupid and had my name printed on it twice XD

How do you manage that? 0.o

[Sugarlat]

Uh the part where it said put name twice i actually put it twice XD

[Invader spleen]

lol, that's really special. Is it all in one line, too? XP

[Sugarlat]

No i think there was two...I donno that was like Christmas time when I sent it!

[Sugarlat]

Now here's my superly awesome minor age mistake due to me!

[Invader spleen]

That's when I sent mine... and 2 months later I started getting paranoid cause I wasn't sure if who mailed it remembered to put a stamp on it.0.0 I was scared. And yeahh, that makes sense. Lol, Now you can't go into adult panels, huh?

[Sugarlat]

...Uh I assume so? My friend and I were freaking out also because we didn't get our for a couple of months. He was all like "Did you get yours yet?" And I was like. "No did you get yours?" "No." Almost like every week...It was horrible. But this is my first Kumoricon and Badge so I'm bretty excited~!

[Invader spleen]

It's my first pre-reg. I went last year. Your gonna have fun!!! : D And I was worried about the badge too, cause eventually they put a list of pre-reg up and I wanted to see it but it wasn't there. It's also gonna be my first cosplay. :]

[Sugarlat]

Not mine, I cosplayed as Kikyo for Megacon like 2 years ago in Florida...some dude in a sailor moon cosplay asked me for a hug because he thought i was hot o.O

[Invader spleen]

*cough* creepy... I fee like I'm stalking you! XD Sorry. I just have nothing else to do but post. Anyway, I'm going as Kari from KH2 And I hear not a lot of people don't like her as much, so I'm safe.

[Sugarlat]

True another option is wearing a banana suit with shades and a plastic machine gun...but at Kumoricon a lot of people wanted to take a picture of him...INCLUDING ME XD

[Invader spleen]

Then there were the tetris blocks, and pacman! : O

[Sugarlat]

o.O were so off topic XD I tend to do that often

[Invader spleen]

(Me too, heehee) So we get the lanyards and stuff at the con, right?

[Sugarlat]

I donno, I kinda wanna poke a hole through mine and stick a lanyard through it now XD

[laurifer]

(Me too, heehee) So we get the lanyards and stuff at the con, right?

Yup! When you check in you get your lanyard and swag bag

[Sugarlat]

Look it's Lauri-chan!
Good, I don't have to poke a whole though it then XD
I think it was the same for Mega-con.

[totemo_oishii]

(Me too, heehee) So we get the lanyards and stuff at the con, right?

Yup! When you check in you get your lanyard and swag bag

Yup we helped handing 'em out last year.

[laurifer]

Yup we helped handing 'em out last year.

We should do it again~

[Sugarlat]

It's Tote-chan also XD
I wanna help too! It sounds fun!

[totemo_oishii]

Yup we helped handing 'em out last year.

We should do it again~

Yeah, especially since we're staying in the hotel this year. 

[Invader spleen]

(Me too, heehee) So we get the lanyards and stuff at the con, right?

Yup! When you check in you get your lanyard and swag bag

Yup we helped handing 'em out last year.

Yeah! It would be fun to help. : P And that's good to know, now I won't have to think about finding some things on my own.

[Sugarlat]

o.O not far! I'm car pooling with Jacob so we'll be going back and forth!
XD It sucks not to be able to drive!

[Invader spleen]

My dad is cool, so he is driving.  He'll take us whenever we like- unless we just get a hotel room.

[Invader spleen]

(Sugarlat, I had no clue there was a 6 message limit so um, either one is good for me and I'm signed onto both. I sent you an AIM.)