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Post by Zayane on Mar 31, 2009 0:15:38 GMT -5
Cool. I hope I'm not coming off as too much of a hardass. ^_^; Heh, not at all. I've seen worse. A lot of the feedback from today has been good, constructive stuff to add to our own agenda to discuss about next year. yeah Jer is right. Mostly, it'll make it easier for me during print XD
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atticcat
Hardcore Otaku
~the sleep of reason produces monsters~
Posts: 132
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Post by atticcat on Mar 31, 2009 0:15:58 GMT -5
2) In the program guide, organize it by day and time... not by who and what (maybe you can color code/bigger bolder font the bigger events taking place durring the convention)~~~> I know there was that piece of large paper w/ times on it, but not all panels or events where on it... no need to make pamplets if they are confusing and nobody uses them for they are too confusing. The program book was broken down into specific sections; Events, Fan Panels, and Guest Panels, and then arranged by time and day. This was done so everyone could easily identify the activity. The schedule was printed on a separate sheet of paper for two reasons. 1) To fit it in the program book would involve making it illegibly small or take so many pages it would be more confusing than helpful. 2) It's easy to fold up and carry around. Yes, but that made it very confusing to figure out what was going on at the same time as other things... and you had to keep looking back and forth and find your page where stuff was that you wished to go to... One can organize the activities in the pamplet via color... like fan = purple heading red= events heading orange= guest heading... i think this way would be easier for everyone... less going back and forth and remembering... one small, even if slightly thick program book is all one needs.. having 2 things to look at wasnt exactly difficult but it was a hasle and annoying for sure.
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Post by hyuugakoneko on Mar 31, 2009 0:18:04 GMT -5
FIRST i thought this was anime ST LOUIS not anime st charles, its a lovely center adn hotel, i just didnt like having to drive for 45 minutes bc it wasnt in stl. anyways it was a great con but these are just some things i think could use work. also, presently there is being a hotel built down in denmar loop, which is a prime location with many stores and stuff around it. i think that once it is built it would be an amazing place for a con and i suggest taking look into it for a future con. i think its called like the moonshine or something but it is not fuly built yet. i just thought it would be a nice place for a con with all the parking, stores, food places around it plus its right in stl! The St. Charles Convention Center is the most spacious, affordable venue we could find that could meet our size. If we wanted to, we could take the convention downtown, but it would be much more expensive, both for us and for the attendees who need to park. We'll be more than happy to look at new venue ideas though!
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Rakuen
Hardcore Otaku
I survived ASTL '10!
Posts: 245
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Post by Rakuen on Mar 31, 2009 0:19:50 GMT -5
atticcatThe problem is, most people don't like to carry the program book around. Heck, I immediately threw it in the car and left it there. I much prefer having the schedule folded up in my pocket.
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atticcat
Hardcore Otaku
~the sleep of reason produces monsters~
Posts: 132
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Post by atticcat on Mar 31, 2009 0:20:13 GMT -5
FIRST i thought this was anime ST LOUIS not anime st charles, its a lovely center adn hotel, i just didnt like having to drive for 45 minutes bc it wasnt in stl. anyways it was a great con but these are just some things i think could use work. also, presently there is being a hotel built down in denmar loop, which is a prime location with many stores and stuff around it. i think that once it is built it would be an amazing place for a con and i suggest taking look into it for a future con. i think its called like the moonshine or something but it is not fuly built yet. i just thought it would be a nice place for a con with all the parking, stores, food places around it plus its right in stl! The St. Charles Convention Center is the most spacious, affordable venue we could find that could meet our size. If we wanted to, we could take the convention downtown, but it would be much more expensive, both for us and for the attendees who need to park. We'll be more than happy to look at new venue ideas though! there are many people who live in the st. charles area that go to the con... and if you move it... you will just get complaints from them... ITS A TRAP! As long as it is in the st. louis metropolitin area, it really shouldn't matter...
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atticcat
Hardcore Otaku
~the sleep of reason produces monsters~
Posts: 132
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Post by atticcat on Mar 31, 2009 0:24:11 GMT -5
atticcatThe problem is, most people don't like to carry the program book around. Heck, I immediately threw it in the car and left it there. I much prefer having the schedule folded up in my pocket. hmm... I don't mind either really... I can do with either one.. it's just that when both of them have different information on them.. I don;t like carrying them both around ya know? One thing would be good... like maybe a slightly larger piece or paper with a better looking layout... use front and back... and yes it will be more crowded, but not anymore illegiable... maybe just smaller print... still foldable but ll info on one thing.. so nobody kicks themselves fro missing anything. >^_^< (if anything, I could help you with the graphic design things... I do go to an art collage)
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Post by biodomino on Mar 31, 2009 0:24:23 GMT -5
Wow, there was like a whole page all of a sudden @_@
I'll comment again on the spacing issue. I know that the exhibition room is huge and expensive, but really, I think that next year you are going to need that room. And keep in mind that you can probably just put several of the -quieter- events in that room. For example, you can probably put all the vendors, artists, and sleeping samurai in that room without too much trouble. Then you have the rest of center for panels, concerts, dances, and gaming. Or alternatively, you might want to use that room (haven't seen the layout myself so I don't know what it really works for) for the big events like the masquerade, and the higher turnout panels. At the very least, put those high turnout panels in your big room! Don't even schedule them when that room isn't available! It's really just borderline unacceptable to have to stand against the wall for an hour, or not even be able to get in the room, because there isn't enough space.
On the badges again, ok, age badges are fine I guess. But at the TW18+ panel, they checked everyone's ID. And that might have been fine, but here was the problem with that-- there was already a ridiculous line, and no place FOR a line. The line quickly degraded into something that was not so much a line as a free for all campout. I walked into the room half an hour before the panel was supposed to start and there were a few people (staffers?) just hanging out talking. They said they were there to set up the sound equipment and to wait in line outside. So about the time the panel is supposed to start, a huge crowd is already waiting outside the door. This could have been avoided in several ways, but it wouldn't have been an issue in the first place if it were a bigger room with more seating.
So give the smaller rooms to fan panels by all means, but save the big rooms for the guest panels that are likely to have a high turnout. If you're not sure how the turnout will be, put the panel description on the forums and take a poll in advance.
I agree with a couple of things atticcat said in addition--
As for signs, I know I suggested dry erase signs during the Q&A, and I can see where they might have the potential for problems, but I do think you need some kind of signs. You can buy a prop up dry erase sign and just tape something to it if you're worried about graffiti. I know the hotel has regulations about putting up signs but I'm sure you can work out something manageable.
I also would have liked a designated "chilling" area. There seemed to be plenty of room down near the role-playing area (which by the way, is space that probably could have been much better allocated).
I'll say again this was my first con, and even I was mystified that there were really no photo ops. I mean, all of these people dress up, people are taking pictures, and you don't even have a small photo op spot set up? What about a photographer coming in with backdrops? There was so much untapped potential there.
And once again, I'm not just here to complain. I'll be happy to help set some of these things up if called on to do it.
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Post by doublej on Mar 31, 2009 0:30:56 GMT -5
In regards to people that are willing to help for next year, keep your eyes open for an announcement on that. We'll probably have something in the next few weeks.
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Post by biodomino on Mar 31, 2009 0:31:40 GMT -5
I also tossed the book in the car. I didn't even look at it until Friday night after everything was shut down. I liked the way the schedule sheet was laid out for the most part. But I also didn't like that the program book wasn't organized chronologically by times. As soon as I saw that, I knew I wasn't going to bother carrying it around.
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Post by biodomino on Mar 31, 2009 0:33:30 GMT -5
Oh! And Jeremy, you were the one who did the date auction, right? You've gotta work on your auctioneering!
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Post by hyuugakoneko on Mar 31, 2009 0:34:13 GMT -5
Yes, but that made it very confusing to figure out what was going on at the same time as other things... and you had to keep looking back and forth and find your page where stuff was that you wished to go to... One can organize the activities in the pamplet via color... like fan = purple heading red= events heading orange= guest heading... i think this way would be easier for everyone... less going back and forth and remembering... one small, even if slightly thick program book is all one needs.. having 2 things to look at wasnt exactly difficult but it was a hasle and annoying for sure. The schedule was laid out very simply with the times and locations of events so you can see what all is going on at the same time. Another reason for the separate schedule from the program book is the printing times. It takes time to print the quantity of program books required for the con. It can take from 1-2 weeks depending on where it gets printed and if it has to shipped from somewhere. A lot of things can change in just a week. For example; the Slants' flight layover was changed a few days before the con. The program book had already gone to print. But, the separate schedule had all of the readjusted times printed. We could have added a little insert with the new times for rescheduled panels and events, but experience tells me that many people would not read them or would lose them. Color coding is a good idea, but printing a full-color program book probably won't be within our budget for awhile. I do appreciate the suggestions!
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Riordan
Hardcore Otaku
Buth Buth
Posts: 210
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Post by Riordan on Mar 31, 2009 0:38:20 GMT -5
The hotel ppl were kind of rude, very rude, i know thats not you but they dont get some of us are in cosplay and just bc it doesnt look as nice as it should doesnt mean we didnt spend money there and want to be able to eat and go to the rooms with out them saying we cant bc of the way we are dressed and bc they think we might be loud. my group stepped off the elevator for a few minutes and a hotel staff came in and told us we were being complained about. we were there no more then 5 minutes. what the hell is that? we were not even making noise, we were being quite considerate, unlike the guys playing lazer tag in the lobby at 4am. wtf. Yeah the hotel people were kinda rude, but I kinda understand why. On sunday they were kicking us out of the hotel when we were trying to just say goodbyes to our friends. The con wasn't even over yet and they were doing this. Saying stuff like "If you aren't our guest for tonight then please go and stay over on the con side" :V What about my friends who went back to the hotel and were leaving without coming back to the con side? Apparently, some people were kinda leaving the rooms in a trashy state or something? The hotel woman who was hell bent on escorting us back to the con was saying some stuff like that. So I guess they were just fed up with the whole lot of us. --- I remembered something else, it was with the Masquerade and the Date Auction, we had some people in our skit that had bought somebody in the Date Auction, the times for the dinner and when we had to be there for the set up were really close, and apparently, even though people had talked to the masquerade staff about the auction and they said it was ok when it came down to it, they said if they were late because of it they couldn't be in the masquerade? I dunno, luckily our girls made it in time. The other person who had this issue, I dunno. It was a what the hell type moment, really.
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atticcat
Hardcore Otaku
~the sleep of reason produces monsters~
Posts: 132
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Post by atticcat on Mar 31, 2009 0:41:03 GMT -5
Yes, but that made it very confusing to figure out what was going on at the same time as other things... and you had to keep looking back and forth and find your page where stuff was that you wished to go to... One can organize the activities in the pamplet via color... like fan = purple heading red= events heading orange= guest heading... i think this way would be easier for everyone... less going back and forth and remembering... one small, even if slightly thick program book is all one needs.. having 2 things to look at wasnt exactly difficult but it was a hasle and annoying for sure. The schedule was laid out very simply with the times and locations of events so you can see what all is going on at the same time. Another reason for the separate schedule from the program book is the printing times. It takes time to print the quantity of program books required for the con. It can take from 1-2 weeks depending on where it gets printed and if it has to shipped from somewhere. A lot of things can change in just a week. For example; the Slants' flight layover was changed a few days before the con. The program book had already gone to print. But, the separate schedule had all of the readjusted times printed. We could have added a little insert with the new times for rescheduled panels and events, but experience tells me that many people would not read them or would lose them. Color coding is a good idea, but printing a full-color program book probably won't be within our budget for awhile. I do appreciate the suggestions! I understand this quite a bit... I'm in art school, and we have to get a ton of stuff printed for our openings and stuff... the WE have to pay for. >_< Don't print it in full color... in my expierence... the fewer colors, the cheaper... so stick to a color template... excluding the cover pages... only heading is color, and all other print in black... if anything, add the done times into the bag... not the pamplte or whatever... cus from what i have seen, people dont even look at it... but like i said also, uses the piece of paper better... there was a lot of unused space that could be reworked with everything regarding info. one needs for the con. and I like giving suggestions, it helps me in the long run also. ~_^
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Post by hyuugakoneko on Mar 31, 2009 0:41:10 GMT -5
I also tossed the book in the car. I didn't even look at it until Friday night after everything was shut down. I liked the way the schedule sheet was laid out for the most part. But I also didn't like that the program book wasn't organized chronologically by times. As soon as I saw that, I knew I wasn't going to bother carrying it around. Again, it was broken down into three sections; Events, Fan Panels, and Guest Panels, and then arranged chronologically. The separation was to make it easier to identify which we were events (which people tend to care about the most) and which were panels for the special guests. But if this is too confusing for people, then I will definitely look into lumping it all together next year.
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Rakuen
Hardcore Otaku
I survived ASTL '10!
Posts: 245
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Post by Rakuen on Mar 31, 2009 0:51:02 GMT -5
Alright, I'm saying this here and now because it came up. This goes to every single person staying at a hotel, ever, ever, ever. You leave the room in a similar state to what it was in when you entered. If you move furniture around, you move it back. You do not leave crap lying all over the floor; if there's not enough room in the trash, you put it on the counter. If you removed covers/sheets from the bed, you at least leave them on the bed. If the cleaning staff complains too much, the hotel in all likelihood won't let us come back. This has happened to more than one convention in the past, and it still happens.
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