Comments, compliments, concerns for NDK 2009

[NeoPhoenixTE]

^_^; I realize that you're being partially sarcastic.. but NO.

Cramming as many people as you can into a car is NOT safe.  I'd like to see more car-pooling.. but we can do without people who cram 8+people, plus all of their luggage into a car meant to seat only 5 people.  :/ Only seat as many people as your car has seatbelts for, and never block your rear window.

XD Course if you or a friend has access to a van...~ Turn it into the Otaku-Bus! [/list]

Just to note, the "bend the laws of physics" portion was done in jest, but I forgot to clarify that one should fill a car to capacity, not overstuff it. Good catch.

..and I approve this "Otaku Bus" idea! Might be a good topic for the coming con. Anyone in your group have a van? Fill 'er up!




Oh, also have another gripe, although it's more hotel related than con-related. Staff might be able to look into it, not sure..

My group reserved two rooms with two beds. We had it in the email and everything. We get there, and they tell us it's two rooms with one bed each. Not too happy with that lil mix-up, especially given the fact that I didn't have access to my email that very second to prove what I'd paid for. The cots are okay, but I ended up losing a night of sleep on one...

[dartnet]

Parking was the big issue for me this con.

Question on parking? What was the reason given for closing off the lot at the office building? Because it's never been an issue in the past. I mean the first year we had the con at the current hotel the Denver PD pointed me to the lot across the street. I have heard several stories and am wondering the official reason and will the situation as is continue?  

[rini]

re mailing out badges: you guys have a good point. i didn't think of the problem of ppl copying badges.

how about opening pre-reg thursday nite? a bunch of cons do that, like a-fest in dallas, ACEN, a-kon, etc. is that something the hotel would let you guys do? there were already a good bunch of ppl around thursday nite, and it might help ameliorate the pre-reg lines on friday morning.

[bekka_alice]

I actually agree with rini on the mailing out the pre reg badges in advance. That way less moaning and groaning with pre-reg lines and it'd be very gratifying to get that badge you paid for in the mail.

Hmmmm
I have no idea how the current folks feel about it but back in the day the reason I decided not to was (aside from added postage costs and lost mail) largely something like this post from AnimeFiend7 -

"Pre-reg for next year: IDK if its just me, but to have to hold onto a slip of paper till next con, when i lose things daily, seems kinda brutal."

Keeping more important stuff like a badge or badge claim, tshirt, etc. = even more so.  We could have people drive to con only to realize they left the badge in Arkansas.  Seemed cruel.

-BtA

[mastergods]

compliments.  the panels I did go to were fun. the staff was helpful when I needed to find a room.

 Comments. Besides what every one else has said. I would say get the staff/Volunteers up to date about the rules. on the website a Mod said "The rule of thumb is that if it resembles a real weapon, it's not allowed. If it's obvious at a glance that it's not a real gun its good"  But ops saw turning away unchanged toy guns. And it is also said Ops has last say if you can have the weapon around or not by peace bonding it. well my toy gun was peace bond but I was still asked/told by staff/Volunteers to go put it away that I was breaking Con rules.

Oh. and when the staff saw how much people were trying to get into the same panel. Maybe they should have moved it to a bigger room (the japanese mythology was packed the frist time around. I think they should have moved it before the late night one started. where? I do not know.)

[bekka_alice]

On to the good things, I'm glad that jumping in the elevator has been noticed and dealt with in the way of signs in the elevator. This is one of the first cons that I have attended at the DMTC where the elevators for the tower have all worked for the entirety of the weekend! ^^

Agreed - they even put staff *on* the elevators as operators when it got too crowded or people started being jerks.  Really awesome to be able to get up and down quickly and with little stress.

[theshadow]

Comments. Besides what every one else has said. I would say get the staff/Volunteers up to date about the rules. on the website a Mod said "The rule of thumb is that if it resembles a real weapon, it's not allowed. If it's obvious at a glance that it's not a real gun its good"  But ops saw turning away unchanged toy guns. And it is also said Ops has last say if you can have the weapon around or not by peace bonding it. well my toy gun was peace bond but I was still asked/told by staff/Volunteers to go put it away that I was breaking Con rules.

Though we do strive to have our volunteers up to date I do agree there are points where we could improve the training and guidance of our volunteers.

Parking was the big issue for me this con.

Question on parking? What was the reason given for closing off the lot at the office building? Because it's never been an issue in the past. I mean the first year we had the con at the current hotel the Denver PD pointed me to the lot across the street. I have heard several stories and am wondering the official reason and will the situation as is continue?  

No, there is no official response from the company/owner of that building/lot. They wanted it cleared and were threatening to tow vehicles. This is all we know.

re mailing out badges: you guys have a good point. i didn't think of the problem of ppl copying badges.

how about opening pre-reg thursday nite? a bunch of cons do that, like a-fest in dallas, ACEN, a-kon, etc. is that something the hotel would let you guys do? there were already a good bunch of ppl around thursday nite, and it might help ameliorate the pre-reg lines on friday morning.

We will never mail out badges for the following reasons:

• Theft/Illegal Copies - We have in the past, learned that though a good portion of our attendees are decent people there are bad apples who don't care how much time and effort goes into running this convention and will make illegal copies of badges.
• Lost/Misplaced Badges - As others have stated, keeping track of confirmation e-mails is troublesome enough, keeping track of a badge for a year would be crazy
• Postage, it costs a lot to mail out 2600 badges. On the order of $1,144.00 for the postage alone.

But, opening pre-reg on Thursday. this isn't a horrible idea but I could think of a couple of reservations. The main one being that the volunteered staff would have to be willing to start a day earlier.

Not enough space!/New Venue!
I've covered this before, hopefully this will be my last time. We know things are cramped now. NDK has been growing at an alarming rate of about 10-15% per year. Space has become a primary concern (along with parking). We will be looking into things over the next year to see if we can expand into other hotels but the simple fact is that we aren't moving to a new location for a couple of years due to contract obligations. Besides the fact that any larger space isn't feasibly affordable w/out raising the price of admission by quite a margin. There are other hotels and venues being built that we are watching but they won't be ready till our contract is about up anyhow. In the mean time. Attendance caps are an option we haven't abandoned but they are a last resort.

A comment on badges though:
Make the badge number MUCH larger.  Also make it bold black on a white background.  I would suggest taking up 1/8th the size of the badge and have it on front and back of the badge as they are printed on both sides anyhow.

At this point the badges are auto generated by a program I made. There are limitations to what it can handle font wise. Though I am going to look into adding text effects (specifically drop shadows to get a better relief) there are somethings I just can't do. As for the badges, I can request that we have a more white or apparent name plate area so that the text stands out better.

Security suggestion:
See about bringing in 2-3 police officers, if anything just for saturday from noon til 3 or 4am... most of the time if you are a npo, you can get them for around 15$/hour per officer.

Though this is an interesting idea we aren't yet at this point. Our security team did a wonderful job this year handling complaints and concerns. Now if any police officers wish to volunteer their time I'm sure Rex and his team would be more than gracious to accept it.

Signs:
I would suggest more signs as to what the lines are for, for instance pre reg A-K and L-Z.  Write on the floor with gaffers tape marking like a pedestrian's cross walk.  I witnessed dozens of people cutting in line at the hotel's check in line.  I witnessed hundreds of people who were clueless about the pre reg line.

As the convention grows we learn, this year we learned that incredibly obvious signs help out a lot. Next year we'll try to use what we learned.

Cosplay: and main event room events suggestion
The hotel has one or several channels that they can show a video feed on, why not take advantage of that option... display more than just the convention schedule on it, during cosplay or sell out events, have it displayed on there.  This would be for everyone who had a room in the convention hotel.  Perhaps record the mega popular panels, and play them on one of the hotel's channels and posted replay times...  Having dealt with hotels in the past, they usually have this option, they don't advertise it, and they often charge a little more for it... BUT you will have overflow options with this!

This won't happen. For what ever reason this hotel doesn't allow us to utilize the TV's. We've checked, we asked, we begged. Not going to happen.

VIP badges:
I may of just missed seeing it, but offering vip badges for people who were willing to pay for them, and limit them to so many people.  If the admission for the convention will be 50$... 200$ is a reasonable price, and tons of people are willing and able to pay that! Vip badges for people who don't know, allow them 'no lines' for main events and autographs.  They still have to wait to get into regular panel rooms though

At this point NDK is very much against "privileged" badges. Everyone is here as a community and we are all the same. Not saying this won't change just saying that for now, and the foreseeable future this isn't going to happen.

Late night programming:
While lots of people are sleepy and goto bed early, there are tons of people who are still awake at 3am... why not have panels that go beyond midnight? (at least until like 2am)  You don't have to save that time for adult only programming... it can be family friendly programming as well.

Sure! This would be great! Would you like to host that panel? Not that I'm trying to be a jerk but one of the reasons we don't have panels that late is because no one wants to host them. There are very few people awake at that hour and decidedly not enough to keep staff up, since we have just enough staff to keep things working during the regular hours, to accommodate the minority.

Which reminds me, please feel free to volunteer! We are always looking for good help.

Water!
I know saturday is hectic, but maybe the hotel should be informed, they need to assign 1 person to nonstop (or very regular) water refills from 2pm until at least midnight?  I would say that no less than 50% of the water stations were empty at any given time after 4pm saturday, and told the hotel front desk about it.

For the most part the hotel did a pretty good job with this. You wouldn't believe how many gallons of water 7000 people can go through. I was hearing information that by the time the staff had finished their refilling circuit they had to go again. We apologize about the lack of water sometimes though. It wasn't intentional

Parking:
I heard about the power tripping security officer at the empty (as in building for lease)office building threatening to tow anyone who parked there...  Some conventions offer a shuttle service for attendees.  There has got to be somewhere within a couple miles that has a large parking lot, and is willing to lease it out.  Some conventions have their staff park off site, and have a few reserved parking spaces for shuttle staff... volunteers or staff who just drive people to/from cars, go get stuff as needed etc.

I've already covered this enough I think

[allpowerfulbob]

No, there is no official response from the company/owner of that building/lot. They wanted it cleared and were threatening to tow vehicles. This is all we know.

The only other contributing factor to this is that it is private property, they can legally do with it what they desire.

[theshadow]

FYI I will continue to update my original post of replies instead of multiple replies, so check that one

[bekka_alice]

I usually try to be as nice as possible about this ("Hey, you're welcome to have a seat..."), but I admit that by the 20th or 30th time I say it in an hour (not an exaggeration for some events) it can be hard to know if I'm starting to sound a little gruff.  I'll give the pointing-out-a-chair suggestion a try, it's a good one.

Joel, here's another possibility - when I work Main Events at StarFest I often help to clear the back of the room of folks who are standing and they're usually pretty positive when I say "Did you know there are some open chairs in row (3, 50, etc?) so you don't have to stand?"  I use my full hand and arm to indicate where the open chairs are so that I'm not pointing rudely.  It helps them to move on fairly quickly because they don't have to wait for their eyes to adjust entirely before they have any idea what direction to go.

[bekka_alice]

I definitely agree that lots of talking is just inappropriate.  I don't have a magic bullet either, but I think we can find a way to address it tactfully.

How about between-show slides mimicing what they do in movie theatres?  e.g. Please turn off your cell phones, please be respectful of other audience members, please don't talk during the show (you know the normal theatre wording).  It might help to remind them that they are in the same kind of situation where everyone has a right to hear what's going on.

(Added hmm... later - since people often go in when a show is already running, maybe a matching poster outside the door)

[bekka_alice]

The only other contributing factor to this is that it is private property, they can legally do with it what they desire.

Yeah, my uninformed guess on this is that their ownership really noticed the con people for the first time this year and they got spooked about possible liability issues (which to be fair could be pretty major).

[subzeroscientist]

Hey, guys. When you ask for badge names? Please print those badge names on our badges, NOT our legal names (which I assumed were just for organisation and billing purposes). We give you badge names because we want a level of separation between our 'normal' life and what goes on at conventions; this could be for work purposes, because we have an internet identity to maintain, any of a number of reasons. You need to respect that. It's a safety thing, too -- as someone at Cosplay.com mentioned, if NDK is going to be family friendly, then it needs to be family SAFE, too. Would you want your child's real name flaunted around?

Here are the other concerns/complaints I had, brought over from Cosplay.com:

- Staff need to check tickets for prop pick-up after exiting the dealer's room. This did not always happen, and it is an inexcusable reason for someone to have a prop stolen.

- Please organise the pre-reg badge pick-up lines ahead of time. There was no reason for them to move as slowly as they did, considering everyone was paid up and pre-printed.

- Provide us with an empty panel room or two for indoor photoshoots. We were left with nowhere but main hallways and areas near congested locations, which made the experience miserable for all. Plus, the lighting was horrible. Having designated shoot rooms that groups (NOT private photoshoots) can sign up in advance for would be a very good thing.

- Parking. PARKING PARKING PARKING. Lot full signs up when the lot wasn't full, no maps of where we could go for overflow parking... The Light Rail station is not really convenient to the hotel, so that's not an option for many of us. We need a map that tells us where to go, if the hotel is truly full up.

- Please break up groups that just stop to talk in the middle of pedestrian traffic areas. Stopping for a photo is one thing, but it gets REALLY annoying when people just clump together for conversation right in a doorway, or in an already crowded corridor.



The Artists' Alley was nice, the hug/glomp rules were nice, and the fact that you even had a prop check was great. But all of the above made the convention far more stressful and unpleasant than it should have been. It was my first NDK, and now I'm uncertain whether it will also be my last.

[theshadow]

Hey, guys. When you ask for badge names? Please print those badge names on our badges, NOT our legal names (which I assumed were just for organisation and billing purposes). We give you badge names because we want a level of separation between our 'normal' life and what goes on at conventions; this could be for work purposes, because we have an internet identity to maintain, any of a number of reasons. You need to respect that. It's a safety thing, too -- as someone at Cosplay.com mentioned, if NDK is going to be family friendly, then it needs to be family SAFE, too. Would you want your child's real name flaunted around?

This is no longer available. Badge Names and/or Vanity names have been revoked. It caused way to many issues this year and it was decided by the directors that it would no longer be allowed.

- Staff need to check tickets for prop pick-up after exiting the dealer's room. This did not always happen, and it is an inexcusable reason for someone to have a prop stolen.

Please elaborate, I need more information to provide feedback to the dealers room staff.

- Please organise the pre-reg badge pick-up lines ahead of time. There was no reason for them to move as slowly as they did, considering everyone was paid up and pre-printed.

Not as easy as you would think. Unlike computers having to sift through 2600+ (even alphabetically sorted) badges takes time. It happens. We are sorry for the wait and we are going to try to find ways to improve things but there is only so much we can do when each lookup takes at least 10 seconds and at most a few minutes.

- Provide us with an empty panel room or two for indoor photoshoots. We were left with nowhere but main hallways and areas near congested locations, which made the experience miserable for all. Plus, the lighting was horrible. Having designated shoot rooms that groups (NOT private photoshoots) can sign up in advance for would be a very good thing.

Photo shoots aren't official NDK events, panel space is reserved for panelists. If you want to have specific space for your photoshoot you need to organize that in advance.

- Parking. PARKING PARKING PARKING. Lot full signs up when the lot wasn't full, no maps of where we could go for overflow parking... The Light Rail station is not really convenient to the hotel, so that's not an option for many of us. We need a map that tells us where to go, if the hotel is truly full up.

Ok, I've addressed this 3 times already. You obviously didn't read the thread before posting. Why not do that before you post a concern that has already been addressed?

- Please break up groups that just stop to talk in the middle of pedestrian traffic areas. Stopping for a photo is one thing, but it gets REALLY annoying when people just clump together for conversation right in a doorway, or in an already crowded corridor.

We do, I know I do and did. There are only a handful of staff though. The staff makes up only about 3% of the total people there. We can't be everywhere at all times.

Besides, by your comment I'm going to go with the idea that you believe your photo shoots are more important than anyone else. Everyone is here to have fun and no one should suffer at the interests of another. If I see a group of people and/or photoshoot blocking the walk way I bust it up or ask them to move to the side.

The Artists' Alley was nice, the hug/glomp rules were nice, and the fact that you even had a prop check was great. But all of the above made the convention far more stressful and unpleasant than it should have been. It was my first NDK, and now I'm uncertain whether it will also be my last.

We have the rules in place to keep 7000 people safe. It happens. The more people there are the harder it is to maintain a sense of order. We're sorry you don't like the rules but they are there for your's and everyone else's safety.

[Charis]

Copypasta from my cosplay.com commentary, mostly:

This was my first NDK, and I have to say that there were several things that made me incredibly happy to see.  The rules against glomping and invasion of personal space were definitely good, seeing as that's one of those more common convention problems.  I was glad to see reminders to DRINK WATER -- and to see water coolers all around the con as well.  Quite like the check-in outside the dealer's room (though I admit to being mystified as to why one of the staffers tried to check my small hand fan, which I was using to keep cool at the time moreso even than as a prop).  Also got to meet some absolutely wonderful people and see very dear friends, which is always the hilight of con.

Staff were, for the most part, lovely and helpful.  In particular, I was thrilled that peacebonding didn't overtighten the zip ties around fragile bits of prop.  You guys are some of the best staff I've seen at a convention to date, and deserve major kudos for not only doing your job well, but doing it with a sense of fun and humour.

Stupid fangirl squee moment: might've been that we were a good-sized group, but getting recognised more than once in Twelve Kingdoms cosplay totally made my day.

Bad things: the smokers were probably the biggest one for me.  Most everyone that we asked to move was quite considerate, but between allergies and costume parts that can't be washed, the smoke was a damned nuisance.  I'm not sure what Colorado regulations are (it's 30' from doors here in California), but I would think that common courtesy would dictate at least stepping far enough away from the doors that your smoke doesn't backflow inside.

The crowds were pretty rough at times; more than that, the people ducking into the fairly full elevators were a problem.  When your costume involves blood, dirt, or other stuff that might come off onto someone else's clothes when you're in close contact, please don't squeeze inside -- and even if it doesn't, please consider that people may have props or costumes that can't be squished too well.  I wound up getting jostled in elevators several times, including a particularly unpleasant encounter with two (somewhat drunk) gentlemen Saturday night.

Another voice for 'no given names on badges', or at least making them smaller and some other indicator (badge number?) being larger.  That always discomfits me.  Ditto for the problems with finding photoshoot locations within the hotel.  (ALA is a fairly small con set inside a hotel, and one thing they do is set aside a room -- or part of a room -- for photoshoots.  Perhaps that's something NDK could consider as well?)

Overall, I had a rather good time at my first NDK, and I'll definitely be coming back next year (pre-registered at con, hee).

[Sipesh]

I'll add a bit:

For the good- I really didn't have any issues with staff except for weapons policy which I will go into later.  Then again, I don't run around like a dang fool most of the time.  I found this con to be fairly laid back and relaxed.  NDK is my no stress con!

Panels- I don't generally attend panels, I have the attention span of a hamster.  However, for the Female to Male Crossplay one that I ran, it was GREAT.  The room was full (so much for my anxiety over only 5 people showing up) and the audience was actually engaging to me, posing great questions, and the time flew by before I knew it.  The staffer at the door was pleasant to me and I really enjoyed the experience.  As for the panelists I heard that didn't show up for their panels this weekend... shame on ya!  Be there, and be early so you can get things ready!  It's just respectful to those that have taken the time out of the con to come listen to you talk for 45 minutes or what not.  As I stood there before my panel, I believe the director came over to talk to the man at the door, and said that next year panelists should be pre-reg'ed and have to check in before their panels with staff... that sounds like a right fine idea to me, and something I would eagerly comply with.

Now for the one thing....

...the weapons policy.  There needs to be consistency with it.  It's not very fun to come and be told to ditch my gun that has the orange tip and all the inner workings removed only to see someone five minutes later with the same gun zip tied because theirs was approved.  I've had this issue at the last 2 cons I've atteneded (NDK and Afest) but ONLY when I was dressed as a police officer character.  Is there something about that which makes staff that much more apt to refuse my weapon?  Again, other folks had the very same gun approved by ops.  If it's a toy with the orange tip, firing mechanism removed (if it's an Airsoft) I don't rightly see why it can't get through ops.  It just gets frustrating, and I feel particularly bad for those cosplayers that spent a lot of time finishing up a prop gun that they put their blood, sweat, and tears into, only to be told to ditch it, especially when it's an integral part of their cosplay.  Let's face it, half of all characters seem to have a gun.

[subzeroscientist]

This is no longer available. Badge Names and/or Vanity names have been revoked. It caused way to many issues this year and it was decided by the directors that it would no longer be allowed.

Please elaborate, I need more information to provide feedback to the dealers room staff.

Not as easy as you would think. Unlike computers having to sift through 2600+ (even alphabetically sorted) badges takes time. It happens. We are sorry for the wait and we are going to try to find ways to improve things but there is only so much we can do when each lookup takes at least 10 seconds and at most a few minutes.
 

Photo shoots aren't official NDK events, panel space is reserved for panelists. If you want to have specific space for your photoshoot you need to organize that in advance.

Ok, I've addressed this 3 times already. You obviously didn't read the thread before posting. Why not do that before you post a concern that has already been addressed?

We do, I know I do and did. There are only a handful of staff though. The staff makes up only about 3% of the total people there. We can't be everywhere at all times.

We have the rules in place to keep 7000 people safe. It happens. The more people there are the harder it is to maintain a sense of order. We're sorry you don't like the rules but they are there for your's and everyone else's safety.

This sort of snotty, attitude-laden response is exactly the sort of problem people have had with the staff this year (I suggest visiting major cosplay boards, where people are offering plenty of feedback about their particular dissatisfaction with staff response and behaviour). You need to handle being told the same thing multiple times with more grace and professionalism; I understand that it can be annoying, but when people are telling you repeatedly it's because it's a PROBLEM. You will hear it again and again. And no, not everyone has time to read every bit of the thread -- and when we do, if it's important enough, we WILL say it again. We understand you're stressed. We understand you may not want to hear the same things again. We sympathise. We still expect you to handle it well.

With regards to the rest...

1. If vanity names are not permitted, please do NOT offer them as an option when we pre-purchase our badges. That was one of the primary reasons some of us pre-registered; a $5 savings is hardly worth not getting what we ask for. You need to inform people that they will not be having their badge name on their badge, if the decision is made after purchase has been made. I would not have been as upset if an email had been shot my way, saying, 'Due to problems caused by vanity badges, they are no longer being offered. Your real name will be used instead.'

2. I saw people simply pointing to things, saying 'that's mine', and having it given to them, without having their claim ticket checked. This is unacceptable, particularly when it comes to props that we've spent a lot of time on. I've had people threaten to steal my prop before; this is the first time I've actually been worried about that happening.

3. I have never seen a pre-reg line take so much time, honestly. I understand that you are not computers, but when I'm ten people back in line, I shouldn't be waiting half an hour. Prior planning, and all that.

4. We do organise in advance, but this is something where organisers and staff should be working together for the SAFETY of everyone else. We have few places that aren't crowd-blockers or in front of exits. Rather than throw out the 'they're not official activities' line, please indicate willingness to work with us. Suggest places we can organise a shoot that won't interfere with traffic flow and safety. Maybe provide a list of outdoor locations that aren't private property. We're not asking you to organise for us, we're asking you to help us figure out a way to do our shoots without inconveniencing you or congoers. You're the ones who will be having to deal with the fire marshal should they drop by while we are blocking egress, not us. This request is for your convenience as much as ours.

5. You obviously didn't have your coffee today before replying. You may have addressed it three times, but it's important and I'm posting it because it's a CONCERN, not to get under your skin. You'll probably be hearing more about it; rather than snap at someone with a legitimate concern, be professional and address it, or direct them to the thread where you have already done so. Who cares if it's already been said? Obviously it's a major issue, and was a VERY upsetting part of the weekend for a large number of people. Let each person know what you're doing to handle the issue.

6. I've seen staff standing nearby who did nothing about situations like this. Please be consistent. Consistency is key when it comes to handling situations like props, weapons check, crowding, etc.

7. It's not that I don't like the rules, it's that I don't like the attitudes of the staff and the inconsistent enforcement of those rules. The entire convention came across as poorly structured and unprofessional, which was surprising considering you're not exactly new. 7000 isn't that big of a number when it comes to conventions; it's a lot of people, but it's also not unmanageable.

[theshadow]

This sort of snotty, attitude-laden response is exactly the sort of problem people have had with the staff this year (I suggest visiting major cosplay boards, where people are offering plenty of feedback about their particular dissatisfaction with staff response and behaviour). You need to handle being told the same thing multiple times with more grace and professionalism; I understand that it can be annoying, but when people are telling you repeatedly it's because it's a PROBLEM. You will hear it again and again. And no, not everyone has time to read every bit of the thread -- and when we do, if it's important enough, we WILL say it again. We understand you're stressed. We understand you may not want to hear the same things again. We sympathise. We still expect you to handle it well.

With regards to the rest...

1. If vanity names are not permitted, please do NOT offer them as an option when we pre-purchase our badges. That was one of the primary reasons some of us pre-registered; a $5 savings is hardly worth not getting what we ask for. You need to inform people that they will not be having their badge name on their badge, if the decision is made after purchase has been made. I would not have been as upset if an email had been shot my way, saying, 'Due to problems caused by vanity badges, they are no longer being offered. Your real name will be used instead.'

2. I saw people simply pointing to things, saying 'that's mine', and having it given to them, without having their claim ticket checked. This is unacceptable, particularly when it comes to props that we've spent a lot of time on. I've had people threaten to steal my prop before; this is the first time I've actually been worried about that happening.

3. I have never seen a pre-reg line take so much time, honestly. I understand that you are not computers, but when I'm ten people back in line, I shouldn't be waiting half an hour. Prior planning, and all that.

4. We do organise in advance, but this is something where organisers and staff should be working together for the SAFETY of everyone else. We have few places that aren't crowd-blockers or in front of exits. Rather than throw out the 'they're not official activities' line, please indicate willingness to work with us. Suggest places we can organise a shoot that won't interfere with traffic flow and safety. Maybe provide a list of outdoor locations that aren't private property. We're not asking you to organise for us, we're asking you to help us figure out a way to do our shoots without inconveniencing you or congoers. You're the ones who will be having to deal with the fire marshal should they drop by while we are blocking egress, not us. This request is for your convenience as much as ours.

5. You obviously didn't have your coffee today before replying. You may have addressed it three times, but it's important and I'm posting it because it's a CONCERN, not to get under your skin. You'll probably be hearing more about it; rather than snap at someone with a legitimate concern, be professional and address it, or direct them to the thread where you have already done so. Who cares if it's already been said? Obviously it's a major issue, and was a VERY upsetting part of the weekend for a large number of people. Let each person know what you're doing to handle the issue.

6. I've seen staff standing nearby who did nothing about situations like this. Please be consistent. Consistency is key when it comes to handling situations like props, weapons check, crowding, etc.

7. It's not that I don't like the rules, it's that I don't like the attitudes of the staff and the inconsistent enforcement of those rules. The entire convention came across as poorly structured and unprofessional, which was surprising considering you're not exactly new. 7000 isn't that big of a number when it comes to conventions; it's a lot of people, but it's also not unmanageable.

Look, if you had taken the time to read the thread you would have seen some issues addressed and in a polite and considerate manner. What you did instead is walk in with your arrogance and make assumptions and demands w/out any concern or consideration that others are here to help you.

You also made some rather inconsiderate and self-centered comments. Cosplay is a part of the convention, it is not THE convention. Other people have different interests and for you to come in here and demand that people be busted up just so people can be blocked to take your picture is at the very least arrogant and at the most narcissistic.

You aren't alone in your complaints but to assume that your voice is any more important than any others is just plain rude.

As per your responses.

Almost all the badges had their vanity names. If they didn't its because they had to be re-printed for various reasons and time was more important than a vanity name. If you don't like that you didn't get you're special nick name I'm sorry. For legal reasons alone we need your real name. You can always register at the door and get a plain jane badge.

Was anything of your stolen? Was any friends? Did anyone have any complaint? (Please chime in Dealers if you wish) If not then its a non issue. We are volunteers. We aren't paid. We are providing a service to you out of the kindness and joy of the convention. You just insulted those individuals with a baseless claim.

Again had you stopped and read the thread you would have found out that the pre-registration count almost doubled over last year. This increases the time, it was our first year having this issue modifications will be made.

Space, space, space, mentioned over and over again in this thread. (I'm seeing a pattern here.) We know there is limited space, this is why we aren't going to dedicate space to photo shoots. We are sorry there are other things and interests of other people that take precedence.  Cosplay isn't the only part of NDK.

If you can provide names or descriptions we can address this. If you don't tell us at con what the problem is we have almost no way of finding those individuals afterward.

This is true, it can be managed. But we have a small staff. We are doing the best we can. If you want to help out volunteer. We are always looking for help.

If you specifically have any others issues you can send me a PM and I'll address them there. Lets get this thread back on track.

[Warumono]

Alright.  To start off, let me just say I was really begining to question attending NDK anymore because of previous years, but this year was really FUN!  I was actually excited to be attending once more, and I have been going since 2000.  Let me just say you guys have done a great job of bringing the convention back just as I thought it was falling.

Another plus side, THE STAFF!!!!!!!!!!!  Usually that's the first thing we complain about, but my god, they were just AWESOME this year (well, most).  They were very polite, got things done, and even after things were taken care of, they found us again to reassure us. Kudos, staffers!!
We had one issue though, seems new staff people just use their new title to be jerks.  We had ran over in a panel a whole two minutes because people were learning and asking us questions, and he came right up to us, chewed us out, took down our names, and told us - as I quote 'If I'm an asshole to you guys tomorow, this is why.'  What?!  Being a staff member gives you NO right to blatantly treat us like s---.  Thankfully when we went down to Ops they took care of it - and even found us later to tell us they took care of it.  <3
Another plus about staff... my group was being harassed (as I'm sure alot of people were) in the cosplay contest line by some drunk guy, and he was definitely threatening to pound my face in.  The staffer that came by and pulled him away was extremely kind, had him escoreted out of the building and down the street, and then came back to check on us to make sure we were okay.   And nobody yelled at us for lines, pictures, nothing!  It was just GREAT!  Keep the same staff for next year, I love them.
Also, the elevator staff was a good idea, none really broke down.   There were a couple of rude elevator staffers, just because you're telling someone how it is doesn't mean you have to be a dick.

The con didn't seem too terribly crowded to my group this year, but that might be just 'cause we skipped the registration lines and were running panels all weekend, so we had our own space. xD  Parking though, I can see how that sucks.  We're already cramming five people plus luggage into our own vehicle as we do every year, but it's STILL very hard to find a parking spot, since everywhere surrounding pretty much says 'NOT ALLOWED FOR NDK'.  Though I have no idea how this could be fixed unless NDK is moved to a different hotel. xD;

Cosplay went great!  No million hour green rooms, easy check in, and a smooth contest.  Let me tell you, after attending Expo this year and all of their sound/technical screwups, NDK was run like a DREAM. <3
My group was going to enter craftsmanship for the first time this year though, until we heard from some people that they were kind of douchey. :/  Maybe that's just for masters though, since you DO have to be on top of your game and know how it's done.  We might try next year.
However, I do have some gripes about the contest.  As far as I knew, several years ago 'song' skits and all 'dance' skits were banned unless your skit had something more.  Saying as my cosplay group is KNOWN for our performances, we've had to stop doing what we do and change it for NDK, which we're fine with.  But then this year there's several singing, performing, and dancing groups doing EXACTLY what we did that we got in trouble for!  And on top of that, THEY WON AWARDS FOR IT?!  The 'Kaya' cosplayer did nothing but recreate a Promotional Video dance, and the Bunny Brigade skit(?) did exactly what my group did once upon a time.  We get bashed for it and then it's banned from the contest, but I fail to see why they were allowed to perform (and even win awards when there were other, more well thought out skits)!  I'm NOT saying that my group will go back to what we do, we've moved on, but I just think it's terribly unfair.  :/
On the plus side, we won an award that wasn't just a default 'Best Jrock'!!  Thanks guys! :DDDD <3 (Though with all the Jrock cosplay coming back I would love to see it return.  And I may have missed it, but is best video game gone too?)  I think if the Traditional cosplay still has an award, then so should the other breakoff's that aren't just anime and rather encompass all Japanese culture.
Oh, and let me add - I don't like the call out of FULL, real names after a cosplay number.  When we put down an alias it's for a reason. Some people ARE creepy and WILL go look up people with this new information and it just makes big, freaky trouble. @_@

Karaoke - god, do I love the people.  And I love singing.  And I love watching people sing.  But for the love of kami-sama, it NEEDS to move faster!  Auuugh!  And that's just the contest!  (Which I miss every year because of cosplay T_T)  Open mic can't even start until after that, and by then it's already 2am!  @_@  Karaoke is one of my major highlights of the con though, it's nice to know that people look forward to my originality personally.  <333 Really, you guys make my year. I can't say thank you enough.

We had a great turnout in all of our panels too, thanks to everyone!!  We thought for sure only a couple would be big hits, but every single one we did was awesome.  And Barbra was excellent in getting us all set up in nice sized rooms.  Augh, I love the staff this year.

Oh, and though I don't think this can be helped - people that get drunk off their asses and wasted beyond the point of saving do NOT make for a fun convention.  It's terribly awkward, annoying, and even slightly frightening.  I'm three years past legal drinking age and I'm smart enough to know that being dead drunk is not a good idea at a convention full of underage people.

All in all, I was not looking forward to NDK, and this totally flip flopped my opinion.  Definitely ready to come back next year!!  YAY!  Can still be an avid con-goer for ten years by then!

[allpowerfulbob]

Just a few replies here subzeroscientist.

2. I have seen them do this as well, but before handing over the object they do still check the cards to ensure it is going to the correct person. Many times the cards can be obscured by larger objects, and they do not tape the cards to the props so as to not damage them.

4. The con has provided this information previously, normally we recommend the grassy knoll out front of the hotel for large photo shoots.

5. One thing that everyone should understand, the parking situation was a surprise to us as well. We were informed just minutes before we informed everyone at the con of the new decision. Attempts were made to bridge the gap, but unfortunately there was no communication back to us from the neighbors. You can be assured that next year there will be better planning, but the options were given that we had at the time.

6. If you see other staff not breaking up crowds I believe it has more to do with the fact that they just grouped together. If it appears that a group is going to move on in a second or two there is no reason to bark at them and ask them to move on. I saw quite often staff moving people on that stopped to just converse and ask them to move to the side.

7. I did not see any inconsistencies in the enforcement of convention policies,  but it certainly seems that several attendees felt that it was an issue. At the very least I'm sure there will be more information provided to the staff in the future to ensure that we are all on the same page and enforcing the rules the same.