Convention Suggestions?

[Imp-Chan]

Tell me large, fun conventions with a healthy mix of genres that you want us to attend.

^-^'

[Sareth]

Noticed on the website you all were asking about conventions for 2010.

I'm trying to recall if anyone has mentioned ACen to you guys yet?

[Viking-Sensei]

I know this response is a few months late... I can't speak for Impy and Poe, but we did do Acen a few years ago (2007 maybe, I'm not 100% sure) and it was not a good year for us. I heard the particular year was a bit "off" for everyone, and that the convention had made several unique choices as far as con setup and arangements... I don't hold anything against the city itself... Lauren the (ex)Intern and I had a great time wandering around in the city, since we got up there Thursday and spent the day adventuring, but the con was a different story.

The artist's alley was bigger and in a better location than the dealer's room (we were in the dealer's room). Not that it mattered much - getting into the parking garage that was the AA/DR involved either crossing 3 fairly busy streets in a big "U" shape in order to get to the doors OR doing a half-mile (possibly longer) trek through two other hotels across skyway bridges and then looping around the convention center building (I'm not kidding here, you had to go 270 degrees in a circle around the outside edge to get to the entrance).

The irony, of course, was that the main body of the con, contained in a hotel, was RIGHT NEXT DOOR, but the doors that connected them were locked for security reasons. Bad planning, poor execution, and an unwillingness to fix that which was obviously broken... then again, it was a con taking place during the reign of Dubya, so what was I to expect? (I kid, I kid... mostly)

Add to that the fact that there was no food anywhere nearby - the con was (at least that year) held in an isolated spot that was blockaded by office buildings, parking structures, and hotels so the only choices you had were a) horribly expensive hotel food, or b) horribly expensive (and horrible) con food. We tried to get a Chicago-style pizza on Saturday night, only to discover we were so far removed from civilization and in such a "no drive" zone that only a handfull of overly expensive and generally low-quality locations would venture forth to our hotel. It doesn't help that they also managed to screw up what should've been a very simple order.

So... yeah. That was my first (and quite possibly last) experience at ACEN. Should Impy and Poe decide to go, I will most likely be politely excusing myself out of this one.

[Imp-Chan]

It doesn't help that the last time we went to Acen was also the last time I saw my grandmother alive, and she died a couple weeks later. At least I got to see her at all, but it was still a very upsetting and stressful time.

Still, I now know how to prepare sufficiently yummy food from a hotel room (god bless crockpots), and we could always just buy in the Artist's Alley if it's still in a better location (we are, after all, an art studio). So we were considering going next year. Someone asked me to show up and play Go, afterall.

This year we decided to only do the one con we'd already started arranging and guest invites, both because we're short on funds and because other cons are inconveniently scheduled... for example, Otakon happens to be scheduled on my birthday, and I refuse to drive eight hours both ways just to have to work on my birthday.

^-^'

[Sareth]

Not a defense or an attempt to sell you on things regarding ACen, just some info to help you decide if it is worth a second attempt next year or not.

Some of the complaints just listed are still valid, I'm afraid. The convention center/hotel is still located a good ways away from any cheap food places. Which means that the issues with finding where to park and unload is still problematic as well. I'm going to be staffing Artist Alley there this year, and I've made the choice to stay at a hotel a good ten miles away so that I can get decently cheap food at breakfast and (a very late) dinner, and just pack food with me for lunch.

The convention itself is still in the hotel while Artist Alley and the Dealer's Room are in the next building over. However, the connecting walkways were open last year (and should be this year) so you don't have to go around and walk on the street. Artist Alley and the Dealer's Room are side by side in a very large area. I would estimate that the Dealer's Room was about the size of a football field, while Artist Alley was about 1/3rd the size. There was some room for expansion at one end of the hall.

It's not exactly Otacon. It is a small to mid sized con, so I honestly don't know whether it would be worth the expense of coming for 2011, especially as you'd be coming from the east coast (IIRC). The only thing I can say about that is that apparently Fred Gallagher and Hawk (Applegeeks) are coming this year. I know you've spoken with Mr. Gallagher in the past, so if you're still in contact with him, you might ask his thoughts on if it would be financially worth it for you to come next year.

I would be thrilled if you did come, because I fully anticipate staffing there again next year, but I would fully understand if previous bad experiences or a bleak evaluation this year cause you to say "Meh. Nope." Con trips are pricey, and you need to take care of you, or I don't get a web comic to enjoy. I'd much prefer a comic than the chance to creep you out with my middle aged fanboy impersonation.

[Viking-Sensei]

Yeah, I didn't want to bring up the whole dead grandmother thing, but that was a bit of a downer, yes. All in all, I think I will be avoiding Acen... however with a little bribery, I suspect that Adam Smithee might be willing to go.