How A Convention Can Turn Bad...?

[Kanashimi]

I decided this would be sorta fun. I've heard a lot about how one experience at a convention can ruin it, and I'm curious if any of our users out there have had things like that.

As an attendee, there's very few things that make it to where a convention isn't fun. I think the most annoying is when there's nothing interesting for me to do personally. I'm not a fan of AMV contests or anime screening rooms (yes, let me pay sixty dollars to watch anime all day) so when those are the only thing going on it is kinda disappointing.

Also, variety in the dealer's room is another thing I dislike or if each one is carbon copies of one another.

What about you guys? Specific experiences appreciated.

[Leviathan Mist]

Failing to preorder can result in a bad experience. Waiting in line for 4 hours isn't really worth it unless there's some REAL good stuff going on, and in my case, there wasn't.

[moonhawk81]

I was told there would be beer and women. There were a lot of unbathed folks of indeterminate status walking around with action figures. Soap, people. And collecting is fine, but real collecting means still in the box, not y'all attacking each other with plastic dolls holding 2-inch lightsabers. Not beer I smelled, either. Yeah, I left.

[AshFangirlLisa]

While it wasn't something that made me hate my convention experience, this was something that ruined a lot of other people's fun at NYCC/NYAF 2010.

They combined New York Comic Con with New York Anime Festival, and the result was basically, the con was 90% comics and only 10% anime stuff. And in the dealer's room, all the anime merchandise was crammed down one long, narrow area/walkway (which was often crowded). That's what upset A LOT of people. Because of this, many anime fans have given NYCC/NYAF 2010 a bad review.

However, personally, I enjoyed myself there. I went to many fun panels, and I had a wonderful time. :)

[Zero Gravity]

I hate it when theres a constant change to the program even after they release the program guides, even MORE so when the Program is finally released to the public on late Saturday, and learning you missed things you wanted to do

[EagleEyes]

When you preorder tickets........ LET THEM IN BEFORE THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP ON THE DAY!


NOT AT THE SAME TIME!

*RAGES*

[mahay]

Well, I don't really get the opportunity to go to many because I'm a poor fool, but it can be ruined for me if the vendors are charging outrageous prices for things.

It can also be ruined without me even being there, as in one time when I gave a friend money to pick me up some sodas and other snacky gubbins only to find out from them that all the vendors had sold out of their sodas. An unhappy day was had.

[Rhetorical Gamer]

Even though it was my first convention these were the top three thing that really REALLY urked me!!!!!!!!

1.Those people who randomly stop to look at something and you bump into them and they act like it was your fault but you were just trying to get somewhere.

2.People who charge 1.50 for a Efing can of soda and 5.00 for three chicken strips.

3.People who haven't used the combination of soap and water in the convention.

[Zero Gravity]

Even though it was my first convention these were the top three thing that really REALLY urked me!!!!!!!!

1.Those people who randomly stop to look at something and you bump into them and they act like it was your fault but you were just trying to get somewhere.

2.People who charge 1.50 for a Efing can of soda and 5.00 for three chicken strips.

3.People who haven't used the combination of soap and water in the convention.

OMG prices can be outrageous... I'm so lucky theres a Burger King on the same street as the convention center -___-

[Rhetorical Gamer]

OMG prices can be outrageous... I'm so lucky theres a Burger King on the same street as the convention center -___-

Lucky for me too there was a place with small prices and big portions

[Kanashimi]

Granted, I understand why prices are outrageous. While the convention doesn't control vendor prices, you have to realize there's two very distinct con-goers. Ones with all of their Christmas money, and ones who barely afforded door price. Obviously, vendors and trying to make money on that small niche of kids with Christmas money. :P

[mahay]

Granted, I understand why prices are outrageous. While the convention doesn't control vendor prices, you have to realize there's two very distinct con-goers. Ones with all of their Christmas money, and ones who barely afforded door price. Obviously, vendors and trying to make money on that small niche of kids with Christmas money. :P

Oh christmas money... I remember those days...

[Shidohari]

actually for me there's only one way a convention can turn bad. If i was standing next to a person who never showered and was wearing a decent costume that they made themselves...i mean come on people you make a good costume, at least shower before you put it on every day.

[microgamer2vs2]

I wouldn't say this is particularly specific, but I think having drama with your girlfriend/boyfriend could be mentioned as how a convention experience can go bad. Of course it's not the con's fault.

As for what conventions are actually responsible for, I think long lines need to be addressed. It doesn't absolutely ruin a convention, but it's pathetic how anime cons are associated with long lines now.

[Shidohari]

i staff at a convention and i see the same looooooooooong reg lines every year. I can totally agree with the above statements.

[mahay]

i staff at a convention and i see the same looooooooooong reg lines every year. I can totally agree with the above statements.

But aren't long lines something that should be tolerated because it means, most likely (unless the venue is mega small,) that there is an increased demand and that gubbins, which is a good thing, right?

[microgamer2vs2]

But aren't long lines something that should be tolerated because it means, most likely (unless the venue is mega small,) that there is an increased demand and that gubbins, which is a good thing, right?While that statement is technically true, I don't think it's a direct correlation like that. It's possible to have an increase in attendance without the unnecessarily long lines.

I'm not an expert on how to handle reg lines, but there HAS to be a way to manage them more efficiently. At the very least, I want staff to show they're working on the issue. If we simply tolerate it, that's like acknowledging the problem but doing nothing to solve it.

[Shidohari]

YEP and thankfully most con goers are knowledgeable and understand the reason for delays...(other than the ones caused by poor planning in the reg department because of a 'slight' underestimating the crowd issue'

[Jrockergirl]

lines I can deal with, but I hate when conventions raise prices on side things without informing.

Example I attend Anime Expo and all the years before concerts and events where free, and then last year they made them 20 dollars a head without really informing people, and its per ticket.

Add hotel, food, and buying at the exhibit hall really made it tough to see what I wanted to, and no clue on prices for it this year. As an attendee I can understand these things but expect to have the info a good amount of time.

Prices are horrible for food but thats the convention owners control and any snacks or drinks you buy from the con itself usually costs more since the convention takes like 50% of the sales.

[twillÿ]

That one overweight guy or girl who should NOT be wearing that skimpy of a costume.

Just sayin'.

[Shidohari]

That one overweight guy or girl who should NOT be wearing that skimpy of a costume.

Just sayin'.

This post is seconded by one who has born witness to such horrors.

Just Sayin'

[NobouMansu]

Maybe this just bugs me because I'm old and jaded, but nothing kills a good panel/con for me like everyone running around yelling the same five internet memes for three days.

We've all been on the internet. We've all seen Family Guy and know about yelling "butt-scratcher", are privy to "the game", and know "what time it is" (adventure time)...

..After three days of hearing people scream these memes while I'm waiting in lines/trying to listen to a panel/ trying to sleep, I'm always ready to dropkick a psyduck.

[Bobby Henshin]

the con staff at one con i went too was run by a retarded Drill Sargent....yea

[Kanashimi]

I hate listening to "The Game", it's not funny and no one cares. Everyone groans and rolls their eyes because it is so typical we've already heard it five times. Kindly and sincerely shut up.

My past few convention experiences did leave me kind of sour actually. I'm really sick and tired of people running by my equipment, Congo lining around it, jumping, smacking, tripping, etc. Yeah, I know what you're going to say, don't leave your equipment in the middle of the halls. How about when I'm sitting in my chair, have the tripod open between my feet with the camera on it, and I am holding it in place just so the line of people aren't about to kick it into oblivion because they want to swarm whoever is running the panel as soon as it's over.

My cameras might not look expensive, but one of them is close to two thousand dollars, and the day someone breaks it is the day I'm on the news. We've had people trip over charging cords off to the side and against the wall, breaking them and rendering them useless for the rest of the weekend as well as someone kicking around my Pelican case cause they think it's funny. The still camera in there worth more money than your costume is not yours, don't take it from me, don't harm it.

Yeah, I know everyone wants to have fun at a convention, and I do, too! I'm also there to work however, and I will not be amused to see something of mine smashed. :/

End rant.

[Siege]

I've only been to one convention (Yes, it's terrible, I know), and the only downside I found is some of the people. Some people were just unwilling to have fun, or dampering on other's fun to have their own.

[Iroai]

The only real complaint that I've had about conventions that I've attended in the past has to do with the convention goers. You know, the people who run around like crazed maniacs and are oblivious to everyone outside their little clique. I get it, it's a convention, but that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a ten year old child on a sugar high. Act normal or at least as normal as us otaku can be :)

[Mollybibbles]

When conventions are in hotels, its pertinent to be respectful of regular hotel guests and their staff. One year at a small Denver convention, there was a wedding party that was holding their reception in a ballroom in the middle of the convention hall. The poor bride and her mother were miserable thanks to con goers trying to sneak into their photos and crash their reception (or just being loud and intrusive outside their reception).
By the end of the evening, furries and animus were mingling with the wedding attendees and trying to hit on and dance with the bride. That was a sad day for our kind. It takes one group of rude and thoughtless con goers to ruin anyone's day. The general lack of respect, manners and social decorum in that instance boiled my blood.

[Kanashimi]

I've had a very similar experience at Anime Vegas 2011. There was a wedding reception going on where most people did their cosplay gatherings. People were loud and said rude things because there was a wedding going on in their spot. The bride and the guests did not take it sitting down either, and most of them made fun of the cosplayers.

It's their special day, you weren't invited, go away. Yelling about yaoi and buttsex while they exchange their vows is the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen.

[nerdwerld]

Going to a convention when the hotel is on the otherside of town. Serioiusly Fort Wayne has most of its hotels on the other side of the city. The Hyatt is the only hotel near the area, and that is always booked, because its connected to the Grand Wayne Convention Center. My very first convention about four years ago was a very interesting one, because we had to get a hotel on the other side of the city. So we naturally had to use a taxi, since none of us could drive. My dad drove me, and three of my friends up there, while my friend's parents were to pick us up on the last day of the con.
So What went wrong? Well, I had given most of the cab fare for the first two days, but on the evening of the Saturday of Ikasucon 08. My buddy said he needed money for cab fare, while we were at the Taco Bell across the street I gave him the six dollars needed for cab fare. They stay at the hentai panel, and since I was underage I sit out in the hall reading Hunter X Hunter, and eating Pocky in my Urahara cosplay. Interestingly enough... they come out of the panel expecting me to pay the cab bill. I had remembered that two of my friends (one who had the money I lent him) say he had no money, but earlier he had came out of the dealer's room with Inuyasha caps, and metal knife claw things. (They looked like metal Bugles) I ignored that till he cried after we called the Cab, that he had no money. That it was my fault, and not his. He desparatly called his mom, because he was a mommy's boy, and that is when stuff started to well...#kanarage
The two genius's decided to just walk to the hotel, and of course my other friend didn't want to. I had luckily been watching outside, and thought i could navigate us back using the main roads up to the hotel. Interestingly enough it was my first time in Ft. Wayne City (Downtown), but I had gone there before, because there is a good zoo up there. I somehow manage to navigate us back, but we were thirsty. Unfortunatly, Ft. Wayne has lock up rules that certain business's be closed at a certain time in the morning. We were walking through downtown Ft. Wayne in the middle of the night around 1:00 with cosplay gear in position. We walked by a neighborhood that had a lot of cop cars. I can only image that there was some type of drug bust, and fortunatlly didn't bother with some lost nerds. We finally got asked by a cop down near the freeway, and we luckily were almost homebound (or hotelbound). One of my friends, the one who was not one of the idiots who started this mess as soon as we were in reach of the hotel he fled. This is when the story gets even weirder. We go into IHOP and get free water, while one of my friends leaves a sword (fake LARP sword made by another of our friends) in front of the IHOP, and we all have a bit a change, and head across to the Marathon. The other idiot, not the one who started this, but his cohort non-the-less gets alot of drinks, and I wonder why? He pulls out a magic 20 Dollar Bill and says it was for emergency use only.#stare

[Satsu Renkai]

Guys crossplaying as girl with minimal clothing.

I can never look at Misty from the original pokemon the same way ever again.

Seriously guys, nobody wants to see your hairy thighs. No one.

[moonhawk81]

A con providing its own, in-house security. Yeah, I know you want a friendly, welcoming environment for your attendees, but professionalism goes a long way. Crowd control is both an art AND a science, and loss prevention is a thankless job under any circumstances. At least give us attendees the benefit of people who are trained for the job they're expected to do.

[NobouMansu]

While we're all ranting...

Cosplayers: Stop taking yourselves and your groups so seriously.

I know you all work very hard on your costumes and this is your moment to walk around in them, take pictures, and enjoy the fruits of your labors, but if you're going to find something EVERY SINGLE CON to cause drama over, I'm going to stop hanging out with you. The exception to all this being if someone ruins or destroys something you've made.

Maybe this revolves more around my cosplayer friends than anything else, but every time I go to a con with a "group" of cosplayers there is always drama that stresses everyone out. From the "make this for me last minute" to the "My (part of outfit) broke! My weekend is ruined!" to the "____ said her cosplay is better than mine! She doesn't even have the right shade of pink!"

::Sigh::

[Aniki]

Hm. As a con organizer, it's definitely good to hear some criticism, at least of the constructive variety. On my con's forums I'm known for listening to what our attendees have to say (and doing something about it). Even though this thread was created for fun, I'm definitely taking note of some of the info here.

Thanks all!

[loyalmoonie]

To me, the only thing I think can go wrong at a convention is if you meet up with a person who causes you a lot of trouble online, and he/she does the same to you at the convention...

Although that has never happened to me before, however, I try to avoid those situations... :|

[MakiMaki]

As one who has only recently returned to the con scene...and I picked a hellish summer to do so, I can say that HOT weather + cosplay do not make for happy people...coplayers nor convention goers.

Nothing worse than walking into a hotel lobby and the stench of sweaty people stomping a mudhole into your nose.

I know hotels have A/C but this year the heat was so bad, most of the people who walking in from their parking spots were dripping in sweat by the time they got to the lobby area. Hell, I was sweating a bit and I didn't even have any cosplay stuff on.

Not sure how you can avoid this other than to cosplay as Sub-zero, Shredder or other masked character and actually put a air filtering device in the mask! LOL

[Cheflelouch]

I was checking a few comments of people that go to cons in other forms I pass and one of the most discuss ones was
the host of a panel ends getting kick out of the con for bad behavior and the panel end cancel at the last minute and if it was a big panel people get pretty mad

[Kanashimi]

I was checking a few comments of people that go to cons in other forms I pass and one of the most discuss ones was
the host of a panel ends getting kick out of the con for bad behavior and the panel end cancel at the last minute and if it was a big panel people get pretty mad

Well, if he was misbehaving then that's his own fault and not the conventions. If someone doesn't follow convention rules, well... good riddance. #flick

[Cheflelouch]

Well, if he was misbehaving then that's his own fault and not the conventions. If someone doesn't follow convention rules, well... good riddance. #flick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDlFtg0ljDc&feature=plcp

well panels can also be canceled for many reasons but for the one of the video there were a lot of people mad about him getting kick out of con

[Kanashimi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDlFtg0ljDc&feature=plcp

well panels can also be canceled for many reasons but for the one of the video there were a lot of people mad about him getting kick out of con

Yeah, I saw this. The guy was being complete indecent to people, crashed other panels, and so on. I see no reason for him NOT to get thrown out.

[Cheflelouch]

well this goes with the Topic "How A convention can turn Bad"

A few years a go I went to a con were I saw A guy like Nathan Barnatt and For people that wanna have good time get interrupted and disturbed It was good that this guy was kick out of con