MASTER POST FOR REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK

[alladinsane.livejournal.com]

Post Reviews and or Feedback on D*C here.

Comments

[mmissroon.livejournal.com]

Feedback on the App

I have an Android and the App worked extremely well for me all weekend. I only hit one or two spots deep in the bowels of a hotel where I couldn't connect and that was only when trying to get updated information. I was able to ignore the update request and still see my schedule. I would like to request some new ways to get to the information. We all think about things differently. I like the ability to view events by Performer. That works really well if there's someone in particular that I like and I want to see all the panels they will be in. Then during Con, I realized that if I looked under the "Events" button, I could see things by track. I don't know why that wasn't obvious to me. Seems to me like it should be called "Tracks" but now that I know, it's not a big deal.

Here are my two suggestions:

1) Could we see panels/events by hotel? So I'm in the Hyatt at some big panel and I just don't think I have the energy to walk all the way to the Sheraton for that awesome Trek panel. I'd love to see what panels are happening in the Hyatt in the next hour. What I've taught myself is to look for the names of the big panel rooms (Centennial, Regency, International, etc). But there's no way I can remember all the names of the smaller rooms. And maybe there is something going on in a smaller room that I'd like to do. It would be better than just standing around, right?

2) Could we see the panels/events by category or room size? I don't know how useful this one would be, but there are times when I just want to look at the schedule grid and only see the big panel rooms. Maybe there are people who want to do the complete opposite. I can't remember if the schedule grid was published out on Google Docs this year. But all you'd have to do to make both these suggestions work would be to add a column for hotel and a column for room size category (1000+, 500-999, 200-499, 100-199, Under 100). Then I could sort them myself. But if you had this info, you could easily create these views in the app.

[arseaboutface.livejournal.com]

Ooh, 1) is an excellent notion.

[zephyrgrrl.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see the hotels by color at least, so if the event is in we know it's too far to walk!

[myras-girls.livejournal.com]

Cheers:
+ Badge pickup could not have gone smoother. We walked right in & had badges in less than 5 minutes on Thursday afternoon. Excellent work, DC organizers & staff!

+ CVS at Peachtree Center was the bomb diggity! Huzzah!

+ Less crowding of the Marriott Atrium. Every time I walked through I could actually get through. Granted at times there were a lot of people and the crowds moved slowly, but there was always movement when I was walking through that area.

+ Badge checking to access hotels. I didn't have any problems with this or notice any lax staffers. A few years ago I felt a bit unsafe with so many non-congoers invading the hotels and I attribute improvement in this area to checking badges.

+ Staying at the Hilton. This was my second year at the Hilton and overall it was a good experience. It's great to be in the thick of things and still actually be able to catch an elevator!

+ Elevator etiquette at the Hilton. I generally saw people showing good etiquette on the Hilton elevators. Everyone was, for the most part, friendly and considerate. :)

+ Providing water in the panels and event rooms. Not new this year but it continues to be a huge plus!

+ The excellent guest list! Dragon*Con continues to bring great guests every year, and while there are many returning guests I've seen & met before, there's always new guests I'm excited to meet and returning guests I'm excited to see again!

+ The awesome variety of programming! While it has become pretty much impossible to attend back to back panels, there is so much amazing programming that I can always find something fun to do.

+ The Westin announcing that a panel was full at the door of the hotel- very helpful! At one point I tried to attend back to back panels, not really believing I'd get in to the second panel. I didn't get it and I was really helpful to know that before fighting the crowds up 2 flights of stairs. Thanks for that!

+ Craig Damon photography. In the past I've had disappointing experiences with Froggy's. Despite this I decided to do get a photo op with Craig Damon this year and it was overall a positive experience. Craig was giving feedback on poses and retaking photos when eyes were closed, etc. We were moved swiftly through but I didn't feel rushed or hurried like I did in past experiences with Froggy's.

Jeers:
- Coordination of panel line policy across hotels. From reading previous comments it may be that the different hotels set different policies and if this is true I understand this may be out of D*C's control. That said, it would be awesome if the 1 hour before panel rule was enforced consistently across the hotels. All of my experiences last year and this year suggest the Westin & Sheraton simply do not enforce this policy. I saw this policy being consistently enforced at the Hyatt & Marriott. I actually like this policy and would appreciate if it could be a little more consistently enforced. (And yes, at times there was a bit of a "not a line" line, but as far as the panels I attended it didn't appear to be a significant problem. Sure, there were jerks cutting and rushing when the line formed, but I saw that as the exception, not the rule. It may have been a different story at other panels.)

- The crowding in the food court was bananas! It's been challenging to find a table in past years but this year it seemed impossible. Eating became a stressful event instead of a nice opportunity to unwind.

- The perfume & cologne! I have asthma and rhinitis that are both triggered by perfume & cologne. For some reason this year I kept finding myself in line or seated next to people wearing fragrances that made me physically ill. It was a real bummer! I'm aware this isn't an issue that affects most people, but I thought I'd mention it in case some random considerate person decides to think twice about wearing a fragrance at future cons. It's not my personal preference- it's truly a health issue. Thanks to anyone who chooses not to wear fragrances. Really, I love you! You're awesome!

- Smoking in lines, in habitrails, & immediately outside buildings. See above re: asthma & rhinitis. If you could avoid smoking in line, especially, you have my undying gratitude!

Thanks for another great Dragon*Con!

[whiteladyeowyn.livejournal.com]

For those that complained about the Hyatt Centennial line/organization: I know that I was mobility impaired this year so my line waiting was much easier than for others... That being said, while waiting for Bree (for example) in Centennial One, EVERYONE was told where the official line started and where it went to .. Not just by the man working the door, but by me and my minion. The poster did say Cent 2/3, but we reassured everyone that yes it was the right line, and it was.

There were a BUNCH of people just milling around in the area outside of Cent one. But the lady that opened up the room for seating made sure that NONE of them would be able to cut, by bringing the line behind the black curtain that used to be the backdrop for the concourse stage before it was moved. That way, everyone that was in the official line got in first. Then, when there was room left, they started letting in those that were just milling about. I thought it worked very well. I do not know if other people running that room did the same thing, but they should have.

[mmissroon.livejournal.com]

Lines
I like the old way better - when we could form a line as soon as the other one cleared. But I think the hotel staff required this change so we probably can't go back to that. I made a suggestion on the Dragoncon website feedback to get an Industrial Engineer to work on the problem. There are probably some who attend D*C and would like to use this as pre-convention volunteer work. If you could get it resolved, they could even publish an article on how they were able to solve the problem. Or you could easily get a graduate student at GA Tech to work on it. The only problem is that there would be no real data for their simulations. But they could do interviews with attendees to come up with some kind of measurable data.

Staff
Over the years the only bad service I've received has been in the Marriott. This year was no exception. The people running the Atrium lines (both con volunteers and Marriott staff - mostly the Marriott staff) made a bad situation worse. There was some confusion in the Hyatt, but it was clear to me that the con volunteers were only trying to do what the hotel asked them to do. In one particular situation, we congoers came up with our own solution that the con volunteer didn't want to accept. But when we talked it through with him, he had to acknowledge that we were doing the only logical thing and he let us do it even though he wasn't supposed to.

Hyatt Centennial Area
This was the clearest I have EVER seen it. The remodel was fantastic - it opened up so much more space. That area is usually a nightmare when the ballroom empties, but it was not too bad this year. It also helped that they no longer used this space for band performance - I NEVER understood that.

Film Festival
This was the first time I attended any of the film festival. To be honest, I just started talking to the volunteer outside the Learning Center so it wouldn't look like I was loitering waiting for my line to start. But during that conversation she gave me the run-down on how it all worked. I came to parts of two sessions in the ridiculously tiny Learning Center. I like the comfy chairs, tables and stepped floor but the rest of the room is just silly. There are enormous columns that block the view of people who could be standing and watching. And there really should be more than 80 seats, especially if the film-makers are going to take up seats during the sessions. It seems like the film-makers should leave seats for viewers. But I don't know where else this could be held. I understand that sound and projection is an issue in other rooms.

Downtime
So, I'm a local. I don't stay in the hotels. I drive downtown and stay all day. There's no place for me to go crash when I'm tired. I can't go back to my room and catch a panel on DCTV. There are times when I just flat out tired from walking and being on my feet all day. I want to get to the general area of where my next panel is going to be and have a place to take a load off. If they do that thing where they let us load into the ballrooms ahead of time, that would be great. But until then, sometimes I just have to pull up a floor and have a sit. I literally have nowhere to go when the volunteers tell me to disperse.

[encarmencita.livejournal.com]

I recommend the con suite at the Hyatt when you need a place to rest. Complimentary refreshments, couches and chairs, some lovely movies and shows playing on the television. The food keeps improving too. I was particularly fond of the soft white bread and Nutella sandwiches. Omnomnom.

[mmissroon.livejournal.com]

Lighting in the Ballrooms
I say it every year, but I will repeat myself. Please don't darken the house lights in the ballrooms. The only ballroom that typically leaves the lights up is Centennial. When they do that, the guests get to see the crowd. I have watched the way they react in Hyatt rooms and the way they react in the other rooms. They appear to LOVE to see the whole audience. They can see the people who are asking questions. They can see the cool costumes. They can see how many people filled a room to listen to them. Also, it is nearly impossible to get good photographs in any room other than Centennial. And I have a DSLR with a zoom lens that opens to 2.8 - all set up on a monopod. I can only get good photos in the Hyatt - which is why that's my favorite hotel.

Notification of Rooms Being Full
Buyer beware on this one. The people at the Westin were super nice about telling me that the line for Friday's Firefly panel was closed. But they were dead wrong. I got in line after it started to move inside. The room wasn't even half-full when I went in. All the people who walked away because they were told that the room would be full could have easily fit.

Panel Moderators
Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. They guy who teaches film in California and moderated the Eureka panels does a good job now. I wasn't crazy about him when he started doing this a couple of years ago. But I can see now that he's there to make sure all the guests are engaged. I do feel bad when all the audience questions are directed at the same people. So I think that's good. But then Richard Dean Anderson was a little too much for the Stargate Track Director to handle. I thought she had a good idea of getting the audience to submit their questions to her while the room was seating. I often would like to ask a question, but don't want to have to crouch in that horrible line. So this was a decent way solution. And I think she does a great job with the track - I have no complaints about her. But it was hard for me to tell if RDA was genuinely annoyed with how that moderation worked or if he was just being his crazy self. The other members of the panel didn't seem to have a problem with it and even seemed to give him a hard time about not being able to handle it. So maybe it was just him and maybe he was just having fun. But I will remind you of how easy it is for moderating to get out of hand ... just remember how some of the pre-Garrett Wang Trek panels went. (Yeah, I went there.)

[myras-girls.livejournal.com]

YES! I forgot to mention panel moderation- sometimes it works okay and sometimes it doesn't. It very clearly did not work with the Supergate panel on Sunday. The panel was incredibly awkward & I feel the moderator talked more than the guests. There was so much awkwardness about the questions it would have been helpful if they'd just switched it to fan questions midway through. RDA seemed so annoyed.

The moderator asking questions at the beginning of the panel & then opening up to fan questions seems to work a little better, though in my experience the panel guests seem to have more fun answering fan questions. For example, the Sunday Torchwood panel was entertaining but really dry when moderated and got really fun when the fans were asking questions.

[hollycomb.livejournal.com]

I have watched the way they react in Hyatt rooms and the way they react in the other rooms. They appear to LOVE to see the whole audience.

Gillian Anderson actually asked for the lights to be lowered, heh. And yet she commented on at least one costume during the panel.

[blinkidybah.livejournal.com]

was kind of disappointed in the masq this year -- grant imahara did a nice job, but I really liked the whole back-and-forth we got from having two presenters last year. it made the lulls a lot more interesting

[crazeyal.livejournal.com]

I'm with you.. Grant is a GREAT guy.. but he's pretty much a sidekick..

[saribelle.livejournal.com]

Holy frak, there's a long post incoming. What can I say, I love to talk about Dragon*con!

Yay!

*I loved Grant Imahara as the MC for the masquerade. He's geeky enough to do great commentary but also very charming and polite. Loved him. :) Also, on the note of the masquerade, thank you for a great experience. This was my first year participating in the masq (part of the Capt. America USO Girls) and I had an amazing time. Our "Den Moms" were so sweet and generous with us. We were comfortable backstage, had a steady supply of nice cold water, had a great view of a big screen to enjoy the show, and just had an awesome time all around. I would love to do it again some day.

*I didn't end up going in, but I'm so happy there's a CVS in the food court now. No more ten-dollar bandaids at a hotel gift shop.

*The Sheraton still has my vote as best hotel. The staff there is so nice to the Dragon*con folks, and they were extra helpful this year. My car battery died over the weekend and they have a charging unit; they rolled it all the way through the garage and jumped my car so I could actually get home. :)

*Loved the events at the Sheraton pool - there should be more out there! It was a lovely atmosphere for an evening party.

*The A. Zombie for president thing was awesome. I still have no idea what was going on with that, but it was so silly/awesome that it totally made my day when I walked by and got a campaign button and saw the brass band playing. :)

*You guys are rocking it out on badge pickup now. I remember like four years ago when I had to wait in line for hours to pick up a pre-reg badge. This year I walked in and never stopped walking until I reached the pick-up counter. Great job - it's a much nicer way to start the con!

*DC*TV - thank you for showing the big panels. I got to see True Blood, Battlestar Galactica, and Stargate from the comfort of my room . I love you guys for doing this. With the other things I had going on this year, there was no way I was going to be able to wait in line long enough to see some of those panels. I loved that I could go get some lunch, rest in the A/C for a while, and watch something cool in my room.

Nay!

*Broken record here, but the crowding in all the hotels on Saturday during the day was insane. Normally crowds don't bother me, but I was freaked out trying to move around on Saturday, especially in the skybridge connecting the Hilton to the Marriott. We eventually just gave up on trying to get around and went back to our hotel room.

On that note, I think there needs to be some serious thought devoted to placement of events that will have long lines. I know a lot of people have mentioned the big panels, but even a smaller event can choke up some of the areas that are bottlenecked like the Hilton. A perfect example was the Vampire Diaries photo ops on Sunday. They were in a tiny room upstairs in the Hilton, which was fine when there were only about fifteen people in line. But once the rest of the crowd showed up, it was wrapping around that floor. That location is not built for a long line AND people trying to walk around.

*Crowding in the dealer rooms was also crazy. I hope the move to the new location will be a good one for the dealers, because it definitely has to change. It's to the point that it strikes me as being seriously unsafe. :(

*DC*TV - I saw above there were issues trying to make all the hotel TV feeds play nice, so I won't complain about that. However, it would be nice to see if you can tweak whatever system queues up the next videos. There were a lot of times when we saw the same video back to back or with one bumper between. You guys are doing an amazing job - that would just make it even better. Also I would echo what someone mentioned above. There were some great videos last year that I didn't see this year, like the Avengers shorts. There may be a perfectly good reason they weren't shown; but I know if possible, I'd love to see some of the "best of" from each year if they're available.

Overall, DC was awesome as always. I can see huge improvements since my first year, and I think things will just continue getting better. :)

[jonathan davis (from livejournal.com)]

The Vampire Diaries Photo Ops on Saturday were in the same room/hallway as the Stan Lee signings. 2 giant things in a tiny area.

This kind of thing needs to be rethought in the future please.

[nyreak.livejournal.com]

Walk of Fame App suggestions:

I know it's probably asking too much to know exactly every minute that a guest is going to be at the Walk of Fame, but there has to be a better way for us to know when to find out when to look for the stars we most want to see? I know that on Saturday, the line to get into the Walk of Fame extended at least all the way to the tunnel to the Marriott, and then after waiting all of that time, we still didn't know for certain if the guest (or guests) we wanted to see would be in there. If they weren't, some would leave notes to say when they'd be back, but some wouldn't, leaving fans to either mill about and hope they'd return or leave and gamble that they'd get to catch them another time. If there was some sort of system in place so that the guests (or their handlers) could submit the times they will be there (barring something unforeseen happening) and it could either be added to the App or perhaps printed alongside the Daily Dragon, it would help a great deal. They wouldn't have to list every free moment, and they could show up additional times if they felt inclined, but it would give those folks that have must see guests on their list a better idea of when they should be there.

If nothing else, it would really help if the staff involved in the lines for each guest knew for certain when they'd be reopening the line. We were given information that wound up being incorrect on two different guests' schedules, either from miscommunication or from a lack of being able to update an unexpected change. Wouldn't it be great if, say, Super Star A was able to let the staff know that their flight was changing and they wouldn't be there on Monday, and the staff could note that in the Walk of Fame info on Saturday?

I don't know how difficult this would be to do, just a suggestion. :)

[jonathan davis (from livejournal.com)]

Would also be nice if they could post a price list either online in the pocket program or in the app. Really hate the uncertainty going up to a celebrity and hoping I have enough cash to get an autograph.

[rosiethehobbit.livejournal.com]

Major Kudos to registration this year! I got my badge in 5 minutes Thursday afternoon. Later when there was a line, it looked like it was moving very quickly.

[krystalblade.livejournal.com]

My biggest disappointment was the art show. Most of it now seems to be work that can be mass produced. So much graphic artwork and few actual original paintings. Even some of the 3D (like the masks) were the same thing just painted differently.

It seemed that every other booth in the gallery was horror themed. While the technical work was good, the subject matter was such that I got sick. Too much gore. I started thinking of it as the horror show rather than the art show.

There were many artist from previous years, which is OK because they are good, but they are displaying the same pieces from years (and years) before. It's OK for the newbies, but for those of us who have been coming for over a decade, it would be nice if there was some new variety. (I'm not saying to not let those artist return, just that they should be asked to display work that is not over two/three years old.)

Maybe if the vender's move the the America Mart, the comic book area could be moved to one of those ballrooms and the art show could have that whole ballroom so new artists have a chance to disply their artwork..

[tiredpicker.livejournal.com]

The Art Show Jurists had a panel talking about the decisions they made for this con and general advice for people wanting to submit to DC's art show or elsewhere.

They get shown a portfolio of work from each artist that submits (150-200 people this year). They look at each portfolio unnamed and give each portfolio a 1 to 10 grade with general comments. Anyone making less than a 2 was automatically cut. They then take the score and put it through an equation with some other variables that I forget and have a final score.

They did not take into account subject material, but look at quality of the technical work and if the artist had a single vision for their work. One complaint was that many people's portfolio's seemed like it was a portfolio for 2-3 people because each piece would be so different and lacked consistency.

part one - the good

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

The Good

+ Registration kicked ass this year. It took me less than five minutes to get inside the Sheraton, follow the lines to the ballroom, bypass all the snake path line guide things, go right up to a booth, get my badge, and get back out onto the street. Amazing.

+ Hilton staff is awesome. We are always guaranteed our double beds and a refrigerator, which is more than I can say for the Marriott (love the hotel, hate arriving and being told a booking for 4 people only has a king room option and then having to haggle for an hour). They are always so sweet and helpful and patient.

+ Warehouse 13 guests - so cute! Loved having them, hope they'll return next year and bring some of the women from the cast with them.

+ Once Upon a Time guests - yay! Would love to have more of them as well next year.

+ Parade - great lineup this year, though I could stand to see some of the sections go. It was kind of hilarious seeing some come by (the Cruxhadows fairies come to mind, the other dark fairy group I didn't know the reference for, etc) and hearing all the cheering just stop until they left and a more fun or recognizable group came past. Enjoyed the rest despite non-congoers coming over at the last second and trying to block everyone else who had arrived early to get a good spot.

+ D*C App - this continues to be awesome, though the add friend function was spotty during the weekend. I also wish you could leave feedback on vendors as well as just on panels.

+ Panel moderators specifying that no personal questions or requests for hugs/kisses/etc be asked. THANK YOU.

+ Some great stuff in the art show this year with some new artists. I bought more than I usually do.

+ Badge checking, woohoo! I saw plenty being turned away, so it's nice to see that working.

+ Grant Imahara was an awesome Masquerade host, soooo much better than the jerk last year who was so rude and obnoxious to everyone, even the child participants. Definitely would love to have Grant back next year, as he's One of Us and really gets it.

[crazeyal.livejournal.com]

Agree with you.. except on the APP. I'm sure it's great.. but the Blackberry version is a bit.. plain..

part two - the bad

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

The Bad

- Line wrangling, most especially at the Hyatt Centennial floor. Despite the floor being pretty empty for a change (thank you for moving the bands!!), the volunteer staff were weirdly inconsistent with how things worked there. A few were very hostile on Sunday with the Stargate panel. It's kind of standard practice for people who don't want to wait in lines to show up right before the panel starts, see if there's room at the back, and then go in or leave. Most of the weekend it was that way, with staffers just telling people to stand back to a certain spot to wait.

This time they were telling everyone to go away, that they weren't letting anyone in who waited at the doors and we had to go outside, find the end of the line, and come in that way. Hell no. I am not heading outside to try and find the line to only maybe get in to a panel. If there are big crowds, then sure, we'll disperse a bit, but when it's almost an empty room? Frak off. Even people just standing around talking and enjoying costumes were being told to leave, that no one could be there while they sent the line in. I don't even know if the line fit in the room, because I left in disgust, but that was not the way to run the line.

- The Marriott seemed better about the lines, but on Saturday they didn't even know where the Gillian Anderson panel line ended. The line was broken up into so many sections everyone was confused as hell, so I skipped that one too.

- Habitrails waaaaaay overcrowded, especially on Saturday. I agree about a cap on day passes for Saturday. I skipped the majority of things I was planning on doing that day because of the amount of time it took to get anywhere. I also had some near disasters on escalators with people just STOPPING at the bottom or top.

- Costumes in the dealer rooms. Not the place for anyone with wings, stilts, peg legs, huge armor, spiky and sharp edges, etc. Go when you're not wearing those things! It also cuts down on people trying to take pictures in there and holding everyone up.

- To a few panel mods, we are not in a celeb panel to see you chat with them. You are not a professional interviewer. Ask a few beginning questions then open it up to the floor. And for frak's sake, don't interrupt the guest with your comments! I saw that several times and it was rude as hell.

- Sound issues in the Atrium ballroom. This seemed to be a problem all weekend, especially in my first W13 panel on Saturday. Couldn't hear half of what was being said.

- Rude congoers. While elevator etiquette seemed better, there was still a lot of bad behavior this year. General rudeness, cutting in line, pushing and shoving, and photobombing people's pictures. Don't be immature, people.

- While I generally enjoy the art show, I'm starting to notice the same pieces showing up over and over again. I agree with the person who said artists should need to put up at least a majority of new art and not just do the same thing every year.

- Sexism. This was a big one for me this year. If it wasn't in the art show (soooo many dudebro artists who draw nothing but naked, malformed women with figures less believable than a Rob Liefield comic, with or without your bonus sexualized violence), then it was in panel descriptions (guns and superheroes for boys and makeup and shit for girls in the Kaleidoscope track). But the worst was the "whore" booth in the dealer room. That shit isn't funny or welcome.

- Passkey. Rumor says this is D*C staff's fault, forcing this crap on the hotels. Find some other way to count con block rooms, because passkey sucks and makes everyone's life harder, including hotel reservation staff. We have our rooms for next year, but just barely.

Despite everything, I still had a great con. I hate to leave every year!

[arseaboutface.livejournal.com]

YES. The "Whore" booth really skeeved me out.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

Going to Dragon*con for 9 years, I know crowds/lines are to be expected. But this year was ridiculous.

I'm going along with the cap on attendance. Offer badges to those who have been going the longest first, and go from there. It's not fair to those who rely on Dragon*con as their "home town" con every year, to have a crappy time because people, who only want to oogle boobs and drink until they have alcohol poisoning, get in. Sometimes with badges, most of the time without.

And really, security will be amped up this year? Right. So the "security" at the problem hotel, the Marriott, barely looking down to see if anyone had a badge on were amped? Don't think so. Why were they checking badges INTO THE HYATT?? I saw more people without badges walking around the Marriott then I have EVER seen. And on the busiest days, Saturday and Sunday!

WTF happened there? Who decided to fall short? A group of us had to go run and hide in a track room hallway on Saturday because of the insane amount of people. It was a dead stop between the Hyatt and the Marriott. About 40% of these people had no badges and were walking right in from the parade. The signs that say "Dragon*con is a Private Event", are useless without some sort of security figure backing that up.

Also, can we STOP trying to make Dragon*con more like Comic Con? No one wants that garbage. Keep that on the West Coast where it belongs. THAT'S line con. Dragon*con is supposed to be a fan convention, but it's gotten WAY out of hand here.

Time to chill out, take a step back and go back to it's roots. Everything is money, money, money. As if the convention ISN'T making enough of it as it is.

And another thing about money, the Marriott and the Hyatt had their renovations paid for by Dragon*con attendees, yet they treat their attendants like shit. On top of the fact, who has $250-$280 extra bucks to throw about 1 DAY AFTER DRAGON*CON to get a room?? Who's the bright idea who thought that one up??

AND only letting in 50 people at a time into the WOF on Sunday. What a cluster that was. The line for it was split so badly, the end and the beginning could not be deciphered.

Who's in charge of the security and line management? They should kicked.

Then you have people in the WOF taking their job FAR too seriously. Whom ever the woman was who was manning John Rhys Davies line, early Sunday evening...I hope you're happy; you pissed EVERYONE in that line off. Just because everyone was HALF AN INCH OFF THE TAPE.

Get a life, geez.

That's the problem here; there's either NO interest in one's job or FAR too much. Where the hell is the middle ground here, people??

I feel like George Costanza. WE'RE LIVIN' IN A SOCIETY HERE!!!

[tempus-teapot.livejournal.com]

I agree with you overall, but I will point out one thing:

And really, security will be amped up this year? Right. So the "security" at the problem hotel, the Marriott, barely looking down to see if anyone had a badge on were amped? Don't think so. Why were they checking badges INTO THE HYATT?? I saw more people without badges walking around the Marriott then I have EVER seen. And on the busiest days, Saturday and Sunday!

I carried my badge in a bag or pinned inside my cosplay suit jacket and only pulled it out when I needed it. Because of the increased emphasis on checking badges or room keys, I have increased paranoia that mine will be stolen, so I keep it somewhere very secure at all times.

I had it on me at all times, but just because it wasn't visible on the Marriott floor where I'd already been vetted by staff to get into the hotel doesn't mean that it wasn't there. Not to mention that having a room key for the Marriott or Hyatt is sufficient for admission, which is only reasonable.

However, the fact that badges weren't being checked out of the food court makes exactly zero sense to me.

[nicosian.livejournal.com]

I'm a dealer and I'm looking forward to the americasmart move. it looks like a great space with better access than the brutal jam in that dungeon now. It gets SO hot down there. They shut down access, I guess now, due to the heat. We had great data/wifi access, we loved seeing everyone at the booth, its what keeps me coming back every year, and I hope they make that better for everyone.

It was a good year though, so I'm happy.

My only complaint, because I'm not flustered by lines, or crowds, and I don't do the heavy trafficked panels, was the HORRRIBLE rude people at the BDSM 101 panel who, at the back of the room, yammered on ignoring the speakers. I really was irked, because well, RUDE, and the mics weren't working either.

I get that people are a bit wired and chatty, but please, don't yammer amongst yourselves at a panel. there's other who came to hear the speakers, not you.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

I'm sorry.
I set the sound up for that panel, and then left. If you couldn't hear, you should have shouted out, and we'd have fixed it. Or found one of of the staffers, and they'd have dealt with it.
If you have issues, don't be afraid to tell us so we can fix it!

[zephyrgrrl.livejournal.com]

I was able to see and do more at the con this year than previous years, because I utilized Disability Services and they did a great job. I can't stand in lines/crushes of people (overheat/fainting) and used a walker with wheels to get around. I had only a few scattered problems with people being insensitive or stupid, but most were great about not tripping me up.

I witnessed in the Marriott something wonderful, too ... the hotel staff would take folks in wheelchairs and people with strollers into the service elevators if there were too many people in the regular elevators. Brilliant!

I wonder about a "take a number" system for lines? If you don't have a number/ticket for a particular panel, you should just find somewhere else to be, or hang out to see if someone doesn't show. Still first-come, first-served, as they would be given out at the panel doors when the lines start. Or something. Probably lots of issues/problems with that, but it's just a thought.

For me and some others it's pretty obvious we needed Disability Services ... I do hope that "more people taking advantage of them" doesn't mean there will be an influx of scammers. :(

[cetkat.livejournal.com]

The main issue that I see with line tickets is that then people would want to walk off and do something else rather than stand in line. It takes time to get people in the door and seated even when they're all standing right there. Having people wandering around would make that a lot more complicated.

The exception would be when a panel moves to a larger room, as was mentioned somewhere above. That was a brilliant idea.

[tiredpicker.livejournal.com]

This year's con was great. For whatever reason, I felt like the crowds were better managed this year than last. Only at the height of Saturday did the crowd standstills seem comparable to last year. Having hired security and not relying so much on volunteers was a big plus for me. DragonCon is just too big to rely solely on volunteers for security.

I do wish that the lines in the Hyatt had standardized paths. The big inconsistencies in where to line up was kind of a problem. Also the staff seemed really quick to declare a room full, yet when a volunteer would eventually let people in, there would be tons of seats. I mentioned in another post how this happened to me in Cent I and there was seats all over the place, even though staff said it was full. I didn't even have people sitting next to me.

I do wish that the hotels provided water tanks that could easily fill water bottles. I saw many people having to put the opening of their bottle on the tap of the water fountain, because the tap is so low to the table. Not exactly sanitary. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a big contributor to con crud.

Although security was really good, there was one issue I had. At one of the BDSM panels, possibly Saturday, there was a man near me who was somewhat loudly talking to himself. That alone wouldn't have really bothered me. But 5 minutes into the panel he brought out a sword that he had bought. It was only in his lap and in the scabbard, but then he said to himself "don't yell at me, it's not peacebonded" That naturally kinda freaked me out a bit. Especially when he started to take it partially out of the scabbard. At that point I left the room and tried looking for a volunteer. Usually there is always someone hanging outside of the room, but not this time. I also didn't want to go back into the crowded room and possibly make a scene by having to point him out. Luckily nothing happened.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

Sorry about that. I only work the start of those three panels (at least on Friday and Saturday, Sunday night's the only time we run against ourselves, and I was busy there) but when I nipped in to talk to my director, there was a staffer (not one of ours, but one brought in because we were stretched) at the door, who detained me)
The track director, Scott, usually sits in on those panels (to make sure we comply with the rules we're given) and he's very approachable. I will make it a point to be sure we have 'someone' you can find easily for issues like this inside the room. Here, we clearly let you down, and I'll be sure it's brought up and addressed.
You have my sincere apologies for it.

[bean-bunny.livejournal.com]

Can we talk about how insane the Star Trek Trak party was? Because it was NUTS. That ruled. Garret Wang is awesome! I'm going to be hunting down a way to tell Trek Track directly that they totally own.

My only complaint is that the video game track needs to be given more space. I missed the voice acting panel and only got into the Bioware panel because I was there an hour early. There's obviously a demand for bigger rooms!

[matthew brown (from livejournal.com)]

this was my first year at DC, what is "star trek track party"? If it is what I think it is I am going to be mad at myself for missing it.

[hepcat8.livejournal.com]

Here's the line policy in the pocket guide...

Line Formation Policy
Lines for ballroom events will not be allowed to form more than one hour prior to the event, or until the line for the current event has completely entered the ballroom. Each ballroom will have signage marking the location where the line may start to form. Those in line will not be allowed to enter the ballroom until the previous panel has been completely cleared.

The Sheraton follows that policy pretty close to the letter. Every year I am impressed and thankful about how well the hotel manages the lines.

[mmissroon.livejournal.com]

Correct. I guess it's an interpretation issue. The "Or until the line for the current event has completely entered the ballroom," is the issue. In previous years, we could line up as soon as the previous line was gone even if it was more than 1 hour prior to the event. But it seems like the policy means to say "whichever is later," meaning even if the previous line is clear, you won't be able to form a new line if it's more than 1 hour prior to the start of the next panel.

Despite what was published in the guide this year, the Marriott and Hyatt claimed that they would not start lines until 45 minutes prior to the start of the panel. But in practice they started them at random times.

[matthew brown (from livejournal.com)]

It was my first year ever going to DragonCon, because I thought everybody who dressed up was just freaks, but somehow my friend talked me into going this year. And I had one of the BEST! times I ever had and I realized I am a freak just like all of you. IT WAS AWESOME! Thanks to disabilities services they helped make it one of the best times ever! There is only one downside to all of this, now I am unfortunately indebted to my friend, lol! Look out for me next year I will be in a wheelchair spaceship!