MASTER POST FOR REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK

[alladinsane.livejournal.com]

Post Reviews and or Feedback on D*C here.

Comments

[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.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, we always had our badges out and ready. If I had my badge inside my jacket, I'd have my jacket opened, well before the "check point", in order to show whomever was at the door. But I noticed a complete change in the security team this year. Last year they would literally stop you to check your badge. This year, they merely glanced.

The lack of badge checks at the food court and the front Marriott doors...*WHOOSH OVER MY HEAD*

Also, on Saturday; the Marriott doors by the dealers room being turned into exits. ALL. OF. THEM. WTF happened there?? Everyone had to walk a block up to get back into the damned hotel.

Mess. That's all I have to say. What a mess.

[tempus-teapot.livejournal.com]

They did so much better checking badges for admission last year and it made an enormous difference. The badge checks between hotels rather than at the entry points from outside the hotels was a major failure. Checking badges at the habitrails makes far less sense than checking at the outside doors and the mall entrance.

It's a relatively new process and I hope that they see where they fell down on the job on this year's attempt, but I still have heard far fewer harassment and violence complaints than I'd heard in years prior to the implementation of the check process.

My hope is that next year they beef up the external checking process and then I won't really care if their checks in the habitrails are desultory.

[tiredpicker.livejournal.com]

Is the mall now a DragonCon only area? I always thought that was always open to the public?

[tempus-teapot.livejournal.com]

It isn't, it is "an entry point from outside the hotels" and there was no checking of badges from the mall/food court this year that I saw or that anyone else has remarked on, thus making it an easy way around the badge checking.

Last year they checked badges out of the mall. That they didn't do it this year is an oversight I hope to see them correct next year.

[tiredpicker.livejournal.com]

I saw badge checking where the habitrails from the mall went into the hotels. I may not have seen it from the mall to the Hyatt during the day. But I definietly saw it at the Marriot's entrance from the Marquis tower. Marquis tower is an office building, i don't know if it would even be possible or wise to do badge checks in there. Best kept at the hotel entrances.

[tempus-teapot.livejournal.com]

There is a choke point out of the food court and into the hallways that lead to the Marriott. There was checking there last year, there was not this year.

[bcgphoenix]

Actually, while initially peeved at the WoF line, I was hugely grateful somebody had made that call once I got inside. It meant I could actually breathe, navigate, and find the proper lines without getting lost in the usual crush of people.

(I'm all in favor of an attendance cap, though. Ye gods and little fishes.)

[jonathan davis (from livejournal.com)]

I agree with most everything except the offering badges to the people that have been attending longest. And I think only 50-70 people in the Walk of Fame is a good idea. That room is very small once all the tables and lines start forming capping the number of people in gives some breathing room not only to us but also the celebrities.

Hell, be thankful that TPTB had Celebrity Authentics signers at a different area than the rest of the Walk of Fame other wise it would have been 100x worse.

Also Adam West and his handler are both total assholes. Don't invite him back please.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

I agree with most everything except the offering badges to the people that have been attending longest.

Well it'd definitely be fair. Those who come every year are the ones bringing in the actual money to the con. Not the day-badgers or the people who only come in to oogle girls in tight or skimpy outfits, or try to score free booze.

The volunteer, run panels, buy from dealers, spend money at the hotels, buy their badges, donate blood, donate to the yearly charity, and donate to the fan tracks.

I've gone for 9 years, been a staffer for 3 and have run costuming panels for 4. I know a metric ton of other people that do exactly the same.

I think those who have attended a long time, who can't afford the crazy price for an internal badge, should atleast get the chance at some sort of percentage off.

Like frequent flier miles or frequent customer card.

[jonathan davis (from livejournal.com)]

While I do agree with you but my family and I have fallen into this day badge category for every year except this year, which was our 5th. We never had the money to get the 4 day passes so we always planned on a one day trip.

Yes we aren't the ones out to drink or ogle women. We want to have our yearly adventure, buy some cool stuff and take a ton of pictures.

If they chose to do this it would be interesting to see the criteria involved.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

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.

I think part of the problem there was heat. Lets be honest, the hilton AC system could NOT cope. I spent most of my con in 201 (around the corner from the walk, near the elevators) and our room was overheating a lot. We asked over and over for the AC to be lowered, beecause when we had a full panel, it became unbearably hot. We now have box fans on the track equipment list for next year, we'll stand at the room door and try and exchange air.
Anyway, I ran into a security guy in the bathrooms, and I asked how things were going and he'd told me they'd had to shut down the WoF 6 times at that point (this was Saturday afternoon) because of overheating. Even with extra portable AC units, it was too hot, so the person limit was to reduce the heat, and allow better airflow.

One of the things mentioned on our post-event track report to go to the higherups was the major AC problems. I don't know if the hilton maids were doign it, but the Marriott ones kept resetting our room AC to 78 during the day, presumably to reduce room load on the system and give the ballrooms more capacity.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

Ohh this too. And the habittrail from the Hilton to the Marriott smelled like dirty toilet from Saturday onward.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

I have to say, I didn't notice this at all. Then again, I spent most of my time in a room with no access to a vacuum cleaner, or decent A/C, so perhaps I became accustomed?

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

*gives you a hug* I'm sorry -_-.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

Meh, I'm a Brit.
even after a number of years here, the general 'dustiness' of Georgia means I have a very poor sense of smell in general.

And I'm one of those sweaty geeks myself, especially after running here there and everywhere. So I'm probably not the best person to hug ;-)

[cetkat.livejournal.com]

I guess it's a good thing that they're talking about moving the WOF to the Marriott dealer room space then.

I didn't notice the Marriott maids turning the AC up, but I think they may have only visited once. I'd find it annoying, but since the room cools down within a few minutes, I wouldn't mind it so much. Whether or not it contributed to the lack of heat issues... I have no idea.

Do you know if the AC system in the Hilton actually shut off, or was it just incompatible for the amount of cooling needed? If the system just isn't big enough, shunting power to it from the rooms wouldn't do any good - that only changes the amount of electricity wattage available.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

I think it just wasn't up to the job. I've put in a request that it be serviced like a week before. we had outflows (and when I was running the mic, I'd *strangely* end up under the 3 outflows in the room, waiting for the next question....

I was under the impression that the cooling systems int he hotels were centralized. The room AC taps into the cooled air, and draws it in with a fan. less rooms using it more make it to the big rooms (mainly because I don't see individual units, like in the motels, as efficient, or a smart design, because you have to dump the heat you're pumping SOMEWHERE)

[cetkat.livejournal.com]

Hmm.. you could be right. I assumed the rooms had their own unit. In some large hotels I've noticed an intake vent even though the actual unit was not visible, which would indicate that one is there. I didn't pay enough attention to the Marriott room to tell, and I've never stayed at the Hilton.

If that's the case, you'd think that the hotel could just place a type of air diverter in a main duct to make less air available to the guest rooms overall. That's done on a smaller scale to modify the air flow to certain parts of a house when it's cooling differently.

It could also be that the maids were asked to turn the setting up simply because of the bill and lack of people actually being in the rooms.

[veracity]

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.

YES, this! Thank you. I've been saying it for a couple years but this year it felt so out of sync with the nature of the convention.

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.

You know, I never did get into the WOF all weekend. Because silly me, I assumed I'd get in and to not have to stand in a line for another line to do it. And the implication of it being my fault for not knowing there was a line was irritating. I wasn't looking to go to see the extra special guests with their own rooms. Heck, I just wanted to go in just to see who was there since I didn't get my badge until 5ish on Friday. But it's starting to feel like con is losing identity in order to gain favors in the industry. I love the guests that arrive. I appreciate them. But I shouldn't feel like I'm being punished because I came to the con and wanted to see some people - just see them, not necessarily talk to them.

Feels like the con is burying its head in the sand again.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes and yes.

And I'm sorry, but some of the volunteers that work in other departments take their jobs FAR too seriously. This is a convention. Bottom line. Yet they make it out like it's some high-roller corporate business. In some degrees, yes it is a business. But certain people are forgetting that this is supposed to be fun and supposed to be fan run. Every so often it seems that fans are being sold out for the Bigger Better Deal.

People that actually have a reason to be there, are being pushed away because the con is conforming to the way "other cons are run". There's some dude on the FB community preaching about Burning Man, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza and not having transferable or refundable badges.

Really? You're comparing Dragon*con to that? Whatever.

Time to stop giving Dragon*con our money. Going to start going to smaller conventions that are better run and don't take themselves so damned seriously. If they're trying to get attention from the industry, go right ahead. If that's the kind of crowd they want walking around Dragon*con, that disgusts me.

It's not and will ever be the same convention I started going to, and that's sad. That old convention was full of great memories and fun times. It's more headache than fun now.

And alot of people will argue with me, particularly volunteers. Go ahead. You guys already take your jobs too seriously and there in lies the problem. "Oh, but if I don't take my job seriously you won't have a good time..blah blah." Yeah so the fuddyduddies pushing paying customers around because they have a scrap of power is really letting me have a good time? I hear more complaining about volunteers jobs than taking constructive criticism from paying con-goers than anything else! It's sick! It's stupid. It's beyond damned frustrating.

I've been a fan track staffer, and I've even seen fan track staffers take their "jobs" too seriously. It's a DAMNED CONVENTION. The reason why it's gotten out of hand like it has is because it's been publicized and it seems like they're pushing an industry agenda. Whether you are Dragon*con, or not, it really does seem like you are. You're not West Coast, so stop trying to be.

If this was a FAN-RUN-CONVENTION, it would be ACCOMMODATING TO THE FANS.

Whatever. A few others including myself have tried fighting this losing battle. It's sad to see a good convention ruin themselves, but oh well. There will always be two sides to the coin. There will be the side that I'm on, who believes the convention should stay at a minimum height level, and there's those who believe that the con should aim towards Comic Con status.

Unfortunately we're living in a material world, and Dragon*con is a material girl.

[veracity]

And I'm sorry, but some of the volunteers that work in other departments take their jobs FAR too seriously. This is a convention. Bottom line. Yet they make it out like it's some high-roller corporate business. In some degrees, yes it is a business. But certain people are forgetting that this is supposed to be fun and supposed to be fan run. Every so often it seems that fans are being sold out for the Bigger Better Deal.

A thousand times yes. It really is that simple. Fan currency is IN right now, so D*C seems to be trying to cash in on it. The problem, the bare bones of it, is that the convention has no solid identity. It's the biggest fan run convention....that's trying to be on the same level with SDCC or BEA or something similar in scope. I saw the man that was preaching about the goodness, but uh, different venues entirely so completely different set up.

I'm not sure if I'm coming back next year, or that I can afford it. I mean, hell, most students are waiting for loans and they can take a while to process and release. Well, GGC might be special in that regard but I doubt it. I didn't want a local SDCC. Why? Because it takes away the fan element, which is key in THEIR advertisement and identity.

The volunteer element can be a good/bad thing. And right now, I've noticed a lot more complaining on the fans experience with the volunteers. Not to say either side is correct since it's usually in the middle, but I've noticed more...frustrated and complaining volunteers - to us.

What gets me, from the logistical stand point, is that the con can no longer fit where it's at. They're trying to grow and shoehorn in a limited capacity space. It doesn't work. Stop trying to 20% up attendance every year until you can work with the city in setting up a different plan so that the emergency officials (you know, the pesky fire marshal for example) can leave the con alone for majority of the weekend. This isn't a hard leap of step-by-step thoughts. Great, the con wants to grow. Fine. But do it in a manner that allows for the best on congoers, volunteers, and guest levels.

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

See, I don't see why it NEEDS to grow?

They're having serious issues with loading more panels than they need. They're asking too many guests to a con that can't fit them, and they're selling more badges than hotel rooms.

They're having a heavy influx problem here. They're trying to cram a foot in a shoe that's too small. What they should do is try to condense and organize, instead of ADDING, ADDING, ADDING! They have more crap than they know what to do with.

What was wrong with the convention in 2004? 2 hotels: The Marriott and the Hyatt. All other hotels were over flow. The 2 host hotels didn't sell out until April. No badge scalping, no room scalping.

Then around 2008/2009, they decided to start publicizing. I think there was also a shift in management and ownership of the convention. They started to have more people than they knew what to do with. On top of the Chik-Bowl that started up in 2008/2009. They started adding the Hilton as a host hotel in 2006. Then the Sheraton. Now the Westin. That's too many hotels, and the con is spread too thin. There's too much gum in the works here. You don't need a thousand tracks, and you don't need a thousand guests. There were PLENTY of people coming when I first started going. My bf was overwhelmed in 2003!

Whatever agenda they have up their sleeve, I hope it works out for them, if that's what they want. If they want to push people away that gave Dragon*con so much money for true geeky things, go ahead.

I feel like Tron over here -_-. Is no one fighting for the User??

[veracity]

Well, I started attending in 2006, after seeing some advertisements for a couple years and I finally made up my mind to go with the money - and I didn't stay, I drove in every day, which was a one-year thing. So I don't know about two hotels. I don't even mind the 5 hotels....as long as the con can be contained, but it clearly can't be. Logistically, there's just not enough room in area when the city had, what, 6-7 other people heavy events? When I went to pick up my apartment gate opener from my mom, she mentioned so many things I lost count. Some of the onus is on the city for overcrowding the area with too many people, hence making a cranky bunch of officials, but some of it lies with D*C, too. With the hotels booking other conventions that require space, it's not going to end well.

I saw the Westin shut down from new people, which created a backlog at the front doors on Peachtree Street. Not the safest area for a line to be. Having so many attendees isn't going to create a happy atmosphere with big brass to big brass. If you keep cramming, we're gonna go back to a hotel shut down every other hour again.

I admit to liking the tracks. I actually like having choices because every year I change my focus to enjoy the con more fully since I have such diverse interests. I was however pissed off over not getting to do the basics of Dragon*Con this year due to the clusterfunk of too many people and too many limitations.