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As for DDR. there was no room for it this year and there was a post that the DDR machine would not be included in this year's con on the VideoGame section of the forum.

Please tell us what you want to see in the future. We take attendee feedback very seriously.

thank you

Well, in a previous thread I mentioned this, but there were some people within the raves that seemed incredibly...informal. I know it is a dance and people can dance however they wish, but there were two people who were sitting on the ground in the middle of the dance floor sitting on each other and literally humping one another. And the staff--low and behold--decided to do nothing. Hell, even one of the staff members was around them; cheering them on.

I mean, if people wanna do that sort of thing, they should get off the dance floor at least. Get a room or something. But all in all, the staff seemed to be more concerned about which door you used to enter and exit instead of the questionable behavior of people.

I'm sorry to hear that bothered you. If it was something that was effecting your fun you could of asked the staff to say something to the couple. The staff are all anime fans and do this for the love of it. Different people are offended by different things. The staff would not know this offended you if nothing was said at the time.

This is my third AnimeNext

all in all it was pretty good actually. I commend you on the space, the dealers room felt more spacious this year than before. The organisation seemed to go pretty well too. Although looking at this year's schedule it felt like there were more black areas than last year. But that just made it easier to pick what I wanted to do. Plus gave me time to do some other non con related events I wished to do.


As for registration to certain panels (plushie, sake, etc), I finally managed to get into the plushie this year, but that was basically because I ran in and signed up as soon as i got to the con on friday morning (was first on stand by list). Maybe the list for these events should be done on the same day as events themselves? It is obvious that they will fill up real quick, so with all fairness registration for such events should be done at most an hour before the actual thing. Alot of people didn't get to try it due to them not coming in as soon as the con opened. I wouldnt mind having some more panels such as these as well.

I noticed the new security feature in the badges this year, that was pretty kool and dammit stop making staff badges kooler looking that the con goers.

As for video games, would it be possible to use the Panel rooms 1 and 2 for them instead and use the embassy for the panels. It's hard to listen to a panel when theres a really loud masquerade happening in the background. as for games they are loud in themselves and easier to concentrate on.

all in all everything was great and I can't wait to return next year.

Well, that's just it. I did ask the staff and they did nothing. Sorry if I didn't make that clear previously. But yeah, my original point was that the staff seems to only pick and choose what what should or shouldn't be inforced. I somewhat drifted off from the original point, but that is what I meant to say. Staff seems to just only seem to stand for things they don't personally like. I mean, sure, there are those who do actually follow the rules of it all. Play by the book. Be fair and in their judging. But like all places, there will be those who just do as they wish.

Perhaps I'm just making a whole lot of noise over nothing.

(3rd time AN con goer)
This year wasn't to bad. Though i found myself more often then not playing my DS, because there wasn't really much to do. Still i had a good time. I'll be back next year.

I will now state my opinions...waiting for the dramatic music....
Anyway.

I really enjoyed the con this year. I have been going to AnimeNEXT for 4 years. THIS YEAR ROCKED!!

The Concert was FREAKING GREAT!! I LOVED IT!!!!! Also it stared on time AND since it didn't run into the wee hours I was able to stay for the whole thing. If the concert could run like that every year I will love you guys

The masq. started on time and i was lucky enough to get in. I was surprised with the amount of people who were there. THat never happened before. THe year before I just walked in and sat down. THis year I noticed the line and stood in it. Thank goodness.

I really enjoyed the amount of dealers. Though I noticed not a lot of them were selling DVD's only a select few. It felt like there were more manga, plushie and sword dealers then DVD's. I still manged to get a nice bit from there. I walked away with 20 manga books! hehe 10 for 40 bucks baby!

I also liked the artist alley. More artist, lots of art!

I like the animeNEXT T-shirt and the chibi t-shirt. IT is so cute!!

Videogames need more room. But that is my comment every year. AND I think there should be a febreeze station outside the door or something to help the smelll. But that not the con's fault for people being stinky (unless the a/c isn't working, which is really more of the hotel issue then the con)

Manga Room needs more room. It was really crowed on Saturday that people were reading in the hallway.

I liked the panels, but I would like to see more workshops.

I wish I could of been able to see the Cosplay chess, but i got there late. Maybe a better location or set up seats for everyone to sit so us smaller people can see what is going on.

That is all from me....for now...

I may be staff, but I also have some things I want to point out that I found to be a pain from both sides: staff and attendees alike, and some responses.

Signings: Biiig mistake to schedule the VA signings along side the band. While I know a lot of staff not showing up had a huge part in making running the con a bit rougher, past experience should show that having them overlap or back to back (half hour between signings on Saturday was bad blood @_@). Whether or not they're in separate areas, we have to pay more attention to man-power and not just physical space.

Also, the line-caps for autographs: we had some issues with that. Attendees were upset for several reasons. The cap itself is necessary, definitely, as we saw on Saturday when Monica and Chris stayed an extra hour or so INTO the 5pm signing to get everybody. This is why we have to cap, it can't be helped. Guests have things they want/need to do as well!

Attendees complained that there was no warning about this, and I agree that it should be posted either in the schedule or at the site. Attendees though should keep in mind that most signings, people will show up early to wait. I think having a ticket system like for the band photos (although no charge) will help alleviate future issues with autographs.

Dealers Room: Definitely going to need to work on that system for next year. The bag thing was by request of the dealers themselves to alleviate theft. As a staffer, I really enjoy the attendees for the most part. 98% of you guys are awesome, understanding, and respectful. But the handful of bad apples sometimes ruin it, which is really sad. But the dealers room is a beloved part of cons, and the last thing we'd want is to lose them cause of shoplifters.

Lines can't be helped, since it's so popular for fans to go to the merchant hall, though having a better line system is something we can work on.

Panels/Workshops: This is something that sometimes is out of our hands. On top of guests and our own staff, we rely a lot on attendees to make these happen, and if they don't show, they don't show. It's unfortunate, but we don't have control over that. Also with the content and quality of the topics, that depends on the panelists as well.

Again with lines, hopefully some more shifting and re-thinking will help. Feedback from panel staff this year on what was popular and what wasn't will help us put larger turn-outs in the bigger rooms.

I kinda liked the idea mentioned before of putting panels in the quiter hotels and moving gaming to the MEC, since noise isn't so much a factor for games. Also having sign-ups happen before the panels themselves instead of at registration. That's a really good idea, since not everybody can be at the con 9am on friday.

Dance I'm really sorry to hear about that. I go to cons just as an con-goer often too and this sort of behavior is unfortunately something I see at every rave. A-next has become pretty big now and it's tough to keep up with every single situation. If i had been there, though, I definitely would have not allowed that to go on. I'm sorry to hear our staff reacted the way they did. In the future, try finding a manager (yellow shirted saftey peeps) if the other security staff acts that way again. Sometime we have newer and inexperienced staffers, or they just have different ideas on what's acceptable or not so second, or third, opinions can help.

That's all I have for now, though I might come up with more (I talk too much)

This is cross posted from the </3 thread:

Not nearly as annoyed about this as I was earlier, but when there is a reason to close the dealer's room, please give people the real reason. Saying that it is too full and to come back in 10-15 minutes and that there is no line is not the way to go. First off, no line? A line way over to the side would not have harmed anything, as there was still plenty of maneuvering room for those walking by. Also, if told it is too crowded, people will think that coming back in 10-15 minutes will only lead to it being too crowded again, as opposed to getting in. If there is an emergency, just be honest with the crowds, especially if you cannot enter the dealer's room for a good reason.

Also, some newer comments I'd like to make. The schedule, while organized well, needed more stuff! There were often times where there was one panel going on, and nothing else to do during those hours as an alternative. Late panels are a good thing, especially while the masquerade is going on. Sure, the fan parodies are a good idea, but fan parodies are not for everyone. I understand if there were less options due to less people signing up for panels or something along those lines, but I like a schedule with lots to do, lots of options.

The panels taking place in The Holiday Inn were a good idea but space is quite limited there. Panels can overflow easily, especially those taking place in only one of the Workshop rooms. When people looking to go into a panel see there is nowhere to sit, this can discourage con-goers from sticking around, and going elsewhere. Plus, signs for tournaments confused some people into going into a panel to look for Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments, etc. Next year, you might want to look into proper panel schedules on the door to the room.

There's my twelve cents.

It was posted, in the guidebook and on any signs that stated the Rules of Conduct. I pulled the rule directely from the file that I sent to the printer...

Rule number 12
"AUTOGRAPHS: In order to ensure that we are able to accommodate as many attendees as possible, it is necessary that anyone waiting to get an autograph signed listens and obeys all instructions given by the con staff, including any limitations on the number of items signed and the level of interaction with the guests. Also, please be aware that there is no guarantee that by standing in line you will receive an autograph. Please understand that the guests have a limited amount of time before they must progress to their next activities."


Ticket system failed 2 years ago and I highly doubt it will come back.

I remember that, and I agree. At the end of the FMA panel, my friend and I waited until the first two rows were getting their tickets when we (in like the last two rows) got up and slid in. Very flawed, and besides, I went to signings last year and it turned out just fine.

Does anyone know the estimate amount of people who attended this year? Just curious, since everything seemed to be packed.

The only thing I could possibly ask for in future cons would be for the return of a Saturday afternoon AMV screening.

I understand that on Fridays there are things going on with the band so having the Friday screen at an an earlier time is certainly an OK compromise in my book. You gotta do what you gotta do. But the outcome of the event is decided by an audience vote. With the Saturday screening being at the same time the doors opened, the only people who could realistically make it in time were the few who camped out for badges and 3-Day con-goers who also attended on Friday. Voting is closed when the encore screening on Sunday comes. So the opportunity for audience participation is not as there as it would be had there been a later Saturday screening.

People were leaving in the middle of the showing to go to the Dealer's Room anyway. If they need something to do while they wait, that's their prerogative and I'm not going to say boo about that. But I think the later time might also bring in people who came to specifically see the event since it would be in competition with everything else.

I also understand that if a screening was later, it would also most likely mean being located in a smaller room and then you would have people complaining about THAT. So whatever works best.

I still had a fantastic time. I always do. From my experience, you guys were very organized this year and I really enjoyed myself. My bro came for the first time on Saturday and he's asking me to take him back next year.

And I still love how the con moved to the Expo Center. The Main Events room doesn't have the acoustics the old one did and I've never been to a con (any con) that didn't feel cramped at times. But to have the con situated in a place where everything a person needs is right at their fingertips...hotels, restaurants, stores, alternative entertainment...it's the most convenient thing ever. I don't have to drive (and get lost) off location for anything.

There seemed to be more problems this year than last.

If you don't want to get the details - my suggestions are:

Use real security at Pre-Reg/Reg.

Use experienced people at the autograph sessionsa and have guide ropes and tables set up in clearly designated areas.


Details for those interested:

We arrived on Thursday night to pick up our badges and observed a steady flow of people cutting the line. Several times the safety people said something to the cutters and were simply ignored. The safety people did nothing.

Their directions were vague at best and the volunteers resisted repeated requests at being more specific - which were frustrating to say the least. The lines were jumbled with people just wandering up to the registration spots with people just pushing forward where they saw an opening. Many people just found they were at the wrong place and had to wait longer as new people bypassed them. ( Last time I think there were line IDs set so you knew where to go)

Security should be left to the professionals or to people with training. Polite people listened - the impolite ones just got over. Poor behavior that is tolerated - inspires further poor behavior..

The saturday autograph sessions were disorganized. The printed signs were in the wrong place and the volunteers in or near those locations had no clue what was actually happening. We went to where it was last year and found a hand marked sign but no guide ropes set up. We were instructed to make a snaking line in preparation for Monica and Chris.

Monica and Chris were just awesome - they took their time and made each encounter special.

The next session was scheduled way too soon and when asked the volunteers how to form up the lines before hand. "In this area..." (Vague) We lined up along the curtain as was done previoiusly only to watch the new line suddenly spring up and ignore those who had been waiting almost an hour for the next session. When I expressed my annoyance I was told that the volunteers had not indicated any preline was being "HONORED". Oh - and i was still pretty forward so there would not be a long wait. (Basically - "just deal with it...)

When the line got moving another volunteer instructed that though there were 5-6 people signing - we were allowed to get only TWO.
After cylcing through and rejoining the line a second time to get additional signatures - a different volunteer realized the limit was "Two autographed" items per VA. That one pulled those who set up for a second cycle to the front and the correction was made.

The volunteers are not trained with the most basic things and do not know that they do not have enough guidance.

(They specialized in directing you to the dealers room line.)

I heard that the registration line went faster than the pre-reg line which was pretty sad.

During the masquerade when the lights went off & after, the AMV's the right screen constantly clicking on & off.

No dancing games :[.

Couldn't anyone have done something for Nana Day? I'm sorry I keep on bringing it up but Nana Day...it's once a lifetime thing. 7/7/07 (707). Never will it happen again. I mean come on, not even showing any Nana nonetheless Ai Yazawa animes in the video rooms o_O That's the least they could've done. Or like one Nana badge or something o_O.

This was my 4th year attending AN. Overall, I had a great time.

Signings: I love Monica Rial and Chris Patton. I hope they will come back again!

Dealers Room: Decent selection. Space was much better then last year. I was surprised though that Funimation didn't have a table this time around.

Artist Alley: I was REALLY disappointed this year. Hopefully next year there will be a better selection.

Panels: Most of the panels were a lot of fun. I went to the Yaoi, What I Saw At The Con, and Kyou Kara Maoh, Screenwriters, Women in Voice Acting, WII Got A WII, and the Kendo demonstration, just to name a few. OMG, the Kendo demonstration was awesome! I haven't seen anyone comment on that yet, but I loved it!

Manga Library: Very good as always. I think I liked in better though, when it was in the Embassy.

Video Game Room: Disappointed at no DDR but at least the WII was there!

Anime Showings: Good choices overall. Kenshin, Kaleido Star, Loveless, Sukisho and many others were nice picks. Suggestion, next time air Saiyuki!

Can't think of anything else right now. ^^; Thanks for caring about we think!