well i meant the convention center there portland. not the rose quarter lol sorry. i mean i've seen smaller meetings done there! and i know it's possible to do it there, but i'm not sure if you guys considered that >.< and i saw several hotels around there, and i mean i wouldn't mind riding the max down, i mean last year i had to ride the max everyday from beaverton to portland, and i'm like 45 min or so away >.<
Here are two problems that are often brought up when thinking about the OCC:
1. Price: Hotels subsidize their convention space WAY CHEAP because we book so many of their rooms. In a funny way, your booking and paying for a hotel room sorta pays for the convention space and the registration pays for the difference and the events and equipment. (that is an incredibly cut and dry way of looking at it, but at least you get the picture.) With the Oregon Convention Center, it would be hard to get as much subsidies as we get from the hotels for that space. In the end, the price would be much, much more than we pay now... and thats significant to a convention of our size.
2. Distances: If you thought crossing the block last year in the rain and the dark was tough, wait till the convention is at the OCC and you are walking 2 - 10 blocks back to your hotel. I'm not saying it isn't do-able, I could do it easily. I have no qualms walking at 11pm in the dark or rain back to my hotel, but I'm not a 14 year old girl in a Sailor Scout uniform. Our attendees consist of people who we have to consider at all times, including those with heavy or elaborate costumes that have issues with weather or security, two things that... once outside of convention space, we cannot control.
These aren't excuses, these are situations, I am always looking for good ideas on how to combat them... it just takes a lot of brain power..
I know that Kumoricon will keep thriving, we just have to get through the growing pains and find our comfort zone.
