Red Lion is unavailable. All rooms booked while we're still waiting on any word about even being able to sell stuff. Vendors would be most likely to book there, as that's one of the FEW things we've been told--that the vendor hall would be at the Red Lion.
Frankly, the amount of time on this is highly unprofessional. It's disrespectful not only to potential vendors, but to the attendees as well.
All we hear is that you're waiting on your lawyer. We hear nothing else, nothing about what's taking so long or if this lawyer has been made aware of how pressing an issue this is or anything. There are reports of emails going unanswered, something that is incredibly unprofessional for an organization of Kumoricon's size. People are becoming irritated; not just me, and not just potential vendors, but attendees anticipating the varied vendors they were promised.
Vendors are a vital part of any anime convention. We're a major draw, and while I'm not certain of the exact numbers, I would wager the vast majority of convention attendees visit the vendor hall at least once during a convention. That isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision either, like popping into a viewing room. Oftentimes there are lines of over half an hour. People want to see what the vendors have for sale and are willing to put in a considerable amount of time to so much as look around.
And yet, this year, we're treated as almost an afterthought. Something that seems to have escaped notice until fairly recently.
We were told during winter that we would have information "after Sakura-con". While this is certainly after Sakura-con, the phrasing suggests something far closer in time.
Frankly, with a little over a month before the convention and both hotels full, there needs to be a professional recourse. This is simply unacceptable, not only from a business standpoint but from a moral standpoint as well.
If there is anything we can do to speed this process along, please let us know. But we require your help more than anything or this entire event will be hampered considerably.
-Amber Berebitsky
