Our Goal

[leonmasteries]

This moarning, I was thinking what the biggest convention is. So I looked it up, and Comicon had 140,000 people this past year. The Anime Expo had about 44,000 this past year, that is impressive, even sakuracon had 16,586 people this past year. I'm wondering what your thought's on this are and do you think it would be awesome to have the amount that at least sakuracon had attend the convention? I think with more people attending, the better chance we have of obtaining more guest appearances and be able to do much more.

[Hazuza]

I think the main reason those cons get such great attendances is their location And their age of course. AX is 14 years old, I think, and we're about half of that. That, and Comicon is much broader than just anime, unlike the centerpoint of most anime cons.

I think it'd be cool to have so many people... But I also do like the smaller group we have. ^^ You get to know people more, you know? We don't necessarily need more people to do more (though, it would help get us the convention center) but rather, we need more active attendees, volunteers, and staff. Organizing and making sacrifices for great panels and events is what makes the con great. c:
_{Then, in turn, more people will want to come. *3* And with more people comes better events, both official and unofficial, which comes more interest, and the cycle continues~}

[nikkiolie]

I like having it rather small, it is large enough that I don't know everyone and small enough that I can hardly walk a few steps without seeing someone I do know

[leonmasteries]

that's true to, I realized this a little while ago, and there is a good and bad side to having a large amount of people, the good is you get to meet many more people with ease and actually get to know them, the bad part is the con doesn't get as much money to make the con better for the next year. But I do agree with you both, I do like the amount we have, it just surprised me to see so many people attending the other con's, and it is true that comic con goes of a larger variety of things other than just anime and comics, it also goes off of movie's as well.

[Sugarlat]

I agree. I think having a smaller attendiee number means we're kinda closer?
I donno XD maybe I'm just spewing words XD

[nikkiolie]

Since I do go to Sakuracon I don't mind this one being smaller since I have a big one to go to and a smaller one

[DancingTofu]

Kumoricon doesn't count as a small con.  GameStorm, Orycon, MEW Con, and other sub-2000-attendee cons are small cons.  There's really not a tight-knit sense of community universal among attendees.  There are certainly niches, but there are the same niches at Sakuracon.  I'd say Kumoricon and Sakuracon are mid-size conventions.  Sakuracon doesn't seem bigger to me in the sense that much more is going on.  Certainly, they have a larger space, and more people, but it doesn't give off a vibe of being a big convention.

[dshwshr55]

Our con is growing rapidly, too. But do you really think we'd put a cap on the number of attendees to keep it this size?

[superjaz]

right now we also look at locations where we can fit, much bigger we wont fit into a hotel and yet still be too small for the convetion center

[Man of the Public]

To me it's not the size of the con. It's the personality and right now Kcon has a great personality, not too formal and friendly. Having too many other people might change that.

[Mr_Phelps]

To me, our size is getting to be just about right.  Enough people that just about any anime has a chance of having at least a few cosplayers, and the group cosplayers can have tons of fun with everyone else from the same series.

We have been growing year to year not because we had big ticket guests or blockbuster releases, but because those attending had fun and keep bring more friends with them each year.  It is that "connected" feeling that makes the con different from other larger conventions.  I'd hate to see us lose sight of that.

Just my feeling, but I think a lot of others would agree.

[Hazuza]

Our con is growing rapidly, too. But do you really think we'd put a cap on the number of attendees to keep it this size?

Of course not. I think what we meant was that we should enjoy what we have right now, instead of wanting and envying more.

I really hated last year's cap. :c Had a friend drive in from Seattle, and she couldn't get in.

[Romo]

I really hated last year's cap. :c Had a friend drive in from Seattle, and she couldn't get in.

OUCH! That sucks. D: I also heard someone from Europe came last year and couldn't get in because of the cap.

[leonmasteries]

wait, there was a cap? I hope I can get in, because Im not able to pre redge, so I get to go wait in line.

[Hazuza]

Last year they capped since the hotel had a capacity limit, which we broke :0 Which is good and bad, I suppose. I'm sure that, unless we suddenly rise to the attendance of Sakuracon, we shouldn't hit that at this venue. o-o

[leonmasteries]

Last year they capped since the hotel had a capacity limit, which we broke :0 Which is good and bad, I suppose. I'm sure that, unless we suddenly rise to the attendance of Sakuracon, we shouldn't hit that at this venue. o-o

ok, because I don't want to find out I can't get in because there's to many people, that would just suck. But I do hope it doesn't get that bad... But how much can this hotel hold?

[JeffT]

If somebody could prove they flew in from a great distance and we hit cap, we would strongly consider unofficially letting them in anyway. (No guarantees, though--you really should have pre-registered in this situation.) (From Seattle...probably not. That's a relatively short drive.)

[JeffT]

Kumoricon doesn't count as a small con.  GameStorm, Orycon, MEW Con, and other sub-2000-attendee cons are small cons.  There's really not a tight-knit sense of community universal among attendees.  There are certainly niches, but there are the same niches at Sakuracon.  I'd say Kumoricon and Sakuracon are mid-size conventions.  Sakuracon doesn't seem bigger to me in the sense that much more is going on.  Certainly, they have a larger space, and more people, but it doesn't give off a vibe of being a big convention.

I agree with most of this, but I differ in that I would consider Sakura-Con a large size convention. They are one of the top anime conventions in the country by attendance (at a recent general meeting, they claimed they were #3). To the extent that they feel like a smaller convention, that's a testament to their keeping good programming aimed at their fans.

[DancingTofu]

I suppose Sakuracon certainly is big compared to other anime conventions, but not as far as conventions in general go.  It' has something like 1/3 the attendance of PAX?  I'd consider that a big convention.  It's all relative though.  For instance, some people would consider Portland a "big" city, and others would consider it "small".  For me, the fact that Sakuracon seems to be almost entirely a PNW convention, not a convention that generates a whole lot of national draw, is what makes the difference.  Again though, it's a matter of opinion, really.

On subject more specifically, I wouldn't make a goal of making Kumoricon larger, or busier.  My goals are actually pretty focused on communication, which is why I've chosen to become to closely involved on these forums.  If the communication is excellent, then the experience is vastly improved.  It's harder to communicate effectively if you add more people, so I prefer smaller numbers.

[leonmasteries]

If somebody could prove they flew in from a great distance and we hit cap, we would strongly consider unofficially letting them in anyway. (No guarantees, though--you really should have pre-registered in this situation.) (From Seattle...probably not. That's a relatively short drive.)

Than I hope I can get it, because this would be my second con. But I'm wondering how many more can get into the con before we reach the cap (sorry for using we, but couldn't think of a better word to use)

[Hazuza]

Seriously, don't worry, you'll get in unless we hit somewhere 8,000+ people ._.; I don't know exact numbers, but we have a much bigger hotel than usual, maybe it's 10,000+

We had 4,000-ish last year, and 3,000-ish the year before that, so looking at that, it's not likely.

[leonmasteries]

Seriously, don't worry, you'll get in unless we hit somewhere 8,000+ people ._.; I don't know exact numbers, but we have a much bigger hotel than usual, maybe it's 10,000+

We had 4,000-ish last year, and 3,000-ish the year before that, so looking at that, it's not likely.

ok, I just get paranoid much easier than most people (which really sucks) but I will be going there the day before, so your right, I should have no problem... But it's still good to be prepared and find all this stuff out in advance.

[JeffT]

I suppose Sakuracon certainly is big compared to other anime conventions, but not as far as conventions in general go.  It' has something like 1/3 the attendance of PAX?

I would like to know, as has been pointed out elsewhere, how PAX fits the claimed attendance in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The WSCTC reportedly can fit about 22000-24000 people. Either people are staying for only a short time rotating throughout the day, or there is some other factor here.

If large proportions of their audience are only staying for part of a day or one day (instead of all 3 days), that definitely would explain the discrepancy, and also would tend to "collapse" the difference in feel between cons with much smaller attendee counts.

  I'd consider that a big convention.  It's all relative though.  For instance, some people would consider Portland a "big" city, and others would consider it "small".  For me, the fact that Sakuracon seems to be almost entirely a PNW convention, not a convention that generates a whole lot of national draw, is what makes the difference.  Again though, it's a matter of opinion, really.

I am looking at the context of anime conventions, rather than all types of conventions, which explains why I consider Sakura-Con a large convention.

[ZombieFace]

one thing i've always loved is that KumoriCon is like a gathering of old buddies every year.  It feels really personal to me and I don't think I would like it as much if it blew up with congoers.  it'd lose that spec*al touch

[nikkiolie]

Yeah last year I remember that they did reach capacity for a little bit. Hopefully that wont happen this year

[leonmasteries]

what I just found out is there is a capacity of about 6000 people, and there is already 2000 people who pre reged. So that leave's about 4000 openings. So as long as I get there before around 10 or 11 on that saturday, I should be bale to get in with no real trouble. 

[superjaz]

nothing but a big line

[leonmasteries]

ya, luckily I'm going to be there the night before, so I should be able to get my pass with little trouble (I had to think about this and realized this just a little while ago) but it will be interesting to deal with a very large group of people this year.

[superjaz]

opposeed to the little 4400 group last year ?

[Rathany]

what I just found out is there is a capacity of about 6000 people, and there is already 2000 people who pre reged. So that leave's about 4000 openings. So as long as I get there before around 10 or 11 on that saturday, I should be bale to get in with no real trouble. 

If you are going to reg at-con, do it Friday night if you can. 

Only pre-regged people get the nifty plastic badges, though.  There are still a few days left to pre-reg.

[leonmasteries]

almost 2000 more people, that's definitely going to be interesting to deal with.

[leonmasteries]

what I just found out is there is a capacity of about 6000 people, and there is already 2000 people who pre reged. So that leave's about 4000 openings. So as long as I get there before around 10 or 11 on that saturday, I should be bale to get in with no real trouble. 

If you are going to reg at-con, do it Friday night if you can. 

Only pre-regged people get the nifty plastic badges, though.  There are still a few days left to pre-reg.

sadly, I don't have my debit card at this point and time, and so I am not able to pre regge... But I did want to. But I will probably be registering friday night or early saturday morning, but I will hopefully (my hopes are really high on this) be able to get registered for con even if I can't pre regge.

[AnimeMatrix]

To me, a convention is very reflective of the city that it is held in. Comic Con is comic con because of its geographic location and its proximity to Hollywood. I like Kumoricon's "feel" because I think it's really reflective of Portland. It's really laid-back (except for maybe some of the executives ^_^) and like some people have said, it's still fairly small- or it at least has a small con feel which is nice because like with a lot of local businesses in Portland, it's like a local secret. Like only the local anime fans know about this cool anime convention that happens every Labor Day weekend in Portland (of course, a little national attention and advertisement is helpful). On the same note, I also don't want Kumoricon to ever stagnate and I think growth is one way of avoiding this. If year after year only the same people come, it starts getting cliche-ish and it makes it hard for "newbies" to break in and contribute to the fandom. So growth is good, but I don't want rapid growth.

[DancingTofu]

If large proportions of their audience are only staying for part of a day or one day (instead of all 3 days), that definitely would explain the discrepancy, and also would tend to "collapse" the difference in feel between cons with much smaller attendee counts

This is an interesting point.  It seems that with a lot of "Large" conventions, people seem to come for a handful of "showcase" events, whereas smaller conventions tend to revolve around more activity-based programming.  Has anyone else noticed this?  I often get the vibe that I'm one of very few who go to Sakuracon to chill with friends and play video games.

[Rathany]

If large proportions of their audience are only staying for part of a day or one day (instead of all 3 days), that definitely would explain the discrepancy, and also would tend to "collapse" the difference in feel between cons with much smaller attendee counts

This is an interesting point.  It seems that with a lot of "Large" conventions, people seem to come for a handful of "showcase" events, whereas smaller conventions tend to revolve around more activity-based programming.  Has anyone else noticed this?  I often get the vibe that I'm one of very few who go to Sakuracon to chill with friends and play video games.

Large cons also tend to get huge lines as people tend to really, really want to get into a few showcase events.  I was down at San Diego Comic Con and they have programming rooms with capacities like 4,200 and 6,500.  SDCC doesn't just have lines, they are lines to get into lines.  And sometimes lines to get into lines get closed due to crowing problems.  SDCC was breaking up overly long lines before the con *started* this year.  I love SDCC, but I refuse to ever even try to get into Hall H events (the 6,500 capacity room).

I see Kcon as a medium sized con that still retains a focus on programming, fans and workshops.  It's possible for medium to large size cons to retain that.