This year's convention is terrible... (Ideas to make it better in years to come?

[LtCommanderRichie]

I honestly had no problems whatsoever with Yojimbo. They were all very courteous and complimentary, and understood what was going on. When I had to get down to the Green Room for the Cosplay Contest pre-meet they grilled me as to why I need to go down there, but after all that it turned out it was in the other building after all.

Which brings me to my actual point in this post- for the love of Primus, higher-ups, please. If there are two buildings that a convention is being held in, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease specify which building the specific rooms are in. You wouldn't even have to print the schedule any smaller. Just put a bracket around the tops of the room names and specify that those rooms are in the other building. That was so slagging confusing. I spent twenty minutes running up and down a good twelve flights of stairs several times trying to find the room that the Cosplay Contest pre-meet was in. I would have taken the elevators, except for the part where the line took longer to get through than the elevator ride itself.

And who told the hotel security to start greeting everyone with "Hello and thank you for coming, I like your costume!" on Saturday? because that was creepy.

[BloodyVampiric]

This convention Sucked!!
IT was wayy to crowded! The staff ppl were completly ruuude!! i mean i was trying to get my friennd who was mickey mouse to the girls bath room from the lobby the the ramp bathroom area and we told him we were going to the bathroom and he said no! I mean hello come on!! so we went around to the escalator down to the lobby and ask her if we can cut across to go to the bathroom and she shook her head no and we just looked at her and said the other guy said we couldnt go up the ramp to just go to the bathroom so she letted us go.
The Hotel was small spaced!!!

The only time i had fun was the Kingdom hearts photoshoot and taking pictures of others. Also of course with my gf and also meeting new ppl along with my ROXAS!!!

I gonna miss everyone!!!

[StarryShay]

If the weather was nice, and there was a park across the street like at the Double Tree, it would have been alot funner.
Does anyone know why exactly we're habing it at the Hilton again next year?

[xxxchihiroxxx]

And who told the hotel security to start greeting everyone with "Hello and thank you for coming, I like your costume!" on Saturday? because that was creepy.

It was just the two that were blocking off that one section near the escalators... x_x i was the one who told you about that right? xD It kinda creeped me out when they said that and I wasnt even wearing my costume!

[Hazuza]

If the weather was nice, and there was a park across the street like at the Double Tree, it would have been alot funner.
Does anyone know why exactly we're habing it at the Hilton again next year?

Because they only sign in 2-year contracts, so we're stuck here unless the Hilton wants to cancel on us.

[xxxchihiroxxx]

If the weather was nice, and there was a park across the street like at the Double Tree, it would have been alot funner.
Does anyone know why exactly we're habing it at the Hilton again next year?

Because they only sign in 2-year contracts, so we're stuck here unless the Hilton wants to cancel on us.

we could have a chance of changing venues if we raise enough complaints about harassment and assault against the attendees. I know I got some, and it is illegal and could possibly help with a loop hole in the contract. I havent read the contract but our best chance of getting out of it is most likley to express our distaste for it, and back it up with the story's we have of WHY we dont like it.

[Kallika]

It was my first con so I have nothing else to compare it to...other then the fact that I got lost and was alone a lot of the time, ended up waiting in lines for over an hour only to be kicked out...I did have fun though but I wont be going next year if it's at the Hilton....

[StarryShay]

If the weather was nice, and there was a park across the street like at the Double Tree, it would have been alot funner.
Does anyone know why exactly we're habing it at the Hilton again next year?

Because they only sign in 2-year contracts, so we're stuck here unless the Hilton wants to cancel on us.

we could have a chance of changing venues if we raise enough complaints about harassment and assault against the attendees. I know I got some, and it is illegal and could possibly help with a loop hole in the contract. I havent read the contract but our best chance of getting out of it is most likley to express our distaste for it, and back it up with the story's we have of WHY we dont like it.

P-E-T-T-I-I-O-N. ;3

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

Petition.

[xxxchihiroxxx]

with back up of stories D:

[StarryShay]

Amaya - Excuse my typo. =)
But you know what I meant. :'3

Jill - Yush yush. :3

[Kallika]

Silly string being sprayed in my wig....maddd.....

[StarryShay]

I don't like the fact that the executive tower and hotel are split up.
It's a bit scary to walk across the road at night, after a panel or whatever. ;w;

[mikeblastdude]

I would totally be in for signing a petition and giving my view on how awful the hotel staff was to us.

That being said, I still had a lot of fun at the convention, despite the crappy location. :D

[oslapedo]

Main complaints~

- Last year the curfew for minors was extended till 2am for the rave but this year it wasn't
- Split buildings
- Confusion
- Stuffiness
- Lack of central meeting place
- DISCOMBOBULATION
- No park
- Hotel was horrible
- General air of depression

If it's in the Hilton again next year I'll be going to other cons instead, this was ridiculous and I feel bad about this being some people's first con.

I did have some good times but as this is the WAHHH SAD thread I'm gonna keep it negative b

Oh, but I will speak up and say that some of the hotel staff were very nice and helpful, all things considered. The staff I talked to around 2-4am were really cool, or maybe it's just because there was barely anyone out so they could chill~

[Bresslol]

Okay, seriously.

I need to point something out.

How is this Kumoricon's fault? Did they arbitrarily decide to put four elevators in the hotel? Are you expecting them to magically build more elevators or something?

When you decide to put a new building somewhere, you usually send out a surveyor to make sure the site is suitable for the project. If a company constructs a building on unsuitable land where it shortly sinks and topples over, blaming the earth is ridiculous. (E.g. the fact the hotel only had 4 elevators).

The issue isn't that the convention didn't build the hotel, the issue being brought up is that the chosen place was apparently unsuitable. It is the staff's duty to ensure that the site selected is appropriate for the given crowd. This is the complaint being raised.

Do you expect that a hotel is built with the fact that a major anime con is going to happen there?

How can you predict that an event is going to cap/sell out?

This was the convention's first year in the hotel. It's like playing in a new ballfield - you have to learn the nuances of the diamond and where the ball is gonna fly.

You're not going to have a perfect con. You cannot expect everything at a con to fall in a favorable direction. Everybody is going to have a problem with something. Having criticism is perfectly legitimate. The convention staff can learn from positive, constructive criticism.

Saying something like this is not at all helpful:

This convention Sucked!!
IT was wayy to crowded! The staff ppl were completly ruuude!! i mean i was trying to get my friennd who was mickey mouse to the girls bath room from the lobby the the ramp bathroom area and we told him we were going to the bathroom and he said no! I mean hello come on!! so we went around to the escalator down to the lobby and ask her if we can cut across to go to the bathroom and she shook her head no and we just looked at her and said the other guy said we couldnt go up the ramp to just go to the bathroom so she letted us go.
The Hotel was small spaced!!!

The staff were completely rude? All of them? How were they rude? What did they say?
If you had to use the restroom, and the staff was being disagreeable, why not ask where the nearest bathroom is?
The hotel being small spaced is unfortunate, but not something I blame he convention or its organizers for.

I also disagree of hotel staff being rude. I use a cane, and when I had to get from point a to point b, and stairs were normally involved, I was accomodated for and shown how to reach point b quickly.

I think the convention's staff were great. They were all very friendly and helpful, and were not afraid to find an answer if they did not know.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience, and even though I staff at another con, I thought that the staff from regular staff up to the directors, did a fantastic job in bringing the best convention they could. I had a blast, and am personally considering staffing in 2010, sine I would personally be proud to work on such a great team.

[mangakaluna]

I personally had a blast...

I agree that the placement of things inside the Hotel was awkward, and that some of the Hilton staff had short fuses (Tho I suspect part of the reason for that was because they most likely did NOT expect Kumoricon to be like this.)
The layout was a tad confusing, but whenever I was lost I would just ask a Yojimbo or Hotel staff (yes, there were actually a few staff who KNEW where it was )

The main thing that bugged me was a few drunk people :/

[DemonSpawn]

I had a blast too, but not as part of the convention, all my funtime was in my hotel room or my friend's. Just all of us hanging out was way more fun than going to any panels.
I mean it felt like I could have stayed as a HOTEL guest, not a CON attendie, and would've been treated ten times better, and still had just as much fun.

[nikkiolie]

One thing that really bugged me was the elevators and how the hotel staff made a separate line for other guest and a line for k-con attendees. It wouldn't have been so bad but they let the hotel guest go first no matter how long they had been there compared to how long you have. I was a paying guest too why do they get to go on right away and make others wait?

Other then that after a little getting used to the set up it wasn't bad at all. The hardest thing was finding a place where we could just hang out. I like sitting in kinda crowded places because I like watching people but there wasn't a lot of places to sit around there.

[ichigoxcupcakes]

This is going to be long.
But it's what I experienced, so I would like to share it.
Please do not flame me, because this is what I personally think. You do not have to agree with me.
I wanted to write more, but these are just small summaries (I'm tired lol)

THE HOTEL/THE LOCATION
This was just a terrible mistake. It was a small venue, and it didn't fit all the attendees, that is for sure. Most events were cancelled, over-packed, and very VERY rude. I have never heard such people. I was so upset with the service and the staff yelling at us, that I took the stairs EVERY DAY. (now I look pretty good~lol) the elevator situation was RIDICULOUS, to the point where I never took one. I went up the stairs ALL THE WAY TO THE 23RD FLOOR. That should tell you something, that how ridiculous it was!  The rooms were too small for panels and such, and reached maxiumum compatcity ridiculously fast. I know my friends were all looking forward to the masquerade ball, and were in lines for HOURS, then they told them they reached maximum people. I understand the fire rules and everything, but it was to the point where it was utterly stupid and ridiculous. I had more fun in MY HOTEL ROOM than being near the convention center. It was that terrible I have to admit, which makes me sad. I wanted to stay as far away as possible, which is sad because I PAID MONEY TO BE THERE. And I couldn't even attend what I wanted to go to. Which was very dissapointing.
The location was not good at all for the convention either, we were mixed with everyday people (lol) and we did take up A LOT OF THE SIDEWALK (to the point where the police were involved) it was not a smart location at all for 3,000+ congoers *(and thats only pre-reg)
I know this was the VERY FIRST year at the Hilton downtown, but if you think it will change next year. I highly doubt that. Due to look at this year, how rude and inconsiderate they were of us. We are all people, but they treated us more like cattle then humans, I think.
I thought it was also confusing that the two Hiltons were used as well (most of us thought it was just in the Downtown Hilton, not Executive tower)

THE KUMORICON STAFF
I congrats you for putting up with all of this chaos. It was very difficult for con-goers, but I know for a fact, it's much more stressful for the staff. I hope you all did your best, and understand that Hilton, was a terrible mistake. DX
I hope you seriously think about severing the contract for 2010, because look at all the responses >///< and I know that A LOT of people will not attend if it is at the Hilton next year.


HOTEL STAFF
Terrible. Absolutely.
That is hands down, the most horrible hotel staff I have seen. Never in my life have I seen people mistreat us as such, (freaks, jerks, and worse!) If you are going to talk down about us, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE THE CONVENTION THERE. It's no surprise there are going to be people in interesting attires. It's what a convention is, and if you nothing to say that is nice, then do not say it at all. I was told we were in the way numerous times AND WE WERE ON THE STAIRS GOING UP.
My friends dressed up as NORMAL PEOPLE. (took off their badges, ears etc .) and went up to the hotel staff confused and asking questions, AND THEY WERE THE SWEETEST PEOPLE TO THEM. seriously? seriously. Yes. It shows that they weren't considerate to us con-goers. I know yelling and screaming are tactics of telling us to move, but calling us names. Does not help.
It was ridiculous how lost we became and how they didn't even know where the stairs were. They didn't even want us to take the stairs!! How ridiculous, you think people are going to wait for an elevator that skips floors? I do not think so. (I was on the 9th floor one time, and the elevator skipped me 15 TIMES. Hence, why I took the stairs)

PANELS/EVENTS
Most events were cancelled, over-packed, and very unorganized (they didn't start on time etc.)  The map was confusing if you were just browsing at it as well, not very good for first time con-goers. Luckily all of us were with veterans and finally figured the darn thing out (after hours of studying) We tried to attend 18+ events, but they were packed (we wanted to watch Yaoi) and the Yuri event was in the same room, and people STAYED in the room, so no one else could enter, because it was at full. (which again was stupid, not large enough rooms)
I thought it was terrible that most events did not happen on time or were cancelled (though that is understandable)
I attend the Ramen eating contest today, and the Hilton CANCELLED it, due to them serving OUTSIDE food. I know that event has taken place in many hotels previously, and that is stupid. They were already a few rounds in, then they had to cancel it. Seriously, terrible.

PHOTOS
After the winners of the skits were announced everyone wanted pictures. So we did our best and then we were told to move out of the way (We were against a wall....)
I thought that was just silly, We did our best to stay out of the way at all possibilities!!

BEHIND THE SCENES
I took part in the cosplay contest, and we needed to attend the PRE-MEETING. We were told it was the Rounds over email, so we arrived and they told us it was in the Creation station on the 3rd floor. THEN they told us it was in the other Hilton tower, and we only had 5 minutes to arrive on time. This pissed me and my skit partners off, because we were stressed enough during the day.
During the meeting, we were told to arrive 30 minutes before our scheduled time. We did, and got there prepared to start. WE WERE THERE FOR THREE HOURS waiting for our time!! Cosplay walkon was supposed to end at 8:15, the skits didn't get to rehearse until 10:30 or later, we missed all of our plans that day and such due to it. It was RIDICULOUS. Most of us slept on the chairs, and were starving so we left. And when we came back, they still weren't starting.
 I'm sorry, but if you say we need to be there at this time, we will. But if you are going to just start at the time you told us, we will not be happy campers at all. I know, you did your best, but at the same time....it was extremely frustrating to the point where I was pissed off the the extreme.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Definitely different hotel, since the Hilton was absolutely terrible (and if you haven't found that out, seriously read all the previous posts...)
I would suggest doing at one of these past hotels, since for me and my friends were were the BEST experiences of Kumoricon we had (out of the 6 years we have gone) I'm going to suggest WHY as well, that Kumoricon should be here.
Because if it is at the Hilton next year....a lot of con-goers will not attend (I will be one of them)

Double Tree (Portland, OR)
This was a nice location, it had food nearby, and a park. It seemed like everyone had a good time last year there, and it was very nice location. It had shade, and it was slightly secluded from "normal people".

Red Lion Hotel (Janzen Beach, OR)
I know this was a very hard hotel for the staff, but it was the best BEST Kumoricon I had ever attended. The locating was AMAZING, beautiful scenery, amazing rooms and spaces. And I never once had to deal with anyone who was rude, or packed rooms/hallways. It was a very large convention space. It also was a great location. It was literally the best Kumoricon, ever *(all my friends agreed)
It was amazing, because it was friendly, and just perfect. If you have it here, I will definitely attend in less than a heartbeat.

Hilton (Vancouver, WA)
I know the downtown Hilton was a pain, but this one was again, a wonderful location. It was VERY SPACIOUS outside, to the point where it was so large that people could roam off and do their own thing. We didn't disturb others with or antics, and they appreciated our efforts and cosplays. It was friendly, and very nice. Though there were some hiccups, it was a very nice convention. Though it is out of the way, it was worth it because it was very spacious and friendly.


But none the less, if the contact is still valid with Hilton next year, all of my friends and myself will not attend~

[nikkiolie]

I really really liked the Hilton in 07. It was a great location.

[StarryShay]

I love all of your Hotel suggestions Natalie. ;o;
Also, Jill brought up the idea of going to the convention center too~!

[oslapedo]

I agree with everyone who said they had more fun when they weren't even doing con stuff. Maybe next year I'll just stay in the hotel during con time so I can enjoy the cosplayers so I won't have to spend $40 on a pointless plastic badge.

~ I liked the Doubletree and convention center ideas, but honestly, I'd enjoy anything but the Portland Hilton again.

[@random]

Just my two cents, but the main thing needed to reduce crowding isn't floorspace - it's having a SAFE place to go outside. All the better if it's one of the prettier parks or by the water, i.e. for photoshoots, but it has to be safe. And the Hilton miserably fails on this account.

As an adult, I was frequently creeped out by the way the neighborhood wanderers were acting. I can't imagine what it was like for the youngsters. And if I were a parent, I wouldn't want my kids outside the hotel for any reason unless there were one or more adults with them.

As far as the staff? Please remember that there are dozens of staff, most of whom you don't notice. The short-tempered one who yelled at you for no reason, or the arrogant one who shoved you aside just to throw their weight and prove how big they are, are a tiny minority. For every one of them, there are at least a dozen people who put up with little sleep, a hectic pace, almost no reward, and working with hundreds of people a day (which ensures they have to deal with a lot of jerks in both the hotel staff and the attendees)... but they keep smiling and doing everything they can to make sure someone else can have a good time.

[Darknight2433]

Haha, I'd like to point out how my friends and I felt when we made a trip to Voodoo.

Osla, care to share our experience with random drunk strangers getting abnormally close to us?

[BloodyWhisker]

Agreed, this convention was the worst one I had been to.

For first timers at the Con, it was probably fun. But for us who have been here for more than one year, like I who have gone for 3 years now... nononono, this Con was nothing compaired to the other cons. xD Yes, I did like the cosplaying and having fun at the panels and such, but the hotel staff were just so rude and controlling over everyone who was there. Not just the cosplayers, too. Everyone. I'd have to say that the Double Tree Hotel was definately better. There were more places to eat and hang around, friendly and helpful staff, etc. This year the staff were grumpy, though it might have been from how excited people were and they hadn't been expecting that much of a crowd to be there. Whatever the case, this year didn't have many food places around. I found myself hungry in the middle of the day and unable to eat anything but McDonolds or Subway or Voodoo Doughnuts, really. :/ There weren't a whole lot of places to hang around there, either, except for Pioneer Square.
Other than that, I loved the panels (especially hosting the Ouran Tea Party and going to the Charity Auction) and I loved looking around the dealers room.

[StarryShay]

Haha, I'd like to point out how my friends and I felt when we made a trip to Voodoo.

Osla, care to share our experience with random drunk strangers getting abnormally close to us?

._.

And yeahhh, I had a problem with all the strange people that were lurking around the hotels occasionally, that were drunk. D':

[XFD]

Do you expect that a hotel is built with the fact that a major anime con is going to happen there?

Not what I said. Do not poorly straw-man this point.

How can you predict that an event is going to cap/sell out?

Steady trends plus error. I believe someone mentioned a projected membership of 4800 people and had an actual error of 20%. What is the cost trade off for capacity of 4800 + 25% vs. an error of 4800 + 0%? Again, this is a strawman and not dealing with the fundamental issue that the initial survey was not up to par.

words

Irrelevant.

[oslapedo]

Haha, I'd like to point out how my friends and I felt when we made a trip to Voodoo.

Osla, care to share our experience with random drunk strangers getting abnormally close to us?

What an experience that was.

Who thought that putting a crapload of teenagers in the middle of crazy downtown was a good idea? Hoho, at least we had each other

[@random]

*joins in with the growing chant*

Dou-ble-tree! Dou-ble-tree! Dou-ble-tree!  

[StarryShay]

I'm glad nobody got hurt though.
If you think about it, even walking to get dinner at night in Portland is kind of dangerous. O.O;;

[BloodyWhisker]

Downtown isn't exactly the safest place at all in the first place, really. There are a lot of weird people around there, and it is dangerous.
As long as we all stay in groups of close friends it'll all be okay. c:


And oh gosh, strangers getting strangely close to you? D: That sounds really... awkward. I guess the location was just a little bit of a hassle this time...?

[xxxchihiroxxx]

double tree would be nice but we are WAY to big D: which really sucks. we were to big last year and I dont want to imagine what it would be like next year if we went there.

the best bet is probably the center.

we need 8k people to rent it out, which I think we can probably do. It may also be expensive, but probably worth it if the hilton becomes a saftey hazord.

for one there are to many people for the hilton, to the point where its going to be a fire hazord if we try to pack more people in there.

[oslapedo]

I'm genuinely curious, how realistic is it that KCon could potentially change to a different hotel/space for next year?

If KCon stays with the Hilton then instead of an increase in attendance there'll be a decrease. I'd bet $5 on that.

[Man of the Public]

Just an observation but going back to the Double Tree wouldn't solve the biggest of the problems, over crowding. While it is fantastic that Kcon is growing at such a rate we will not be able to fit into hotels past next year.

Past the first day, I found that most the problems had mostly gone away by mid second day.

[BloodyWhisker]

double tree would be nice but we are WAY to big D: which really sucks. we were to big last year and I dont want to imagine what it would be like next year if we went there.

Agreed. KCon is too big to go back to the Double Tree, but we could at least try and get something similar to it. I definately enjoyed it there a lot.
Another concern that I have is how spendy things were in the area. :/ Everything in the hotel seemed pretty expensive and I didn't quite enjoy that. Because of prices on things there at the hotel I had spent more than I had anticipated in the begining.

[oslapedo]

Even if we can't get the Double Tree, at least it has a huge park and a mall right next to it whereas the Hilton has nothing so that most people are forced to be squished inside.

I'd like to get out of the downtown area, it smells bad, everyone's always smoking and at night the creepers are creepy.

[XFD]

Since I have nothing to gain either way I'd like to bounce this idea off of everyone here who's unhappy:

Next year, it seems that the con will be at the same location without condition.

You have all shown up with a gameplan of stuff you'd like to do, and so did everyone else. The current venue has too many people-per-piece of content (panels/showing/etc). My best suggestion to Kumoricon staff is to split the con into two halves next year. Pick a ceiling for the hotel you have to work with (lets say 3000), setup content that is specific to 3000 attendees. Run that as the first one. For the balance of the fans (so they don't all wish to hit the first convention) setup the rest of the content for that one (4000 or so?). It covers the expenses that you're obligated to pay, lessens the burden across two venues and gives you breathing room to sort everything else out. Maybe leave out the gaming room for the second con.

Just an idea.

[ichigoxcupcakes]

RECOMMENDATIONS
Definitely different hotel, since the Hilton was absolutely terrible (and if you haven't found that out, seriously read all the previous posts...)
I would suggest doing at one of these past hotels, since for me and my friends were were the BEST experiences of Kumoricon we had (out of the 6 years we have gone) I'm going to suggest WHY as well, that Kumoricon should be here.
Because if it is at the Hilton next year....a lot of con-goers will not attend (I will be one of them)

Double Tree (Portland, OR)
This was a nice location, it had food nearby, and a park. It seemed like everyone had a good time last year there, and it was very nice location. It had shade, and it was slightly secluded from "normal people".

Red Lion Hotel (Janzen Beach, OR)
I know this was a very hard hotel for the staff, but it was the best BEST Kumoricon I had ever attended. The locating was AMAZING, beautiful scenery, amazing rooms and spaces. And I never once had to deal with anyone who was rude, or packed rooms/hallways. It was a very large convention space. It also was a great location. It was literally the best Kumoricon, ever *(all my friends agreed)
It was amazing, because it was friendly, and just perfect. If you have it here, I will definitely attend in less than a heartbeat.

Hilton (Vancouver, WA)
I know the downtown Hilton was a pain, but this one was again, a wonderful location. It was VERY SPACIOUS outside, to the point where it was so large that people could roam off and do their own thing. We didn't disturb others with or antics, and they appreciated our efforts and cosplays. It was friendly, and very nice. Though there were some hiccups, it was a very nice convention. Though it is out of the way, it was worth it because it was very spacious and friendly.


But none the less, if the contact is still valid with Hilton next year, all of my friends and myself will not attend~

[BloodyWhisker]

Even if we can't get the Double Tree, at least it has a huge park and a mall right next to it whereas the Hilton has nothing so that most people are forced to be squished inside.

I'd like to get out of the downtown area, it smells bad, everyone's always smoking and at night the creepers are creepy.

you brang up some good points. Having the park so close was amazing and having an area with not so much smoking would be great. Those with asthma would really appreciate it, I'd think.

[nikkiolie]

I think something that would have helped would be if something major was in another building. All the major things were in the main hotel, but if Main events or the dealers hall was in the executive towers that would take a lot of the people out of one building and send them to the other.

[xxxchihiroxxx]

Osla: I am not positive. there were a few stories flying around the con that things would change and we could get out but honestly i found out later those to be false.

HOWEVER from what I know about contracts if its braking a law there might be a way out hence:

1. Assault against attendees counts as a law break as they were in many cases assaulting us.

you have a right to go to the bathroom, im not sure how the policy's go for stores but i find generally with hotels they let you go when you have to go.

2. It could be possibly that if the con goes there again there will be to many of us to make it a safe place and it will be a fire hazard. I believe we already broke a few fire safety laws and crowding of the side walk ish laws.

however it would probably cost some money to get out of the contract, and its not like K con is loaded. THe best bet is that hte Hilton might pull out if we push the second problem I pointed out. but then again their pretty desperate for business.

i doubt here will be an increase, however i doubt will double in numbers like we did the last two years (we really cant actually have an increase considering if were at the same hotel we've already filled its capacity)

Man of the Public: i noticed that to, the only real problem that was bugging me after the mid way through the second day was the hotel security, not the staff the security. i found the staff to be quiet pleasant, security on the other hand WAS NOT.

XFD: I dont quiet understand your idea. I doubt well be able to change but even if we dont im willing to be things will go smoother next year.

[oslapedo]

Well, now that there's a few cons in the NW why go to Kumoricon when it's miserable? If it's going to be a drab experience at the same place again I'd rather just go to more pleasantly located cons.

nikki brings up a good point. I only went to the executive tower for Para Para and something else and it felt really pointless and out of the way.

[lychee-twist]

KCon was fun! I liked it, but I was in the Artist Alley 80% of the time. That was not as crowded as last year. The lobby of the Double Tree was bigger so it only seemed bigger than the Hilton, which was two buildings.

I hated the lobby this year. I really hope we don't have to go back as I believe we are contracted with the Hilton again for 2010.

From where I was, I never once heard a complaint about Kumoricon or the staffers themselves. Actually, there was one, and that was the schedule wasn't as packed as last year, but that's because its the first 24 hour con for Kumoricon so there was a lot of open space. That will change in time.

All the complaints were about the hotel and the hotel security. Given the Hilton had obligations to their other customers, but it was still hard. Things were blocked off, and then they weren't. It was very inconsistent to get to Artist Alley. Really this wasn't anyone of the staff's fault. In addition, the lobbies were just too small. I found it a bit of a safety hazard. God forbid a serious fire should break out next year in the lobby. It would be a disaster. to have everyone racing outside through the rotating doors and the side doors.

I suggest that everyone make a complaint to the Hilton in regards to this, and not just Kumoricon. Kumoricon last year was about 5K attendees, and this year was, what, 7K or more? That's a 2K hike in a year. Next year will be even bigger. WE HAVE GOT TO FIND A NEW HOTEL. Not just for everyone comfort and to dodge those god-awful elevators, but for the safety of everyone!

Also, I was not thrilled with the Hilton's amenities. For such an expensive place, the rooms were small, there was no mini fridge, and there was no Wireless. An ethernet cord cost $10 a day. That's waaaaaaaaaaay to expensive for internet these days. This isn't mentioning the 10 minute lines just to use the elevators.

But I should stress again that for me the Staff and Security of Kumoricon was wonderful, and I thank you all for your hard work. Especially the elevator guys. What a pain that must've been to manage.

[lychee-twist]

Whatever the case, this year didn't have many food places around. I found myself hungry in the middle of the day and unable to eat anything but McDonolds or Subway or Voodoo Doughnuts, really. :/ There weren't a whole lot of places to hang around there, either, except for Pioneer Square.
m.

There was plenty of food places around. It was all listed in the map of the pocket guide. Not to mention that Pioneer Mall was two blocks away.

The pocket guide map was FANTASTIC, too. Thank you for that!

[ichigo_m.]

Honestly my favorite location so far was the 2007 location... It seemed pretty spacious~

I still vote convention center....

Isn't next year or the one after K-con's tenth anniversary?

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

The Hilton in '07 was my first convention and I just have to say it was my favorite thus far. Many access points, not a lot of traffic through the area, the giant park and the fountain, all of it. This year I missed the brunt of the negativity, but did experience of few things that just made me angry. My biggest one was sort of two-fold. Crowdedness and the small areas. I loved the Doubletrees' lobby and hallways; they were maybe slightly less then twice the width of the ones at the Hilton. I was wearing Wedding Yuna and people kept running into my wings(though the worst was being trmapled during cosplay chess, but that's another story. xD) due to lack of room. Another was an incident when I was taking to one of the Kcon staffers about needing to get downstairs fast because of the cosplay fashion show. This was around the time of the blocking off the escalators and my lack of knowledge about the stairs(as well as thinking they were still blocked off ot us). The staffer was nice and trying to help me, pointing me in the right direction, and then one of the hotel staff came by and started yelling at me because I was standing off to the side of the hallway(the ramp leading to the bathroom). I kept trying to get my question answered but she just kept on yelling at me to move(the poor con staffer!). In the end I just left and eventually realized we oculd use the stairs and spent a little while looking for them and once I finally got there... I had to wait for setting up and stuff(despite being there around the right time and possibly a little late, I was one of the first fashion show walkers to show up.). Then the dealer's room; I had no idea where it was so when I found out that it was downstairs(no one said parking until later; all I knew was it was downstairs) I used the stairs to get there instead of the parking garage. We got there when it was closing and yelled at by security for takign the wrong way in. How the hell were we to know? It's not like the door was locked(the sign saying not to go that way was on one side of the door, not the other so we missed it) and I didn't know it was the parking garage. Even then I wouldn't have been able to go in that rain; both of my costumes are paper-thin and the brightest white; it would be like a full-body wet t-shirt contest... and I'm the only one playing.

Then the ridiculous situation with the elevators. I mostly took the stairs everywhere, which is definately not a good thing for me. I've had breathing problems in the past and just finished my third doctor's visit on the first of September(the other two being in a two week time before that) due to severe dehydration(which makes no sense; I drink water like a fish). Sometimes I can be prone to blacking out and by the time I got to the ninth floor I'd get those little light dot thingies in my vision/lightheadedness and I would need to rest for a while before going back down. And there were many times when I would need to get to my room fast to change from one cosplay to another and back for events and things; Most of the time I had a bottle of water of something either with me or carried by someone else(while I carried my cosplay's train).

Having the panel rooms in another building was definately not a good idea. I spent a good half an hour looking for the panel rooms and nearly ended up late to the one I was in because I a) needed to go back for something(I was actually one of the first there originally), b)couldn't get an elevator and c)trying to maneuver the streets to the panel in the Executive tower.

Other then that I really enjoyed the convention. My FMA AMV got into the contest and I watched that; it was amazing. Cosplay was an absolute riot, especially with an actual board this year; next year I'm all for an anime vs videogame match, but that's besides the point. Some panels and things may have not started on time, but ones like the Random Panel and such were my highlights(Cid stole my feather!). It also gave me the idea of wearing Yuna and using the train as a picnic blanket because of that panel. xD And the hotel staff wasn't all bad. I got a few compliments from them and 'normal' people as well. The con staff were very nice for the most part and I think they did a good job with the hand they were dealt this year. It's probably so stressing for them; I remember during pre-reg on Friday(I was helping out a bit because I'm friends with quite a few staff) that wherever they went upstairs to set up, people followed to ask if pre-reg was open yet. It wasn't time to even start lining up yet and staff hadn't even set up. They didn't even know exactly where everything would be until later anyway. All this definately won't stop me from going to con next year(I'm going VIP next year probably for my eighteenth birthday) but still; it's definately disconcerting.

[gladimus]

If it weren't for the hilton, I'm sure next year we would have had enough people attending to rent out the convention center. But now thanks to such bad experiences, it might not hit that point for a long time. Clearly, this will be worse next year. Things might be better planned out, but it wont change the fact that, largest hotel or not, this hotel's inner design is TERRIBLY small, and it really shows. Other buildings, though maybe smaller, felt larger because the design was made with nice long wide hallways and open areas to rest.
The hilton was so hard to find a place to rest, there were 2 little lobby areas with some couches and chairs, and outside you couldn't sit on the stairs, and pioneer square is a very creepy place to have photoshoots. Every time I've been there, even just in general going to portland, there has always been at least one really creepy person in the area. Once again, no matter how well planned the event may be, you can't change the fact that people have a little ways to walk to get to a hangout place and even if they did it wont feel comfortable or safe. We souldn't have to rely on safety in numbers, we're not little kids! You can change the con organization, but you can't change the fact that creepy homeless people are going to bother con-goers like no tomorrow in that area.

No matter how it's planned, it will always feel cramped. All the other kumoricons were in areas with wide open space nearby, parks, etc. This place has buildings surrounding it. And that wont change.

The size of the building also wont change. It's funny people are saying it's the largest hotel, but walking around the building isn't that hard. I can do it in less than 5 minutes. The perimeter is REALLY important in a hotel for a con, along with the inside area. It doesn't matter if the hotel is large because of many hotel rooms. We usually only use 2-3 floors, and when the perimeter of the floors are this small, there will be no room. Period. And with more people next year, that makes more people disappointed because the capacity will NOT change. This hotel is the largest for rooms, not for 3 main floors for people to have events. Every other hotel seemed VERY large perimeter-wise, they had more open space and a better layout inside for events, and better outside too.

Say as much as you want, production staff, but no matter how you plan this next year convention, the hilton will still be a very ikky* place for it.

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[LtCommanderRichie]

Honestly my favorite location so far was the 2007 location... It seemed pretty spacious~

I still vote convention center....

Isn't next year or the one after K-con's tenth anniversary?

It was spacious in 2007 because there were far less of us.

Also, having locked doors and people in massive lines and not allowing people to get on elevators on some floors breaks the fire safety code. But apparently, since the door could open from the ballroom level into the staircase but not from the staircase to the ballroom level, that makes it okay. Sure.

After a while I just stopped paying attention to the hotel security, and once I knew where everything was that I needed to go to I had a marvelous time.

[oslapedo]

There wasn't anything to eat at night though, except for Voodoo which doesn't count as real food.

My room had a mini fridge but I called in and requested a room with one so~