Well, I sympathize with the organizers on this one. While pleasing one's fans is a very important, one has to maintain a professional independent image when it's comes to large gatherings like conventions. As much I'd like Vic to be at Kumoricon, I realize that Sakura got him first, so we gotta deal with it. Besides, I'm sure we can manage to snag someone even better. >:3
I am not jumping down any throats, I am just saying I disagree with that type of reasoning, no matter who the guest is, just because it seems to me like one convention shouldn't be able to basically call dibs on a guest. If someone is big in anime, and the guests of that convention would like to see them, and the con can get them, then why not ask them? Because they don't want to be copying other cons? If that's the case, it limits the guests a con can have. Maybe not Vic, but another guest, it could be the same case. Kind of like that whole, "I'm going to stop liking this anime because now everyone else likes it" attitude.
Kumoricon should cater to Kumoricon, or for that matter any con should cater to themselves, despite what other conventions near them do, otherwise they really are living in that conventions shadow. Not for the reason of asking for the same guest, but constantly thinking, oh we have to do this differently because this other con did and we can't have that, or thinking, well this percentage of our guests go to this convention so we don't need to invite this guest cause this percentage has already had the chance to see him, while ignoring the soul bunch that doesn't make up that convention. Guests go to a certain convention, wanting to see someone at that certain convention. I am a Kumoricon attendee at that moment, attending Kumoricon. Wether I attend another con or not should not have any imapct on who I get to see or what I get to experience.
Kumoricon and Sakuracon are separate, but by purposely not doing certain things just cause Sakuracon does it limits what Kumoricon could do more than what they are not doing just cause the other con is.
I appreciate how you feel on this, but I am not making my main point clear enough, I guess.
There are many factors that go into having a guest at a con. This IS more complex than any of you seem to realize. Ally listed a bunch of considerations in an earlier post. There are more than just those, though.
I cannot really, properly respond to much of this because the first rule of guest relations is that you don't want about guest relations.
I can't go and say "Well, one thing that *might* be a concern is ... blah" without people thinking I am referring to any one person in particular. At this point, if I say anything, people are going to think it is a *wink wink* *nudge nudge* hint that this is a consideration with a potential guest recently mentioned in this thread.
Trust me, I even make the vaguest comments and people come up to me saying things like "I'll keep it on the down low, but I caught you drift that blah-de-blah." And then that person tells a bunch more and I have a whole group who think they are in on some sort of secret about a Guest or a staffer.
But, I will say that rumors and assumptions DO NOT HELP. One person was trying to shed a little light on things and people are taking it the wrong way. This is not something where we have have a proper, open discussion about. If I try to even mention more items ...
Okay, imagine people are trying to figure out what is in my paper sack. People ask me if the object in the bag is red. I say no. People ask me if it's a bunny. I say no. People ask me if it's a marker ... and I go silent. People then think they are onto something. Do yall understand? I can't even talk about the non-problematic aspects of things without people figuring out, or thinking they have figured out other stuff.
So, the only real way to keep the object in the bag a secret, as it needs to me, is to answer NO questions. I understand your concerns, but I cannot properly respond to them. The fact that I can't is frustrating to me, as I spend LOTS of time trying to answer as many questions about the con as I can and demystify much of how stuff works. I want people to understand the hows and why of this con. I will talk your ear off on many topics. I've done panels on how we work. This is an area where I can only give half the info at best, and only having half the info leads to a really skewed picture.
Okay, I think I have said this in enough ways and that people should be able to understand my point.
I likely made a mistake by ever speaking up in this thread at all. In the future I will try to make sure the policy of simply not repsonding at all, no matter what people are saying, is more carefully followed.
I am sorry if I sound grumpy, but imagine if people were saying things about you and your staff and you could not really respond? I may be overreacting and making things worse. If I am, I am very sorry. I've been working on the con for an average of a couple hours a day for a few weeks now. I really wish I knew how to channel some of the passion people have for Kcon in this thread into more constructive things and people helping out; in the past I have been able to do that. Now, I just seem to be messing stuff up.
So, I am going to attempt to just back out of this thread.
