Suta-Con

[~LindsaySutcliff~]

You all want more than one convention in Vancouver right?
Well Have we got the thing for you~!


In the comming years, excpect to see a new converntion.
Details:
Suta Con!
Location: Collage- TBA
Color scheme: Red, Black, Dark Green, White, Iceblue, Purple
Mascott: All girls, Oc's. Made by me. 4
Date: 1st date: 6-27
2nd date: 6-28
3rd date: 6-29
Regestration:
Little kids 12 and under~ Bage color: White   Cost: 10$
Minors 13-17~ Badge Color: Green Cost: 20$
18+~ Badge Color: Ice blue and purple Cost: 25$
Staff: Free, Color: Red and Black

[TanisNikana]

Huh?

[LtCommanderRichie]

You planning this yourself? I hope you know how much work goes into making a convention happen.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Ima be blunt with you Hun, okay? If I sound rude I'm very sorry.
What would be the point of this? Do you have any other reason for this aside from your bad experience at kumoricon this year? And on such subject, what exactly did you not like about kumoricon this year? From what I've heard, you had a bad panel time,  and if thy is your only reasoning behind this new convention then I have to say, this is a very bad idea.
You're looking at tons of money spent on something that will most likely not happen. That is a very bad investment on your part. You will likely be in debt, and the college itself most likely will not agree to allowing a large group of people like you're expecting into the college unless you yourself are a student and part of the anime or Japanese culture club.
You're basically setting out to fail, and no one here wants to see that happen to you.
I suggest that you think about what made your kumoricon so bad this year, and reflect on that and how it can be made better next year, rather than spending money on what will likely be a lost cause.
I'm sorry to be blunt and possibly rude, but it had to be said.

[Chromophobic]

Ohkay. I am going to give my nice opinion on this event.
(Note. This was posted about on the facebook page of Kumo. So quite a few people have discussed their opinions on this and more details on the convention were given then what is posted on the main post..)

I think it's a bad idea....
-For one, you have no staffing experience, meaning you don't know how to run a convention properly...
-Second, Kumo 2012 was your first convention... Meaning you haven't attended more then 1 convention, meaning no convention-going experience either.
-Third, you aren't even 18... From the info I have gathered, you are only of age 14-16.
-Fourth, from more info I have gathered, you only have $1000 for funds. You kinda need more money then that to run a smooth convention....
-Fifth, this convention is created purely out of the fact a young lady's FIRST experience at Kumo 2012 was dissapointing due to one panel, out of many panels and activites ran at convention...

I would suggest these things for you instead of creating a convention:

1: Volunteer at Kumo 2013. This will give you a taste of what staffing can be like.
2: If you truly have a problem with the convention, post on the rant and rave thread, OR, if it is such a horrible issue that a meer post can't help, contact a staffer.
3: Try planning a cosplay gathering with fun games in a park if you just want a nerdy hangout between going to cons.

I do not mean to sound mean, but it is the truth. This is a terrible incident waiting to happen, and I think you guys need to stop and realize what you are getting yourself into. Use that $1000 on your next convention you attend.

[Rathany]

Cons are hard and risky, but if you are doing it through a college club or something that absorbs a lot of the risk and cost.  

[edit to add]

If the poster in the Facebook group is right and you are 14, you cannot sign a contract for space yourself.  A con, even a non-profit and all-volunteer one, is essentially a business selling a service.  There are many federal, state and local laws that apply.  I have no idea what would be involved in a 14 year old running a business would entail, but I think that would be tricky.  Also, if things go badly you or the adult helping you could be vulnerable to lawsuits, damages to the con space, and many other things that can go way up and beyond your budget.  Many of the con runners in this town like to say 'starting a con is a good way to lose your house.' 

If you really want to do this, wait until you are in college so that you can use the college's space, the college's funds and the the college's umbrella insurance polices to protect you.  Kcon was started from a college anime club. 

[Drauska]

Might I make a suggestion?  If you want to get cosplayers together for a good time simply rent out Pop Culture in Vancouver and have a Cosplay party in June. 

Kumoricon has a staff of over 100 people plus volunteers, they have 10 years experience, they have connections that you don't have, and they have way more funds available then you.  there is simply way too much involved in organizing a convention then I think you realize. 

No one wants to steal you thunder but I think you need a dose of reality.  A 14 year old and a handful of friends simply don't have the experience or the maturity to organize such a huge event.  You have so many regulations both local and state that you would have to follow.  Dealing with the Fire Marshall is not fun.

Also asking people to pay to go to this "convention" is rediculous.  What will you make their badges out of?  Do you have the staff available to mail all these out?  Do you have connections to get guest speakers to attend this convention? Do you have a place to hold this convention?  What about your attendees, where will they sleep?  You need hotels.  You need sounds systems and a Video/Audio crew.  You need security.  You will need advertising.  Plus you are obviously a full time student in High School.  If you start collecting money for this and it falls through you will be facing legal action and a class action suit against you from all the people that you collected money from.

Any con staff can fill in the blanks that I've missed.  You really want to think long and hard about trying to go through with this.

I would suggest you try volunteering next year and you will see there is way more going on to create a con then you know.

[TanisNikana]

Thanks for elaborating on my very short post, everyone.

There's a massive amount of capital, logistics, equipment, and relations that goes into this. You can't just up and go "hey, let's make a con!" cause then you essentially get MEW Con 1. (Which, while fun in its own right, was sorely and incredibly unprofessional.)

Where are you gonna get your stage for main events from? Where are you going to advertise to get your attendees? Do you have any plans for vendors and special guests? How will your security force stay in contact with itself and its superiors? Who are those superiors? Do you have insurance? How much money do you have on-hand to bankroll this thing, expressed in tens of thousands of dollars?

See, I can get away with Taniscon cause it's twelve people drinking in my apartment. I set my sights super low and it's awesome. An actual con? Aw hell no, I'd rather work with and for an established convention, so I don't have to put my entire financial life at risk.

As an addendum, the color scheme is one of the last things you work out.

[Perky]

I love your enthusiasm!  :-)  And I loved your Grell this year...you were in the Cosplay Contest, right?

May I chime in and also suggest that you start by maybe getting your feet wet, make some contacts first?  There are a ton of ways to have fun with other anime fans in the Portland/Vancouver Metro Area, many of which other people have suggested. 

I would also add, if you really want to help make a one day convention possible...after elections, talk to the Programming Director about helping out if/when we have a Minicon!

There are a ton of details and organizational bits that are not obvious to putting together a convention, even a small one.  As someone who has participated in convention planning for...many, many years, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have!  (Especially about things like Sucker Contracts and Scalability.)

I do not want to dampen your enthusiasm!  I hope that once you level up experience-wise and gain some quality core help, that you make your dream come true!

[~LindsaySutcliff~]

Uh no I wasnt the grell in the cosplay contest.......

I love your enthusiasm!  :-)  And I loved your Grell this year...you were in the Cosplay Contest, right?

May I chime in and also suggest that you start by maybe getting your feet wet, make some contacts first?  There are a ton of ways to have fun with other anime fans in the Portland/Vancouver Metro Area, many of which other people have suggested. 

I would also add, if you really want to help make a one day convention possible...after elections, talk to the Programming Director about helping out if/when we have a Minicon!

There are a ton of details and organizational bits that are not obvious to putting together a convention, even a small one.  As someone who has participated in convention planning for...many, many years, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have!  (Especially about things like Sucker Contracts and Scalability.)

I do not want to dampen your enthusiasm!  I hope that once you level up experience-wise and gain some quality core help, that you make your dream come true!

[TanisNikana]

Uh no I wasnt the grell in the cosplay contest.......

Sorry for killing your con, guy. Then again, getting warned of how hard it is just saved you a thousand dollars, maybe?

[Washougal_Otaku]

Questions - In your original post, you said that the location was "Collage TBA". Do you mean "college" and if so, which one? How did you lock in this deal? Has anything even been finalized, or is this just something you're hoping for?

^ HI MUSTASH!!!

[nikkiolie]

One of my friends is starting up a convention for the first time. He is going to be running Newcon and so far there have been a lot of speed bumps.

First of all do you know how much very well known voice actors cost? Like Vic? Lots and lots, like 30,000+ just to get them to come to the con. Some will be willing to do it for cheaper.

As for how much money you have (based on the info given) a hotel room for Kumoricon this year was 300-400 for three nights. You just have enough money to rent out 2-3 rooms, there is no way that is enough money to rent out a whole hotel. Maybe one of the ballroom...maybe. And if you did have enough money to rent out said ballroom then you would also need to get insurance. The hotel will probably make you do it so they aren't reliable if anyting happened. The same would go for colleges too.

My friend runnung newcon has run into a bunch of drama too, including a lot of set back invloving the website (which is the easiest way to get registered) and DJs. Are you going to have a website? Do you know how to set one up? As someone pointed out, how are you going to get the word out about the con? How are you going to regulate ages? Do you have access to any projectos and or mics? Sound systems? Where are you going to go to get your schedule printed? Are you going to have sponsors? Viewing room?  How are you going to insure that reg will go smoothly?

I suggest you go to more conventions to get a feel for things like people said. If you are really interested in runing one. Talk to people who have run them to figure out what kind of work goes in to it.

[Shadow]

Kumoricon this year was your first con, and now you think you have enough knowledge of how much time, effort, and money goes into putting a convention on?

I suggest you go to more conventions to get a feel for things like people said. If you are really interested in running one. Talk to people who have run them to figure out what kind of work goes in to it.

^ That. If you're really passionate about this and this isn't a fleeting fancy, then do yourself the favor of seeking out and learning from those who actually have the experience and knowledge about running a convention.

If the poster in the Facebook group is right and you are 14, you cannot sign a contract for space yourself.  A con, even a non-profit and all-volunteer one, is essentially a business selling a service.  There are many federal, state and local laws that apply.  I have no idea what would be involved in a 14 year old running a business would entail, but I think that would be tricky.  Also, if things go badly you or the adult helping you could be vulnerable to lawsuits, damages to the con space, and many other things that can go way up and beyond your budget.  Many of the con runners in this town like to say 'starting a con is a good way to lose your house.'

^ Harsh truth right there but there you go. You're not aware of the legal issues that this could cause, most likely because you're still very young.

Get on staff next year, then maybe you'll get more insight into how much hard work and effort goes into putting Kumoricon on each year. $1000 will get you nowhere fast, and expecting people to pay for this is just asinine. Like somebody pointed out earlier in the thread, if you're serious about running your own con one day, a good place to start is running an Anime Club at a school. Don't jump head-first into something you know nothing about.

[JeffT]

A quote attributed to Albert Einstein goes something like this, "I understand the physics of atomic bombs, but compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe." It'll be much better for you to save this money for College, a computer, a car, whatever, than try to start a convention.

Like most alleged Einstein quotes, he probably didn't say it, but the idea is true. Compound interest can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Make use of it.

[TanisNikana]

On the flipside of things, I'm now working with OP and helping her plan a cosplay meetup! There are some surprisingly similar (though smaller scale) concerns that could carry over into running a con! Expect to see a place and a date soon, and the actual meetup happening within three weeks or so.

[~LindsaySutcliff~]

C L O S E D

[/b]
so stop making me cry and go away.

[deidara~senpi]

guys you dont have to go and say she had a bad kumoricon experince i was with her all the 3 days and was only with out her with a few hours only one bad thing happened and saying its going to be a fail before you even know ruins a persons dreams and she knows everything you all have already said

[TanisNikana]

Calm down, guys, this is getting handled.

[Bresslol]

I'm a little late to the party on this one.

IT goes without saying that your ambition is admired, but in the wrong place. Nobody wants to see you fail, but you're lining yourself up for it if you go into this blindly.

I heard the background on why you want to start this, and you can't judge a whole con based on one panel you didn't enjoy.

What you CAN do is submit panels of your own and contribute to Programming. Also, I'm sure anyone who has con experience will be more than happy to share good and bad stories.

[daveywolfeslayer]

A meet up is a lot more realistic considering circumstances. (also it sounds like fun guys )

Nothing said here was intended to "crush anybodys dreams" Its all advice to help you guys out. Eveything that has been said was aimed at getting you on the right path to one day making this con. To make something as big as a con you gotta start small. (meet-ups, volunteering, etc) Save your money and iron out all the kinks in your design.

[Perky]

On the flipside of things, I'm now working with OP and helping her plan a cosplay meetup! There are some surprisingly similar (though smaller scale) concerns that could carry over into running a con! Expect to see a place and a date soon, and the actual meetup happening within three weeks or so.

Excellent!  I hope it is a lot of fun! 

To OP, sorry I got you confused with a different Grell!  My apologies!

[melchizedek]

May I suggest being staff at another local con, or perhaps attending some of the plan your own adventure meetups?