AA Might be Outside

[veraca]

*copy and pasted from the original Kumoricon official FB post*


Significant changes are coming to the Kumoricon 2015 Artist Alley, and we'd like to go over a few of those changes before we open applications for this year.
 Next year's Artist Alley will be outdoors, in (somewhat fittingly) the alley between the Hilton and City Hall. The Alley will have tents covering the individual tables. Because the Alley is outside, artists will have to break down after closing, and set back up, every day. We are making it open to the public, so you won't be limited to just attendees with badges. Also, we aren't restricting the hours Artist Alley operates, so you can stay open as late, and start as early, as you feel.
 Artist Alley applications will open Wednesday, April 1, at 6:00 PM PDT, and will close on Friday, April 10, at 11:59 PM PDT. Please see the Artist Alley page at https://www.kumoricon.org/artist-alley for pricing, and additional changes. The application link will be posted there when applications open.
 Applications are not first-come, first-served.
 We look forward to seeing you, and your art, at Kumoricon 2015!

[Sailor-Jeimi]

This is both neat and not neat..If you guys care to hear opinions then here's mine..
Neat:
I think having it outside SOUNDS like a good idea for obvious reasons..
I also think that open to the public, and not just attendee's is very awesome and it will help the artists to get more sales.


Not neat:
However, what if one day it decides to rain with heavy winds? all that rain WILL get onto the artist's works. Just having those tent things you mentioned (I'm assuming they are the canopy kind like at fairs and stuff) will not stop any wind or rain that the wind blows inside. I'm not saying it WILL happen, I'm just saying as an artist, I would not risk that with even a 1% chance..
And we can't say "it's summer it won't rain" becasue last year it WAS raining. It may not have been hard, but if it can rain in any amount, who's to say it will never be a problem?

[EmAino]

I'm sorry, but this is the worst idea I have ever heard.  I understand that with the construction going on, things have to be shifted around, but this isn't a solution.


My first concern is the weather.  Rain being an obvious concern, but overly hot weather concerns me just as much.    I can almost guarantee that someone will probably collapse from heat exhaustion, and a lot of people have issues that are made worse by the heat.  My good friend (and usual A.A. buddy) gets HORRIBLY sick if exposed to heat and sunlight too long.   Plus, if it's too hot outside, who's going to even come out to see the artist alley in the first place?   Not to mention possible humidity damage to prints and other items for sale.


My second concern is security.  I think we can all admit that Kumoricon takes place in a less than savory part of town, especially at night.   I understand that opening the alley up to the general public might lead to a boost in sales, but what does con staff propose to do about any security risks?   You can't remove someone who is acting up (for lack of a better term) from a convention that they're not attending.   Would it be a matter where one would just have to wait for police?   Also, hypothetically, what's to prevent someone from taking your spot in the alley? 


I also have issues with artists being asked to tear down and set up their displays every single day of the convention.   This is NOT an easy process for most!   


Again, I'm really disappointed with this decision, and hope some sort of other arrangement can be made.  I was REALLY hoping to apply for the A.A., but after seeing your announcement, I'm not sure that I will even attend the convention, much less apply.   

[veraca]

I'm actually really concerned about the overall safety of the products and the AA artists.

First off, just because they can set up and tear down whenever they want cause they're in charge of it, is encouraging people to open at 10am and close at 6pm, or vice versa, open at 6am and stay open all weekend.
People could even jump around spots looking for the best foot traffic.

What kind of tables are provided and what kind of tents? There's the kind of tents that are only the roof, and then there's the kind with two sides down, and the kind with 3 sides down... Clarity on that is important.

Humidity isn't the only problem. Honestly, a lot of products sold are not UV safe and will bleach after being in the hot sun on a summer day for 6 hours, let alone 18 spread out over the weekend. Plastics could melt from the heat, glues could break down, a lot of things can go wrong when you consider 90% of the AA people do not prepare to sell outside. In fact, they mindlessly bank on it being held indoors so there's lack of humidity and water damage. And what if tents leak or break, or the supports for them break?

[Chryssaia]

We posted a lot of information about this. It can be read here: https://www.kumoricon.org/?p=3552

[veraca]

I am happy to hear that it'll be in a fenced off area, but the clarity on what kind of tents/tables you'll be providing is still needed. As well as 'storage' solutions.

Considering the difficult solutions, I'm not sure putting it outside was the best option. I've seen much of the space Registration line space both be used to the max (on day 0, or the start of day 1), and devoid of any lines and is 'wasted'. If poor lighting and the A/C is all they have to suffer through for the garage, then I think that'd be better than outside. At least artists who have been before would be familiar with those challenges.

It is nice that it'll be open to a wider audience, but I repeat the point I made before: Because they can set up and tear down whenever they want, is encouraging people to ... open at 6am and stay open all weekend.
The year I attended Aki-Con, they had a set up like that down a hall way where they could make their own hours. Many artists chose the option to stay open 24 hours solid with maybe 2-3 hours of sleep behind the booth while others ran the booth for them. Of course this was indoors, but if people feel safe enough with security, they're likely to do it at Kumori also. Hell, what's to stop them from bringing their own generator and lights for when it gets dark?

[JaegerDarkness]

For added security, just hire Levi Ackerman and Shizuo Heiwajima to guard Artist Alley. Anyone dumb enough to steal from Artist Alley, with these people on duty, won't like the consequences.