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Random Thoughts of an Otaku
Jan. 7th, 2008
07:22 pm - Home from Ohayocon
I am back home from Ohayocon and I had a great time. It is time to give my convention report from a staffers view on things. This is in the usual format of Good and Bad (nothing Ugly about things.)
Good
-Shifts started on time and ended on time (except on Sunday due to pack up).
-Uneventful flights both ways. I ended up early at the airport for both flights. Southwest runs a tight ship.
-We were fed (problem was communication and hours food was available).
-I got a good night's sleep during the convention.
-Very nice and professional staff that treats the congoers with respect.
-Fast Food anime has good prices on DVD's. I got Noir boxset for 30% off MSRP.
Bad
-Organization needs to be tighter especially in areas such as the program book. It was the first time where I did not keep the Program Book. It was stapled and was run through Kinko's.
-Dealers Room was okay. I miss Sasuga booksellers and there is no good Japanese book seller who does the midwestern con circuit. I would have spent $200 at that booth.
Overall, I would love to attend or staff again next year. The dates are hard for me, but I am going to try to go Saturday and Sunday next year at least. January 30th-February 1st are the dates. One final thought, I may seriously think about going to Marcon because of my previous post. I am definitely going to Smofcon in the Drury Inn next to where we were in December.
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cheerfulJan. 5th, 2008
08:45 am - Ohayocon Early Saturday thoughts
The convention is going fairly well, so far. Nobody has walked away, I haven't been yelled at by anyone and I have had slept and had breaks to eat. This is probably the best convention I have staffed at. No kidding. Sometimes being a minion at a convention is the best thing in the world. I have been doing Video rooms and it is fairly simple work in the eight hours I have been doing it. All of the discs are there and ready to go. I am not sure they ask for any screeners or just get the discs and ask for permission. There are no fansubs at this con, but they are subtitled shows.
The Hyatt Regency and the convention center are both nice places. Most of the meeting space we are in is on the Hyatt side of the building. There are massive exhibit halls on the other side of the Skybridge untouched by Ohayocon. We could eventually use that space. The convention seems very busy as of last night, but is much quieter this morning.
I am even more disappointed that Columbus wasn't chosen for this year's Worldcon. This could have been a great Worldcon venue with a nice facility for the Hugos in Batelle Hall. Note: Ohayocon isn't using it for main events. There is a food court attached to the building and three hotels attached to the convention center. This place may have drawn comparisons to Hynes Convention Center in Boston or Anaheim Convention Center. The room rates were very reasonable, also. Ohayocon's hotel (the Hyatt) had a rate of $103 a night. People are going to have a great time at Smofcon in December.
I will talk more about my trip here and other thoughts later on in the weekend or early next week.
chipperJan. 3rd, 2008
09:10 am - Heading to Ohayocon
After putting a full day of work, I will be traveling on Southwest to Ohayocon tomorrow morning. I will not be available from this evening until sometime Monday evening. Most of the paperwork staffers is printed including my boarding pass. I will be in bed early to be up at 5 AM tomorrow.
I am excited about the convention because I am not trying to lead something. I have enough information to get things taken care of. It sounds like most people should show up, so I should see some of the convention.
I will see you later. If by some chance you will be there, let me know today. Leave your cell number and we will try to hook up. I doubt anyone will answer, but just wanted to let people know.
chipperDec. 29th, 2007
08:12 am - A very busy week ahead for me.
I am starting the first of a four day vacation from the working world. This is due to New Year's Eve falling on a Monday and I won't have this luxury again until 2013 or 2014. I will be spending my Christmas gift cards tomorrow.
On Tuesday, I will be going to the Capitals game. Wednesday and Thursday are work days. Friday, I will be away until January 7th to work Ohayocon. I will be in Columbus, OH in January. Pray the weather is good for the flight from BWI to Columbus. My Online ability will be limited especially past Wednesday or Thursday. I hope to see some of my Baltimore/Washington Convention friends there.
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tiredNov. 29th, 2007
08:36 am - Starting to think 2008 Conventions
It is that time of year when you have finished and recovered from your last convention of the year and you start to think about conventions for 2008. I don't really commit to conventions definitely more than three to four months ahead of time. Here is what I am thinking and have committed for 2008 conventions:
Ohayocon January 4th-6th- I am committed to be on Live Events staff for this convention. I should have a fun time there. It will give me a chance to meet some different fans than I usually meet and also work something I haven't done. Variety helps keep a convention runner from getting burnt out.
Katsucon February 15th-17th-Saturday day only at best. I am not impressed with their guest list. They never seem to do different things or try to have a great convention. If they don't get much to impress me with a last minute guest, I may ask for a refund (this is one of the few cons you can get your money refunded from). You would think they would try to get an Japanese director or Voice Actor or a big name band every couple of years. They draw 7,000 people to the event. Since they are going to move to a new hotel in 2009, maybe they will finally put some energy towards making the convention better.
This is where things get merky. March-May is where there are a lot of maybes.
Anime Boston is the first choice of conventions. I want to get some roommates before I commit to a badge. I will start on that quest after the first of the year. Anime Boston is one of the better run conventions out there of any genre. They work hard on getting good guests and don't over extend themselves every year. New England fans are fans that can live without a big name Japanese band. That surprises me and maybe something Anime USA should try for 2008 and get a Japanese director instead. That convention is March 21-23.
If Anime Boston doesn't work out, I may go to MTAC on April 25-27. This is in Nashville, TN and they are supposedly bringing Kaiju Big Battel to the convention. It is also an expensive flight city, but that may be a little better since Southwest has posted their airfares. Note: NY Comic Con is a no go for me because it is the weekend of a family wedding.
Balticon (Memorial Day Weekend) is a definite even if it is for an overnight. I always have fun at the closest thing out there to a relaxacon out there. The Masquerade is always fun and I hope to help out Cindy in Green Room again. I would like to go to Marcon to meet the real Kevin Standlee in person.
From June Onward, it really gets merky. I am considering Anime Expo or Worldcon over Otakon and many other things. I want to see hotel rates for both before I commit to one. I haven't even started to think about what I am doing for Anime USA next year and how it impacts all of this. I need to talk to Mark about this at the meeting on Sunday since Anime USA is in October instead of the usual Mid-November timeframe.
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