Registration FAQ

Posted Wed, 08/01/2012 - 21:15 by wolfedragon

General Registration Questions

What is a badge?

A badge is your “ticket” into Anime Central. It is normally held on a lanyard which is supplied by the convention. Your badge must be visible to staff while inside of convention grounds at all times. You may remove your badge from view only during photographs.

What is the road show and how do I get that rate?

The road show is where we hit the road and head to other conventions to help spread the word about ACen. At these conventions look for the ACen table where you’ll be able to register at the best rate of $38 for an Adult Full Weekend badge, and $10 for a Child (ages 6-12) badge. You can also pay the $2 fee to have your badge mailed to you. Keep your eyes on the road show page on the website and forums to see which convention we’ll appear at.

What is “Will Call Pickup?”

Will-call is the term we use for people that have already paid for their badges and just need to pick it up at the convention. To register for ACen you have to go through the online registration process, pre-register at a road show event, or through registration at the convention. The registration process cannot be completed over the phone.

When is Registration open?

Convention Center Registration Hours
Thursday, May 17th: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, May 18th: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 19th: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 20th: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Hyatt Satellite Registration Office
Thursday, May 17th: 4:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Friday, May 18th: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Saturday, May 19th: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 20th: CLOSED

The satellite registration office in the Hyatt is open for badge purchases and will-call after the Convention Center closes until 1:00am.
Hours for both areas of Registration are subject to change without notice. Doors close at the stated closing time, but we do finish the registrations for those in line.

When do you sell out of badges?

We do not have an attendance cap for our convention. We will never sell out of badges, so don’t worry about not being able to get a badge because you can.

How much are non-member badges?

The price is the same as member badges. By purchasing a badge, you are purchasing a membership to the Midwest Animation Promotion Society, the parent organization that runs Anime Central. Your membership allows you entrance into the convention.

How long are single day badges good for?

Single day badges are valid on the day of use until the following day at 8am when registration opens. NOTE: Single day badges are only available for purchase at the convention and cannot be purchased online.

I lost my badge. What do I do?

You can get one replacement from the Service Desk booth (Help Desk) for a $20 fee. Any additional replacements will be at full badge price.

Why has my badge name been changed?

We are a family friendly convention and all badge names must be rated “G”. Badge names are subject to staff approval; names deemed inappropriate will be changed without prior notice.

However, once you arrive at the convention we will be more than happy to change the badge label to a family-friendly badge name of your choice at either the Service Desk in the Registration Hall or the Satellite Registration Room in the Hyatt Hotel during the open hours of Registration.

Registration Account Questions

I’ve attended ACen in the past and used the registration system. Is my old account still there?

If you pre-registered for either ACen 2011 or ACen 2012, your account will still be in the system. If you last pre-registered for ACen 2010 or earlier, you will need to create a new account as we switched to a new system between 2010 and 2011.

I don’t remember my password. Can you give it to me?

The system can do that for you. At the Login Screen there’s a link that will let you request a new password.

I made a mistake typing in my information/My information has changed since I registered. Can I change it?

Log into the registration system and on the menu click addresses to change your phone number and address OR click Edit to change your email and password.

My account has the incorrect birthday?

Please email our registration team at registration@acen.org with your username, first and last name, and the correct birthday and we will correct it.

My shipping information has changed. What should I do?

Please email our registration team at registration@acen.org with your username, first and last name, and new shipping address so we can update it.

Badge Payment Questions

How can I pay for my badge?

During pre-registration you can pay by: check, money order and credit cards. For credit cards, we only accept Visa, MasterCard or Discover cards. We do not accept American Express. DO NOT send cash (especially coins) through the mail for pre-registration. Debit is accepted with those credit companies attached though if the card requires a pin we cannot take it.

At the convention you can pay by cash, credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover) and business checks. We do not accept personal checks at the convention. US currency only.

What about debit cards?

Debit cards are also accepted, as long as they have the Visa or MasterCard logos on the card. These cards can be run as credit cards and that is how you should see them billed on your statement.

Who do I make the check or money order out to?

Make your check or money order payable to “MAPS” or the “Midwest Animation Promotion Society.”

I would like to mail a check, where do I mail it to?

Please send your check to:

Midwest Animation Promotion Society
65 E. Palatine Road, Suite 301
Prospect Heights, IL 60070

Please make sure to write the order number on the check and also remember to include the invoice with the check.

I never got my invoice email. Can another one be sent to me?

Your order invoice can be found under your profile after logging into the registration site. Click the link “Click here to view your order history.” You can then review your past order. To print it click the order number and then click “Click to open window with a printable invoice.” If you have trouble completing these steps or are unable to locate your order please contact us at registration@acen.org

My check bounced! What do I do?

For those whose check has bounced (NSF), they will be charged a standard $25 fee before they can complete the payment for their badge.

I mailed you my payment, but I’m not sure if you’ll get it before the cut-off date. Will I be charged more?

As long as your envelope is postmarked before the cut-off date, you will get the price for that tier.

I registered a while ago, but today when I went to pay, I’m being charged the next tier price. Why am I being charged more?

The prices, and the dates that accompany those prices, are cut-off dates for payment. You need to pay for your badge before the cut-off date in order to get your badge at that tier’s price.

Badge Mailing Questions

I forgot to select badge mailing. Is there a way to still have it added?

If you haven’t paid, you can simply log into your account and have it added. It is located on the Checkout page.
If you’ve already paid for your badge, we can still add badge mailing to your account, but it needs to be done by a staff member. Send an email to registration@acen.org and we’ll get this taken care of for you.
NOTE: Badges must be purchased and payment received by April 1st and the mailing option selected to be eligible for shipping.

When will the badges be mailed out?

All badges will be mailed out after April 1st.

How do you ship badges?

We ship all badges First-Class Mail via USPS, which according to their website is delivered “within 3 days in most cases”.

I changed my mind and want to pick-up my badge at the convention. Can the mailing fee be refunded?

Once you pay for the mailing fee it cannot be refunded. ACen badges and badge options are non-refundable and non-transferable, and mailing is a badge option that falls under this policy.

What if I don’t get my badge before the convention?

We will only re-mail a badge if it bounces back to us in the mail. We do this to prevent people from telling us that they never got their badge and then they turn around and give the second mailed badge to a friend.

If it’s too close to the convention to re-mail a badge, there will be booths in the registration hall where you can pick up your badge. These booths are labeled “Service Desk” otherwise known as “Help Desk” They will be away from the main lines and have little to no lines at all times at them.

I did not receive my badge; what do I do now?

We ask that you wait two weeks after the announcement of the wave your badge was included in prior to contacting us at registration@acen.org.

Please include your full name, email address, and the shipping address used in your email. This will help us locate your badge order in the registration system. Once we have received your email, we will research where your badge may have gone astray.

My badge and/or badge label was damaged during shipping, is this ok?

You will need to get it fixed if it is destroyed in any fashion. You can do that at either the Service Desk in the Registration Hall or the Satellite Registration Room in the Hyatt Hotel during open hours of Registration.

At-Con Registration Questions

What do I need to bring to the convention for Will Call Pickup?

You need:

Photo ID if you are 16 or older
Order receipt (optional)

What do I need to bring to the convention for registration?

You need:

Photo ID if you are over 16
A payment method

At Convention payments accepted are

Cash – US Currency only
Credit – Visa, Master Card or Discover Card
Debit – With a Visa, Master Card or Discover Card logo on the card
Check – Business only. We no longer accept personal checks at the convention.
Money Order

Registering is even quicker when you come prepared with your pre-filled out registration form to the convention! Just download, fill out the form, print it, and bring it with you to the convention center. CLICK HERE to get the form.

How can I speed up my registration?

Have an account in our registration system (You can create one HERE)

What forms of ID are acceptable for Registration?

For Registration, a photo ID is required. This can be government-issued, school-issued, from another country, etc. NOTE: This only applies to Registration. Please refer to other departments for their ID policies.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING EMAIL:

If you do not receive an email from us after you have sent an email or purchased a badge, please check in your junk e-mail folder as it may be there. We recommend that you add the following emails to your address book or to your SPAM “good” list or “whitelist”. Doing so will help identify us as an organization you recognize and expect to receive email from. It also allows our messages to reach you in a quick and timely manner.

registration (AT) ACen [dot] org
no-reply (AT) ACen [dot] org

Below are links to instructions on how to add Anime Central to your address book.

Yahoo Users
Gmail Users
Hotmail & Live Users
AOL Users

My question wasn’t answered in your FAQ. What do I do now?

Please do not hesitate to contact us at registration@acen.org.

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Registration FAQ