[opimus.rm]

manofsteel6262, on 09 August 2010 - 10:43 PM, said:

and ive asked around, is there anyway ACEN staff can just make a lounge room, area, for 18&up, or 21&up? no gaming, no panels or w/e just an area when u get tired u can go relax there and talk to ppl, thats it, simple and kinda to the point, if ppl start playing games in there or w/e cool

Acen has had one for years. It's called the hotel bar.

[Darklava]

How about with the table top gaming there would be a few 18+ tournaments and not sure if this would be possible but a panel on hookah?

[TheRabbi]

You can always suggest the panel when panel submissions open, but (and I am not part of the Panel Programming staff) given that hookah is not really related to Japanese culture or media, chances are that submission will be rejected.

[opimus.rm]

If the panel did get approved where would you hold it? State and local law prevent you from lighting one up in a function room.

[TheRabbi]

That doesn't prevent them from talking about hookah, though.

"And, at the end, come outside for a demonstration of all these principles!"

[KungPowKirby]

The party floor idea, while nice, would be hard to have in the excutive suites. They are very expensive, and I wouldnt want to deal with having to worry about them charging more for repairs ect.

[Lynnie]

I like the idea of having more 18+ and 21+ panels, parties, games, or even dances. I don't really care where it is. I would like to just go to something where I am surrounded by people my own age. I did see Roark's post about the 18+ DnD game. I would so bring my books (3.5 Edition) to be used at this! I have always loved DnD but when I went to Con last year it was a bunch of like 14 year olds learning how to play....I've been playing since 2nd Edition and have advance through all the way to 3.5, while 4.0 is very popular I would like to see a 3.5 game for those of us over 18. A game where there is alot more blood, gore, violence, and even character deaths would be a nice change of pace. I have been DMing a younger kids game for a few years now, not at ACen but at different conventions. I wouldn't mind DMing but I don't want to think, I would just rather play and have fun with it.

Though the idea of a place were those 18 and over can get together would be awesome as well. Sure, I have made alot of younger friends but still I would like to have a place where me, my brother, and our friends can meet up with other older folks and have conversations about anime, politics, cosplays, managas, and even about hentai (if wanted) but just so we can have fun and be around people our age. Sitting at the hotel bar gets boring after awhile and not everyone goes to it.

[Darklava]

I only suggested the hookah idea because every year i see more and more people smoking hookahs outside the hotel and I wouldn't mind helping people learn about these things

[manofsteel6262]

as long as ppl keep takling about it hopefully ppl besides myself ask for new stuff to be added into next years ACEN to help improve it

[Roark]

Darklava, on 25 August 2010 - 07:56 PM, said:

I only suggested the hookah idea because every year i see more and more people smoking hookahs outside the hotel and I wouldn't mind helping people learn about these things

Fun Fact! A good number of those hookah smokers are ACen staff, including IRT

[Roark]

kungpowkirby, on 25 August 2010 - 12:52 PM, said:

The party floor idea, while nice, would be hard to have in the excutive suites. They are very expensive, and I wouldnt want to deal with having to worry about them charging more for repairs ect.

This is fairly standard practice at sci-fi cons. Groups generally go in on a room and sponsor a party. Yes, they're expensive, but it's normally a once/year expense that people save for. With ACen's attendees getting older, many of us are also getting jobs that can support such a room.

[Darklava]

Are they? I never noticed. they looked like just regular con goers

[TheRabbi]

Darklava, on 26 August 2010 - 10:59 PM, said:

Are they? I never noticed. they looked like just regular con goers

We IRT are people too, ya know... We're from the same stock as you guys - where do you think we get most of our staff from?

[Zerox20]

Just to answer... It would not be an approved Panel for Panel Programming =)

To answer the original 18+ question... Generally most of the events are during the evening, however we have no set rule on when 18+ events can happen. I do not think we would ever do 21+ events just because checking ID's is one of the more time consuming things.

For example for the big rooms like 500+ people, we have 4 people checking ID's and it can take up to 15-20 minutes to get everybody seated, which slows everything down. We pretty much have kind of said, bring your ID, if you don't have it, sorry no entry. We aren't going to use scanners etc.

As for a lounge, or some other kind of place, Thats isn't my area, I can only speak for Panels and answer any of those questions about 18+/21+.