[Bloo09]

This FAQ is a little long, so if you know what you’re looking for hold the CTRL and F keys (or APPLE and F keys for our mac friends) to search the page quickly through your browser’s find feature.

ACen Badges are non-transferable and non-refundable; use of an ACen badge by any person other than the original holder is not allowed and will result in badge confiscation. Badges may not be duplicated in any fashion. The holder of a badge shall agree to surrender the badge to any MAPS officer or representative on request. When you purchase a badge for ACen you agree to the above terms.

Those registering for Artist Alley, Dealers Hall or Panelists should refer to that department’s registration rules and contact the appropriate department regarding any questions you have.
Artist Alley - Artshow@ACen.org
Exhibitors/Vendors - Exhibithall@ACen.org
Panelists - PanelProgramming@ACen.org

What is a badge?
A badge is your ticket into Anime Central. There is an example picture shown in our registration system and 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.

How much is registration for ACen this year?
Our prices are listed on the website under Registration Info.
http://www.acen.org/registration-info

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.

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 $35 for an Adult Full Weekend badge, Child badges (ages 6-12) are $10. 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 forum to see which conventions we’ll appear at.
http://www.acen.org/road_show
http://www.acen.org/...acen-road-show/

I’m trying to register for will-call registration, but can’t find the phone number. What is it?
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.

I’ve attended ACen in the past and used the registration system. Is my old account still there?
No, we are using a new registration system this year and all attendees must create a new account UNLESS you paid for a 2011 badge at our 2010 convention. Those who registered and paid for 2011 at the 2010 convention will be emailed their account information.

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.
https://www.acen.org/user

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

What is a badge name?
A badge name is that name that will be displayed on the badge in a larger font. You can put whatever your little heart desires in this field; however, keep in mind that we are a family-friendly convention and there are children running around. If your badge name is deemed inappropriate, we will change your badge name and you will be notified to choose a more family friendly name.

I never got my invoice e-mail. 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 then click “Click to open a window with a printable invoice.” If you have trouble completing these steps or are unable to locate your order, please contact us.

How do I register as a group and get the group discount?
Instructions for group registration are at the bottom of this FAQ.
GROUP REGISTRATION IS NOT OPEN YET BUT WILL BE SHORTLY
Groups 10-19 receive a $2 discount per badge and groups 20+ receive $5 off per badge. There is no minimum or maximum limit for groups.

What is a group name?
This is where you can put your anime clubs name, university’s name, or whatever you would like to call your group. It will appear under your badge name on your badge. Please remember Anime Central is a family friendly convention, if staff deem the name is inappropriate it will be changed and the group leader will be asked to choose a more family friendly name.

How do I register my child at the discounted rate?
Ages 0-5 ~ Can be added to an adults account while purchasing with a limit of 2 per paid adult. Information is gathered on the child mainly so the linked adult can be contacted in the case of a wandered off child. The child must be 5 by the date of the convention.
Ages 6-12 ~ When purchasing a badge there are two options, adult or child badge, select child and create their account from there. Every attendee has their own account. The child must be 12 by the date of the convention.

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 tiers price.

How do I get my badge mailed to me?
Badge mailing this year is $2.00 per badge. The badge mailing option is found on the Checkout page. Mailing begins in February in waves in no specific order. We will announce in our Registration forum when all badges purchased before a specific date have been sent.
http://www.acen.org/...6-registration/

If you are in a group, your group leaders selection is for the entire group. If they select mailing each member will have mailing selected for the additional $2, if they do not select mailing the group will be at Will-Call to be picked up at con. Group badges are mailed to the group leader, and they will be responsible for distributing them to their group members. Will-Call group badges can be picked up by their group leader or the individual badge can be picked up by it’s owner.

I forgot to select badge mailing. Is there anyway 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 e-mail to Registration@acen.org or send Registration management a PM and we’ll get this taken care of for you. Management is listed at the bottom of this FAQ.

When will the badges be mailed out?
We plan on beginning badge mailing in February. We mail the badges out in waves and will continue mailing the badges until mid-April. We do make announcements on the forums when each wave of badges is mailed out that were purchased before a specific date, and we’ll also announce if there are any delays with mailing the badges.

What if I don’t get my badge before the convention?
Last year we did have a 1% failure rate. 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 “Registration Assistance Booth” 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 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.

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 or 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 thecard. 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? Where do I send it?
Make your check or money order payable to “MAPS” or the “Midwest Animation Promotion Society.”

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.

Where do I mail my payment to?
The address you need to send your payment to is on the print out form in the registration system. To print this form go to your profile after logging into the registration site (click My Profile). Click the link “Click here to view your order history.” You can then review your past order. To print it - click the order number then click “Click to open a window with a printable invoice.” If you have trouble completing these steps or are unable to locate your order, please contact us.

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 lost my badge! What do I do?
You can get one replacement from the Registration Assistance booth (Help Desk) for a $20 fee. Any additional replacements will be at full badge price.

My question wasn’t answered in your FAQ. What do I do now?
Send your questions to Registration@ACen.org, post a reply in the Registration Questions thread, or send a PM to a member of Registration management.
Forum names:
Bloo09 - Chelsea Tessmann - Department Head
Faithful Jello - Jessica Nelsen - Assistant Department Head
Ever - Melinda Burkemper - Assistant Department Head
Klutz - Hannah Wise - Assistant Department Head

This post has been edited by Faithful Jello: 06 November 2010 - 10:42 PM

[madmason]

Ok, I just want to make sure that I'm understanding this right. For badge mailing, you say that badges that bounce back to you in the mail will be resent, or that if it's too close to the con, people can pick up their badge at will-call. What if your badge genuinely gets lost in the mail? As in, the U.S. postal service never delivers it and never sends it back to you guys? I've had this happen before (with rent for my apartment, no less >.<). Is there a way for lost-in-the-mail peeps to get their badge at the con, or will they have to pay $20 for a "replacement"? Or worse, the full at-con price? Further, what if an entire group's set of badges get lost in the mail (correct me if I'm wrong, but I understood it that all badges for a group will be sent to the leader's address at once)? I just want to know what sort of risk I'm taking if the postal service screws up.

Edit- I meant to put this in the "questions" thread. Sorry. If my post needs to be moved, please do so.

This post has been edited by madmason: 17 November 2010 - 02:40 PM

[Bloo09]

This is the perfect spot for your question as we have it happen every year. Our mailing has a 1% out of 8000+ failure rate and that is due to the postal system. We've gotten bounce backs where the envelope was eaten by their machine and simply didn't get any bounce back at all. If this happens you go to the Help Desk like anyone else who didn't get their badge in the mail. This is where we hope we can trust our attendees and do replace the badge without the replacement fee. We check our stack of returned mail first of course, confirm there was mailing, and replace the lost badge. This is marked in the account as a replacement. We don't want our attendance avoiding mailing because they think there will be a 20 dollar fee due to the USPS failing. We encourage mailing and keep it at the affordable rate of 2 dollars which pretty much covers our cost of mailing it to you to lighten the line at con. Compared to other conventions that charge 5+ dollars this is really only a perk for our attendance and we want to make it as smooth as possible for those choosing this option.

[keiichi969]

How do groups pay for the badges? does each member of the group have to enter payment information, or does the group leader pay for everyone at checkout?

[Bloo09]

The group leader pays from their account. Make sure the group is full before paying, it will be locked from new members once paid.

[Hellmaster Bean]

I'm the owner of a group but I need to leave it because I was just informed Artist Alley badges need to be handled separately. Who do I contact to tun the group over to it's other member.

This is the msg I got btw

You may not leave this group because you are its owner. A site administrator can assign ownership to another user and then you may leave.

[Bloo09]

I've been informed by our programmer that they will be taking care of you today and it shouldn't effect you entering AA

[keiichi969]

Do groups follow the same pricing structure as the single pre-reg badges?



Trying to get my group assembled and locked in by Jan 15th is like herding cats....


(Sorry for so many questions, its my first year trying to get a group assembled)

[Bloo09]

Yes they follow the tier dates like single pre-reg badges, each have to pay the $2 mailing fee, the only difference is the group discount which is added when your group hits the target number. Remember only the group leader can pay in the system and if the group leader selects mailing everyone has mailing, if they don't then everyone is set to pick up at con.

[Leaf]

I've compiled my group, how do I pay? I don't see that option anywhere.

[Bloo09]

Purchasing the group’s badges:

Copy and paste from our reg info page

Important! If you are purchasing badges as a group, please make sure that ALL of your group members are added before checking out.
Badges purchased individually will not qualify for the discount, and cannot be added to a group after checking out.
Child/Toddler badges can be added to a group, but will not count towards the group discount.
Complimentary badges such as panelists can NOT be part of a group.

* Go to the groups page.
* Click the Purchase group badges link.
* You will see the list of the current members displaying
o Member name – their userid in the registration system.
o Badge type – which is automatically selected based on their birthdate.
o Badge name – as it is listed on their profile. If a badge name was not entered, you will be prompted to type one in.
* Click submit to confirm the list of members
* It will load the badges to the shopping cart
* Click check out to purchase the badges – If you choose SHIPPING it will SHIP ALL the badges in your group. You must either ship them all, or have them all be at-con pickup. You can not split the shipping up within a group.

[Maze]

Ok, quick question. For those of us that are having badges mailed, will there be a separate line or designated entrance area into the registration area where we can pickup our swag bags/laniards and schedule booklets without waiting in line? Or will we have to wait in the main line with everyone that is registering that day. This mostly applies to Thursday evening.

In previous years I've mostly seen mailed badge holders waiting in the main line which inflates it quite a bit. If the entrance to registration is at the same spot as last year, maybe there is or could be a way badge holders can enter earlier than official registration opening to pickup the schedules and bags/laniards etc since they don't need to register. Being allowed to enter would require they have a badge that can be scanned though I'd say. This would help reduce the amount of ppl in line and lower congestion and such. Which in turn helps make the fire marshall happier.

[Bloo09]

This is something we've been considering. Since before we open they do go into the line outside. Once we are open you do not need to go into that line, the lanyards and books are on tables off to the side of the line maze. Thank you for your suggestion we will look into what we can do to keep mailed badge holders out of that outside line.

[Maze]

Cool.

Just to add a little to my suggestion, the way I kind of envisioned it working if implemented would be if registration opened at 4pm on Thursday, then at say 2pm or 3pm Thursday, mailed badge holders could come down, have their badge QR code scanned to make sure the badge is valid (It was mentioned in another thread badges will have QR codes that could and would be scanned at some events), then they'd be let in to pickup their bags/laniards/schedules at the tables setup with em, and could then head back to their rooms and such thusly diminishing the number of ppl in line by a great deal.

With the number of ppl that get badges mailed and are there Thursday evening, I could envision this kinda of setup cutting down on the number of people in line or loitering around waiting to get their stuff by at least 1/4 to 1/3 if not more. Multiply that by the number of people on Thursday evening, and you have a significant number there. And as we all know, less ppl packing the hall areas means a happier fire marshall.

Granted all this does count on if things are setup enough at that time to handle it.

This post has been edited by Maze: 14 March 2011 - 06:12 PM

[subgunner34]

I had a question about the location of registration. I know that there is the typical registration area in the convention center, but I have also read there is a second area in the Hyatt Liberty room. Is this only for certain types of badges or is that still open Saturday for normal badges?

[frzndaqiri]

Per the website: http://www.acen.org/...gistration-info

Quote

Will-call opens at the Hyatt Registration when the Convention Center Registration is closed. Badges can be purchased during Concerts, Soap Bubble, Underground Groove and the Masquerade until 1am.

NOTE: During normal registration hours - you should ONLY be purchasing a badge in the convention center. Liberty is only for special badges (such as panelists) being picked up and "After Hours" badge purchase.

[subgunner34]

Ok thanks!