[Zerox20]

Musashi219, on 12 February 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

As a panelist who actually is dealing with someone running the same exact panel this year, it comes as a double-edged sword. On one side I'm glad so that people who can't make my panel on Friday night can hopefully make the other panel regarding the same topic on Saturday night. The other side of me is annoyed though because conventions really need to get a better idea of which panel is offering something better and seems like the better choice. I remember years where there were FOUR panels on Evangelion - is that really necessary? Even if all four were different, it seems like an overload and there have to be others with differing panel topics who submitted.

Some folks mentioned the whole "combining panels on same topics" and I am completely against that given my previous experience. I'm one of the guys running a panel on Takashi Miike this year. Mine is called "Violence, Sex, and Death" while the other is called "The Hired Gun of Japanese Cinema." In 2009 I ran the same panel and another group was covering the same topic so we were forced to combine into one. I'm someone who has seen the vast majority of Miike's 70+ films. How many had the other group seen? Two films. TWO. And you better believe when it came to panel time they had barely anything to say no matter how times I passed them the mic. They got free badges while my co-panelist and I did all the work.

This year I got in contact with the other group running a Miike panel to try and figure out a way to make things different but ultimately we're each just going to stick to our original plans. It helps that they're each on a different day so hopefully different audiences will make it out. If I could I would gladly go to the other Miike panel, but I'm running another panel during the same time as that one. I wish that group the best of luck.

I can for sure speak to your point on the combined Panels. It was an idea we had in that year due to limited function space issues as you I am sure you were aware. We found some that did combined went extremely well and others just did not get along or had entirely different topics. We tried to "Mediate" so to speak between each panelist and having one combine the other, but some just would not have it. We stopped the idea entirely the year after and we just decided to review panels a bit more closely. This year with so many function space we can let a few of the same topics go and then consider all options for next year as we will have excellent feedback/data on every panel this year.

[Lina2]

I think I look at the schedule each year and go straight for the descriptions. I find the panels I think are the most interesting sounding, not just based on topic, but mostly description. Personally, I like the more interactive panels, the game or activity ones. And then I fill in my remaining time with whatever fits (plus shopping). Sometimes there are specific things I look for each year and would do any number of panels for, regardless of what the panel is actually like. But I also take a gamble on a few panels each year, when I don't actually know the show, or the description leaves me wondering what it's actually about. Like, Oregon Trail, which has nothing to do with anything, but I was so excited to see there was a panel on it. (I actually missed it last year, curse you schedule conflicts)

I think it's more about content of each panel then subject. If there were 4 Gundam panels, but each one had a different take on the subject, I wouldn't mind going to all of them. Like, I'd attend "All About Gundams", "How to make a Gundam Cosplay", "Gundam Papercraft", and "Which Gundam is the Best?". (lame examples) The point being, they're all clearly different, so I wouldn't get bored going to more then one. I think there are enough people who love Gundams, that it isn't necessarily bad to have more then one.

It's kind of a matter of what you think people would like. Maybe take a chance each year on some panels you aren't sure of, instead of a 2nd Gundam panel.

I guess I'm saying, multiples aren't always bad. But variety can make it more fun for the obscure acen crowd. So I guess, try to find a balance?

((Gundam used as an example, not based on actual facts or panels))

[JediNight]

On the subject of descriptions in general, and possible duplicates:
This is why we stress to panelists to give us an interesting description that makes people want to come to the panel and a brief overview of what its about. Some people merely gave us descriptions that read "Come attend our discussion panel on Random_Show." Or if there are two panels on the same topic/person, the one that has a better description will most likely have the better attendance, because they piqued the interest of attendees and show they have some passion for the subject.

I'm not sure if we're accepting revisions for descriptions by this point or not, but I can check with Chelsea in case some panelists wish to re-think their decision on descriptions

[Defyplums]

Musashi219, on 12 February 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

As a panelist who actually is dealing with someone running the same exact panel this year, it comes as a double-edged sword. On one side I'm glad so that people who can't make my panel on Friday night can hopefully make the other panel regarding the same topic on Saturday night. The other side of me is annoyed though because conventions really need to get a better idea of which panel is offering something better and seems like the better choice. I remember years where there were FOUR panels on Evangelion - is that really necessary? Even if all four were different, it seems like an overload and there have to be others with differing panel topics who submitted.

Some folks mentioned the whole "combining panels on same topics" and I am completely against that given my previous experience. I'm one of the guys running a panel on Takashi Miike this year. Mine is called "Violence, Sex, and Death" while the other is called "The Hired Gun of Japanese Cinema." In 2009 I ran the same panel and another group was covering the same topic so we were forced to combine into one. I'm someone who has seen the vast majority of Miike's 70+ films. How many had the other group seen? Two films. TWO. And you better believe when it came to panel time they had barely anything to say no matter how times I passed them the mic. They got free badges while my co-panelist and I did all the work.

This year I got in contact with the other group running a Miike panel to try and figure out a way to make things different but ultimately we're each just going to stick to our original plans. It helps that they're each on a different day so hopefully different audiences will make it out. If I could I would gladly go to the other Miike panel, but I'm running another panel during the same time as that one. I wish that group the best of luck.

Great point made about dealing with Same-Topic panels! As an attendee (and organizer of a small convention in MI) I've found that variety almost ALWAYS works better. Almost every one of us have about a dozen die-hard series/titles/games that we cling to, so rather than attending 4 of the same series, we could foam at the mouth with 4 different sets of fans about 4 different topics altogether. That creates a broader experience of the con as a whole. Money's tight, time off work is practically non-existant, I want to revel in as many different aspects of the con as possible.

But that's just me

This post has been edited by Defyplums: 14 February 2012 - 12:46 PM

[Musashi219]

Defyplums, on 14 February 2012 - 12:45 PM, said:

Great point made about dealing with Same-Topic panels! As an attendee (and organizer of a small convention in MI) I've found that variety almost ALWAYS works better. Almost every one of us have about a dozen die-hard series/titles/games that we cling to, so rather than attending 4 of the same series, we could foam at the mouth with 4 different sets of fans about 4 different topics altogether. That creates a broader experience of the con as a whole. Money's tight, time off work is practically non-existant, I want to revel in as many different aspects of the con as possible.

But that's just me

Thanks! Hey, that little convention wouldn't happen to be JAFAX would it?