[jay41889]

Last year i noticed that Anime hell was placed in the small ballroom instead of the big room like years before, i love anime hell but i found it last year to be cramped, hot and having to wait just so somebody can get out so i can go in was outrages, synergy wasnt even that great in the big room seemed like it wasnt even packed at all so can the organizers put it back to the way it was I Want MY ANIME HELL IN THE BIG ROOM.

[gavv]

jay41889, on 30 January 2013 - 11:37 AM, said:

Last year i noticed that Anime hell was placed in the small ballroom instead of the big room like years before, i love anime hell but i found it last year to be cramped, hot and having to wait just so somebody can get out so i can go in was outrages, synergy wasnt even that great in the big room seemed like it wasnt even packed at all so can the organizers put it back to the way it was I Want MY ANIME HELL IN THE BIG ROOM.

+1, i'd love to get back in there

gavv

[Bloo09]

There's a dance going on in the big room during Anime Hell.

-Update - Upper management is now considering the move.

[rondo]

How do you handle a panel that is popular enough that it outstrips its current venue's capabilities? It would be a shame to hold back the attendance of a panel because they believe they can no longer accommodate its previous requirements due to shifting priorities.

And here is the sarcastic/joke comment of the moment, take it as such:
"What are we now, 'Anime Dance Central'?"

This post has been edited by rondo: 30 January 2013 - 01:32 PM

[Bard-kun]

On a somewhat-related note, we're never getting the old, "bring a blanket and come in your pajamas, we're all clusterin' all the floor!" seating from the very early 2000s back, are we?

[Galuade]

Bloo09, on 30 January 2013 - 01:00 PM, said:

There's a dance going on in the big room during Anime Hell. Unfortunately it cannot be moved back.

I think the term "absolutely disgusting" applies. How can you continue to damage Anime Hell for some generic dance?

[jay41889]

synergy was in the room they did anime hell in last year, and it was a okay even never really packed Anime Hell is way more popular then Synergy no doubt about that....

[linlindesu]

Even as a fan of the Synergy, having it in the main ballroom was just a bit silly. It wasn't even close to being packed or even full. But it did really well in that other large ballroom in the hyatt and at the satellite hotels. ( small if any wait to get in, full but nothing crazy). Anime Hell on the other hand, could fill every seat in the main ballroom and then some....

[gavv]

linlindesu, on 04 February 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

Even as a fan of the Synergy, having it in the main ballroom was just a bit silly. It wasn't even close to being packed or even full. But it did really well in that other large ballroom in the hyatt and at the satellite hotels. ( small if any wait to get in, full but nothing crazy). Anime Hell on the other hand, could fill every seat in the main ballroom and then some....

looking at online footage from last year's synergy i agree. Just flop the rooms and it will be perfect. Not like you couldn't do a favor for a guy that helped start the con could ya?

gavv

[Illia Sadri]

Bloo09, on 30 January 2013 - 01:00 PM, said:

There's a dance going on in the big room during Anime Hell. Unfortunately it cannot be moved back.

Okay I don't get it. At all. And as the person who did a big chunk of the scheduling for the better part of a decade I feel a piece needs to be said because as exasperated as this convention has made me in my 11 years with it, I don't want it to fail. I still feel bad for people I know who still attend it comment on the direction things have taken.

Anime Hell and Midnight Madness is a staple of Anime Central. It has been there since the beginning and has never failed to fill any room thrown at it. It was a logistical nightmare for Main Programming, IRT and Programming as a whole because it was so popular everyone had to figure out how to clear the rooms, arrange the lines, direct the other panel programming lines (and have counter programming for the folks who couldn't get in) from overlapping. Having rarely had the opportunity to slip way most years, I ALWAYS heard great thing about the new clips inserted or whatever fan parody debuted that year. From a programming perspective, there is no better type of outcome.

Listen, it's not about not having a dance. Hardcore Synergy is a off shoot of underground groove, which was always meant to be secondary. Those who wish to dance have the opportunity with the Soap Bubble and that is not going anywhere. However, Hell and Madness are events that occur once on one night, once a year for most folks unless they travel to the other big cons. If it will fill the room, then you should want as many people as possible to see the event. Every con has a dance and ACen has two. Which is more special?

ACen has lost its way when it comes to fan produced events and programming. Last year the masquerade was easily sacrificed due to an unforeseen event while concerts, dances and fashion shows were allowed to run late with no repercussion. This was the same year that ACen's AMV contest, after years ever smaller rooms and attention, went out with a whimper with the staff leaving and nobody having an interest in putting something together. There still are no rules up despite this being the time that the due date would be near, so I am assuming that is gone for good. Now Hell and Madness is being relegated to second class status for no reason other than shifting priorities with ACen's upper management.

What makes me most puzzled is that these kinds of events have an insubstantial cost to put on. The con loses nothing on these events as most of the effort is coming from the fans and give nothing but value added to the schedule. People look forward to those events and some even come anticipating these events as much as they do the big concert. Good programming needs to be varied because there are many tastes to account for. It is appalling to hear programming speak so flippantly in dismissing what is a legitimate conversation, particularly after a year in which a main complaint has been the focus of the convention.

But what do I know? I was just the schedule monkey for longer than pretty much anyone other than Jason Jensen.

This post has been edited by Illia Sadri: 05 February 2013 - 07:44 PM

[Cherry_Wolf]

I held my tongue each time I've came onto this thread cause I didn't want to seem like I was "stepping on anyone's toes", but as I see that everyone thus far is in the same agreement as I am over this, I will speak up saying that I agree with everything that has been said.

I just really don't understand why music is becoming a heavy focus at this con. I mean, I can get the fact it is what "draws people in". But what kind of people are you trying to draw in? Things like the Soap Bubble and Hardcore Synergy are non-anime specific things. Things that will draw attention to people who aren't even into the "fandom culture". It really feels like this con is pandering to the party-goers of the city rather than fans.

Or maybe I'm just some bitter lady, I don't even know anymore.

Either way, It makes me sad to see that Anime Hell has been bumped down to a smaller room. I didn't go to ACen last year, but I would have been very disappointed and confused if I had been there and made my way to AH only to see it was in a smaller room - especially when it gets really effing crowded!

[Bard-kun]

I wish it was possible to send high-fives through the internet, because both of those preceding posts merit at least one each.

Look, I don't want to be overly negative, because we all know the how hard the staff works to throw a great convention. And I can only speak from the perspective of a longtime attendee, not someone who knows the logistics and cost/benefit ratio of each event.

But...why on earth do we need to shirk popular, relevant, fan-produced content off into a smaller room so we can emphasize a dance?

I know the dances are popular, but good god, last year's Masquerade disaster made me seriously question the con's priorities and now here's Anime Hell, a guaranteed room-filler whatever the space, getting moved into a smaller space so we can give ravers a bigger place to rave. Which, as far as I could tell from previous years and as far as I've heard elsewhere, isn't really necessary. And as Illia Sadri pointed out:

Quote

Those who wish to dance have the opportunity with the Soap Bubble and that is not going anywhere. However, Hell and Madness are events that occur once on one night, once a year for most folks unless they travel to the other big cons. If it will fill the room, then you should want as many people as possible to see the event. Every con has a dance and ACen has two. Which is more special?

Why would we prioritize one of our two dances over content like Anime Hell? Are we going to see a massive drop in registration if we give one dance less space, treat it as less important than the things which're more...relevant?

Again: I don't know how the con sausage gets made. I would love to get a full response from staff about this. But from where I stand, this is baffling. It's...just a dance. And not even the only dance!

EDIT: Full disclosure, now that I think about it...as a guy running a large, multi-hour panel, I do have some skin in the game here. So take what I'm saying with a grain of salt.

This post has been edited by Bard-kun: 05 February 2013 - 01:38 PM

[Agatha]

I'm also one of the people who doesn't get it.

When you look at other areas of ACen's programming, the one point that's always really hammered home is that this is an anime con, not a general geek/pop culture con. For example, the requirements for panels state that (but for a handful of exceptions) they need to be related to anime/Japanese culture in some way, and the costume requirements for the masquerade are similar.

So, if the con's focus is anime, why is an anime event being pushed out of a needed space in favor of a non-anime event?

If y'all want to be a pop-culture/geek culture con, it's cool, but it seems a little weird to insist that things need to strictly relate to anime with regards to only some parts of the convention's programming and not to others.

[jay41889]

Plz to the people doing the scheduling make the con fans happy and re focus the con back to anime and Japanese culture come on its not difficult

[Bloo09]

We'll be discussing this at our upcoming managers meeting. All of your feedback will be taken into consideration. As always we appreciate and consider feedback we get from our awesome attendees. :-)

[Sayuri-chan]

I agree wholeheartedly with everything that's been mentioned in this thread. I've been following it and a few others here and the same points keep being brought up again and again. For a while, it felt like those who were asking for change and for those with some pretty hardcore opinions were just being slapped down as being the "minority" and that they didn't have valid complaints. I'm happy to see that many staff members are actually taking the time to read and take our ideas and worries into consideration, especially after that Masq. fiasco last year. I have read where upper management explained the situation, but even so, the priorities of the convention were clear to see - and it wasn't in favor of the hard-working attendees. As a participant of the Masq. before, it broke my heart to hear what had happened. But this topic is about something else entirely, so I'll shift the focus of my post to my actual point - Hell/Madness fills any room it's been in, easy. While the max capacity doesn't always remain the entire night, it does fill and for quite some time. I appreciate the higher ups giving this a real chance to regain it's spot in the limelight - it definitely deserves it and has earned the right to be showcased. I'm not going to bash the Synergy, but at the same time, with two dances and only one Hell/Madness, it feels unbalanced to prioritize the room space for both dances, and side-lining Hell/Madness. I wouldn't expect ACen to sideline the Soap Bubble - it has been an ACen staple for quite some time (since the beginning, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). However, Synergy is a new addition, and from what I've read/seen, doesn't draw the crowd like the Bubble does. I don't see a problem with having two dances, but make sure some of the big hitters don't get side-lined for "another dance". Having the concert in the concert hall is a huge step up, and I approve wholeheartedly. It may cost a bit more, but the act is amazing and entirely worth it. Additionally, there is no worry about it affecting the Main Programming room. Sounds like a win/win. I'll continue to have faith in ACen, if there are people who continue to work hard and actually give me improvements to remark on - instead of just mistakes.

tl;dr: +1 to having Hell/Madness back in Main Programming

[Maze]

I'm in full agreement with most of what's already been said. I am a long time attendee. This will be my 10th year in a row coming to ACen. Every year is different as I look back. Some years are really good, other years are more lackluster depending on various things. For instance last year, I was dismayed about the AMV room situation and the lack of Iron Editor. It's the main event on Sat that I attend. Despite that, I did enjoy last year and Anime Hell was one of the highlights. Last years content was extremely good. But as others have said, the room it was put in was on the small side.

Looking back, I think the biggest issue I've always seen is that in the time before Anime Hell starts, there is a distinct lack of preparation time allotted. Some years, when it was in the main ballroom, events were allowed to run over prior to Anime Hell. As such, there was much scrambling to prep it before people were being let in. Thusly the event ended up starting late. Sometimes upwards of 30 to 45 mins late. I actually had to leave Anime Hell early 3 years ago in order to make a 12am event. >.<

What I think would be very nice, is if proper time was allotted to the setup of Anime Hell. Mainly, if there is an event in the same room before it, end it at the designated time, even if it's running over. Plus, give at least 2 to 3 hours before it to set the room up properly. It takes time to get video and sound equipment setup, do tests on it, put out the chairs, etc.

The other improvement would be with those attending Anime Hell. If you allot say 2 to 3 hours beforehand for setup, then maybe about 30 mins to 45 mins before the event, start letting people in. So that by the time the event starts, most everyone is in and sitting ready for it to start. I've seen Anime Hell get a late start for that reason too. In addition, organize the line somewhat. Last year's venue was a logistical nightmare for the line. Eventually they organized it to a single file line along the wall, but not before it was practically one large mass of people waiting. You are going to have people lining up whenever, and you can't really do much about that. But what can be done is to organize it from the beginning. Setup a designated start place and path for it to follow regardless of the venue. Or 1 hour before, just let people in and start sitting. By then that part of setup should be ready.

Last bit of advice. Invest in some bullhorns for the staff monitoring the people and lines for these big events. That way everyone can hear them if there's an announcement that needs to be relayed. The human voice can only be heard so far without amplification.

This post has been edited by Maze: 10 February 2013 - 01:56 PM

[Bloo09]

We've rented large panel rooms in the Convention Center this year so we can move some guest panels into that building, along with using the Akoo Theatre for the main concert for that exact reason Maze. It is so we won't have to cram every major event into the two main ballrooms in the Hyatt and their schedule won't be such a mess. With less events in those two rooms it gives more time for the proper setup and seating time

[rondo]

Bloo09, on 10 February 2013 - 07:10 PM, said:

With less events in those two rooms it gives more time for the proper setup and seating time />

This is so insanely important and I am happy to see it addressed. I look forward to see the fruits of your labor.

[Bard-kun]

Ditto that. Thanks for all these blue responses, Bloo!

[gavv]

Maze, on 10 February 2013 - 01:54 PM, said:

I'm in full agreement with most of what's already been said. I am a long time attendee. This will be my 10th year in a row coming to ACen. Every year is different as I look back. Some years are really good, other years are more lackluster depending on various things. For instance last year, I was dismayed about the AMV room situation and the lack of Iron Editor. It's the main event on Sat that I attend. Despite that, I did enjoy last year and Anime Hell was one of the highlights. Last years content was extremely good. But as others have said, the room it was put in was on the small side.

Looking back, I think the biggest issue I've always seen is that in the time before Anime Hell starts, there is a distinct lack of preparation time allotted. Some years, when it was in the main ballroom, events were allowed to run over prior to Anime Hell. As such, there was much scrambling to prep it before people were being let in. Thusly the event ended up starting late. Sometimes upwards of 30 to 45 mins late. I actually had to leave Anime Hell early 3 years ago in order to make a 12am event. >.<

What I think would be very nice, is if proper time was allotted to the setup of Anime Hell. Mainly, if there is an event in the same room before it, end it at the designated time, even if it's running over. Plus, give at least 2 to 3 hours before it to set the room up properly. It takes time to get video and sound equipment setup, do tests on it, put out the chairs, etc.

The other improvement would be with those attending Anime Hell. If you allot say 2 to 3 hours beforehand for setup, then maybe about 30 mins to 45 mins before the event, start letting people in. So that by the time the event starts, most everyone is in and sitting ready for it to start. I've seen Anime Hell get a late start for that reason too. In addition, organize the line somewhat. Last year's venue was a logistical nightmare for the line. Eventually they organized it to a single file line along the wall, but not before it was practically one large mass of people waiting. You are going to have people lining up whenever, and you can't really do much about that. But what can be done is to organize it from the beginning. Setup a designated start place and path for it to follow regardless of the venue. Or 1 hour before, just let people in and start sitting. By then that part of setup should be ready.

My personal set-up for Hell is pretty miniscule. When we're in Grand Ballroom, my set up consists of making sure my discs play and the sound gets passed through. I ask that they let people in to seat about 30 minutes before start time, since it takes about that long to fill in the room. It's why i came up with the idea of the old movie-theater style slide shows I use. Nearly all the delays and backups in there start happening way earlier in the afternoon. Once the last thing before hell ends, it's let the previous crowd out, reset chairs (fill them in after a concert, or as the last handful of times, remove the front 2/3 of chairs the whole way around) and take gear off the stage.

Now to ponder what my opening sequence will be this year....hrm...
(2006-montage,2007-24+007/Heino,2008-Saul Bass,2009-Raw Is Hell,2010-MadMen,2011-WalkingDead,2012-Archer)

gavv

[Kent]

Bloo09, on 10 February 2013 - 07:10 PM, said:

We've rented large panel rooms in the Convention Center this year so we can move some guest panels into that building, along with using the Akoo Theatre for the main concert for that exact reason Maze. It is so we won't have to cram every major event into the two main ballrooms in the Hyatt and their schedule won't be such a mess. With less events in those two rooms it gives more time for the proper setup and seating time />

I am very happy to hear this news. ACen is finally getting the big treatment by getting some convention center halls. I've been going for the last 4 years and always wondered why you guys dont get the convention center halls. So excited and pumped for this year!

[madden72]

While anime should be the focus of ACen, you guys are amazing at throwing a party! Synergy definitely could handle having a smaller room, but it is still my favorite event of the entire convention. Some of the artists that have shown up there in the past (Silver, Comet, Dale, Shimamura) were artists I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see. In short, keep the focus on anime, but don't forget those of us who enjoy the other aspects of the convention that you do so well!

[jay41889]

Looks like they got us the small room again thanks a lot to the organizers

[Bloo09]

Anime Central never announced that it would be moving. We actually said it would not be. Anime Hell/Midnight Madness is still in our second largest event room. We've increased our number of panels, and panel rooms this year (including a new 1500 seater and 2 new 500's), and kept all panels related to the con either anime or video gaming with a hand full of internet media panels. We do care about our fans and work hard to bring them great content. With an event our size, 25,000 + people, unfortunately some events are going to fill. We hope to counter this by offering more panel rooms and active event space to spread our attendance out more.

[gavv]

I would expect at the very least that the equipment and seating/staging in sub-Main must improve vastly over last year. The screen and sound quality in the room was completely inadequate for the event. The show is completely A/V and it's almost entirely predicated on being able to discern what is being spoken through the sound system, especially when the screen size and location make it difficult to view from parts of the room.


gavv

[Bloo09]

We're working with a new tech company, and did tours with them through all of our event rooms so they could properly assess what tech was needed to serve the room's needs.

[jay41889]

At least fix the seating it was super packed last year

[Dark Spellmaster]

So, did I read this right? The dance was moved, or is Hell still going to be in a smaller room? Pondering if I should go or not.

[fooby]

Anime Hell will be in the Rosemont Ballroom like last year, not the Grand Ballroom.