The Otakon 2010 Thread (OK now panic)

[Shepi]

This has already been said millions of times, but I'm also really disappointed at how things are being handled this year. Thanks though, Vic, for putting up with and trying to change things around for us.

I submitted an AMV and thought, even though I won't make the finalists it's probably one of the best feelings in the world to see my video up on the big screen and hearing some people applaud for it. Too bad the people who nixed the overflow don't realize how important it is for the submitters, pro or amateur.

And to be honest, I may even not be going back to Otakon next year. They'll get plenty of attendees anyway but I'm just so outraged at how they treated my favorite aspect of the con.

[irriadin]

If everyone mentions this debacle in the "What can we improve on next year" thread that is posted on the Otakon boards after the con is over, maybe this can be fixed for next year and we can get the Overflow back.

Also, just little over two weeks til the con! I can't wait to see everyone's videos!

[TheTsunami]

This is what the feedback panel on Sunday afternoon is for. I expect that I won't be the only one bringing that up this year.

[VicBond007]

If everyone mentions this debacle in the "What can we improve on next year" thread that is posted on the Otakon boards after the con is over, maybe this can be fixed for next year and we can get the Overflow back.

This is what the feedback panel on Sunday afternoon is for. I expect that I won't be the only one bringing that up this year.

This and this.

These are really the only two ways you can express your displeasure without resorting to Guerilla-4chan-esque tactics. Only problems are a) nobody uses the Otakon forums, even the admin sections. Well, that's not totally true. A lot of people use it, just sparingly. Usually the biggest thread of the year is "what band do you want to see?!" Plus it's moderated by Otakon. The .org has no "political affiliation". Just sayin'.

Problem with b) is that nobody "important" usually attends the con feedback session, and who knows what information is actually shared at the meetings. Major department heads are actually coordinating tear-down for the con at this time, and there's a LOT to tear down :O The meeting minutes from last year's wrap-up meeting are missing from the staff site, though they have to exist because the following meeting minutes opened with the usual proposal to accept the previous meeting minutes as they were written. Therefore I can't see if anything brought up at last year's feedback (if at all) was addressed. Maybe this year will be different, but with the exception of small cons, con-feedback sessions tend to work in the same vain as customer support, in that they are usually little more than a firewall to keep negativity away from the big-wigs' ears. If you want to see how serious Otakon is about addressing your concerns, ask anyone in this thread who wrote to the programming department, if they heard anything back from them yet.

[HalOfBorg]

The only thing most people notice or understand is money. Voting with your wallet works. Hard to get organized sometimes.

[drewaconclusion]

The only thing most people notice or understand is money. Voting with your wallet works. Hard to get organized sometimes.

I don't think there's enough people here to make that big of an impact to make them take notice. Truthfully though, I have no ideas for the actual numbers; so I could be way off base here.

[NightMistress85]

The only thing most people notice or understand is money. Voting with your wallet works. Hard to get organized sometimes.

I don't think there's enough people here to make that big of an impact to make them take notice. Truthfully though, I have no ideas for the actual numbers; so I could be way off base here.

If they get 140 complaints or so about the situation, perhaps they'll take notice. I don't know if merely a complaint here or there would make them give much of a damn. 140 may not seem like much, but it could be a lot regarding one issue.

[Gaelstrom]

Would somehow organizing a questionnaire for people to get in their bags with a few simple multiple choice possibilities regarding specific things like AMV overflow and/or scheduling be possible? It would be something small enough for the volunteer level like yourself Vic, yet a large enough return potentially to impact decision making, or at least be a weapon in that regard. Obviously organizing that would require some work, but realistically I'd figure it's just a bunch of printing and one more thing for the volunteers (whom I assume are the ones who assemble the bags we get) to slip into the bags. This way it reaches a wide enough level of people to make a difference assuming 10% to 20% does it and turns it in at either of the entrances for example. This way you get a good staple of what most people prefer. It really may just be that many people don't want AMV Overflow and it's merely people like us who really wish to see our stuff shown in a public place regardless. Then again, it may be that most people want it because AMVs at Otakon are usually of pretty high quality, and AMV Overflow is a wonderful place to take a break if you have nothing else to do and get to see some good work. My Otakon booklets from every year are peppered with anime names, AMV names and AMV creators to look up, so I definitely make use of it

It's a petition-style thing, but really it seems like Otakorp's gotten stuck in its own head a bit too much with no real method or interest in checking what people want. Yeah there's feedback, but if what Vic says is true, then it sounds like they treat it as 'well one person stood up and complained, so whatever.'

[VicBond007]

That's a very good idea, though not do-able in time this year. Not sure what the return would be, but even 1% return would be 300 people or so. When the AMV ballots were handed out in con-bags rather than at-door, I remember the return was pretty low because a lot of people leave it behind in their hotel for the whole weekend. A survey will probably end up the same way, and it'd be hard to argue it's cost-effectiveness, especially if it reveals things that people don't want to hear. This is a good idea because it's easy to fill out, but things done in-person/on-forums have the added bonus of being able to speak your mind and plead your case. Multiple Choice is easier than Essays, but the essay section is worth more points

[Gaelstrom]

More detail is definitely more useful, yeah, but this would be the tradeoff to achieve the numbers. A 25K person con won't find many ripples in the pond from a few detailed descriptions unless the people in charge are... well... highly trained in communication and self-analyzing. The questionnaire would have to address things that are obvious to the con goers, like "Do you want AMV Overflow back?" or something. And of course everyone always empties their bags to check their swag Thursday Night for example, at least for the preregistration crowd. For them at least, you can say 'please turn this in at the entrance' or something and you just have a drop box ready with "questionnaires." That should get you a much more reasonable turnout, as they can just fold the paper into a pocket and drop it off. Explaining the political situation in the questions doesn't really benefit anyone, it just makes Otakon a less magical place to those of us who know. I miss my blissful ignorance, honestly ^^

What you could do in the meantime for this year is offer a quick petition of sorts for signing at the information desk, where many people do stop by. It won't receive much attention, of course, but at least it's something that can get the ball rolling this year. It requires next to no work from any staff at all, and maybe just have someone who's sitting there be aware of it and mention it, or have a sign that says "Want AMV Overflow back? Sign here!". I'd suggest rather bold text so it stands out to those who are looking at the table when they stop by, and obviously giving them a choice of yes or no to get a reading of those who want it or not.

Hell you could even put it by the lobby exit with a big sign identifying what it is, and security is there anyway. You could keep it a decent distance from the door so as not to cause any bottlenecks and such. Only worry there is people would steal the pen (and you know they would ^^)

I'm just trying to mention cheap solutions for possibilities to get some info so you have more firepower for next year from the congoers themselves outside of the confines of the AMVs.org "family" ^^