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Rox3l
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Post by Rox3l »

What I would like an answer to is the Expired ID rule that is in the FAQs. This I don't get, because I just noticed a few months ago that My ID expired this year and not next like I thought, And I don't have the transportation to go get a new one, and I don't really see the point as it is a non-drivers.

Why I am asking is because it has all my info on it. Photo, Birth date and all that jazz. But the forums say I couldn't get into 18+ panels with it. (I didn't even try to see if maybe they would let it slide because I was just so busy and at other things.)

So yeah, just wondering if it has all the information, why does it matter?


On the subject of being yelled at, the only instance I can recall is the woman who yelled at people for lining up before the 30 minute mark for autographs. Which I get why she did it but I felt like a little kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar. ^^;
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Post by Kogarashi »

[quote=AnythingButFine][quote=Faceman][quote=AnythingButFine]I agree....and what if they don't take a college id? I mean it doesn't always have the date of birth (mine doesn't) so I wouldn't be able to get in to an 18 plus panel with it I think. I haven't gotten my license yet because I have horrid anxiety during the driving tests and have failed twice. You can't just tell me to "go get one" it's not that easy. I was looking on google for forms ID and really a drivers license is the only thing that is coming up. You can't use your birth certificate....no photo. And as mentioned above, passports are a hassle.[/quote]

Again, there is a MA state issued Photo ID available that is not a driver's license. It's linked at the bottom of the General FAQ section regarding forms of ID. The link is: http://www.mass.gov/rmv/license/13bMAID.htm

Essentially for a $25.00 fee, you can get a photo ID with name, DoB, address, etc that's good for 5 years. It's easy to get and works anywhere (I have one myself).
[/quote]

I have no idea why this didn't come up when I searched it but thank you and it's useful to others who have yet to get a license. Curse you google! But seriously, I'd get one if my father wasn't so adamant about me getting a license =/ It's getting to the point were he's making me cry about it every time he brings it up. Just makes me want to get it more I guess.
[/quote]

Indeed, Google was seriously failing you.

For the 18+ events, since they call for a government-issued ID, you'd need one of the following:
Driver's License
State-issued Photo ID (non-driving ID)
Military ID
Passport

Basically, if it could get you a drink at a bar (assuming you're over 21) or cigarettes at a store (assuming you're over 18), then it probably counts as the same rules apply to those venues.

Sounds like whoever let the paper ID into the 18+ panel dropped the ball. :(
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Post by Kogarashi »

[quote=DolceNeko]What I would like an answer to is the Expired ID rule that is in the FAQs. This I don't get, because I just noticed a few months ago that My ID expired this year and not next like I thought, And I don't have the transportation to go get a new one, and I don't really see the point as it is a non-drivers.[/quote]

Does your state have the option to renew it on line? Try checking the DMV/RMV/whatever website. I know that past states I've lived in allow for renewing driver's licenses online, and possibly for non-driver IDs as well.
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Post by irishangel »

I definately think that some sort of sit down with Hynes security would be good...Friday afternoon, I saw a Hynes staff person bodily drag an elderly woman, who was accidently swept by the crowds through the doors, back into the Pru, all the while yelling at her that she needed a badge to enter the Hynes. The poor woman look absolutely terrified...
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Post by DoubleEdgeSword »

[quote=irishangel]I definately think that some sort of sit down with Hynes security would be good...Friday afternoon, I saw a Hynes staff person bodily drag an elderly women, who was accidently swept by the crowds through the doors, back into the Pru, all the while yelling at her that she needed a badge to enter the Hynes. The poor woman look absolutely terrified...[/quote]

Good god...that makes me sick.
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Post by dstnyskr »

thank you. I completely understand.
I believe though to ensure a good time at this event a certain level of respect and politeness needs to be upheld, which I feel was not particularly given (especially by the MCCA personnel) this year. I have hopes that this will be addressed for the future of Anime boston if not I think I may seek other anime conventions that are run at a much better level and have a larger amount of space.

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Post by dstnyskr »

agreed.
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Post by TetraMaster »

During/After the Evangelion panel I was volunteering to keep "order" I felt so bad to have to try and tell people to squish together nicely. Might I remind you I yelled at nobody! I asked politely. Although I did see some other volunteers yell their mouths off... And once I was in line waiting going into an event and stopped to take a picture... and ran back into the line. Staff pinned me down and yelled at me.
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Post by Yammark »

I remember being yelled at by security a year or 2 ago, and they werent being too nice, I guess maybe they had to be that way to get people to clear out when the hynes was closing...
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Post by President Aria »

[quote=DolceNeko]What I would like an answer to is the Expired ID rule that is in the FAQs. This I don't get, because I just noticed a few months ago that My ID expired this year and not next like I thought, And I don't have the transportation to go get a new one, and I don't really see the point as it is a non-drivers.

Why I am asking is because it has all my info on it. Photo, Birth date and all that jazz. But the forums say I couldn't get into 18+ panels with it. (I didn't even try to see if maybe they would let it slide because I was just so busy and at other things.)

So yeah, just wondering if it has all the information, why does it matter?


[/quote]

It all goes back to Anime Boston's legal liability. Expired IDs are not legal forms of identification. If AB was caught allowing people into 18+ events with expired IDs, they could face legal ramifications. It would be no different from a bar serving someone who used an expired ID, or a store selling cigarettes to someone with one. Whether it makes sense to you or not, the law is the law and Anime Boston can't decide which laws they want to ignore.
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Post by Rox3l »

Honestly, I have never had a problem doing anything up here in NH with it. But I more then likely will have an actually driver's ID by next year, but thanks for answering my question. :)

Most of the staff and guards that I asked for help were very nice. It makes me sad to hear that so many innocent people were yelled at when it was not called for.

I did get caught up in a lot of high traffic areas over the course of the weekend, mainly the smaller halls and around corners. There never seemed to be anyone around to sort it out, but there were lots of guards standing around in bigger spaced places. It got frustrating, especially while trying to run from one autograph session to another.
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Post by Pencil-Hands »

I'm happy I'm not the only one feeling wronged here.

Immediately following the Masq my friend and I (who were both part of the Costume Contest) walked out and went to stand off to the side, against a wall, to gather our things together before moving to a less crowded area.
We both had large costumes (I was Manectric and she was Lopunny) and so carrying things by ourselves is difficult. I had to put my costume head on and then grab my stilts, but hers takes longer to get on. So while waiting for her I just sat there.
I knew people would want photos and so when people ask I just nod my head and then sit.
I guess people were starting to block the area, which I couldn't see because of the limited vision of the costume, when all of a sudden a security guard rudely stormed over yelling "Clear the area! You need to move! Right now!"

I stood up and apologized, saying we would move in just a minute, I was just waiting for my friend. He continued to yell, seeming to simply ignore me, just demanding that I move RIGHT NOW. I tried to explain that I was waiting for my friend to finish gathering her things and we would be happy to move, but that I wasn't leaving her behind.

Thankfully my friend saw what was going on and just sort of scooped all her things up as quickly as she could and we walked off. He did not need to be so rude and demanding though. I know the area was crowded after the event, but his aggression was not necessary.
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Post by TokuBreaker »

i dont suppose it's a gentleman who's about 5 6" - 5 8" wears a white/light gray suit and kind looks like someone out of an 80s movie or somewhat of an italian mob worker? cuz i've seen this one guy at the dances for the past couple of years, who sticks out like a sore thumb who seems to just tell people what to do alot.
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Post by reaper527 »

[quote=Green_Lantern]in MA it's actually very rare that you can buy booze with a paper ID, a paper id can be faked very easily so i can understand why they wouldn't accept it[/quote]

i didn't have any issues with my paper temp license at bars and liquor stores when i turned 21 a few years back (i presented it with a then expired plastic license). i am talking boston bars, not some small town suburb bar or chain restaurant that has a bar as a side thing. when my friends turned 21, they had very similar experiences where just about everyplace accepted an expired plastic license with a valid paper temp license.

a paper id by itself shouldn't be accepted, but it is still a state issued document and it should be accepted in conjunction with another form of id.
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Post by Mama Undertaker »

we all understand that the ration of the con is like 1:500 security to attendees and I know from other things i have gone to that you need to be forceful and demanding to get yourself heard and to get people to listen. But i will say you can be nice and still be forcefull.

The AB Staff was good this year didn't have a single issue but the Hynes staff especially the young woman on the second floor of the convention hall I found to be an issue. I know she was just doing her job and all and I dont think she was fully prepared for the ammount of people she had to deal with but she could have been a bit nicer cause not all the con-goers are kids and not all of us appretiat being treated as such and I also understand its hard to tell who is what age.

I was standing near the info desk waiting to speak to the person she said I had to move. No issue i told her i was waiting at the desk to talk to the persons she gave me a "what ever" look and walked away. I pushed closer to the desk So i was more out of the way (i could only be closer by sitting on it or at the other side). And she came back about 5 minutes later demanding i move, now i am having an issue with her, I was pretty much behind the sign and trash can near the desk.I just told her again I needed something from the desk and she gave me another rude look like, how Dare I not cower away, then stormed away.( i will apologize if it was wrong of me to stand my ground even if it was behind a trashcan and sign.} However, when I was waiting, she was getting very snappy at other con goers yelling at them. It didnt matter if they just stepped off the escalator she was at them yelling to keep moving she was even yelling at people who moved to the stairwell area to get a few pictures to they werent in the flow of traffic.
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Post by ro_buddi »

I forget, in my old age, but do the actual Hynes staff have name/id badges? If folks had tiny golf pencils, they could scratch the offenders name/id # on the back of their own badge, along with a physical description and short account of the incident, to report in the weeks after the event. That way it's not the representatives saying "Your staff was rude to our client base. No, we don't have specific folks, but trust us, it happened."
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Post by Fetch »

That seems to happen EVERY year with people leaving the Masquerade.

Maybe they should just put up a nice sign: NO STOPPING HERE. Since they apparently don't want ANYONE standing there at all for any reason except Security.

the spot off to the right would be where people could take photos of the masquerade winners. But the MCCA guards would always yell at everyone to KEEP MOVING! MOVE! YOU CAN'T STAY HERE! (that's how it sounds to me every year). This year there was a table blocking that area, and the MCCA guards were even more bossy. As soon as you stepped out of the auditorium, they were screaming at people to MOVE.

I don't even want to imagine how they'll be next year, being stretched to their limits between the Hynes and the BCEC.
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Post by LeeleeTheBunny »

[quote=DolceNeko]What I would like an answer to is the Expired ID rule that is in the FAQs. This I don't get, because I just noticed a few months ago that My ID expired this year and not next like I thought, And I don't have the transportation to go get a new one, and I don't really see the point as it is a non-drivers.

Why I am asking is because it has all my info on it. Photo, Birth date and all that jazz. But the forums say I couldn't get into 18+ panels with it. (I didn't even try to see if maybe they would let it slide because I was just so busy and at other things.)

So yeah, just wondering if it has all the information, why does it matter?


On the subject of being yelled at, the only instance I can recall is the woman who yelled at people for lining up before the 30 minute mark for autographs. Which I get why she did it but I felt like a little kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar. ^^; [/quote]

I know it doesn't offer a huge amount of help in getting your answer, but I do know that expired ID's are not disposed of once you get a new one. That means that theoretically someone else could use your expired ID to get into 18+ events or buy alcohol or whatever while you use your valid one. This just one of the reason why we do not accept them. It is also illegal to accept them and while it might be annoying, it's something we need to abide by.

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Post by Pendot »

I have one good interaction with security, one iffy interaction, and two ones that left very bad tastes in my mouth.

First, the good one. On Friday, I was wandering around with my friend. Now, as we had a panel to do on Saturday, we decided to go check out the room our panel was going to be in. I was dressed as Suit (William T. Spears' circus outfit) at the time, and had not yet had a chance to go get my death scythe bonded yet. I get up the elevator and was stopped by one of the security members, this very nice, older looking African American woman. She mistook me for a man, and I had to explain to her that that was a good thing, and she gave me directions to the security room. The next time I saw her next she kind of hid her face. I wanted to go over and give her a hug.

Like other people have mentioned before, I was at the meeting near the shoeshine area for the Kuroshitsuji shoot on either Friday or Saturday (there were two, and iffy things happened to both of them), and because I had just gotten out of a panel, I was being the group's 'megaphone' and I was the one who told everyone to clear out. Not five seconds after I had told everyone this, a man in an orange shirt comes over to me, asking me if this was a photoshoot. I remember telling him that it was, but that we were moving. He ignored me, and told me that if we didn't clear out in five seconds, he'd start claiming badges. I being the coward that I was, booked it away from him as fast as I could. I think this happened before the Friday shoot, because I remember not wanting to have my badge confiscated because I still had a panel to help run.

The iffy experience was Saturday, I believe. A group of friends and I had gone to the food court. In the center were a group of people dancing, and one person had a boom box playing a variety of nerd songs, such as the Pokemon theme or the theme to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. This was going on when we got there, and continued after we left. I believe we were there for at least forty minutes, because I went and claimed a table for my friends who had to wait in wicked long lines to get food. Anyways, a smaller group of my friends went to go get security, because these people weren't just loitering, they were also disturbing people who WEREN'T a part of the con.

I didn't go with them, I ate french fries instead, but from what they told me, the con security told them that there was nothing they could do since these people weren't actually in the con center. This is something that I think should be addressed for future cons, because I know that I, personally, get very very anxious around large crowds, and that loud noises do not help my anxiety in the least.

The final run-in I had with security happened on Sunday morning. One of my co-hosts for the Kuroshitsuji panel was also in the Cosplay Chess, and since she had had a panel to run and was just a special attack piece, she had stayed at the rehearsal for Cosplay Chess for fifteen minutes then left. Apparently, she had needed a special badge to get in early on Sunday morning for the dress rehearsal, but the security guard at the door turned her away. When she attempted to explain the situation to him, he completely ignored her. It got so bad that she was forced to call the Cosplay Chess coordinator, and (I wasn't here for this, I had left to pack), apparently the guard gave her grief as well.

TL;DR: PEOPLE SKILLS. SECURITY NEED THEM TOO!
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Post by genibane »

My sister and I actually abstained this year, for several reasons. One of them being the increasing rude behavior of security staff, last year the worst for us being the Hynes staff. We actually made a complaint to the Hynes regarding one security staff's behavior. By reading these posts, I know we made the right decision, and it's a relief, because I had regretted not coming, but not anymore!
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Re: yelled at by police/security countless times.

Post by toranize »

Not to speak for my Boss, Shamus...
Regarding Security Staff, Hynes Security, and other Security-related issues.

Expired IDs: In the eyes of the law, these are "False Identification". An ID ceases to be an ID at all as soon as it expires. (Passports are sometimes limited exceptions. Shamus?)

Hynes Security:
Except for those Hynes Security officers who had previously worked Anime Boston, more of the "new blood" didn't seem to be tracking well. Attendees weren't the only ones to receive a tongue-lashing from some of the more..."Over-enthusiastic" Hynes security members.

Prudential Mall issues:
AB Security only has jurisdiction over the Hynes and the parts of the Sheraton that the convention is extant in. We have NO jurisdiction in the Prudential Mall (nor would we want it, we have enough to do!) If you have a problem in the Prudential Mall, you would do well to bring it to the attention of one of their Security officers.

Anime Boston Security:
Not all of us are saints. Additionally, not all attendees pay attention...to anything. I try very hard not to abuse the attendees who follow the rules. When I do insult or offend, I try very hard to apologize before haring off to the next emergency.

That being said, certain things should be noted:
Sitting in a group in a hall - This makes me cringe. Yes the hall is "deserted", but in an emergency (fire alarm being the most common) it will fill up with remarkable speed. If you are in a group that is more than 4-5 feet from any wall, the possibility of getting crushed is very real. Most crowds (statistically speaking) will head for the center of the hall (herd mentality). That little bit of breathing room (being close to the walls), will allow you to gain your feet and not get (literally) run over and trampled underfoot.
Dead Ends and Alcoves are less susceptible to this effect.

End of the Masquerade - About 15-20 minutes before the end, Security tries very hard to get people to leave the areas of the entrances. Unfortunately, an open space is like a vacuum - it attracts more people who just want to stand there. Once the doors open, people begin streaming out...and stop about 10 feet from the doors. This happens all the time. Speaking nicely works sometimes...if you can be heard over the rushing crowd. And sometimes it doesn't. (I have heard: "But I'm waiting for..." I understand this, but what about the 7568 other individuals who are just trying to exit the hall? Setting up a place to meet after the Masq (far away from the Auditorium) helps this.)

The Bullhorn - I don't use the thing, can't stand it actually. Anybody got a hammer?

We post simple rules every year, yet (it seems) no one bothers to read them:
Have your badge out and visible at all times (this includes when in costume), preferably around your neck. (it can be flipped over your shoulder for those "perfect" photos)

Have all props, weapons, de-militarized handgrenades, and anything else that looks like it could remotely hurt someone checked at Security HQ. This doesn't mean make us come to you. (You brought it with you, now be responsible and have security verify it can't be used to hurt the rest of us.)

Please do not run. This privilege is reserved for AB Staff who are in a hurry.

Autograph line - Please do not line up more than 30 minutes before the autograph session you wish to attend. (This isn't my rule, this is convention policy. It is in the Handbook and on the website.)

Attendee to Security ratio: 250-275:1 (This is total, since we all aren't on duty at the same time, this is only ideal.)
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Re: yelled at by police/security countless times.

Post by genibane »

A BTW for AB staff, Just attended Otakon, over 30,000 people attended, 10,000 more than attended this years AB and the staff? Excellent. So please, no excuses just because of large numbers of people. Polite and friendly service does exist in these situations.
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Re: yelled at by police/security countless times.

Post by MerchMaven »

genibane wrote:A BTW for AB staff, Just attended Otakon, over 30,000 people attended, 10,000 more than attended this years AB and the staff? Excellent. So please, no excuses just because of large numbers of people. Polite and friendly service does exist in these situations.
The phrase "Your milage may vary" is always in effect. On the Otakon forums, there are those saying that the staff was excellent, others saying that it was horrid. Part of it has to do with the staff that is encountered, at what times, and what events, but the only common variable to your experiences is you, and how you conduct yourself.

We are always striving to learn from our mistakes, and both the compliments and complaints that are presented here, and hopefully your time at both AB and Otakon will serve you well in attending cons in the future.
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Re: yelled at by police/security countless times.

Post by keyblademaster »

Well Anime Boston 2011 was my first con., so I was new at it. Plus I felt pretty comfordable with the security around. I did find them helpfull especially when they told me were to register my weapon (which was a styrofoam duct tape keyblade), which I kind of got lost at trying to find the room to register it. I'm such a noob :lol: .
However there was this one instence when me and 4 of my friends did get asked to move when we were on the side of the hallway. I just find it kind of weird because we weren't blocking anything, but we didn't complain and we listened. Not complaining because we did move and all in all one time out of possibly a hundred times walking into the security people wasn't really all that bad. It was a fun time and can't wait for next year. :)
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