Anime Boston 2014 General feedback thread

[Fetch]

People getting in line for events way too early and AB security letting them.
This happened at Cosplay Chess. I went by there at 8am and there was already a line. Guy at front said AB security said it was ok. AB security came around again and told him to move. He didn't, saying that AB security had said it was ok.

A simple way to handle this: have one AB security person watching the front of the line for each event. Don't switch who is watching the line one hour to the next. It should lessen confusion.


There was one problem at Masq, Cosplay Chess, and Closing Events: the screens on the sides of the stage has their brightness set too high. Please be sure to check that next year.

[NSilverwolf]

There was one problem at Masq, Cosplay Chess, and Closing Events: the screens on the sides of the stage has their brightness set too high. Please be sure to check that next year.

Can you elaborate on what exactly you mean? The screens on the side were actually a little dark, but offsetting that against the LED wall was something we struggled with getting relatively even. Because there is a difference between projecting an image and what you see on the LED wall, there will always be some level of difference between the two.

The LED wall was turned down 65-75% (depending on the event) from its full capacity brightness so if you thought the center screen was brighter, it definitely was (to a degree on purpose...I wanted to show off how nice it looks).

[lordshamus]

For the first time in years, I have to report something very annoying--and I assign most if not all the blame to the Hynes staff.

The incident occurred on Friday morning, before the doors opened. According to con schedule, screenings started promptly at 9:00 am, and there appeared to be some sort of problem letting people through the main door inside the mall complex. AB Security suggested that we leave the building and go to the rear door on Boylston St. where "there shouldn't be a line". Okay, I could handle a couple of minutes' walk outside without a coat.

We get outside and find a line already forming--and not moving. Mind you, a good number of us were in (short) shirtsleeves in about 37-degree weather, with a good stiff breeze blowing down the street. Well, I thought, screenings start at 9, so we should be moving any moment.

Wrong.

8:45--no movement.
8:50--no movement.
9:00--no movement.


At this point, we can see con attendees through the first-floor windows, and tempers outside are starting to get short, including my own. I'm a very patient man by nature, but this was absurd.

The doors did not open until 9:15. Those at the head of the line were there in the cold a good half hour or more.

I have no idea what Hynes staff was thinking; the only excuse I could think of is that they were not informed that events inside started at 9:00; somehow, I find that unlikely. And please remember that I do not hold the AB Security staffer in any way responsible; he was just trying to be helpful.

We always try to increase the efficiency with which we communicate with our partners, and usually they are wonderful to work with. The reason I'm responding to you, though, is to thank you so, so, so, so much for making the distinction between security hired by the venue and my poor precious cherubs. I can't tell you how much it means to me when somebody bothers with that. I've met you, so I know you're a pretty cool dude anyhow, but I just wanted to acknowledge this.

That being said, there are certainly things that could have been done on our part to catch that and facilitate movement, so I am sorry, and I promise you that we will consider such scenarios in the future, perhaps by having someone physically confirm both entrances are ready to go ten minutes before the scheduled open time.

[lordshamus]

I think the staff handled lines much better this year and I'm happy they went with a no-bag line. The treatment of handicapped people seemed a lot better too.

But there was one staff member on the first day when I went up to (in my wheelchair) at the front of the big line asking for help to get in who just looked at me, told me the bagline started all the way down in the Sheraton and I had to go back. I did (even though how in the world would you expect me to stay in line when I was in a wheelchair and would have to go up steps?) and then a person at the back told me I didn't have to and brought me up front and a different security member let me through. It was just a bit of inconvenience and poor communication. Something else that bothered me were some security members not speaking loud enough. I forgot my badge for something and was texting someone to come bring it to me. The member asked me to move to the side of the line (even though I already was and not blocking anyone) and wasn't very loud, then seemingly got annoyed when she had to repeat herself.

Next year I would recommend remind your staff that in a noisy place that someone at eye level is also someone not at ear level. I still might not have heard her standing, but it can be hard to hear someone standing above you even more when there's a lot going on. Also that there are some people hard of hearing anyway, so if they have to repeat themselves to not get annoyed so quickly. I know they're only human but so are people in the line. It happens more often that people don't hear/pay attention for them but it's not always from just ignorance.

Something that I didn't go through but was told to me, my uncle went to the SNK viewing thing, and though he got in because he was in a wheelchair, he told me that they didn't do a room clear from what was in there before and there were apparently a lot of people who didn't get in line who were clearly agitated. Even though there was another showing the next day, that was seriously not cool.

It's a tough balancing act to maintain sometimes, being loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to make you guys feel like we're yelling at you like a bunch of jerrrrrks. Plus, the Mall Security were totally intimidated by my ENLOUDENATOR (megaphone) and asked us not to use it on our largest line, so that made things sort of dicey, too. I will definitely review projecting our voices with the team.

As for room clears, those are done on some panels to maximize fairness to people who choose only ONE of two popular panels, and it's a little more complex than it might seem to determine which ones should get cleared and when. Sometimes we donk it up. I'm sorry to hear that some folks missed out on a panel they wanted, but I do know that the good folks in Programming pore over data about which panels were most popular when trying to figure out who to give bigger rooms to, so hopefully if somebody missed something this year they'll be able to get in next time.

[lordshamus]

Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out, so when I went back to the con, I told MCAA security what had happened and they basically said it wasn't their problem unless she actually came into the Hynes. I went to the Info desk on the 2nd floor and told them what happened, and they promptly called AB security who said that while it wasn't technically their jurisdiction that they could pass the info along to the Pru/Marriott's security and even offered me an escort back to my hotel if I felt uncomfortable walking alone. I can't tell you guys enough how awesome you are for your professional response to this situation and I am so happy that AB has such awesome people on their staff. Thanks to Info Desk ladies for giving me gummy colas and letting me watch subbed Attack on Titan with them while I waited for security.

The Mission Statement for Anime Boston Security is "To facilitate the having of safe, yet awesome, times by our attendees." Any way we can do this is our pleasure, and I am glad that you had a positive experience.

[President Aria]

I'm not sure where to put this, but I do have a minor complaint in regards to the good sold at the Anime Boston booth. Whoever you use for printing your shirts, I don't approve of their idea of sizes. I'm pretty much on the border between 2x and 3x with shirt sizes, but when the 3x that I bought from you fits exactly the same as the 2x's I buy from sites like J-List, there's just plain something wrong with that. I'm glad I went with the 3x, because the 3x fits pretty snug for something that size, so I know that if I had bought a 2x, it wouldn't fit at all, unless I was going for the skin tight look. Please pass that along to whatever company prints your shirts. There really should be an industry standard where if you buy a 2x from company A, it'll fit exactly the same as one you buy from companies B-Z.

[pulsedemon]

That happens a lot, actually. If you buy American Apparel, for example, they always seem to run about a half-size small. I find a lot of shirts aren't as long as I'd like, either. It seems to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from 'model' to 'model' from a single manufacturer. I don't have anything to do with getting the shirts made, but I have worn a few shirts in my time and I've noticed the same kind of thing you're talking about in all shirts.

[President Aria]

Oh, I know, I wasn't trying to say that holy cow AB is the ONLY place EVER that I've had a shirt not fit as advertised But, I was just saying that I personally do not care for whomever you're using to print up the shirts because they are running, as you said, about a half size too small. I'll just remember to always buy the larger size in the future, unless I happen to lose a lot of weight between now and the next con, of course.

[striker923]

I'm not sure where to put this, but I do have a minor complaint in regards to the good sold at the Anime Boston booth. Whoever you use for printing your shirts, I don't approve of their idea of sizes. I'm pretty much on the border between 2x and 3x with shirt sizes, but when the 3x that I bought from you fits exactly the same as the 2x's I buy from sites like J-List, there's just plain something wrong with that. I'm glad I went with the 3x, because the 3x fits pretty snug for something that size, so I know that if I had bought a 2x, it wouldn't fit at all, unless I was going for the skin tight look. Please pass that along to whatever company prints your shirts. There really should be an industry standard where if you buy a 2x from company A, it'll fit exactly the same as one you buy from companies B-Z.

If you are concerned about this issue next year, please feel free to buy whatever size think fits you best. If you then want to go to the restroom, try it on, and you find that the other size may be better fitting, we are more than happy to let you exchange it for the other size. (Provided we still have have them in stock, so I would suggest doing this Friday afternoon).

[President Aria]

That's good to know, actually. I generally buy up my AB merchandise on Friday for the very reason that I want to be sure I can get something in my size, so I am happy to hear that you do allow for exchanges. Thank you for informing me of that.

[Fetch]

There was one problem at Masq, Cosplay Chess, and Closing Events: the screens on the sides of the stage has their brightness set too high. Please be sure to check that next year.

Can you elaborate on what exactly you mean? The screens on the side were actually a little dark, but offsetting that against the LED wall was something we struggled with getting relatively even. Because there is a difference between projecting an image and what you see on the LED wall, there will always be some level of difference between the two.

The LED wall was turned down 65-75% (depending on the event) from its full capacity brightness so if you thought the center screen was brighter, it definitely was (to a degree on purpose...I wanted to show off how nice it looks).

Other way around. The side screens were brighter compared to the LED wall.
Very telling during Chess, when the white squares on the board & the LED wall, when viewed on the screen, were blinding white.

[Don Julio]

I must say i miss when AB security used to do Weapons check over hynes security, i know its a safety thing with the hynes doing it..but ive had my props destroyed twice and obnoxious tags in places that ruins pictures...i know it depends who is behind the table but thats the thing they have no consistency

[lordshamus]

I must say i miss when AB security used to do Weapons check over hynes security, i know its a safety thing with the hynes doing it..but ive had my props destroyed twice and obnoxious tags in places that ruins pictures...i know it depends who is behind the table but thats the thing they have no consistency

Ha ha, just between you and me and this entire public forum, I liked it better when we were doing it, too.

[sylvrkatk]

I've been going to anime boston for 6 years now and usually end up having the weekend of my life. I've been taking my younger cousins in recent years and chaperone them for the weekend so we can share our love of all things anime and awesomeness.

That being said, I have to say, this is the first year I have anything negative to say about the convention. I've seen these problems posted a few times before mine, but I'll add my experience in hopes they can be rectified.

1. Lines-where/when do they start?!
Last year I had no problem with the bag check line-I understand its importance and the people who work it need to be as thorough as possible to keep us safe. Again, I don't have a problem with it. But when the entry is supposed to start at a certain time, and then gets held up--that does not make for happy con-goers. believe me. Delay isn't even the main reason for this comment, but it does play into it. See, when someone is portraying a character with, lets say, fewer layers on?- it's not easy to wait in line for long periods of time, especially with the weather that we had. I'm a larger girl, but I was almost in tears after having to wait OUTSIDE in the wind on Saturday for forever and a day because the line wasn't moving efficiently. My cousin is a twig, hardly an ounce of fat on her, and was positively shaking like a leaf after we were told by line staff that the bag check line ended outside. Please come up with a more weather friendly/attendee friendly method when considering line management.
Also, when looking to line up for the masquerade, I had to ask multiple people if they were in line or if they were just hanging out/ resting against the wall (this was about an hour before it started, so I was within the time boundaries to line up). Half of the people were just resting. Is there a possibility of a rule that if you need to rest, it not be in the same area as where lines forms? It gets very confusing when you go down an entire line only to find out that the official line ended 20 feet earlier. And the "Line Ends Here" individuals seemed very confused this year--they were nowhere near at the end of the lines from where I could see.

2) Staff/volunteers
Again, having to wait in line for the masquerade was difficult for me this year, but made even more so by the staff/volunteers outside the artists alley. There was one person in particular, an older lady, who was very abrupt and rude when cutting off the line so people could pass into the alley. Her over all demeanor was extremely off putting, and I was tempted many times to just leave the line because of her attitude. I understand that the pathway needed to be clear for other traffic, but the way she handled the situation could have been better.
Also, it seemed like NONE of the volunteers were clear in what they were supposed to be doing-when I asked questions as to whether they had started seating yet, or what the reason for the delay was, they had no idea, shrugged it off and walked away. (It turns out one of the panels had run long). The same situation happened when I lined up for the AMVs. If there is anyway to better inform your staff/volunteers, please consider it.

That being said, I had a pretty good time the rest of the con.

[Maydog]

Just a few suggestions and Fyi Our family had a great time and have been attending for many years driving up from NYC.

Bag Check: Not a good idea to have volunteers checking bags. It's not appropriate to physically search attendees bags. They need to ask the the bag owners to move contents so they can view and should do so with flashlights.
MCCA have the authority to search but are also required to ask. Overall the check was polite quick and efficient.

Line up for Bag Check: Not a good idea to have the line up directed outside in harsh weather. Volunteers moved the line up into the outer corridor. Since the temperature outside was very cold, really requiring outerwear. This makes the attendee feel that the convention was not sensitive to the attendees. Remember, all attendees should be treated with respect and courtesy at all times by volunteers.

Volunteer identification : All convention volunteers, including assigned MCCA, and Sheraton staff need to wear identification badges displaying their names while representing the convention. Many were not and therefore attendees are under no obligation to follow their direction. Wearing the convention T shirt is good but the id must be worn. When on their own time, T shirt should be removed as not to confuse that they are on duty and accessible for assistance.

US Army on site in Dealers Room: Not a good idea. Representatives were walking through the crowds aggressively attempting to recruit people. What does this have to do with Anime exactly?
Everyone was talking about it and not in a positive way.

Crunchy Roll and Funimation bait and switch.: Both vendors attempted to draw attendees with offer of free items such as posters or bands. But when you spoke to representatives they said the offer was free as long as you sign up for their service as a premium or,Ellte member. This is a violation of consumer affairs regulations.

Bootleg: it still amazes me each year that some dealers are allowed to sell bootleg items at outrageous prices that have no real value and cheat the attendees. The Society needs to take a more proactive roll in certifying the vendors in the dealers room. Attendees should feel comfortable kneeling that they are dealing with reputable dealers selling genuine items.

By the way many store workers in the Prudential Stores in the Mall were extremely concerned about the success of the convention. They appear to really appreciate the business they receive from the convention goers.
The downed economy has made many of them concerned. I think we did our best to let them know that Anime Boston will be around for a long long tong time and we made sure we purchased items in their stores to show our appreciation. I would like to suggest all attendees please continue to support the local merchants in the area who depend on the convention. Especially in light of the tragic incident last year.
Our Family would like to thank the Anime Society for continuing to move forward and putting on a great convention.
We look forward to it every year because bottom line it's the people,that make the convention.
Thank you for all the conversations and memories. Thank you AB, and THANK YOU BOSTON !

[pulsedemon]

US Army on site in Dealers Room: Not a good idea. Representatives were walking through the crowds aggressively attempting to recruit people. What does this have to do with Anime exactly?
Everyone was talking about it and not in a positive way.

There are quite a few exhibitors that have things that aren't 'anime'. In the past, we've rented space to financial planners, jewelers, fast food retailers, and local film festivals, among others. Naturally, not everything in the halls will appeal to everyone. Anything Doctor Who, My Little Pony, or 'hilarious' 'parody' doesn't appeal to me, personally, for example.

Crunchy Roll and Funimation bait and switch.: Both vendors attempted to draw attendees with offer of free items such as posters or bands. But when you spoke to representatives they said the offer was free as long as you sign up for their service as a premium or,Ellte member. This is a violation of consumer affairs regulations.

Offering an incentive promotion for a purchase or a subscription is a common practice. Anyone could still walk away once they heard the full details of an offer with no loss or commitment. If AT&T offered you a free poster and then changed your phone service with the explanation that you accepting that free thing constituted approval of their actions, that would be illegal. If The Sharper Image mailed you a thing you didn't order and then invoiced you and sent you to collections to elicit payment, that would also be illegal. 'Bait and switch' refers to the practice of advertising something at one price and then selling you something different at a different (typically higher) price. If you went to a store to buy their advertised Sony DVD player and instead were sold a Neiltek DVD player at a higher price, that would be bait-and-switch.

Bootleg: it still amazes me each year that some dealers are allowed to sell bootleg items at outrageous prices that have no real value and cheat the attendees. The Society needs to take a more proactive roll in certifying the vendors in the dealers room. Attendees should feel comfortable kneeling that they are dealing with reputable dealers selling genuine items.

We do police the room, but there are a lot of things to check and it's always possible we could miss things. In another thread on here, for example, I clearly demonstrated my lack of knowledge about plush alpaca. If there's something specific you notice, we're definitely happy to investigate. There's one booth where, for example, I told them on Friday to remove probably 60% to 70% of everything they had out. They were fine for the rest of the weekend and I can say that because I checked. Personally, I like to try to educate and maybe cultivate better exhibitors by not being quite as stringent as I could be in the 'screening' process. It's an expensive lesson to learn, of course, so there's a distinct possibility returning in the future proves to be not worth their time. There are several exhibitors that we work with on a regular basis that 'used to be' problems in this regard in the past. I'd like to think that our efforts have played a part in that. Naturally, I can't control what someone does at another show, of course, so it could be that someone only learns the lesson of what to not bring to Boston. If we limit the pool of 'authorized' exhibitors too much, there's the very real possibility of reduced competition and that fact driving prices higher. Most of the people in that room know each other and know what to expect from their neighbors and how to coordinate with each other. That's not always a bad thing, as someone might help out another exhibitor by reselling them some things at our show and receiving a reciprocal 'service' from them at another show. It helps save on freight and warehousing overhead costs, for example. At the same time, that kind of relationship could be abused to form cartel-like supply agreements.

[Luscia]

I had a wonderful time this year, but there really was one big let down for me and that was attempting to get an autograph. My BF, a friend of ours and I were heading to get Wendee Lee's autograph and our friend told us the wrong location. Even if we didn't have to circle about the convention center again to get to the proper location we still wouldn't have made it. The session was to take place at 3:30 and we left our room in the Westin around 2:50ish. My BF and I make it to where it should be and saw no line, when we asked a staffer member they said she was all done for the day. It was 10minutes after it was scheduled to start. Why have the session on the schedule blocked out for an hour and a half if it's only going to fill a quota of certain people?

If I had to nit-pick one other thing it would be the timing of certain events. I competed in the AMV contest this year and though I didn't make it to the finals it would be played in the overflow. My BF and friends were happy to go with me to see it as they were curious about it, but my category's overflow started within the last 15minutes of the chess match. Thankfully we did see it (I was giddy to see it on a bigger screen lol), but there was a good chance we would have missed it.

Above all though I had a great time and look forward to the convention in years to come.

[starryspatter]

If I had to nit-pick one other thing it would be the timing of certain events. I competed in the AMV contest this year and though I didn't make it to the finals it would be played in the overflow. My BF and friends were happy to go with me to see it as they were curious about it, but my category's overflow started within the last 15minutes of the chess match. Thankfully we did see it (I was giddy to see it on a bigger screen lol), but there was a good chance we would have missed it.

I had a similar experience as I went to the AMV Iron Editor panel for the first time, which ended right before the Other Overflow. While my Drama entry made the finals, I was curious to see the response to my second submission as well. (There were some weird technical issues with both of them though.) Also wanted to see the Iron Editor results though so I decided to stay a few minutes overtime to watch the final products, which were awesome. Ended up being a little late to the Overflow, but luckily I didn't miss my video either.

Anyway, a shout-out to the Iron Editor teams and hosts, you guys did a great job and it was a lot of fun to watch and learn. =)

P.S. Please give them a bigger room next year!

[Maydog]

US Army on site in Dealers Room: Not a good idea. Representatives were walking through the crowds aggressively attempting to recruit people. What does this have to do with Anime exactly?
Everyone was talking about it and not in a positive way.

There are quite a few exhibitors that have things that aren't 'anime'. In the past, we've rented space to financial planners, jewelers, fast food retailers, and local film festivals, among others. Naturally, not everything in the halls will appeal to everyone. Anything Doctor Who, My Little Pony, or 'hilarious' 'parody' doesn't appeal to me, personally, for example.

Crunchy Roll and Funimation bait and switch.: Both vendors attempted to draw attendees with offer of free items such as posters or bands. But when you spoke to representatives they said the offer was free as long as you sign up for their service as a premium or,Ellte member. This is a violation of consumer affairs regulations.

Offering an incentive promotion for a purchase or a subscription is a common practice. Anyone could still walk away once they heard the full details of an offer with no loss or commitment. If AT&T offered you a free poster and then changed your phone service with the explanation that you accepting that free thing constituted approval of their actions, that would be illegal. If The Sharper Image mailed you a thing you didn't order and then invoiced you and sent you to collections to elicit payment, that would also be illegal. 'Bait and switch' refers to the practice of advertising something at one price and then selling you something different at a different (typically higher) price. If you went to a store to buy their advertised Sony DVD player and instead were sold a Neiltek DVD player at a higher price, that would be bait-and-switch.

Bootleg: it still amazes me each year that some dealers are allowed to sell bootleg items at outrageous prices that have no real value and cheat the attendees. The Society needs to take a more proactive roll in certifying the vendors in the dealers room. Attendees should feel comfortable kneeling that they are dealing with reputable dealers selling genuine items.

We do police the room, but there are a lot of things to check and it's always possible we could miss things. In another thread on here, for example, I clearly demonstrated my lack of knowledge about plush alpaca. If there's something specific you notice, we're definitely happy to investigate. There's one booth where, for example, I told them on Friday to remove probably 60% to 70% of everything they had out. They were fine for the rest of the weekend and I can say that because I checked. Personally, I like to try to educate and maybe cultivate better exhibitors by not being quite as stringent as I could be in the 'screening' process. It's an expensive lesson to learn, of course, so there's a distinct possibility returning in the future proves to be not worth their time. There are several exhibitors that we work with on a regular basis that 'used to be' problems in this regard in the past. I'd like to think that our efforts have played a part in that. Naturally, I can't control what someone does at another show, of course, so it could be that someone only learns the lesson of what to not bring to Boston. If we limit the pool of 'authorized' exhibitors too much, there's the very real possibility of reduced competition and that fact driving prices higher. Most of the people in that room know each other and know what to expect from their neighbors and how to coordinate with each other. That's not always a bad thing, as someone might help out another exhibitor by reselling them some things at our show and receiving a reciprocal 'service' from them at another show. It helps save on freight and warehousing overhead costs, for example. At the same time, that kind of relationship could be abused to form cartel-like supply agreements.

Well...The Army recruiters were running down the aisles harassing the cos players. This might have served the attendees better by having them outside the convention in the Prudential Center as opposed to doing this in the body of the convention inside the dealers room. You can attempt to justify it any way you want, however I heard many complaints from the attendees and you really need to listen to their voices. Its' not all about selling the table.

When something is offered and it is free, then it is supposed to be free. You don't then say oh now it's free if you by something. I understand that Funimation Industry was the majority of the entertainment so you may be defensive about it, but Crunchy Roll and Funimation were particularly pompous and obnoxious about it during the Convention. They approached the attendees with the attitude that well if you are not buying the subscription then they had no further use to communicate with you and would walk away from you...next.

No bootleg items should be at the Convention period. There is no excuse for taking the hard earned money that especially many young kids save up for all year and then cheat them out of it. I'm not talking about a couple of dollars. I'm talking about $100 plus. It's the Conventions responsibility to make sure this does not happen. No excuse any way you slice it. It you are not able to identify the bootleg items then you need to have someone in place who can. Otherwise the word goes out and eventually no one will go the the Convention.

[lordshamus]

No bootleg items should be at the Convention period. There is no excuse for taking the hard earned money that especially many young kids save up for all year and then cheat them out of it. I'm not talking about a couple of dollars. I'm talking about $100 plus. It's the Conventions responsibility to make sure this does not happen. No excuse any way you slice it. It you are not able to identify the bootleg items then you need to have someone in place who can. Otherwise the word goes out and eventually no one will go the the Convention.

I appreciate your concern, and we are on your side. But there is no convention anywhere in the world who is more aggressive with bootleg curbstomps. Christian was chasing them off the dealers room floor before any other convention in the country even pretended to care about it, and there is still no convention of remotely comparable size today with a smaller percentage of bootlegs(*). It's something we're known for taking a hard line on, and we get better at it every year. 100% bootleg free is always the goal, but I think it's a little unreasonable to make it the baseline expectation. Back in the day, 90% of what you'd find in a dealers room was bootlegs. Things continue to improve, and we can absolutely guarantee that it's something we continue to strive for. Christian is quite literally the best person you could have in charge of this stuff, though. No joke, he is rad at it. If he brought in a subcontractor to do it for him as you suggest, it would result in a loss of efficacy unless the subcontractor was The Bat-man. And while I feel in the interests for full disclosure I must concede that The Bat-man might be able to eradicate bootlegs, if we hired him for anything I would absolutely want him working Security instead.

(*) - source : The hearts of children everywhere.

[pulsedemon]

I would also recognize the Bat-man's talents and willingly recommend he helps our Security team before helping my team.

Well...The Army recruiters were running down the aisles harassing the cos players. This might have served the attendees better by having them outside the convention in the Prudential Center as opposed to doing this in the body of the convention inside the dealers room. You can attempt to justify it any way you want, however I heard many complaints from the attendees and you really need to listen to their voices. Its' not all about selling the table.

We take all reports of harassment very seriously, but to the best of my knowledge, we received none about the US Army Recruiters while we were at the show. This is the first I'm hearing about it. I would strongly encourage you to contact our Security team via our contact form to file a report with details. http://www.animeboston.com/coninfo/contact/

We operate this show as a non-profit corporation with 100% volunteer efforts based on plans with a razor-thin margin. Unfortunately, renting the space has to be a concern. The Army Recruiters were able to fill the booth on two days' notice when someone else had to cancel.

No bootleg items should be at the Convention period. There is no excuse for taking the hard earned money that especially many young kids save up for all year and then cheat them out of it. I'm not talking about a couple of dollars. I'm talking about $100 plus. It's the Conventions responsibility to make sure this does not happen. No excuse any way you slice it. It you are not able to identify the bootleg items then you need to have someone in place who can. Otherwise the word goes out and eventually no one will go the the Convention.

Shamus exaggerates to a degree, but anyone running a show of approximately this size will echo the difficulties in identifying and removing every single problem item before the doors open. As I mentioned, I do tend to prefer to try to improve the overall community by giving people a chance, but when things are in the room here at the show and we catch them, things are removed. The word that tends to get out after 12 years of running the show is really among the exhibitors in this regard and people tend to clean up their acts for our show. Shamus was correct in recounting the past and that is also, unfortunately, still the present at some smaller 'regional' shows and at some for-profit shows around the country.

I prefer to give a frank and clear explanation about how things work 'behind the scenes' on this show, but it feels like we're already into a circular conversation here. I'm not sure there's anything else that can explain things any clearer at this point. I appreciate your feedback.

[Maydog]

No bootleg items should be at the Convention period. There is no excuse for taking the hard earned money that especially many young kids save up for all year and then cheat them out of it. I'm not talking about a couple of dollars. I'm talking about $100 plus. It's the Conventions responsibility to make sure this does not happen. No excuse any way you slice it. It you are not able to identify the bootleg items then you need to have someone in place who can. Otherwise the word goes out and eventually no one will go the the Convention.

I appreciate your concern, and we are on your side. But there is no convention anywhere in the world who is more aggressive with bootleg curbstomps. Christian was chasing them off the dealers room floor before any other convention in the country even pretended to care about it, and there is still no convention of remotely comparable size today with a smaller percentage of bootlegs(*). It's something we're known for taking a hard line on, and we get better at it every year. 100% bootleg free is always the goal, but I think it's a little unreasonable to make it the baseline expectation. Back in the day, 90% of what you'd find in a dealers room was bootlegs. Things continue to improve, and we can absolutely guarantee that it's something we continue to strive for. Christian is quite literally the best person you could have in charge of this stuff, though. No joke, he is rad at it. If he brought in a subcontractor to do it for him as you suggest, it would result in a loss of efficacy unless the subcontractor was The Bat-man. And while I feel in the interests for full disclosure I must concede that The Bat-man might be able to eradicate bootlegs, if we hired him for anything I would absolutely want him working Security instead.

Very simple. Just walk the floor and go to every dealer. What is so hard about that? Just like you are going shopping. You will then be able to obviously see who is attempting to sell bootleg merchandise. You could even do this during the dealer set up. If one person is cheated then that is one person too many. Especially when there is such an easy way to stop it. You seem to be a little out of touch. Are you really walking the floor? Also what is being stated is actually the opposite. There were definitely less bootleg issues occurring years back at AB. In the bootleg forum one attendee mentions that security was advised of a bootleg situation and did nothing. I am beginning to think that AB thinks it's ok to look the other way as long as the table is sold. I did notice many interesting dealers that used to attend no longer there. Leaving the regular same old boring ones who just travel from convention to convention every year. You might as well just purchase what you want directly from Goodsmile or AmiAmi. At least you know you would be purchasing the genuine article.


(*) - source : The hearts of children everywhere.

[Naokichan]

I'm not sure where to post this but I feel like I had been cheated out of a lot of money by one booth. I have bought from this booth every year I've gone and never had a problem with their prices (i end up finding the same ones for sale online for the same price).

This past year I had bought one particular item for $115 at the booth the first day of the con. It didn't come to my attention till recently that the same item that I had bought is being sold brand new on ebay for much cheaper. I had paid three times that much at the booth for a used copy.

I doubt anything can be done as of now about three weeks after the con, but I wanted to put my word out there and I'm debating if I should even think about buying from this booth again.

[lordshamus]

Very simple. Just walk the floor and go to every dealer.

That's what he does. That is, in fact, exactly what he does. Dealers know we're looking for bootlegs, so the few who are selling them have been known to try and duck staff inspections.

You seem to be a little out of touch.

Are you really walking the floor? Also what is being stated is actually the opposite. There were definitely less bootleg issues occurring years back at AB.

I mean, the dealers room did used to be smaller, so there were less places for there to be bootlegs, but there were absolutely a greater number of bootlegs per capita. I promise. I have run security for this convention since 2003, and in the earliest days we used to look for them ourselves, and the streets were awash in Sonmay CDs and Hong Kong VCDs with wrong covers. It was bad. When Christian came to run Exhibits, he really built a reputation for the con being anti-bootleg, and he has spent a decade constantly improving it using the Japanese concept of Kaizen (改善).

In the bootleg forum one attendee mentions that security was advised of a bootleg situation and did nothing. I am beginning to think that AB thinks it's ok to look the other way as long as the table is sold.

I appreciate your passion, but let me remind you of two useful pieces of information;

1) the tables are gonna sell out no matter what because of the size of the con, and
2) The con is run by a nonprofit that only uses money to make you more cons, and is staffed entirely by people who don't get paid at all.

I did notice many interesting dealers that used to attend no longer there. Leaving the regular same old boring ones who just travel from convention to convention every year. You might as well just purchase what you want directly from Goodsmile or AmiAmi. At least you know you would be purchasing the genuine article.

Smaller vendors frequent smaller cons, sure, but I think we have a pretty respectable variety of dealers, most of whom are as committed to getting rid of bootlegs as you are. If you see a bootleg, tell us. I can promise you it will get checked out by the Dealers Room Loss Prevention Team and the Exhibits Division. Christian hates bootlegs. I know this in my heart, because he is my spirit-brother.

[pulsedemon]

Very simple. Just walk the floor and go to every dealer. What is so hard about that? Just like you are going shopping. You will then be able to obviously see who is attempting to sell bootleg merchandise. You could even do this during the dealer set up. If one person is cheated then that is one person too many. Especially when there is such an easy way to stop it. You seem to be a little out of touch. Are you really walking the floor? Also what is being stated is actually the opposite. There were definitely less bootleg issues occurring years back at AB. In the bootleg forum one attendee mentions that security was advised of a bootleg situation and did nothing. I am beginning to think that AB thinks it's ok to look the other way as long as the table is sold. I did notice many interesting dealers that used to attend no longer there. Leaving the regular same old boring ones who just travel from convention to convention every year. You might as well just purchase what you want directly from Goodsmile or AmiAmi. At least you know you would be purchasing the genuine article.

This is exactly what we do already. If you'd like, I can ask the facility to pull video from the cameras for you to demonstrate this. I'm not sure how much traction I'll get with this request, though. Typically, that's done when there's an alleged theft or assault.

I have to bump this, cause I want you guys to know, that I spotted lots of bootleg stuff again in here this year. I actually did tell a couple of people about it, but nothing was done about it.

I'm guessing this is the quote you were referring to from viewtopic.php?p=260102#p260102. I never heard about the specific thing they mentioned at the show. They'd mentioned some small posters tucked away in a booth that had clothing. viewtopic.php?p=260105#p260105 It's certainly possible that someone else was told and either a detail was missed when relaying it to me or something. If that's the case, we'll need to work on that for certain. There was another booth that had some posters out that I told them to put away and they did it, but I didn't see any at this booth because, like I said, it was clothing all over the place.

You haven't actually given any specific examples of things that were problematic. Instead, you seem to be fixated on the financial responsibility we have to actually pay for making this show happen. I'm not going to hesitate to evict someone from a space in the room as it's part of the legally-binding contract we sign with them before the show. I have done it in the past. However, in order to make the room work in the seven-figure budget we have to make the show happen, I need to make sure that I fill every booth I have budgeted to be filled, whether it's with a US Army Recruiter that can step up on two days' notice or with someone that sells only Maydog's favorite things.

There were more than twice as many people interested in space as there were people that eventually got space. Someone not being in the room this year versus last year doesn't mean they weren't interested in returning. They, most likely, were quite interested in returning. There just wasn't enough space to accommodate everyone. Also, for the record, if you saw someone in the room last year or the year before and you didn't see them this year, there's a very high likelihood they are "the regular same old boring ones who just travel from convention to convention every year" that just happen to primarily attend shows that aren't in the Northeast US. As the show grows in size, it attracts more attention from potential exhibitors across the country and throughout Canada.

Now, if I add a whole lot more booths and really crowd the room, there's too much competition and this show becomes a less attractive destination for exhibitors. I also need to balance the supply with the cost of dobis. There are other shows that can offer similarly-sized crowds (that also might have an unlicensed alpaca plush) at the same time as us that may involve less travel for any given exhibitor. We have to consider all of these points when planning the show. This year, there were not as many other major shows the same weekend as us as there typically are in any other given year. As a result, demand for space was higher than usual this year. There's typically no shortage of demand for space in any year, for the record.

To reiterate, someone that was present at our show last year that wasn't present at our show this year does not mean they were 'scared off' because there was a hidden pile of garbage posters or an errant knockoff alpaca. It means there was not enough space for them.

Again, I'm trying to be as frank as possible here. There are a lot of variables that go into the equation that is 'planning this show'. Also, as I pointed out before, the method you'd suggested for checking everything that is brought to the show is exactly what we do already.

[chaobunny]

I'm not sure where to post this but I feel like I had been cheated out of a lot of money by one booth. I have bought from this booth every year I've gone and never had a problem with their prices (i end up finding the same ones for sale online for the same price).

This past year I had bought one particular item for $115 at the booth the first day of the con. It didn't come to my attention till recently that the same item that I had bought is being sold brand new on ebay for much cheaper. I had paid three times that much at the booth for a used copy.

I doubt anything can be done as of now about three weeks after the con, but I wanted to put my word out there and I'm debating if I should even think about buying from this booth again.

In general I almost always price check online if I can. I know it's not always easy to do at the con but unless it's something I desperately want or something really rare, I hold off. If something costs a considerable amount of money like that, I will either ask the dealer about it, or I will do some research. For instance this year I saw a DVD set for an older anime that had long since stopped making DVDs for their series. Curious, I asked the dealer and found out it had been re-licensed, so I knew I could get it elsewhere. In general DVDs are almost always overpriced at conventions, so I rarely buy them there unless it is a hard-to-find item. I can't speak for other types of merch but online searches are your friend.

[Don Julio]

In general I almost always price check online if I can. I know it's not always easy to do at the con but unless it's something I desperately want or something really rare, I hold off.

I do the same, i also price check between vendors to see who has the same item cheaper

[Aurabolt]

In general I almost always price check online if I can. I know it's not always easy to do at the con but unless it's something I desperately want or something really rare, I hold off.

I do the same, i also price check between vendors to see who has the same item cheaper

I only price match between vendors in the dealers room personally. For example: I know never buy from VideoGamesNewYork. Why? Everything they sell can be found for far less either at another vendor or online.

That said, every year I've made it a point to do my big manga shopping on Sunday at Comicopia. The triple marked-down deals...you'd be crazy to pass 'em up and this is coming from someone who is a regular customer at their store in Kenmore Square (10 minute walk from the Hynes or 3 minute walk from Kenmore Square station).

My general rule of thumb is to come into Anime Boston with at least $250, which covers all oy my planned buys plus a few unplanned purchasess. Again that's just speaking for me.

Every year I always buy two Anime DVD Sets from the Dealers' Room. As of this year, half of the physical Anime I own I bought at Anime Boston. I can even tell you the order in which I bought them by year:

2012: Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple (whole series) & School Rumble (both Seasons)
2013: Shuffle! and Samurai Champloo (whole series)
2014: Fate ZERO: Stay Night (whole series) and Ouran High School Host Club Blu-Ray Set (whole series)

...I also got the Kiddie Grade Box Set during the Swap Meet this year so...yeah.

Note I said I got HALF my physical Anime from the Dealers' Room. The other half I bought from Amazon between 2007 and 2013.

Even so, most of the Anime I bought I could only get for under $50 at Anime Boston so...yeah. Assuming I don't buy them this summer I'm going to buy both seasons of Code Geass next year. Eureka Seven's almost impossible to find now (The DVD set's no longer being made) but I know Death Note can still be found easy enough here and there. I know Code Geass (Season 1 is $70 and Season 2 is $50) ain't cheap but I know it's worth the money XD

[Aurabolt]

It's been two weeks since I made this thread and no one's heard from Lou: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18408

I'm the only one saying it but I know I'm not the only one thinking it: When are we going to hear from him regarding this year's and next year's panels? I get real life trumps all, etc. but two weeks of silence with no word from the Director of Programming & Panels is pretty strange.

My obvious impatience aside, I'm going to apply for a staff posiition in Programming & Panels going into next year. And I'll work for free.

I'll even use the suggestions I made in this post should my application be accepted: viewtopic.php?p=259464#p259464

Well, except the third one. Still waiting for any staff member to comment on it XD

[Jennachan]

My obvious impatience aside, I'm going to apply for a staff posiition in Programming & Panels going into next year. And I'll work for free.

Well everyone that "works" for Anime Boston works for free, so that would be expected.

I'm not sure what Lou is up to currently, but I'll comment as someone who held the position of assistant panel programer under Lou a few years back. Honestly after one year of doing the position we determined that it was pretty much unnecessary. Lou typically has everything run in such a tight ship, that he basically eliminated the need for a second person. A lot of what causes delays that people don't realize is the fact that we typically can't really make a schedule until the guest slots are completely confirmed. If Lou was to accept people, and then find out that the spot was needed for a guest panel and there was no where else to move someone, it would end up being upsetting to the panelist.

The year I worked there was also several cases of panelists either just not showing up, or someone dropping by an hour before the panel and us scrambling to find a wait lister to fill it.

At this time no positions exist under Lou to apply for, so it will be up to Lou to decide if he would like to open that option up again and make it available if he feels he needs it.

[MerchMaven]

I'm not sure where to put this, but I do have a minor complaint in regards to the good sold at the Anime Boston booth. Whoever you use for printing your shirts, I don't approve of their idea of sizes. I'm pretty much on the border between 2x and 3x with shirt sizes, but when the 3x that I bought from you fits exactly the same as the 2x's I buy from sites like J-List, there's just plain something wrong with that. I'm glad I went with the 3x, because the 3x fits pretty snug for something that size, so I know that if I had bought a 2x, it wouldn't fit at all, unless I was going for the skin tight look. Please pass that along to whatever company prints your shirts. There really should be an industry standard where if you buy a 2x from company A, it'll fit exactly the same as one you buy from companies B-Z.

There definately SHOULD be. Sadly, there isn't.

I am sorry about that. Trust me, I am. We've used the same vendor for printing our shirst for at least the last seven years, because that's how long I've been in charge of the department. However, what brand of shirts that they print on is dependant on a couple of things.

A. Price. (This can vary VERY MUCH depending on what's on sale through our vendor)
B. Availability of quantity and sizes and color.
C. All cotton, preshrunk

To put it bluntly, we need a minimum of four colors. Black/Gray for the attendee shirt (never a problem), the royal blue for staff shirts (also usually in stock) and red/orange for our security staff. Orange is our sticking point.

We need a shirt maker that has shirts in Safety Orange (not all of them), that makes them in extended sizes (even fewer) and has adequate stock in the sizes I need. The more warning we have, the greater the chance we can cut a deal and get what we need in time. But things don't always go smoothly, and I need to make the choice that gets us the best deal by our con date.

I've kept the price at 15.00 for several years now. I want the shirt to be affordable for all of our attendees. I am charged an additional price for any shirts that are 'extended sizes,' the 2XL and 3XL. I have never passed that overage on to our attendees, because I don't really think it's fair. I've increased my extended size order for three years running, and I still sell out of them every year. I am sorry for that, but I do my best to make sure that anyone who WANTS to purchase something from us has the opportunity to do so.

[Aurabolt]

Considering we have the shared understanding I'll be working for free, I understand fully what would be going on and I have no reason to leave Boston anytime soon, I hope I am at the very least considered ^_^

I'm not sure what Lou is up to currently, but I'll comment as someone who held the position of assistant panel programer under Lou a few years back. Honestly after one year of doing the position we determined that it was pretty much unnecessary. Lou typically has everything run in such a tight ship, that he basically eliminated the need for a second person. A lot of what causes delays that people don't realize is the fact that we typically can't really make a schedule until the guest slots are completely confirmed. If Lou was to accept people, and then find out that the spot was needed for a guest panel and there was no where else to move someone, it would end up being upsetting to the panelist.

At this time no positions exist under Lou to apply for, so it will be up to Lou to decide if he would like to open that option up again and make it available if he feels he needs it.

- The thing is--and this is something that's said alot--alot can change in a year's time. I think this has already been demonstrated not just in regards to P&P this year and last year but for example, the Marathon Bombing changed the Hynes' security protocol indefinitely for the time being.

- Unlike years' past, Lou has gone well out of his way to make sure Regular Panelists know the selection the process and how it works. None who've been doing panels for multiple years can say they don't know or don't understand the selection process. This year I had a panel that was waitlisted then rejected and then got slotted in the space of four days so...yeah. Anything can and does happen =D

- With all due respect, I don't think he alone should be the one to decide that. I asked him directly on the forums two years ago and he said no for the reasons you mentioned. It's as I said a few weeks ago to someone who commented on my other post: There's no reason at this point in AB's history only Lou knows what's going on with what can be assumed to be the most vital aspect of the convention: The schedule.

While yes I get how subjective it can be to put together a schedule when you don't have all the Guests confirmed, I feel something just as important is being overlooked here: There are not only more Regular Panelists than Guests of Honor but more and more of them are multi-year panelists. I think that's something that should be taken into consideration as well, more so when you know without a doubt the vets will pull through for you.

[basharoftheages]

The con isn't paying thousands of dollars to fly, put up, and entertain panelists. Consequently, they get lower priority on the schedule. That's not changing - no matter how much you try to insert yourself into the process.

Perhaps try a smaller con, many of which promote prolific panelists to guest status since they can't afford real guests that charge appearance fees to show up.

[Maydog]

Open Letter to the Convention:

Today is the anniversary of a tragic event that just one year ago resulted in the heightened security that is now in place for the convention and Boston.
I would like to suggest for 2015 to continue linking the convention charity fund raising with local charities in support of the victims of the Marathon incident.
As a resident of New York City, many attendees last year came up to me telling me how happy they were we decided to make the trip to Boston after the incident attending in support, because we also know what Bostonians were going through they said. They were really in pain...and we felt it.
I was extremely proud to see all of the convention attendees this year patronizing so many shops in the area and helping the local economy also recover back strong.
I noticed the signs in most store fronts displaying we welcome Anime Boston convention goers.
While we all enjoy the convention lets never forget when we attend to stop and remember for a moment those In Boston that have gone through so much and reminded strong.

Stay strong Boston

Boston Strong !

[Aurabolt]

...Ok, I'll bite:

The con isn't paying thousands of dollars to fly, put up, and entertain panelists. Consequently, they get lower priority on the schedule. That's not changing - no matter how much you try to insert yourself into the process.

Perhaps try a smaller con, many of which promote prolific panelists to guest status since they can't afford real guests that charge appearance fees to show up.

You have no idea what you're talking about first of all. I don't think I'm outspoken when say alot of AB staff would take exception to your comments as well. Some of them were just regular congoers themselves before they joined the staff and there are former staff who still maintain a presence on the forums. too.

Second, I don't recall ever bringing money into the conversation. Speaking for myself, I live and work in Boston and AB would be under no oblligation to spend a dime on me. Public recognition wouldn't cost AB anything other than a few extra minutes during Opening/Closing Ceremonies.

Third, many AB staff know I'm dependable and respond positively to the unplanned and the unexpected. I've demonstrated that three years in a row now and they know who I am. I don't have an entitlement attiude like I said before but at the same time, it's not too much to ask for public recognition as only a handful of the regular panelists are active on the forums or social media.

Attiudes like yours speak volumes to those who might consider volunteering their time for whatever role or reason. If you have such a low opinion of Anime Boston--or rather, that's what your words imply--then you don't have to attend next year. Lou would be the first to tell you Regular panels are an integral part of the convention. Even if I was never a panelist I'd still say this.

...To the AB staff I apologize for bothering to respond but much of it needed to be said.