2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by off_kilter »

kookiehope wrote:Helloooo,
So I had noticed when I went to the con that the dealers room was obvious VERY spacey. I was obviously not the only one to notice this since I saw on facebook some others were complaining about it. This year, I had thought to bring more money with me than usual, I was excited because I knew a lot more animes than before and expected I'd buy myself more merch than usual. However, I bought even less than usual! It was rather surprising when I walked into the dealers room and saw almost everything looked the same, or I had something that was already there. I was so used to seeing the cool masks, goggles and other anime cosplays on sale at the con from my prior three years. But this year, i was highly disappointed, almost everything looked like something cheap OR I wasn't even interested in. It was hard trying to buy my promised gifts for friends since there were not a lot of the stands. The dealer's room used to have so much stuff, that you could never find the same place twice----> unless it was the kpop section with its music, which I was once again disappointed that it was not there this year.
Regarding the kpop, there was only one small table selling the kpop merch, and MANY people were at it, trying to find things that they wanted. OS I don't think it was a very good idea to take that part of the dealer's room away...but have a kpop panel on sunday owo. My friends and I didn't really understand that part.
I just wish that I could have gotten more than just manga, which i could have gotten at a bookstore no sweat, at the con. I hope to see a lot more dealers in the dealers room for 2016 and the kpop section in the dealers again!!! :3
I highly doubt AB took "that part of the dealer's room away". It was more likely the vendors decided not to bring their booth to AB this year. The K-pop table wasn't the only one missing, Sentai Filmworks one of the big remaining anime companies in the U.S. didn't have a booth either. They choose instead to stick closer to home with Matsuricon in Texas rather than attend AB which happened the same weekend. I think there was also one other major anime con that weekend too.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by basharoftheages »

off_kilter wrote:I think there was also one other major anime con that weekend too.
SakuraCon (~25K people) as well as some smaller cons in Nashville and San Jose.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by pulsedemon »

There's basically one guy that goes hard on the Kpop stuff and he already had plans elsewhere for this year. As there's basically one guy, he can go to basically one show. I'll certainly invite him next year again, but he makes his own plans.

I'd added more booth spaces to the room this year (almost 20 additional booth spaces) and there was a lot of interest in getting a piece of the action. It's somewhat difficult to add more booths a lot as we have to work around the support columns that keep the ceiling up when laying everything out. We also really don't want to squeeze the aisles very much at all. In the past, the room layout was much more cramped and it presented a lot of difficulties. We'd used one hall from 2005 to 2008 and it got really tight and hard to get around anywhere. Trash removal was also a big problem. Especially in case of some kind of emergency, we wouldn't want to get super cramped as it would be really difficult to safely evacuate the room. I always re-evaluate the use of the space each year, though, so there are definitely things I keep in mind for each new year.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by mangababe92 »

1.Security Staff -Some of the staff were overly aggressive and it made me uncomfortable. I especially remember a man on Saturday night after the masquerade screaming for people to move away from the hallway by the escalators. I understand that he was probably trying to clear the hall for people to get by, however, no one was putting up a fight there was no reason for him to be rude in the way he was doing it. During that time I was waiting for my younger brother to come down the escalator from the third floor because we had separated during the event and I was near the line of the bathroom on the wall out of the way. It didn't take long for the Security guard to come near me and other people while screaming to move along. I tried explaining that I could see my brother on the escalator and that I was waiting for him so we could leave together but the man moved closer to me and screamed even louder that I needed to "MOVE NOW". It was not a great way to end the night, and I was very disappointed that I, and others, were treated so poorly especially since we all paid to be there.

2.Lines-Better line management for big events would be great. There was a lot of confusion during the LISA concert on where the line started. Also people that were not waiting in line would cut right into the line while people were being seated. This could be avoided if more staff or security watched the line as it moved in for seating.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Luscia »

This is more of a question than a complaint; after the Masquerade (after the finale of the Mario Belly Dance) my friend and I were trying to leave the balcony to go into the hall where my fiance was waiting for us since he left early. We were told to use the other exit in the back. Why did we have to do that? The hallway was pretty clear since a lot of attendees had already exited the balcony and on top of that, using the other exit placed us in a spot that we were not familiar with (at least my friend and I weren't).
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Master of NERV »

I realize Mr. G's comments were made some two weeks ago, but after reading them now for the first time, I felt compelled to comment.
Mr. G wrote:III) The mall being completely closed off by the time the final panel on satuday had ended. This actually infuriated me greatly. ...[Security] had completely shut down that exit, and we were forced to walk out onto the street exit to attempt to get back to our hotel rooms. It was 2 in the morning, walking down poorly lit (if lit at all) streets on the gamble of finding an actual open entrance back into the mall. Some of the young women that were in cosplay were definitely not meant to be outside in 30 degree weather at night, including one woman who was in a bathing suit top, short shorts, and a very light jacket that had to walk nearly half a city block in pitch blackness on the side of the road (since the sidewalk was completely blocked by construction).
What follows is from the perspective of a man old enough to be the father of these young people Mr. G describes.

2:00 am + poorly lit city streets + no sidewalks = potential trouble--and I don't just mean from the cold of an early April night in New England. When I read this, my first reaction was imagining myself as a parent, being woken by Boston Police at 3:00 am on Easter Sunday to tell me my daughter had been run down by a drunk driver (and I need not elaborate on other possible scenarios.)
Mr. G wrote:...However I did not personally feel safe, instead I felt like the antagonist that was going to be the source of trouble and that the Hynes security were there to protect the general population and the Hynes convention center from us. Not to protect us, the paid attendees of the convention. It was not uncommon to hear insults and threats thrown against us by the general population, as I had heard on my way back to the convention Saturday a woman say to her husband behind me "These people make me sick. This weekend is suppose to be about the sacrifice of Jesus, not some silly costumes. I should call the police and half this S*** shut down." If I told a member of the Hynes staff my concerns that this woman might falsely call in a threat to shut down the Con, I would likely be told to move along and brushed off.
This plain scares me. Some who know me personally might dismiss this as part of my (on occasion) alarmist nature, but life has taught me how easily one individual with a loose tongue and a bad attitude can make life miserable for many others. It reminds me how uncomfortable I felt in AB's early years at the Hynes when someone came cosplaying as Jesus during Holy Week--and being very concerned if anyone outside con would get offended and decided to make a stink. Now, I haven't seen this person at con for many years, but this comment forced my old worries right back to the surface.
Mr. G wrote:Again though, to be clear, Those staff that worked directly for AB (Orange Shirt Security) were fantastic and really tried their hardest to keep everything running smoothly. It was without a doubt the Black Suits and Uniformed Officers that were causing the majority of the grief that con attendees have been expressing. They made the experience just distasteful, and that distaste translated directly into disgruntled con attendees, which then created an endless cycle of pushing the Hynes guards to be nastier and more irritated, and making the attendees increasing aggravated and disheartened.
I couldn't agree more, and have expressed the very same sentiments elsewhere on the forums. As I see it, the Orange Knighthood was as uncomfortable about recent events as the rest of us, but carried on nonetheless.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by ResistNormal »

That has always been a factor that get completely ignored by this con. Whenever someone brings up that fact the con is usually held on a religious holiday which can limit some potential guest from participating, the con brushes it off by saying that the numbers keep going up to it's a non-issue. What about all the "normal" people who hate the fact we have fun during there holiday, they out number us and if enough of them complain it causes us problems. Well its something to think about anyway.

It's also nice that this is the only con where I don't have to pass some crazy outside with a megaphone screaming about how evil and sinful we are and we are going to hell.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by reaper527 »

ResistNormal wrote: What about all the "normal" people who hate the fact we have fun during there holiday,
what about them? we don't live in a theocracy where their holiday means that everyone else has to stop doing what they're doing and observe it. they are free to celebrate their holiday as they see fit, and we are free to celebrate (or ignore) it as we see fit. odds are, if they are in the pru on easter sunday, they probably aren't taking the holiday very seriously to begin with.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Elli21486 »

reaper527 wrote:
ResistNormal wrote: What about all the "normal" people who hate the fact we have fun during there holiday,
what about them? we don't live in a theocracy where their holiday means that everyone else has to stop doing what they're doing and observe it. they are free to celebrate their holiday as they see fit, and we are free to celebrate (or ignore) it as we see fit. odds are, if they are in the pru on easter sunday, they probably aren't taking the holiday very seriously to begin with.
Personally speaking, I do not mind that AB was on Easter Sunday weekend. However, those who can plans accordingly. With that said, I left AB this year around 11:30am for Easter Service since the service started at 12-12:15pm. I did miss something I wanted to see but nothing can be done about that.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Aurabolt »

reaper527 wrote:
ResistNormal wrote: What about all the "normal" people who hate the fact we have fun during there holiday,
what about them? we don't live in a theocracy where their holiday means that everyone else has to stop doing what they're doing and observe it. they are free to celebrate their holiday as they see fit, and we are free to celebrate (or ignore) it as we see fit. odds are, if they are in the pru on easter sunday, they probably aren't taking the holiday very seriously to begin with.
Can't say I agree with this part. The Chapel next to Dunkin' Donuts is there for those who are staying in the area hotels. There's also the two Churches in Copley Square and the Christian Science Center next to the PRU.

Everything else I agree with. The PRU is a public place, after all =D
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by fancyduckie »

Pre-reg: You guys rock my socks!! AB really does a fantastic job with registration! I went to Katsu this year and waited for an hour and a half on Thursday just to pick up my badge because they only had six people working the pre-reg booths. AB is always super friendly and speedy.

Lines: I understand the reasons why people had to go outside to get in, but it still was really upsetting to be yelled at and not have the situation explained when I asked what the problem was. Also, I have no idea how to get to the Boylston Street entrance; if that's where you wanted us to go, perhaps it would have been a good idea to have signs leading us there? Lots of people have delicate costumes/wigs that could have been and were damaged as a result of having to go outside. I wish AB had announced that this would have been a possibility so I could have prepared for it by bringing a jacket and maybe trying to make my wig styling more secure. If this is going to continue to be a thing and AB does not move to a larger venue than the Hynes after its contract is up, I would strongly suggest scheduling the convention further into the spring when it won't be so cold out if we're forced to go outside.

I actually wound up losing my badge because of the wind and had a panic attack because I had to be at the Masquerade in an hour and I was told by staff that I had to go back outside again to even try to get at registration's lost and found. Luckily someone turned it in, but if I hadn't needed to go outside in the first place, I wouldn't have lost it. Bag check in the circle area was a really smart idea, having weapons check right after it maybe not so much. I feel like having it right there was a huge bottleneck, and I wish we could go back to having it at Security HQ- maybe having members of security to escort anyone coming in for the first time that day to get their weapons inspected.

Masquerade: AWESOMEEEEEE! I had so much fun this year! Everything was really well done and staff was amazing as always! The judges this year were really, really, really nice. I do wish judging meetings were just a wee bit longer. I also loved the photobooth & staff there, they were super sweethearts! I do wish that the Masquerade and Hall Cosplay are kept separate in the future, though. Pep-talk game was so on point! Thank you, as always for all of the snacks and water!

Cosplay Repair Station: Staff was super sweet!! Nice to not have to carry a repair kit on me at all times!

18+ Dating Game: FABULOUS! I laughed my buns off!

Gaming room: BRB crying forever (not really) because DDR platforms were not registering by Friday night (probably wouldn't have helped anyway because I totally suck at DDR!), but it was still fun!! I just wish the water coolers had water in them- I know it's tough to keep track, especially late at night, so no biggie.

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Food: Thank you for setting up vendors!! My blood sugar was crashing right before my judging time so this really saved my butt!

Staff: AB Staff has been really great, Hynes staff was super duper rude this year. :(

Small suggestion: Handicap stickers/badges for people with disabilities? Otakon has a policy for people with medical issues + the person looking after them to be able to get seated first for events, not have to wait outside, etc.

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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Nemra »

fancyduckie wrote: Small suggestion: Handicap stickers/badges for people with disabilities? Otakon has a policy for people with medical issues + the person looking after them to be able to get seated first for events, not have to wait outside, etc.
They already exist ;)

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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by ForteGX »

While I loved this year, there were a couple times I was frustrated with the lines. The line for the Lisa concert/signing were the key instances. Now, I do understand that it is not easy to organize the number of people at AB, but I think there are some improvements that can be made. Let me first explain what happened at each event.

In the Lisa concert, a large group of people were lined up into an area that seemed to have little problems. Everyone sat and waited nicely for over an hour. 2 minutes before the final moving of the line, a staff member tells the group they will be put on the back of the line because they were lined up in the wrong place and that area was supposed to be for the other hall. The decision was to move them to another area, which would be behind the people who arrived later. I think we can all agree that first come first serve is the most fair way to organize a line, which it was originally. I know that as a person who wants to see the concert, that the people in the line want nothing more than their spot. Everyone is happy as long as they have their spot. The problem in my opinion was not the fault of the person who originally lined up the people, which the person who moved the people in line blamed, but with the moving of the line itself. The people were already lined up nicely and they were going to go in soon, so the other line that needed the area could have waited a minute or two.

The signing had the problem of not letting people line up. I for one have always hated this idea. When people show up early, it means there is nothing they want to do but line up for an event. Shooing them away and telling them not to line up there doesn't work, because there is nowhere for them to go in their mind. All that shooing people away does is turn the gradual trickle of people who would form a nice line into a rush of people in an angry mob. Eventually a mob formed for an "unofficial line" under the guidance of the staff. They were then spread out into a mob and told to line up against the wall. I for one was on the wall, and as soon as the staff told everyone to get on the wall, I knew I was going to get pushed into the wall. When taking a group and telling them to go to the wall, they take the path that is most direct, which is through the people between them and the wall.

So, I was not pleased with the way the lines were handled. But I think there are easy fixes to these problems.
1. I know that at PAX, there are taped off areas for people to line up. Masking tape on the ground that signifies that people should line up there. Sectioning off areas for dedicated lines would be a great help. This prevents the confusion of "these people should not be lined up here". Also prevents the need to move people after they are in line.
2. If not suggestion 1, then if people are lined up in the wrong place by the staff and a new line needs to form, form the new line in where the first line should have been. Don't move the people who are already organized. It like move the tetris blocks around the ones that are already there. Don't shift the ones that are already set.
3. Don't let people who are not in line just sit by the walls. They get in the way of lines.
4. When people begin to show up, let them line up. Do wait until everyone shows up, just line up the people who show up as they arrive. This means designating areas for line ups probably 2 panels in advanced (for the super popular ones usually on Saturday) The 2 panels in advance protects against people who arrive before the people from the current panel leave and the next panel enter. In the case of the signing, there were many more than the 100 cap there. If the first 100 were just lined up first, the the rest could be turned away and no mobs will form.

TLDR:
Have designated line up areas for to line up people as they come. Do not wait until there is too many people to handle. Do not move the people who are nice and organized, because they will get angry and unorganized. Instead adjust other things around the ones that are already organized.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Ike »

FIRST ever con and I had a blast:

On Bag checks: It's just part of the world these days. When you have an event with 20k+ attendees, certain precautions are put in place. Are they "super effective"? No. But really, complaining about them is not constructive. You bought your tickets, you knew there would be bag checks, and you know what you can and cannot bring. Some of my bag checks were really fast, some were really thorough. I appreciate the attention to detail, I appreciate the hard work, and I'm glad we were safe.

On Accessibility: Please do not blame the convention center or staff for not providing wheelchairs. They can't have as many wheelchairs as there are attendees - if you need one, bring one. Don't rely on the center to provide one for you. All that being said, the only issue I had was elevators. I have bad knees from my time in the military, and on Friday and Saturday my left knee was protesting a bit. I wanted to utilize the elevators but they really weren't accessible. I spent 5+ minutes waiting and never saw the door open. Oh well.

On Personal Space: I didn't see any problems, but the dealer room was indeed packed. It was literally nut to butt. At certain hours it was easier to get around in, but most of the time it was quite close. This cannot be helped, but maybe adjusting hours as mentioned may help.

On Variety: I thought this con had a great variety. It was heavy on Mecha stuff, and I confess a bias, but otherwise I attended some panels that I really didn't think I would find there. History panels, bento box panel, cultural panels... I think it had a healthy amount of variety. I avoided the "big" ones like Funimation and CrunchyRoll - I'm sure they were great but I wanted to see some smaller panels - and that I did.

Hygiene: I went to the Dota 2 International 3 in 2013 and was exposed to some horrible odors. This con did not smell! It was nice. I think the literature about making sure everyone showered daily paid off.

On lines: I don't know what people were expecting.

On Yelling: I was never offended or afraid of the "yelling." I think we should use more signs next year, however. Volunteers with signs so they can save their singing voices for when it's truly needed. I didn't find it annoying, but it was a bit much at the circular entrance.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by PatternerMage »

mangababe92 wrote:1.Security Staff -Some of the staff were overly aggressive and it made me uncomfortable. I especially remember a man on Saturday night after the masquerade screaming for people to move away from the hallway by the escalators. I understand that he was probably trying to clear the hall for people to get by, however, no one was putting up a fight there was no reason for him to be rude in the way he was doing it. During that time I was waiting for my younger brother to come down the escalator from the third floor because we had separated during the event and I was near the line of the bathroom on the wall out of the way. It didn't take long for the Security guard to come near me and other people while screaming to move along. I tried explaining that I could see my brother on the escalator and that I was waiting for him so we could leave together but the man moved closer to me and screamed even louder that I needed to "MOVE NOW". It was not a great way to end the night, and I was very disappointed that I, and others, were treated so poorly especially since we all paid to be there.
I've been away from the forums for a little while, but I wanted to comment since, as I recounted earlier in this thread, I had an almost identical experience after the con feedback panel on Sunday evening. I am sorry you experienced this too :(
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Mirotic »

ForteGX wrote: TLDR:
Have designated line up areas for to line up people as they come. Do not wait until there is too many people to handle. Do not move the people who are nice and organized, because they will get angry and unorganized. Instead adjust other things around the ones that are already organized.
This.

My suggestion would be to have tape (like blue painting tape--which is easy to remove after the con) on the floor marking the designated line-up areas for each room.
This would not only prevent people from forming multiple lines, it would also keep the lines orderly and out of the hall area.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by midnightsiren182 »

Mirotic wrote:
ForteGX wrote: TLDR:
Have designated line up areas for to line up people as they come. Do not wait until there is too many people to handle. Do not move the people who are nice and organized, because they will get angry and unorganized. Instead adjust other things around the ones that are already organized.
This.

My suggestion would be to have tape (like blue painting tape--which is easy to remove after the con) on the floor marking the designated line-up areas for each room.
This would not only prevent people from forming multiple lines, it would also keep the lines orderly and out of the hall area.
Hi there, there's actually often an issue with taping the floor where over time it can damage facility carpets, even painter's tape which seems innocuous enough but with foot traffic and being on all weekend, the tape glue can cause damage over time. There's certain tapes that can be used, but are growing rarer since Permacell went out of business a few years ago I think.

That being said, thanks for the suggestion and we can certainly look at if there are ways we can better denote line areas.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Elli21486 »

MidnightSiren182 wrote:
Mirotic wrote:
ForteGX wrote: TLDR:
Have designated line up areas for to line up people as they come. Do not wait until there is too many people to handle. Do not move the people who are nice and organized, because they will get angry and unorganized. Instead adjust other things around the ones that are already organized.
This.

My suggestion would be to have tape (like blue painting tape--which is easy to remove after the con) on the floor marking the designated line-up areas for each room.
This would not only prevent people from forming multiple lines, it would also keep the lines orderly and out of the hall area.
Hi there, there's actually often an issue with taping the floor where over time it can damage facility carpets, even painter's tape which seems innocuous enough but with foot traffic and being on all weekend, the tape glue can cause damage over time. There's certain tapes that can be used, but are growing rarer since Permacell went out of business a few years ago I think.

That being said, thanks for the suggestion and we can certainly look at if there are ways we can better denote line areas.
I am in a business that deals with running cables (electrical or AV) and we use Gaffe Tape as it is quite strong yet delicate enough that there is no damage. Then again, this is only for a few hours. However, for queuing a line, why not use stanchions, even if you need to rent them for the weekend.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Aidan2 »

Elli21486 wrote: I am in a business that deals with running cables (electrical or AV) and we use Gaffe Tape as it is quite strong yet delicate enough that there is no damage. Then again, this is only for a few hours. However, for queuing a line, why not use stanchions, even if you need to rent them for the weekend.
I also use Gaff tape daily and at AB we use a considerable amount in our panel and video rooms for cable management. However we cannot use it as a line management tool as while it is mostly damage free, in high traffic areas with thousands of people stepping on it every hour the glue will actually be ground into the carpet and tile and it is impossible to be removed without replacing the *entire* carpet. This is not a theoretical I have seen it in action and the repercussions, luckily the convention center was scheduled to replace the carpet and the convention was not charged however they have had to completely change how they handle lines.

As to using stanchions. We do use them in some areas at a considerable cost to the event and where they will not impede traffic flow in a given area (The Sheraton Line Cues for Grand and Constitution Ballrooms). Sadly a full event deployment of stanchion would be done at an extraordinary cost, something that we try to avoid when at all possible. We can and will explore options to streamline how we can control lines in a given area but know there is no easy, no impact solution that will not either be costly or effect egress dramatically and also be able to be dynamic enough to handle the ever changing demands of a given area or event.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Elli21486 »

Aidan2 wrote:
Elli21486 wrote: I am in a business that deals with running cables (electrical or AV) and we use Gaffe Tape as it is quite strong yet delicate enough that there is no damage. Then again, this is only for a few hours. However, for queuing a line, why not use stanchions, even if you need to rent them for the weekend.
I also use Gaff tape daily and at AB we use a considerable amount in our panel and video rooms for cable management. However we cannot use it as a line management tool as while it is mostly damage free, in high traffic areas with thousands of people stepping on it every hour the glue will actually be ground into the carpet and tile and it is impossible to be removed without replacing the *entire* carpet. This is not a theoretical I have seen it in action and the repercussions, luckily the convention center was scheduled to replace the carpet and the convention was not charged however they have had to completely change how they handle lines.

As to using stanchions. We do use them in some areas at a considerable cost to the event and where they will not impede traffic flow in a given area (The Sheraton Line Cues for Grand and Constitution Ballrooms). Sadly a full event deployment of stanchion would be done at an extraordinary cost, something that we try to avoid when at all possible. We can and will explore options to streamline how we can control lines in a given area but know there is no easy, no impact solution that will not either be costly or effect egress dramatically and also be able to be dynamic enough to handle the ever changing demands of a given area or event.
If you had post of some kind, then you can use the cheaper option of using chains and clips. We use plastic chains (got in bulk so we could replace them quickly if they break) and carabiner clips to create a boundary. Since they are pre-cut to fit the location we need them in, we use them where needed and store them when they are not needed.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by pulsedemon »

All, of which, as Mike pointed out, adds substantial cost. That's also someone's job to set stanchion, so we then pay someone to set them, adding additional cost. Someone setting the stanchion means that the right person has to come back and handle the stanchion later, so even renting fewer than needed and moving them later means we're paying someone to come back and move each one, adding additional cost. There's certainly value there - it's definitely not something that's being overlooked - but at some point, adding more cost in one place means it has to come from someplace else.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Elli21486 »

pulsedemon wrote:All, of which, as Mike pointed out, adds substantial cost. That's also someone's job to set stanchion, so we then pay someone to set them, adding additional cost. Someone setting the stanchion means that the right person has to come back and handle the stanchion later, so even renting fewer than needed and moving them later means we're paying someone to come back and move each one, adding additional cost. There's certainly value there - it's definitely not something that's being overlooked - but at some point, adding more cost in one place means it has to come from someplace else.
Ah ok, that makes sense. Then again, it was only a suggestion.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by pulsedemon »

It's a totally good one, too. We end up running through these kinds of trade-offs and looking at this kind of thing each year and there's always room for improvement.
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Skylercat »

I've been meaning to post here but keep putting it off or forgetting. I would like to add my two cents for myself and the fiancee.

1. The lines for pre-reg was awesome. Everyone was friendly, helpful and getting the disability sticker for my fiancee was easy and helpful. As a minor note, I was reading that people were upset of the lack of wheelchairs available at the Purdu. I would like to let people know when staying at a hotel during this, make sure you ask the front desk about renting/borrowing a wheelchair during your stay. The Sheraton does offer this, all you have to do is let the front desk know at check-in that you need a wheelchair and when you plan on picking it up. It doesn't cost you anything, it's a free service you just need to ask if the hotel you're staying at offers this.

2. Ok, this is a personal pet-pev of mine. I did not like how the lines for the autograph sessions were handled. This was the first time I've attended so I was unaware that the staff would start the lines on the second floor then move to the third floor. As a suggestion to staff, when you start allowing small groups of people from the line to head to the third floor, PLEASE have a couple of staff members stand guard at the stairs going toward the third floor. I say this because I saw GROUPS of people cutting the line and saw how people were upset and didn't say anything to staff about it. When I saw it happen to me, I promptly informed staff and the folks who cut in front of me, I'm not having that and moved to my appropriate spot.

3. On Saturday when staff was redirecting the con goers to head outside to get back in, I told the orange shirt staff person that my fiancee and I were just going back to our hotel room at the Sheraton. He told us that it didn't matter and we had to go outside with everyone else. I understand there was some miscommunication but if we are just going back to our hotel room it wasn't necessary for us to head outside.

4. I didn't experience anything bad from the Purdu staff and security during the con. If nothing else they were very polite to my fiancee and I and we even chatted with a couple. (To be honest I think they were taken aback of me saying Sir/Ma'am when talking with them. I'm from the south, that's just common courtesy down here.)
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Re: OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by ForteGX »

MidnightSiren182 wrote:
Mirotic wrote:
ForteGX wrote: TLDR:
Have designated line up areas for to line up people as they come. Do not wait until there is too many people to handle. Do not move the people who are nice and organized, because they will get angry and unorganized. Instead adjust other things around the ones that are already organized.
This.

My suggestion would be to have tape (like blue painting tape--which is easy to remove after the con) on the floor marking the designated line-up areas for each room.
This would not only prevent people from forming multiple lines, it would also keep the lines orderly and out of the hall area.
Hi there, there's actually often an issue with taping the floor where over time it can damage facility carpets, even painter's tape which seems innocuous enough but with foot traffic and being on all weekend, the tape glue can cause damage over time. There's certain tapes that can be used, but are growing rarer since Permacell went out of business a few years ago I think.

That being said, thanks for the suggestion and we can certainly look at if there are ways we can better denote line areas.
I was thinking more about this and I have another suggestion that I have specifically towards the signing lines. I recall one year that some staff handed out tickets to people waiting for signings in the queue room. The tickets at the point where people were in queue lines were nice, but those people were already in an organized line. I think that for events like the signing which to my knowledge have been limited to 100 in the past, handing out the tickets as people arrive to guarantee their spot instead of shooing them away can be helpful. I think in this situation the main problem is that when people are told to go somewhere else they feel anxious and don't really have anywhere else to go so they hover around waiting for a spot. If they are guaranteed a spot they will feel more at ease and be more calm and can go farther away. I believe that taking advantage of tickets as a line forming tool can increase efficiency and safety.
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Re: 2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Gackage »

A few things to fix.

Do not do the 'loop around' thing again outside. That was quite a bad choice last year. As a cosplayer, being outside on that windy day the wind tangled my wig, my hat kept trying to blow away. And it was hard to catch up with my friends because while they were already inside and I went out to go get something, I had to go all the way around the building to go inside.

Also do add a one day ticket for Friday and Saturday. As a student I am unable to go on Friday due to school. And because it's ~$60 for all three days, I figured it wasn't worth it to spend $60 for a three day ticket when I could only go for two days. I was only able to go on Sunday which is ~$20. Anime Boston could make each one day ticket cost $20 since Sunday is $20 and all three days is $60. Thats $20 each day, why not just do one day ticket for each day?
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Re: 2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by nenie »

Gackage wrote:A few things to fix.

Do not do the 'loop around' thing again outside. That was quite a bad choice last year. As a cosplayer, being outside on that windy day the wind tangled my wig, my hat kept trying to blow away. And it was hard to catch up with my friends because while they were already inside and I went out to go get something, I had to go all the way around the building to go inside.

Also do add a one day ticket for Friday and Saturday. As a student I am unable to go on Friday due to school. And because it's ~$60 for all three days, I figured it wasn't worth it to spend $60 for a three day ticket when I could only go for two days. I was only able to go on Sunday which is ~$20. Anime Boston could make each one day ticket cost $20 since Sunday is $20 and all three days is $60. Thats $20 each day, why not just do one day ticket for each day?
They use to have one day passes for each day, sigh.... but that was the past.... I'm pretty sure you might spend more moneys combining a saturday only ticket price and a sunday only ticket.
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Re: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by MollyThornhart »

AnnaNeko wrote:I can't really think of a 'constructive' solution, but getting into the Hynes from the mall just keeps becoming worse!
the bag-check getting moved a bit further in away from the doors was a lovely idea, but the ridiculous bottleneck of a line that stretched outside into the freezing cold winds was just... omg that hurts when you're wearing a fluffy full skirt

And reading "the Boylston St entrance has no lines!" on the AB Twitter isn't exactly the most helpful thing, as it means walking all the way thru the mall, going outside into the same freezing winds again ... all that extra walking really adds up when u got arthritis pains
I agree with you. I wound up leaving the con and going home on Saturday because I couldn't walk anymore after being in the chilly winds. I was not wearing uncomfortable or complicated high heels or anything. I was wearing my doctor prescribed custom insoles and only stayed for 3 hours in the Hynes before my leg muscles seized up. Took a taxi back home to Peabody on Saturday afternoon, missing all day Saturday and Sunday. I never had this issue in past years with my legs but gosh, I was in agony and sad that I had to cab it back home, wasting my money on Sat/Sun and my share of the hotel money. I always wear flats or a low heeled Mary Jane. I am just sorry to have missed out on the con itself since I had arrived on Thursday.
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Re: 2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Gackage »

Nenie wrote:
Gackage wrote:A few things to fix.

Do not do the 'loop around' thing again outside. That was quite a bad choice last year. As a cosplayer, being outside on that windy day the wind tangled my wig, my hat kept trying to blow away. And it was hard to catch up with my friends because while they were already inside and I went out to go get something, I had to go all the way around the building to go inside.

Also do add a one day ticket for Friday and Saturday. As a student I am unable to go on Friday due to school. And because it's ~$60 for all three days, I figured it wasn't worth it to spend $60 for a three day ticket when I could only go for two days. I was only able to go on Sunday which is ~$20. Anime Boston could make each one day ticket cost $20 since Sunday is $20 and all three days is $60. Thats $20 each day, why not just do one day ticket for each day?
They use to have one day passes for each day, sigh.... but that was the past.... I'm pretty sure you might spend more moneys combining a saturday only ticket price and a sunday only ticket.
If they had single day tickets for each day for $20, I would save $20 not buying a weekend ticket since I can only go on Saturday and Sunday. But because they only have weekend pass and then a Sunday ticket, it's better to just get a Sunday ticket.
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Re: 2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by midnightsiren182 »

Hi all,

Since a few of you are giving feedback about day passes and why we only have Weekend and Sunday memberships, here's a link back to the forum discussion when we made the decision a few years ago with an explanation of the decision by our Director of Registration at the time, Andrew.

viewtopic.php?f=66&t=17417
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Re: 2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

Post by Old_School_Anime_Lover02 »

The food isn't provided by the convention itself, but I agree, having a place to sit down and calm down is very helpful. The prices suck but what do you expect.

I got a bit hurassed when I got confused as to which way the line was going, and i didn't like it when I got barked out to go out side first thing in the morning. I'm also looking into getting a disabled pass because get vertago when i look down the stairs, and I didn't want to get barked at again, so I waited until there was a brake in the line and ran in front of people to get a place in line IT WAS TO FREAKEN HIGH UP i can't do that I'm a little tinny thing that has the worst fear of heights you've ever seen, and to be barked at to go outside, down three flights of stairs that might try and kill me was such a turn off in ._.;

the plus side though about waiting in lines at AB people are willing to chat it up. The orange shirts (once you get into the convention) are nice enough, the one problem i did have (and i know everyone has had problems with these) are the autograph people.... I just want to sit down because i couldn't stand much longer. I am generaly in charge of autographs when it comes to AB so I didn't/don't want to lose my place when i get a ticket.

So i sacrafice two hours (at most) for one guest. It just so happened that i was waiting for another autograph at the time so that made it 4 hours, and when I asked someone if i could sit and stay out of the way to wait, they didn't have a problem with it for the first guest. I was out of the way on the chairs waiting for my ticket (quiet as hell like you wouldn't have known i was there if you were looking for me) then miss orange shirt with purple pig tails asks me to go sit by the stairs paisently (like i wasn't being paisent where i was) then I was sent down stairs to wait.... i picked up a buddy along the way (someone i reconized from the other year and such) and we went down together. We wanted to sit down so we slide down against the wall because there was a cluster f blocking the walk ways and such, so we don't want to get in trouble for blocking the wall ways we (or I) witnessed a few people getting told not to sit on the stairs, they leave for a little while, and then go back to the stairs.

Then someone comes up to us and says "you can't lean against the wall its a fire hazzard..." and here I am peeved because I lost my comfy spot up stairs, all i want to do is sit down and wait for the autograph line to start forming. So i just do as I am told and stand up and say "what about the cluster f of people blocking the hall way and sitting on the stairs? I'm the one out of the way"

so i walk a few laps until it's time to line up, and when it's finally time, someone asks me and my buddy where the offical line is supposed to begin. We have no idea because no one bothers to explain to us where everything goes down. Did we get the wrong location? Nope this is it, they've been barking about tickets all day. then its the said time and I ask if we could go through the line, the guy says sure, so i do and when it's finally "time to line up" i say um its time to line up now," i get barked at for lining up on time....I'm about to give up when the guy in the orange coat start to line people up 15 minutes after the said line up time.


a 15 minute lap is a bad thing guys: and there might have been one nice orange shirt down there. I still remember how nice he was, he might have been the nicest one i've met all weekend (i mean there were other nice ones there,) but he really calmed me down a bit after he gave me my ticket. I'm sure he could tell how apprehensive i was.
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