2015 OFFICIAL: The Constructive Criticism Thread

[Aurabolt]

After some of what I just read in the Anime Boston Social Facebook Group, I figure I stick this here ahead of the Convention Feedback Panel on Sunday so that those who won't be there can post their feedback.

Note the title of the thread has the words Contructive and Criticism paired together. You shouldn't give critique without also offering a suggestion or two. It would also be super-helpful to be as specific as possible with your feedback.

I don't work for Anime Boston so I'll leave it to a staff member to comment further on how convention feedback is used, etc.

Also, if you have the Guidebook App you can use it to leave feedback and comments for prettymuch anything on the schedule.

[Faceman]

Stickied post. Thank you.

[icecreamrules]

Is this where we give panel feedback?
Kimono Dressing panel - Sat 11:30am room 309
summary: please dress model up higher next time so everyone can see, and possible narrate during the dressing

I got there 5 min after started. Doors were closed and con volunteer told me it was full. That's fine, I said, I could wait. He said he didn't anticipate anyone coming out. I'm glad I didn't take his word and waited anyways, because 60 seconds later not one but 5 people walked out. So I go in and sit, and notice 15 empty chairs. (this was full??)
Japanese music playing was nice and appropriate. Pictures of people in Kimonos were flashing on the large screen. A nice selection of fabrics were laid out on the tables on the stage. But where was the instruction and information??? I could barely glimpse someone dressing another in a kimono up front. She was standing on the floor and not up on the platform (next year please do it up on the platform!). It was very difficult for many to see. I got up and stood next to my chair on the side of the room, but the con volunteer who was watching the door came in and asked some to sit. Not sure of the reasoning for that, as I wasn't blocking walkways or other people's views, but I did.
Once the kimono was on, the host did pick up a microphone and describe what kind of kimono the model was wearing as she walked down and then up the isle. This was very nice and informative. But unfortunately then she went back to putting a kimono on another person in silence. I would have loved to hear someone narrating as she worked or had she a headset mic. More people got up and left. The pictures of people wearing kimonos on the screen were nice, but there were only about 20-30 pics, so they started repeating often.

[icecreamrules]

I also wanted to leave feedback about the Mystery Science 3000 panel
Props to the fill-in last minute hosts!
The original hosts never showed up, and so after 15 min the (con volunteers? Organizers?) rallied and snagged a MegaMan film and ad libbed through the rest of the panel time. Well done!!

[Ugly Bob]

I also wanted to leave feedback about the Mystery Science 3000 panel
Props to the fill-in last minute hosts!
The original hosts never showed up, and so after 15 min the (con volunteers? Organizers?) rallied and snagged a MegaMan film and ad libbed through the rest of the panel time. Well done!!

Having done a panel as a last fill-in myself; amazing props for those passionate enough to be able to step up to make it happen! They are the best among us, and the reason AB is such a great time!

[Aurabolt]

I never thought I would have to comment in my own thread and about one of my own panels at that. Yet that is exactly what I came here to do. I will also bring it up at the feedback session.

I did Pokemon: 20 Years Later in 302/304 from 9:15PM to 11:15PM Saturday. Due to equipment problems that were beyond my control, I ended up having to cut 45 minutes of content from my panel. I got there early to set up. The tech folks in the room couldn't fix the problem. One of them claimed to call someone to assist who never showed up. What really bothered me was being rushed by the staff to start despite the obvious technical problems that was totally not my fault.

So I ended up having to do the panel anyway despite the handicap. All things considered, I made it through the two hour block. It would have been ALOT better without the technical problems. I feel like the 200-350 people who came were cheated since they didn't get the full experience they came for. Given the passage of time between the last panel and mine (45 minutes), that was plenty of time for the 3 tech people in the room to check to make sure the equipment was working properly. They were adamant my laptop was the problem even though it was the projector and the sound system.

My computer crashed but I didn't let that stop me from finishing the panel anyway. I had my bluetooth speaker with me. When I turned it on, the sound quality was much louder and much clearer than the sound system in the room. My speaker is the size of a Chipotle Burrito. It's powerful yes but hearing the tech folks say "We can't get it any louder" (regarding the sound in the room) and then everyone hearing the same music come LOUD AND CLEAR from my pint-sized speaker is embarassing to say the least.

As I told the tech folks I spoke to when I decided to do the panel anyway, the show had to go on despite the technical problems. Not doing the panel would have been unacceptible to me and the audience alike and not just because I gave away two video games during the panels. I plan on bringing this panel back next year to make up for this year. Fortunately for me, I wouldn't really have to change much for next time ^_^

[JReckers]

The audio issue in your panel was something we looked into and was resolved later. In short, it was a training issue and won't happen again.

Your projector issue I have no idea about. Glad your panel went on, though

[Aurabolt]

The audio issue in your panel was something we looked into and was resolved later. In short, it was a training issue and won't happen again.

Your projector issue I have no idea about. Glad your panel went on, though

I'm on my way over from Hyde Park for my Clannad Panel. My only request is that the equipment in Room Panel A works by the time I get there XD

[Oos]

This is less a problem with the con and really more one for the convention center, but I think maybe for a convention of thousands of people that the first aid station needs to have more than three wheelchairs available. I was lucky one got freed up yesterday but if it hadn't I would have had to miss the con.

The nurses were very patronizing when I asked about a chair on the first day, and when I told them why (cant stand up for very long due to an anxiety disorder that hasnt had treatment started yet, i literally sway and i fall and its dangeorus) they told me to take medicine for it instead. I had to repeatedly insist to get it at all. And then second day they were absolutely no help, I had to get con security to get one for me because the nurses had no solutions and didnt seem to care at all.

I dont know if this can be passed on to hynes staff but the first aid station is unprepared to handle large volumes of people when it comes to accomodating disabilities. con staff themselves were very kind and tried to help me as best as they could though, so you guys are doing great!

[Swordsncarrots]

The wrap-around line to get into the Hynes on Saturday was inconvenient and uncomfortable. Staffers would not tell us why we had to loop all around the prudential outside with brutal winds-while many of us were not dressed for outdoor weather- to get back in.

[unchained]

Hi. So I left early to catch a train and could not catch that panel. But, I do have feedback about how the convention was run - particularly the foot traffic between Prudential and Hynes. I did not appreciate having to walk outside in cosplay to get through the hynes. The whole weekend, I was in 6 inch heels and scantily clad as Yoko from Gurren Lagann. It was windy and very cold out for me and many others, and I feel like the wind damaged some other people's cosplays and messed up mine and many other people's wigs. If it was raining out, I feel like many of us cosplayers would have fought with staff. I did get into a mini altercation with one of the staff. I just wanted to return to my hotel room at the Sheraton and did not want to walk around because my feet were hurting. Staff was rude and almost put his hands on me. This is the first time I have seen foot traffic done so poorly and staff was terrible. I did not appreciate it and that encounter ruined most of Saturday's events for me.

[Eri Kagami]

Whomever is in charge of the cosplay meetups, gatherings, etc photo shoot thread, please double check it see if groups have double booked locations. I'm not sure if cosplay gatherings and photoshoots is part of Anime Boston jurisdiction, but it really inconvenienced my group when we claimed a specific spot first and then find out at the event that a larger fandom wanted to take over. I'd be more than happy to discuss this in private via email as to what shoot it was and what location. Our group had a hard time finding a secondary location without security yelling at us.

Suggestions to avoid this:

1. Appoint an official cosplay meetups / gatherings / etc point to make sure no one is double booked
2. Use universal location descriptions for meetups...like one phrase / one description to describe a specific location in the con center

If you would like to chat privately, my email is scarlet.rhapsody @ ymail.com

Just dropping in my two cents. I don't ever want to put a photoshoot group through that again.

[Painted_Outlaw]

Yeah, the whole loop-around thing came out of left field for me, given how all of Friday and Saturday morning (around 8:30am-ish?), I just walked right into bag check as simple as could be.
I think it also bugged my sister (who accompanied me on Saturday) since while we were walking outside during it, there was a lot of wind and she wasn't comfortable with it.

I did get into a mini altercation with one of the staff. I just wanted to return to my hotel room at the Sheraton and did not want to walk around because my feet were hurting. Staff was rude and almost put his hands on me.

O_o, I hope you're okay.

[Nemra]

Whomever is in charge of the cosplay meetups, gatherings, etc photo shoot thread, please double check it see if groups have double booked locations. I'm not sure if cosplay gatherings and photoshoots is part of Anime Boston jurisdiction, but it really inconvenienced my group when we claimed a specific spot first and then find out at the event that a larger fandom wanted to take over. I'd be more than happy to discuss this in private via email as to what shoot it was and what location. Our group had a hard time finding a secondary location without security yelling at us.

Suggestions to avoid this:

1. Appoint an official cosplay meetups / gatherings / etc point to make sure no one is double booked
2. Use universal location descriptions for meetups...like one phrase / one description to describe a specific location in the con center

If you would like to chat privately, my email is scarlet.rhapsody @ ymail.com

Just dropping in my two cents. I don't ever want to put a photoshoot group through that again.

I can at least comment on this. While we do provide a spot on our forums for meetups and photo-shoots, we do not actually control any of it nor do we have an active staff member that manages that. We simply provide a space on our forums for everyone to discuss meetups and that's all. It is entirely attendee run.

[MistyKristiCosplay]

As said above, I think the whole looping around outside to get back into the convention was very inconvenient, especially since me and my friend were wearing heels and kept stumbling upon the uneven cobblestones, it was also very cold and windy on top of that. I just think there could have been a better way to get back into the convention than having us walk around outside.

[omgxspazz]

As a first-time attendee of AB, this was a fantastic experience! So here's my feedback/constructive criticism.

Pre-Registration badge pickup blew me away, the QR codes were fantastic! A little bummed that I didn't get to choose my badge title as I pre-registered at CTCon 14, but that's a minor detail. Didn't even know putting a name/nickname on the badge was a possibility until I saw my friends'.

The bag check was super easy I had no issues at all - and the COAT check was such a great idea!! I thought that was so helpful, as I (and probably many others) did not want to carry a backpack or purse around all day while in cosplay. There was a slight shift during the Friday as to whether or not I can continuously access my bag with or without paying - not sure who handles it, but a little more communication would have been better? I did NOT mind paying $1 every time I needed to get to my bag, but the signs should say something.

Speaking of signage, Saturday's entrance through the shops was INCREDIBLY confusing. The line was not clearly designated and it seemed like a lot of people were agitated at the number of people? That's the vibe I got from either hotel staff or orange-shirt con staff. I understand the need to be loud but it felt like we were more of a herd of animals than people. (This was around 10 AM Saturday?)

I was a little confused as to why the dealer's room closed so early. I udnerstand there are certain hours and all, but maybe keep it open until 8? Especially when it didn't open until noon on Friday?

The dealer's room hours leads me to my final thing: the photo suite. My group got our photos done in the suite earlier in the day, but were not told where to pick the prints up if we wanted any. I had to read the waiver to figure it out and even then - I had walked by that area in the dealer's room and didn't even notice the whole Anime Boston merchandise section! (Sorry!) Now what happened was we were there about 15/20 minutes before the room closed at 7, hoping to get our prints (just my boyfriend and I, as we were leaving immediately after) but the photo editor, Elizabeth A. was simply swamped. I felt incredibly bad for her as she had - from my understanding from the staff in the area - been doing all of the work by herself. Not only that, but the photos were delivered to her via flash drive from the photo suite upstairs. It was clear this method was not effective, in addition to having only one computer and one printer. Lisa was helping Elizabeth, but it was definitely not a one person editing job. We understood that it was not possible to get our photos printed that night, so we asked if we could have another member of our group pick up our photos on Sunday, as we were leaving. Anthony L. was a staff member in the area and he asked if that was okay - and we wrote down that we gave our friend permission to do so. We then asked Anthony and Elizabeth if it was possibly to simply view our photos before we left (as it was nearly 7) so we could tell our friend which photos to pick up - and they allowed us. I was grateful for that to happen, but these three staff members (Anthony L, Elizabeth A, and Lisa) worked so that we could get our prints before we left the convention. I do think that there needs to be more than one editor for the photos, and that either the photo suite needs the editing studio together in one room, or that the Anime Boston merchandise table, photo suite, and the print location need to be in an area that is NOT the dealer's room. There were a lot of people who got turned away because the dealer's room closed at 7 and were unable to purchase prints and were incredibly frustrated by this. It was unfortunate to see Elizabeth and Lisa so stressed out over loading the printer and editing the photos. These three staff members did an AMAZING job, and they deserve recognition for what they did.

All in all, it was an amazing convention, but the photo suite and photo printing definitely need to be closer together, and the photo delivery TO the editor needs to be a much smoother process (and not on a small flash drive).

[Cosmo]

Overall, I had a great time at the con, this being my first time back to Anime Boston since 2010 I can say that a lot has improved since the last time I went! (Registration, for one. I was in and out in fifteen minutes on Friday, which was amazing to say the least.)

My biggest problem is communication, and by that I mean the confusing maze-of-a-line on Saturday. I still don't see where that came from, as I don't recall there ever being such an extensive line to get into the convention, but considering its size, I can understand the need for crowd control. My only qualm about it was the fact that direction was not clear and the people telling us where to go - whether it was hotel staff or con staff, I don't remember - were quite rude. No one was being clear and there weren't signs/arrows so being barked at to 'stay against the wall' with no clear direction was rather unpleasant. Especially since, as I heard later, there were two lines? I don't know, that whole line business was just a giant mess. My friends and I didn't even leave for food because we didn't want to have to wait in line to get back in.

No real complaints otherwise. I didn't go to many panels this year so I can't give feedback on those, but I had a pleasant experience (for the most part)!

[haruka108]

Feedback for LiSA related events

The line for the LiSA concert was confusing about an hour or so (?) before seating. Since the starting time was around the same time as the AMV contest, there would have been two lines. They found that out too late and told people that they were lining up wrong, resulting in a swarm to get back into the correct line with no order at all. I got separated from my friends and was just told to stand in the big group near the AMV contest room entrance.

I feel that if they have to move people, they should at least do it in an orderly fashion. I felt a bit bad because there might be people who were in line earlier than me who's behind me after the shift and the other way around, it's not fair the people who were behind me were in front of me. Some people who are fans would probably want closer seats and they can actually lead in the hand gestures and stuff.

The Meet LiSA panel started about half an hour late with no explanation with the autographing right after that. A lot of people just skipped the panel to line up for autographing early so the panel wasn't even half full. Line management here is a bit better since they used extensions at the Sheraton, but it would still help if people were told to "stand in rows of 3s" instead of just "stand closer together." This is probably just due to cultural differences as we're not as accustomed to standing in lines too often.

Maybe next time you guys should schedule guest panels after the autographings instead? That way there would be more people at the panel and would probably look a lot better to the guests?

There was also this LiSA panel by fans, I think? I think it's a great idea to teach people how to enjoy a specific artist's concert! Whoever did this panel, thank you!

[madhattr999]

I had a pretty good time at Anime Boston and plan to come back. One thing happened that made me very upset, so figured I'd post my experience here.

Staff/rules at Koki's panel in the Constitution ballroom on Saturday morning: to start off, I've seen him before and have gotten his autograph, but i had nothing else planned for that time slot so i decided to go to this panel. I got in line and they were trying to bunch people up to make more room, which is fine, but there wasn't really that many people in line. Then as we're waiting, staff comes and yells out " guest has requested no personal questions" or something like that. Whatever. Then a few minutes later, they come back and yell out "no photography or videography of any kind". I think it's stupid how the Japanese guests/industry insist on this, and i felt like yelling "no fun allowed", but whatever. I've come to expect this, and he wasn't that big of a draw for me anyway since I've seen him before. Finally, they let us inside like 15 minutes late, and the guest is already inside waiting. And staff is now forcing everyone into the very front rows, even though there was only like a hundred people in line, for a room that holds like a thousand people. It's really annoying to me to enforce rules that serve no real purpose for the situation. I mentioned it to a staff member "why are you forcing us to sit like sardines?" and she looked apologetic but had nothing to say. I sat down and the panel was just starting, and a different staff member came up to me and said "can you please turn your camera around?". I wear a camera around my neck and is not the type of camera that allows what he was asking. I said "what? It's not even on." and he insisted i turn the camera around. This was the last straw for me. I found it very offensive that he insisted i turn my camera around as if i was going to secretly record a voice actor answering non personal questions from the audience. I feel like he was treating me like i had already done something wrong. There comes a point when rules are to much. I told him he was being offensive, and that it is not worth dealing with stupid rules and that i was leaving. It's not worth dealing with this stuff just to hear an actor talk. I tried not to let it ruin the rest of my day.

[fuyuzora]

I'm going to add my thoughts about staff, seeing as how there are a few other posts that mention issues:

While I personally didn't encounter any abrasive staff, I passed by at least 2-3 staff members who seemed to be shouting quite antagonistically. On my way to the Artists' Alley on Saturday afternoon (at least, I'm reasonably sure it was there; my memories are a little fuzzy in spots) I saw a female staff member virtually screaming at the line in what seemed to be anger and frustration, and it was very surprising, especially since nothing seemed to be going wrong with the line and people were moving slowly. I know she was giving instructions, but it was still a shock to see a staff member losing their cool like that - another attendee walking nearby actually said "Why does she have to be so mean about it?"

The other moment that stands out to me was in the Sheraton on the way to the registration room. The hallway was absolutely packed wall-to-wall in many places, and in the midst of this was a poor staff member shouting at people to go a specific way. I honestly couldn't understand a word he said. (I'd very much like to comment on how crowded everything was in comparison to my last convention visits, which were AB in '11 and Anime Central in '13, but it's not as though anything can be done about this since the venues have been booked for years into the future. In all honesty, though, I'm quite worried about possible incidents that might happen, when places such as the Sheraton entry hallway or the hallway leading to bag check/escalators are as incredibly crowded as they were when I passed through them.)

Speaking of the Artists' Alley, I actually ended up not visiting it at all because of the length of the line. I didn't pause there long enough to see why there was a line at all, but I'm assuming there were badge checks going on, which confused me a bit since the Dealers' Room comparatively had no badge checks at all. Either way, when I last attended I was able to browse the Alley without waiting in such a hugely long line, to the best of my memory, so I can't help wondering if there's some way to streamline things a bit more (unless there was some issue going on while I was passing by?).

Around my only other issues were related to the Uchiyama Kouki panel, and they're very minor: the projection screen at the side seemed to have a few glitches and blink from time to time, and there was an obvious typo in one of the slides ("Kingdom Heats" instead of "Kingdom Hearts"). In line with the post previous to mine, I also don't understand why it was absolutely necessary to direct where people sat; I understand it being easier to get the microphone to someone who wanted to ask a question, but at the same time, I saw the staff member with the mic having a tough time reaching over full lines of seats to reach someone. That's not particularly a huge problem, though, since the instructions were relayed in a professional manner.

Also, a little suggestion: could the karaoke room possibly invest in a digital sign like those used in supermarket delis to show which person is currently performing? Even an analog sign with flippable cards or something similar would be much appreciated. It was slightly confusing when a person would start singing with no announcement about what their number was, and I also had no idea how many people were ahead of me when I signed up myself. While karaoke itself was really enjoyable (one of my favorite moments of the day was by far all the repeats of "trash and recycling, trash and recycling"), it would be great to see things get streamlined a bit more.

[RikkuX21]

These are a few things that kinda disappointed me between the con and the fans and maybe saying something will help.

1- I noticed a lot of paper that was being passed around ended up on the floor of the convention everywhere. If everyone could just not be lazy and bring it to the trash, that would be great. I slipped on paper (a shiny smooth type of paper) in the dealers room and almost had a heartattack.

2- Friday I was going to a Hentai Panel, it was in a small room, lines were big and they stopped the line and told everyone that the room was at capacity. I was willing to wait but the staff kinda hinted to move along somewhere else. Saturday, same thing happened to another Hentai panel. SMALL ROOM! But I was able to go to FAKKU because the room was huge! Hentai attracts a huge crowd too. If we could stick to bigger rooms that would be awesome and everyone can enjoy it!

3- A lot of us work hard on our costumes. Costumes can be big and take up a little bit of room. I decided to have wings. They don't close so I had to walk around with them open. Its hard walking around in such a cluster ****. it upset me about the number of people that just walked into my wings, feathers broke off, no apologies, didn't seem to care at all. it hurts. it makes me angry. and I was walking slow with my arms out to protect them. (it helped a little). There was innocent bumping around and apologies and I thank those who did! I respect those who work hard on their big cosplays so I give you room to walk so you feel safe knowing their costume isn't going to be destroyed.

3- Maybe some more decorations throughout the halls. or some short acts/skits/ small 2 man band in the corner, in the halls. there needs to be more! it should be different every year. I love expecting to see different things.

4- At bag check, the checkers were nice, but a younger gentleman with light hair at the beginning of the ramp going into the con was absolutely rude! Always yelling in the meanest way. Felt like I was being yelled at in the army. Should learn to be a little nicer and ask to please keep moving forward.

5- it was unfair for those coming from the marriot end of the mall, they blocked off a hallway and made everyone go outside, up a set of stairs and back in from the sharaton end. A friend of mine was in a cardboard box minecraft steve and had a hard time going up the set of stairs, no ramp. and he almost fell. The people who were coming from the sharaton hotel didn't have to go through this ridiculousness!

I've been attending AB every year since 2004. I LOVE IT. I usually cosplay and im so happy to show off my creative skills a love that people appreciate it! Id hafta say that this year the con didn't grab me too much.

[animosc]

Long post alert! I apologize but I have a lot to say. I hope some staff are listening.

#1 Announce alternate bag check locations

When there is a ginormous bag check line for the Hynes (yes, I'm talking about the mess on Saturday), the con staff working the overcrowded line need to get on their walkie-talkies and coordinate with the staff near/working at the bag check line at the other locations. Find out which locations have fewer people. Then, they need to grab a megaphone, go to the end of the overcrowded line, and announce to those poor people which alternate locations they have the option of moving to in order to enter the Hynes more quickly.

I saw that there were announcements on FB and Twitter about alternate locations. This was a good start but is not adequate because those announcements are not necessarily immediately seen. The announcement needs to be given at the overcrowded line to the people who need it the most: the end of the line.

There needs to be continuous communication between the staff at the different locations. As soon as the people who migrated from the overcrowded line to one of the alternate locations have entered the Hynes and the alternate location is less busy, another chunk of people from the end of the overcrowded line need to be made aware of the alternate location and given the opportunity to move there if they want. This cycle of communication and movement of attendees needs to continue until the overcrowded line has thinned to a reasonable volume.

#2 Use rope lines for the autograph area

There are already rope lines in the autograph waiting rooms, but I'm talking about the hallway where everyone gathers before getting to the waiting room. Yes, I know that people aren't supposed to even show up there until 30 minutes prior to the start of the autograph session, but it happens. And when it does, the hallway is a gigantic mess.

The staff try to push people out of that hallway, but all that does is back everyone up into the hallway around the corner (outside the gaming rooms), which causes a gigantic mess in that other hallway. Furthermore, there is a stairwell directly next to the first hallway, so new people are constantly coming up anyway, even if the staff do successfully push everyone into the other hallway.

I suggest that the staff use rope lines for the hallway outside the waiting room. This will also have the added benefit of preventing people from blocking doors and the stairwell, which are fire hazards.

#3 Announce before each autograph session what we are and are not allowed to do

There was some confusion this weekend about how many items we could have autographed. This problem seems to have stemmed from miscommunication among all of the different staff working the autograph lines. I also encountered autograph sessions where there was nothing at all announced regarding what we could and could not do with the guest. That is also not acceptable.

Before each autograph session, while everyone is lined up and waiting, the staff need to go over specifically what we are and are not allowed to do, even if the answers are obvious or already mentioned in AB's policies.

1. How many items are we allowed to have signed? (Answer: Two. However, some guests may request otherwise. It is the responsibility of the staff to find out any restrictions beforehand, then to communicate this info to us.)

2. What types of items are we allowed to have signed? Official merchandise only? Or is fan art, etc. okay? (Answer: It depends. It is the responsibility of the staff to find out any restrictions beforehand, then to communicate this info to us.)

3. Are we or are we not allowed to take pictures of the guest? (Answer: It is at the discretion of the guest. However, some guests may specifically ask not to be photographed. It is the responsibility of the staff to find out beforehand, then to communicate this info to us.)

4. Are we or are we not allowed to pose with the guest in a picture? (See 3.)

Do you see the underlying point here? It is the staff's responsibility to talk to the guest and find out before the autograph session starts any restrictions that the guest may have. Then the staff must communicate these restrictions to us. The staff should not assume that all guests are okay with the same things, and should not assume that we know what the guests are okay with.

Please tell us. We are lined up with nowhere to go for 30 minutes anyway. These are important details not only for us to know, but also to keep the guests happy.

I have found that unless instructed otherwise, some attendees will ask for a photo with the guest and the guest will be too polite to reject them, even if that guest isn't comfortable getting close to an attendee for photos. Don't put guests in the embarrassing position of having to say no to a fan. It is the responsibility of the staff to look after the guest and make sure their needs are met. That includes communicating the guests' requests to attendees, and intervening with the attendee when necessary. Again, don't make the guest be the one to do it!

I'm sure AB's guest liaison staff are well-versed in making sure the guests' accommodations and wants are followed when interacting with attendees, but in case you are not, let me know. I'm happy to share a few things I know about handling VIPs...

#4 Clarify whether or not a panel can or cannot be recorded at the START of each panel

Not all guests and panelists are okay being photographed or recorded at their panels. I always ask the staff when I enter a panel room whether or not these things are allowed. If no, then I respect that. However, most other people do not ask.

I've encountered situations where I would be told that recordings are not allowed, only to see other attendees fire up their phones and cameras and record the panel as soon as they sit down. The guests were all really nice people and too polite to ask them to stop. I felt bad for the guest, but I myself was also annoyed by this because those attendees got to do something that I couldn't. I felt I was punished for following the rules.

So, I suggest that staff make a brief announcement at the beginning of each panel. The announcement could be something like, "This is Panel 302, 'How to Be a Polite Anime Guest,' hosted by Joe Schmoe. This panel runs until 8:00 and recordings are not allowed."

This 10 second announcement contains a bunch of information that not only addresses my concern about making it clear whether or not we can record the panel, but it also tells everyone everything they need to know about that panel, which helps everyone know they are in the right room. (Yes, I've seen people enter a panel, then leave a minute afterwards, presumably because they were in the wrong room.)

#5 Enforce the no-photography rule in the Artists' Alley

The con guide clearly says "Do not stop to take pictures of cosplayers (exception – the cosplayer is an artist and you've asked permission)." This needs to be better enforced. I encountered a bottleneck several times in the AA because photographers and cosplayers were occupying a large chunk of the floor. I'm sure they didn't mean to slow everything down and force everyone to go around them, but that's what ended up happening.

I saw that there are sometimes some Hynes security (not AB security) wandering the AA area. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think they are there to tell cosplayers and photographers where to take pictures. AB staff need to be more vigilant about doing this themselves.

I saw some cosplay photography going on in the Dealers' Room too, but it seem to be more prevalent in the AA. But everything I said here can also apply to the DR.

#6 Open up more exits from the Hynes to the Pru on Sunday

After closing ceremonies, people began to funnel out of the Hynes. Everyone had to exit either out of the Prudential Mall exit or the Boylston St. exit. People trying to get to the Sheraton could not enter from the AA because that area was being disassembled.

Most people exited from the Pru exit and I was horrified to see that only one exit door was open, leading to a bottleneck. The other two doors were still reserved for entrances and bag checks. But virtually no one was entering because the con is over!

I suggest that after closing ceremonies, one of the Pru entrance doors be converted to an exit door to alleviate the bottleneck. So instead of two entrances and one exit, there will be one entrance (probably the middle door because of its adjacency to the bag check area) and two exits.

[Shic]

Generally, I enjoyed myself and had a really great experience at the con. But there is one thing I can't overlook, and that's the line redirection issue. Quite honestly, I'm appalled and disgusted that we were shunted through the center and outside like cattle. Seriously? What was that all about? It was brutally cold outside, and the walk was long, convoluted, and out of the way. My sister was wearing a tube top and a skirt and was freezing -- and I know there were ladies and gentlemen who were wearing even less than her. We were not intending on going outside during any part of the convention. We did not have coats. We shouldn't have needed them. What if it had been raining? Or snowing? Would we have had to wait outside in that and ruin our cosplays? All I wanted was to return to my hotel room at the Sheraton but was told that I had to go around simply because I was a con attendee. It was almost akin to being told to take the servants' door instead of the main door after paying to attend a social function. Yes, I and many others shelled out hundreds of dollars for our hotel rooms, and yet we were treated like rats. Furthermore, out of all the people at the Prudential Center this weekend, we were the only ones who paid to be there. And in spite of that, we were treated like second-class citizens, and that is completely unacceptable. I was a guest and should have been treated as such. I don't know if this whole ridiculous procedure was conceived by AB or the Prudential Center, but if it was the latter, then I intend to contact them as well because this treatment of us was utterly revolting.

On a semi-related side note, many of the staff I encountered were also incredibly rude and condescending, shouting confusing instructions about "two by twos" and "four in a row" without elaborating, then getting angry when we didn't "follow the rules." A lot seemed generally peevish and belligerent, making waiting in line for panels an extremely uncomfortable experience. That being said, I also came across some very pleasant staff members, but as they say: A few bad apples spoil the bunch.

[chibisprite]

-SNIPPED-
Speaking of the Artists' Alley, I actually ended up not visiting it at all because of the length of the line. I didn't pause there long enough to see why there was a line at all, but I'm assuming there were badge checks going on, which confused me a bit since the Dealers' Room comparatively had no badge checks at all. Either way, when I last attended I was able to browse the Alley without waiting in such a hugely long line, to the best of my memory, so I can't help wondering if there's some way to streamline things a bit more (unless there was some issue going on while I was passing by?). -SNIPPED-

Uh, was there a possibility you were just confused about the lines? The only time I've ever seen a long line for AA would be first thing in the mornings (before 10am) right when it opens. Otherwise in the afternoon, the only small lines would form if staff/security would be holding the traffic flow to move lines for events in the Auditorium, which happen to cross right over the main entrance for the Alley. Those might have been the lines you saw, since usually (like the Dealer's Room) the traffic flow is usually just walk in/walk out and not a line.

=====
Not really anything but a comment/question first. As I usually fail to go to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies (and occasionally miss a Chess Match (2 years ago) I may have missed this bit so bear with me please.

What happened to Team SITCAS (Sit In The Corner And Sulk) for Cosplay Chess? I know they really didn't do anything (but sit in the corner and sulk) still it was interesting not to see them.

Otherwise -

Bag check/Lines to get in: I never stood in line for more than 5 - 10 minutes each day to get in, and I only used the Hynes/Pru entrance. It was a wonderful improvement over last year, and I hope this style continues. I was also impressed that my staff from my White Mage cosplay on Saturday was prop checked/tagged while I was waiting to get my bag checked. ^.^ Even the person who ended up checking my Pokemon Breeder bucket on Friday morning was very nice, especially since I had to help him remove some pokeballs since he ran out of hands to move items out of the way, and didn't want to place them down on the table (I think so I wouldn't lose them).

Cosplay Couples Game: I thought this was a great addition to the game panels. The variety of couples was a great choice, not just romantic pairings (male/female, female/female and male/male) but those as friends too (Erwin and Hange Zoe from AoT for one example...even if they were "tricked" into showing up).

Cosplay Deathmatch: Although Billy was missed, it was nice for the explanation to be given at the event in both real life and in character context to explain his absence for those not following him on Social Media (specifically his cosplay facebook page, where I believe was the first place he announced he was unable to appear due to his paper presentation). It was a great blend of pose offs, dance offs, rock-paper-scissors (I think) and team ups. Truth be told, the fan service was pretty sweet...and although I don't think I ever wanted to truely know what type of boxers Alex Luis Armstrong wore, now I know. XD

Masquerade: Another proposal! =^.^= It was great seeing that, and kudos to the new couple. It was great to see The Roadie continue to host, and I was intrigued that Mario made a return to co-host. I thought that he was just brought back last year because of the milestone, but happy to see him return as well. It was a lovely blend of exhibition and competition skits. {Side note; was the "Sailor Spice Girls" skit the group I've seen on YouTube doing similar group dances? Their outfits looked the same, and wicked amazing even if they are a different group.}

Which brings me to my only complaint from this year - It was very confusing for the Bad Anime Bad line to be lining up at the exact same time as the Masquerade (floor level) line. Due to the lines being in different places than in years past; where people usually line up for the Masquerade was actually the wrong line because of BAB being in Hall D. I only learned of this after being in line for 20 mins, when a staff member came around asking what we were in line for. I then proceeded to walk around the floor trying to find the actual Masquerade line...and where it ended. I do understand that it was partially my fault, since I apparently chose the wrong way to walk around, but could there possibly be more than a single staff member with an "End of _____ Line" sign for times like that? Or could they possibly stand slightly out in the hall/to the side of the line rather than nearly in the line? I almost missed them, but was thankful a group of people I was following spotted the sign right before I walked past. Also, when trying to get the line moving there was indeed a staff member (possibly a member of security) that was screaming at the top of her lungs to get people to move into the the auditorium. I don't know if she understood that there was usually a gap in the line because traffic had to be stopped for Artist Alley for people to enter/exit that area and when we had to cross over the hall right before Hall D.

If anything was incoherent, I do apologize. I've been writing this on and off for over the past hour...and now I need to get some much needed sleep. I can clarify anything if needed, just shoot me a PM or quote me and I'll attempt to find it (since apparently I don't get notifications of quotes).

[No Items Ever]

1) I'm mainly gonna be agreeing with Abyss-chan on this one. I had to go through this line twice losing almost an hour of my con time just standing in a line waiting to go inside said con. The gusts of wind coming outside actually tore of a piece of my friends armor and almost had one of my props fly away which could have been easily avoided if we had been inside. I understand the local staff is a bit of an issue of how they control it but I feel this situation would have been made much better if the line ended up sticking inside the Pru/Sheraton. At least somewhere to keep the congoers safe and secure.

which brings me to the biggest issue of them all

2) Hynes Staff treatment of con-goers: I know this an issue with the Hynes itself but I feel you guys need to address this. I've never been treated so poorly by the staff of where I've gone to in such a long time and I've been around the block to a lot of cons. Being herded by cattle, constantly yelled at, it feels like I'm at some sort of bootcamp when in all honesty I just wanna get around and have fun. Most notably there was a guy on the third floor by around the room 313 area(near the staircase on the far left) that was just treating people horribly. Telling people to move out of the way when clearly there was no one in the area and we were off to the side, telling people they cannot stand within like 5 inches of the railing, and overall just being really ignorant and making me uncomfortable. I really wish I had gotten that guy's name so I could have reported him since he really messed up the Tales of photoshoot I was running in that area.

I hope you guys can at least give them our opinions in some kind of way especially for this issue since no one else is gonna tell them otherwise.

[Oos]

I also must say something about the line redirection, I was waiting to get into the con and i was directed up a set of stairs.

THERE WAS NO RAMP. I NEEDED A WHEELCHAIR.

i was WINDED and exhausted when i got to the top of those stairs. this is UNACCEPTABLE. I cant imagine what others who cant even walk at ALL in their wheelchairs had to do! this was the only way to get in i was told, so! if i had fallen because i got too weak to climb stairs (and again, i was going inside to GET A WHEELCHAIR), you could have potentially had a lawsuit on your hands. something to think about. think about WHERE you're redirecting people, not everyone can climb a flight of stairs, in cosplay or not.

people were also yelling at us for standing around the walls near the bag check area and ushering us to move into the overcrowded main room. if you were looking for someone or waiting for someone to find you, tough luck apparently. i was waiting for my caretaker (again, wheelchair) who was going through bag check and i was not allowed to wait the minute or so it took them to get through it, i was ushered down a ramp and given attitude when i said i was waiting for my caretaker (i'm mentally AND physically ill and cant be left alone in a crowded area or i have meltdowns). i mentioned the attitude of the nurses too, they didnt seem to actually have any compassion.

3 wheelchairs for a convention of thousands is ridiculous and more need to be arranged to be brought to the convention for those who need them. i mentioned this already too.

[reaper527]

a few things that stood out.

amv contest

while electronic voting from our phones is still number one on the wishlist, these new cardstock perforated voting ballots (with pencils being handed out) were awesome. definitely a big improvement over previous years.

great job on the contest this year. everything went very smoothly and it was a great show. hopefully the new co-ordinator for next year can meet the same standard of quality that the current one has been putting up for years. the only flaw i did notice that there were a few dropped frames at the beginning of the show. not sure if this was a problem with the computer playing the videos, or if that was an encoding issue with the videos themselves

crowd management

this is the only aspect where i would say anime boston failed miserably this year. in previous years, people without a bag were able to enter from a separate "no bag" line. this year, everyone was forced into the same line, which got very long due to having so many people in it that really didn't need to be there. (this line then went down the sheraton, and outside the door, with multiple lines converging into one massive mess.). it looks like this was a last minute decision, because over the entry way there was a sign saying "no bags" over the far right doorway, but contrary to what the sign said, this was being used as an "exit only" doorway that people without bags couldn't enter through.

on a nitpicky note, after the bag check there was the little ramp into the main hallway/first floor. this hallway has a divider, and the people coming in were forced to the left (and the people leaving were forced to the left in the opposite direction). foot traffic is naturally going to want to follow the same protocol as driving, and since we are in the us, the rules of the road are "if it's not right, it's wrong". routing people to the right probably would have made things flow better, especially since a lot of people were approaching that ramp from the right upon leaving, and having to cut across all the people coming in to get to the left.

on less of a nitpicky note and more of a "this really sucked" standpoint, blocking off corridors and making them one way definitely created some frustrating "wtf" scenarios. going from the food court trying to get back to our hotel room in the sheraton on saturday, ab staff stopped us in the middle of the pru and said "this hallway is one way. if you want to get into the convention you have to go around". when we told the staff member that we were going to our hotel room and not the convention center, he said it didn't matter and forced us to go the long way back.

the long way consisted of all of us going outside in t-shirts. fortunately it wasn't too cold out (though the strong winds were kind of annoying). if ab wants to have staffers making questionable decisions inside the hynes and possibly the sheraton, that is frustrating but understandable (after all, your event and your leased space). once you are dealing with hallways outside of the space ab is renting and they are locking down entire hallways of the pru, that definitely seems like you've overstepped your bounds there.

also on the "locking down access to hallways" front, this happened after the masq in the area right outside the door as well. i was going straight from the masq to one of the 20x rooms (can't remember the exact number, but basically you'd go out the auditorium door, walk around the escalator to the far side of the room, and then it would be one of the first doors in that hallway.). a staffer wouldn't let anyone use the walkway around the escalators. this meant that a large crowd was all forced to go exactly the same way rather than splitting into 2 groups going in different directions, putting a lot more foot traffic in the way of anyone attempting to get to a room on the side of the convention center that they were already on. this inefficiency can literally be the difference between someone making it into a panel or getting to it and finding out that it's at capacity.

it effectively kept people in the hallways longer than they had to be, and that isn't good for anyone's goals. from the fans side, we were being lead on a non-ideal/inefficient path simple "because", and it wasted time. from the staff perspective, it kept more people in the hallways for longer, which makes the large turnout problem even worse.

having the signs at high traffic areas telling people "if you go this other way, it will probably be faster" was a good idea, and it was definitely good to see that in place near the escalators and where ever else i saw that over the weekend. there should be more of an emphasis on good signage rather than rounding people up like cattle. expand on that, reminding people about the stairs (which i used very frequently as they were typically completely abandoned while there was a long escalator line right next to them in many cases)

i realize there was concern over the number of people who preregistered, but the attempts to control the crowd definitely made things worse.

anime unscripted

i've been coming to ab since 2010, and have been to anime unscripted every year, always walking away very impressed. it wasn't very good this year... at all. jekka was the only one who really did a great job up there (well, and greg ayers, but since i was only there for a few minutes i didn't really count that). i don't mean this as a knock towards jekka, but when the host of the show is the best one up there, that isn't a good sign.

mona and ellyn just weren't very good and totally failed at following the rules of a lot of the games. worse yet, in previous years the voice actors/actresses really felt like they love being part of the anime community where as this year it felt like they didn't know the first thing about the community (examples: "who are jesse and james?" and not knowing the theme of the convention). if they were as disinterested in being here as they came across, that would explain a lot of why their performances came across as uninspired and almost "i'm just here for a paycheck".

i got the impression that anime unscripted didn't unfold as planned, possibly due to someone backing out and the event being cobbled together at the last minute. i seem to recall one of the hosts saying the wrong name for the non-jekka/mona/ellyn person and then correcting themself. was this infact the case? while some of the logistical issues i mentioned up above were pretty frustrating, this year's anime unscripted was definitely the biggest disappointment of the weekend. when i was talking about it to a friend in the hallway later in the night, someone else overheard me and chimed in that he thought the same exact thing. as such, i don't think i'm the only one was was disappointed with unscripted this year.

not directly con related

in the past, someone on ab staff had mentioned that ab works closely with guidebook and has contact with their developers and the ability to give them feedback. it would AWESOME if guidebook had the ability to share our "my schedule" with friends. right now there is no real good way to take our marked events and say "here's what's on my agenda for today".

[Painted_Outlaw]

When there is a ginormous bag check line for the Hynes (yes, I'm talking about the mess on Saturday), the con staff working the overcrowded line need to get on their walkie-talkies and coordinate with the staff

If I may bounce off this, it was sort of an issue when my friends and I were doing a tokusatsu photoshoot late Sat. night and staff members kept telling us to move.

Now, I know by itself that doesn't sound worth griping over, but it didn't seem like the 3 staff members had any idea what the other 2 had said. When the host of the shoot told the 2nd guy that she talked to a staff person and that the spot was okay, he had to go and find the person because he had no clue what had happened.. then we moved again.. then a 3rd guy wanted us to move again because he apparently needed to start a line but then he had to go check that us moving to that spot was okay... despite the 2nd guy saying it was?
The shoot still ended up being fun, but.. just some coordination there on the staff's behalf would've been nice.

[fuyuzora]

-SNIPPED-
Speaking of the Artists' Alley, I actually ended up not visiting it at all because of the length of the line. I didn't pause there long enough to see why there was a line at all, but I'm assuming there were badge checks going on, which confused me a bit since the Dealers' Room comparatively had no badge checks at all. Either way, when I last attended I was able to browse the Alley without waiting in such a hugely long line, to the best of my memory, so I can't help wondering if there's some way to streamline things a bit more (unless there was some issue going on while I was passing by?). -SNIPPED-

Uh, was there a possibility you were just confused about the lines? The only time I've ever seen a long line for AA would be first thing in the mornings (before 10am) right when it opens. Otherwise in the afternoon, the only small lines would form if staff/security would be holding the traffic flow to move lines for events in the Auditorium, which happen to cross right over the main entrance for the Alley. Those might have been the lines you saw, since usually (like the Dealer's Room) the traffic flow is usually just walk in/walk out and not a line.

That could definitely be the case (my observation skills are not A+ most of the time), but I'm also pretty certain that the line was for the Artists' Alley. Just for more detail - in order to reach it, I walked down the hallway between the Chibi Zone and the Panel 206/Video 210 rooms, towards Hall D, as shown at the bottom right here, and then turned to the left when reaching Hall D's entrance. In that main hallway, the line I mentioned stretched from the Alley's entrance all the way down the right wall. As I headed off, I noticed that the line was moving and the people in it were entering the Alley, but the problem was that things appeared to be going quite slowly for the most part. As I mentioned, though, I didn't stick around to see much because it was already getting late and I wanted to browse the Dealers' Room too, so I might have just totally misinterpreted the situation.

[bearforceone]

In general it was a great year, but I don't think enough can be emphasized about the treatment by Hynes staff. It was completely, utterly unacceptable.

If it wasn't general, incredibly avoidable/fixable screwups (the "no bag" sign being a complete fallacy), it was totally inappropriate behavior. I stopped using the Pru entrance entirely because I was sick of being screamed at or watching other attendees get screamed at. I'm not entirely certain if there was maybe something in the water this year, but every "guard" only had three modes: condescending, unhelpful, or furious.

I'm not 100% certain why deciding to move ahead of the bag check line because I don't have a bag is deserving of me being snapped out to get in the back of the line, but apparently it was and that's how things are now?

If AB itself wasn't absolutely rocking it with registration (you guys have come so, so far from 2008!), I'd feel completely embarrassed about the new people I brought with me this year. Who can recommend a con where merely deciding to walk on the right side of a pathway is cause for a tirade?

However minor this may seem in comparison, this can be the sort of thing that sticks with a con's reputation- who wants to be the convention that's known for being pretty good, but has a security staff that hates us? It's literally taken almost this long just to shake the stupid LineCon gag.

Side note, because "LineCon" reminded me:
Otakon's booth was sad. On Friday they reported being unable to do sign-ups thanks to "wi-fi issues." (The irony of this after Ota 2014's registration was a nightmare because of "wi-fi issues" was not lost on me.) I didn't bring up the fact that no one else seemed to have issues doing transactions, but whatever.

I returned to check in on them Sunday, and they had left. When I passed by an hour later, the booth had become a hangout spot for AB staffers. Does anyone know if Otakon ever actually got something working here, or were they just a mess all weekend?

[Drac]

I need to add to the comments about the crowd control..... it was utterly a failure this year.

-- Yelled at constantly. I have never been so yelled at anywhere EVER. It was more the Hynes staff than anyone else, but they are still a part of Anime Boston when they are working during the con. It didn't matter what anyone was doing. Excellent example that happened countless times: When actively walking, we would get yelled at to "move along". It was amazingly obnoxious. Even my very low-key mother was angry about it by the end of the con.

-- Randomly closed-off hallways/doors. Moving around the con this year was a challenge because so many hallways/areas/doors where randomly closed off in various directions. This caused FAR more problem than anything else. Halfway to your destination, you would get told no, you couldn't walk in that hallway that had always been open before, you had to backtrack all the way back to where you started and go around a different way. I know the Hynes well and knew ways around... but someone new to Anime Boston would be totally thrown for a loop and might not want to come back because of that.

(Incidentally, I realize that closing off of areas was probably done for various actual reasons. However, that makes no difference to someone not involved, who only sees an area closed off, which they didn't expect to be closed off, and not only has no idea why, but could not have predicted it would be closed off before getting there.)

-- Getting routed around outside. THIS should have NEVER happened. This was inexcusable. It was cold out. It was amazingly windy. People were not dressed to go outside. I didn't take notice of lack of handicap access outside, though someone else has already mentioned it and I bring it up here again for them.

-- No separate lines. The line to get in problem was compounded by telling people without bags that they had to stand in the same line waiting for everyone with bags. I made several annoying compromises to what I carried into the con so that I would not have a bag and would not have to wait in the bag line. Getting told to wait in the bag line ANYWAY and outside in the cold was the end of my patience.

-- Misplaced/incorrect signs. Not sure how the no-bags entrance became also the exit, but this caused a good bit of congestion. If he signs were put up wrong, I would have expected someone to come out and change them. If nothing else, change them early Saturday morning before things started up.

**There was one good thing that I wanted to comment on... Having the bag check in that little round area right inside the entrance was a stroke of genius that will be unfortunately overlooked due to the other massive problems with the traffic flow. Do not throw that baby out with the bathwater! That was a good spot for bag check!**

That said, overall, I have to give crowd control an "F" for this year. My suggestions for improvement would be:

-- Do NOT close off hallways/doors. The efforts that were made to micro-control the movement of the crowd made things 1000% worse than any other year I've attended. (I've attended EVERY year so far.) The methods used to try to cattle-pen us around would have only worked for a group where everyone was going from one thing all to the same next thing, which is NOT how a con of this type works.

-- Create truly separate bag/no bag lines. Take advantage of people like me who will make arrangements to NOT carry a bag into the Hynes. Letting us walk in on the side makes your bag line shorter and more manageable because those of us who don't need to be in it aren't in the way.

-- Keep things indoors! Barring smokers, pretty much no one is planning to go outside. Come up with an indoor plan for lines. If nothing else, you need it for bad weather anyway, so just use an indoor plan from the start.

-- End the yelling. If an instruction needs to be shouted out now and again, that's fine. But the constant yelling of the same thing to people who are already doing what you're shouting at them to do is out of line. There needs to be a powwow between Anime Boston staff and Hynes staff. If they want to stand there with utter sourpuss faces like they also did this year, go for it, but constantly shouting at me now passes on your poor mood to me when I've paid a lot of money to attend this con. (By the way, all of us attending a con in Hynes con space is what keeps a place like the Hynes in business. They seemed to forget that we were paying their paychecks this weekend. Remind them.)

[Smoochum302]

My complaints and compliments are pretty much everything that Drac said above ^

Though I will comment further on the on lack of reasonable handicap alternative access.

My sister just recently healed up from her knee surgery last year and even though we told the staff about the issue, they said there was nothing they could do, implying since she wasn't in a wheelchair or any other type of contraption that would suggest she was handicapped that she had to still wait in line, stairs and all.

We didn't have any bags, there was no reason she had to wait in that line.

She got down the stairs and back up them (slowly, and with pain. The cold wind didn't help with her newly healed knee either. Thank you gurren lagann cosplayers that were behind us for being so patient!), but it was ridiculous that we had to put up with this. It put a damper on the entire time we were at the con Saturday.

Thank god the Hilton has amazing staff, they not only let us use a separate elevator when we got back, but sent someone up with Advil afterwards and even suggested we make a trip to their hot tub.

You really messed up this year AB. I've gone for years, but after this unless you change drastically for the better next year, I wouldn't suggest this con to anyone who has any type of disability or lack of mobility.

TL:DR
This convention wasn't friendly to those who don't have outward disabilities, and I can blame it entirely on how mis-managed the lines were.
If you just made a no bags line, and a bag check line, it would have gone a lot better and have been more friendly than lumping both those kinds of people into one line.

[inuratus]

Here are some things that really need improvement or else the convention will really cease to be an enjoyable environment and I will have to stop attending after being an attendee since 2005.

People with Mental Disorders EXIST and need accommodation
I have a few anxiety based disorders along with ptds/trauma related issues. Now I take care of my own health first and foremost and if I see a situation becoming too much I will remove myself. There are times when I will leave the DR or AA because I feel overwhelmed and I take the time to take a moment for myself.

Now what I don't appreciate is me needing to recollect myself, take a breather, take medication etc and being yelled at to stand up. I can understand if I was sitting in the middle of the hallway, blocking someone's path, or some other situation that seems inappropriate, but to be yelled at when the staff doesnt even bother to inquire about the situation is unacceptable. Not only is it just rude to take the approach of "yell first, ask later", but yelling can also drive me to feel even worse about my mental state.

Expanding on that, having people huddle uncomfortably close in line and yelling at me for not wanting to have direct bodily contact is also inappropriate. I do not like having my personal boundaries invaded and I think wanting a 4-6 inch buffer around you is an acceptable request. But to get to a point where you are virtually asking that if I want to enjoy myself at panel I need to subject myself to having someone's body touching me or rubbing against me is not okay. Instead of telling people to "get really close" tell people something like "Okay now let's make a line of two by two." Some lines have done this, but this needs to be consistent throughout! Not only is it streamlined but makes the experience much more tolerable.

I will bring up the sitting situation once again. In the sheraton in line waiting for a panel in the constitution ballroom, I sat down for a moment to collect myself from the exhaustion of having to be so close to people. I was immediately told to stand, but this time I expressed that I just needed some time because I couldn't do it anymore. This was met by a rather apathetic response. Are there not rules in place or some kind of training on how to accommodate attendees with mental disorders? Like is there some way perhaps instead of waiting in line and not wanting to break rules or sitting down, that I can be allowed to enter the empty panel room instead? It just doesn't seem like there is enough consideration for people who just don't have the ability to perform well in certain situation due to their disorders, but still want to have fun. I feel sometimes like if I want to take care of my health, I should just not bother trying to see a panel at all.

"Come back at _:30!"

This was one of the most baffling moments in the convention for me and caused quite a lot of distress for not only myself but for other attendees. Do I think it's a great idea to tell people there will be no lineups before a specific time? Yes absolutely. It's one of the best things AB has implemented over the years. However, how about actually sticking by with that rule? I was told to come back at 11:30 to line up for an auto session. I waited in one of the game rooms to pass the time and walked out at 11:28. Once I got up to spot I was told that they were full up and weren't taking anymore people for the line. How does this even happen? If I was told Im not allowed to hang around or be somewhere and then show up on time, how is it that 100 people have already filled it up BEFORE the time you are allowed to line up. It's ridiculous! Commit to these time rules so that people like myself feel they can get a shot at getting the autograph and not being deceived. It's one thing if it was 11:35 and it was full, because that's totally understandable. People work quickly. But before the time? Cmon.

[Oos]

People with Mental Disorders EXIST and need accommodation
I have a few anxiety based disorders along with ptds/trauma related issues. Now I take care of my own health first and foremost and if I see a situation becoming too much I will remove myself. There are times when I will leave the DR or AA because I feel overwhelmed and I take the time to take a moment for myself.

Now what I don't appreciate is me needing to recollect myself, take a breather, take medication etc and being yelled at to stand up. I can understand if I was sitting in the middle of the hallway, blocking someone's path, or some other situation that seems inappropriate, but to be yelled at when the staff doesnt even bother to inquire about the situation is unacceptable. Not only is it just rude to take the approach of "yell first, ask later", but yelling can also drive me to feel even worse about my mental state.

Expanding on that, having people huddle uncomfortably close in line and yelling at me for not wanting to have direct bodily contact is also inappropriate. I do not like having my personal boundaries invaded and I think wanting a 4-6 inch buffer around you is an acceptable request. But to get to a point where you are virtually asking that if I want to enjoy myself at panel I need to subject myself to having someone's body touching me or rubbing against me is not okay. Instead of telling people to "get really close" tell people something like "Okay now let's make a line of two by two." Some lines have done this, but this needs to be consistent throughout! Not only is it streamlined but makes the experience much more tolerable.

I will bring up the sitting situation once again. In the sheraton in line waiting for a panel in the constitution ballroom, I sat down for a moment to collect myself from the exhaustion of having to be so close to people. I was immediately told to stand, but this time I expressed that I just needed some time because I couldn't do it anymore. This was met by a rather apathetic response. Are there not rules in place or some kind of training on how to accommodate attendees with mental disorders? Like is there some way perhaps instead of waiting in line and not wanting to break rules or sitting down, that I can be allowed to enter the empty panel room instead? It just doesn't seem like there is enough consideration for people who just don't have the ability to perform well in certain situation due to their disorders, but still want to have fun. I feel sometimes like if I want to take care of my health, I should just not bother trying to see a panel at all.

I want to emphasize this too. Before I could get into the con and pick up a wheelchair from the first aid station, i had to wait for a friend. I was sitting down near the hallway that leads to the sheraton and i was told i had to either stand up or go find a chair, which would be great if all the chairs werent TAKEN. i told them this and they simply said 'wellllllll you cant be here so sorry!'

i bring up the nurses a third time here too because i have a severe anxiety disorder that makes my already garbage legs literally buckle and i WILL fall, and thus the need for the wheelchair. i would never have been able to make it through the con without one. i offhand mentioned that i had left my xanax in my hotel room (which wouldnt have made a lick of difference), and got scolded for it. for supposed medical professionals they sure were everything BUT professional. NO one knew how to handle people with mental illnesses and disorders. We already feel shitty enough for feeling like this, we dont need to be patronized on top of it and made to cry for it at a con where we just want to have fun!

[XxCL0UDxX1990]

I gotta say I am disgusted with the staff that had been running the autograph sessions on Friday, I could have sworn the rule is people weren't allowed to line up until a half hour before the signing yet the staff were allowing attendees to line up in an "unofficial" line so long as they're in the hall before the signing area and so long as they're not blocking the doorway but that's complete bull crap cause I for the Cherami Leigh signing I got there a half hour before her signing as stated I should, only to be told to turn back cause the line is already capped......what!? This is complete bull crap and unacceptable!!! There needs to be a better more organized procedure in place and let the staff that are in charge of the autograph sessions that by no means are they allowed to break or bend the rules because then crap like this happens and people like me who followef the rules are left without an autograph. Also I personally believe the conference rooms are too small in the Sheraton for autograph signings, especially when there is a large turnout for the guest, I think you guys should look into getting the autograph sessions held in one of the larger rooms in the Hynes, that way more people have a chance to get an autograph. One last complaint that I have and I hope that you change for next year is that please try not to have the voice actors autograph sessions overlap each other because it's pretty impossible to wait in two lines at the same time, if you could just have them be in the same room together like you used to do a few years back, it made things a lot easier.

[Aurabolt]

#4 Clarify whether or not a panel can or cannot be recorded at the START of each panel

Not all guests and panelists are okay being photographed or recorded at their panels. I always ask the staff when I enter a panel room whether or not these things are allowed. If no, then I respect that. However, most other people do not ask.

I've encountered situations where I would be told that recordings are not allowed, only to see other attendees fire up their phones and cameras and record the panel as soon as they sit down. The guests were all really nice people and too polite to ask them to stop. I felt bad for the guest, but I myself was also annoyed by this because those attendees got to do something that I couldn't. I felt I was punished for following the rules.

So, I suggest that staff make a brief announcement at the beginning of each panel. The announcement could be something like, "This is Panel 302, 'How to Be a Polite Anime Guest,' hosted by Joe Schmoe. This panel runs until 8:00 and recordings are not allowed."

This 10 second announcement contains a bunch of information that not only addresses my concern about making it clear whether or not we can record the panel, but it also tells everyone everything they need to know about that panel, which helps everyone know they are in the right room. (Yes, I've seen people enter a panel, then leave a minute afterwards, presumably because they were in the wrong room.)

I can comment on this.

It's the panelist's call as to weather or not they want to be recorded or not. Industry Panelists tend to be good about letting folks know well in advance. Non-Industry panelists like myself, it's more of a mixed bag. My rule of thumb is this: Unless they explicitly say "Please don't record" or "No Pictures", feel free to do so. Most don't mind in my experience as it's free advertising for their panel in the end.

If you're not sure, just ask the panelist(s). We don't bite ^_^

[Mirotic]

The Good
Putting the bag check area in the circle was a stroke of genius! Bag checks went very smoothly this year.
I know it could be annoying at times but lines for the escalator were a necessary evil and I was glad to see the con looking out for the attendees safety.
Autographs for Godzilla in the dealers room were awesome. The line was bearable and kept neat from what I saw, and the staff working that line were very friendly!

The Bad
It occurs every year, cosplay photoshoots taking up the whole hallway. This causes huge traffic jams and stinks for anyone who has pieces of cosplay that can break if someone else bumps into you roughly.
People were lining up prior to the 30 minute start of the autograph line. This also has happened every year. My suggestion is to completely clear out that hallway until the 30 minute session begins. (People walking around looking for the gameroom are fine, as long as they keep moving.)
This isn't directed at staff, but rather at the con itself, cosplays this year were lacking. There were few cosplays and even fewer Japanese related cosplays. I feel like this year was the worst for cosplays since I've been going.
Semi-directed at staff, but I realize it's also not their fault, to me, there was a major lack of interesting panels to go to.

The Ugly
Wrapping the entrace line outside was not a good idea at all. Others have mentioned it, and it was way too windy to be wearing wigs and a cosplay, both of which could have gotten ruined.
Day 1, when it first opened, the Dealer's Room was beyond overcrowded. It was almost impossible to walk around. I'm not sure if capping the amount of people in there is possible, but it was just insane this year.

Overall
A good con! As always everyone was very nice as my group and I walked around. I had no problems with anyone. Fixing the lines seems to be everyone's biggest concern.
Also! Shout out to the amazing staff in the cosplay repair room. They were sweet, helpful and just awesome people to be around when you're feeling like crap because your cosplay broke. Thank you so much for your hard work!

[Faceman]

I want to thank everyone for their feedback so far. I just want to let you know that we will read everything and take it all in. We may not get to respond to every single post directly, but we are listening.

Staff is still on site for the most part. We'll have more staff posting on Tuesday and later this week. Thank you again!

[Mystic]

as someone who attended for atleast 5 years now, this year was kinda dissapointing... For one, for lisa autograph we were all in a line but out of no where the line fell and their was just a crowd of people all gather up in the hall and that line completely dissapeared to people arguing of how people are pushing each other or now behind the line because of the line due to staffs, second reason, you guys should realize anime boston is really big and known now. Why cap autograph to only like 100 ppl out of what 25,000+ people. Might want to consider changing the cap to 400-600 now because 100 will just make people get mad. Love u lisa. Anyways third reason is that ik you guys are concern of false badges but i really really hated this year how their is like 4 staff next to each other and those 4 will want to see you badge after the last staff just seen it and gave it the ok to pass right infront of him. Like come on really? And my last and for most of yall who stayed for the hentai extravangaza that was a really huge disaster. Why would you put that event on a 30 ppl room out of all the years you guys place that event in hall D. So many people were upset including me, where the hall D event during the same time as the hentai extravenganza...they had only 30 people. Someone who was in charge of the panels and events was really unorganized....

[Lord_Convention]

So overall I want to congratulate the Boston Anime 2015 team for one of the best Conventions that I have attended in recent memory. I cannot hep enough positive praise on the AMV team for an amazing weekend of videos, Artists Alley was very well organized this year, and the Adult panels were hilarious and full of fun. That all being said there were a few concerns I would like to Critique for next year that I hope you, the Staff, will take into account.

The Karoake Nightmare

We all know that Karaoke is very popular; especially among the younger crowd. The last 3 years I have attended it has steadily increased and with that the dreadful wait for your chance to get your song. While I loved the Staff this year they ended up having the same problem this year that Anime Boston had with Registration last year. Trying to.....Accomadate.....everyone with YouTube videos and Lyrics MASSIVELY impacted the experience and slowed things down. That added with everyone taking 10 minutes to just get started.............ridiculous. Little Sally doesn't need to flirt with the Staff while she picks from her phone for 10 minutes; unacceptable! Please keep the material to what you folks have on hand in your database and computers. It will not only keep the Karaoke relevant but also reduce that wait time significantly

On Saturday alone I waited 4 hours only to be told they were closing early at midnight......say what???!!! When I came back the next day I had to wait another 2 hours before being able to sing my song. Please make sure the Staff know their closing time and put it out to the Conventioneers.

The Food OverKill

We all love good food at a Convention, it's part of the experience and part of our rules (nice Marketing niche ). That being said $13.00 for a Pizza Pocket? $18.00 for a Soda and Hamburger? The only reason I wasn't outright upset at this was the ability to go to the Food Court in the Prudential Mall; which I must say was great and please repeat next year. My general point is that your Food prices, even at the small Kiosks, was above the average price (I mean even Rhode Island Comic Con wasn't that extreme) and scaring away people. Please evaluate, and see if there is a way to bring more affordable options to the menu next yea

Cos-Rage!!

As Comic/Anime fans we all love and appreciate a good costume; especially when the person Role-Plays their character Live. That being said this year the more...Hardcore....Cosplayers all seems on edge. I witnessed time and time again this Con that they were picking fights, arguing in public, and ripping the non-Anime cosplayers apart in the hallways and panel rooms.

Example 1: I Cosplayed as Arno Dorian for the Convention, and was approached by no less than 10 people over the course of the weekend who were more than a little insulting. I get I'm not Anime based but there budgeting and person taste made me make this decision. I think it honestly was getting ridiculous, and I would ask the Security/Staff to please stop this if possible. Con should be for everyone, not the selected "Elite" with snobby attitudes.

Example 2: On Sunday I watched a poor young girl who was cos-playing Cat women (and it was a good costume too) get ripped apart by this obnoxious Zelda cosplayer with a really bad attitude. I had to step in and tell the guy off to prevent her from all out crying. UNACCEPTABLE!.

Example 3: Friday I was shooting Cosplay in the Artists Alley and overheard one Cosplayer picking on a girl in a Kimono over the quality of her costume. What does it have to do with the Alley, or his costume for that matter?! Not cool.

Honestly I do not know if this is just Cosplayers at Anime Cons but I've never seen it that bad before; even at Boston Comic Con and they can get heated over there. Please look into this guys.

AMV Room OverFlow

Finally I cannot throw enough praise at the AMV team this year, they were simply fantastic. That being said we need MOAR SPACE! The Overflow was packed at peak hours when the best vids were playing. If we can find a larger room, or split the separate categories between two rooms, that would be great.


Again don't let this get any of you Staffers down you put on a fracking phenominal show this year and I'm sure it will be talked about for years to come as the models for Conventions in this area. Keep up the good work and I look forward to see you all again soon. <3

[Lord_Convention]

"Putting the bag check area in the circle" - Mirotic

I fully second that, and please bring back those Alliance Security Officer, they were soooooooooooooo much nicer and Professional than the Securitas idiots stationed further up.

[omgxspazz]

"Putting the bag check area in the circle" - Mirotic

I fully second that, and please bring back those Alliance Security Officer, they were soooooooooooooo much nicer and Professional than the Securitas idiots stationed further up.

This. I meant to add this in my original feedback reply, but it was frustrating to have to move into the pool of people while waiting for my boyfriend to join me (as I was the one with the bag and he ended up behind me when we both had bags at one point). I understand that people need to keep moving, but please do not scream at me to keep moving as I attempt to explain to you I am waiting for someone. Another time was in Friday night the group I was with got stopped for a photo two steps up the ramp and we were screamed at to keep moving. Their attitudes were incredibly frustrating and I did not want to get separated from my group while walking into the convention.

[Pathos Prime]

Seconding the accessibility issue. I have bad joints and walk with a cane, so imagine my surprise the first time I was told to loop around outside and found two flights of stairs at the end of the path.

Granted, by Saturday, con staff was nice enough to just wave my wife and I through when they saw me hobbling up, but that whole outside thing was a really bad idea and you could've had a major ADA issue on your hands.

[chaosharmonic]

Some event-related issues:

Karaoke contest:

• The contest itself was great. Really well-organized, with no real delays to speak of; it was good last year, but this year it was an improvement. That said, the sign-ups were confusing, to say the least. These were changed to being primarily online without any real announcement unless you frequent the forums, and the wild card slots weren't really explained. First off, there were exactly two of them (I practically had to fight for one despite getting there at 10am on Friday), but even more so the staff wasn't consistently aware what a wild card slot WAS. From three separate people I got three separate responses. One didn't know, the second told me that it was an alternate slot in case people didn't show (two people did end up not checking in anyway), and the third -- the one actually heading up the event -- told me we were checking in that it was two additional openings beyond the ones done on the forums (in which case naming them differently is just pointlessly confusing).
  
  Again, I can't gripe too much about the event as a whole, as I did manage to score a spot (and placed, no less), but the whole process of doing so was just unneeded stress. Suggestions: clarify what exactly a "wild card slot" is (or just don't name it differently), and consider alternate channels of communicating the things that have to be done ahead of time. (People are getting confirmations via email anyway; why not use that? Facebook is an option as well, but admittedly not a great one given that they artificially limit visibility of page posts)

Formal Ball:

• The ball has gotten more rigid than in years past. They were literally willing to turn people away over not having ties, suits notwithstanding. (This wasn't an issue a year ago; this rule was either added or much more vigorously enforced.) It's not that I don't get that it's a formal, but there's a certain point at which you start defeating the purpose of going to a convention at the first place, which is to have an event that's inclusive. Consider that one of the less productive items at the feedback panel (to put it nicely) was someone complaining that lower-quality cosplays lessened his enjoyment of the con, to which the staff response was that a cardboard Gundam was just as awesome as one with lights and motorized parts. When you're willing to tell people they can't get into an event over a small detail (literally and otherwise), you start approaching that point, if not crossing it. It also needlessly wastes a large portion of the con's first day; the total time for waiting in the ticket line, waiting for the lessons, doing the lessons, and going back to change was somewhere around 3-4 hours, all of which could have been spent at other events.
  
  And this doesn't even get into the fact that people (hearing this firsthand from friends who did so) got away with things like tying a bandana around the top of a shirt right in front of the ticketing staff, or that telling someone "you look nice" immediately after telling him he doesn't look nice enough is the most backhanded thing one could have possibly said. (I'm willing to assume that one was just thoughtless and not as actively rude as everyone's been saying the security staff was. Even so, the fact that someone would feel the need to say that kind of illustrates the problem.)
  
  I admittedly don't have any suggestions for this one, other than to either calm the hell down or to make it really clear that things that were fine in previous years wouldn't suffice.

Feedback panel:

• Both at the con and on social media people have been making a point about how we should go to the feedback panel and discuss our issues with the con in person (which I had already been planning to). So as you can imagine, it makes things really frustrating that the feedback panel ran low on time and told us to save these for the forums because people hijacked it to rant about the lower quality of others' cosplays, or about how there were too many adults doing crafts in the chibi room. There were literally calls to moderate/pre-screen the feedback panel during the feedback panel. (There's a certain irony, incidentally, in the fact that replies this thread itself require mod approval.) In a broader sense, the fact that closing ceremonies cuts into this panel is problematic as well, as time constraints are concerned.
  
  It would be worth adding additional methods for con feedback beyond just these, particularly ones that could be done earlier in the weekend. (A suggestion box, maybe?) Putting aside that there's no need to wait until afternoon to address an issue that happened on a Friday morning/evening, a good number of the responses re: security staff issues were that they wanted to hear about these things as they happened, and some more clarity about channels by which to do that would be great. With this it'd also be possible to create a FAQ and possibly make the panel itself less redundant. (This could also include things that have been addressed prior to the con, like the fact that the dance isn't coming back anytime in the foreseeable future.)

Some more positive things I ran across, though admittedly not in need of as much expansion:
VGO: This concert was amazing, and I'd love to see more of this (concerts highlighting the work of a featured composer) in years forward. (Though, my inner JRPG hipster was mildly disappointed that there was no Parasite Eve. But that's minor.)
Directories: I had a much easier time getting around this year with these floating around. It'd be great to see this expanded to the dealer's room, which (by the easy-to-get-lost standards of previous years) was a labyrinth within a labyrinth.

Edit: Mods, ignore my attempts to break these up into multiple posts. (I'd briefly thought these had gotten filtered because walls of text.)

[FullmetalNinja]

Anime Boston should make more of an effort to provide 'theme' based programming. If there is going to be a theme going for the convention every year, I think it should be up to the con to have at least a few panels/events that really stress the theme so that I'm not just going up the escalator and seeing one poster that has the theme on it is kind of underwhelming. Most cons don't have a real theme so Anime Boston is cool for doing it but I think it could be done up more.

Staff could have themed shirts, instead of just a plain orange with Staff/Security written across the back, there could have been some more thematic art. There could be more art going around the con, or even just like small panels or something. I just felt like the themes end up being arbitrary at con.

[Newisoldoldisnew]

Let me preface this by saying I have not been to Anime Boston since 2009 or 2010, so naturally the convention has evolved since then. I did not previously attend many panels, so I cannot make judgements about the general state programming either.

I will say that I found this year that there were panels that caught my interest that were either first thing in the morning or not until late afternoon or evening. Now I understand that there is a lot to do at the convention, but I spent my entire second day alone and found myself overwhelmed trying to pass time in the Dealer's Room and the Artist's Alley in between panels. It ultimately led me to have a panic attack and leave prematurely. It is not the fault of the convention that I was alone, of course, but I wonder if programming could be distributed better. This could also be entirely preference based, but just a thought. There were definitely lots of panels I would have loved to attend if they had not been scheduled directly after others I was quite interested in. I'm not the kind of person who wants to sit in line the full 2 hours to guarantee a seat at a bigger event. Just a nitpick on my part I suppose.

My biggest complaint about this convention, to be frank, is the location. I think that Anime Boston has outgrown the Hynes. Even with an attendance cap, there is barely room to breathe, or even gather your thoughts before heading off to your next event of the day. It was difficult for me to get around as an able-bodied person, so I cannot imagine how uncomfortable and inconvenient this must have been for wheelchair users or those with other movement-based disabilities. I'm not sure about where they are from an accessibility standpoint, but I'm starting to think the BCEC is a better sized venue for this event at this point. Just a thought!

All that said, I cannot wait for next year. For all the things that I found unpleasant, I enjoyed myself immensely

[nenie]

Karaoke Saturday Night

I don't know if anyone has addressed this yet, but Saturday night around 12:30ish AM, a security staff, I think he was an official officer not the con staff in orange. He had a uniform. This security man came in and told the Karaoke staff that the room had to close down immediately. That the third floor programming was being closed. It was news to the Karaoke staff as much as it was news to the rest of us. And attendees had to leave the room after that.
Karaoke is suppose to go on til 2AM on Saturday and it was closed an hour and half early. This is sketchy.

I wandered the third floor to the Sheraton exit, it didn't look like anything serious happened or that people were leaving. Well of course some people were leaving but there were still attendees out in the halls. The doors to the panel rooms around the Karaoke room were closed, 311, 309. It looked like they were told the same maybe. And people were still coming into the con. I asked the staff at the Sheraton entrance if he had knew anything about what happened and he had no clue. I couldn't find any other staff on my way out to ask the same. He asked through the communication head set thing to HQ I believe, and sounded like they told him that programming was being closed down by floor and the third floor was first. But I believe the first and second floor programming was still going on. Soooo, I was like, ok thanks for trying to find out for me. I left at like 1:00 AM ish.
Next morning, I went to Karaoke and asked the staff if they knew the reasoning behind the room closing early last night. They told me they're still not sure why it happened and that the officer said the con was contracted to close the room ( or third floor) at that time. I got to sing at least before leaving the con.

This situation is fishy, can we get an explanation for this? Does anyone know why this happened?

[Edit] I'd like to also add, Karaoke Staff were awesome. Besides what happened Saturday night. They kept track for people to throw trash and recycling away and were doing their best to update us on rules for signing up. It sucks that they were working with 13 year old laptop technology. Can I just suggest an upgrade for equipment for Karaoke. And like someone posted before, Maybe a projected screen of the song or name of the song and series on the wall behind the stage would be a plus for those who don't know what the person up there is singing. Thanks.

[ichimarudevil]

Honestly the only problem I had was they Hynes staff that did security inside the con. Per the norm the Anime Boston staff were very nice, strict when they had to be but I had no real problems with them. Unfortunately almost every Hynes staff member I dealt with was very unpleasant, mean, always yelling, and just ruined the mood. Yelling to move even though we were walking, even had some issued at the LiSa concert when she did her encore and people were standing to dance and get into it. It was obvious that they hated us (for whatever reason), but its annoying when the great fun mood gets ruined because a bunch a workers are mad because we are packing their place of employment and having a fun time.

Not sure a real solution here besides telling them to lighten up and try to have fun too. I know the Anime Boston staff has fun with us.

[aznman08]

Anime Boston should make more of an effort to provide 'theme' based programming. If there is going to be a theme going for the convention every year, I think it should be up to the con to have at least a few panels/events that really stress the theme so that I'm not just going up the escalator and seeing one poster that has the theme on it is kind of underwhelming. Most cons don't have a real theme so Anime Boston is cool for doing it but I think it could be done up more.

Staff could have themed shirts, instead of just a plain orange with Staff/Security written across the back, there could have been some more thematic art. There could be more art going around the con, or even just like small panels or something. I just felt like the themes end up being arbitrary at con.

Re Panels: most panels are run by con attendees. If you feel the theme panels were lacking a bit this year, then I suggest running a themed panel for AB2016

[Luscia]

I said this on the FB Social page, but I will state it here as well; This was my 6th year attending this con and it felt rather weird at some points in comparison to past years. The fact that my fiance, a friend of ours and I left the Hynes to go back to our room to drop stuff off so we could go to a panel unhindered by swag, only to be told "the end of the line is over there" pointing outside was total BS. I wasn't in cosplay and I feel for a lot of cosplayers who had exposed skin in that wind. I had a horrible chill for the rest of the night because of that. Also with the massive influx of people I find myself not wanting to take pictures as more often than not there really isn't a good place to stand where the traffic can freely flow.

I will also add in on the bag check; where as I didn't really feel it was slow or anything, I didn't appreciate having my fiance and friends who didn't have a bag being rushed down the ramp into the wave of people. Unlike some, I am lucky that my fiance is quite tall and was wearing a bright color the first day and our friend has a bright red hat so I could see them.