Question about Musical Talent (Possible Gray Area)

[Aurabolt]

Now, for one of the panels I am planning to do at AB2016, I'm looking into asking a well known local band to play one, maybe two of their songs at one of my panels should it be slotted. I'm not naming this band here though I can say with certainty if I asked them to, they would be open to performing at my panel.

I have roughly between now and mid-January to call their point person and ask them if they would be willing to do it as a personal favrot for me. Said band members would pay their way like normal congoers though they would only be coming to perform at my yet to be determined panel. They may have a police escort due to their recognition in Boston as well.

My question is this: Would they be allowed to register as regular congoers despite the celebrity status or would they be "forced" to be listed as Guests of Honor because of said status? I have my reasons for not naming the band though their point-person explicitly said they do not want the band to be listed as Anime Boston guests of honor since they would only be coming for my panel. If you want to know the name of the band, I can PM that detail to you.

The other Musical Talent I already booked for the weekend is my uncle. He was a well-known musical artist during the late 80s and early 90s in Boston. Nowadays he is often seen in the company of a certain actor from Boston. He's not as well known as he once was though he is planning to pay his way for the whole weekend to hang out with me. Some folks might recognize him because of the company he keeps but he doesn't want to be listed as a Guest of Honor.

So the question is would my uncle's celebrity status mean he has to register as a Guest of Honor? He's said he will not accept preferential treatment any kind as well.

If someone on staff could get back to me on both questions, it would be greatly appreciated ^_^

[Nemra]

Not a gray area.

Guests of Honor are typically reserved for guests that we ourselves have contacted and invited/brought in. Any person (celebrity or otherwise) can come to the con of their own accord but they would not be a "Guest of Honor".

That's one of the reasons why we discourage everyone from reaching out to potential guests in the first place, because of this particular confusion that you're getting yourself into.

and just as a safety measure for everyone who reads this, Please do not invite guests on behalf of Anime Boston! you can read more about why here

[pulsedemon]

It's probably best to contact Programming (use the contact form if you're not already in touch with them) to make sure we'd be able to accommodate your tech needs (assuming they choose the panel).

There have also been accommodations with Security for people that aren't specifically invited Guests of Honor but would be showing up to do something like signing books or whatnot. That's basically just like crowd control and making sure a person can get around as needed. It might be premature to discuss it all, though, since you should talk to Programming first!

[Aidan2]

Likewise there are the technical needs of a musical performance.

Most of our Panel spaces are not technically set up to receive a musical performance, nor are they staffed as such. Also to consider is the needs and requirements to get musical instruments and similar equipment brought into the space and setup/sound checked.

We have supported "Non GOH" musical performances in the past, even in panel slots however it was done at the request of our programming head and with coordination with several other divisions (Tech and Operations at a minimum).

So reach out to Programming and start a conversation with them.

[Aurabolt]

A few things to clear up:

I believe I made it clear they--my uncle and the band--would NOT be coming as Guests of Honor. I talked to my uncle this morning and he said he will definitely be able to make it. My birthday's the following weekend but he won't be in town for that. He is coming of his own accord and with the understanding he is paying the full entry fee like any other congoer. We clear on that? Oh and he will not be doing any performances. He's coming strictly as a family member despite his celebrity status in Boston.

As for the musical performance, the band would bring everything they need to perform with them. They've had alot of experience performing with only what they need. They are not committed YET though their pointperson told me when I called they will contact Anime Boston directly for logistical purposes if needed. That said, I will speak to the band's point person tonight to see if they would be open to doing the performance via Skype instead though.

I asked a similar question last year as I don't want people to think I'm inviting folks on behalf of Anime Boston. I think that is an assumption that is being made and it's just not cool. I know I tend to be very snippy but I'm being serious about this. Not looknig for loopholes or an exception. My uncle is going to pay the standard rate for congoers and wants no specual treatment. There shouldn't be any confusuon about that. I just want to make sure thats clear.

...Oh, and he may get mobbed to sign autoghraphs XD

[pulsedemon]

Yeah, I get it. Nabil's just trying to be proactive because the question comes up every year and he's typically the first one that has to hear about it. Not from you, obviously, but from other people that get really excited about the idea of seeing like such as a Hatsune Miku or a Pokemon.

The tech requirements aren't being floated as a joke or a hurdle to try to talk you out of anything - we're trying to make sure your panel works and that everyone comes off as good as possible. Even a telepresence is a relatively involved thing. Have you tried getting a reliable network connection in there on the free wi-fi or even on your own mobile phone that you pay for? We're trying to work with you so your presentation is great!

Contact Programming.

[Nemra]

Yeah, I get it. Nabil's just trying to be proactive because the question comes up every year and he's typically the first one that has to hear about it.

Pretty much this. Thats why i said "for everyone that reads this". Wasnt meant to be directed at you, rather, everyone else looking into the thread. the line can get very blurry and lines get crossed when it comes to this topic of attendee and guest so I was trying to cover all my bases especially since I mentioned that they're still free to attend of their own accord (which has happened before)

[Aidan2]

Contact Programming.

This.

If you are not in communications with our Panel and Programming heads then you are simply making work for yourself.

I am positive you have thought this out in the context of your own event. You do not need to explain it here.

Those of us that have responded to this are making sure you are aware of how it might effect the convention as a whole as that is what we think about. We are not trying to stifle your creativity or to stop you from doing something awesome. Instead we want to make sure all of the variables are covered and as you communicate with our Panel and Programming team we, as a convention, will become fully aware of the full scope of your event submission and how it will impact our event as a whole.

For example. You say the band will bring all of their own gear they will need, Great! Exactly how much is this? does it fit in a small suitcase they can get though the bag check or is it a truck worth of guitars, drums, amplifiers, keyboards and a monitoring system? If it is anything more than a suitcase then the equipment will need to come in through a loading dock, a loading dock that is controlled by a union that will need to handle the freight (as that what it is at that point). Once we get the gear off of its truck then we need to get it up to the room where the panel will take place, some of the rooms in the Hynes and Sheraton do not have direct access to the loading dock and instead could empty out directly into the Artist alley or Hall D, so now we have to take into account navigating through those spaces while they could be active and then through the hallways (while they are open!) to get the equipment finally into the panel room where your event will take place. Now we need to set it all up and get it integrated into our equipment and ensure a good sound quality, this needs to be staffed and accounted for in the time allotted for the Event. Your event goes off swimmingly, now we repeat this exact same process in reverse.

I'm NOT doing this to STOP you from wanting to do your event, I'm simply pointing out the complexities for doing a hypothetical event that could be like the event you are proposing. This is one part of many that needs to be planned out and accounted for inside of the convention as a whole.

We as a group want all of our attendees to have fun at Anime Boston and to enjoy what we have worked so hard to build. We try very hard to prevent the general attendee from "seeing how the sausage is made", however you are suggesting something that falls outside of our "normal scope of a panel" and because of that has a very strong possibility of upsetting the apple cart that is Anime Boston. We Love this type of event, new, fun, engaging, and something we haven't thought of! however we must still account for it in our operations and logistics to ensure that it goes off as smoothly as any other event we host.