Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

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Maydog
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Maydog »

I respectfully wish to speak to those members who are complaining about Cosplayers posing or blocking your access. Cosplayers posing, taking photos, performing their characters skits are all part of any Anime Convention. This is part of the creative positive flavor of the convention. This is to be celebrated, admired, and enjoyed while you are attending. Not complaining because they are in your way or slowing down your stride to what you want to do. It's all part of the Anime Convention scene. Everyone who has been to these conventions know that. With that being said please realize that in my opinion Anime Boston has always attracted the most creative and passionate Coaplayers around. So take a step back and a deep breath for future. When you see the Cosplayers take a moment to enjoy their passion representing their characters. You will then get a lot more out of this convention. I would like Anime Boston to leave things just the way they are for the members who make such and effort. Usually a year in advance to commit to making Anime Boston their showcase for their Cosplay. I have no doubt Anime Boston realizes this and also enjoys the celebration of Cosplayers gathering.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by H. Guderian »

I think they're just requesting certain chokepoints be left open.

I don't think anyone is against the practice of photos and such. But in certain areas this becomes a problem, like at room exits. Sometimes staff need to move supplies, or those wonderful people that keep us topped off with water throughout the buildings.

The big case I see repeatedly mention is in front of the dealer's room, as we lost of a lot of hallway space due to that bag/coat check that was there. Or was that the floor above? I do remember being frozen in place next to the bag check and people would physically push through the crowd assuming we were all standing around for fun. I dunno what the holdup was there.

Personally when I ask for photos I try to make sure I don't trap them into a location. Like, i don't tell them to face me and back up into someone they can't see when they're facing me. Its that kind of courtesy people are requesting, not to ban photos.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Thrillho »

H. Guderian wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:27 pmThe big case I see repeatedly mention is in front of the dealer's room, as we lost of a lot of hallway space due to that bag/coat check that was there. Or was that the floor above? I do remember being frozen in place next to the bag check and people would physically push through the crowd assuming we were all standing around for fun. I dunno what the holdup was there.
I think the issue was that one hallway had the bag check, con ops, dealer's room entrance, and the tabling. That was too much for such a small area. I think it might be worth an effort to see if some of those things can be spread out a bit.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Kohikari »

This was my thirteenth Anime Boston! I had such a good time. I look forward to it every year, and you never let me down. ♥︎

With respect to lines & crowding:

I didn't have to wait in line at all to register Friday afternoon, and bag-check lines were five minutes or less all weekend. I shouldn't have been surprised, considering I was here for both 2008 and 2009; at this point it seems to be kind of AB's specialty, finding swift & efficient solutions to the problems that inevitably arise when tens of thousands of people cram into one modestly-sized convention center. Spectacular turnaround as ever ♥︎

Even panels didn't seem as overfull as in the past few years, when there were frequently long lines to get in, standing room only, and/or already at maximum capacity before they even started. Someone in the feedback panel mentioned that the weather may have depressed turnout this year; do we have a warm body count yet?

On some new features:

The coat-&-bag check is a brilliant idea, although I agree that in front of the Dealers' Room entrance is perhaps not the most ideal place to put it.

Also, it's so great that you added the accessibility/disability services department! Maybe it's just because I was paying more attention to it, but I saw a lot more congoers in wheelchairs and with canes and service dogs.

I have to ask, is the Honorable Mention AMV award a one-off thing or will it be back next year? It wasn't shown during the Masquerade, but made an appearance during Closing Ceremonies, which was a little confusing.

On noise levels:

I (and most of the other people I know with sensory issues) always bring earplugs to the AMV contest. The AMVs, much TV shows & commercials, seem to vary in volume & balance—I actually had more issues in the auditorium than Hall D this year. (Best Romance & Best Upbeat were the loudest, but I think the source audio for Best Fun/Comedy (the Funhaus thing) had an issue with the sibilant consonants.) This is an old, well-known issue, so I'm assuming there's not much Tech can do about it? Although it would be great if at future events there were a box of earplugs next to the water station for people who didn't bring their own.

With respect to the "fire drill" on Friday:

I was in a panel when the alarm went off; maybe it's because we were all comfortably sitting down and in the middle of something, but not many of us got up and left? It helped that the panelist just stopped talking and waited where he was, instead of trying to evacuate—maybe he had experience with large-building fire drills.

The information we got was a bit confusing—the automated message said to evacuate, then a (heroic) staffmember got on the intercom and said it was a drill, then later he said it might not be a drill? He sounded as confused as we were. Eventually he said the fire department had figured out what caused it, but didn't say what it was. (At this point I'm assuming some kind of hiccup in the Hynes alarm system? Or like an extremely minor thing-catching-fire, maybe...)

The alarm stopped and restarted a couple times, but the panelist did his best to keep going once we got the message to stay put. Hopefully everyone else in panel rooms at the time found it only mildly annoying like we did instead of the chaos it sounds like you were dealing with in the halls and Dealers' Room!

Relatively minor issue:

Last year's program booklet listed the (late, much lamented) food court in the dining options, when it was already being demolished to make room for that overpriced celebrity chef nonsense. I don't know about hours accuracy, but I do know at least one restaurant (Pad Thai Café) was listed in this year's booklet when it's been permanently closed for months now.

Also, would it be possible to add the pop-up food carts to the Prudential dining options list? Since the food court got axed, I've relied on the Chicken & Rice Guys and Wok & Talk (plus those two other carts whose names I can never remember—a barbecue cart & a taco cart) for affordable hot food, and despite their proximity to the Hynes entrance it sounds like not everyone knows about them? So adding them to the list might be helpful.

Not an issue at all:

There did seem to be a few more fanartists in the Dealers' Room than in previous years; I have a lot of artist friends, and I've heard that it's often easier to find an open spot in the Dealers' Room than in Artists' Alley? The competition is less fierce, at least.

On the hydration stations:

This isn't anything new, but I really appreciate how easy it is to find water at Anime Boston. I must have gotten a drink from every room and area I was in—some panel rooms didn't have any, but in that case there was usually one outside in the hallway. In all but one case, the water was cold—the warm water I had was on Sunday, I think, and it may have been in the Sheraton? (I wasn't paying much attention at the time.)

For what it's worth, that was the only time I ventured into the Sheraton this year, so maybe it was the Sheraton having the water issues other people are mentioning? In past years I've definitely run into Hynes rooms with empty or warm water coolers, but not this year, and I spent time in panels on every floor & in the auditorium & Hall D.

Thank you so much for all your hard work! ♥︎♥︎♥︎
Last edited by Kohikari on Mon Apr 10, 2017 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by runicmagitek »

Ciaobirdie wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:42 pm
runicmagitek wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:04 am
  • This is super specific and I won't be upset if it's something beyond AB's control, but I thought I'd bring it up. I have a mixture of food allergies and digestive diseases that making eating out difficult. I pre-pack all of my meals and snacks before cons in fear that I won't find anything to eat. Granted, I didn't check out the cafeteria that was there, but when I saw people walking by with burgers and hot dogs, I figured it was a clear NO in regards to whether or not I could eat there. I wish there was indication or even an attempt at offering other options for people who are vegetarian/vegan or gluten free or dairy free or something free. And not just "can I have it without bread?" but actually make an effort not to cross-contaminate and not treat my issues like a joke. I would gladly dish out $10 to eat something I know won't bring me immense amounts of pain instead of relying on my trail mix and jerky. Again, not sure if AB has any say in this, but I thought I'd say something in case there was a chance you guys were able to do something.
I agree with this 100%, I have Celiac disease so I either bring snacks or I leave the con for somewhere I know is safe. I did pop into the cafeteria just to check things out, and there were pretty much no safe foods (I'm coming from a gluten-free standpoint), whether the foods themselves were not or because of cross-contamination were not. Honestly though I very highly doubt the Hynes to do anything about this, and to be honest even then I wouldn't trust is just because of the whole cross-contamination thing, but even just labeling things would be nice. I will say that the mall has some pretty good gluten free and even 100% Celiac friendly places (California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, Wagamama, etc).
Aww yes, Celiacs unite! *fistbump* I more or less lived at the Cheesecake Factory during the con because of this, but I'm glad to know some of the other restaurants are accommodating! I was just happy to have ONE safe place for me to eat that I didn't really bother checking the others. Awesome stuff to know for next year. Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Rick »

Now that I'm not going through my literally hundreds of photos...

Good:

SECURITY. Last year's security really, really bothered me and had me on edge to the point where I actually had less of a good time and more wondering what I was going to accidentally do to get thrown out of the convention. Like, I even made a post about it here I was so worried but it turned around to the point where I actually poked my head into the security office to give them my personal kudos. I. WAS. IMPRESSED. Please don't change a thing. This was a total 180 and I couldn't be more pleased.

Panel staff! I wanted to thank you guys in person but I didn't have the opportunity. I don't recall having been treated so well just for coming in to talk. You all made me feel like I was fully wanted there and a really valued member of Anime Boston. I sincerely appreciate it, even beyond all the perks of badge reimbursement and free candy. That being said, I hope my Famicom panel ended up living up to your expectations (both staff and those who came!) and I would be so ecstatic to do more next year. THANK YOU ;u;

With me being a cosplay shutterbug, I noticed actually people seemed to be more courteous this year to not block the way (which I was willing to oblige anyway). I found that pretty cool! On my end, if I did end up blocking the way of people, I apologize profusely and I try not to let that happen. :(

Meh:

This stuff is really out of AB's control and just rather minor personal gripes, so feel free to take this with whatever grain of salt you want.

The fire alarm thing was confusing. I'm glad it got taken care of without an evacuation (I remember having an evacuation happening at...was it Otakon 2010 or Otakon 2012? I was there but I don't remember which it was), though I don't think anyone was really sure what to do go doing.

The dealer's room really felt like it didn't have the variety of before. I know some people have mentioned it too, but I didn't end up walking away with a whole lot this year. Like, even T-Shirts seemed to be at a minimum. Though that's my own fault for using Anime Boston as my choice of buying wardrobe for the year. :P

The weather sucked, but AB doesn't control the weather. :P

A little bummed my panel description got left out of the convention booklet thing, but I'm just chalking that up to an oversight. Stuff happens! I'm not mad or anything. I only noticed it when I was talking about it to someone and I scoured the con booket to show them and it wasn't there. Again, no big. :)

---

Them's my two cents! Will I go back for Anime Boston 2018? The answer is an astounding YES! :3
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by pulsedemon »

Rick wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:18 pm The fire alarm thing was confusing. I'm glad it got taken care of without an evacuation (I remember having an evacuation happening at...was it Otakon 2010 or Otakon 2012? I was there but I don't remember which it was), though I don't think anyone was really sure what to do go doing.
Three quick things!
- Most of us on staff take the state's crowd safety management training and get the certificate (it's a real thing!)
- We have a specific emergency manager on staff that designs our plans for how to quickly and safely evacuate the buildings, where to meet, and how to bring everyone back into the building when the 'all clear' signal is given.
- We review the emergency procedures at a staff meeting before the show starts on Thursday night.

The building had to investigate what was up and what the source of the alarm was, and the announcements were pretty clear the whole time (the mention of it being a 'test' at first notwithstanding). It was actually pretty cool to see (in the Dealers' Room) everyone pause when the alarm sounded, calmly listen to the announcement, and go about their business when we weren't given the evacuation order.

I had the PA microphone in hand and my Assistant Director, Elaine, had the evacuation manual for the exhibit halls in hand ready to go, in case we needed them. We didn't end up needing the plans, but we certainly had them!
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Apostrophe T »

FIRE ALARM

What I think was the most confusing about that situation was the fact that the intercom message was so quiet in the room that we were in. I forget exactly which one, but it was in the Hynes 2nd floor. We had to stop talking, and the presenter was right up next to the thing - I was in the front row. I could barely make out what the instructions were. Was it a drill, was it not a drill, were we supposed to leave..? I'm not sure if it was louder/clearer in other areas, but it was extremely quiet in that particular room.

WATER

So, so thankful for all the water stations. I am dealing with a medical condition that, among other things, has me usually lugging around loads of water, and I was not looking forward to having to drag around my own water all day with my costumes, so yay for free water! And clean bathrooms! Clean bathrooms that I never once had to wait to use, even though I used women's bathrooms, which are notorious for having lines all the time! Woo hoo!

LINES

Pros:

I felt like the lines were really short compared to the previous years I'd attended. I remember always having to be rerouted outdoors, as well, which didn't happen this year - thank goodness - because I had already slogged through the gross snow in my Izumi outfit from my hotel and did not want to deal with having to do that again. (The forecast was a sunny 50 degrees when I'd planned to wear it for Friday! Thanks, New England weather!) Any lines I did have to stand in moved pretty quickly. Security was efficient.

Cons:

The ONLY bummer was one of the autograph lines, which I think someone else addressed; and I think it was partially because I had never done any autographs before, so I had no idea how it worked when it came to timing, tickets, overflow, whatever... but I had no idea what was going on at any point, other than through word of mouth via the other people in line, until a staff person came around, apologizing and telling us that there would be no more time left for anyone left in the line. A bummer, and probably nobody's fault in particular, but I just wanted to toss that out there.

COSPLAY SHENANIGANS

I went on Saturday night, and I was a little confused about why the performers didn't get the stage. We ended up leaving because we just couldn't see anything from where we were seated. It would have been nice to either have the performers elevated a little, so we could see what they were doing, or have the shenanigans on the screen for the people in the back to get to watch.

SCHEDULE

Now, I'm sure there is a very good reason for this; I have planned events in the past and know that there is a ton that goes into them. But I am also impatient and very excited about upcoming AB events, so I was absolutely dying for the schedule to be released and felt like it took for.ev.er. for any info to be published on the internet, so I could start planning out what I was going to do.

18+ CONTENT

AB is the only, only time when I'll dabble in hentai nowadays, and it's purely for kicks, but I felt like there wasn't a whole lot of that going on this year. And I absultely will not go anywhere near "Eff'd Up Hentai" because I did that once and wanted to curl up into the fetal position afterwards. Yikes. I mean, if that's your bag of chips, no judgement, but I would have liked to see more variety in the naughty 18+ stuff after hours. Instead, I had to - gasp - go to bed early on Friday night. Early as in 12:30am. The horror.


Overall, I loved this year's AB more than any other that I've attended - which says a lot, because I have always loved Anime Boston. It was amazing, with only a couple of hiccups that I personally noticed, but nothing that I felt was a major issue.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Rick »

pulsedemon wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 4:25 pm
Rick wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:18 pm The fire alarm thing was confusing. I'm glad it got taken care of without an evacuation (I remember having an evacuation happening at...was it Otakon 2010 or Otakon 2012? I was there but I don't remember which it was), though I don't think anyone was really sure what to do go doing.
Three quick things!
- Most of us on staff take the state's crowd safety management training and get the certificate (it's a real thing!)
- We have a specific emergency manager on staff that designs our plans for how to quickly and safely evacuate the buildings, where to meet, and how to bring everyone back into the building when the 'all clear' signal is given.
- We review the emergency procedures at a staff meeting before the show starts on Thursday night.

The building had to investigate what was up and what the source of the alarm was, and the announcements were pretty clear the whole time (the mention of it being a 'test' at first notwithstanding). It was actually pretty cool to see (in the Dealers' Room) everyone pause when the alarm sounded, calmly listen to the announcement, and go about their business when we weren't given the evacuation order.

I had the PA microphone in hand and my Assistant Director, Elaine, had the evacuation manual for the exhibit halls in hand ready to go, in case we needed them. We didn't end up needing the plans, but we certainly had them!
Ack, sorry! I wasn't directing that at the staff, I was more like, we as convention goers weren't sure what was going on and whether we should actually move around or not. Apologies! Didn't think to clarify that.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by pulsedemon »

Rick wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:18 amAck, sorry! I wasn't directing that at the staff, I was more like, we as convention goers weren't sure what was going on and whether we should actually move around or not. Apologies! Didn't think to clarify that.
Maybe PA announcements aren't standard with large buildings? When I'm at work and if there's a fire alarm sounding, there's often typically an automated announcement to go along with the siren. It just seemed like second nature to me at this point, so I'm not sure if my perspective is the outlier or not. :D :D :D :D :D :D
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Ciaobirdie »

runicmagitek wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:53 am
Ciaobirdie wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:42 pm
runicmagitek wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:04 am
  • This is super specific and I won't be upset if it's something beyond AB's control, but I thought I'd bring it up. I have a mixture of food allergies and digestive diseases that making eating out difficult. I pre-pack all of my meals and snacks before cons in fear that I won't find anything to eat. Granted, I didn't check out the cafeteria that was there, but when I saw people walking by with burgers and hot dogs, I figured it was a clear NO in regards to whether or not I could eat there. I wish there was indication or even an attempt at offering other options for people who are vegetarian/vegan or gluten free or dairy free or something free. And not just "can I have it without bread?" but actually make an effort not to cross-contaminate and not treat my issues like a joke. I would gladly dish out $10 to eat something I know won't bring me immense amounts of pain instead of relying on my trail mix and jerky. Again, not sure if AB has any say in this, but I thought I'd say something in case there was a chance you guys were able to do something.
I agree with this 100%, I have Celiac disease so I either bring snacks or I leave the con for somewhere I know is safe. I did pop into the cafeteria just to check things out, and there were pretty much no safe foods (I'm coming from a gluten-free standpoint), whether the foods themselves were not or because of cross-contamination were not. Honestly though I very highly doubt the Hynes to do anything about this, and to be honest even then I wouldn't trust is just because of the whole cross-contamination thing, but even just labeling things would be nice. I will say that the mall has some pretty good gluten free and even 100% Celiac friendly places (California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, Wagamama, etc).
Aww yes, Celiacs unite! *fistbump* I more or less lived at the Cheesecake Factory during the con because of this, but I'm glad to know some of the other restaurants are accommodating! I was just happy to have ONE safe place for me to eat that I didn't really bother checking the others. Awesome stuff to know for next year. Thanks for sharing!
No problem! I lived off Wagamama this year!
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Gjarble »

A quick note to staff, since a lot of people didn't seem to know about the Guidebook app: You might want to give it a prominent mention either in a news post on the front page or on the schedule page of the website (or both), since that's where many people are going for schedule info. Personally, the only reason I knew to use Guidebook was because I remembered it from previous years- in fact, when I couldn't find any mention of it for 2017 on the website, I was kinda afraid you had dropped support for it until I checked the app itself and found you hadn't. I know one staffer mentioned informing people about the Guidebook app in the program guide and digital signage, but both of those spots are easily overlooked. Also, not everyone takes a program guide or reads the whole thing; I typically don't take it because I don't like carrying extra things around a con and know I can find all the information I need online.

Overall though, I had a blast this year! Thank you for all that you do.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by NewEnglander »

The only minor problem I encountered with security had to do with prop check....going through the Artist Alley entrance, there was no one stationed there that I saw that was inspecting props and tagging them with colored zip ties. My friend and I had to trek down to the 1st floor and dart up in front of the incoming line to get our props properly checked. Also...it states in the event handbook that airsoft guns are not allowed...I saw at least two cosplayers with these guns, and even though they were de-activated (no bolt/clip), they were still prohibited by convention standards.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Mirotic »

NewEnglander wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2017 2:49 pm The only minor problem I encountered with security had to do with prop check....going through the Artist Alley entrance, there was no one stationed there that I saw that was inspecting props and tagging them with colored zip ties. My friend and I had to trek down to the 1st floor and dart up in front of the incoming line to get our props properly checked. Also...it states in the event handbook that airsoft guns are not allowed...I saw at least two cosplayers with these guns, and even though they were de-activated (no bolt/clip), they were still prohibited by convention standards.
Going off this, I saw a cosplayer with a realistic firearm, no orange tip, no peace bonding. I kinda flinched when I saw it. No clue how he got it inside, but not cool.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by THX1139 »

I was staying in the Sheridan south tower. It was so easy and quick to get into the con I was going pack and forth to my room a lot, all four days.

When I walked by the registration room I would peak inside. Only on Thursday and Friday did I see any lines in the room before noon. A few time I had to go back into the registration room for various reasons. The room was mostly empty.

Before registration opened there were people waiting in the serpentine waiting area. I when to my room to dump off my stuff. When I got back to registration the serpentine was empty. Going thru registration was super fast.

I'm writing about this because some people complain about registration. Over four days I didn't see anything to complain about. This year registration was a 1000% faster.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Rick »

pulsedemon wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:27 am
Rick wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:18 amAck, sorry! I wasn't directing that at the staff, I was more like, we as convention goers weren't sure what was going on and whether we should actually move around or not. Apologies! Didn't think to clarify that.
Maybe PA announcements aren't standard with large buildings? When I'm at work and if there's a fire alarm sounding, there's often typically an automated announcement to go along with the siren. It just seemed like second nature to me at this point, so I'm not sure if my perspective is the outlier or not. :D :D :D :D :D :D
Naw I'm just from small-town nowhere originally where the amount of con attendees dwarfs the amount of town population. XD
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Star04 »

Very sad, this year we went with my three year old daughter on Friday the weather was not favorable to go out with child to make line . the Staff want me to go out with her I don't want go out with her. She was going with her kiki cosplay and she did not have coat,they did not accept that only my husband went out to make a line ,until an officer told them to let me wait inside with my daughter while my husband went to Linea. Other years we have gone with her and she is the first one that treats us badly...
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by THX1139 »

pulsedemon wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:27 am Maybe PA announcements aren't standard with large buildings? When I'm at work and if there's a fire alarm sounding, there's often typically an automated announcement to go along with the siren.
The red framed fire alarm strobes all have a speaker in them. In the large building I worked in they changed them all to this type. They added them to any room with doors where you could not hear the hallway alarm. I would guess it's the standard. The speakers are loud and can be easily heard. You would hear an announcement they were having a fire alarm test. Do not leave the building. They would announce when the test was over.

The speakers in the Hynes may not be working to fire code spec. I was there all three days. I didn't not know the firearm went off. The fire alarm system has issues. With the building and/or room filled with people to it's fire code limit. The Hynes staff should have been able to make a clearly heard announcement it was a false alarm.

There has been false fire alarms were people have die in the log jams at the door. False alarms can be dangerous. If a room is below or filled to it's fire code limit and people can't clearly hear an announcement. I would say that's a fire code violation. I would think the fire department would back you up on getting this fixed. You are many times more likely to get injured or die in a fire alarm than been shot by a terrorist.

This is a serous safety problem that needs fixing.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by pulsedemon »

Yep. This will definitely be a thing we talk to them about. We've also been discussing the difference in experience in different parts of the building in our own feedback internally, so it's definitely a thing that's a thing.

As far as making something happen, we don't own the building, so they'll need to make sure they're at least up to code. It's just not something we can actively be part of. Knowing that things are less than stellar, though, is 100% super important.
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Re: Feedback Thread for Anime Boston 2017!

Post by Old_School_Anime_Lover02 »

pulsedemon wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2017 12:08 pm
bunbunrabbit18^^ wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2017 11:54 am For the artist alley it felt like it was smaller compared to others. The dealers room was missing the J-Pop cds areas. I was looking forward to getting BigBang cd this year.
The floor space in the alley was a bit smaller than last year to make some space for the bag check area, but there were actually more tables than last year since we arranged them differently.

There's one guy that can be counted on to have K-Pop stuff (probably also some j-pop) but he got sick when sign-ups happened and missed it.
there were three different tables with the exact same thing for different prices, i think that's what they're referring to, and the grab bags at the K pop table...were well...kinda confusing when i asked if there were "k-pop" stuff in them she said there wasn't, and it was from the stuff next door like what does that even mean? was she pulling my leg? or were they doing something funny?

also I agree 100% with the accability badge, getting in the front entrence was 10000$ easier (when i flashed it twice to get in) rather then getting in and waiting in the line to get bagged checked in the A.A I only had to ask once to use the surface elevators, and used them through out my time in the A.A trying to get to the dealers room, forgetting this isn't your normal dealers room where they don't check bags here....and i could have just walked right in with my back pack both enterences and not have had to wait all that time in line (With an accessibility sticker)

So that seemed to be the only down fall. Also I asked the person who was manning the masquared line (i believe she was an orange shirt, but still if your an orange, you should be well infromed when asked a strict question like that, or get someone who knows the right answer, because there are people...orange shirts...who know what to do when you show them the handy capped badge) she told me i had to stay put and when i got to the head of the line it was my choice weather or not i wanted an accasibility seating...i should have just stuck with the crowd, that's what i did with the concert on friday and had a blast! (i'll edit this when i get home rant's not done)
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