Important Status Update Concerning the Informal Dance 2013

[khyron]

No need to worry, Anime Boston has secured dates and holds contracts for dates through 2020. We're not going anywhere.

Last year we had crowding issues. Well, that's hardly a surprise when you have two nerd cons on the same weekend using the same hotels! We tried to manage the crowds, and we were successful in the programming spaces, but the public areas, spaces that we do not have a contract for, were too-full. It was a case of too much awesome for Boston to handle at once.

Anime Boston is just as committed to its fans as Arisia and Otakon, two conventions that were mentioned in earlier posts. How do I know this? Because we share staff! A lot the the key players from Anime Boston fill the ranks for Arisia, and even more Anime Boston staffers fill both leadership and staff positions for Otakon.

[tobiinpajamas]

I'm not doubting that your staff is just as committed to its fans--but something needs to change, whether that is a change of staff or better staff training, I don't know. At this point, I think the best thing that could possibly happen to AB is for someone to buy them out, because there is simply NOT enough experienced staff, probably on the upper levels as well, to run this con. And I'm not talking about people that have been in the convention staff since the first one--I'm talking people with thirty years of paid experience running large events. Of course you don't have a lot of that, because your staff isn't paid. I don't expect you to. But the convention is getting too large to continue running it like a small town convention. Larger conventions like PAX and the like have this type of resume for most of their upper management, and it shows in how well-organized everything is and how willing big names are to show up.

If you had not had both events the same weekend, I believe AB's crowds would have been MUCH larger. A LARGE percentage of people I knew would have gone to AB, particularly on Friday, chose to go to PAX instead because it is better-run. All these people would have gone to AB instead. Thinking that the programming spaces had less crowding issues is also probably a little bit of wishful thinking because from what I saw, the crowding was just as bad.

As I said, what happened last year was easily preventable five years before it. Anyone could have seen that kids don't belong at a club--and your higher-ups took the fall for what happened.

Again, I am not doubting your ambition and how much you like the convention at all--I don't doubt that you put your heart and soul into it every single year, and I respect you ALL for that. But sometimes really, really liking something isn't enough to do it well, and something in management needs to change, whether that's adding new staff or improving staff training or even raising the age limit for becoming a staff member to begin with. Maybe the convention is also outgrowing its space--just because you CAN fit 50k people in the hynes doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[midnightsiren182]

Okay, I'm just going to chime in for a moment.

I'm one of the people who sits on the Exec Advisory Board at Anime Boston, but I am also Director of Operations at Otakon and have sat on that board as well.

Mentioned earlier was that Otakon has "better' secure presence at the Dance. You know why? Because unfortunately they DID have issues in the past not too unlike what happened last year at AB that caused things to tighten up a little with security and rules for Dance at Otakon. Anime Boston hadn't had anything major-ish occur like that until last year, and in response we as a team planned for a tightening of rules and more security effort to address these issues, just as Otakon had done a few years ago when we needed to re-examine some things due to safety concerns.
Also, Otakon is volunteer run as well. Most all anime cons are volunteer run.
PAX is backed by Reed Expo and has a larger pool to draw from, however, PAX is also actually an Expo model convention, meaning its focus is Exhibiting product/industry stuff. And that works for them.
Was this issue overall with the Informal a learning experience for AB management? Yes. We faced a pretty challenging situation and worked hard to try and make it happen, but there was a lot of Murpy's Law that unfortunately decided to rear its head this year. And we definitely have things to re-examine going forward to try and provide you all with a safe and sane experience.
If we had 100% control over EVERYTHING that factors into putting Anime Boston on, it'd be one thing. But we don't. No convention has 100% control like that, there's still a city, a convention bureau, etc. to work with.
But again, we are going to definitely continue to work our butts off to make damn sure you guys have an Informal for 2014, and do our collective best to make sure nothing out of hand such as last year happens again.
And yes, this current outcome and response may not satisfy every one of you, but we are going to still do our best and continue to work to make this a great con and do this for you guys. Because that really is, at the end of the day, what motivates us on staff.

[tobiinpajamas]

Okay, I'm just going to chime in for a moment.

I'm one of the people who sits on the Exec Advisory Board at Anime Boston, but I am also Director of Operations at Otakon and have sat on that board as well.

Mentioned earlier was that Otakon has "better' secure presence at the Dance. You know why? Because unfortunately they DID have issues in the past not too unlike what happened last year at AB that caused things to tighten up a little with security and rules for Dance at Otakon. Anime Boston hadn't had anything major-ish occur like that until last year, and in response we as a team planned for a tightening of rules and more security effort to address these issues, just as Otakon had done a few years ago when we needed to re-examine some things due to safety concerns.
Also, Otakon is volunteer run as well. Most all anime cons are volunteer run.
PAX is backed by Reed Expo and has a larger pool to draw from, however, PAX is also actually an Expo model convention, meaning its focus is Exhibiting product/industry stuff. And that works for them.
Was this issue overall with the Informal a learning experience for AB management? Yes. We faced a pretty challenging situation and worked hard to try and make it happen, but there was a lot of Murpy's Law that unfortunately decided to rear its head this year. And we definitely have things to re-examine going forward to try and provide you all with a safe and sane experience.
If we had 100% control over EVERYTHING that factors into putting Anime Boston on, it'd be one thing. But we don't. No convention has 100% control like that, there's still a city, a convention bureau, etc. to work with.
But again, we are going to definitely continue to work our butts off to make damn sure you guys have an Informal for 2014, and do our collective best to make sure nothing out of hand such as last year happens again.
And yes, this current outcome and response may not satisfy every one of you, but we are going to still do our best and continue to work to make this a great con and do this for you guys. Because that really is, at the end of the day, what motivates us on staff.

I just wanted to say thank you for your efforts. I'm not dissing you guys at all. I think you try really hard to do what you do--I just think there are things that could be done better, namely in terms of organization. Other conventions I've gone to have not been so disorganized with scheduling, nor with staff knowing what the rules were, who should line up where, etc. There is a lot of miscommunication at this convention which makes it look like it's getting too big for its britches, and this is probably something that should be addressed. Whether this is done by better educating staff, adding more, or starting to consider a new space, I don't know--that's up to you guys.

'Everyone else is like this too' is also a reason to be BETTER than everyone else rather than the same. The issues at the dance could have been prevented, and although I am NOT upset at the dance being gone (I don't like crowded places with a ton of noise to begin with and there are plenty of clubs just down the road) I do think your handling of the situation, particularly in not cutting your losses, cancelling earlier, and letting everyone know that you didn't have licensing to hold it, could have been handled a bit better. You would have even been able to plan better nighttime activities in its wake.

Please don't take this as 'I hate anime boston', because I don't. It's simply constructive criticism and I know you guys work hard.

[midnightsiren182]

Point of clarification- our attendance is nowhere near 50k. It was about 22k last year.

[tobiinpajamas]

Point of clarification- our attendance is nowhere near 50k. It was about 22k last year.

It was hyperbole I was referring to a theoretical max limit if the convention keeps growing, not how big I think the convention actually is.

[ohaiitzwill]

I agree that heightened security in certain areas is a given; but let's try not to turn Anime Boston into some sort of police state. My suggestion to remedy any problems is to get volunteers more involved. Now, what do I mean by that?

Volunteers (this is all based on the assumption that they can remove con-goers from the premises) should be more vigilant in spotting when people are breaking the rules, and make moves to remove the more serious problems as quickly as possible. Have a group of con-goers playing Duck-Duck-Goose in the halls and won't stop? KICK THEM OUT. Have someone trying to sneak in a drink / any other substance? KICK THEM OUT. Have someone creating a particular disturbance at the con? KICK THEM OUT.

I address the volunteers because their work seems to go unnoticed -- they all practically look INTIMIDATED when confronting con goers. For instance: At the informal dance LAST YEAR I watched a con goer try to enter with a backpack. When the volunteer said "no backpacks in the dance", the guy scoffed, said "Ok", and KEPT WALKING INTO THE dance. Was anything done about that guy? No, he went into the dance with it on and had it on THE ENTIRE TIME (before it was shut down) Whose fault is that? The Volunteer's (and through extension, Anime Boston staff). I understand since volunteers don't get paid, a lot of them probably don't care at all; but that's a problem Anime Boston has to deal with.

tl;dr: start flexing the rules a bit more but do it REASONABLY to avoid further complaints of over-compensating and making people feel uncomfortable with heightened security.

[Mara]

I just wanted to say thank you for your efforts. I'm not dissing you guys at all. I think you try really hard to do what you do--I just think there are things that could be done better, namely in terms of organization. Other conventions I've gone to have not been so disorganized with scheduling, nor with staff knowing what the rules were, who should line up where, etc. There is a lot of miscommunication at this convention which makes it look like it's getting too big for its britches, and this is probably something that should be addressed. Whether this is done by better educating staff, adding more, or starting to consider a new space, I don't know--that's up to you guys.

Not to switch gears, but have you considered joining staff? It sounds like you have some insight that you could bring to the table that could maybe help fix things up to make this a more well-oiled piece of machinery. It may be something to consider as another way to enjoy the convention.

[Aidan2]

3. The MCCA has made no great secret of not liking anime boston that much, because A, they aren't that profitable of a convention, and B, as I stated before, the congoers have a bad habit of disrespecting people in the pru and damaging the buildings. Again, I will not be terribly surprised if 2015 is the end of anime boston.

Is that so? You must be attending different meetings and conference calls with all levels of the MCCA and The Boston Tourism and Visitors Office than the ones i have been privy to. We have great supporters and champions at all levels of the bureaucracy that operates the MCCA and every time we hold a meeting or a phone call with them every member of their organization is thrilled to have us and our attendees in the building as it gives their staff a Fun event that is very different from their daily conferences and meetings. Yes there are some problems and restrictions that we as an event have to work though, however at no point has our relationship with the MCCA ever been anything but respectful and courteous. The fact that we have direct contact and are on a first name basis with a good portion of the MCCA Sr. Management must be proof that they "Dont like Anime Boston". When we approached the MCCA management (Their Security Director and their Operations Manager) about hosting the dance there, after they had said "no" several months ago, they took our meeting, listened to our proposed plans and were more than willing to stand buy us to pitch it to the GM and the Board of the MCCA to overturn their prior decisions. The problem was we simply ran out of time as the only time we could get all the decision makers into one room to make that call would have been this week and that simply was not enough time to modify and change the programs that would have been effected.

Also the contracts in my file signed and executed by all parties though 2020 for the MCCA and the Sheraton must be fiction and the fact that we are currently starting negotiations to go beyond 2020 must mean that they are lying to us and do not like our show.

Also your comment about stickers being banned? That is a global restriction across all events it is in the Facilities Guidelines that every event must adhere too. Whether other events choose to police it like we do is up to those other events, however we LIKE to have the MCCA on our good side, that is why we have been as successful as we have for as many years as we have been there and how we continue to have contracts spanning well into the future. We take our responsibility and stewardship of the building while it is under our control VERY seriously. If you would like to see the guidelines and policies we are honored to respect and follow, you too can view them, they are available publicly at: http://massconvention.com/planners/bcec/planners-guide.

To everyone else, Thank you for your kind words and understanding. It is a very difficult task we sign up for and knowing that we are in actuality working for the best intentions of our attendees and the event that we pour so much time and energy into is a great relief.

Now i'm going to go back to working with our partners and vendors to bring you the best convention I can possibly provide.

[tobiinpajamas]

I just wanted to say thank you for your efforts. I'm not dissing you guys at all. I think you try really hard to do what you do--I just think there are things that could be done better, namely in terms of organization. Other conventions I've gone to have not been so disorganized with scheduling, nor with staff knowing what the rules were, who should line up where, etc. There is a lot of miscommunication at this convention which makes it look like it's getting too big for its britches, and this is probably something that should be addressed. Whether this is done by better educating staff, adding more, or starting to consider a new space, I don't know--that's up to you guys.

Not to switch gears, but have you considered joining staff? It sounds like you have some insight that you could bring to the table that could maybe help fix things up to make this a more well-oiled piece of machinery. It may be something to consider as another way to enjoy the convention.

As much as that would probably be fun, I never would, for a few reasons:

1. I just don't have the time and I recognize this

2. I don't think I'd be a good fit for staff

3. I don't have much experience running big shows, I think that someone else would do a much better job, and I just don't have the experience to be ANYTHING other than a line monitor.

I might have ideas, but they're only that: ideas. I'm definitely not an expert.

And I apologize if I have offended any higher-ups. It was apparently wrong on many points and bad at shutting my mouth (not sarcasm, fact). I wasn't referring to you, Aidan2, when I said people were disrespectful. I fully expect staff and executives to behave in a respectful and professional manner and I know you all do and work hard. Unfortunately, many of your guests aren't so mature...but that really reflects on a small piece of the population rather than staff.

[Sakura-chan]

I dunno, maybe I'm the odd one out, but I have always enjoyed Anime Boston the way it is. I have attended so many conventions that I can't even count anymore, and every single one of them has had things happen out of their control, resulting in unexpected and unwanted changes, either before or during the convention. "Stuff" happens, but of course they cannot please everyone no matter how hard they try. Regardless of that, I always managed to have fun and voice my opinions to staff after the convention. I see a lot of people throwing tantrums on Facebook and Tumblr about how their convention is going to be "ruined" and how they don't want to go anymore, which I think is silly and overdramatic.

To be honest, I have never attended PAX East, so I am not sure if it is on the same level as New York Comic Con in terms of how it is run and whatnot, but I hope to god Anime Boston is never "bought out" and reduced to a shell of its former self the way New York Anime Festival was. I won't lie - NYAF was probably one of the worst-run conventions I have been to, but I still enjoyed having a convention so close by and being able to see so many of my local friends who couldn't travel to other cons. However, as soon as NYAF merged with NYCC, it became clear that whoever was running the show had no interest in keeping the "anime festival" part alive. I attended the first year that they merged and vowed to never go back - the crowding was horrendous (and many many people were extremely nasty about getting around the dealer's room..I had one guy literally shove me aside and smash me in the head with his backpack as he went by. He didn't even look back. The staff was also rude and even condescending, there was little anime or even Japanese-related programming, and throughout the entire expanse of the dealer's room...There was one small corner of vendors selling anime merchandise. That was it. I have not been back since, so I can't speak for how they are -now-, but my point is that I never want to see Anime Boston become a for-profit convention where quality is sacrificed in the interest of making money.

(Also, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against comic cons or for profit conventions - They just aren't my thing.)

[drgnladysupreme]

Volunteers (this is all based on the assumption that they can remove con-goers from the premises) should be more vigilant in spotting when people are breaking the rules, and make moves to remove the more serious problems as quickly as possible.

So, while really just another attendee and without any official backing, I do want to point something out here. The assumption really isn't correct? It's a grey area, to straight up 'volunteers don't have that authority.' My understanding and ability to put it into words is hazy at best, and only staff can actually clarify and speak on this officially.

At orientation, they're specifically told what we can and can't do. They specifically point out what things cannot be done, and what we have to go to staff (or security) for. So they can go around and say that a group needs to move out of the way of the doors, or that they can't play Duck Duck Goose, but if they don't listen? Then that's when they have to get staff, if they're still on their shift when it's still happening. Otherwise the best they could do is give the next volunteer a heads up to go to the staff if it starts up again, and probably let the staff know as well.

I'm honestly not sure (or can't remember) if it's a liability sort of thing, as volunteers are just attendees that just want to help out and nowhere near the same situation as staff, but they are told what to go to staff and security for. So they can't actually grab someone, and if there's no one else to be there and keep an eye on the door (or something like that) it's very possible that the volunteer simply didn't know what to do.

Just, I didn't like the 'a lot of them probably don't care' part, because these people definitely do. Some are new, and some probably don't want to step on staff toes and get anyone in trouble (liability being an issue?), but if they didn't care, they wouldn't be spending anywhere between 8 and (I think?) 30 hours in helping out and being where people needed them.

[ohaiitzwill]

At orientation, they're specifically told what we can and can't do. They specifically point out what things cannot be done, and what we have to go to staff (or security) for. So they can go around and say that a group needs to move out of the way of the doors, or that they can't play Duck Duck Goose, but if they don't listen? Then that's when they have to get staff, if they're still on their shift when it's still happening. Otherwise the best they could do is give the next volunteer a heads up to go to the staff if it starts up again, and probably let the staff know as well.

Therein lies the problem. And I'm not sure how it could be a liability issue unless the AB staff are worried that Volunteers and con-goers may go into an all-out brawl. Other than that, the reasons for this convoluted system seem to be non-apparent.

[AlexSparky]

Sorry if this question has already been asked... im navigating the forums on my phone so it's hard to read long posts... is the formal dance still on for Saturday? Will it be hosted in the con center or at another location? Thanks!

[Nicole]

Sorry if this question has already been asked... im navigating the forums on my phone so it's hard to read long posts... is the formal dance still on for Saturday? Will it be hosted in the con center or at another location? Thanks!

The formal dance, the Spirit Charity Ball, is still on:

This year we are proud to announce that the Spirit Ball will take place in a haunted castle (well, maybe not confirmed to be haunted), the Boston Park Plaza Castle, on Saturday evening from 6:00 - 10:30 PM.

The venue, located at 130 Columbus Avenue, is a short walk from the Hynes Convention Center. Shuttle busses will also be available throughout the event in front of the Sheraton hotel, starting at 5:30 PM.

http://www.animeboston.com/programming/formal_ball/

More info on the shuttle service to the Boston Park Plaza Castle: Shuttle buses will be provided from 5:30pm and proceed until 11pm. The location of the bus pickup from the convention center has also been changed as well to now pick up in front of the Sheraton hotel at 39 Dalton Street.

http://www.animeboston.com/news/article/426

[marikotoeii]

There are night clubs if people want to drink and dance the night away.....

[Calorie]

There are night clubs if people want to drink and dance the night away.....

Folks who's underage can't go into nightclubs. Which I assume is where the root of the anger is coming from.

[tobiinpajamas]

There are night clubs if people want to drink and dance the night away.....

Folks who's underage can't go into nightclubs. Which I assume is where the root of the anger is coming from.

Underage folks have no business in that type of environment to begin with.

[Sakura-chan]

There are night clubs if people want to drink and dance the night away.....

Folks who's underage can't go into nightclubs. Which I assume is where the root of the anger is coming from.

Underage folks have no business in that type of environment to begin with.

THIS.

[nagash]

An unfortunate set of events for AnimeBoston. Still, they have shown throughout the year that they were trying to put the informal dance together, so it wasn't for lack of effort that it's not running.

As for what AnimeBoston is, it's not any one thing. It was never intended to be about just one thing. I'm not even on staff and I recognized that from the first minute I looked I at their first convention schedule.
The informal dance is just one part of the convention. It adds a piece to the overall convention experience but it's not a big enough piece to kill the convention if it doesn't run.

Also, you cannot make a comparison of AB to Arisia or Pax.
Arisia only gets 3000 - 4000 attendees. It doesn't need as many people to run and the fact that its smaller means it can handle unexpect problems easier than AB can.
PAX gets more people than AB. They need the gigantic enforcer core just to keep things stable. Yes, the enforcers are everywhere at Pax East but they have to be or things start to fall apart.
AB falls in the middle. They are suffering from growing pains, as anyone who's ever been involved on a staff level with a fan-run convention knows, that take time to heal.

You cannot expect any convention to grow and grow and grow and not have things go wrong. The more people you throw into the party the better the odds that someone is going to make life miserable, and last year it happened.
The staff at AB have done, IMHO, a wonderful job in attempting to make the informal dance happen. I seriusly didn't think it was going to happen and i was happy to see that the convention had not stopped trying to make it happen.
Keep your chin up, as they say. Run your convention and run it well, and next year you'll be in that much better a position to bring it back.

[midnightsiren182]

Thank you nagash.

[Blackbird8916]

So has anyone heard anything concerning the Informal Dance for this 2014 Anime Boston? Just curious.

[Naokichan]

So has anyone heard anything concerning the Informal Dance for this 2014 Anime Boston? Just curious.

http://animeboston.com/news/article/454 they made an announcement a couple weeks ago about it

[basharoftheages]

So has anyone heard anything concerning the Informal Dance for this 2014 Anime Boston? Just curious.

http://animeboston.com/news/article/454 they made an announcement a couple weeks ago about it

... 2 1/2 weeks after that post you quoted was written.