The Great Feedback Post of Anime Boston 2016

[Cerebrum]

I felt the need to make an account specifically to post in this thread because I've never given feedback to conventions about the process of working with them before. I'm one of the the co-owners of the Touhou Road Show, which has been in AB's games room since 2014. We're a group that furnishes PC gaming equipment to the con and provides supervision of said equipment to run free plays of the Touhou Project games all weekend. This is a labor of love, and we don't charge a dime for our services. This year, we had 15 PC's, our biggest setup at any con to date. AB isn't the only con that we bring this equipment to, but it is the largest con we bring it to.

Let's talk about the good things that happened this year:

-We got a few Staff Associate badges this year for the two co-owners and two of the people who help us out. These badges allowed us into the room to set things up when it was closed and allowed us to skip the security lines each morning, and both of these privileges were critical to us running our show successfully. Major thanks to our staff contact for setting this up for us.

-As always, the other organizations in the games room were a pleasure to work with. Nexon is great every year, and the Tokyo Attack guys were super accommodating and let me play on their DDR cab when the room was closed.

-Con security was much easier to work with this year than in previous years. They presented me with a form asking me where and when someone would need to arrive and what they should do once they got there. Confirming that things were set up was as easy as going to their office and looking at their whiteboard. We go out for a major group dinner every year on Saturday night for a few hours, and we've asked for someone from con security to help us out each year to get things set up with that. We can't leave $10K in equipment totally unattended for three hours while the room is open to the public!

Let's talk about what happened that was not good:

-At the other cons that we regularly work with (Katsucon, Portcon Maine, Nekocon), the cons make email contact with us several months before the con. Usually the exchange goes something like this:

Con: Will you be back this year?
Us: Yes, we will be bringing X setups and we will need Y tables and Z chairs and W power drops. If we can run tournaments, we will run them with these games with these descriptions for printing in the con schedule.
Con: Great, we will give you V staff associate or contractor or staff badges, and you may/may not run tournaments in the games room. Please give us the names of people who should get staff associate/contractor badges.
Us: OK, we'll see you on Thursday at T O'Clock for setup. These are the names.
Con: We will get you those badges and T O'Clock is fine to set up.

That's a pretty simple thing to do to set up something that would cost several grand for the con to contract out to a private company. But at Anime Boston, things worked like this this year:

Us (Three months before con): Hey AB, it's three months before the con, would you like us to come back and set things up?
Us (Two months before con): Hey AB, it's two months before the con, would you like us to come back and set things up?
Us (One month before con): Hey AB, it's one month before the con, would you like us to come and set things up?
AB: Sure, you can come and set up again, we're not sure if we can get you staff associate badges or not but give us a list of people and we'll see what we can do.
Us: List of people.
AB (A few days before con): Here are your staff associate badges for the first X people on your list.

So, I'm not sure if we have the contact info for the wrong person or if that person is so overloaded that he can't respond to an email for two months, but this kind of thing has been going on for all three years we've brought our equipment to AB now.

This process is actually an improvement over both previous years that we have brought the show. in 2014, we just showed up on Thursday with our equipment and asked where we should set up because we were unable to get any response at all from the con staff. In 2015, we were not given any staff associate badges until Friday afternoon, which made things tough to set up that morning (can't go into the games room to get things set up without a staff badge of some type until the room opens to the general public). So things are on an improvement track and AB may be able to match the pre-con organization of its peers next year with a little extra effort from our staff contact next year.

To clarify here, our staff contact did apologize that he was so late in getting back to us. However, I would also like to draw attention to the fact that everyone who has gotten a staff associate badge in 2015 and 2016 had to pay for prereg badges as well because we had no idea if we would get staff associate badges before prereg closed. This makes AB the only con that the show is brought to where we ran the show and still had to pay for tickets.

-The security staff were easier to work with, but as far as I can tell, the security staffer I requested never showed up to help us out. That's a big deal. If two people hadn't skipped out on the group dinner to go play on the setups, they would have been unattended for three hours on Saturday evening. This is totally unacceptable. I can understand if the staffer had to leave to go do some other event or if there was a major problem and this person had to leave deal with it, but if that's the case then I need to know about it so that I can make other arrangements for supervision of the equipment.

This is equipment that a buddy and I own and that we bring to the con without any expectation that the con will reimburse us for stolen equipment, and if things get stolen en masse while someone from con security is supposed to be there watching it, that's a real show stopper for us. So if the con security organization can't spare someone to come at a given time, the correct answer is not to agree to do it and then not do it. The correct answer is something like "We don't have the staff to do that at that time." That's OK. I will make other arrangements. But I have to know to make those arrangements before I can make them.

-On the subject of giving correct answers to questions, after looking through the schedules on the website and in the printed schedule, I found two different times for the games room opening on Friday. I knew that the correct time was probably 2 PM because I asked the Nexon guys next to me in the room and they told me that was the correct time for opening. But I was skeptical, so I asked a con staff member to confirm and got a different answer from both of the other two times that were listed. I continued to poll staffers to see if I could get an answer by majority vote. I got all of these times as answers to my question.

-9AM
-10AM
-11AM
-Noon
-1PM
-2PM
-3PM

I'm not sure what was going on here, but I have to stress that the correct answer to a question that you don't know the answer to is to say "I don't know, you should go ask the folks at <location>. They can tell you the correct answer." This specific event didn't affect me much because I was set up by the time that the room opened anyway, but it speaks to an underlying problem of staff training or communication.

None of these problems are at the point where they would get us to stop coming to AB in future years, and I look forward to working with you again next year. These are areas that I see for improvement over the current experience of working with AB. I hope that we can get these things ironed out for next year's convention.

[ofphaselock]

This was my tenth year going to Anime Boston, and while I had an amazing one due to the people I met, I do have some complaints about the con itself, unfortunately.

LINECON: We all know how bad LineCon 2008 was, and there is no reason 2016 had to be the second LineCon. As someone who just had major surgery back in January, I was highly concerned about my health with the lines. I was lucky enough to always catch artist alley while the entrance was open -- but I had to be constantly terrified of being stuck outside in the cold and rain which would have ended up with me back in the hospital and for what? To get into the con?

ENTRANCES: I understand that the artist alley entrance is getting too well known and the traffic was getting worse there. but, inside of shutting it down, maybe keep it open to only people staying at the Sheraton? if we're staying at that hotel, we should have access to the Sheraton entrance. Also, if the entrances are going to be slowed down that much due to the (understandable) security measures, there should be more entrances and promotion of those entrances.

SECURITY: Now while I understand WHY there's a high amount of security and do appreciate it, it was understaffed. If there's going to be metal detectors, fine, but have enough to handle the traffic. The security honestly just wasn't prepared and wasn't able to handle the traffic and amount of people that attended.

FOOD: As many other people, I was terrified of leaving the con for any reason if I planned on coming back later on in the day, so I had to depend on the food inside of the con. Honestly, it was really overpriced and there wasn't many choices. As someone who's extremely picky, that's kind of an issue. I do understand that we can bring our own food, but we shouldn't have to bring a huge back of food to keep ourselves fed. We shouldn't have to be terrified to leave the con to feed ourselves.

WEAPONS/PROPS: I can't tell you how many times people were warning others not to get their very obvious fake props checked at the weapons check because they were getting taken away. Props shouldn't be getting taken away. It's one thing if it's an actual weapon, but I heard a lot of weapons, that clearly weren't real and weren't dangerous, were getting taken away. If I slaved over my prop of hours with painting, I shouldn't have to deal with being worried all weekend it'll get taken away. We put very hard effort into our cosplays, it should be respected, not get taken away because some dumbass security guy thinks a lightsaber is an actual weapon.

Don't get me wrong, I love this con to death; it's meant so much to me over the past ten years, and I wouldn't give this con up for anything. But there are things to be ACTUALLY fixed, not us getting empty promises(see the dances they'd say we'd get after 2012 but would always cancel on us last second). As much fun as I had with friends, I was constantly worried about food, my cosplay, and my health the entire weekend. Never once have I stressed over those things at the convention in ten years until this year.

[Max465]

A few of my friends including myself had some bad health issues relating to hunger and dehydration that we could not address for fear of having to go through the awful lines again.

There were plenty of food stands inside the convention hall during peak hours. There shouldn't have been any fear of hunger even if you stayed in the convention hall all day.

[EHyde]

This was my first time at Anime Boston, so I don't know what the line and security situation was like in the past, but I've never had to go through anything like it at other conventions. I do understand that it's the convention center and not Anime Boston itself that insists on these measures, but all the same, it's the sort of thing that will definitely be a factor I consider when I decide which cons are worth attending in the future.

That said, I do want to give a major shoutout to the convention staff who were able to help me get a handicap access sticker! I wasn't sure if being pregnant would "count" for that, but after feeling faint after going through the line the first time, I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask--thank you!

One other thing that I found confusing, that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet--the panel descriptions in the guidebook did not list times, nor were they in alphabetical order, so it was confusing to try to navigate between the schedule and the descriptions. If I saw the name of a panel on the schedule and wanted to read the description it could take a while to find.

[Convergence Cosplay]

Security was way too overkill this year, causing massive delays and lines. Last year was acceptable, but this year was the straw that broke the camels back. This also had a reverse effect of making a massive pool of "soft targets" in between the entrances and security (aka the perfect place for a shooter/bomber to strike)
Also didn't appreciate the 5 days before con notification about Metal Detectors. This should have been worked out far far sooner in order to give both security and AB staff ample time to prepare; and it really showed in just how much of a cluster F getting into the con was.

Friday was a complete joke in terms of prop confiscations. "Lightsaber is too realistic"? seriously??
This thankfully laxed up a bit Sat & Sunday which I can only assume was worked out between AB staff and the security. So TY to AB staff if it was

BPD woman broke my very expensive prop on Sunday and then tried to hide the fact rather than simply apologizing on the spot; and when I confronted her about it moments later I got 0 apology. Just a blank glare (no real surprise) .

If it weren't for the awesome people I met at the con this year, I probably would have had a mediocre to terrible time
Next year its honestly debatable if I will show at this point. ATM I'm thinking for a Saturday at the most.

[Coco Strawbunny]

a suggestion for next year for panelists/panel coordinator: give panelists access passes like the vip attendee passes but for the entrances. many panels were cancelled because the panelist was stuck in the disaster lines and never made it in time to even present. I was nearly late to mine Friday night, and it was at 10 in the freaking evening!!!

[dstnyskr]

First I would like to Thank anime boston for doing what you do to hold these events! I can't imagine the tasks that you have to get everything in place and I know every year you always try your best to do better and better!

I have to give a shout out to the AB staff/volunteer woman on thursday pre-reg that had a badge title "Con Mom". I told her how I enjoyed her badge name and she said ' Con moms make cons happen!" thought that was a cute sentiment!


As for some of the feedback so far, some people are a bunch of drama llamas. Let's not even go there and say this year's con was "Line Con". You talk to me about the year, never to be forgot, as the Line Con in 08', and then we will talk. For those who may not have gone that year---> there was a huge line for badge registration with a 5-6 hour (for some even 7hr) long wait to even get badges! You had to login in your information on 2-3 (maybe 4) old dinosaur computers that were the only computers there.


On to business!

Lets do Pro's and Con's. Pro's first!

Pro's:

-AB staff/volunteers were very kind and informative. no issues
-Emergency Cosplay Repair mobile unit was a great idea and clever with the flashing lights!
-The presence of the EMT's around the con was great and a relief to have (since my husband has medical issues).
- Extra Food Vendors in the con was a great Idea! Thank you AB for going above and beyond on keeping in mind the health of con goers! Could this become a permanent thing? It might help with any congestion in the entrances at lunch hour rush


Con's:

- There seemed to be more security and hynes staff then AB staff/volunteers, in my opinion, were there cuts to be made this year AB? I always prefer the AB staff then the other staff and security. (They are always nice and knowledgeable) With that being said my only gripe would be properly training the AB volunteers/staff on how to properly Card ID's. I went to a (18+) panel and the people checking ID's at door seemed as though they had no idea what they were doing. When my husband and I got carded both people that checked our ID's looked unsure of what they were doing.



- The line, yes that is always in issue, I know. but here some keys point that might help, I hope.

A) Make it heard! Put out a huge ALERT and WARNING on the Website to go to the Boylston Entrance! Every year that entrance in neglected. And we all know the entrance in Pru is already mucked up by non-con goers and gawkers. Not to mention the crowd traffic coming right out from badge registration.

Also at the Pru entrance, Im curious as to why the security check line goes all they way into the con as far as to the Dealers room main door. MAJOR congestion.. why???

B) SIGNS! SIGNS! SIGNS! Have staffers holding signs pointing out were the 'NO Bag" Line is and what personal belongings to have out and ready upon security check. You don't see any signs or hear any warnings until you're already at the metal detectors. I had to go right up to the front doors to ask staff where the 'no bag' line was.
For example, at the Airport, you see at least 2-3 signs in line before you get to the security checkpoint.

Or maybe a hologram telling you what to do, that would be hilarious if AB invested in one those machines with A-chan telling people what to look out for. But alas I doubt that is in the budget, I understand haha

small rant.--> I really don't understand why people bring bags! UNLESS, it is for medical reason or you need it for cosplay. I put my credit card,ca$h and ID right in the plastic protector with my badge! I have a reusable bag in my hand and my cellphone and maybe a bottle of water. That is it. It took me EXACTLY 2 minutes to enter the con through the Boylston entrance. Seriously.

C) Confiscation of 'weapons' I was a little confused how some items were taken while other were not. For example, the RWBY Cosplayers with the HUGE SCYTHES how the hell does that get in while others don't? (ill attach my blurry photo of the confiscation box) Some of them I was worried because they would sling the scythes over the shoulder and I was just waiting for them to whack someone in the face or stab them in the eye.

I think I just about covered it.
Again, thank you Anime boston for your hard work!


TLDR: Pros-nice AB staff/volunteers. Way to go on the mobile Emergency Cosplay Repair person! Great to have the presence of EMT's all around. Awesome to have more food vendors in the con!
Cons- training AB staff/volunteers to properly Card people with ID's for (18+) panels. Work on diverting traffic better to the Bolyston entrance. Along with more Signage and alerts for bag check security. odd confiscation of weapons and props

oh yeah the picture!

Respectfully,
destiny-seeker

[Sakura-chan]

I'm finally home, and awake, so I will do the thing.

I'm not going to complain about security/metal detectors - from what I understand, its not something AB wanted but it was required by the state regardless so complaining about it is pointless. It was frustrating, but I realize there's little that can be done about it if the CC authority refuses to make any changes.

Pros:
-Cosplay games staff were super organized, professional, fun, and welcoming. I had a wonderful time in chess.

-AMV contest ran smoothly - wonderful show, and I love the pre-show shenanigans at each main event.

-Bad Anime Bad was fracking hilarious.

-The vast majority of AB, Hynes and state security/volunteers were pleasant, informed, and friendly. I really appreciate this.

-Your information booth is a godsend.

-Everything I attended started on-time with the exception of the Hentai AMVs.


Cons:
-What on earth happened with the registration on Friday morning??? I waited over FOUR HOURS to buy a badge. There was zero cell service or wifi that my phone could detect once I got to a certain point in the room, so I couldn't even let my friends know where I was and how long I was going to be. I hadn't been to AB in a few years so I don't know if that wait time is standard now for people who haven't pre-regged or what, but I've never had to wait more than an hour or so to buy a badge at-con, including at Otakon, so I was very surprised. In addition, I was wearing heels because I had only planned on being in that outfit for 2 hours at most.. Either way, I think it was kind of unacceptable, and several other people whom I saw bailing out of the line clearly felt the same. Would you consider offering a mail-out option in the future? Otakon does this - I believe they tack on an extra $10 for it, and you have until a month or two before the convention to request it. After that, you're SOL and will have to pick it up at con. Just please, PLEASE don't be like PAX East 2010 and have my badge delivered the FRIDAY OF THE CONVENTION.

-I really didn't appreciate being blocked from using the Artist Alley entrance in the Sheraton to try to get into the Hynes faster after I had already seen several people being let up the stairs as I walked over. Normally I wouldn't have cared, but I was trying to make the rehearsal for Cosplay Chess, but obviously whatever staffer was there didn't give a damn and I ended up missing the rehearsal. If the entrance says its going to be available, please keep it available, or at least make exceptions for people who are trying to get to their panels or are part of the cosplay game events. (I later found out that I could have contacted someone to pull me out of the security line, but still..)

[Mirotic]

small rant.--> I really don't understand why people bring bags! UNLESS, it is for medical reason or you need it for cosplay. I put my credit card,ca$h and ID right in the plastic protector with my badge! I have a reusable bag in my hand and my cellphone and maybe a bottle of water. That is it. It took me EXACTLY 2 minutes to enter the con through the Boylston entrance. Seriously.

Although I understand your frustration, some commute to the con and have to bring everything they'll need for the day.
You mentioned medical reasons, but don't forget about panelist and laptops/equipment, photographers with camera equipment, people who bring food to save money, people hosting tournaments with DS's (so chargers, prizes, games, etc).
There are many, many reasons why someone might need a bag. :D

[H. Guderian]

I also commuted and brought a bag larger than I'd like so I could house what I'd need for all the panels I'd do that weekend. Plus some things if I or one of my allies becomes ill. Some people have superfluous bags that they would be better off leaving at home much in the same way some cosplay props are large and optional.

And then I can put my small purchases in those bags.

[Kiki]

I love AB and have not missed one yet. For me, panels are the main attraction. There's always a good number of high-quality panels for me to attend, and when I'm presenting panels myself the audiences are always high-quality too, asking insightful questions and expressing kind gratitude for the work that goes into preparing and presenting a talk. This year was no exception, and overall I had a great time.

I did run into some significant technical difficulties Friday morning, though. I was presenting a panel (Penguins in Anime) at 10:30am on Friday in Constitution 2. I got there about 45 minutes early, on the theory that first panels of the con are likeliest to run into technical setup issues. There was absolutely nothing set up on the front table for a laptop connection (no audio cable, no video cable). It took maybe 5-10 minutes to find staff to help (ultimately both AB staff and AV contractor (or hotel?) staff worked on addressing the situation). Everybody seemed pretty surprised that I expected to be able to use my laptop for audio and video. Most of the people working on this with me were pretty friendly and reasonable, but nonetheless my 10:30am panel started at 11:00am because that's when we could get everything working.

Also, like another poster said, I was pleased to be able to get a seat in every panel I went to, and was never turned away. But I wonder if that's because sometimes people who would have been in those panels were delayed by lines for badges or Hynes entry, or had decided not to hop between the Sheraton and the Hynes for panels/events because of line worries. I skipped a couple things I really would have liked to do at the Sheraton on Saturday because I was concerned about whether it would be time-consuming to get back in (even though it turned out I was wrong -- at the time I would have been coming back, there was virtually no wait, even at the Pru mall entrance).

As for security, it's not entirely clear why AB is subject to more time-consuming security screenings than other conventions of similar size (I have family members in security-related fields, and honestly the procedures at the Hynes didn't make me feel any safer, just more inconvenienced). It will be interesting to see whether metal detectors are brought into the BCEC for PAX next month.

AB staff, thanks as always for putting together a good convention. I know it's a ton ton TON of work to put together an event of such magnitude with a volunteer staff. I appreciate what you do.

[Painted_Outlaw]

A) Make it heard! Put out a huge ALERT and WARNING on the Website to go to the Boylston Entrance! Every year that entrance in neglected. And we all know the entrance in Pru is already mucked up by non-con goers and gawkers. Not to mention the crowd traffic coming right out from badge registration.

There were mentions of it on the twitter Friday morning but I guess not enough people read that, heh.

[Kiki]

A) Make it heard! Put out a huge ALERT and WARNING on the Website to go to the Boylston Entrance! Every year that entrance in neglected. And we all know the entrance in Pru is already mucked up by non-con goers and gawkers. Not to mention the crowd traffic coming right out from badge registration.

There were mentions of it on the twitter Friday morning but I guess not enough people read that, heh.

It was also on the web site, with that same helpful map AB posted to twitter.

[Auron_of_Boston]

Alright ignoring the rest of the chaos show (don't censor me with the word poop, it makes me sound dumb and that can invalidate people's points in the eyes of the public) that's already been talked about here,My main problem was this. When I'm staying at the Sheraton I should be allowed to go to my hotel without having to go outside. I stay there because I then won't have to go outside when I'm not dressed for it. I'll happily prove that fact but they did not budge in that stupid one way hall setup that blocks off every way to the Sheraton, screw getting into ab I just wanted to get to my room.

[cyclopticrobot]

I've been coming to anime boston since 2003, and I did really enjoy this year! But as someone in the artist alley, I didn't have to deal with the lines sooooo...!

Pros:

- You guys dealt with the food court in the pru being closed SO well! The small food booths set up were a really nice solution!

- The security gave me no trouble at all, and actually, I found them all extremely pleasant and kind!

- You guys ROCKED at setting up artists for easy entry and exiting to the alley so we could easily watch our tables and still leave. Loved the water coolers, loved the bathrooms, the artist alley was AWESOME!! huge shout out to Nikki!! Also the announcements in the alley were funny and helpful

Cons:

- The schedule was misleading sometimes. All I wanted to do all weekend was play a game in the gaming room, and when I finally got out of the artist alley at 3:30 on Sunday and ran up there the gaming staff were kicking people out if they needed to shut everything down at 4, the room should close at 3:30. Kicking people out when the schedule says the room is OPEN until 4 really ruined my day

also we were told we could stay in the alley until 5:30 in an email, but security (very politely!) told us we were supposed to leave at 5. not a big deal, but still a little inconvenient to the convention centers security and cleaning crew

- The chairs in the artist alley were soooo bad. I know it's the convention center and union rules about the chairs, but please goodness different chairs next year would be GREAT!

- On Friday the staff at registration was very confused about artists being able to cut the lines to get our badges. Maybe just better communication about that next year.

That's all! I had a great time The Sheraton staff were great, the mall staff was excellent, HUGE shout out to starbucks and dunkin donuts as well! I felt very welcome everywhere in and around the con. I'm excited for next year!

[ResistNormal]

I really don't understand why people bring bags! UNLESS, it is for medical reason or you need it for cosplay. I put my credit card,ca$h and ID right in the plastic protector with my badge! I have a reusable bag in my hand and my cellphone and maybe a bottle of water. That is it. It took me EXACTLY 2 minutes to enter the con through the Boylston entrance. Seriously.

It's not hard to understand I bring a bag because I live in Massachusetts, and commute in each day on the train rather than wasting money on a hotel room, I need a bag to store purchases and bring in food so I don't have to be ripped off on overpriced food.

A few of my friends including myself had some bad health issues relating to hunger and dehydration that we could not address for fear of having to go through the awful lines again.

There were plenty of food stands inside the convention hall during peak hours. There shouldn't have been any fear of hunger even if you stayed in the convention hall all day.

The convention center food is a rip off and is way overpriced. People have a right to avoid being taken advantage of and robber of there hard earned money.


It honestly doesn't matter how much you bring up the Bolyston entrance because it's against human nature to out of your way to stand in the cold outside when the Pru-entrance is right next to registration and adjacent to the subway where many people arrive. It's more help full tell people to write law makers and the MCCA to end this security theater once and for all.

[Sinister646]

I just had to stop by to say the security measures this year where way out of hand. I get it, it is 2016 and you have to make the attendees feels safe, but the MCAA, Hynes, and AB staff are fooling themselves if they think that mess going on up front they called "screenings" where doing anything at all. Especially the metal detectors. I had several "contraband" props I was able to sneak through on Friday, just by hiding it at the bottom of my bag under some sandwiches. Is a bomb sniffing dog gonna find those? Sorry no. Even a Hynes security guard looked right at them and let me through, because she had no idea what she was looking at. So did I feel safer this year compared to previous years? No. I was just massively inconvenienced.
I go to lots of cons all around the country, but only in Boston do I get the direct sense that the people calling the shots are terrified over the whole thing. Which is sad, to let the terroists win like that.
The people in charge of AB need to realize that the city is lucky to have us, not the other way around. First they forced the cancelation of the dance, then it was bag checks. Now it's bag checks, metal detectors, forcing us to line up outside, and even closing off sections of the Pru just to people in cosplay? If this trend continues I would recommend taking a page out of the Otakon playbook, and just renegotiate the whole thing to another city, once the current contract is expired.

[fancyduckie]

Overall, I had a good time this year! This was my 11th AB, 8th year participating in the Masquerade, and my first year as a panelist! I'll break feedback down into sections.

Pre-reg:

I went Thursday, smooth as butter! Staff was super friendly, and I loved the Crunchyroll Premium perks! I also am super happy that pre-reg stays open late so I had time to finish up stuff at work and pack before heading up to the con.

Misc.
Thank you so much for having food options in the con! Yes, it's expensive, but definitely nice to have in a pinch - and it's not like there's a ton of places to get cheap food near the con (RIP Food Court, you will be missed). Even if I wasn't hypoglycemic this still would have saved me from having to go outside to get actual food and not just granola bars, but since I am, this also saved me a trip to the ER on Friday because I forgot to eat lunch. ^^;; This is a great idea and I hope it comes back again next year.

Security/Lines:
Is there an email address/mailing address for the Hynes for feedback? I know AB doesn't have much control over what security measures the Hynes decides to enforce and since we're contracted them until 2025 it seems like it would be more useful to direct our frustrations at the people actually causing them rather than leveling them at AB staff. Bag checks are reasonable but metal detectors seemed like a pointless hurdle because of all the metal that people use for costumes. I understand why the Hynes felt the added security was necessary, but I didn't feel safer for it, and no other cons that I've been to have a similar policy.

That said, I really wish AB would have let us know sooner that we'd be going outside! Cosplayers spend months before the con working on their stuff and even wearing a jacket isn't going to make much of a difference if you're wearing a bikini top and shorts in terms of cold - a little more notice about the line policies would have been nice and allowed people to plan to make warmer costumes. If these plans weren't finalized by the Hynes until the last minute, then there's not much else AB could have done and that's totally understandable. Maybe AB would be better off setting the cap of attendees to a lower amount that would not cause fire hazard concerns even if the entire line was housed in the Pru/Sheraton or moved the dates of the convention to late April/early May so even if it is raining, it won't be 30 degrees out.

When the Artists' Alley entrance was closed, I was told that I would have to go wait outside with "everyone else" by both non-AB security (suits guys) and AB volunteer security at different points throughout the weekend despite telling them I was disabled and showing them my handicap badge sticker. Again, I know AB doesn't really have control over Hynes/Sheraton security, but I really wish there was better coordination with them. On Saturday, this meant that I was directed outside and was nearly late for my Masquerade judging despite being in line an hour before I needed to be there. Thankfully, Lyndsey was able to save me with an escort but it was really frustrating to only have accommodations some of the time. The good news is that except in that one instance, AB security helped me out immediately with getting into the con from the Pru entrance. AB staff was super polite and seems to have gotten the hang of making their voices heard without coming off as angry/aggressive.

Masquerade:
Thank you so much to AB's fabulous Masquerade staff and judges for such an amazing experience! I really had fun this year and enjoyed watching the Masquerade and making new friends backstage. All of the skits were really great. The judges were all really friendly and kind - and I loved that you did little intros about the judges during deliberation. I'm so happy Flash Step Dance Crew and Antipode Belly Dancing came back this year; their performances were so cool!!! Roadie & Mario knocked it out of the park, as always.

Thank you so much to Ada for rescuing me and helping me get my armor to stay ON (a few pieces of the jewelry elastic snapped off between judging and the actual Masquerade and I'd run out of fashion tape), and a huge thank you to Masquerade staff for finding the top of my ginzuishou proplica after it dropped off!! The Masquerade is the highlight of my con and it wouldn't be the same without all of the amazing staff, so huge kudos to Lyndsey and all the lovely people that make this happen!

Panels:
This was my first year as a panelist and I had a really great experience! Despite starting an hour late due to some technical difficulties (thank you staff for solving them as quickly as possible!) and a low turnout I had a fun time hosting and hope to be back again next year.

Also - kind of related to security/lines, but I got a text from Kate saying to use the AA entrance but since my panel was already over I didn't try to tell security at that entrance I was a panelist - but did overhear AB security telling someone they couldn't let him into the Hynes at the AA entrance because he didn't have anything on his badge saying so - perhaps an extra sticker for next year to make it clearer?

To sum up, thank you to all the staff for pulling this con off and for always working to make sure AB is as fun as possible for all of its attendees!

[Dande]

Personally I was totally okay with the extra security, metal detectors, etc at AB this year. I appreciate the precautions and the concern for safety, and people who are upset that they were there should grow up a little.

I didn't have long wait times because I pre registered, picked up my badge on Thursday, and planned my day to not need a bag so I could take the shorter lines. But I know these aren't an option for everyone. There was confusion about the bag/no bag lines on Saturday and Sunday that could've been addressed by better communication between staff and con goers. Personally I love to prereg and get my badge in the mail. I would be willing to pay a little extra to have my badge mailed to me before the con, and I think that would have a huge impact on wait times for badges.

One thing I really liked was when the AB Twitter posted estimated wait times for certain entrances-- that was great!

Basically, while I always expect long wait times in con lines, there could be some things done to minimize them somewhat. I saw many people on my Facebook complain about the entrance security but i don't want security to be sacrificed for shorter wait lines.

I had a great time at AB 2016. Thanks for the great con and see you all next year!

[Anna-neko]

I would like to say somethig very important about the long lines and the consequences thereof: it is a HEALTH hazard.

THIS!!! agree so damn hard!! Health Hazard for lines rerouted around into the great cold outdoors: if this was in May.. fine. But it's March & it was 40degrees!!

Someone sit down with the HYNES/MCCA and explain to them that their hysterical paranoia is causing horrid experiences!!

The lines to get inside keep taking longer. If they insist on making everything this slow then either get more staff to handle the crowd or open up more ways to get in
Oh, and then the cop by Sheraton entrance would make everyone stop to let more of that line pass. Dammit con, I just wanna get back into the Sheraton and change... why am I waiting in a line~ish thing again?!?!

Metal Detectors were overkill (oh sure, make the prev year's bagcheck lines seem a paradise in comparison), the lines to get IN were pure hell (why yes, I will keep repeating this) and caused just as many problems for those already inside convention as outside (oh look, we can't start the Cosplay Chess briefing because half the pieces are stuck in security line. Oh hey, we're here for this awesome panel and we know the panelist checked-in earlier in day, but she had to venture out for food and is now stuck in line to try & get back inside)

WTF props confiscation. Can't type up coherent non-swears paragraph to explain

The food inside Hynes is overpriced & it sucks they won't let anyone else even sell something as small as Pocky or Ramune soda
3.50 for drink? seriously?!?!?! And don't tell me "oh u can bring stuff in then" because I did Each day started with packing bottle of water & packet of something edible, and lemme tell u ... that only lasts you a short time, as all the walking/standing/more walking and spazzing with fellow nerds makes one dehydrate super-fast

Sheraton reprogram their elevators?!?!? Like, the "swipe card to go to higher floors" thats fine, that makes sense. But most of Friday our elevator rides kept saying "this elevator is overloaded", then Friday night we had to wait over 20min for an elevator to even show up, and rest of night (and Sat. night) there was a hotel employee person "guarding" the elevators and making sure x number of people would get into on

__________
Positive Feedback; the Sheraton keys having AB art was adorable. The colorful print-out one got at check-in a nice touch (thanx for letting me know it's 10bucks for "lost" key, I wonder how many keys got taken home as souvenirs)

Emergency Cosplay Repair mobile person... I didn't hallucinate this, right? 'cause if that wasn't just some random person - ... OMG, WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA! Do it again next year!

AB Staff - were awesome. But can u guys do more updates next year? Like Twitter updates on lines and open/closed entrances updates every hour maybe? The Sheraton/Artist Alley entrance being open or not was a big stress on Saturday & even staff in Sheraton I asked didn't seem sure what was goin on...

[Max465]

A few of my friends including myself had some bad health issues relating to hunger and dehydration that we could not address for fear of having to go through the awful lines again.

There were plenty of food stands inside the convention hall during peak hours. There shouldn't have been any fear of hunger even if you stayed in the convention hall all day.

The convention center food is a rip off and is way overpriced. People have a right to avoid being taken advantage of and robber of there hard earned money.

Absolutely agree. But I'm saying that if you're on the brink of starvation and you didn't think to bring your own food, that's not on the staff, as they gave options, regardless of how overpriced.

[Oos]

I walk with a cane and cannot physically carry all the things i need to keep with me plus the food i would need :/ theres really no reason the hynes food should cost as much as it does for something substantial.

[honeyteaclover]

Thank you to Anime Boston and convention center staff! This was my first year at Anime Boston, and I really enjoyed my time there. I pre-registered for the convention and got through registration in under 10 minutes on Saturday morning, so thank you to all the staff who advised me on registering in advance. The on-site staff were all very helpful and polite, which made it easy to locate things and plan my day.

As with everyone else, I had a tough time with security. From experience working in corporate settings, I know that the security measures are one way for the convention center to reduce their liability and protect themselves from lawsuits if anything bad happens ("We checked all of the people entering the building, it's not our fault that people got hurt!"). However, as someone else mentioned, the long lines and crowding outside of the building pose a serious security concern. I hate to draw such a speculative link, but the Brussels airport attack took place before the security checkpoints, targeting people in check-in lines waiting to enter the main airport terminals. Mass crowding outside of the building with no security protection is probably a much more attractive target than areas within the convention... Aside from the annoyance of waiting for a long time, these lines are not ideal for the safety of people in the area.

I attend professional sporting events regularly that have thorough bag checks, metal detectors, wands, etc. Those security checkpoints process massive amounts of people with minimal wait times. The issue is the number of available security who are working the checkpoints. I don't know that the Hynes will be able to maintain the same level of security and accelerate the lines without adding a significant number of personnel, at least for the busiest times of the day (e.g., opening hours, lunchtime, etc.).

[fancyduckie]

I walk with a cane and cannot physically carry all the things i need to keep with me plus the food i would need :/ theres really no reason the hynes food should cost as much as it does for something substantial.

The Hynes knows we're a captive market - just factor this into your budget for next year. AB did have water coolers in the Artists' Alley and other locations, so if you brought an empty bottle you'd be able to fill up for free. As far as con food goes, this is cheaper than what you pay at Katsucon or Otakon and well below what you'd pay at a sports event in Boston.

[spiritsongspride]

As someone who has a service animal and this was my second anime boston. I found that MCCA needs to train their sniffing dogs better. I should not have been chased away from the dealer's room everytime I went to go in just cause their dog wanted to play with mine. I got yelled at a lot by the dog handler and missed out on a lot of things just cause I got tried of being yelled at. I also found it unfair that as someone who was told in writing that my dog could not do cosplay and yet there was a service dog in cosplay. Ab you need to fix the rules and make it clear too all about if cosplay allowed on the service animal you cant have it with one set of rules from one person and other for other.

[reaper527]

And don't tell me "oh u can bring stuff in then" because I did Each day started with packing bottle of water & packet of something edible, and lemme tell u ... that only lasts you a short time, as all the walking/standing/more walking and spazzing with fellow nerds makes one dehydrate super-fast

if i can make a suggestion, what i did was walk in with a large drink from dunks, and when i finished it i just refilled the cup at the water coolers that are inside of each panel room. i don't know how many ounces a large dunks iced tea holds, but it definitely seems like a pretty big cup.

[Rabblt]

*hynes security, while nice and friendly conversationalists, seemed horribly understaffed and horribly unprepared. its like they were all first timers, just felt like they had no idea how busy it was really going to be.

i enjoyed talking with them briefly while they inspected my bag and waved through the metal detectors, they all seemed super stressed and i think a lot of that stress could have been reduced if there were more people on shift at a time. personally had no problems, just thought

just like last year i really freaking hated how they blocked off the main entrance through the mall and made us loop all the way around to go outside. freaking unnecessary. its cold, and we bri ng a lot of money to the area each year so im wondering exactly why we need to be put outside in MARCH. a lot of people with costumes that allowed limitrd mobility simply couldnnot make that long journey, especially itho ut a handler.

maybe im just being bratty and entitled, but i feel that since we bring in so much money this time of year for them, th least they can do is let us walk through the mall (just before dunkies) rsther than make us loop all the way around. :/ a lot of people just lied and said th ey were going to get food or goi ng to the sheraton (when they were really just going to the hynes ANYWAYS) so like what was the point??? happened last year and this year.

idk. besides one police man screaming in a bad attempt to organize a line (poor guy had no idea what he eas doing. felt bad.) they were all super duper nice to me, just felt like they were undestaffed and unprepared.

[Aurabolt]

A suggestion I forgot to say at yesterday's feedback session: Hold one each day. Hold Convention Feedback Friday afternoon, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Even if everyone can't be there for each one Friday and Saturday, I think it would be extremely helpful for attendees who are not there for the whole weekend to be able to give you guys feedback.

That said, I've gone to convention feedback every year I've gone to AB. This was the first time the room was near capacity AND the panel ran over by almost a half hour. I think having feedback sessions Friday and Saturday would help as attendees who traditionally go Sunday will have the option of going Friday or Saturday instead. Plus, there's the obvious benefit of possibly being able to utilize some suggestions during that convention than wait until next year's.

As for when and where on Friday and Saturday: Between 6:00PM and 9:00PM for an hour would work. I think that would be a large enough block of time for most to have experienced much of the day's events. Plus, since it's not late night you're not running on fumes like you are post-con Sunday. As for the room, keep it in 208 for consistency purposes. Everyone who's present Sunday doesn't have to be there. Those who can't make it Fri and Sat could just have someone from the same department there instead.

I walk with a cane and cannot physically carry all the things i need to keep with me plus the food i would need :/ theres really no reason the hynes food should cost as much as it does for something substantial.

The Hynes knows we're a captive market - just factor this into your budget for next year. AB did have water coolers in the Artists' Alley and other locations, so if you brought an empty bottle you'd be able to fill up for free. As far as con food goes, this is cheaper than what you pay at Katsucon or Otakon and well below what you'd pay at a sports event in Boston.

On that note: Someone brought this up at Convention Feedback yesterday. I go to Celtics and Red Sox season games. A bottle of water costs $5 at TD Garden and is $4 at Fenway Park. Two slices of pizza and a drink at both is about $8. A hot dog at both is $6. All that said, AB2016 was the first time I didn't have a budget to speak of for the weekend. If I did, I would have grabbed food from elsewhere unless I was in a hurry.

Hynes Security WILL NOT stop you from bringing outside food to eat into the building. I saw alot of folks walking around with pizza boxes all weekend. Just be smart: If you're with friends, everyone pitch in and grab a deep dish pizza and some appitizers from the UNOs on Boylston St. They do take out. That'll hold you over for quite a bit.

Or do what alot of folks suggested when the food court's closing was first announced and just stock up at the Shaw's Supermarket. They sell hot food, cold food as well as thermal lunch bags for keeping food cold in addition to groceries. Most importantly, you can buy fresh produce from there--I assume this to be the main reason someone was smart enough to put a supermarket downtown XD

EDIT:

More relevant to the post that quoted what I quoted. Google MCCA and fill out their feedback form. Tell them this. The increased food stands this year...yeah, way too obvious why. Food Court being gone aside, this was their way of trying to get people to buy food in-house vs. have to deal with security on re-entry. The increased prices are the price you pay for convenience >.>;

[reaper527]

As for when and where on Friday and Saturday: Between 6:00PM and 9:00PM for an hour would work. I think that would be a large enough block of time for most to have experienced much of the day's events. Plus, since it's not late night you're not running on fumes like you are post-con Sunday.

worth mentioning, these time slots you're mentioning are when some of the biggest events of the con are happening (anime unscripted, concerts, amv contest, masquerade)

[Painted_Outlaw]

A few of my friends including myself had some bad health issues relating to hunger and dehydration that we could not address for fear of having to go through the awful lines again.

There were plenty of food stands inside the convention hall during peak hours. There shouldn't have been any fear of hunger even if you stayed in the convention hall all day.

The convention center food is a rip off and is way overpriced. People have a right to avoid being taken advantage of and robber of there hard earned money.

Absolutely agree. But I'm saying that if you're on the brink of starvation and you didn't think to bring your own food, that's not on the staff, as they gave options, regardless of how overpriced.

Exactly, food is food; and if one is in that deep of a metaphorical hole, then I wouldn't think one to be in that much of a place to argue.

[Aurabolt]

As for when and where on Friday and Saturday: Between 6:00PM and 9:00PM for an hour would work. I think that would be a large enough block of time for most to have experienced much of the day's events. Plus, since it's not late night you're not running on fumes like you are post-con Sunday.

worth mentioning, these time slots you're mentioning are when some of the biggest events of the con are happening (anime unscripted, concerts, amv contest, masquerade)

Yes, but not everyone goes to all of them. Plus I said it would be an hour like it is on Sunday. Not 3 hours. Folks also do not have to stay for the whole hour. Come in, say your piece, hear their response and then head out. I'm one of those folks who kicks around for the whole hour though.

The average this year was about 3-5 minutes per attendee giving feedback or asking questions, which is in line with past years I've gone. There is no time limit on that note for how long someone can speak. I just make a mental note as I feel like at times, folks only seem to care about having their time. There is only ONE hour for AB Staff to get feedback from people. Adding two more hours but on different days would greatly help with that and they would also get feedback from folks who would not or could not give feedback before because of scheduling conflicts.

...Making it later than 9:00PM could be harder for certain AB staff heads to commit. Making it earlier than 6:00PM doesn't really give AB staff as much "day time" to get the most out of that hour of feedback.

[Rugsrat]

Ok. The security has been harped on to death. We all know it sucked. I agree. It sucked HARD, but that had nothing to do with AB.

So I'm going to instead echo what another poster above said: Please designate a large area for photoshoots. And please make sure security and staff are aware of those places. The Saturday RWBY shoot had to be moved under the escalators near the Boylston St. Entrance because Securitas wouldn't let us shoot upstairs (in a larger area, I'd like to add).

And is there literally anything that can be done about having lines (especially the Prudential entrance) not go outside? The weather was cold and raining on Friday, and certainly not balmy on Saturday and Sunday. Especially in March, forcing people to stand in the rain for any length of time is terrible.

I was fortunate enough to either get in through Artist Alley, or the Boylston St entrance each day (I didn't even attempt the cluster that was the Prudential entrance) with minimal time wasted, but so many people weren't as fortunate.

[tigerlee]

I would like to say that thank you for making anime boston 2016 happen with all your support and fans. But I would like to say that of all the anime boston I been to for the past 8 years of my life, this year was by far the most UNETHICAl anime convention I have ever been to. There were some serious problems that I wish you could do better for next year.

1. Pre Register - I went on thursday to pick up my badge and I thought the doors would open exactly 4:00 pm but was delayed for at least 10 minutes until it was officially open but got my badge anyway. I wish you have open exactly on time without delays.

2. Badges - I don't know why this year the early pre register price is at $55 for the first round while in the past it started at $50 before then gradually increase by $5 dollars. Can next year pre register price go back to $50?

3. Lines and entrance - Usually the lines would go back quickly when entering the convention and I greatly appreciate that the entrance on the Boylston street would open but this year it was very problematic. First off this year there were too much security officers, police officers and metal detectors for security reasons. I mean having this metal detectors took much longer for people to enter the convention and I woke up very early to line up and yet took a long time with entering the convention. I mean I understand with the situation with recent events and on the news for protecting the convention and prevent any danger but I felt that it was just unnecessary to have these security measures heighten up.

4. Props - This year I felt pity on the people who work so hard on their cosplay and designed their props have waste their time and effort in showing their cosplay to the public but felt mistreated unfairly. What I meant was that at the security checkpoint when security officers were checking the props this year, so many props were confiscated that other people are clear to bringing in their props yet others aren't. For example lightsabers were common for people to carry in the con but this year so many are confiscated for a safety hazard. I saw the prop policy and I never see a policy on banding lightsabers yet they do it. Plus others were allow to bring it in, that seems unfair for others to bring it in the con then are confiscated. Other example was a girl in her broom was told that she can't bring a broom or another prop, I forgot what it was but, security told her that it wasn't allow yet she complained that other people could bring it in. Then she ran off and security had to catch her. I felt bad for her because the broom doesn't seem to be a violation of the prop policy and she wasn't intended any harm to the con. Plus I saw that they confiscated a training gun which is a hard, plastic blue gun that is used by law enforcement in training and it just a hard mold of an assault rifle yet they ban it.I seen people had this before yet they ban this year, they should put on the prop policy but didn't. I feel that security has took it too seriously with prop policy and that soon with that behavior, it won't be fun next year. My word is these props are for our cosplays not to hurt someone and our cosplays won't have meaning without our props.

5. Dealers rooms - I felt that this year not many good dealers show up and none seem to express my joy to buying something. For example I'm trying to buy yugioh cards yet only two dealers have it and only one dealer could buy the yugioh cards. I wish that you bring back trollandtoad.com which they sell and buy yugioh, pokemon, and magic the gathering cards.

6. Celebrities/ Special guests - There no problems with the special guests, they were all friendly, nice, funny, and great role models. My only concern was that on the opening ceremonies I wish you could show more anime scene the voice actors did which can entice the crowd interest and surprise us on roles which we might not know they really play in. For example tony oliver played Minato in Naruto, Monica Rial played Mirajane in Fairy Tail, Eric Vale played Trunks in Dragon Ball Z and Sanji in One Piece, Patrick Seitz played Franky in One Piece, etc. But I know that people might already know that but I just wish you show the major animes they played in future opening ceremonies. But I like the special quest anyway you brought in today. I just wish you invited steve blum, malie flanagan, junko takeuchi, noriaki sugiyama, haruma miura, vic mignogna, Johnny Yong Bosch, Masakazu Morita, or Luci Christian. I know you don't have the authority to ask them to come and I have to wait for next year for the next list of guests to come and you can't request it but in general I wish you can get a whole new group of guests and voice actors next year.

Finally I would to say thank you for the hosting this year anime boston convention for us but I feel this year took so much effort and energy that it pretty much drain us to enjoy our time when it comes with heightened security, repetitive dealers, angry cosplayers who couldn't bring in their props, and other minor problems. I wish you can start out more fresher and relaxing for next year so that this tradition can go on forever.

[Cinnamon Chai]

I think having suggestions for locations for photoshoots would be really helpful. If staff could offer a list of OK places to gather, with a rough estimate of how big a shoot it could handle, that would be great. We were moved from our Saturday gathering spot for Fire Emblem because of crowding issues. We managed to keep the group together, but last year, half the group got broken off and lost on the way to a better meetup location. I know that's an additional workload, but especially since outdoor shoots aren't as feasible anymore without forcing people back through bag check/metal detectors/lines, I think that might be helpful.

I go to 4-5 conventions a year and AB is always my favorite. Even with a few hiccups, I had a great time this year. I also want to compliment the staff members who helped me get through lines when I explained my disability, and the panel tech staff who helped me get my laptop to interface with the projector during my panel while letting me keep the audience engaged for half an hour. I was really scared that I would be doubted about my disability, since I don't have a visible aid like a cane/wheelchair/service dog, but staff was super accommodating and helped vouch for me to the security staff. I was able to keep my boyfriend with me, too, which was great since he knows my medical issues and what to do if I have problems.

Thanks for a great con!

[tmliza]

I think having suggestions for locations for photoshoots would be really helpful. If staff could offer a list of OK places to gather, with a rough estimate of how big a shoot it could handle, that would be great. We were moved from our Saturday gathering spot for Fire Emblem because of crowding issues. We managed to keep the group together, but last year, half the group got broken off and lost on the way to a better meetup location. I know that's an additional workload, but especially since outdoor shoots aren't as feasible anymore without forcing people back through bag check/metal detectors/lines, I think that might be helpful.

Agree heavily with this point. With it being too cold outside to realistically have a shoot, there needs to be some locations picked out ahead of time where cosplayers can gather without causing a crowding issue.

[coralcoral23]

This is year 2 of attendance, I went on Friday. In the past I never had many issues it was a great con as usual. Only one thing out of the ordinary occurred, I'm a 17 year old female, a man came up behind ma and grabbed my waist and told me he would pick me up and walk me around, his hands slowly moved lower down my legs and parts. My friends saw him and were concerned. Although this did happen to me I do intend on returning next year.

[stargazera5]

I've been to every Anime Boston since 2003 (I still have my "I was here first" shirt some where). I've been to it through thick and thin. Unfortunately I'm now at the point where this may have been my last Anime Boston. I'm so fed up that I didn't bother bidding on the lifetime membership at the Charity Auction and I would have otherwise bid it up $200-$400 higher then what it went for (like I did in 2015 when I was one of two left in a bidding war for it).

Pros

• What Anime Boston runs smoothly, it runs very well.
• Panels went well and with decent diversity in topics
• Communication was generally very good, aside from security as others noted before
• Registration is very smooth.
• Ticketless concerts. This worked surprisingly well and meant I got to see one of the main events, which I've typically skipped due to the lines and capacity issues.

Negatives

• Easter Conventions. I know AB staff has heard all the complaints before about family and attending religious services. I also want to point out that Catholics are obligated to fast on the Friday before Easter. I didn't this year due to health concerns, but have in the past. Even if Catholic regulations are pretty lenient comparatively, the con is such a high energy event that it does pose health issues even to the fully healthy.
• Cost of Hotels. I know the AB staff are limited in what they can do, but it's gone past the point where the premium for convenience is so high it makes more sense to take Uber/taxis back and forth every day.
• Loss of Food Court. Again, nothing AB can do about this, but I suspect that if the security issues are ever fixed, the push for food is going to get brutal. The people who felt trapped in the Hynes due to security and unable to go out to get food should let the restaurants know why they lost out on business so they will add their complaints to the Hynes.
  
  Speaking of food, on Sat due to panels I didn't get to go for dinner until 7PM and wasn't willing to risk going through security again by leaving the Hynes. The small booths were closed and only their main cafeteria next to bag check was open, though it was in the process of closing down as well. Given the odd hours for eating panels can cause, they should have remained full service until 8-8:30 PM.
• Having to write off panels I wanted to attend because they were in the Sheraton and I was trapped in the Hynes due to security

The Raging Kiju in the room
The security theater has gotten out of hand, especially as it accomplishes nothing of use. As others have already noted, the security checkpoints are not capable of finding anything that is an actual threat in among all the props, cosplay, and merchandise people are carrying. The Pru is taking extreme line control measures, but the lines are being caused by security. The lines to get in that existed before the crackdown started in 2015 were typically no where near as bad (post Line Con, at least) until the excessive security came into play. Far worse, as the recent Belgium attack shows, lines out side the security perimeter are now the target (as security experts have warned for years). The lines snaking around the blocks outside are nothing more then a bright neon sign saying 'Attack Here'.

I get the need the security people have to 'do something'. I got two phone calls the night of the Boston Bombing from my brother, one when he and his girlfriend were looking for a trio of friends, another call when they found out one was dead and another badly wounded. I also got a call a few weeks later from family a half a mile from where the elder Zharnev died in Watertown, where I grew up. I get it. But I would feel safer with no security than with the half-assed theater that does nothing useful we have now.

As for those saying to complain to the Hynes instead... The reality is that the Hynes doesn't care about you or me and our complaints. They do care about the 6 or 7 figure check AB writes them every year to use the Hynes. The Abos leadership has to take the Hynes to task (before end of summer and manage them closely though the year leading up to Abos2017) and demand they publicly address this or leadership needs to use the escape clauses in the Ab contracts to take the convention elsewhere. If they don't do either, this will only get worse year after year and eventually the convention will implode.

I was going to bring this up at the feedback session, but as I was in the Sheraton until just before closing ceremonies, it wasn't worth the risk of time and frustration to try to get back through security just for this.

Conclusion
As I said int he beginning, I suspect this was my last Anime Boston. This year I got so frustrated and angry at the issues, that it heavily impacted my enjoyment of the bulk of the con that worked well. I've enjoyed my 14 years of AB, but if there isn't a public posting by both AB and especiallythe Hynes taking responsibility and outlining what changes will happen by fall, then I won't be back.

[fancyduckie]

On that note: Someone brought this up at Convention Feedback yesterday. I go to Celtics and Red Sox season games. A bottle of water costs $5 at TD Garden and is $4 at Fenway Park. Two slices of pizza and a drink at both is about $8. A hot dog at both is $6. All that said, AB2016 was the first time I didn't have a budget to speak of for the weekend. If I did, I would have grabbed food from elsewhere unless I was in a hurry.

You're right - it's not that much better than Fenway or the Garden, but it's still a little cheaper. Were the prices of food/drink consistent across the different vendors in the con? I only bought from them once and water was only $3.50.

[Luscia]

This was my 7th AB, my first being back in '08, so needless to say I started having flashbacks to that horrible badge line. I can accept that there was a system error/malfunction or whatever caused the problem and because I did experience '08's infamous "Line Con", the hour and half to 2 hrs wasn't as bad as the 4+ from that year. Friday wasn't horrible after that, using the Artist Alley entrance was awesome; it was fast, convenient and personally zones me into one of my favorite spots of the convention. I understand because it was a fire hazard that it was closed here and there, but the news of the Dalton St entrance being opened wasn't well conveyed at all. I didn't even know about it till after I had gotten home last night and began reading this thread. I checked both FB and Twitter and guess what? I only saw ONE tweet regarding this. ONE. And nothing on FB at all. Could my FB feed eaten it? Maybe, cause FB does that, but even still, there could have been ways of getting that information out.

On Friday, my husband and I got quite dehydrated and what almost felt like starvation setting in cause we had nothing substantial in terms of food on us. Yes, I will echo those who have said that the vendors inside the convention are overpriced, but here’s the thing; we had decided we were going to get something to share and it was only like 7 or 8 at the latest and they were packing up. We had to leave the con and get food nearby. Thankfully, this was Friday so the Artist Alley entrance didn’t have issues yet and we could get back in no problem.

On Saturday we did get rerouted outside, not expecting the Artist Alley entrance to be closed, so no jackets for either of us, then we get separated cause I had a bag and he didn’t. I shockingly get through the security faster and stand to the side near the Dealer’s room waiting for him. 20-30 minutes go by and I still haven’t seen him. I went to an AB staffer, after spotting my husband on the ramp in the center, but still has quite the wait ahead of him, asking if I could give him a message. The staffer tells me I really wasn’t supposed to but I could call or text him… first off how is that any different than me going up to him? I then explain that we only have the 1 cell phone and it was in my possession so we could get ahold of our friends in the convention. Because I am only like 5’4” I get lost in a crowd easy and all I wanted to do was let my husband know where I was gonna be, so he could find me. Thankfully the staffer agreed to let me relay the message, but said make it fast. In fear of getting forced outside I told my husband the wrong location, but was thankful that I could run to him after he made it through security. But because of all this crap with the long ass lines and slow security, he and I both spaced getting our Masquerade tickets, so they were gone by the time we made it to that spot.

Also during the security check; I managed to set off the detector the first time through, the man who had the wand was nice and then told me apparently I had metal in my shoes, which I never knew. But the last 2 times I went through (going through a different detector) I didn’t set it off. Were they set on different levels or something? Cause that is inconsistent. Also with the bag check; the security really needs to be careful and pay the f attention or use common sense. You tell us to have the bags open, so when we do I expect to have the person to be smart enough to zip the front pouch to open the flap next, instead of peeking in the front pouch and then flipping it open, spilling everything onto the floor. Do you know how more upset I would be if my DS, phone or camera were in that front pouch and hit the floor?
For the last couple years I have been having less and less fun, because of all the little things that are supposed to make us feel safe and secure. I look forward to this event every year and I would like to continue to attend, but if this mess continues I do not see that happening. My husband has already said he was going to give it a couple years before coming again due to all this. I see where he is coming from and I hope you guys can find a nice solution to these issues because I don’t want to come to that conclusion too.

[Sayoria]

This was, by far, the worst convention I have ever went to, and from what I see, this is the future of Anime Boston. I understand the no-food-court issues, since that is beyond control. I understand most of the issues were from the convention center itself, but what makes me believe that AB is going to be in dire straits is the fact we are at the Hynes until 2025. In 2015, this was a minor problem that pissed me off, but I had hope that AB would work with the convention center and get this working. Fast forward to this year, and things did not get any better. It grew to the point I hated being there.

The line: This was fracking ridiculous. I was dressed planning to be inside, and during decent weather. What I got was being outside in cold weather conditions with a decently exposed costume. My shoulders were completely exposed, I was wearing a skirt, and I had a bag in one hand and a staff in the other, making it impossible to insulate myself with my arms. I am also on blood thinners and experience terrible dry skin. This was unacceptable to me, and I almost left there and then. Dealing with the long wait of the line, I was 20 minutes late to my friends panel, and when I went, I was kicked out because I needed to sit or leave. This wouldn't have happened if the line wasn't an issue.

The bag check: This was practically useless, because I have a bag that is long and falls practically under my skirt. The convention was so packed that when I saw a no-bag line, a staffer didn't even notice I had a bag and offered for me to go. Since I had a choice of sitting in a line for another 20 minutes or bypass, of course I bypassed. If I "DID" have a bomb, we'd all be blown up.

The inconvenience of navigation: One time, I entered through the Cheesecake Factory doors to go to Crazydough to get pizza and go back to my hotel. I was turned away to walk ALL THE WAY AROUND to the Sheraton's main door just to get a fracking slice of pizza. A slice of pizza. This got so chaotic that I refused to leave and chose to starve over leaving the con. My choices were to starve, or to eat and wait out in the fracking cold another hour. I didn't have the money to spend at the in-convention food thing. I saw this as a scam taking advantage of con-goers.

The Video Game Room: Many games were being shut down before the shutdown time. I was waiting in line for the Taito Drum game, and they cut me off there long before the room closed. I moved to another game, and in line, some girl cut me and took the play. Me, being nice as I am, didn't say anything, and I let her. After she stopped, they shut that game down on me too. Moral of the story: Tell people to frack off before your chances are missed.

The Sheraton Entrance: I heard about the line issue there, but this was a promised entrance. Good to see this was well managed and shut down so fast.



The only good thing about this whole convention is that the autographs were away from all of this poopy and I was able to get those without any problem.


I've had enough Anime Boston. I've been going since 2005, and I am fracking putting my foot down. Have a good life. Once the 2016 post-con stuff on here stops, I am done. I can't stand it. If we cant move because of a bounded contract with the Hynes, my friends and I are done, and I have talked to many others in the VG room and in lines who agree with me on this. I can't see this con lasting until 2025 if this is the future of Anime Boston.

[jefftendo]

Security requirements and Prudential/Hynes floor plan and facilities congestion issues have risen to the point where it's so cumbersome to attend Anime Boston That I and my group of three all agreed that will not be attending any further anime Boston conventions unless very specific, desirable guests are invited.

I'd recommend seeking other facilities with less security requirements and more accommodations for attendees.

'nuff said.

[Nemra]

And nothing on FB at all. Could my FB feed eaten it? Maybe, cause FB does that, but even still, there could have been ways of getting that information out.

I can definitely answer this as it was an on-the-spot learning experience on my end as well. The post does exist but it is hidden.

To pre-face, you have to learn how Facebooks algorithm works for pages now. Essentially, they've killed organic reach (meaning you don't pay to spread the message. This is known as a Boost, which makes spreading the news faster and appear on more news feeds). FB has an algorithm in place to detect how popular a specific post by showing it to very few people at first, and by seeing how often it is liked and shared by them, it decides whether to show it up to more peoples news feeds or not. Needless to say, we had to boost that post (and even when boosted, it's better to think of it as reach over time, not instantaneously in news feeds). By the time the Dalton St. Entrance closed (about two hours later), it was still boosted.

Here comes the kicker, FB actually doesn't allow you to edit posts that are boosted. In order to stop our FB from giving attendees incorrect information, I made the decision to hide it from public view to remove confusion and to stop it from appearing on peoples feed which would lead to even worse confusion.

I can definitely explore different options and keep repeating these kinds of posts at-con in the future, but we also need all of your help in re-tweeting (not just liking) and sharing those messages so that more people can see it if they were missed due to algorithm or just general con experience rush.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To everyone: Thank you all for your feedback so far and the manner in which you provide it! Please encourage all your friends who have attended to post here! It's only been a day since the end of con but the work for us has only just begun to prove to you guys next year that we can make your experience better. Most of staff are only now just starting to return home, and so may not be able to answer your questions immediately, but be assured, if there is anywhere to make sure your feedback is rightfully heard (or seen in this case), this is definitely the place!

Remember, the more detailed feedback you can provide, the better we can address the problems! even if it has been repeated by everyone else before, your voice matters too and we would greatly appreciate it if you echo their sentiment by giving us your perspective through your own words.

[Painted_Outlaw]

For example tony oliver played Minato in Naruto, Monica Rial played Mirajane in Fairy Tail, Eric Vale played Trunks in Dragon Ball Z and Sanji in One Piece, Patrick Seitz played Franky in One Piece, etc. But I know that people might already know that but I just wish you show the major animes they played in future opening ceremonies.

Curious what you mean by "the major animes"; the ones you've listed are all pretty mainstream already, would be kind of hard to go bigger.

[Anna-neko]

anyway, now that am more awake - hey AB, how about next year you set up someone with a big sign "Waiting time from this point: XXX minutes" like Japan does at major events?

And maybe a separate dedicated Twitter feed just for the whole entrance thing, if Hynes insists on making it so bad. A Tweet saying some thing like "Pru, Boylston - open. Sheraton 3rd - closed. Wait-time: 40min" update every hour. With miscalleny "all sword looking things no longer pass security. leave in hotelroom!!" or "if it looks like a 50s sci-fi blaster, it has a good chance to get into con!" occasional reminders

[foreverfinn]

Good:

The staff were amazing and so helpful, with organizing everything and helping me find things. I had multiple panic attacks throughout the weekend because of being late to this or that and they were a huge help. Same with my friends and others.

Bad:

The lines and security. Not the orange-shirted Anime Boston Security Staff (they were great) but the police-looking ones in the Hynes and Prudential. I don't know if you guys were in charge of them but they were very inconsistent and confiscated way more props than necessary, including things that were allowed by the rules of the convention. They were also very harsh and mean at times and the two lines seemed chaotic and unnecessary since everything took forever anyway... Also the entrances being closed off and opened randomly really screwed people over. When you're late for an event and make sure to go to the Artist Alley entrance in order to get through quickly, it can backfire when it's unexpectedly closed and you have to walk all the way to another entrance. Plus, some people were forced to wait in line outside when trying to use other entrances, and that was very cold and some were rained on. Also, the metal detectors were somewhat unnecessary, since most costumes had metal in them and some people were even waved through after the detectors went off anyway. Some weren't even made to tell security what metal they had on them. That, or the people were just wanded afterwards, making the process longer.

Myself and friends of mine were caused lots of anxiety and even had major panic attacks over lines being closed or long and not being able to get places, and from the fear of not being allowed back in with props.

[foreverfinn]

anyway, now that am more awake - hey AB, how about next year you set up someone with a big sign "Waiting time from this point: XXX minutes" like Japan does at major events?

And maybe a separate dedicated Twitter feed just for the whole entrance thing, if Hynes insists on making it so bad. A Tweet saying some thing like "Pru, Boylston - open. Sheraton 3rd - closed. Wait-time: 40min" update every hour. With miscalleny "all sword looking things no longer pass security. leave in hotelroom!!" or "if it looks like a 50s sci-fi blaster, it has a good chance to get into con!" occasional reminders

^^^^^ this

[Konphormitee101]

And nothing on FB at all. Could my FB feed eaten it? Maybe, cause FB does that, but even still, there could have been ways of getting that information out.

I can definitely answer this as it was an on-the-spot learning experience on my end as well. The post does exist but it is hidden.

To pre-face, you have to learn how Facebooks algorithm works for pages now. Essentially, they've killed organic reach (meaning you don't pay to spread the message. This is known as a Boost, which makes spreading the news faster and appear on more news feeds). FB has an algorithm in place to detect how popular a specific post by showing it to very few people at first, and by seeing how often it is liked and shared by them, it decides whether to show it up to more peoples news feeds or not. Needless to say, we had to boost that post (and even when boosted, it's better to think of it as reach over time, not instantaneously in news feeds). By the time the Dalton St. Entrance closed (about two hours later), it was still boosted.

Here comes the kicker, FB actually doesn't allow you to edit posts that are boosted. In order to stop our FB from giving attendees incorrect information, I made the decision to hide it from public view to remove confusion and to stop it from appearing on peoples feed which would lead to even worse confusion.

I can definitely explore different options and keep repeating these kinds of posts at-con in the future, but we also need all of your help in re-tweeting (not just liking) and sharing those messages so that more people can see it if they were missed due to algorithm or just general con experience rush.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To everyone: Thank you all for your feedback so far and the manner in which you provide it! Please encourage all your friends who have attended to post here! It's only been a day since the end of con but the work for us has only just begun to prove to you guys next year that we can make your experience better. Most of staff are only now just starting to return home, and so may not be able to answer your questions immediately, but be assured, if there is anywhere to make sure your feedback is rightfully heard (or seen in this case), this is definitely the place!

Remember, the more detailed feedback you can provide, the better we can address the problems! even if it has been repeated by everyone else before, your voice matters too and we would greatly appreciate it if you echo their sentiment by giving us your perspective through your own words.

Is there a way staff could test using social media before next years con so in case you need to announce, it can get to everyone? Also encouraging people to sign up for notifications when the ab account tweets would go a long way to spread the word faster.

As far as my experience it was good. I avoided using the pro entrance and avoided most of the lines that most are raging about. However there are a few things I must share.

1. Prop checking was a disaster. I wont ramble cause most of what I want to say has been said a million times already. The one thing I MUST say is the Sheraton entrance security was waay too lax. Two of my friends were able to go past bag check with unchecked props and were then told to go through the con to get thier props checked. this isnt to mention the just bizarre inconsistency of props that were allowed/banned. the hynes and ab staff should work together on prop checking, or at least that is my take.

2. Autographs rules were not inforced at all from what i experienced and heard. This was my girlfriends first con and she was very dissapointed when we followed the rules and did not show up to line up for todds autograph session until an hour before the session started, only to find out that the 100 autograph tickets were given out 20 minutes before we even got there. If you want people to wait longer for autographs, fine, just please inforce no lining up until the designated times. The way it is now just does not work for an event of the size of ab. the tickets are a good idea but it does not mean much when people get turned away before line up is even supposed to begin. maybe make it like masquerade and have people line up for tickets at another time elsewhere? Like on friday morning for friday autographs and saturday morning for saturday autographs and so on? those rooms in the sheraton are good for autographs but the hallway cant deal with lines of any size forming there.

3. Entrances. Is there any way Dalton st can be made a permanent entrance? The boylston st entrance experienced no lines for most of the weekend from what i experienced and maybe with more entrance options the pru entrance wont be full of people lining up from literally the dealers room door to the doorway to the hynes in the mall.

Otherwise AB staff was amazing and props to the security crew at the Boylston st entrance, they knew exactly what they were doing and kept the line moving. Despite this post I love anime boston and will be returning next year no question.

[Arakni666]

First off, I had an overall good experience at the con. I tend not to go to the big panels so I avoided most of those lines (the only one I really waited in was for Bad Anime, Bad), and aside from having one panel I wanted to go to get canceled ten minutes before it was supposed to start, everything went fine inside the convention. ...Well, food was a bit pricy at the in-convention stands and food court ($4 for a soda?).

As far as getting into the con, however, things were a little more dicey. Security did not have consistent standards. I wore the same cosplay for stretches of time all three days, and every time I went through the metal detector, it beeped due to the metal in my belt (unable to take it off without a hassle) and the little rings on the sides of my pants. Out of all the times I went through, I was only wanded twice afterwards. Convenient for me, but not exactly comforting when it comes to security measures working the way they should. If we have to deal with such a pain every time we exit and enter, shouldn't it actually work?

The prop check people were great though.

My only other problems were with the Sheraton, which I don't think Anime Boston has any control over. EDIT: Actually, I will do an overview of them. Just to throw it out there and make sure people are aware.

My foremost issue was the room key cards. My friend who booked our hotel room- about four or five months before the con- registered with two people, as at the time she only knew two people would be staying for sure. We ended up with four. But even though she could prove that she'd booked for two people, the front desk refused to give her more than one key card and demanded an extra fee if we wanted even a second. So the four of us had to constantly plan to make sure we'd all be able to get up to our room without the ridiculous Sheraton security trying to stop us from going together. Plus, when a couple of friends asked to use our room to store their stuff during the day so they wouldn't have to carry it around the con (let me be clear, they DID NOT STAY OVERNIGHT) that only exacerbated the problem.

The second complaint is also about the Sheraton elevator security. They were so unnecessarily aggressive. We were a group of four young adults, three women and one man, all of whom look and act pretty stereotypically geeky and unassuming, but they treated us as if we were armed to the teeth and going upstairs to loot and pillage the rooms. We had a card key and a everything.

[Max465]

2. Autographs rules were not inforced at all from what i experienced and heard. This was my girlfriends first con and she was very dissapointed when we followed the rules and did not show up to line up for todds autograph session until an hour before the session started, only to find out that the 100 autograph tickets were given out 20 minutes before we even got there.

I can second this problem, I was actually waiting in line for Erica Lindbeck when I saw people coming up asking if it was the line for Todd. Obviously we said no, and staff directed them away. At first I thought staff were directing them away from the autograph area in general. But it was after I got my LL book signed (Erica was great!! ^_^), that I turned the corner and saw the clusterf*** in the other room. I wasn't even sure what it was because it looked so disorganized. I'm realizing after reading this feedback second that it must have been the Todd line. How did this happen?

Edit: I'll also add that some of the staff seemed a little over-stressed or confused. One was even turning people away who were asking to get to the elevators in the next room because he didn't even know they were there himself (Another staff corrected him on this later)

[Ashley]

Unrelated to the Anime Boston organizers and staff, the biggest question I've had on my mind is: Who hates us the most, the Prudential Center, the Hynes Convention Center, or the Sheraton?

Anyway, after being so flawlessly screwed by the Sheraton (evolving from the "only" semi-screwings of the past two years -- thank you as always for your quality service, Sheraton, and please look forward to your review later), I was having pretty much the worst day in recent memory. So I really, really want to offer my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to AB's Friday night info desk staff, who saved my day from being a complete disaster. Not only were you guys friendly and understanding, but you went above and beyond the duties of your station just to help me out, and again, I can't be thankful enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The tech staff were also wonderful. Most, if not all, the AB staff I encountered were great.

I don't know who this falls under, but the security guards blocking the hallway from the Prudential to the Sheraton need to not. It was unacceptable last year, and it was unacceptable this year as well. When I told them I needed to get back to my room at the Sheraton -- the one I paid real, actual money for -- I was told I had to walk around outside simply by virtue of being a convention attendee. I'm sorry, but no, that is one hundred and ten percent unacceptable. I am a paying customer. I have every right and then some to go through that hallway. More so than all the ritzy little window shoppers. Period. When I'm paying actual money, I don't and shouldn't have to expect to be treated like a second-class citizen, thanks. The window shoppers with their coats and their unlikeliness to buy anything can go outside. Not me. And as a paying customer of the Sheraton and of the Prudential's businesses, that's something I feel one hundred percent entitled to.

I honestly don't understand why they even have to block off that hallway to two-way traffic. It's literally one of the biggest hallways in the place. How about, instead of taking up half the space with that ridiculous gate, they just have the guards warning people not to stop in the hallway? I never remember there being all that much trouble there in the past when we could go both ways through it, just so long as people weren't stopping and clogging the hall.

I know a lot of this isn't the con's fault, but this might be my last Anime Boston. I hate to say that, and I really do want to return because I love everything the con stands for, but I just can't have as much fun here anymore when the places that host us continue to mistreat us despite the money we pay to be here. For three years now, I've been blatantly disrespected by the Sheraton with this year being the absolute worst, my sister and I having actually been booted out of the hotel because they didn't have a room for us, a room we reserved five months in advance. I can't stand the Prudential Center and its elitist security staff treating us like cattle when they're making a killing off of us. And the Hynes's security show is off-the-wall ridiculous and ineffective, and the wait times make the con absolutely not worth shelling out for since we're just going to miss all our panels anyway.

Again, I want to thank the incredibly amazing AB staff who were nothing but helpful this year, but I just can't bring myself to want to come back if our hosts continue to be as poisonous as they are avaricious.