The Great Feedback Post of Anime Boston 2016

[Sayoria]

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?

This is my thing. It's clear none of them like us. Their solution to it all is to bring everyone outside into the crazy cold and wait in line like that while we do. This is why, even if it is still owned by MCCA, I think the BCEC would be better at this point...... lodging and food might not be so great, but at least the Sheraton and the Prudential Center would be out of the way and we'd have more room.

It doesn't matter though. I can't see this coming to a reasonable solution ever. I think the future of AB is "Out-in-the-cold Con"

[GeekyPanda404]

There definitely was a major flaw with the Dealer's Room line on Friday. I was with a friend and we decided to use our CrunchyRoll perk to get in early. Sadly we got there and it was almost time for the public to get in.

Now this is where it gets really ugly. I did see a line being wrapped around the wall area but you had alot of people crowding the main entrance of the Dealers room by the Security Metal Detectors. Most of em were just regular pass con goers. My friend and I had a very hard time trying to get through the crowd to show our CrunchyRoll Premium badges to get in. When we got close to the door, the Dealers Room "officially" opened to the public.

Now combining the crowd that was camping the entrance with the long line of people and only one door way opened you had a very bad bottle-neck happening. People were kinda pushing each other to get in and it was almost like a zerg rush happening. My friend got in first and I managed to get in close behind her until Security decided to stop the line at the entrance to slowly manage the flow of traffic.

Overall you guys needed to have more people at the entrance area to enforce and contain the rushers, someone could of definitely gotten hurt (but luckily I don't think anyone did) and someone with anxiety/crowd issues would of had a really bad time.

I managed to record a small clip of the chaos here,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy293mafq80

[reaper527]

something i noticed is that ab doesn't appear to have a streamlined system for making announcements. the theme for the upcoming year is something a lot of people are going to be interested in, and it's currently been announced on the ab tumbler account:

http://tumblr.animeboston.com/post/1417 ... -next-year

Anime Boston will return next year, March 31 to April 2, 2017. The theme for next year: RETRO.

(i would argue that 2016's theme was retro, because we clearly had a throwback to linecon ).

the theme however doesn't appear in the forums as an announcement, it doesn't appear on the animeboston homepage, it doesn't appear on the facebook feed. the disjointedness of all the communication pages can potentially result in different messages being conveyed in different places. addressing this disjointedness probably could make it more realistic to communicate things such as "entrance x being closed" or "entrance y has long lines, entrance z currently does not".

[WertPhotography]

The whole LINECON of 2016 wasn't that big of an issue to me. The only time I spent any serious amount of time in a line was when I showed up early for picking up my badge. Other than that I never spent more than ~15 minutes in a line.

I also didn't have any issue with security. They were all very professional.

The only thing I DID have a problem with was advertising the Artist Alley entrance as a valid entrance then closing it down at seemingly random times. Also, when the Boylston St no bag line was all of a sudden packed with people with bags and then those of us without bags then had to go to the end of a HUGE line, that wasn't there previously.

That said...I did two things I hadn't done before at a convention...I actually went to events/panels this year and I actually purchased some stuff from Artist Alley. Usually I just wander around as a Con-Dad taking photos. But I actually DID stuff this year. Yes, I didn't get into several events due to overfilling...but that happens.

Overall, I had a great time. It would be nice if the security arrangements were streamlined a bit for those without bags, but even that's not that big of an issue to me.

[Ryan227]

I personally didn't have any line related problems my longest wait was probably less than 1/2 hour on Saturday morning. It was very disappointing that the Artist Alley enterance was closed because I've always relied on that one and it's always been good but I understand because a lot of people were trying to use it this year. I'm probably in the minority but if I have to say one good thing about the uniformed security it's that I really do appreciate that there is hardly any line jumping in the area right before the Hynes when it was rampant for many years and no one could or would do anything about it. No one likes being yelled at but sometimes crowds need a bit of control. Also a complaint here I don't understand at all is dehydration... I mean wut? There are water bubblers everywhere with free water, you could bring a water bottle and refill it.

Only two negative bits: two of the securitas commented and laughed about something I had in my bag. It wasn't too serious and I laughed it off but I really felt it was something they shouldn't have done because I could see someone getting upset about it. I work in retail and I mean really if you have something to say about someone at least wait until they walk away. I know that's something AB doesn't have direct control over but maybe the company needs to be reminded.

Another thing that I'm really surprised no one else seemed bothered by at all was I felt like when it came to yaoi/fangirl panels they were really clustered together, overlapping and sometimes even at the same exact time. I can't even imagine how hard it is to schedule a panel but that's how I personally felt.

But now something positive about the schedule though was the new way of leaving time between panels in rooms. I love it! It's so much more relaxing now

[Max465]

the theme however doesn't appear in the forums as an announcement, it doesn't appear on the animeboston homepage, it doesn't appear on the facebook feed. the disjointedness of all the communication pages can potentially result in different messages being conveyed in different places. addressing this disjointedness probably could make it more realistic to communicate things such as "entrance x being closed" or "entrance y has long lines, entrance z currently does not".

Actually speaking of themes

This years theme was pretty disappointing (I honestly just had to look it up to even remember what it was). It seemed like no effort was put into connecting the themes with the guests, or with the panels. There were like 6 themed panels, and mostly the themed stuff was put into the anime show in the video rooms. But those aren't really a place I WANT to go and more a place I go if I'm tired and want to sit.

Remember last years theme? Kaiju vs Mecha, with all the awesome themed panels and guests!!! That was great. I never once forgot the theme, because it felt like a huge part of the festivities.

You know what this years theme felt like? Music. We had two major musical guests (Nano.Ripe and Ali Project) I believe we only had one last year (admittedly a BIG one). There were also all the Your Lie in April Guests. As well as the fact that Erica Lindbeck was in the Love Live dub, as well as Yukiko Aikei being the character designer. Speaking of Love Live you had K-Lab there promoting LL everywhere. As well as the contest.

I almost feel like a theme should be made AFTER the guests are chosen. I know it's kind of exciting and a tradition to announce it as the end of the previous con. But if the themes are going to be as unrelatable to the events as this year's maybe it's worth the wait.

[foreverfinn]

the theme however doesn't appear in the forums as an announcement, it doesn't appear on the animeboston homepage, it doesn't appear on the facebook feed. the disjointedness of all the communication pages can potentially result in different messages being conveyed in different places. addressing this disjointedness probably could make it more realistic to communicate things such as "entrance x being closed" or "entrance y has long lines, entrance z currently does not".

Actually speaking of themes

This years theme was pretty disappointing (I honestly just had to look it up to even remember what it was). It seemed like no effort was put into connecting the themes with the guests, or with the panels. There were like 6 themed panels, and mostly the themed stuff was put into the anime show in the video rooms. But those aren't really a place I WANT to go and more a place I go if I'm tired and want to sit.

Remember last years theme? Kaiju vs Mecha, with all the awesome themed panels and guests!!! That was great. I never once forgot the theme, because it felt like a huge part of the festivities.

You know what this years theme felt like? Music. We had two major musical guests (Nano.Ripe and Ali Project) I believe we only had one last year (admittedly a BIG one). There were also all the Your Lie in April Guests. As well as the fact that Erica Lindbeck was in the Love Live dub, as well as Yukiko Aikei being the character designer. Speaking of Love Live you had K-Lab there promoting LL everywhere. As well as the contest.

I almost feel like a theme should be made AFTER the guests are chosen. I know it's kind of exciting and a tradition to announce it as the end of the previous con. But if the themes are going to be as unrelatable to the events as this year's maybe it's worth the wait.

If you saw Chess or the Death Match, the theme was definitely included. But there did seem to be a lot of music.

[SM1]

Anime Boston will return next year, March 31 to April 2, 2017. The theme for next year: RETRO.

(i would argue that 2016's theme was retro, because we clearly had a throwback to linecon ).

You're XXXXXXXXX right it was.
Took a little under 3 hours to get in Friday, as a pre reg. 1 hr to pick up badge, >1 hour to get past the security line.

[Rick]

So now with that giant security rant out of the way (I'm glad people feel the same way I do. It had nothing to do with the AB Security in the orange shirts, it was all about the Hynes' Securitas people) and a little extra time has passed, there were great things about this con as well.

I especially want to give another "thank you" to the Artist's Alley staff for putting up with me and my utter panic in having lost my badge on Friday. I've been going to cons since 2006 and never once had I had such a problem with losing track of my stuff (I think I'm getting old guys, help!). Between that and my tablet they were really fantastic and sympathetic, even when I felt like I was being a real thorn in their side. My appreciation goes out to all of you!

I also really appreciate the sympathy at the reg line when I had to go get a new badge and trying to help me. I really felt like not just a valued con-goer, but like a human being. There were some points when I felt like I really needed a hug at times and you guys were just as kind, understanding, and sweet as can be, especially with how I felt we were being treated by security.

Probably should make note of this in the VG Room section, but oh GOD that "Super Table Flip" game was a massive riot. Please bring it back. Pretty please with sugar on top whoever had their hand in that.

[SailorXena251]

I just want to start by saying that I had an awesome time this year, and I will be coming again next year. On Saturday I had to meet my young cousin and her friend at registration to act as their guardian, they were dropped off and in line and I could not find them at all, when I informed a staff member of this they acted and it honestly almost made me cry, because even though all he could do for me was to have me wait by the doors, he acted immediately and that was amazing.

Now on to the not so positive.
Here comes the parrot. "The lines suck, raww, the lines suck, raww!" My only beef about the lines this year was the mass confusion brought upon by the closing of the artist alley entrance and the opening on the other entrance. Everyone and their Fairy Godmother thought that this unmoving line that wrapped around (OUTSIDE) the Sheraton was the line for the Boylston Entrance. I feel if there had been a little bit more indication from staff that were out there this would have been much better for the many attendees that had been standing and waiting in this line. There has to be a better way to get information out there.
I understand the need for the metal detectors and honestly they make me feel safer considering all that is wrong in the world right now. But the lines for this was a huge deterrent for panels that were outside of the con.
Is there anything that can be done about the pricing of the food within the convention? $6 for a hot dog is a little excessive, with the amount of attendees that would rather not leave the convention I'm sure a little price drop wouldn't hurt their sales but improve them, I mean even a dollar would do wonders.
I saw someone say it, but something should be done about the crowding within the dealer's room and artist alley, personally I suggest some sort of traffic system, you have the general flow of people going one way but then there's a mob going against the flow causing problems. Maybe have some sort of road lines directing traffic.
The preshow before the masquerade was a little sad too, way too many videos and not enough games and singalongs.

Honestly wouldn't even call this Line Con, come on people, does no one remember Line Con '08?

[Shiroikami]

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)

I actually had a discussion about this exact subject (soft targets for attacks and how AB would, in terms of potential bodies, make a very good soft target) with another con goer as we waited in the security line on Friday morning. Because what else do you talk about while waiting in a security line, right?

My personal feedback points:

Good
I was rather pleased with the presence of water coolers in nearly every room, as well as in the back hallways on each floor. This is something that people should be made aware of though, since I saw a number of posts where people were complaining about dehydration because they didn't want to leave the Hynes. There were water coolers everywhere. Doesn't help the food issue if you don't want to bring food with you or pay for overpriced, "captive audience" concessions, but it certainly did help me keep from getting too dry over the course of the weekend.

Bad
As mentioned in at least 98% of previous posts - the lines. Exactly 8 years after the LineCon fiasco we got LineCon 2: Electric Boogaloo? No. I'm sorry, but no. I'm sure the "added security" of bag checks and metal detectors makes somebody at the Hynes or MCCA feel better, but my sense is that they are essentially pointless measures which serve no practical purpose. I chose to skip some panels in the Sheraton on Saturday that I actually really wanted to attend because I didn't want to spend another hour waiting outside in the cold to get back into the Hynes. I regret missing those panels. Honestly I wouldn't have even gone for lunch on Saturday if a friend of mine hadn't scoped out the reentry lines and told me that they were looking pretty short (around 3:45p on Saturday). I know that the security checkpoints aren't something managed by Anime Boston directly, but please. There must be some lines of communication between convention management and location management. I cannot believe that negotiations are impossible for this. Okay, no, that's not completely true. I can believe that negotiation is impossible if the Hynes doesn't want Anime Boston there. Otherwise, there must be some way to compromise so that thousands of con goers don't end up waiting outdoors for upwards of half an hour in inhospitable weather conditions while wearing clothes better suited to temperatures 30-40 degrees warmer. The TSA checkpoints I went through this weekend were far more efficient, time-wise, with similar volumes of people and available resources. Perhaps the Hynes can request that the TSA lend them a team for the weekend next year.

[SM1]

Security Theater is just making the con less safe at this point.
1) It's less safe for people with medical situations.
2) In the case of simple 'slip and fall' type situations, with a lose line you just have one person to pick up. With a tight line you get human bowling/human dominos, whatever you want to call it.
3) The big one:
Packing a few hundred people in the metal detector line makes THE LINE the target. If someone decided to pull out an AR 15 or whatever and spray down the line, we're so packed in that every bullet would hit and it'd be hard to run away. If some nutjob decided to bring an IED, the tightly packed security line would be the only place where such a device would cause mass casualties.
This is not merely conjecture. It's the current operating plan of ISIS/AlQaida/other XXXXheads and has been for some years now. Every time you see a story on CNN of ISIS blowing up a security checkpoint in Iraq or wherever, this is exactly what has been happening. There is no meaningful threat model that the metal detectors help with. But there are threat models that where the metal detectors exacerbate the issue. Dump them.

One of the brutal side effects of the MDs was that going to the Sheraton from the HCC was basically a one way journey. Sheraton lacks the Security Theater, so you could get to panels in the Ballrooms/Fens/whatever no problem. But getting back meant an hour plus in the penalty box, so you were kinda trapped.

Feeling trapped is not a fun feeling.

Looks like a lot of people did what I did - do everything in the HCC you were going to do for the day, then do whatever final set of things in the Sheraton, and then leave. If your desired schedule didn't line up that way, you were out of luck. If you went to the Sheraton and the event/panel there sucked and you wanted to head off to something else, the penalty box loomed.
---
Pre-reg badges should be mailed out, like they are for PAX East. Yes, some clever folks will print up a fake badge or two. Various technologies exist to stop this. To me at least, its worth an extra $15 for the cost of the mailed, copy-resistant badges. And in the grand scheme of things, a couple 100 fake badges amidst 23000 real ones isn't the end of the world.
---
AB Volunteer Staff were generally great. I did get a chuckle out of being carded for an 18+ panel; I was old enough to be the staffer's dad.
---
Panels were up and down but the good ones were really great. Bootlegging panel was a riot. Would have loved to get to a few others but the Security Theater nonsense blocked me from getting to like 4 or 5 of them that I wanted to see.

[Shinden]

So I had a good weekend.

First off, I agree that the security measures this year do nothing for actual security. If anyone wants to hurt a lot of people, it's a terrorist/mass shooter tactician's dream to have the huge vulnerable crowds outside the con. All this did was put the crowds in a different vulnerable area than if they were somewhere else. I keep hearing the same, "This is the world we live in now", but putting the crowds in a different area doesn't make them any less of a target, and if that is the "world", why can one go to Big Sight or AX without going through some local codes trying to imitate TSA-sempai? I agree that this is security theatre and makes me so much more on edge than any fear of some Chechen militants or 4chan edgelords. If you want us to have a warm fuzzy feeling going in, just pass out hot cookies and scarves. It would be less expensive, and just as effective at keeping us objectively safe.

しょうがない。

I can honestly say though that besides Friday late morning, there was never a time where there wasn't a short line at one of the entrances. My suggestion? Big sign board beside each entrance showing a status update on estimated wait times and such for different entrances. "This is the [Boston Metropolitan Area] we live in now", so MCCA needs desperately to invest in a better crowd control system since it's still a convention center after all. We really felt like second class citizens, even though we went to an event we shelled out big time for.

Now, here's one complaint I do have for AB staff: Sheraton 5th floor panels. I attended one and hosted another in this block, which was quiet, clean, and nice to visit, but I have two words to explain what I remember the most out of it: Elevator Hell.

Waiting for an elevator to go up to this block was a pain but eventually happened. However, waiting to go down? Ten minutes or more. No stairs, either. I swear that Sheraton was a Cave Johnson venture because those elevators did nothing but go up. Was there no better place to put these panels?

As for people who got their weapons confiscated, did you ever get an opportunity to get them back, or are they in a dumpster under Dalton street now? Being treated like you have malevolent intent with your polystyrene sword or thatch broom really would make me second guess ever going to this con again.

I was happy to be able to see Wakabayashi, and the staff bloggers covering some panels was cool to see.

I really do not envy the NEAS, because you might be watching the beginning of the end. If the MCCA ends up banning cosplay (not an unreasonable step at this rate), AB will be lucky to see a couple hundred people even show up for the 20th anniversary, with the theme "sweatshirt and jeans". I already heard Geeknights guys are considering not coming back to AB.

[Kusuguru Usagi]

Pre-reg badges should be mailed out, like they are for PAX East. Yes, some clever folks will print up a fake badge or two. Various technologies exist to stop this. To me at least, its worth an extra $15 for the cost of the mailed, copy-resistant badges. And in the grand scheme of things, a couple 100 fake badges amidst 23000 real ones isn't the end of the world.

One of my family members had mentioned the same thing as a simple and obvious way to alleviate the problem of lines of thousands of people. All that would be necessary is for people with badges to go through security, part of which COULD include metal detectors through which people would get through more quickly.

You would simply have to set a date by which people would have to pre-register in order to receive their badges in the mail.

[SirMagus001]

Got to say this was the worst convention I have been too. My friend lost her wallet and the security team did hardly anything to help her. All they did was write her name down on a piece of note book paper and the description of the wallet but they wouldn't do anything to contact the team on the walky talky that they were wearing. If they had then maybe she could have gotten it back. It was lost about 20 minutes after we entered the convention so there was no reason that they couldn't have been more helpful but the lady at the desk didn't seem to care and just went back to chatting with her friend after she simply did nothing. It almost looked like to me that she just through the paper that she wrote the description of and the contact info we gave them away so we still have not recovered the wallet. Damn Anime Boston, what a waste of time going to. Worst experience ever.

[Smallapple]

I'm not sure if this was a problem other people had...but the black & white lanyards didn't seem sturdy to me? When I picked up my badge Thursday night, it probably fell off the darn thing a million times. The clip didn't seem secure at all, so I ended up taping it to alleviate my worries. However, my friend lost her badge, with her lanyard and crunchyroll pass still on, but her con badge mystery vanished. She had taped the clip too, but the tape was broken and we assumed the badge just fell off. Supposedly we heard people were feeling tugs on their badges and losing them (ie: their badges were stolen), but she said she never felt a tug like that. So idk, not sure if this really was something to do with faulty lanyards or just our bad luck.

[Sayoria]

I'm not sure if this was a problem other people had...but the black & white lanyards didn't seem sturdy to me? When I picked up my badge Thursday night, it probably fell off the darn thing a million times. The clip didn't seem secure at all, so I ended up taping it to alleviate my worries. However, my friend lost her badge, with her lanyard and crunchyroll pass still on, but her con badge mystery vanished. She had taped the clip too, but the tape was broken and we assumed the badge just fell off. Supposedly we heard people were feeling tugs on their badges and losing them (ie: their badges were stolen), but she said she never felt a tug like that. So idk, not sure if this really was something to do with faulty lanyards or just our bad luck.

I never had this problem, but two of my roommates did. They actually just went back to the registration and got new ones that were like... the shoe-string ones.

[reaper527]

Actually speaking of themes

This years theme was pretty disappointing (I honestly just had to look it up to even remember what it was). It seemed like no effort was put into connecting the themes with the guests, or with the panels. There were like 6 themed panels, and mostly the themed stuff was put into the anime show in the video rooms. But those aren't really a place I WANT to go and more a place I go if I'm tired and want to sit.

Remember last years theme? Kaiju vs Mecha, with all the awesome themed panels and guests!!! That was great. I never once forgot the theme, because it felt like a huge part of the festivities.

i half agree here. 2016 did a much better job of producing content for the major events (the mascot videos that played before anime unscripted/amv contest/masq/etc.). last year's flash videos felt forced and pretty lame. i can't think of a single memorable clip from that year. this year's bowling video was pure gold, and there were a lot of good videos produced this year. additionally, it seemed like there were a lot more of them.

on the other stuff though, you're absolutely right. last year had godzilla guests, tons of panels about mecha/kaiju, and it really felt like the theme was everywhere you turned. that being said, on the panel front that's partly on the congoers, since the vast majority of panels are fan run. personally, i'd say the best implementation of a theme was the yokai year. that was definitely my favorite.

Pre-reg badges should be mailed out, like they are for PAX East. Yes, some clever folks will print up a fake badge or two. Various technologies exist to stop this. To me at least, its worth an extra $15 for the cost of the mailed, copy-resistant badges. And in the grand scheme of things, a couple 100 fake badges amidst 23000 real ones isn't the end of the world.

my understanding (and the staff can feel free to correct me) is that the reason they aren't mailed out is to prevent tickets from being scalped like they are at pax.

when you have named, non-transferable, picked up in person the day of/before the event, you don't have people buying the maximum number of tickets to resell. pax tickets would be a lot easier for actual congoers to get if people only bought tickets for themselves instead of maxing out to make a profit.

have you tried doing thursday night pickup for your badge? because it's awesome. i've done this the last few years and haven't had to wait in aline at all. i don't mean "the line was short and fast", i mean i literally walked up the escalator, into the room, and up to an open ticket counter.

[RapaxGuardian]

Last year was terrible for me for personal drama reasons; this year was no drama, thankfully, however the con itself was terrible.
Each day I was outright unable to get into the Hynes until later in the day. On Saturday I very nearly missed the Metal Gear photoshoot at 1, I couldn't get in until 12:45!
On Friday, my phone went down, I could not text or call, but was able to receive texts. I heard from others later that their phones were also down. My mom was volunteering, so she would text me asking me where I was, and I had to use my fiance's phone to reach her! I honestly spent most of my time in the Hilton in my fiance's room, there was no point trying to get into the convention my mom paid for me to attend...
The Sheraton treated us badly, too, and here's where some inconsistencies begin. We were staying with roommates who put two names down for the room, so we had 2 room cards between eight people. My mom needs a room key, she comes and goes as she pleases. She paid $20 for two room keys for the two of us. I found someone in the con who said "No, it's $10 for 5 room keys, that's what we paid," and I told them "No, they charged us $20 for 2." Sheraton also refused to give us any additional pillows or blankets. Found another Con Dad my mom and I had met at CampAnime who told us how he had to fight with staff to give them sheets for their pull-out couch.
Scheduling difficulties lead to confusion Saturday night, Hentai Worth Watching was actually on Friday night, not Saturday night, but that's okay, I went to F'd Up Hentai on Friday and that was definitely worth it.

I outright avoided the lines, and spent my time in the Hilton until I felt like I might be able to get in through Artist Alley. I started Saturday wearing a bikini and would NOT be waiting outside.
I got a nasty case of con flu and ended up bedridden for 33 hours..

[stargazera5]

I've been reading through his thread and something struck me which I haven't noticed/thought of before in all the years I've been to AB. Often times the biggest issues with the con aren't from thing AB directly controls, but with the Hynes, Pru, and Sheraton, but we never see their staff out here doing damage control. They each have paid staff (unlike the AB volunteers) with considerable expertise dealing with customer relations, but we never see them even thought their business's reputations are, deservedly, getting dragged through the gutter.

Just a thought for staff that you shouldn't have to deal with all the fallout alone, you should be pulling in the venue staff as reinforcement, especially when there is a cluster-f like security was this year.

On a secondary note, let me thank everyone for keeping this cordial and constructive. It's a pleasant surprise that the justified rage from how things turned out hasn't resulted int his forum becoming a toxic sludge pit like much of the internet.

[Painted_Outlaw]

Looks like a lot of people did what I did - do everything in the HCC you were going to do for the day, then do whatever final set of things in the Sheraton, and then leave. If your desired schedule didn't line up that way, you were out of luck. If you went to the Sheraton and the event/panel there sucked and you wanted to head off to something else, the penalty box loomed.

I dunno about other people but, if anything on my personal schedule led me to be concerned with the lines, I just merely adjusted it. It wasn't worth messing with the lines when the Hynes already had enough to do.

[Xias]

The one thing I will say is I had minimal line issues all weekend long. I don't know if it was just sheer dumb luck or what, but I never waited longer than 15 minutes (on Saturday around 11 am, using the Dalton Street entrance) to get into the con. Usually I didn't wait at all. Of course, I also never entered from the Pru except for one time very late at night when it was almost empty. And I did end up not leaving the Hynes nearly as often as I have in past years, so this isn't to say the security theater didn't effect me too.

Here's the weird thing though: the Artist's Alley/Sheraton entrance was a mystery on Saturday. First they close it, which I did get word on through the Twitter feed and such. I'm a panelist and we got messages from our panel head (who was awesome enough to send us these which she should be commended for) telling us that we should be using that entrance, so I texted her back and let her know that it was closed. She responded that it should still be open for panelists, but what I was told when I tried to go through there was that it needed to be close to your panel. She said that was incorrect and the staff at the entrance would be corrected. The next time I tried to go through there on Saturday a few hours later (I'd say around 3 pm, if I'm remembering correctly, maybe a little later?), staff was now letting everyone through once again. All con attendees were being allowed through, even while the AB Twitter feed continued to send out tweets about how it was closed! Here's the other big mystery of that entrance: the staff there had the metal detector wands but not once did they use it on me when I went through (and I went through there a number of times on Friday & Saturday). They just let us through like normal, did either a normal bag check or a laughably quick one, and that was it. Meanwhile, the times I went through the other entrances they all did the metal detector thing every single time. So yeah, that entrance was just weird all weekend long.

My suggestion for next year is I think something that AB staff is likely already considering: give panelists a special badge (which honestly every other con I present at does already anyway) so we can get through that Sheraton entrance no matter what. Make it clear to all the security there that special badges (dealers, panelists, VIPs, staff) get through at all times, no matter whether or not it's been "shut down" to attendees, and they should be allowed to go right through if there's a line. I understand this will annoy the other attendees, but honestly look at all the panels that were either delayed or canceled entirely due to panelists being stuck in the lines (it happened at panels I attended twice!). I was lucky enough to leave myself plenty of time to get to my panels (both of which started early, in fact), but I can't blame a panelist if they thought they were going to have more than enough time and instead suddenly found themself stuck on an enormous line. If attendees don't want the annoyance of cancelled panels they're going to have to allow panelists to cut and get through these lines quickly.

I have nothing but positive feedback though for the helpful AB staff I dealt with all weekend. The tech room staff was really on the ball this year, even moreso than the last two years, so they deserve a ton of credit. AB remains my favorite con despite its issues this year, as I still had a fantastic time, but if we're stuck with security theater I do think more needs to be done to make sure panelists get in and out of everything faster. We put in a lot of hard work to do our panels with a ton of preparation, and I can't even imagine how I would have felt if I was stuck on a line trying to get into the Hynes when I should be presenting my panel. That would have been incredibly devastating.

I will also echo what others have said about not being able to go to as much at the Sheraton, and unsurprisingly the few Sheraton panels I did attend were almost completely empty. I know that if I return as a panelist next year and am scheduled at the Sheraton it will be extremely disappointing to me, because I'll know that my panels will have a very tiny pool of attendees due to no one wanting to risk going through the Hynes lines again.

[zambixi]

This was my first time at Anime Boston, but I've attended Otakon down in Baltimore for several years, as well as a few smaller cons so feedback is based generally on my experience at this year's con vs. past experiences at other cons (just to give some context).

[*] Con Staff members at Anime Boston were amazing. They were always helpful and friendly, they seemed to be communicating with one another, and they were sympathetic to con-goers (OK, my) gripes and complaints. Best of all, if a member of the staff said something would happen, then it happened. I can't count the number of times staff at another convention have told me something only for it to be untrue or change after I've made plans. I can't express how refreshing it was to know that I could make plans based on staff recommendations and not have the rug pulled out from under me later.

[*] Pre-reg Badge Pick-up went incredibly smoothly for me and my friend on Thursday, but it was pretty difficult figuring out where to go. We eventually asked two random people with swag bags because we couldn't figure out where to go on our own. I was happy that the pre-reg staff was able to correct the spelling of my name and print out the badge in under 5 minutes, but I have to wonder why Anime Boston doesn't mail out badges like...almost every other large con? Otakon has been doing it for two years now, and it doesn't seem like they've had any major problems with counterfeits or scalpers.

[*] Lines in general, were pretty bad, and that's coming from someone who attends Linecon (i.e. Otakon) every year. It wasn't just that the lines were long, but that they were poorly managed by security and staff. Most of the time, the line from Sheraton to Hynes was unnecessarily long, while you could walk right in from the street entrances. Why weren't people being directed to the latter to ease congestion? At either entrance, it wasn't always clear what line to get into for bags, especially since Hynes security seemed to arbitrarily decide to classify different things as bags/not bags. The walkway from the Sheraton to the Hynes was a mess in general, and made it difficult to get to the Sheraton even without the extra unnecessary security. All of this has been covered, but I just can't understand why this is the only con I've ever been to with these types of line and security issues.

[nenie]

Despite a few annoyances, this was a great year once again AB.

So, Karaoke.....
You guys moved it to the Hilton's first floor. It wasn't a far walk but I gotta say I miss the Karaoke room back in the third floor of the Hynes. When I walked in, and I only went there once by the way, I did plan to go every day but I wasn't so efficient with my plans and schedule. I walked in, and I found the room to be nice but smaller than the last room. And I didn't notice any more differences because I was there for a short time, but did Karaoke staff receive newer equipment? I noticed the number marker, for us to see which number they were on for the next singer. I noticed the laptops for a brief moment. I ended up not getting to sing. That's my fault though and it was close to the closing time 12am, all I ask is for the Karaoke Room to be back in the Hynes, with all it's extra space, and running til at least 1am, or back to 2am because there's still stuff I wanna do late at night. Well this year I went to bed at 12am ish

Guidebook App/Printed Schedule
Not really a problem, we have noticed few inconsistencies with proper slots of panels and times and days switched. Well we noticed one, but I read someone said they found an error in the schedule too. I can't remember what the panel was. But just want to say, I love the Guidebook app. Thanks for updating the food options, and the maps.

Ok, Lines now.
I've faced the dreaded waiting game in line only 3 times this weekend. I had to line up outside 3 times. It was long and annoying for a monent but eventually I got through.
Friday, After picking up my badge 9am ish I went through the Hynes Prudential entrance. I had a bag. And I had a metal flag pole. It looked like the door to the far right was exit only, which was the No bag entrance also every past year. I didn't like that. I know we have more people than last year but it sucks with the flow of people coming in. So you guys split the long line to Bag and No bag right? Ok. It took a while to get through the checking. Not long, not like an hour or 2 hours but well under 40 min I'd say. I'll take it. We all want to breeze right through as fast and efficient as possible. No one wants to have to wait for a long time of course.
Just because of time constraints, and getting stuck in line forever around lunch/dinner time we ate inside the Hynes on Friday. The prices aren't as bad as everyone says, but you could get better quality food for the same price. Or for less. The lines got easier in the evening.
Saturday, by the grace of God we took the well announced Artist Alley entrance 9:00am to 10am we lined up. Although the convention itself was open at 9 right? The Artist Alley wasn't open til 10am, which sucked. We got up early just to wait an hour to take that entrance. We were one of the ones on Saturday that were close to the door as people were lining up for this entrance. We got in, not bad. Our bags were checked, no metal detector, or wand I believe. This was the only time I took this entrance because when I exited out of it, I saw another long line coming in. I had to step out to get to the atm real quick. When i came back to the bottom of the stairs going up to the third floor , 10 min later they annouced, the Artist Alley entrance is now EXIT ONLY. O_0 Welp, I turned around because I had to walk past the main entrance and I saw people outside and stuff I was like, NOPE, I'm going through Boylston. So I walk all the way around hoping Boylston's entrance wasn't as bad. When I got there, it honestly wasn't as bad? I would say I was in line for 15 min. The line stretched to the corner of the block and wrapped around a little, but it was moving. IT WAS MOVING! ^,^ I didn't have my bag with me because I went to the atm real quick. And they called in the people with no bags at the Boylston entrance, and I breezed right through. It was a shorter line. Got inside right away after that. Kudos to the Boylston Entrance. I went out and back again later that day for the Masquerade. And I used the Boylston entrance again. Shorter than last time 5 minutes, because IT WAS MOVING! HA! Thank you. I actually guided someone cosplaying as Tuxedo Mask because he didn't know how to get to the Boylston entrance, he was with me on the way and grateful towards me, he gave me a red rose for helping him. Aw. This was around 4:50ish 5pm ish.
Sunday morning, the line I went through the main entrance. I say I waited for 20 min this time. Funny thing was, the No Bag line was the one that took a longer process. I noticed that side of the line was going slower than regular Bag Check line. I ended up lining up outside for 10 min of the time in the beginning. It was cold yeah, My cosplay wasn't the warmest but I kept it positive because this line was moving. The security staff were ok, I don't take anything personally. I just followed directions and moved on. They're doing there job and they were fine to me.
Lines, i gotta say are getting a little more worse.

I don't want to say it but I think AB should make that Max Cap cut sooner. Like lower the cap. The reason why we enjoyed and breezed through entrances fine in the years before is because there were fewer people attending the con. The Con attendance has grown, haven't you noticed? It's more and more than the last. It's getting crowded. I don't know how many attendees, body count there was this year, i'm waiting for the announcement but AB, just cap it sooner I say. AB I know you were successful in previous years with lesser attendees, I think lowering it would be a good solution.

I do appreciate the extra security because of the past tragic events. I appreciate the protection, the protocols, the system working for our safety. Thank you for that. Thank you AB staff for an excellent Masquerade. Most of the skits were a hit. Thank you for ending it within good timing. It ended earlier than previous years. I appreciate that. It was a good year, Thank God for the announced food selections. I haven't eaten at Fooda, but Im sure a lot of people took advantage of that. I ate at Thortons .
Other good things, correct me if I'm wrong, the Coffee and Tea stations against the walls in different parts of the first and second floor, was that free? Was that for us? Thank you if so. I didn't take advantage of that but I did grab some tea bags to take with me to the hotel room and use the room's Keurig to drink it late at night.
The Dalton Street entrance? I didn't read or hear anything about it until you all discussed it here. Thank you for that convenience, even though I didn't use it. I hope that this option could be implemented for next year as well. It would help a lot.
I liked the theme, I thought it was great! I know not saying this for everyone in general but some Anime fans don't usually associate with sports, and there are some that do. And do appreciate the sports theme animes. I didn't notice if there were any themed panels about sports anime but I didn't mind that. The activities and events and decorations and videos, more than made up for it. I liked it, my cosplay also went along with this theme.

One last thing, I wouldn't want the location of the con to change, it is Anime Boston, and the Hynes has a great location. We are just growing in attendance. What I would like is for the Con weekend to not be scheduled on Easter weekend anymore. :/ Seriously. I miss Easter with my family. And I miss warmer weather. Huge difference temperature wise from March to April and May. Please AB pretty please, schedule the con in April and May only.

[Thrillho]

First off, this was my first AB and I had a LOT more fun than I ever would have imagined. Generally speaking, I'm older than the average demographic and probably watch less anime than the average demographic as well, but I still had a blast, regardless of all the faults I'm about to list. I still definitely plan on coming back next year and eagerly looking forward to it. The attendees were great. The AB staff that I interacted with were great. That said, I wanted to give my concerns and suggestions for what I saw could use some improvement:

Lines and the Sheraton/Artist's Alley Door
I don't think you need another voice telling you the frustrations of the line to get in. I think with all the feedback here, everyone is aware of the issues that came up with security lines, prop checks, and other issues mostly related to the HCC staff. That said, I think AB and HCC should work together to keep both entrances open (the main entrance through the Pru and the secondary entrance on Dalton St that opened up Saturday). There apparently was also a third entrance on Boylston, but that's a walk for anybody that was staying in the Sheraton or the Hilton, and it seemed like the Dalton St. entrance opening was what alleviated the hotel guest crowd. If the Dalton St. entrance is probably staffed and fitted with security people and systems, crazy lines can be avoided. Additionally, I think a lot of flaws were exposed regarding line queueing (bags vs. no bags) and prop guidelines. If AB and HCC can come together and discuss these concerns and AB can then publicly post these guidelines for all attendees to see (i.e. online a week or so before the con), then a lot of situations and delays can be dodged. The separation of bags vs. no bags is understandable, but there has to be a way to make fluid adjustments to when demand shifts. If your no-bag line is getting backed up but your bag line is relatively clear, change a lane to no bag and get your line sizes leveled off. A lot of people are upset that they didn't bring a bag to get through security quicker just to find out they didn't.
As for the Sheraton entrance, well, I voiced my gripes about it on FB. My original reaction was "just let Sheraton guests use it", but now that I've thought about it more I realize that entrance was a huge security flaw. There were no metal detectors or prop check at that entrance. Somebody could have really caused harm to the convention just by using that entrance. In hindsight, I don't think it ever should have been opened this year, but moving forward, it should be an entrance available to at least part of the public (VIPs, vendors, Sheraton guests, whatever) and it should be properly staffed and secured.

Pre-Registration and On-Site Registration
While I wasn't personally affected by this, it seemed like a disaster on Friday. Friends of mine who did not pre-register took over 3 hours to get into the convention, between the registration lines and then the lines to get in. There's got to be some way to streamline both types of registration. Can passes be pre-printed, then sorted by last name? What about easing the burden by giving Sheraton guests their passes when they check-in? Can they be mailed out ahead of time? There's plenty of ways to make this easier, and none of them would necessarily be easy to implement, but the discussion is worth having. Maybe the online registration system needs an overhaul to be efficient enough to accommodate. I went to Dragon*Con in Atlanta several years ago. I flew into Atlanta the day the Con started and had to pick up my badge on day 1 of the con, and it still didn't take me more than an hour, and that's a convention that had 60K+ people at it. Badges there were pre-printed, sorted by last name, and I just had to show ID and get my badge. It's something worth looking into.

Con and Panel Information
I inadvertently opened a can of worms by making some comments about the AB website in the past, but I'm going to re-iterate them here: It's not good. The organization of pages and information feels haphazard, and while php forums are great for uses such as this, I wouldn't recommend them for much more than open chat communication. Organizing volunteers/contestants for games, selling tickets for special events (such as the ball) and other panel-based activities are not served well by using this platform. Additionally, the disconnect between social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr) is also concerning. Someone here already mentioned next year's theme being announced on Tumblr Why hasn't it been announced on the website? Is the person running the Tumblr different from the person running the website, or Facebook, or Twitter? If it means some investment into software that helps with coordinating social media postings, then take that jump. As for panels and other con-related information, the guide was lacking, and it felt weird having the guide to explain things to me, but this large newsprint-format flyer to show me a schedule. Looking at panel descriptions and then trying to find it's time slot on the large newsprint with tiny print felt like the worst game of "Where's Waldo". And I couldn't do the search vice versa because the panel names and descriptions weren't organized in any recognizable format.

Solicit Feedback From Other Cons
I mention Dragon*Con above, who is also going through massive growing pains given the space they have available and how many people want to attend. PAX East is also another large convention with its own issues (which, as a side-note, I'm EXTREMELY GRATEFUL to AB for curbing costs and scalping with their one name /one pass system, and PAX East could learn a thing or two from you guys). But, from a logistical standpoint, there are things they do well that AB has some flaws with. I think it'd be a great idea to reach out to organizers of these conventions and ask questions about how they handle situations and the tools they use to keep things in check. If manpower is an option, talk to them about how they effectively solicit volunteers and get newbies prepared for the complexities of their own conventions.

All of my gripes aside, I want to reiterate that I still had a blast. The AB staff overall were very cordial and helpful, and other attendees were great to interact with. There's a lot of things that AB is doing right, but things that go wrong are easy to spot out and criticize, and in some situations this year, a few things went wrong that were glaringly obvious. I hope a lot of these problems get addressed over the next 11 months and we can all look forward to an improved AB in 2017.

[H. Guderian]

something i noticed is that ab doesn't appear to have a streamlined system for making announcements. the theme for the upcoming year is something a lot of people are going to be interested in, and it's currently been announced on the ab tumbler account:

http://tumblr.animeboston.com/post/1417 ... -next-year

Anime Boston will return next year, March 31 to April 2, 2017. The theme for next year: RETRO.

(i would argue that 2016's theme was retro, because we clearly had a throwback to linecon ).

the theme however doesn't appear in the forums as an announcement, it doesn't appear on the animeboston homepage, it doesn't appear on the facebook feed. the disjointedness of all the communication pages can potentially result in different messages being conveyed in different places. addressing this disjointedness probably could make it more realistic to communicate things such as "entrance x being closed" or "entrance y has long lines, entrance z currently does not".

I was actualyl wondering what the theme was and came hunting in the forums. This was the most updated thread, and there we go, nice and mentioned by someone. Though it seems the theme would have made a great front page announcement. An over reliance on Social media and cell phones leaves many out in the cold, so the main site could use some love.

I did get a text massage telling panelists how to get in to the building easier. that was very nice.

As to the Shertaon, I've talked with some upper staff years ago and that lady loved us. I have no doubt they viciously hate some of us though. A lot of kids and rebellious teens cause tons of problems, but from my experience plenty of the Sheraton staff like us well enough.

Also all panels getting out around the same time leads to extra congestion.

BUT what really killed me at times was the Shertaon panel block. If you dared to go and venture to them, by waiting a half hour for the Sheraton elevators, now to get back to the Hynes you not only had to wait for the elevator (as staff insisted there are no stairs in the building), but the security lines as well. I love the extra rooms we have up in there,. They're nice and quiet. No one shouts Marco Polo there. But No Stairs? At all? Surely we can work -something- out. I had to go from floor 5, and ride an elevator up to floor 28, just to come back down to floor 3. Give us stairs, and elevator congestion will be eased!

[midnightsiren182]

We do talk to other cons quite frequently throughout the year and a lot of our staff work other events as well, because who needs sleep right?

Thanks for the website feedback, that's something we don't get as much of and we definitely want to keep user experience in mind.

[Nemra]

Additionally, the disconnect between social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr) is also concerning. Someone here already mentioned next year's theme being announced on Tumblr. Why hasn't it been announced on the website? Is the person running the Tumblr different from the person running the website, or Facebook, or Twitter?

ok, I'll admit. You actually came pretty close to hitting the nail on the head, though it's not actually completely accurate. It was kind of a domino effect and this was basically some minor communication error that got it released a little earlier than it was planned on tumblr. I actually wasn't even aware it went up until the other person mentioned it... It will be announced on all other platforms soon though. >_>

Are there any other instances besides this that you felt was disjointed? Typically, at-con the focus is on twitter as that is the most often checked platform (and best algorithm for it). While facebook is a good competitor, the algorithm for how posts show up on news feeds makes it much less ideal (I explained it earlier in this thread somewhere). That could be what makes it feel disjointed for now, but typically when an announcement is made on one platform it, it posts on all.

[Koneko92x]

Overall a nice experience. The security lines sucked but are necessary. The fact that I'm sick as hell right now because you force us to line up outside in the cold crappy weather is not ok. I have a fever and can't get out of bed because of that. Next year I suggest lining us up along the wall of the mall not outside. Also bring back the guy to host death match and the other cosplay games. Ranma is ok I suppose but not awesome like he is. Everyone I know is saying they're not even gonna come to the games with me next year because she's no good. Ok next! Why is a 20 oz soda $4 can you get some in con concessions that aren't obnoxious? I didn't have much this year and almost dehydrated a few times because I didn't have enough to buy a drink that was 4x the price of a normal bottle. The last thing I have to complain about is the fact that you keep holding this on Easter weekend. Some of us have kids and families and have to leave at the butt crack of dawn Sunday to get home in time for Easter festivities. I couldn't even enjoy the last day of the con.

[midnightsiren182]

Regarding Easter and why we're sometimes on Easter- http://animeboston.com/coninfo/convention_faq/#10

[MitsuHime]

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.

Can we also please explore options for people who don't have internet all the time? I had no idea about entrances until I actually get there...I also had no idea there were no tickets for the concert.. someone had to tell me. Maybe know in advance next time and put that info in the guide book (i looked all over the book for where tickets were) Maybe have security tell us the entrances are closed instead of having to be "herded" without knowing where you are going.
Also like the majority are saying the line thing was crazy (although i'm not as upset by it as others) I felt it was unfair that the no bag line moved slower than bag line..
and security often just yelled at us not really telling us where to go when i was looking for the lines to begin with, they just kept yelling at me "to go around" i'm not from boston and even with the map didn't really know where "Around" was lol...
I do feel cheaper food options need to be explored inside the con, like others, i was afraid to leave and had to survive on snacks for a few hours.
A small complaint about the game room. My boyfriend was trying to play some games and the first controller was broken, he went to get another and that too was broken.. Also he said the blazblue you had wasn't updated, he was really looking forward to playing that this year.

Despite the waiting in lines and basically being lost quite often.... I over all had a great time, i felt anime boston did the best they could regarding security on such short notice. I've been going to AB for about 6 years now and i absolutely would go again. Please try to bring back those rhythm games (and maybe even add more) it seemed as though the line for those games always got longer no matter what time it was.

Another suggestion i have is a sunday swap meet. i dont know if this has ever been discussed but.. i often buy grab bags and of course..there are things i don't like sometimes. The problem is ..i like to go to the big events..the concerts..the masquerade ... and those are both during the swap meet.. so i usually go the last 15 minutes of the meet (when most the good stuff is gone) or i skip one of the major events... so maybe we can add one early sunday?
I hope all this made sense, i get flustered expressing any dislikes i have (i'm not good at it)

[Cerebrum]

I see a few people talking about elevator congestion in the Sheraton.

Just wanted to throw out there that the way AnimeCentral manages the hotel's elavators to prevent congestion is amazing. In case no one on AB's staff has attended ACen and seen the miracle of the uncongested hotel elevators before, this is how it works: A staffer sits in every elevator and operates it, enforcing the following system:

-On the way up, elevators stop at the first floor, and people get on until the elevator is full.
-People get out of the elevator as the elevator goes up. No one may get on while the elevator is going up, people may only exit.
-On the way down, people may enter the elevator.
-Everyone exits the elevator in the basement. No one may get off while the elevator is going down.

Keeps things nice and orderly. The line of people getting on the elevators is always moving, and there's none of this "Going up to go down/going down to go up" garbage that reduces the capacity of the system for everybody.

[aerialknight]

I'm fine with waiting in lines. However, I'm NOT okay with the terrible staffing experience on Saturday. Sunday morning I realized that because of waiting outside in the cold temperatures in line for entrance into Anime Boston that I developed splinter hemorrhages under my fingernails. This happens in severe episodes of Raynaud's disease, and its extremely painful. And BEFORE ANYONE SAYS WEAR GLOVES, DUH, I DO WEAR GLOVES, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO ME. If there is anyway to avoid being stuck outdoors with my condition I would gladly take that option because it's extremely painful - I live with this so I know what to avoid.

I explained my condition, what would happen, and how this disability affects me being stuck outdoors in the cold but the staff (both staff membrs I talked to) could NOT help me, one tried to ask someone else what to do but kept getting distracted... No one told me what I needed to do to, and I have to say thank you Anime Boston for not working with me and instead ignoring my requests to stay inside because of a severely disabling disease. My hands burned for hours after I got into the convention center afterwards. If a staff member told me "go to information and get a disability sticker" or simply let me pass through then there wouldn't be A PROBLEM. This ISN'T the only situation that happened on Saturday because my friend who is also disabled had to argue and repeat "I AM DISABLED, THIS IS MY EMERGENCY CONTACT, I PASS OUT, LET ME THROUGH" five times until the staff would actually LISTEN. Really CLASSY, AB. Thanks for understanding and helping us disabled.

[Luscia]

I'm fine with waiting in lines. However, I'm NOT okay with the terrible staffing experience on Saturday. Sunday morning I realized that because of waiting outside in the cold temperatures in line for entrance into Anime Boston that I developed splinter hemorrhages under my fingernails. This happens in severe episodes of Raynaud's disease, and its extremely painful. And BEFORE ANYONE SAYS WEAR GLOVES, DUH, I DO WEAR GLOVES, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO ME. If there is anyway to avoid being stuck outdoors with my condition I would gladly take that option because it's extremely painful - I live with this so I know what to avoid.

I explained my condition, what would happen, and how this disability affects me being stuck outdoors in the cold but the staff (both staff membrs I talked to) could NOT help me, one tried to ask someone else what to do but kept getting distracted... No one told me what I needed to do to, and I have to say thank you Anime Boston for not working with me and instead ignoring my requests to stay inside because of a severely disabling disease. My hands burned for hours after I got into the convention center afterwards. If a staff member told me "go to information and get a disability sticker" or simply let me pass through then there wouldn't be A PROBLEM. This ISN'T the only situation that happened on Saturday because my friend who is also disabled had to argue and repeat "I AM DISABLED, THIS IS MY EMERGENCY CONTACT, I PASS OUT, LET ME THROUGH" five times until the staff would actually LISTEN. Really CLASSY, AB. Thanks for understanding and helping us disabled.

Not trying to be mean by asking this, but, you said the word disabled like 5 times and even mentioned the sticker. Did you actually see if you qualified for one?

[midnightsiren182]

I'm fine with waiting in lines. However, I'm NOT okay with the terrible staffing experience on Saturday. Sunday morning I realized that because of waiting outside in the cold temperatures in line for entrance into Anime Boston that I developed splinter hemorrhages under my fingernails. This happens in severe episodes of Raynaud's disease, and its extremely painful. And BEFORE ANYONE SAYS WEAR GLOVES, DUH, I DO WEAR GLOVES, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO ME. If there is anyway to avoid being stuck outdoors with my condition I would gladly take that option because it's extremely painful - I live with this so I know what to avoid.

I explained my condition, what would happen, and how this disability affects me being stuck outdoors in the cold but the staff (both staff membrs I talked to) could NOT help me, one tried to ask someone else what to do but kept getting distracted... No one told me what I needed to do to, and I have to say thank you Anime Boston for not working with me and instead ignoring my requests to stay inside because of a severely disabling disease. My hands burned for hours after I got into the convention center afterwards. If a staff member told me "go to information and get a disability sticker" or simply let me pass through then there wouldn't be A PROBLEM. This ISN'T the only situation that happened on Saturday because my friend who is also disabled had to argue and repeat "I AM DISABLED, THIS IS MY EMERGENCY CONTACT, I PASS OUT, LET ME THROUGH" five times until the staff would actually LISTEN. Really CLASSY, AB. Thanks for understanding and helping us disabled.

Firstly, I sincerely apologize for your experience and we will definitely work on improving the disability sticker process as best as we can to make it smoother in future years.

Was it the Orange Shirt Security or the Security in black shirts/jackets? This helps us narrow down who we have to speak with post con about these issues so we can do our best to work out the problems and improve.

[serenity1035]

The program book with the convention rules states that Autograph session lines may not begin queuing up prior to ONE HOUR before the signing time.
So why was it that the line for Todd Haberkorn on Saturday at 6pm was 100% full and capped prior to 4:40pm?

the same thing happened on friday =/ I got there by like 5:30ish and it was already into overflow and we all got apologized to and told to leave by 5:45ish. and this was the first year for autographs that i noticed this happen as well as saw overflow get turned away/told to leave. To be honest i think the autograph issue was a bit unfair to a point. Those who listened to the rules got turned away and those who obviously didnt got to go get their autographs early? not that fair.

I usually dont have an issue with the lines at conventions, and this is my 5th or 6th year at anime boston, but the lines this year were beyond ridiculous. I don't ever remember having to wait outside for the bag check line nor waiting more than 30 minutes at most. on friday the bagcheck line was over an hour wait (for those who got there early) and outside in the rain in like 30 degree weather. The metal decectors just made everything twice as long and the weapon check was kinda unfair. you guys should write a listen so every staff member incharge of the weapon check table is on the same page cause some weapons got through and others who had the same one or one really similar got their prop weapon taken away.

I also saw someone else mention this, but i also think it'd be a great idea for there to be like a sticker or something to indicate that you already went through bag check so you can easier go between the sheraton and hynes for pannels. or even to your hotel room if you were staying at the sheraton.

[RikkuX21]

Howdy!

So heres my feedback.

1. Lines were ridiculous.
Why go beyond and bring Airport security and metal detectors?! The wait to get into the convention was waayyy too long! and the fact that the line was forced to go outside was dumb. it was a bit rainy and too cold! I came home sneezing.

2. The dealers room should stay open longer.

3. more hentai panels this is the second year in a row where I couldn't enjoy these panels because the rooms kept getting full. So either get bigger rooms or have more panels.

4. If the con keeps getting more and more people attending, I suggest finding another convention center thats bigger if possible?

5. stop having it on easter weekend!

6. Even with little decoration, the halls still look so plain. add more décor! This is an ANIME CONVENTION!

7. The field day theme didn't interest me or my friends... but we are happy that next year is retro themed!

8. Was happy that staff and volunteers were much nicer this year.

That's all I can think of right now haha..

[Maydog]

THANK YOU ANIME BOSTON !

I would like to thank all Staff and Volunteers who participated in AB 2016. We had a great time and we are fully aware that it is because of your efforts in making that happen.

There were three things over the years that I remember happening right before the Convention was to occur.

First was the tragic Marathon incident. Another was the unbelievable Blizzard with mountains of piled up snow. The third being the incident in Brussels. I was in New York when I heard of the news report how security was heightened in Boston after Brussels. All I kept thinking was how the AB Exec team must be looking at each other shaking their heads saying why me? Even with all of this happening, the AB team managed to rise to the occasion and make sure everyone had a great time. I think that AB Security did an outstanding job considering the circumstances. There is always room to learn and grow to make things even better for years to come.
On top of everything else, and to my delight, I saw a marked increase in attendance this year that also had to be managed, and once again the AB team did a great job. There effort rivals any that I have seen and I also attend other large Conventions who have to deal with less.

REGISTRATION

In previous years I would usually walk right into the Pre Registration Center but this year I noticed a line at that time. To me this means that the Convention was becoming more popular with more people attending and I was absolutely thrilled to see that. I went to the end of the line with my group and I want to tell you that I waited no more than ten minutes from beginning to end on that long line. This was amazing. The Registration Team did a fantastic job. They were so nice and highly motivated too. They were instrumental in setting the tone for the excitement of Anime Boston to follow.

SECURITY

Please understand for the future that Boston just like New York where I'm from will always do their best to react to heightened security concerns while doing their best to limit the impact on us, and at the same time do everything they can to keep us safe. With that being said, please realize that AB would have to be able to react at a moments notice to whatever City authorities tell them. If you think about it, they certainly did on every level so my congratulation to them on a difficult job well done.

ENTRANCE

I must say that on the first day I entered the Hynes through the Prudential with no delay. I waited approximately ten minutes to clear through the bag check with no problems. One of the Security mentioned to me after I passed that I forgot to zip back my bag and it was opened.I thought was very nice of him. Everyone at every level was very nice.

On Saturday I tried the Boylston entrance line up for the first time. The line stretched all the way back to Dalton. The line moved fast and I got in under fifteen minutes. That is amazing.

FOOD

I noticed the second floor catering expanded their space to satisfy the convention. The set up looked really great and I made a point of telling them so. The catering staff truly appreciated the comments and thanked me for noticing their effort. What I do traditionally not to sort of get bogged down in food while inside the Con is to bring along our favorite handy snacks so I could keep walking without slowing my stride so to speak. This year mine were Oreo cookies, Kit Kat bars, Gummies, Soda inside my carrying bag. In other words what makes me smile.

CONVENTION

We loved the Dealers Room and got stuff, We loved the Artist Alley also. Passed that, everything was a blur cause I wish we could have done even more, but as you know there is never enough time in the day to see everything. I like Concerts, they like Panels, I like Video Rooms, They like gaming. AB has got it all and we are just the right type of pinball's to bounce around and enjoy it all for the high score . lol.

COSPLAY

Kudos to EVERYONE, you're COSPLAYS were UNBELIVABLE. You all deserve the utmost respect for your efforts. You are the Anime Idols of the Convention. Thank you so much.
Its so gratifying to see that professional Cosplay look. You GOT IT...FLAUNT IT.

SUGGESTION - REQUEST

I am noticing that Anime Boston is becoming even larger now. This is great. I love to see the increased interest in Anime and the Anime Community...

MAILING BADGES FOR PRE REG ?

...Since this is happening, is it possible maybe to consider Mailing Badges for Pre Reg as an offering?
You could charge a fee for it like some other Conventions do. I know it would be some work, but since the attendance appears to be growing this would be a great convenience for those attending and they can go right to bag check line then. Leaving room for those who wish to pick up Pre Reg on site and buy at door.

TILL WE MEET AGAIN

Thanks again AB Team for all of your effort this year. We will be looking forward to what you have in store for us in 2017.

[Kalyoth]

I spent most of Friday & Half of Saturday in autograph lines. I obtained all five I was after. I have to say this was perhaps the easiest & best run autograph session in the past 12 Anime Boston's attended. There was no allowance for lines to even enter, gather, loiter prior to the 1 hour point. Security was quite fair in this regard. Allowances were even made when we had attendees with assistance needs join us. Everyone in line was quite understanding & accommodating. - If I did have to complain about one thing, it would be the lack of chairs for the entire line to use in the rooms used for overflow (yes, there was plenty of room available for them & allow for aggress in case of emergency) & the lack of adequate water being available for the hour waiting time period.

I wanted to echo something a few others have now mentioned - AS a paying, contracted event - what is AB's feelings upon pushing back in regards to the security requirements forced upon us by law enforcement / venue - by requesting enthusiastically for not only sufficient number of law enforcement / venue personnel to support said measures, but also that those individuals have received appropriate training to positively interact with all attendees? There seemed to be a complete lack of interest or positive interaction displayed by law enforcement (I can't speak for Sheraton as I did not interact with any). Hynes security was the best ever this year. So somehow training & enforced expectations can be implemented. Just because they do not wear AB shirts as staff, doesn't mean they in reverse represent the event as well, contributing to the positive experience of a tourist & economic event. If there is any room at all available, this should be pursued.

Also - there does need to be rules, space & enforcement efforts made - to breakup/relocate the hugh gatherings of clubs/etc. that take over the hallways blocking safe passage for attendees & designate specific spots for their gatherings - maybe even with a schedule like a panel as I'm sure there would be interest in photography by attendees? More can be done to help lessen the congestion in the Main hallway from the PRU where the dealer's room entrance is. If you truly need more info - check with Otakon staff in regards to the handling of a fire alarm several years back and the log jam they encountered emptying the BCC. It was not pretty.

In regards to the lines outside, people getting ill from the temperatures etc. - how come no one seems to want to take personal responsibility for being prepared for weather in March, in New England? Apparently it DOES take someone needing to tell you that, in March, cold weather occurs. Yes, you are in costume. Yes, you spent time making said costume. That doesn't change the fact that the dates of the convention occur during the extreme close of winter / first days of Spring in an area of the world where it is not consistently above 60 degrees normally until May. - Maybe a compromise that could be offered even by AB to assist in the line outdoors - provide space to get dressed into costume inside the Hynes after finally getting inside?

[fallengone]

My friend was quite unpleased with the lack of panel and it was his first con. My group and I unnamaily said that the sacrity was a bit over the top. The staff was great and kind. I fell like more of a thethaticail with the mesher you did to portect us. I am studying pulbic safty and the lines to get in would have been bad if something really went down. Keep it to the dogs and wand and bag checks. This was the only yeah where we litterly didn't leave the con because of fear. Also get better lost and found I was sitting down for an hour for my id badge that was found 12 mins after i lost it... you should have 3-4 lost and found 1st 2nd and 3rd floors. Death battle was great . I think that This year was most stressful but I still didnt fell safe because I saw areas were people could get in and had no gaurds....

[Anna-neko]

In regards to the lines outside, people getting ill from the temperatures etc. - how come no one seems to want to take personal responsibility for being prepared for weather in March, in New England?

Because we paid for an INDOORS EVENT! The main entrance for which is INDOORS of a mall, in a specifically set up area connecting a hotel (oh look, also indoors! with heat!) to the convention center

I wore a jacket on the train getting there. I was prepared for dealing with the outdoors and subway. Having to drop everything and get a coat if I dared to venture from a panel inside Sheraton to a different panel inside Hynes is ludicrous

[Sakura-chan]

In regards to the lines outside, people getting ill from the temperatures etc. - how come no one seems to want to take personal responsibility for being prepared for weather in March, in New England?

Because we paid for an INDOORS EVENT! The main entrance for which is INDOORS of a mall, in a specifically set up area connecting a hotel (oh look, also indoors! with heat!) to the convention center

I wore a jacket on the train getting there. I was prepared for dealing with the outdoors and subway. Having to drop everything and get a coat if I dared to venture from a panel inside Sheraton to a different panel inside Hynes is ludicrous

Agreed. Being outside for a few minutes is one thing, but a half hour+??? They'd need to make the coat check available inside the Hynes all weekend because I can tell you straight up nobody wants to carry a coat around with them along with their giant sword/armor/other prop. Its -already- difficult to get around in some costumes without carrying extra stuff around.

[Master of NERV]

A special note to staff and fellow attendees:

What follows are comments sent to me privately by a dear friend of many years, and an AB veteran of long standing. She has given me permission to post her comments on her behalf. The text has been edited only for spelling and grammar.

"I didn't really leave because I wanted to, but I didn't put up much fuss with the idea. I was having a good time despite the crowds, but I'm with you. Between the metal detectors, crazy lines, and bag checks it was tiring to go back and forth into the con between lunch, dinner, and just to drop off stuff or change back from my costume. It was expected and it didn't bug me nearly as much as it bugged S****. He actually got into a screaming match with one of the security guards. We were only trying to get back to our hotel room with food and this guy started flipping on us for "cutting" in line to go into the con, which we were not at all. The area that leads down the three steps towards the glass entry doors that head towards the Sheraton (heads to the hall where you exit after from badge pick up and leads to the elevators) was blocked by the line which continued outside. We were trying to just cut THROUGH to go towards the glass entry doors past and head back to the elevators so we could eat in peace, but when they should have been segmenting the line to allow traffic to pass through it was a total mess at the time. We waited for several minutes and finally S**** was annoyed and tried to pull me through the line so we could pass and the guy lost his mind thinking we were cutting when we were only trying to pass through.

"I personally didn't have any bad experiences with the security guards really, but I also saw a few people who were being harassed, and having their props and weapons needlessly confiscated from them, while others who had much more elaborate, bigger, or certainly more "dangerous" weapons ignored by other guards. Just seemed like some of them had a really bad attitude towards cosplayers and those are the ones that need to NOT be working those kinds of details. The cosplayers aren't trying to bomb the convention, there was no need to be so disrespectful to them.

"I didn't even bother with my weapons after I saw this large Brute brand trash barrel packed with homemade props. I saw several swords and a Thor hammer (all VERY intricate and beautiful) stuffed into the trash container suggesting there was no way they could be reclaimed by their owners who had obviously put a lot of time and energy into them before they were taken away for whatever reason. If that had happened to me with part of my costume I would have been furious! They weren't even given the option to bring them back to their room. There was a Link cosplayer who had a very intricate sword snatched away and broken up in the trash. That would have ruined my con experience if that was me."

[foreverfinn]

A special note to staff and fellow attendees:

What follows are comments sent to me privately by a dear friend of many years, and an AB veteran of long standing. She has given me permission to post her comments on her behalf. The text has been edited only for spelling and grammar.

"I didn't really leave because I wanted to, but I didn't put up much fuss with the idea. I was having a good time despite the crowds, but I'm with you. Between the metal detectors, crazy lines, and bag checks it was tiring to go back and forth into the con between lunch, dinner, and just to drop off stuff or change back from my costume. It was expected and it didn't bug me nearly as much as it bugged S****. He actually got into a screaming match with one of the security guards. We were only trying to get back to our hotel room with food and this guy started flipping on us for "cutting" in line to go into the con, which we were not at all. The area that leads down the three steps towards the glass entry doors that head towards the Sheraton (heads to the hall where you exit after from badge pick up and leads to the elevators) was blocked by the line which continued outside. We were trying to just cut THROUGH to go towards the glass entry doors past and head back to the elevators so we could eat in peace, but when they should have been segmenting the line to allow traffic to pass through it was a total mess at the time. We waited for several minutes and finally S**** was annoyed and tried to pull me through the line so we could pass and the guy lost his mind thinking we were cutting when we were only trying to pass through.

"I personally didn't have any bad experiences with the security guards really, but I also saw a few people who were being harassed, and having their props and weapons needlessly confiscated from them, while others who had much more elaborate, bigger, or certainly more "dangerous" weapons ignored by other guards. Just seemed like some of them had a really bad attitude towards cosplayers and those are the ones that need to NOT be working those kinds of details. The cosplayers aren't trying to bomb the convention, there was no need to be so disrespectful to them.

"I didn't even bother with my weapons after I saw this large Brute brand trash barrel packed with homemade props. I saw several swords and a Thor hammer (all VERY intricate and beautiful) stuffed into the trash container suggesting there was no way they could be reclaimed by their owners who had obviously put a lot of time and energy into them before they were taken away for whatever reason. If that had happened to me with part of my costume I would have been furious! They weren't even given the option to bring them back to their room. There was a Link cosplayer who had a very intricate sword snatched away and broken up in the trash. That would have ruined my con experience if that was me."

I definitely agree. Security was very unfair and inconsistent with props. I'm honestly afraid to bring large props back to Anime Boston next year.

[MollyThornhart]

Honestly, last year I was ill prepared to be outside, in the wind and cold for so long to get into the Hynes, however learning from that experience, I wore a giant hooded cloak to keep the elements from trying to murder me this year. It downpoured for a time while I was outside but I am VERY thankful for having a coat check available that is completely affordable.
I saw so many people without jackets or umbrellas and it just struck me that since there was a perfectly good and cheap coat check why more people didn't take advantage of it. I commuted from the North Shore both Friday and Saturday and incorporated a cloak for my dress on Friday and a fake fur for my Saturday.

I walk with a cane and wore my orthopedic shoes for most of Friday and Saturday, not including the Ball.
People, including security and the BPD were more than helpful in accommodating me on escalators and stairs.

The Japanese Wrestling panel was informative and engaging. Showing some of the more talented matches with explanations of the rules of each match was absolutely perfect and the Q and A portion was fantastic and professional as well.

Pre reg pickup was all of five minutes for me.

The Ball was wonderful and I think that we are lucky to have an actual string quartet for a portion of it. Being able to purchase tickets online was a real help! I couldn't help but wonder why there cant be more events in general like the Ball. No booze, no drugs and everyone dressed up and having a good time. It's is always a favorite for me every year!

Saturday, I had to pick and choose between panels and workshops because of the security line, which was a necessary evil.

This was my first year attending "Bad Anime Bad" and it was so much fun!! Kudos to this presentation!

I dont own a smartphone and have no way of checking the site for any updates but the Info Desk was more than helpful!!

Last year I had to leave because of the long line outside that I was in no way prepared for and miss out all day Saturday and taxi home instead. This year I chose to commute with only what I needed to survive. I'm diabetic and brought water, emergency food, shot of glucose and my ortho shoes and cane. I was more than adequately prepared for each day and had a much better time this year! Yes the lines were long but I travel a lot and there were no better or worse than any airport in the country. I've waited in longer lines to get into terminals than I did this year at AB 16.

My only con was I didn't realize that the food was so pricey and blew 25 bucks on lunch on Friday. That will never happen to me again. When the lines into the Hynes were light we had time to go out to Starbucks and grab a reasonably priced coffee and snack.

AB is my yearly vacation and this year knocked it out of the park for me. I WILL be seeing you next year and years to come!

All the best!

~Molly~

[THX1139]

I am just reporting on what I saw with security.

A large group, 20+ people came out of the Sheraton to mall door going into the mall, up the stairs and into the the Hynes. They bypassed the the line of people waiting outside. I don’t think they know they should go outside and wait. At the time no one was waiting in line to the Hynes in the mall. There was a wait line in the Hayes. The security staff just watch them do it. Security didn’t stop them and tell them to go outside.

When using the Sheraton third floor entrance to the Hynes, no bag people were waved in. They didn’t have to go thru a metal detector. At the entrance to the Hynes from the Mall, no bag people had to go thru the metal detector. This was a inconsistent level of security.

At the Mall/Hynes entrance metal detector line there was a break in the ropes on the line closes to the exit line. People were using that break in the rope to bypass the metal decorators. I told the local security staff about it. They looked at it and didn’t do anything to plug the gap. This was an inconsistent level of security.

At the Sheraton to Mall door, on the Mall side of the door there was a confusing mess of people. People going from the outside waiting line to the inside waiting line were crossing the stream of people going to and from the Sheraton to Mall.

I was staying at the Sheraton. On Sunday security staff would not let people go from the Mall to the Sheraton/Mall door. They made you go around outside to get to the Sheraton. I was a Sheraton customer, I could have complained to the Sheraton staff, but I didn’t.

In the Hynes there was a cosplayer with a very real looking semi-automatic rifle. There was cosplays in the Hynes with all kinds of large weapons. At the metal detectors they was a large box filled was light sabers taken from cosplayers.

It’s looked to me the security staff were not properly trained and/or given proper instructions for the task they were asked to do.

[lumi]

Good: AB Staff. The perforated AMV Contest ballots. Everyone's amazing cosplays. Artist Alley and the half of the dealers room near the entrance both felt a bit easier to navigate with more room. Appreciated the bag check on the Pru entrance being moved further inside to accommodate more people (unfortunately this was more than offset by the new security).

The bad:

As everyone else has said....LineCon. Forcing everyone to wait in line like that doesn't protect anyone. You're still just as much of a target, and people are far more at a health risk from the elements than someone with bad intent.

Last year, it definitely seemed like a thrown-together plan to have the line go outside - I get it, the Pru doesn't want people lining up inside the mall. Okay. At least it was just cold/windy, but still sunny. I would have expected AB Staff to come up with an answer between then and now to avoid lines being routed outside. Instead, it's even worse. It was rainy and cold Friday morning. I get it when it's a last-minute plan to accept new restrictions...but with the outside lines returning this year, now it seems like Wait-outside-in-the-cold-Con is the plan going forward. What the hell? At least this year it was only cold and rainy Friday morning and otherwise just cold. If lines are now planned to route outside...what's the plan if it's a thunderstorm? Or hell, what if it's snowing? This is Boston after all.

I couldn't believe I had to wait over a half hour to get back into the Hynes after 8pm on Friday - that late, why the hell was the line still so long? The metal detectors are so unnecessary...having to empty out pockets makes things so much longer and more onerous than the simple bag check (now I'm trying to hold my phone, wallet, 3DS, DSLR camera while also holding my backpack with its zipper open...I don't have enough hands for this).

The ridiculous security means that the Hynes is even more congested than usual...nobody wants to leave! This was the first year that I wasted money on their overpriced low-quality food options instead of venturing to nearby local businesses...I didn't want to leave! Also the first year I mostly ignored Sheraton panels just due to their location...same reason. I know AB staff want to grow this con...as we near the limits of the Hynes, then we expand into the Sheraton and other surrounding hotels...but that simply won't happen if the security prevents anyone from wanting to leave the con at all!

I get that the bag searches are MA state law, put in place after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. But has the law changed since then? Why the metal detectors then? Why the increased confiscation of props? What's going on? On Saturday morning I walked all the way around the Hynes to use the Boylston St entrance and avoid the line...only to wait over 30 minutes outside at that line instead! Turns out, they had 3-4 people doing bag checks and only a single person with a wand...so most of the time, despite only having 3-4 bag checkers they were STILL mostly idle because everyone inside the doors already had their bag searched....they were waiting for that wand before they could enter. The security is so poorly managed I remarked on how much SMOOTHER the process was for the TSA on my flight on Sunday! PAX East is also not nearly as bad...yes there's bag searches and security, but there are so *many* of them that getting through is a breeze. Not so at AB.

It's truly awful, and is unfortunately severely hurting the AB experience, as well as the possibility for this con to grow.

[jaysaturna]

I'm a long time goer, first time poster. I started going to AB since I was 14 in 2005 with my cousin who took me for the Friday event, and, since 2006, the full weekend with my squad. I feel as though I can speak for the lot of us in saying: it’s over. Our annual AB adventures are done.

There’s just too many people now, too much security, too many lines, and not enough space for the people that want to attend panels (The Disney AMV panel comes to mind.) If AB wants a big con like that, they’re gonna need a bigger boat.

It was a hassle to attend and all I got to see was the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire game and the AMV contest. Speaking of AMVs, it’s become more than obvious that people just vote for hype and memes over technical superiority. I have no dogs in this race and eat no sour grapes as I don’t vid. Art is rewarded less than a crowd pleasing series, meme or song. I can't find enjoyment in a contest like that.

I was mostly okay outside when we had to wait, but I was wearing a suit that was kinda thick. There were plenty of people less dressed that clearly planned for this to be an indoor con…particularly at this time of year.

I know the Marathon attack intensified security, but the backup and delays were dangerous themselves. Heck, those lines out there? Would have been prime for some jerk with a REAL weapon or bomb. All lined up nice and pretty with no guards. But instead, let’s have metal detectors that go off for basically everyone since metal is a cosplay staple. That’s where the money’s at.

I hold nothing against the AB staff members themselves. I know this is out of their hands and this was the Hynes/Pru's doing, but my squad are no longer getting what we pay for and the slow decline has finally reached it’s rock bottom. You guys did give us the time of our lives for a smidge over decade, but we are done. AB will always have a place in my heart, even if it no longer has a place in my wallet.

Thank you for your time.

[tkim]

Just wanted to point out that there's little evidence that being out in the cold will cause you to get a cold - or the flu. That's a common misconception.

People standing outside in cold windy weather ARE at increased risk for hypothermia - especially if they aren't wearing weather-appropriate clothing.

I don't think the line issue will get better, with increasing attendance and increasing security measures that have been mandated by the Commonwealth and Hynes security, but hopefully people will consider wearing some sort of windbreak or insulating layer over their cosplay if possible, and alerting security or medical if they feel hypothermia coming on.

[Pint_Sized25]

I'd like to place a tiny bit of positivity in here and say, while I don't doubt all the unhappiness, I never experienced any of the above problems. The only day I truly had to wait in line was Saturday which is the biggest day of the con to begin with and it was only for about 10 minutes tops.
My only complaint was for people without bags. I wish there was a separate way to enter if you don't have one. Friday my friend and I stood in the long line on Boylston St for a few minutes then were told if we didn't have bags we could go in a different door. We just waltzed in!! A half hour later my husband tried to get in and was told to go back into the long line regardless of if he had a bag or not, which I think isn't fair. I know it is tougher to do also for the Artist Alley entrance because it's such a narrow space to begin with. But there should be a way to just let bag-less people walk up and in if there is a space for them to go through, like there is in the mall.

Also perhaps a small handbag should not count as a bag for some of us girls? A friend of mine had a basket as part of her costume with literally her cell phone, a book, wallet, and a Poptart in it. She was told it counts as a bag and had to wait in line. Something like this were you can see fully into it and it's small to fit only maybe a wallet inside should not count as a bag, IMO