Forum - View topicNEWS: Otakon Considering $5 Increase
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Sword of Whedon
Posts: 683 |
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This is correct. Simply an example of the caliber of guest, not who's being chased |
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hikura
Posts: 565 |
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Personally i think that the con doesn't need to make any sort of increase to attract major guess.My point they attracted a major jrock group last year plus numerous great guest.They have the attendance to easily attract the major guests if they pursued them.Personally i think it is nothing more then to say we want a such and such a guest so if you want them we need to increase the fees for this con.They can easily hold smaller events off site of the main con to help increase the attendance and remove the cap.They just need more people to volunteer to help with the con to compensate for the increased amount of influx.This means if roughly at least 10% of all attendees volunteered this would help.
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wanderer
 Posts: 77 |
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I went to Otakon last summer and was really excited to see Larc en Ciel (a big selling point when deciding to go to the con). The arena where they played holds 12,000 people, but whoever was responsible at Otakon for this event 'guestimated' that only 7,000 or so people would actually show up. When I got in line there must have been at least 12,000 people already in line (seemed like it anyways) wrapped up and around several city blocks. Needless to say, we waited in line for an hour without moving, and the time the concert was supposed to start came and went (still not moving)...
Needless to say, I did not see Larc en Ciel  .
If Otakon is going to hike the admission fee up then they need to plan better, and be sure that this is someone a lot of people are going to want to see, especially if everyone has to pay for it. They also have to plan for the extreme, and maybe then some, to accomodate the fans. I don't think Otakon handled their 'big event' last summer well at all (although I heard it was an awesome show  dammit!). It leads me to think that, even if they got someone I wanted to see, the chances of having to spend one entire day of the three day event waiting to see them are pretty high. Its only $5 but its not worth it to me. 
I'm also not really over- impressed with the 'big names' once the excitment of seeing someone famous has worn off. Voice actors or the respectably well known manga kas are good enough for me. 
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Shiki MSHTS
 Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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For me, as long as they're good at all, that's good enough for me.
I wouldn't mind at all dishing in an extra $5, so long as there was a good attraction coming. I think they really hit home the last two years with T.M Revolution and L'arc~en~ciel. Hell. I would have paid an extra $5 for either of those years. Really, they're quite good, especially when you consider how rediculious show and concert prices can get here in the states. And as for Jet Li... bleh. The guy is good at matial arts and all... that I'd admit. But he really just sucks at acting, and I tire of all lackluster movies he stars in. If he was ever the cause for a price hike, I'd kinda be dissapointed. I'd still go to the con anyway though, seeing as I spend a bit of time at the dealers room, a bit of time at the art corner, then the rest of the time in the game room =P. |
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Hotaru
Posts: 481 Location: NY |
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that sucks! i was pissed about that too, i think the stadium security allowed people to line up early, even tho on the otakon BBS, they said no line will be allowed to form before three (or was it four?). we showed up exactly when the line was supposed to be forming, and it was already a half a mile long. we got in, and there were a lot a seats left when the concert began...you should have been able to get seats. at least they're releasing the dvd 
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wanderer
Posts: 77 |
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Dammit! I'm sorry, I know your intentions are good but I did not need to know that! We got there around four (I think) about an hour before the show was supposed to start. When we actually got in line, we ended up behind the convention center which was discouraging; and I was further discouraged to see every single person laden with bags (which we were told was prohibited and that all bags would be searched). I wanted to wait it out, but I had someone with me and I didn't want to ruin their fun. It seemed like it would take forever to get in, if we did at all, so we got out of line... I can't believe there were seats left! Dammit!!!
I've actually not gotten over missing this concert (pathetic, I know ) so I wasn't going to buy the dvd. I don't think I can enjoy it fully knowing I could've been there...
I'm glad you got to see it though  *sniff*
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animeonlocation
Posts: 1 Location: Ohio |
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Bnewhall wrote:
"Yeah, I think that most celebrities are more concerned with the amount being raised to bring them over, rather than the relative popularity of the event. If someone paid you $50,000 to spend a day chatting with five people in Akron, Ohio, would you do it?" Of course I would, since I live in Akron, Ohio I wouldn't have to go far for that money, thanks!! - John |
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jvowles
Otakon Representative
 Posts: 219 Location: Maryland |
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I'm sorry, that's not true. The arena holds up to 14,000 as configured. We planned for between 10 and 14,000 people to attend the concert. Our best guess is that anywhere between 9,000 and 12,000 people in the Arena at any particular moment. There were literally thousands of seats available and the concert lasted several hours, so you could very well have shown up. The line started moving about five minutes after the posted start time. The concert started a bit late, because they waited for the folks in line to get in. It does take a while to process 12,000 people through a security checkpoint. The line *did* stretch several city blocks, however. Though the reason that the line was so long FOR so long is that people ignored the rules about when and where to line up, and the police, to be honest, interfered with the plans that we had arranged.
You have to understand, this wasn't something that had been done before -- there wasn't a precedent other than the TMR show the prior year. We worked closely with expert concert planners and security and so forth, but it was new territory for all of is in a way. I'm sorry you felt we didn't plan well enough; I think the results speak otherwise. Perhaps you're upset more because you missed out? |
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wanderer
Posts: 77 |
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Please don't comment as though I fabricated what happened, as I have no reason to do so. (everyone please forgive me,I already know I may be overreacting, so you don't have to say so); but from where I'm sitting I don't know your intent, and its easy to interpret your statement as 'That's a lie'. I'm not a liar and I would appreciate it if you didn't imply that I was. And just to clarify, I am upset as I write this, but I respect your opinion and am not trying to be rude if it does seem that way.
I'm sorry, I did not mean to post my experience as fact, just as my opinion of what happened based on information available at the time. I was going by what I was told at the convention by the volunteers and the information given to me in my convention materials. I was under the impression from these sources that one could only gain admittance to the concert if you had your badge stickered. Also the flyer for the concert stated that approx. 12,000 stickers would be allotted and that you would only hand them out until "we have a full arena".
Thanks. Hotaru did mention that there were thousands of seats left...and I did show up. I've never, however, been to a concert before where the line started moving at the same time the concert was supposed to start. I realize that it would take a long time to process 12,000 people through a security checkpoint. This is why I had assumed that the line would have started moving and people would be filling the arena at 4pm when it was said the doors would open. I suppose I should have known about all of the police interference and how the people ignoring the rules would be handled; but I never saw any of the convention staff that were assigned to this event to let me know all this. I understand that this concert was new territory for Otakon, as I did read the news on the website and at the convention, and that unforseen things were bound to happen. But you have to understand that I have never planned or organized a convention. The only precedent I had to go on was was past concert experience, which was nothing like this, and was also why I made the comments I did. I was frustrated having to wait for as long as I did in a line that wasn't moving and not knowing why. I saw all the people with bags and knew it was against the rules. Since virtually everyone had several bags, I knew that would cause a problem and/or a delay, but I had no idea what. Was security going to turn everyone away from the door? Were they going to search everyone's bags? Were people going to be let in anyway? Is the concert going to start an hour late? Two? I had no idea, and I'm not sure how I was supposed to. Its easy to look back now and say 'well, you should've just waited, you would've gotten a seat". Obviously. But at the time I wanted to enjoy what was left of my three days at the convention and the concert. I had already spent half of Friday waiting in that trainwreck of a line to get my badge. I did not want to waste any more limited time waiting at the end of another long line, that for all I know, I could've been guessing in all night.
You stated in your post that the arena holds 14,000 people and that, in essence, you did plan for up to 14,000 people. If that is the case then, as a "guest" or "member" or whatever title my $50 got me, I stand by what I said. I think the event could've been handled better, despite the fact that lots of people got in and the show was fantastic and there were thousands of empty seats. Just because the results for an event were good doesn't mean that the planning for it was, or that everyone will see it that way. You are entitled to believe that it was successful, and I can't argue with that. But the fact that I'm finding out about the reasons for all the delays and the police being uncooperative now, instead of while I was waiting in line, tells me that more could have been done. Had I known what was going on, or had any inkling of how long I'd be in the line, I might have actually seen the show and had a different opinion of this event and its planning. And for the record, I had a fantastic time at Otakon and am planning to try and go again this year. I was surprised at how much there was to do and actually felt overwhelmed with all the choices. I would encourage anyone to go if they could, its worth every penny. But, I'll reiterate that if there is a $5 price hike; then maybe there needs to be an extra meeting with the police to ensure they don't foil Otakon's plans, and that people ignorant of the rules are quickly steered in the right direction. All I'm saying is that, endless delays considered, people shouldn't be left in the dark while an event is supposed to be taking place, especially if it has an extra fee. Also, now that everyone may be paying for it, its only fair that an 'event' should be considered that everyone should be able to attend. That is quite an undertaking - I wish Otakon luck.
Very nice. I don't believe this... 
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