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Good:
Registration/check-in was very smooth, the lines were managed well, and the process was very quick. And Volunteer checkin was sooo simple!
Elevators all stayed in service, and people were gracious about queuing and used the stairs quite a bit.
The hotel food concession had plenty of food and coffee cups (which is more than I can say for Staff Den).
The hotel bar had tasty adult beverages, and competent if dull food, except for the OMG sweet maple creme brulee which was remarkable.
Not so good:
I had to track down a copy of the souvenir book; there was no "reg packet" at Registration.
Saturday evening's dance was so well attended that the crowded dance floor was a turnoff.
The decision to use the Con Suite for the Guest of Honor's reading was Not Smart. That room needs to be a relax/conversation space, which conflicted badly with Walter's reading. He would have been better off in someone's personal suite (or the BU Suite like most of the other authors).
Pepsi? Sigh.
Bad: Masquerade, several issues.
The decision to use only a fraction of the Presidents' Ballroom for the single most popular event at the con was Really Poor. I'm having trouble finding polite words for how bad a decision I think it was, to cut off 1/3 to 1/2 of the line and say "eh, sorry, no masquerade for you." People know if they are toward the end of the line they may be sitting in the back or having obstructed sightlines, but to just send them away was not good. I see no reason why we couldn't have used three, or all four, segments of the ballroom.
What the heck was that with the "technical issues" that led the masquerade to start nearly an hour late? And WHY O WHY couldn't they have run the trailers in that delay time, instead of us listening to the Guest of Honor and the Conchair blithering along to fill the time?
Random
I wish that one or more merchants had been selling compact discs of music, both fannish and of fannish interest. (Folk and metal would also be fine.)
I loved the emphasis on steampunk this year. Wicked costume envy!!
Maybe next year I'll spend twice the price of an evening gown for a Brute Force corset. But would I have the nerve to wear it in public if I did?
Congrats to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
radegund_lj, for her Best In Show costume!
Next year maybe a small cooler with Diet Coke, fruit, and nutritious snacks.
Was this year's attendance down? Either crowd control really has made leaps in the last year or two, or it was a smaller Arisia. I also hear from Larry and other merchants that business was significantly down.
I've left this public - I am willing to have it seen or forwarded to Arisia Concom Gripe Panel.
Registration/check-in was very smooth, the lines were managed well, and the process was very quick. And Volunteer checkin was sooo simple!
Elevators all stayed in service, and people were gracious about queuing and used the stairs quite a bit.
The hotel food concession had plenty of food and coffee cups (which is more than I can say for Staff Den).
The hotel bar had tasty adult beverages, and competent if dull food, except for the OMG sweet maple creme brulee which was remarkable.
Not so good:
I had to track down a copy of the souvenir book; there was no "reg packet" at Registration.
Saturday evening's dance was so well attended that the crowded dance floor was a turnoff.
The decision to use the Con Suite for the Guest of Honor's reading was Not Smart. That room needs to be a relax/conversation space, which conflicted badly with Walter's reading. He would have been better off in someone's personal suite (or the BU Suite like most of the other authors).
Pepsi? Sigh.
Bad: Masquerade, several issues.
The decision to use only a fraction of the Presidents' Ballroom for the single most popular event at the con was Really Poor. I'm having trouble finding polite words for how bad a decision I think it was, to cut off 1/3 to 1/2 of the line and say "eh, sorry, no masquerade for you." People know if they are toward the end of the line they may be sitting in the back or having obstructed sightlines, but to just send them away was not good. I see no reason why we couldn't have used three, or all four, segments of the ballroom.
What the heck was that with the "technical issues" that led the masquerade to start nearly an hour late? And WHY O WHY couldn't they have run the trailers in that delay time, instead of us listening to the Guest of Honor and the Conchair blithering along to fill the time?
Random
I wish that one or more merchants had been selling compact discs of music, both fannish and of fannish interest. (Folk and metal would also be fine.)
I loved the emphasis on steampunk this year. Wicked costume envy!!
Maybe next year I'll spend twice the price of an evening gown for a Brute Force corset. But would I have the nerve to wear it in public if I did?
Congrats to
radegund_lj, for her Best In Show costume!Next year maybe a small cooler with Diet Coke, fruit, and nutritious snacks.
Was this year's attendance down? Either crowd control really has made leaps in the last year or two, or it was a smaller Arisia. I also hear from Larry and other merchants that business was significantly down.
I've left this public - I am willing to have it seen or forwarded to Arisia Concom Gripe Panel.
