I enjoyed the convention as much as I could, despite having a very full Demonstration schedule as well as the Art Show.
I thank all of the hard working staff who put up with way too much but still manage to pull through each year.
I think the idea of the "Elevator Monitors" - the *official* ones with the Staff, mind you, not the self-appointed jerks who apparently were using it for themselves....I thought the idea was a very good one and to me it seemed to work very well this year as opposed to the horror show of last year, although there were still a few jams. It's hard to ask the general public to re-program themselves to *not* instinctively reach for the door, instead the button. It's not a great design/system for an elevator IMHO, but then, the Hyatt was not designed for a convention like Arisia; likewise, I don't see anyone offering to foot the bill for a hotel that can accomodate a convention on the level of Arisia in years past. And honestly, the Park Plaza wasn't all it was cracked up to be, either...So you have to take things as they come and try to managed what you can....Unless you *are* stinking rich, as then I want to talk with you about...things... XD
I have found that there are more Jerks and Pricks among conventioneers in the last few years. A sad trend.
Although the situation in the Staff room was unfortunate, I don't think the snap should have been taken personally. How few hours of sleep had that staffer been getting the nite before? How ragged were they dealing with some of the Premadonnas and self-proclaimed Emperors/esses of the World did they have to deal with every 5 minutes? Some people are really cranky in the morning, I know because I am too cranky in the morning, but, I'm trying to not let that dictate how I treat others.
I hate to have to kick out my Soapbox a little bit here, but, I'm tired of hearing the whining and moaning about the Art Show being on the top floor. Again, this particular Hotel is not the best layout, but, I don't see anyone offering another hotel that is any better. I'm glad they had 'designated express elevator' during the weekend, I think that is smart use of the available facilities. Where else is it going to be put? I'm just happy there's a space given for the Art show at all!
No matter what hotel Arisia ends up in, *someone* won't like it, and they'll make sure everyone within earshot knows it. That's just a sad sign of modern life. You can't satifsy everyone all of the time, so you have to make do with what's available, and if someone really wants to see something change, they ought to get involved with the process. Some people appear to exist solely to complain about anything and everything, and are so overdemanding they ruin the experience for those of us who are just happy to try and be a part of the gig.
As for the "Alternative Lifestyles" panels that appear to be gaining in popularity, and with my personal opinions about them aside, it's an indication of a new interest. I'm glad that Programming has put several of these panels at a later time to help reduce issues with parents/children, but it also comes down to us conventioneers. I choose not to go to these panels because they just don't interest me. If people feel their favorite subject/genre/whichever is fading, they too need to step up and ask for or organize to have more panels that interest them. It's not Arisia's job to 'protect your kids' or even 'protect' you. I think it is likely these interests and lifestyles, as with anything, come and go, gain and fade, as the years go. If it turns out to "take over" Arisia, then it would be time to consider the formation of a new convention for that specific area of interests. It happened before with the Boskone split (as I understand it ~ but that's before my time and neither here nor there)...
I think the idea of a "back to roots" theme is a good idea and certainly worth a shot.
no subject
I thank all of the hard working staff who put up with way too much but still manage to pull through each year.
I think the idea of the "Elevator Monitors" - the *official* ones with the Staff, mind you, not the self-appointed jerks who apparently were using it for themselves....I thought the idea was a very good one and to me it seemed to work very well this year as opposed to the horror show of last year, although there were still a few jams. It's hard to ask the general public to re-program themselves to *not* instinctively reach for the door, instead the button. It's not a great design/system for an elevator IMHO, but then, the Hyatt was not designed for a convention like Arisia; likewise, I don't see anyone offering to foot the bill for a hotel that can accomodate a convention on the level of Arisia in years past. And honestly, the Park Plaza wasn't all it was cracked up to be, either...So you have to take things as they come and try to managed what you can....Unless you *are* stinking rich, as then I want to talk with you about...things... XD
I have found that there are more Jerks and Pricks among conventioneers in the last few years. A sad trend.
Although the situation in the Staff room was unfortunate, I don't think the snap should have been taken personally. How few hours of sleep had that staffer been getting the nite before? How ragged were they dealing with some of the Premadonnas and self-proclaimed Emperors/esses of the World did they have to deal with every 5 minutes? Some people are really cranky in the morning, I know because I am too cranky in the morning, but, I'm trying to not let that dictate how I treat others.
I hate to have to kick out my Soapbox a little bit here, but, I'm tired of hearing the whining and moaning about the Art Show being on the top floor. Again, this particular Hotel is not the best layout, but, I don't see anyone offering another hotel that is any better. I'm glad they had 'designated express elevator' during the weekend, I think that is smart use of the available facilities.
Where else is it going to be put? I'm just happy there's a space given for the Art show at all!
No matter what hotel Arisia ends up in, *someone* won't like it, and they'll make sure everyone within earshot knows it. That's just a sad sign of modern life. You can't satifsy everyone all of the time, so you have to make do with what's available, and if someone really wants to see something change, they ought to get involved with the process. Some people appear to exist solely to complain about anything and everything, and are so overdemanding they ruin the experience for those of us who are just happy to try and be a part of the gig.
As for the "Alternative Lifestyles" panels that appear to be gaining in popularity, and with my personal opinions about them aside, it's an indication of a new interest. I'm glad that Programming has put several of these panels at a later time to help reduce issues with parents/children, but it also comes down to us conventioneers. I choose not to go to these panels because they just don't interest me. If people feel their favorite subject/genre/whichever is fading, they too need to step up and ask for or organize to have more panels that interest them. It's not Arisia's job to 'protect your kids' or even 'protect' you. I think it is likely these interests and lifestyles, as with anything, come and go, gain and fade, as the years go. If it turns out to "take over" Arisia, then it would be time to consider the formation of a new convention for that specific area of interests. It happened before with the Boskone split (as I understand it ~ but that's before my time and neither here nor there)...
I think the idea of a "back to roots" theme is a good idea and certainly worth a shot.