Arisia needs an attitude adjustment.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

I am sure this will offend many people, and if it does I apologize, but I feel it has to be said.

I am disgusted and appalled at the rudeness and sense of entitlement I encountered from many of this year's staff members. And I am not the only person who noticed this.


An example...
I got up early on Sunday and went down to the staff den, I was there about 15 minutes before it was supposed to open, but the lovely staff den ladies let me in anyway. I told them I needed food so I could take some meds, but I could see they weren't quite ready yet and asked what I could do to help them get stuff put out. They gave me a couple things to do (and a danish so I could take my meds) and I went off to help. At 8:02AM a person walked in, I was just plugging in the kettle to heat water, sie wanted tea so I told hir it would be a few minutes while the water heated that I had just plugged it in. Hir response was very snobbishly "What do you mean the water is not hot yet?" I looked at hir and said well, you weren't here 10 minutes ago to plug it in. You want it faster, then feel free to come in early and help. These ladies were up just as late as the rest of us, they are doing their best." and I walked away.
Sure sie hadn't had hir morning caffiene yet, but that was no excuse to jump all over me because the kettle isn't hot. Sie had a coffee maker in hir room, there was nothing preventing hir from using it. This is just one instance I personally encountered in the den, I witnessed many more acts of rudeness directed at the ladies running the den and other staff members in the den, during my visits there. (I was not den staff, I was just helping out while waiting for the food to be ready.)

In general many staff members were surly, rude, and just basically snappish, many came across with the "I'm staff, I'm better than you" or the I'm staff therefore I'm entitled to [...] ahead of you" attitude.

In my opinion, If you want to be involved in Arisia, and deal with hundreds of fans and random people all weekend and can't keep a pleasant attitude, no matter how stressed you get, or how tired or overworked you are, perhaps you shouldn't be doing that job. It's like any job that involves dealing with the customer, you have to keep it all to yourself so as to not take it out on the unsuspecting and not offend. I was personally offended by many of the attitudes I encountered during the weekend by staff members I did not know and who didn't know me. There are places to let it all out, you shouldn't be snapping and rude to the attendees or they will stop coming and we cant have an Arisia without them.

I have a whole essay/rant about Arisia and it's changing dynamic as of late, How I feel it's strayed from it's original mission to be all inclusive and such, how it's more of a fannish lifestyle and polyamory based con now instead of Science Fiction and Fantasy based as originally intended, and how it really needs to be able to encompass all things equally*, but I will likely not subject people to it.

Personally with the next Arisia being the 20th, I would love to see the theme be "Back to Basics" or "Back to our Roots." But since I am just a lowly staff member, costumer and artist (who BTW has worked at every Arisia in some capacity to the point of never having to purchase a membership to Arisia yet) and really do not want any other responsibility right now, who am I to say what should happen?


*Of the panels offered pre-con, 47 "fannish lifestyle" panels this year and only 12 art, 12 filk, and 8 costume panels is not treating all things equally.

Comments

[thepinnacle.livejournal.com]

It begs the question: what are people a fan of?

It used to be that Arisia was for fans of The Genres, of art, literature, gaming, et cetera... Now it seems that the focus is on being a fan of being a fan! Fandom has turned it eye on itself, and it likes what it sees.

It's self-congratulatory and narcissistic, and has definitely made Arisia lackluster for the past few years.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

It used to be that Arisia was for fans of The Genres, of art, literature, gaming, et cetera... Now it seems that the focus is on being a fan of being a fan! Fandom has turned it eye on itself, and it likes what it sees.

It's self-congratulatory and narcissistic, and has definitely made Arisia lackluster for the past few years.

This is it exactly! well said.

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

You said that so perfectly!
I am really sad seeing this happen. I feel like there is a real disrespect to art at cons recently. The fact the art show is tossed up on the 16th floor is proof enough...

[donnad.livejournal.com]

It's up there because there is no place else to put it at this hotel. Trust me we've tried to find a place for it downstairs. The elevators are such a hassle. But space in this hotel is a major problem. not many hotels that Arisia can afford have two large ballroom spaces.

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Yes it's just frustrating. I feel like they should have respected the art show enough to find a hotel that could accommodate it better instead of assuming it would be fine and just throw it up there away from everything else. I'm saying this with the perspective that THESE are the things the con is supposed to be about, but they are not considered as being one of the most important things to make room for.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Yes it's just frustrating.

Agreed, I am not only art show staff, but an artist as well.

I'm sure the art show would do much better if people didn't have to take the elevators to get to it. I know many people wont bother even seeing the art show if it's that much trouble. Thus the art show doesn't make money, thus the real professional artists stop exhibiting.

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

I'm an artist too, so I feel your pain. :P Maybe I'm a little biased.
I feel discouraged to put art in the Arisia show because of the lack of respect I feel it gets there. I know other artists who feel that way as well.
It does need a revamp - I love the idea of the back to basics thing, maybe it can still be saved?
Hopefully you'll start getting the respect you deserve.

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Thus the art show doesn't make money, thus the real professional artists stop exhibiting.

Yes exactly!
I know a bunch of professional artists who have little to no interest in bringing art to Arisia for the very reason there is a lack of interest - and then it being hard to get to causes people to avoid making the trip. Usually you don't buy art your first time around the show. You take a look, think about it and maybe come back and look at it a few more times before you settle on buying it.
When the professional artists stop coming and the quality of art goes down, then you have other professionals who just don't want to display in that art show anymore for that reason as well. It becomes this sink hole that will be hard to climb out of the worse it gets.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

I suggest all folks who like a wide-open art show go to Boskone.

They have the advantage of a con setup that is as horizontal as Arisia is vertical. (Not a knock on Arisia.)

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

i may just have to do that, and even *gasp* lookup when that is. day trip only probably though.

didn't make it to the art show because: distractions, way up top, and it just never entered my brain that it was there, i'm used to them always being at ground level and you go "oh yeah"... i love them too. lunacon isn't so huge a hotel either in some ways, but they have that room.

maybe they could rotate some art to a corded off area (and watched), in the main lobby of the hotel near the elevators. then people would SEE it as they walk by, and more signs to remind people ;) i dunno.

i do like the Hyattttt more than most hotels Arisia has been at. people suggest "get a better hotel"... well, there just aren't many good hotels for this kind of thing IN/NEAR boston. too many compromises. the better ones aren't even near the city. cost. space. timing. isues. antics. i'm well assured that these things have been thought and fought over for years (decades? :>).

#

[archangelbeth]

One thing that was a bit of an issue for us is that not only was it so high up, but the hours that it was open were... inconvenient for us. (Part of that is because of our kid -- though she's old enough to be left in Fast Track, I generally didn't want to inflict her on the poor Fast Track people for very long without me holding her metaphoric leash at least a little.)

Anyway, if I'd had more time, I might've been able to pick up print shop stuff that had caught my eye -- some of the artist GoH's, I think they were! Unfortunately, we (spouse and I) didn't really have the time to discuss it, so no money got spent there. SADNESS!

[dda.livejournal.com]

marrus did set up on a much lower floor to sell after the Art Show closed; I don't have the details. though. It is unfortunate that you couldn't make it to 16 to see her display.

the challenge of running any convention...

[happypete.livejournal.com]

is appropriately balancing every element which makes up the con, within the limits available. If you look at the minutes of the Arisia corporation--which are, I believe, open records available for your review under the laws governing non-profit organizations--you'll find that an incredible amount of agonizing goes on attempting to make that balancing act. It's perfectly appropriate to disagree with the magnitude or direction of one choice or another, and bring it up to the leadership of upcoming conventions [Nominations for the Arisia 2010 chairperson position opened on Sunday afternoon] and to the corporation.

Remember, one big reason that there are express elevators and "elevator hosts" is to hasten the trip up to Fast Track and Art Show, so that people are not discouraged from attending.

History tells us that we will not be in the Hyatt forever. You have the ability to influence where we go and what we do with the space, and what tradeoffs we make with the space we have while we are still contracted with the Hyatt.

Re: the challenge of running any convention...

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Yes there is no doubt a need for an express elevator to the high floors. It's the people who were being frustrating about various elevator things which I don't even want to get into anymore haha!

Re: the challenge of running any convention...

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

on several of the busy days in the morning, but esp checkout, the hotel staff were jumping the lines with carts, continuously shuffling and keeping people from being able to get on the elevators. a lot of people's had their blood boiling over that.

#

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

I feel like they should have respected the art show enough to find a hotel that could accommodate it better

Name one, local to Boston, that is everything to everyone.

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

I never really understood why we moved hotels in the first place...

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Because the Park Plaza WON'T let us go there.

You can't hold a convention in a place that won't give you a contract.

You mean you really didn't know this?

[nippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Do you really not understand how to not come off so arrogant and pretentious? This is EXACTLY the kind of attitude I am so incredibly tired of getting at cons.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Park Plaza didn't want us anymore.
There are very few hotels in the Boston area that are the right size and have enough function space. Many are just too big and many are just too small. Some want too much money.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

The Park Plaza was bought out by one of the larger hotel chains, as I understand it, and management changed.

They broke the contract with Arisia, and dumped us out of the hotel in preference for a medical conference of some sort. Which was smaller and wouldn't have brought as much money in, but it was a more standard convention, and the new management wasn't comfortable with science fiction conventions.

The medical conference cancelled out, and the Park Plaza was basically empty on Arisia weekend. . .

The rumor is that the option on the Hyatt for next year doesn't need to be exercised until June, and folks are going to be looking at other places, including the Park Plaza again, to see if a good deal can be negotiated. In my opinion, if we could get the Park Plaza to respect us as much as the Hyatt has, that would be ideal. The Hyatt is not a great space for Arisia, for all the reasons you've noted, and others as well, but the staff and management of the Hyatt has been amazing, last year and this year.

Notice the hot dog cart in the lobby, and the snack table, for instance, in order to allow fen food that was cheaper than hotel grub usually is. And the constant buffets, and a breakfast buffet that ran until 1 pm. These are not normal things for hotels to do, so the attitude of the Hyatt folks makes up for some of the inadequacies of the hotel.

But if we could get the Park Plaza folks to do that sort of thing, THAT would be what I'd love to see.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

That's the problem, there isn't any that will have us that we can afford.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming the new Convention Center has been attempted?

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I've seen that in several conventions recently. I got away from fandom for several years, and when I tried to return, I wasn't part of the club anymore. I was, years ago, but times change. I knew that I would have to find my way back in, but I figured "hey, I did it as an awkward teenager, how hard can it be?" Well, I mostly bounced off of fandom. I'm not a fan of fandom, I'm just a fan, and I wasn't feeling the common ground anymore. So, I'll just stick with gencon for a while. They aren't into all aspects of fandom, but damn they do gaming well.

[thepinnacle.livejournal.com]

I have been going to Dragon*Con as well for the past few years and am able to have a genuine and good fan experience there. It's just that I used to really like Arisia, and want it back.