Thoughts on the con

Great con this year in my opinion, i think it was a bigger turn out then last year wasnt it?
Great job with the volunteers and security (props to the tri-city toy soldiers) they did a great job of keeping everything running as smoothly as possible, and providing us with drinks and food!
Next year would be cool to possibly move to a larger location, maybe the arena (I know, to expensive) or someplace not so spread out. I think we could get more vendor booths to come out and set up.

All in all, a great job for just being the 2nd year of the Con!!
Thanks to all who helped put it on, and will defnatly see you all next year.

Compared to last year, it didn't seem so spread out. I liked how the events were in college, cataldo and jepson. I liked the location a lot better than where the dance was last year. Great job in getting College Hall.

Could the board game room possibly have games like jenga and checkers next year?

I was a volunteer GM this year.

- I want to personally thank RPG director Big C for his quick thinking. Jepson 019 was a brilliant last-minute changeup and fit our theme perfectly. You rock.

- The volunteer staff were incredibly warm and helpful, especially with multiple security issues. MUCH improved from last year IMO.

- [edit] This last question has been answered offline 8/3/09. Thanks!

That's too bad. Looking at the maps and virtual tour it looked the same as I remember but my memory aint so great.

There were many things that were good. The guests were smart, nice and willing to chat. The gaming space was big enough and well layed out. Lots of good programming options. Registration was smooth. Ops really went all out when my friend lost his check book to help him find it.

There were a few things that could be improved on. I tried to go to the MMSC both Friday and Saturday. It was not conducive to conversation. I could barely hear John Dalmas when he spoke inches from my ear. Getting around in the space to actually sit down and talk to someone was difficult. Perhaps more space could be alotted so that there could be some chat space around where you could also have a drink with a freind. The on campus housing is not working for me. This is the second time I have tried it and both times there was an issue with bedding (i.e. not enough and no easy way to resolve it). Individual Gonzaga staff we met with were very polite and as helpful as they could be, there just didn't seem to be any organization. We were in Welch and it was beastly hot. I literally couldn't sleep the first night and went out and slept in the car. I bought a fan the next night and it was bearable. Getting breakfast for before the early panel was tough. THere were some reasonable restaurants for lunch and dinner but the best breakfast option was Starbucks. Don't know an easy fix for that.

All in all, a very good effort and we bought our passes for next year.

Gremdel thanks for volunteering! I sent you a PM regarding that...

Everyone who is taking time to make comments here: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
I take your criticism with the attitude of you helping us be better for next year. Some of the problems mentioned here I knew about and some not and I appreciate all that were mentioned!

Overall I hear people being very understanding with our mistakes and with the facilities, but I don't want people to suffer with the same housing problems. It is unexcusable that some of the SAME problems with housing from last year, occurred this year again.

As the Con Chair for 2010 I want to hear anything that we need to correct. I will do my best to keep these things in mind and make the corrections that are necessary.

Dave Morris

PS keep the comments coming! Thank you to those who share the kudos.

My Review

Before I start on this let me remind you that I spent most of my time in the anime rooms and making sure they ran smoothly. I did try to get out from time to time to walk around to various things and places. From what I saw, these are my thoughts:

Coming on Friday, I felt things were slightly disorganized. People were wandering around not sure where things were or were lost. When I got my goodie bag, I noticed that there wasn't much of a map at all. Also, I noticed that some bags had figurines while others like mine, didn't. I am not sure if that was a first come first serve basis. My badge number was 395. I misplaced my badge from last year so I cannot prove that claim. I feel like a goody bag ought to contain everything that the next person gets, regardless when they got there to register.

Unlike some people, I really like the fact that we had college hall to our disposal. I was as hot as the next person and it was a real damper that they had classes going in one of the rooms all weekend. I really liked the theatre that was used for the masquerade and opening ceremonies. It was open and there were plenty of seating. It served well for the panels, masquerade, concerts and rave. The theatre being used for the rave was really excellent. The location last year was down in the basement of the LAN room. It was relatively small and wasn't easily accessible. I liked how the rave had more than two people there. The Dealer's room was a lot more organized this year though. Rather than having different vendors in different rooms, they were all put in Cataldo in that big room.

Even though the mad marmot mystery boxes were a neat idea, it wasn't very well advertised. I totally forgot about it until the end at the closing ceremonies. I wish that there were more signs about it or even a message about it in the pocket guide and the big booklet that everyone had. What I also find interesting were those mad marmot parties. I saw pictures from Chris's facebook concerning it and also discussion here. Was it just a private party where only 'select persons' got in or could any attendee come? If the latter was the case, then why not advertise that better as well? The art show was pretty cool, however, why censor some of the art? There were other pieces there that had decapitated barbie heads (I think that's what it was) but they censored nudity on a painting? The LAN room looked pretty awesome. Who wouldn't like to watch Star Trek and Family guy while they played games? Comments about the anime rooms and to myself. Megan and I ought to be a little more organized next year. The masquerade was well done too.

I regret not going to any of the panels except my own...especially that theory one from Sunday.

Hospitality and the security guys were awesome. The food was cheap and the guys really took care of the volunteers and attendees. I remember them always checking in on occasion asking if everyone was alright in the anime rooms and seeing if anyone needed water. Whenever doors were locked or anything, these guys were on top of it. Not only did they do their job well, they were also very fun to hang and talk with during the down times. I would love to see these guys again next year. I also liked how they got in the spirit with dying their hair the con colors.

In short, here are things to improve on. Better maps, better advertising of events and their changes, and perhaps more explanations? I only really know anime and do not know much else cept characters' names in Star Trek and Star Wars (Spock, R2D2) I never knew what filk or LARP or some of this other stuff was until just recently. Perhaps reiterate on those topics that some do not know about? A FAQ page in the booklet perhaps?

I am sorry I couldn't give a better review. I will try to wander around more next year.

I have never been to GU before and I got hella lost. I asked some people where certain panels where and they were just as lost as me. There really should have been better signage pointing people in the right direction and updated schedule adjustments. I understand that you have lots (some might say to much) planned but does it really need to be so spread out? Finally, I was telling my buddy about it and he wanted to go with me on Saturday but you don't sell single days passes. What's up with that? Sorry, I enjoyed getting to meet some people and see some panels, but I really left frustrated.

I'm probably going to sound like a total witch here. I'm sorry, but I feel like SpoCon was almost a waste of my money this year. I really enjoyed last year and just wrote off any problems as first year hiccups. There was no excuse for some things this year though.

This year the programming I wanted to go to was divided between two buildings, Jepson and the administration building. The distance between them wasn't terribly far, but it was difficult to constantly have to go between them. Also, the admin building was always so hot. I much preferred last year when most of the panels I wanted were in Jepson and it was always so nice and cool in there. The only thing I really liked being in there was the rave. That was something that was just tons above last year. Great job!

The guests this year didn't seem nearly as accessible as last year's. They were brusque and stand-offish and didn't seem to be having any fun at all. Tim Zahn and the other guests last year were very nice and seemed very happy to be at the convention with their fans. Not so this year. Actually the quality of guest this year overall seemed to be down from last year's. The only one I'd ever heard of before the convention was Modesitt.

I wasn't a big fan of this year's marmot club either. It was just dead when I went in late on Friday, and the lady carding at the door didn't remember me but just asked me if I'd been in before and waved me on by when I went back in without carding me. She didn't have a stamp or a bracelet or anything to show that she had previously carded me. I don't see how the party wasn't shut down by authorities with almost no security like that! Can't remember if the security was better last year or not, but it really needs to be improved next year. More hosts each night would be wonderful too. I loved the mad marmot drink at RadCon this year. It'd be great to see that served at the mad marmot CLUB.

I think my final point is that I don't appreciate that the artwork was censored with sticky notes. I don't CARE if the piece isn't an original, it's degrading and disrespectful to the artists to just stick stuff all over their work! I understand if you want to keep the convention a family event, but this is art. The kids are going to see more nudity going to most museums than they would at this exhibit. And if you want to censor the art, do it in a way that's not so noticeable. Tell the artists not to send "racy" work if you don't want it at your show. But never ever ever should you just go sticking things to the art once it's there. Sorry, but that to me is so unforgivable.

Please don't get me wrong the things that were good about this year's SpoCon were really good. The panels I got to (when I could muster up the energy to brave an un-air conditioned building) I really enjoyed. But there were some major problems this year too. I left feeling disappointed with the convention this year. Sorry guys. Wish I had more positive things to say for this year. Hopefully some things change for next time.

Thank you for all of your comment. I pulled thing together here so I can address then as we are always looking for feedback on making SpoCon better.

The hundreds of surveys we have gotten from promotions at a number of other conventions have shown that along with the dealers room and art show, room parties round out the top three "required" items. One primary reason that we have Mad Marmot Social Club is there is one location on Campus that alcohol can be served. We can't have traditional room parties as with other Cons at a Hotel. So, we got creative with what we had to work with. We have been discussing having a venue for an alcohol free gathering spot as well. This requires personnel to organize it, plan it, and staff it. Would you be willing to step up and help make it happen?

Last year, our signage... well, sucked. We added a number of blue sign posts to help Fans out, posted maps in the buildings. We are somewhat limited on now much signage we can put up, at least in size, and need to be considerate for the facilities. We did have a campus map on the pocket guide with the buildings we were in highlighted. Do you think a similar map in the larger program guide would be good (or better) as well? Perhaps large maps printed up like we have for the programming grids on the walls?

This is a very important comment... too much programming. For the spread out part we are working with the facilities that we have to work with. I'm not sure how good College Hall is for regular programming -- I was offered a number of statements about the desks. What do you think about them? (they are also a PITA to move back.. whew). Since we are not in one big building, we do need to have some in one building, some in another. We did a lot of moving around to try to keep things in balance. Do you have any suggestions as to what you feel would work better?

If I had the room, I could write a book about day passes pro's and con's (no pun intended... okay, maybe only slightly). First off, they are a logistical and security hassle. If you have not been behind the scenes, this is not the easiest thing to understand. I for one did not until I started running events that got larger and larger and then got involved with SpoCon. Thousands of hours of man-hours are put into planning and running SpoCon and we present what we think is a package deal from start to finish. Somewhat like a movie -- if you get you ticket and watch the movie regardless if you are early, late, or leave halfway through, the movie ticket price is the same. If you do the math, the price per hour is much, much less for Spocon -- about 75 cents vs. $4.00 for a movie. No, we do not have the production quality of a Hollywood, and not even a Bollywood, movie, but we try.

I am sorry you left feeling frustrated. As the administrative vice-chair for 2010, I would love to hear your ideas on how we can make things better. We do what we do for two reasons: To raise money for books for schools, and to provide an event to celebrate and honor fandom. Without you, the fans, we really don't have much of a purpose and if we're doing it wrong, let us know some ideas on fixing int. We are not perfect, and always are on the look out for new ideas and ways to improve this thing called SpoCon. With your help, it can only get better.

Thank you again for all of your comments.

I think it needs to be stated that said "group" attempted to make contact several months prior regarding the opening ceremony. After being told that the ceremony was "covered" and their idea for the skit rejected, said group waited for a proposed skit to be composed. 3 days before the event, they were given the idea for the ceremony. After discussion and review, they felt it wasn't in their best interest and were uncomfortable with the subject matter.

With a prior knowledge of the skit and more than 3 days notice, perhaps something could have been worked out.

Or perhaps "Opening Welcome"... the wife and I were discussing it a bit last night.

Posting my onions and roses now...

Good Stuff:
*As a pro, I truly feel that we were treated quite well, and made to feel very welcome.
*The Party Room was a lot of fun
*The Dealers Room was very well laid out, and blessedly cool!

Stuff that needs improvement:
*Lack of security carding at the Party Room: It was very disconcerting to be waved into the party, whether you showed ID or not. The WSLCB is very insistent that if alcohol is served at any sort of event of this kind, you must card, and everyone must have their ID on their person, regardless if they look like they are 17 or 70. I don't want the con to lose the ability to hold these type of events.
*Food service: Hospitality was minimal. They worked very hard, I will give them that! Better variety of foodage would be good: sammiches, or frozen burrito/Hot Pocket type things work well. In the distant past, I ran hospitality at Incon sometimes, and I had everyone on the ComCon bake or bring at least a couple dozen cookies to sell. This might be an option too.
*Communication on panels/schedules/location: minimal, and I never did understand the map on the pocket program. Again, from past experience, a "Daily 'Zine" that shows schedule changes and other stuff that needs to be communicated works very well. We did it at Westercon, they do it at most big cons as well... and YES, Timmeh, I am willing to help on that part!
*Panel room size: Both Tom and I didn't get to see panels we really wanted to, because the rooms were already full. Larger rooms are needed, especially for the unique panels/large draw panels.

The accomodations are... Spartan. I know that heat happens, but honestly, the dorms were almost the same rate as the hotel, without all the conveniences like air conditioning, decent beds, elevators... not worth the savings. Next year, we are definitely doing a hotel room.

My $.02, adjusted for inflation. Am I coming back next year? Absolutely! It is heartening to see such a caring base of people who saw the need for a con in Spokane, and who have risen to the challenge. Keep going, folks!

-Momi

I love that idea.

First I would like to say thanks for having us (Dragondyne Publishing) out. Except for a couple hickups we had a great time. The two hickups we ran into where.

1) The gaming room we where assigned for our game demos wasn't setup when we arrived on friday. It was just a jumble of tables on one side of the room and chairs in a heap in the other. With a little elbow grease we got this one solved.

2) Finding the Mad Marmot Social. This was a big one. I spent several hours on Friday trying to find out where it was and where I was supposed to be for the meeting. After talking to everyone I could find that was either in a yellow shirt or on security. I ended up at hospitality for about a half hour, since in the program book the Social and Hospitality where listed in the same room. When no one showed up for the meeting I started looking for people again and as luck would have it stumbled into some friends from Radcon, that just happened to have the Spocon Chairs phone number. After a phone call I finally found out where the social was taking place.

Like I said other than these two hickups we had a great time and our tasty beverage (Manzala Sunrise, also known as the orange stuff) was a hit.

Dustin Gross
aka Tanis Dragon
Dragondyne Publishing