Cons to avoid in 2016

/thread

I have an enjoyable time at otakon.

The real issue is they can not have the registration break like they do every year. It's the only pain to me.

I hate to say it because it's my "home con," but if you're into the con scene for cosplay, Anime Expo, unless you're a local.

It's just too big and crowded, too hot, and there's nowhere good for photos. It's obviously a different story if you're attending to go to panels and screenings or for exclusive merchandise, but if you're a cosplayer and thinking about flying to it, I recommend against it. The only exception, I guess, would be if you're super hungry for fame and exposure, because you're guaranteed to get a ton of hall photos there.

Another one that I'm on the fence about is ALA. I haven't at all liked the last three or four years of it. It's got the same issues with crowding and lack of photo locations, and there's no programming to make up for it, plus it's totally overrun with poke autists and the like. I'm reserving final judgement until after I see how the new location is, though.

Oh, one that's totally dead is PMX. I used to have fun there at the old location, but the one this year was absolutely pathetic and I only bothered showing up because it was 10 minutes from my house.

>>8836474
Pre registration line was the usual clusterfuck last year.
>line up at 4pm
>didn't get badge until 7:30

At least they give you the option of mailing your badge to you to avoid the shitty pre reg lines

this year will be my 10th straight otakon and still my favorite con

only bad time i ever had was in 2014 when i had to take a shit for half the con but it wouldn't come out

>>8836613
Lold.

I'll be at OTAKON this year, constipation or no. It was the con I most enjoyed in 2015, except for maybe AnimeNEXT.

What are some good Cons? I've only ever been to youmacon and want to go to more but don't know which to go to and which to avoid.

>>8836469
Otakon has sunk deeper than his sister.

>>8836839
Assuming you're from near Detroit, Colossalcon is good to check out as well as M2X.
Only bigger con around the area that's a definite "skip" is Ohayocon.

>>8836482
ALA's felt nice, but then, it's only my second con, so...

AnimeNEXT has been sinking for years and the whole moving to AC thing just seemed like the captain drilling a hole into the hull.

Katsucon I love but if you're not going for friends or the scenery there really isn't much appeal, I feel. Panels always seem dry. The guests are like "oh, look. Yaya. Again. "

>>8838892
A new con is starting a month earlier than AnimeNEXT's old date, but same location, Anime Fanfest. Not sure how it will be, but it's the same people as Long Beach Comic Con and New Jersey Comic Expo.

Castle Point Anime Convention is coming up in April, but that's oversaturated by weebos and newbs.

Liberty City Comic Con was meh last year, not great, but nothing bad either. Curious about how it'll do in Times Square this year. Sure there will be plenty of cosplayers and photographers who will think about trying to shoot outside the con in the pedestrian sidewalks, so get ready for people bitching about tourists and being harassed by police.

Heard bad reviews about Neward Comic Con last year and Garden State Comic Con, both those are relatively local to me too. I'd do the Steampunk World Faire, but I'm not into that, even if some of the outfits with corsets look great.

Ryan Koph cons

>>8836469
Ive never been to Otakon, but Ive always wanted to go someday because it seems fun. Isnt it moving to a larger facility in 2017? Does /cgl/ think it will be better after that?

Otakon is having its last year in the Baltimore Covention Center this year after 17 years. Its gonna be buttoned down pretty good.

Next year in DC, *that* will be interesting, especially since Metro frowns on cosplay.

>>8839077
The new convention center will be bigger, but I'm sure there'll be some growing pains with transplanting the convention, at least in the first year. Baltimore's my favorite city in the US, but I also won't lie in saying that DC will be much more clean/sanitary.

>>8841153
I don't know why they didn't just move it to the National Harbor's convention center, especially when places like MAGfest can get it. It's so much larger, and it's much more off to the side, so I'm sure things would be a lot more lax with cosplay.

>>8836469
Did anyone purchase the omakase box with the free otakon registration badge? I bought the box but still haven't gotten my registration email for otakon and I was wondering if anyone else was in the same situation, or can confirm they got their email eventually?

So otakon is moving to DC? Is that the only drama? The good news is that's a lot closer for me

>>8841188
I don't go to Otakon enough to know if there are any other problems, but yeah, it's moving to DC.

>>8836540
>saw line on thursday
>lol no not again
>gets up at 10:30 friday to get badge
>absolutely 0 line

We literally walked right up to the booth. I'd like to thank all you people who waited all afternoon Thursday so I could have no line on Friday.

Colossalcon is starting to get overrated, in my opinion. I went to Daishocon this year and thought it was much better. The kalahari was bigger, had better places to take photos, and wasn't over saturated with photographers.

>>8841186
I'm kind of salty about that whole promo because they decided to do it on the second box and not the first, which is when I signed up, so that made me ineligible.

>>8841186
I did. You should've gotten an email on the 26th with something to fill out, and once you do that (by Feb 3rd) you get the email with the registration code like a week after the 3rd.

>>8841415
Yeah, I figured that it was supposed to come a few days ago but I never saw the email and looked through my spam as well... I tried to contact the Omakase users about it but they haven't responded yet and I'm starting to get nervous about it since I didn't even want this naruto box to begin with if it wasn't for the bonus badge. Thanks though!

Otakon is a fantastic con. The only reason why it has pre-reg line issues is because the BCC is a dated convention center that needs overhaul (the networking capabilities of the BCC have not been upgraded in many years) and Otakon utilizing the net to link membership IDs to badges causes the network to crash (when they are doing 26 people at once). That is a big reason as to why its moving to DC on top of space reasons (The DC convention center is more up to date). Although, the DC Convention Center has the worst setup for shooting and just a terrible convention center all around (AwesomeCon shows why its not a good convention center).

Honestly, Katsucon is super overrated. The Gaylord scenery, friends, not having to go outside, and not needing a badge to roam around is the only reason its popular....since the convention itself is poorly managed and run badly, greatly overpriced rooms/food, and content is super mediocre compared to many other cons. Plus good luck having photographers use fancy equipment since the hotel is going to ask you to take it down...yet they never say a word at MAGFest.

Colossalcon isn't worth it unless you want to party and drink, along w/ hang at the pool. Parking is becoming an issue, convention center is dark and small, and hotel fills up in no time and pricey.

>>8841588
>Implying anyone goes to Katsucon to do things other than take photos and cosplay
>Implying anyone goes to Colossalcon to do things other than drink and hang out at the pool

Have fun with your DC move

>>8841588

Bullshit. Ota could get a vendor to come in and drop removable fiber to up speeds and process registration. Other cons do it. The reason prereg has issues - and has issues EVERY FUCKING YEAR - is because Ota leadership would rather blow money on a cash-losing vacation in vegas than run a competent con. Hours long waits shouldn't be acceptable year after year. Anime Boston had a linecon in 08 and the very next year it was like 40 minutes to pick up the badge. Ota is five plus hour waits every. con.

DC seems like it's going to be a shitshow.

Katsu is going to be really screwed the day they lose Gaylord as a venue.

>>8839074

Ditto, granted, Anime Midwest is Lolita friendly. It's not so interesting for cosplay and guest events. At least there's more room for cosplay photos compared to ACen. Idk how many times you can get away with the same guests and still be interesting.

Cogscon. Shit con run by a sad excuse for a "college" that won't even buy the studios the gear they much need.

Don't support their greed. It's literally a shit show put together in the library and lame excuse for a "student center"

>>8841869
>Katsu is going to be really screwed the day they lose Gaylord as a venue.
Knock on wood anon

>>8841869
Otakon is really poorly run. I haven't even been to one in years, but even back then it was pretty bad.

Waiting in the prereg line is ridiculous, when most bigger conventions similar to it have upgraded to electronic options. It's usually too hot, and I'd rather be off having fun and doing things than to stand in line for 2-5 hours. Then there's the nightmare of the line being capped and you waiting for nothing.

It's expensive! I don't know how much tickets cost now, but when I stopped it was about $70. Too expensive for something that doesn't get going until Friday at Noon and ends basically around 2pm Sunday.

The programming has no variation. It's flavor-of-the-year. If you're into whatever is popular that year, you'll have a great time. If you aren't, have fun wandering the halls doing nothing all weekend.

The last year I went, they also made some really questionable choices about the rooms they hosted panels in. The biggest rooms on the top floor sat empty, playing movies or episodes of things. Meanwhile big name guests were put in the small rooms on the middle floor, which of course filled up in about 5 minutes.

>>8841200
You know you fucked up when a TSA Supervisor tells an Otakon staffer that their line management sucks. His quote on line management shut the staffers excuses up real quick. "My checkpoint terminal processes your total number of paid attendees in one hour. And that includes the patdowns"

Just let that one sink in for a moment.

>>8841588

The key difference with MAG and Katsu is that you're trading off Katsu's cosplay scene for MAG's way better everything

>>8841882
Warning about Jimmy's Tube Sock Con: The venue is literally a tube sock.
What do you mean you've never heard of it and wouldn't have gone anyway?

>>8841588
>staff has little to no idea what is going on
>wifi for vendors never works
>baltimore
>staff generally just does dick all day then lets themselves into things first
>it's easier to pay the excess money and buy a new badge at the doors on friday that it is to pick up a pre-reg'd badge
>baltimore

I'm sure it will be better in DC but everyone has given up motivation with the BCC

>>8838892
AnimeNEXT felt overall, average this year. The weather was terrible but that's something you really can't control. I would say at it's old location it was a decent local con for a newbie but who knows this upcoming year.

Katsu is a weird con overall. I kind of call it a business con, not great in content but you can make a lot of connections and personally it's one of the only chances I get to see certain friends or get a better chance to meet friends of friends.

>>8841588
Ok, I don't go to Otakon for petty reasons but it seems like my friends come back every year saying either A. they had a bad time or B. they had a fun time but when they weren't actually at the con. Its a lot of money to be at a con with a lot of people (how much space they have be damned, I prefer cons around 15K) and during what's usually the worst part of summer.

>>8841905
Ngl, if they lost the gaylord, magfest would get fucked over hard with a bunch of people coming just for photos.

>>8841931
Magfest sounds nice but it also sucks if you are a college student since it starts right around the time the new semester starts.

>>8836469
any good cons in Minnesota?

>>8841178
>I don't know why they didn't just move it to the National Harbor's convention center

Because Katsucon has 15,000 guests and takes up all of National Harbor. Otakon has 30,000. Even if you could fit Otakon into the Gaylord and the Residence Inn, hotel booking would be a clusterfuck. National Harbor just isn't big enough for Katsucon.

>>8841153
> Metro frowns on cosplay.

What?

>>8841588
>Although, the DC Convention Center has the worst setup for shooting and just a terrible convention center all around

Agreed. It's huge, but ugly as sin. The hotels also aren't clustered as densely around it as they are at the BBC... which means Friday is going to be a weird mess of cosplayers walking around that area alongside very buttoned-down normies going to work.

Taking photos outside the Carnegie Library should be good though.

>>8843202
>mfw I'd go to Magfest just to see the Gaylord and get good cosplay photos without forking out a fuckton for Katsucon
At least in my defense my friend who wants to go is into gaming while I'm not familiar with anything past Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and Ace Attorney.

>>8836469
I never gone to the convention but I heard from the news that this is the last year of Otakon being in Baltimore, Maryland. It has grown to large for The Baltimore Convention Center to hold the convention. It is moving to DC.

>>8836642
I went to both of those cons last year and I thought otakon was better. What i didn't like last year was nycc. Just not worth the money or time anymore. Anyone know how anime boston is? haven't been in years

>>8841513
I contacted them the day of the make sure they were coming and they were super quick to respond, so hopefully it all gets sorted out for you!

>>8838984
I regularly go to CPAC because the staff is actually very responsive to criticism and it's only one day to kinda just relax and enjoy the weather. I've been going for the past five or so years and it only rained once and it was at the end of the con when everyone was already leaving.
The scenery is good for shoots too if you know where to go. And Serbs usually don't know where that is so it keep shoots nice quiet and private.

I went to wakuwaku last year. It wasn't too out of the way but it was too small for the crowd. It was most definitely a jfash friendly con but the "game room"was next to the stage (with project diva being next to the speakers so good luck with that) and the announcers on the stage were all cringey and trying way too hard.
Like that awkward three minute improv dance AoT display. Ick.

>>8843273
Convergence over July 4 weekend is really the only good one. 2DCon has potential, but it's only a 2nd year con. Anime Detour is a complete joke, and Anime Fusion really doesn't have much to write home about.

>>8838802
M2X seems to be having some really unclear planning right now. I get that it's still like3 months away, but couldn't they at least give us something?

>>8844422
Yeah, actually they did email me today about it and I just filled mine; they were pretty helpful. Thanks!

>>8844417

Anime Boston is imo run pretty well. They tend to get good guests and decent panels. The attendees run pretty young though and there's not much great cosplay, and it sucks for shooting. Probably depends what you're looking to get out of the con.

>>8844799
Boston has always been my crew's #1 pick for a larger con. #2 would have to be animenext. Curious to see how Atlantic city is. My only wish is that free hotel stays for gambling align with the con, but I doubt they'd make that mistake.

>>8841872
ACen can't seem to get it's shit together in that respect, but Anime Midwest seems like a crapshoot in panel sense. honestly the lack of staff at ACen is what makes me wanna avoid it this year.

>>8841905

If Katsu loses the Gaylord, MAGFest gets royally fucked because all the cosplay tryhards migrate over there

>>8846149


Homestuck, Homestuck panels everywhere. It's like whatever got rejected at ACen ends up at Anime Midwest. Midwest 2015 also had a small staffing issue

I'd say PMX is a big maybe, it was so dead this year i wouldn't be going next year if i hadn't won a free badge..

>>8841930
jesus how terrible

I'm not sure on ALA the move didn't totally kill it like PMX this year but we'll see i guess

>>8846855
Very true. There was a lot if that at AZap one year.

Is Anime Iowa or Zing any better?

>>8851275

I've only staffed at Midwest but if they have unique guests instead of the guest pool Ryan cons tend to use, it's a bit better. I'm actually impressed they managed to get Studio Trigger as a guest for Midwest.

>>8836839
Dragon Con is awesome

Pottercon in England

Their guest of honour is someone who was almost an extra on Harry Potter.

Instead of a tiny minor character who actually got screen time they get an extra who was cut from the final films

>>8844417
I've been to Anime Boston every year since around 2007 and have always enjoyed it. It was my first anime con and I think that if you have a good crew going with you it's awesome, plus the venue and events are pretty decent.

>>8852264
Dragoncon is awesome indeed, but getting a host hotel or any hotel for that matter in downtown Atlanta is nigh impossible unless you feel like dropping $600+ per night for a room.

File: 1400146767457.png (313KB, 662x587px) Image search: [Google]

313KB, 662x587px

>>8852413

Can I ask which events you think are meh? I've only been twice, and I had a great time both years, but I didn't really enjoy any of the panels I went to. I ended up just taking pictures of people and hanging out with my friends the whole time instead.

I assumed it was just because i'm a bit older than the average AB attendee (mid-20s), but maybe I also just happened to go to bad panels? If you have any recommendations I'd really appreciate it! (and that goes for anyone else who's been to AB)

>>8853111

oh god I meant to ask which events are good not meh. don't /cgl/ and drink.

>>8836540
I was near the end of the line when they told us to head home in the early evening. Tons of people waited in line and got screwed over; thankfully they opened registration up earlier on Friday morning so there wasn't an insane line to get badges for everyone.

Does anyone know if a new con will be moving into the Baltimore Convention Center, since Otakon is on the way out?

>>8841186
I did it, but I still haven't gotten the box despite them claiming they delivered it. I asked them to look into it and they said it probably got stolen. It's a good thing I just wanted the discounted registration because I'd be pretty pissed otherwise.

>>8853135
The convention center is being updated/remodel and expanded(maybe).

>>8853138
If it's anything like the rest of Baltimore, they'll start removing things then not have the money to replace them.

>>8839074

Seconded. What a shithead.

>>8846149

I've always had more problems with Kopf's disinterested staff than I ever did with ACen's lack of it. Kopf staffers don't care, have no interest in the success of the con, and tend to be extremely rude/immature.

>>8839074
Does he still own Anime California? since that is an awesome Kopf con

I just hope Otakon stays in DC for good just for the convenience and ease of access factor.

>>8853193

This. It doesn't help that Maryland is such a garbage state with nothing going for it but the aquarium.

File: apdkvng.png (451KB, 1142x453px) Image search: [Google]

451KB, 1142x453px

Does anyone in this board likes Animeland Wasabi, I'm curious cause most of my friends aren't going due to past legality battles. And am I retard for just realizing like 30 seconds ago that their mascot looks like a downgraded pipboy avatar from Fallout (pic related)?

File: NlpoJTFG.png (84KB, 512x512px) Image search: [Google]

84KB, 512x512px

>>8854398
>pipboy

>>8839077
There have been rumors about the DC move since 2008. Last summer they said it would be DC 2016, now it's pushed to 2017.... Proof or I don't believe it.

>>8841915
>The programming has no variation. It's flavor-of-the-year. If you're into whatever is popular that year, you'll have a great time. If you aren't, have fun wandering the halls doing nothing all weekend.

This is so fucking true. I was literally in Japan for 2 years, so I wasn't up on US regional anime trends. Thought I could jump back in at Otakon... NOPE. If you hadn't seen Attack On Titan, Sword Art Online, and Kill La Kill last year, there was literally nothing.

>>8844527
M2X is my favorite con, I've gone the past two years but they've dropped the ball this year. No guest announcements, hotel change, and we're just 3 months out. Might as well just cancel it at this point.

>>8854499
So, how the hell do you even fix Otakon?

>>8854516
More general enthusiast panels. Things like the science behind mechas (favorite panel last year), craft classes, japanese-culture-centric stuff like festivals, food, holidays, japanese art?, history, history of certain animation studios, more class japanese gaming (gamefreak panel?), ghibli crap, and all the cult groups and special interests.

There's a lot that would be more widely appealing. You could even charge a $5 materials fee and require pre-registration for more involved cooking/crafting panels.

>>8854531

Not sure about Ota, but our con can't do any programming that involves food due to our contract with the convention center - they have exclusive "food vendor" rights with a few exceptions for stuff like packaged pocky in the DR, etc. But you could do panels with no hands on / tasting element.

>>8854531
Panels are only as good as the people who submit them, though. If the good panelists stayed away because of the reasons a lot of people did this year, then yeah programming's gonna suffer for it.

File: cryingotacon.jpg (67KB, 600x337px) Image search: [Google]

67KB, 600x337px

>>8836892

>>8836469
All of them

/thread

>>8836469
Anything in the midwest

This creepy ass Mr. Yan motherfucker right here, do not go to any con he jockeys at. There is absolutely nothing about him that is even remotely Japanese culture related, yet he goes to several different anime cons every year.

He is a symbol of bad home cons in both the south and the midwest.

File: Peter Pixie banner2012c.jpg (701KB, 1007x504px) Image search: [Google]

701KB, 1007x504px

>>8858804
dropped pic

>>8858627
So basically any con owned by Ryan Kopf?

>>8858806
Dude.. this guy is still around? I remember when he use to run Anime Fest Wichita, creep wouldn't leave me and my friends alone. He legit followed us around the con till we met up with our guy friends during that cons first year

>>8858838
YEP, unfortunately.

I don't think smaller midwest/south cons will ever be redeemable, too many creeps and too much cringe.

NYCC is not worth it. Too crowded, expensive, and anything worth doing is a bitch to get into.

They need to get their crowd control together and stop letting in so many people at once. If they really expect people not to stay all day they should issue discount half-day tickets or something. Otherwise the convention center gets packed and the competition to see, buy, or attend anything feels dangerously claustrophobic.

>>8858861
>
On the topic of creeps, here's some info on AnimeNEXT's chair. The entire staff is aware he has a fetish for Asians and just ignores the fact that he totes around these 2 Asian girls half his age for "special perks"... it's fucking disgusting.

>>8858806
Ugh, I know. I'm so tired of him. He's def creepy and tries way too hard to be 'one the kids'. All he wears is this shitty steampunk/ye old time/larp lookin shit..

>>8858806
But after so long, how do you get a con to stop bringing him back??