Let's talk panels

Not really going to express what panels to allow or whatnot, but for the love of god, please do only ONE for each fandom; having multiple from the same one is so offputting

>>9111691
Yeah, no worries there. Nobody needs 3 panels on Undertale, that's for sure.

Only one I'd consider is Pokemon because it really has a universal appeal and way too many aspects.

>>9111654
If you don't open submissions for the vast majority to the public, you won't have panels. I've run a huge variety of panels. Probably my best turnouts were for live movie riffing. Lesser known fandom stuff can get big crowds too. I did a Batsu games panel and filled up the room entirely. Did the same for a panel focusing on amazing anime series that younger fans or more mainstream fans wouldn't know about.

Fandom panels for series with annoying fanbases are not worth approving. SJW ones are an irritating trend... maybe let the least shitty sounding one through and that's it.

It would help to ask panel submitters what their panel experience is and the extent of their expertise on the topic.

>>9111731
A batsu game panel sounds amazing! What'd you do?

Thanks for the advice as well, quite informative.

>>9111654
Please have a few interactive panels. I like when I actually feel involved in the panel and not just siting there.

>>9111764
That's what I'm really hoping for! We're aiming to become a con where people can interact with both activities and each other. We also want to be able to give people something to take home with them - such as inspiration for getting into a new hobby, encouraging them to get involved in community activities (like LARP and Quidditch), and even ideas for job prospects. I think we did pretty well last time. Our booze and board games after dark event was pretty popular.

I don't expect everyone that submits a panel will have an interactive aspect, but it'd be nice. I'd love to run a game show myself.

>>9111785
I hosted an origami panel which everyone loved and sounds exactly like what you'd be looking for.

>>9111793
Sounds really great, anon! I do a little origami myself from time to time so I might be able to organise something like that.

Hi, unrelated to OP's question but since this is a panel thread, I thought I should ask.

What do you want to see from ask panels? I'm part of a panel group, and we're planning on holding an ask panel. Ask panels are horribly overdone as-is, but since we've already done a basic as hell version of our panel, we wanna step it up a lot.

Is there anything in specific that would make you stay at an ask panel? Any ways to improve audience interactivity? Thanks in advance!

I almost always have a good time at niched panels; give someone who knows what they're talking about an hour to go into the details of how Sailor Moon was distributed in the US, a discussion panel about the current state of cartoons, a few industry folks discussing genre fictions shifting role in mainstream media for the past fifty years...

Also, utilize your guests.

When it comes to cosplay panels, allow them, but apply quality control. Encourage scripted parts and demand a set list of participants no less than one-two months in advance.

Crafting workshops are always popular, a discussion on fabric properties with samples being sent into the crowd, a live showcase on a cosplay make up panel, stuff like that.

>>9111805
Plant. Questions. This is obligatory. I can't believe we still have to tell this to people. Plant some questions, and plan out a course of action that will follow. That way it's not just back and forth, but it actually brings a chain of events.

Framing devices are also useful.

>>9111925
Ah yeah, thank you for that. We've already planned on planting questions, but I'm glad to hear that again. I'll have to pitch framing devices -- thank you!

>>9111925
Hm... If I get any QA panel submissions, I guess I might give them that suggestion too if they seem a bit clueless but enthusiastic.

A friend of mine who is an amazing speaker (almost stand up comedy level) once filled a panel with weird facts about Japan. The ones weebs usually dont know. Like the penis festival and bees hugging wasps to death. He called it 'WTF Japan' and it was quite a hit.

One of the funniest panels I've ever been to was at AWA, with a guy who used to do VA work showcasing clips from terrible dubs. Like Garzey's Wing terrible. He had a whole bunch of obscure stuff and funny commentary. Filled one of the huge halls all by himself.

There was also a similar one where a different guy showed off stupid Japanese commercials.

So from what I've seen, clip showcase panels can be really good, if a bit non-interactive.

I've been to a few cons but never bothered with the panel part but thus girl in my comm is gonna do a panel for lolita and I kind of want to go.
What am I expecting here? Just her talking about the fashion?

>>9111805
This just reminded me of a terrible ask panel a group of friends wanted to do so I'm going to make a list of basic newbie points for anyone who wants to do one.

-Don't make it shippy. Please, please don't make character A sit on B's lap and smooch for the audience. It's painful and awful and just no.
If you get shippy questions just make a joke about it.
-Don't be hellbent on keeping things funny. It's best to keep things light but if someone asks about a character death or if they have theories about the show go with it and keep in character. Obvious, yes, but too many ask panels focus on the lolz and dank maymays at the expense of being interesting.
-Don't wear bad cosplay. Again, it's obvious, but if you have a fat cow-tittied girl crossplaying as a thin boy it's just shit all round, and the same goes for ill-fitting clothes and SNK makeup. Effort will not go unnoticed.

-Do know if you're doing manga or anime. Seriously, I've been to some SNK panels where some douche asked about a major revelation in the manga and most of the audience and panelists had only watched the anime. Write 'anime only' or 'possible spoilers' in huge letters on the door, just in case. Smug autists won't stop once they realize people aren't caught up on stuff, they'll just do their best to ruin the panel.
-Do plant interesting questions. Theories and discussions on interesting plot points are better than just 'Why do you like x', since they lead to more audience participation.
-Do have a backup plan in case someone's late or can't make it, and make sure any equipment you need is working.
-Do make sure everyone is comfortable with public speaking and winging it if someone asks an unexpected question. People who get offended when someone insults them/their character, who don't understand boundaries, or who can't come up with a good comeback are not people who should be doing this.
-Do bring water, seriously.

That's all I can think of for now.

>>9112953
I'm aiming to try and go to that Penis Festival next year actually.

>>9113404
Pretty interesting, anon! Thanks.

>>9113414
If her title for the panel doesn't really specify, I'd imagine it might be an introduction to it.

How about trivia/game show panels? Do people enjoy those or are they getting worn out?

>>9114932
Guess it depends on the con?

Trivia and game shows panels are pretty rare here in Australia so they'd probably be popular. There's not many cons that allow public submissions and usually nothing on that scale.

So does any one have tips for a lecture style panel? I'm working on a History of Cosplay panel and I want to find a way to keep the audience invested and participated in some way.

>>9111654
I've ran a good handful at panels at different cons so here's some advice for what I look for in a panel coordinator.

- Communicate. Send out emails and schedules earlier if possible. Always give a beta so things can change if needed. Make sure they mention extra electrical supplies they need (or things like tables).

- Try to have 15 or 30 minute gaps between panels. Panels with no gaps will always run late and set up in general just becomes total shit.

- Don't have more than two panels of the same thing. Quote >>9111720 "Nobody needs 3 panels on Undertale".

- Ask panels will be popular to submit but not popular to attend. Try to not accept too many, especially for older fandoms like Homestuck.

- Give priority to panels that look well thought out. They have good descriptions, they're unique, the panelist gave you lots of detailed information. That means the person is taking this seriously and will probably do a good job.

- Give priority to veterans who've ran panels at your con or others. Experiencing mistakes first hand is the best way to learn.

>>9118493
Just look up general university style suggestions. Slides with pictures, you talk. Don't read of slides directly.

For engagement try to have chances for questions maybe after every major period.

>>9113414
Publish a list of panels you'd like to see, to help people get an idea or consider something they might not have thought of otherwise. Also publish a list of panels you do not want or can't/won't approve, maybe. I always hate to see panel topics that look like they just rolled off Tumblr and I will NOT attend them. Many feel the same way.

Of course you will get the SJW applicants but please reject them. It is a niche group on what is more quickly becoming one of the less-popular social networks because more people are turning away from Tumblr because it's a downer. Maybe you can reject SJW panel topics as a whole because they do NOT have a wide enough appeal and are almost always also a downer.

Get back to applicants with a Y/N sooner rather than later so they can have maximum time to prepare. There is no reason to be slow on panel approvals but this is a growing trend to notify later and later.
I've seen half-assed panels because the panelist thought their panel was not approved and then suddenly it was at the 11th hour before the con.

There have been way too many 'Introduction to Lolita' and 'Lolita 101' panels as the only lolita panel content. If there is a meetup or a tea, why not ask for a 'Lolita, Beyond the Basics' or 'History and Evolution of J-Fashion' type of panel.

>>9118520
I.. think you replied to the wrong person.

>>9118506
Thanks anon. That's some great advice. I'm trying to follow something like that at the moment, so glad to see I've got the right idea.

Regarding scheduling: You're a small convention, so if you have multiple panels of the same type (gameshow panels, panels for the same fandom, panels about voice acting, etc) try to schedule these as staggered as possible. Large conventions will double book similar content on purpose as a crowd control tactic, to make people choose between similar panels and cut down on the total number of people at any one panel. Because you're a small con, you don't want that, you want as many people as possible to be able to attend as many panels as possible, in order to fill out the rooms.

Make sure everyone is clear on line up times and room flushing policies. Not only the attendees, but the other staff. Cover that shit at meetings, put it in the con guide, mention it briefly at opening ceremonies. Whether your line up time is 30min or 1hour before the panel be consistent about it. At a small convention it won't matter as much, but these are policies you want in place and running smoothly as the convention grows.

On a related note to that - anyone know why room flushing (clearing the room between panels) is standard practice at anime cons but not necessarily so with comicons? I've always thought that was a weird difference.

>>9118627
I did, sorry, I was thinking about the Lolita panel you mentioned so just that part even loosely applies.
>>9118520 was meant to reply to >>9111654

>>9118493
You could throw in a guessing game with a few small prizes.

>>9118520
SJW topics always fill rooms, though.

The one SJW topic at a con I went to last year was in the biggest room and full with people standing from what I heard.

They're shit quality most of the time because they're run by people with no knowledge of Japanese culture and are a downer, but, unfortunately, they're a trend. You can't reject them without getting someone really upset and their little friends accusing your convention of bigotry. People at cons feel that these topics are more important than actually sticking to the convention's theme.

>>9118872
Thanks! Last con was a very casual thing and we were in a place that had a very open layout which made things a bit difficult, but we may be moving to a place with a few rooms so we'll be able to implement room flushing policies.

>>9119738
Maybe it depends on location. The only SJW-type panel I know of was at a larger con as part of an apology by the organiser for signing a petition. The panel ended up having to be opened up to the public - dunno if it had to do with the numbers though.

Australia doesn't really have the same racial diversity problems as the US, and on top of that I'll be able to negate any panels on the basis I can't have them looking like they're associated with official organisations. So I think it'll be okay.

>>9119738
What was the topic?

>>9119772
Trans representation I think.

>>9119766
If you're gonna have organisations sponsoring and participating - yeah. Don't let people do bullshit panels about anxiety and other sensitive topics when you know most of the advice given by tumblr morons go against medical advice. You don't wanna damage your relations with them. Not worth catering to SJWs when you got that on the line

>>9119738
Most cons are privately owned for-profit ventures so they can accept or reject panel content at will based on their con's best interest as well as their own preferences. They aren't a government agency. They aren't remotely required to provide equal-opportunity service or a platform to everyone who applies for a panel. I think people get this concept confused a lot.
SJW are constantly mad about something, or accusing someone of oppression, so what else is new? It's what they do.

>>9119806
I cringe at the conventions that allow SJWs to sit in a room and spread completely false information about serious mental conditions like PTSD, bipolar disorder, self-injury, and dissociative identity disorder to people who don't know any better and who will eat it up.

"It's completely possible to develop PTSD because your mom wouldn't pay for your $1000 plane ticket to this convention. Don't listen to doctors!"

I know people who actually live with these disorders and have been officially diagnosed, and they hate this SJW mental illness glorification more than anyone else. SJWs think they're doing a great thing, but the reality is that they hurt and cause more ignorance towards pretty much any "movement" that they get their hands on.

>>9119867
Having a large group of people on social media who are accusing your organization of bigotry is not something that can just be ignored. It damages their reputation, and it turns away potential people who would otherwise attend their event (i.e. give them money).

>>9119876
But catering to those sorts of people can have just as bad a result. You're seen as an environment where people can justify their bullying so long as it's done for "righteous" reason.

We know how power crazy SJW types can get. You don't want to make those people feel like they're the ones dictating the rules or running the show.

>>9119876
But it's not bigotry to turn down any panel that doesn't further the interest of your con theme or niche. Unless you want to attract the SJW attendees who attend the SJW panels, which doesn't make sense because they would bump more in-theme content (anime and manga) and they aren't your target audience for your dealers and AA people either, they aren't big mercy buyers as a group. Just snacks.

>>9119974
*big merch buyers.

>>9111805
For the love of god please don't have a dance off between panelists. Speaking from experience as an audience member. Good things at an ask panel would be actually staying true to character; that is, nothing super randum XD and out of character, flower crown-wearing, head canon crap. Also, please try to have as accurate cosplays as possible. I can't tell you how many ask panels I've been to where some (or even all!) of the panelists were only wearing character-accurate wigs and normie clothes. I wish I were joking.

>>9111654
In my experience, people like panels that are interactive and can teach them something new. Some examples are:
>trivia/game panels
>panels with giveaways. whether the giveaways are $100 worth of merch or just some stickers and candy, people love free stuff
>DIY panels from stuff like creating lolita accessories to building budget cosplays out of cardboard and newspaper in less than an hour
>somewhat niche informational panels like working with worbla or lolita basics (yes lolita 101 panels are super common, but they tend to be super popular since it's a lot of peoples' first and only place of getting that info)

I've also noticed funny topic panels are pretty popular, like bad fanfiction/games/anime panels. Quality really varies though, since it depends on how actually funny, prepared, and experienced that panelists are. For example, there was a bad video games panel I attended at AMW last year that was a fucking nightmare. Never again.

>>9119939
There are some cons where they pretty much do run the show. It depends on the location.

They become a place in which anyone who disagrees is bullied.

SJWs will never see the irony. They say they are against bullying for being "different", but are the first to bully anyone who disagrees with them as well as the first to shame and gaslight the people whose opinions go against the norm.

>>9118493
History panels are just like history classes in school: their quality depends 100℅ on the teacher. Don't think of it as a lecture, think of it as you telling a story. Create an engaging and fun atmosphere. Include funny anecdotes, little-known facts, photo slides, etc..

Also, the panel title/description can make or break the panel. Don't make the description sound like a university required course, or people are going to skip the fuck out of it. Try to make it match the tone of the panel itself.

Some of the panels at Metrocon ended up running overtime, and it got me thinking: would it be possible for the convention/venue to provide a clock for each room? Either a wall clock mounted on the back wall, or even a shitty digital clock on the panelist's tables. No alarms or anything, just a clock that the panel hosts can easily check.
Or at the very least, have a guy pop his head in and give a quiet 5-minute warning to the panel hosts.
I dont know if conventions already do this or not, but it would be a much nicer way to end a panel than the next panel host having to tell them to leave.

>>9120174
Ours has runners that quietly open the door and hold up a 5 minute sign to the panel speaker. They come back and let the next panelist in for setup and clear the room regardless if first panelist is finished our not. People learned very quickly to stay under their time limit because it's pretty embarrassing to get hustled out.

>>9119738
This has to be regional, then, because I've never seen a SJW panel with more than 20 people in attendance. I've basically given up attending them because they're almost universally run by ill prepared people with substandard public speaking skills and nothing new or interesting to add to the conversation. And I'm someone who finds this kind of content interesting.

I think SJW topics are popular as "baby's first panel" material, which is a shame, because to really deliver with a panel about Feminism in the Anime Industry or Gender & Sexuality in Otaku Culture requires a LOT of research to dig up the interesting information, an understanding on the differences in culture between America & Japan, and a talent for stringing it together in a way that isn't dull or boring.

>>9120163
This. The majority of people aren't going to bother looking up the description of your panel in the con guide. This is better now that so many cons have smart phone apps, but panel titles are still incredibly important.

> More than Just Pointy Chins! Anime Influences in Cartoons
versus:
> Japanese Influences in Western Animation and Storytelling

>>9113921
It is supposed to be a panel for newcomers.

>>9120163
>℅
What the fuck is going on with your percent sign

Sage for offtopic

>>9120313
>>9120163
>>9118886
>>9118508
Thanks for the suggestions anons.

Yeah I tried to give it a good name and description, I want the thing to be a fun hour of stories and laughs instead of a dry point by point of history.

What's the worst panel you've ever been to?

Went to a cosplay video one once. It was basically Hetalia cosplayers dancing in a park whilst people walking their dogs looked at them awkwardly.

>>9122343
Oh god. I went to a "bad video games" panel once.

>panelist was super unprepared
>had no presentation ready at all and instead relied on having volunteers come up and play the "bad games" (which were just random mediocre games that youtubers liked to make videos about)
>panelist went on a really weird rant for like five whole minutes about how Markiplier changed his life
>also volunteer game players literally all stood in front of the projector screen so no one could see anything, and the panelists never thought to tell them to sit
>also also the audio for the games wasn't working so we all got to endure the worst of the internet's meme music from markiplier-fan-chan's computer instead

>>9122343
I went to a JRPG panel that was basically one big promo for the panelist's Youtube channel. She sucked, her channel sucked, nothing of value was lost.

>>9122503
They wasted your time, everyone else's time and the spot that a potentially good panelist could have had. I don't mind a mention of their related personal project but they need to give a good panel. I always do the con exit survey and call out any shitty panelists.

>>9111654
Limit the number of brand new panelists. I know it's hard to get a starting break but unless they have experience, you can't be sure they will even know what they are doing. Don't be afraid to contact panel programming of another con to see how someone's panel actually went. I'm always surprised how many shitty panelists can get a rebooking at another con.

The biggest thing I could say about panels is to make sure that the people running the panels are relevant. This doesn't mean you need guests of honor or industry experts doing every panel, but the last anime con I went to had a lot of very poorly run panels by locals who knew less about some of the subjects than I did.

Cosplay RP Q&As should only be accepted by relevant cosplay groups. I seriously went to one of these where the people in the audience had better costumes than the people on stage. If someone wants to run a "howto" panel for props, makeup, wigs, etc, ask if they've put any tutorials online, and once again, make sure the person presenting has enough experience to give advice to others.

>>9111654
>Personally I'm worried that I'll get a lot of SJW-type panels submitted, but I think I might be able to reject them on the basis that since our con is heavily involved with a lot of community and disability/mental health organisations, we can't risk non-professionals giving out bad info or unintentionally creating an unwelcome atmosphere.

Good line, that'll keep the SJWs from bitching you're sexist and racist for turning down their "why I am the most special snowflake" panels.