Conventional Wisdom the RTBTCKI edition
Jun. 1st, 2016 08:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerWe are table P-8 in artist alley at Awesome Con, come on by and say Hi.
Got the face and body done yesterday onto the clothing today along with laundry and everything else that needs to get done before we leave tomorrow.
Pictures after I get everything done.
While walking through the artist alley at Mega Con, I noticed some things that I am just going to put down here.
There is a sweet spot between engaging the people walking by your table and being overly aggressive to the point that people are avoiding your table.
But you do have to engage people. I watched at people were looking at things on the table and the artist was playing around on their phone seemingly oblivious to the fact that they had potential customers there. At least acknowledge their existence.
I do like that Mega Con and many other conventions are taking the harassment of cos-players seriously and do something about it rather than take the attitude of fans will be fans and all kinds of excuses for bad behavior including the trope that fans are social awkward so they didn’t know they had crossed a line.
I am asking that cos-players be aware of the space around them especially if their costume includes something that expanded their footprint. It got tight in the aisles at some points even with the lovely large areas we were given to walk in. I got hit in the head, by accident, with a mallet more than once just trying to walk from point A to point B. Hawkmen in large wings had their moves down and were hyper aware of the world around them so kudos to them.
Also pictures taking and this is on both parties. Let’s get out of the path of traffic first. Taking a photo on the fly is different than stopping the foot traffic to get that photo you want. Cosplayers should be aware of the world around them and encourage people to get out of the flow of traffic for a photo. If you place yourself right in the middle of where I want to go and the space between where I need to go and your photo op, I will walk through. Yes, I am that person in your photos that you probably curse at a lot.
Everyone deserves their time with the celebrity they wanted to meet. Again there is a sweet spot between meet and monopolizing. There were some handlers who were trying to get as many people through the line and in pushing people through that the purchaser of the expensive autograph felt that they were ‘ripped off’ because they didn’t get any interaction time with the reason they came to the convention. But there were other people who would stand there until forced to leave by the handler and they were holding up the line for everyone else. Want to see how to do it right? Watch George and Brad Takei. They have it down to a science. Everyone gets their time with George and he is much beloved.
Yes, there are lines for food, the bathroom, and even the ATM. Some conventions seem like they are nothing but lines. The convention center did try to make it possible to get something to eat without waiting too long. They had two large food courts and other food carts along the back wall. The ATM was a cluster-F no matter which way you sliced it.
I’ll give you my bathroom hint, if the lines are coming out of the first bathroom check out to see if you can see other restroom signs. I have found lines at the front of the hall but quick access from the back of the hall. Even though we had a restroom entrance close to our table, I would make the trip to the back of the hall because it was, in terms of time, shorter to walk there and back then it was to wait on line at the closer restroom. Also cosplayers, got to call you out on this one, the handicap stalls do serve a purpose and that is not as a changing room especially if there is a line.
It is very different attending as a fan and as a pro. Yes, I do have some advantages that most people don’t have including a chair and some space, which I appreciate a lot.
Thank you to everyone who allowed me a moment to talk to some friends. I know a couple of you got some good stories out of it.
Looking forward to seeing some of you at Awesome Con and all the other conventions we have this year.
I am grateful for the opportunity to meet Peter’s fans.
Got the face and body done yesterday onto the clothing today along with laundry and everything else that needs to get done before we leave tomorrow.
Pictures after I get everything done.
While walking through the artist alley at Mega Con, I noticed some things that I am just going to put down here.
There is a sweet spot between engaging the people walking by your table and being overly aggressive to the point that people are avoiding your table.
But you do have to engage people. I watched at people were looking at things on the table and the artist was playing around on their phone seemingly oblivious to the fact that they had potential customers there. At least acknowledge their existence.
I do like that Mega Con and many other conventions are taking the harassment of cos-players seriously and do something about it rather than take the attitude of fans will be fans and all kinds of excuses for bad behavior including the trope that fans are social awkward so they didn’t know they had crossed a line.
I am asking that cos-players be aware of the space around them especially if their costume includes something that expanded their footprint. It got tight in the aisles at some points even with the lovely large areas we were given to walk in. I got hit in the head, by accident, with a mallet more than once just trying to walk from point A to point B. Hawkmen in large wings had their moves down and were hyper aware of the world around them so kudos to them.
Also pictures taking and this is on both parties. Let’s get out of the path of traffic first. Taking a photo on the fly is different than stopping the foot traffic to get that photo you want. Cosplayers should be aware of the world around them and encourage people to get out of the flow of traffic for a photo. If you place yourself right in the middle of where I want to go and the space between where I need to go and your photo op, I will walk through. Yes, I am that person in your photos that you probably curse at a lot.
Everyone deserves their time with the celebrity they wanted to meet. Again there is a sweet spot between meet and monopolizing. There were some handlers who were trying to get as many people through the line and in pushing people through that the purchaser of the expensive autograph felt that they were ‘ripped off’ because they didn’t get any interaction time with the reason they came to the convention. But there were other people who would stand there until forced to leave by the handler and they were holding up the line for everyone else. Want to see how to do it right? Watch George and Brad Takei. They have it down to a science. Everyone gets their time with George and he is much beloved.
Yes, there are lines for food, the bathroom, and even the ATM. Some conventions seem like they are nothing but lines. The convention center did try to make it possible to get something to eat without waiting too long. They had two large food courts and other food carts along the back wall. The ATM was a cluster-F no matter which way you sliced it.
I’ll give you my bathroom hint, if the lines are coming out of the first bathroom check out to see if you can see other restroom signs. I have found lines at the front of the hall but quick access from the back of the hall. Even though we had a restroom entrance close to our table, I would make the trip to the back of the hall because it was, in terms of time, shorter to walk there and back then it was to wait on line at the closer restroom. Also cosplayers, got to call you out on this one, the handicap stalls do serve a purpose and that is not as a changing room especially if there is a line.
It is very different attending as a fan and as a pro. Yes, I do have some advantages that most people don’t have including a chair and some space, which I appreciate a lot.
Thank you to everyone who allowed me a moment to talk to some friends. I know a couple of you got some good stories out of it.
Looking forward to seeing some of you at Awesome Con and all the other conventions we have this year.
I am grateful for the opportunity to meet Peter’s fans.
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no subject
Date: 2016-06-01 12:58 pm (UTC)I now avoid one of the two local malls because of all the kiosks with really aggressive salesbeings. If I can't walk down the corridor without people shouting at me, I'm not going to shop there.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-01 03:23 pm (UTC)Two cons ago that I went to was a local startup. Their phones got no reception inside the building so the food booth - the single food booth - was cash only. The nearest ATM was outside 3 blocks away. I had stress fractured me feet and was hobbling. It was an uncomfortable day of line standing and walking but I had already bought my ticket.
no subject
Date: 2016-06-01 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-06-02 12:38 pm (UTC)Re: lines - Amen to that. During intermissions at our local hockey games back in Virginia, I'd walk halfway around the arena to the side with fewer food vendors, no outdoor access -- and no lines to the bathroom (or the vendors). I could usually make a pit stop, grab a drink and a munch, and walk back to my gate and the people who were at the end of the line when I went by the first time would have moved up to just outside the bathroom door.
Fingers crossed, I'm going to start making it to cons after I move back to the States next month...
no subject
Date: 2016-06-04 02:11 am (UTC)Amen.