Category: Con Survival

REPOST: Con Survival for a new year!

Leave a comment

With the convention season coming up, and us hard at work on Otakon plans, we decided to to re-post our Con Survival Guide for everyone to use! While the full blown con season does not start for a little while yet, you must remember that planning months in advance is the most important thing you can do if you are in charge of a group going to any anime con (even if your group consists of only one person). So if you are thinking of attending any cons this year you should look over the posts because you just might learn a thing or two and avoid some common convention mistakes we all make.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder is famous for saying that, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” This is especially true of any and all planning done for cons. I have yet to go to an anime con where everything went exactly as planned. Something or someone will always fall through often at the worst possible time. Vital items will be forgotten or left behind. The posted schedule almost always changes day to day sometimes hour to hour. Oddly enough though even though this is a truth you are doomed if you don’t have a plan for going to a con. A small amount of planning can turn a disastrous or boring anime convention into one of the highlights of your year.

But therein lies the problem, if there is no plan nothing will get accomplished. The plan will inevitably change. No matter what. The only way a plan can run perfectly is for only one person to be involved, so unless the con is just you in your basement it will involve others. If you are going alone you still have to worry about traveling (which involves all manner of other people) and the con itself may not run smoothly so your plan even less so.

I will tell you that Narutaki is correct. I was the only person at Hisui Con 2007 last year in my basement and it went off without a hitch but I found that it had no atmosphere what so ever. Roald Amundsen said that adventure is just bad planning. My friend Ben’s infamous road trips always stick out in my mind as to what happens when you take no care to plan you trips in advance. Ben is famous in my little circle of friends for spontaneously planning road trips at the last second and having many a horror story because of it. Tales of him driving half asleep in misty unknown parts of North East while trying to find somewhere to stay for the night before falling asleep at a rest stop to find people rather creepily staring at him when he awoke immediately spring to mind. So much of Ben’s interesting little “adventures” could have been avoided by some planning before setting out.

Disaster can be averted! The first thing you do, is decide to go. So let’s start now! Okay, so the first step has been taken and you haven’t broken a sweat. So why not take the bull by the horns and plan your trip yourself, leave it to no one else!

I myself have up until recently have been more of a passive participant in convention planning. I have always been fortune enough to either have anime conventions near me or to have someone in charge of planning things for me. Narutaki is usually our group’s main chief of planning. But when CLAMP was at Anime Expo 2006 Kohaku and I were forced to make plans for ourselves. It turned out fine but it was the first time I had to fend for myself. I’m also had to plan out my solo journey to the Providence Anime Conference. I will say the the less people you have to plan for the easier it is but the more good friends you bring the more likely you will have a good time.

I have worked with people to plan for 20 and to plan for 2. I’m slowly but surely becoming a seasoned organizer for these types of excursions. Every year something new is learned and every year something unexpected happens. So our guide will be a multiple post, ongoing series initially coming out once a month (the last Monday of the month).

The Con Survival Series:

Why are we doing this? As the average age of the typical anime fan gets younger and younger while the number of people going to anime conventions increase it means that many con goers are totally green to the con going experience. Just look at any message board for you local con and you will invariably see a thread asking for advice and suggestions. Having the battle scars of years of mistakes, failures, learning experiences, and triumphs we have decided to pass along our wisdom in hopes of teaching first time con attendees what to do and what to avoid in planning their first con experience. Heck old timers might pick up a new trick or two as well.

Okay, yeah, we are going to tell you the mostly overly detailed way of doing things. To the point of madness at times, but this is just a guide not a set of laws. Heck, we may even forget to do some of the things we’re going to tip you off to. The goal is to remember all the great stuff about the convention, not the screw-ups. So hopefully a little help from us you can accomplish just that!

Con Survival Series: How to Navigate the Dealers’ Room

6 Comments

Stuff stack it on stack it on up – (Stuff) never gonna ever get enough (stuff) – Oh it’s treasure till it’s mine then it ain’t worth a dime – It’s stuff (stuff) spreading like weeds – Dragging me under in an endless sea of stuff – (Stuff) There ain’t no end – Got to get a bigger place so I can move in – More stuff!

It’s never really on my schedule to visit the dealers’ room at a con but I always take any free time on my schedule to check it out atleast once a day. Unless you are fortunate enough to regularly visit Japan there are plenty of things that are just not easy to get your hands on. In the days before Internet shopping became common, the dealers’ room was the place to get your anime collectibles unless you lived in big enough a city to have a store with anime merchandise. Even if you were that lucky, them having what you wanted in stock was a crap shoot at best. But now that you can get most items on the the Internet with a little bit of effort, why bother checking out dealers’ room? The first reason is simple. Instant gratification. There is something awesome about just plunking down some cash and getting what you want right away. The second is the discovery aspect. There are often so many different products it is almost impossible to know everything that comes out for every show. You may immediately want that Zaku II plushie or Saber dinner set but you have to know they exist to buy them. Also how many times have you discovered a show based on the awesome merchandise you found at a con? The third reason is the hard to find collectible. Sometimes you know something exists but it is almost impossible to find online because they are long since sold out. You can often stumble upon a rare find at some corner of even the smallest anime convention. By buying things in person you get the chance to give everything the once over before you put down your money.

Making a list of things you want can help you organize your priorities and also keep from you from jumping at every cool thing you see in the dealer’s room. If you know what you’re looking for it is easier to hone in on things. You can make your list a number of ways. First, you could have very specific items, for example: 1/100 scale Kyrios master grade Gundam model kit, Tamaki (from Ouran High School Host Club) key chain, and the Rose of Versailles art book. The second way to do it is to list types of items, for example: doujinshi, pencil boards, and 1/8 scale figures. Now you know what you are looking for first, then if you can’t find these items you can pick up some other things. Or if you are really hard nosed save your money.

Okay, now have a good idea of what you are looking for. Your next step is to price everything on your list before you head out. Look up all the items and see what the general going price is online. Try to price everything on your list on at least three different websites and maybe see what the going price is on eBay as well. If you are super ambitious you can also look up what the price is online plus shipping and throw that on your list as well. This lets you go into the dealers room with a good idea of what you should be spending. Often times what might seem like a bargain at a con is often horribly overpriced. Don’t pay $60.00 for a Zoro figure you can get for $20.00 online. It will also let you know when you are getting a possible once in a lifetime bargain. The seller might be selling hard to find collectibles that he can’t move in his store for $15.00 but goes for $50.00 online. I also don’t tend to buy any DVDs for less than 40% off cover price and any manga less than 33% off because that is the standard online discount during sales at places like Right Stuf. You don’t tend to get more than 10% discounts on any other type of merchandise so buying them at market value is usually no loss.

Now don’t go losing your head when you enter the dealer’s room. This can be difficult when so many cool things are thrust at your in an instant, but really you can resist. Whether the dealer’s room is big or small it is best to go through the whole things first before buying. You’ll get a better idea of the prices and merchandise being toted. This will also help you not impulse buy things. Like a child with a new toy, you will soon forget all the trinkets but the most important! If you wait till the end you will get what you really wanted and not wish you hadn’t bought such and such because you saw something better later on. The only time to break this rule is if you know for sure that something is a hard find. This can crop up a lot of times when there is a big name Japanese guest at a con. Stuff you might not normally see gets broken out because people are thinking of them. Maybe you want them to sign something rare, so in that case make an informed decision to buy early. This is of course dependent on you doing your research before hand.

An easy thing not to immediately realize is that you can often get different prices depending on where you buy in the dealers’ room. I have found the bigger the dealers’ room the more this is true. Most of the time the further you get from the entrance the better your chances are at finding bargains. While this is hardly a hard and fast rule, you will often find that deals right by the entrance get a lot more impulse buys so they tend not to lower their prices as much as the back. Your best option is to scout the whole room before you even think about spending one dime. Nothing is worse than buying a Saber figure for $80.00 when you could have gotten the same figure for $40.00 two rows down. Also if an item is not super rare you are often best served by waiting until the last day of the con. My last bit of advice is that if you don’t see something at a dealer’s table you can ask them about it. Sometimes they can get you some thing they don’t have on display or currently with them. Local dealers will almost always bring anything you ask them for the next day if the have it on hand back home. Some dealers that are not local will even happily overnight something from their store to make a deal. They might not bring the rare 1/400 scale White Base model kit to every con but they will dig it up from their stock if you ask.

You can always try to haggle with vendors, this is perfectly acceptable but doesn’t always work. In more recent years it has become harder with so many retailers going to so many con. But if you want to give it a shot, I will give you some tips. The first rule of haggling is you have to be willing to walk away or atleast practice your poker face. If you look too eager, they know they don’t have to drop the price. I actually do this better alone since when I am with friends I tend to gush about the cool stuff. Also a vendor is probably less likely to cut a deal with you if their booth is hopping with customers. It is easier to make a deal if you are buying more than one of something. For example, if you are looking at four pencilboards at $8 a piece from one place ask if they can do better. It is also okay to suggest a price. You could say something like, “Would you take $28 for these?” It is okay to low ball the price and see if they will compromise. Like with my previous example, maybe they won’t go down to $28 but perhaps they will do $30.  It is of course a crap shoot when these things will work. Many people feel weird about haggling but you’ll get more comfortable after you try it a few times. And you will totally become comfortable after the first time it works. Good luck!

If you are any type anime fan you can easily eat up most of your overall budget in the dealers’ room without much effort. A cool figure or two here, a bunch of nice doujinshi there, stacks of import CDs and artbooks everywhere! Soon you’ll find your wallet as empty as Al Capone’s vault. The most important thing to remember, especially if you are new to conventions, is willpower. A little bit of self-control will usually net you better deals and a happier bank account. That being said, there is nothing quite like the amazing feeling of holding a figure you have been searching for or discovering some series you would have never even know existed had you not picked up that random pencil board. As Bo Derek once said, “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.”

Con Survival Series: How to Run a Panel

12 Comments

So do you want to go to a convention and get in for free? Do you have a topic you are an expert on? Do you have something you want the rest of the anime community to know about? Do you constantly get asked the same questions again and again in real life and on the Internet? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be perfect to run a panel. It is great because you almost always get in for free and you get a little soapbox to spread youe addition to the anime gospel. The real question is why doesn’t everyone do it? Because is it is a lot of work. If you do it right, even a simple panel is enough work equal to the price of admission. So let’s get down to business. How do I do a super special awesome chocolaty fudge-coated panel that will get me invited back again and again?

You’re right, everyone’s first inclination for running a panel is that you can get in for free. Though you have to check that before you get excited, many smaller cons only give you a discount on your ticket or none at all. Doing a panel because you want to and are actually going to put in the effort necessary without getting paid, that is when you separate the men from the boys. It is really important to think hard about doing a panel before signing up, you are placing yourself as a event of the convention. It is a responsibility.

Clearly the first thing to decide is what you want to talk about. There are a wide variety of topics you could do a panel or workshop about. Next is deciding who to do your panel with. If you are really confident, you can go it solo. However, the on stage banter between two or more people can keep the panel fresh and lively. If you are super cautious, you can check what panels the convention ran last year. Typically if the same person is doing the same panel year after year your are much less likely to get accepted as a panelist on the subject. Now it is time to write your proposal. When you submit your panel idea you want to sell it hard. First list all the accolades that would sell your panelists. If any panelists have professional, scholastic, or amateur experience mention it in the proposal. For example, studying for a literature or animation degree, heading an anime club or other fan activities, or a job related to your topic are all good things to put down. Also if you have ever run any other panels mention that, too. You want to present yourself as overqualified. You want to sell the person reviewing your proposal that you know what you are talking about. Don’t just write a two line description if you can avoid it.

Panels are just more fun when you are doing them together. Of course, it throws in a set of problems like making sure everyone shows up and puts in the needed effort. Nothing is more frustrating than having one member totally unprepared. Once your panel is accepted there may be a little bit of paperwork involved depending on the convention. Typically there is some sort of release form that each member has to sign and turn in prior to the panel. Now it is time to start working on the actual panel. Do not leave this till the last minute! Start work on your panel atleast a month before the convention.

If you are already quite knowledgeable about your panel subject then it is a simple matter of organizing your thoughts. Otherwise you are going to have to sit down and do some research. Once you have decided on the subject make a quick outline. Decide all the things you want to talk about in a big brain-storming session. Then take all those ideas and sort them into categories. Once that is done, write down what highlights you want to touch upon in each category. You don’t have to write everything out like it was an essay, just lay down talking points so you always know the flow of the panel.

Now when planning out the panel it is essential to think about your time frame. Some subjects will be too grand to cover in a mere hour and some things too narrow. So after picking your subject you should break it into segments. Here is a breakdown for our Anime Recruitment panel as an example:

  • Intro to us/panel – 5 mins
  • Do’s and Don’ts – 10 mins
  • Recommendations – 30 mins
  • Q and A – 15 mins.
    total: 60 mins.

You actually need to run through the panel to make sure your breakdown is realistic, too. It is wise to set aside some time for questions at the end, however if it is your first time running a panel leave only about 5 or 10 minutes. Otherwise you may have dead space in your panel. My advice is to also ask your audience to hold all questions till the end because you need to make sure to get through all your subject matter. I find this to be the biggest folly at panels. And it is better to have more questions than you can answer that flow into the hall. Also in that time be packing up your stuff to make way for the next panelist.

The old joke is someone asks, “Pardon me sir, but how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” and the other man replies, “Practice, practice, practice.” The best panels have probably been rehearsed at least three times before they were ever given. This is even more true for any workshops, demonstrations, game shows, and scripted events. Even if you have it all written down in front of you, it will flow off the tongue more naturally if you practice before hand. Rounding people up to watch you practice is even better. It gives you a good opportunity to make sure you are making eye contact with the audience and you can gauge their reactions. Ideally you would have one person in the audience that has no idea what your panel is about and one person who is knowledgeable about it then get their thoughts at the end. Also an audience can shoot you some questions so you have some idea ahead of time what you might be asked at the actual panel.

While it isn’t necessary, we highly recommend the use of visuals like a PowerPoint presentation. It gives some pop to your panel, makes sure the audience isn’t only looking at you, and makes you look slightly more professional. This can easily keep the audience from getting bored and it makes your job that much easier in trying to describe things. You can also create hand-outs for the audience to keep with them after your panel. For example, if you are talking about many different shows the hand-out could list them, who released it, and how long it is. You can also use that space to promote your blog or website. Finally, a good way to draw attention to your panel is to give things away. Does that sound sleazy? Who cares! It works. In the convention guide be sure to mention a giveaway in your panel description. Then just gather up a few DVDs, books, etc. you aren’t too attached to and presto! Instant audience!

Now that everything is done it’s time to cover your behind. You want to throw any presentations, videos, handouts, and notes on at least two separate back up sources. They can be either laptops, CDs, DVDs, portable hard drives, or written copies of all the panel information. That means no matter what happens you should be able to do the panel. A girl who was giving several panels had her laptop die right at the beginning of the Providence Anime Convention. Her presentation contained rather scholarly panels with a great deal of information, pictures, and charts on her PowerPoint slides. Since she had a backup CD and a portable HD she merely borrowed a laptop from someone in the audience or staff and ran her panels without a misstep. Ideally, everyone on the panel should bring along a backup copy of all the panel materials. No matter who drops out the remaining members can still do the panel without them.

Now comes the moment of truth, you have to get up there and do a panel. Our first panel, I was slightly nervous but the convention was small so it wasn’t too terrible. My second experience was much more nerve racking! Otakon was a whole different ball park with a lot more people. Plus, you had to get up on this stage area! Something about being elevated made it far worse. Don’t panic, if you are nervous when you get up there tell the audience so. Start talking with them to loosen yourself up. In any case, I’m just pointing out that I get terribly nervous but make it through. And then you feel a nice exhilaration after it is all over! But when it is all over, how do you know if it went well? People will clap, hopefully, and some will probably talk to you after the panel. These are good signs. Con staff in the room are also good people to ask because they are typically keeping an eye on the audience. And finally check out the forums and ask around. Remember, all panels have the potential to be good it just takes some foresight to make it memorable! Good luck!