The Setsucon Feedback Thread

[sunfisher89]

Ok, Thought another staffer would have made one of these by now, but since not, here we go.

Here are a list of topics to consider for feedback.

Registration
-How smooth was the process for you?
-Did you like the Friday night prereg pickup?
-This includes weapons check.

Staffers
-Were all the staffers up to par and helpful?
-Would you like to see a distinction between regular staffers and the executive personnel?
-Did the Secruity armbands help with the visibility of them?

Lines
-I know the wait was long to see the guest of honor, Vic, but otherwise how was the line situation?
-Seating goes in here too, How did seating for the events go?

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
-Do you like having Dealers and Artists in the same location?
-Space was tight, but how was the flow of traffic?
-Did the times for opening and closing work for you?

Main Events
-How did you like the order of events for the masquerade?
-What would you like to see next year in the masquerade?
-Did you like the play before the Host Auction, would you like to see it again?
-or would you prefer just a straight up auction?
-Those of you that did win a host, what did you think of the Host Party?
-Anything that you would change for the musical performance?
-Did you enjoy the iron cosplay contest and what would you do to improve it?
-AMV"s, we get so few submissions that we show them during the masquerade, does this work for you?
-The Setsudance, what would you like to see next year?
-What would you change in the Rock Band Idol contest?

The Game Room
-Was there enough japanese games to suite your needs?
-Did the variety of games work for you?
-What games would you like to see next year?
-Was the layout OK?
-Were the opening and closing times ok with you?

Guests
-Anything that you would like to comment on?

Programming
-What did you think of the new layout this year for the schedule?
-After the schedule change on Sunday, how easy was it for you to find out about the change?
-Did any times conflict enough that you were not able to be where you wanted to be because of another commitment? (Hall cosplay, host club)
-Were the events distributed enough such that you always had something fun to do?
-How was the balance of events between Saturday and Sunday.
-Should we bother scheduling any events at 8AM next year?

PR and Booklet
-How did you hear about Setsucon this year?
-Did the booklet provide all of the information that you needed, if not, what was missing?

The Website
-What would you like to see on the website this year?

Panels
-Were there any panels that you would love to see again next year?
-Any panels that didn't work out?
-What panels did you not see this year that you wish you would have?
-Suggestions for next year?
-For those 18+, how were the 18+ panels this year? What would you like to see next year?
-Is AMST9000 worth doing again next year?

Viewings
-Was there a wide enough variety of viewings for you?
-What would you like to see next year?

Live Events
-Aikido, Karate, Belly Dancers, Did you enjoy the performances? Should we invite them back next year?
-Any suggestions for future live events?

Hall Cosplay
-Anyone that entered, how did you like the judging time slots, did they run over?
-Did Hall Cosplay judging interfere with something else that you really wanted to do?
-Was the at con registration easy enough to find?

Masquerade
-I know this year the timing got messed up, but did you find the mandatory practice session helpful, too long?
-Was the stage setup ok?
-Any other comments?
-Was the at con registration helpful, would you rather have preregistered online?

Thank you for any and all of your input.

Sean

[Patches]

Registration
I picked up my badge right after reg opened on Saturday. The guy who helped me was awesome and got me and my partner through right away. She wasn't on the Artists' list (even though I put on the artist reg that she was at my table selling >.>) but he got her on there after she paid for her reg. Great job random guy! It was the guy with the braided goatee.

Staffers
Security guys were helpful as ever this year, and having to deal with the staff very personally myself this year you were all awesome. I go to a lot of cons and staff cons myself and I have to say again this year as in last, you guys are the most personable staffers I've ever dealt with. Maggie especially!

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
I spent all of my time in this room so I have the most feedback there...

I was a little annoyed at the time for Sunday's opening had been pushed forward an hour with no real notification. There were staffers wandering around AA all day Saturday to see how we were doing and if we needed anything (awesome btw, you guys were all great!) and you all could have let us know then.

Traffic flow was better than expected given the crowds. Again, the staffers did awesome in keeping tabs on that. For a small con, I like being with the dealers, but if you guys upgraded your space, it would be nice to have a separate artist room so you could have more. I'm willing to bet there were some people I got sales from that would not have otherwise visited artists though.

I apparently got an email from the head of AA on Friday >.>. After I had left for State college so I did not get the info in the email (AA schedule) until I got home on Sunday night. This email should have been sent out days before the convention, not the day many of us would be traveling or arriving.

On that note, I seen a marked improvement in AA this year as far as what was allowed to be sold and such, great job. However, there should be a more clear set of information up on the site about schedules, how many people are allowed behind your booth, table sizes and other information I or others had to ask about on the forums instead.

I also ha to get confirmation about my payment from the forum well after I had sent it out. This should have been sent to the artist upon receipt to keep up from worrying about it >.>. General communication between the website and your attendees is very poor unless someone is willing to dig around the forums.

PR and Booklet
Speaking as someone who has done program books for conventions (and as a general graphic designer), I have to admit last year's was much better. Juri's artwork for the cover was gorgeous as was all the art contributed for the inside pages. However, things like running type over artwork (page 5), just stopping mid-sentence when there's plenty of room to continue (page 16) and having your page numbers in the gutter on every left-hand page just screams of a convention that either doesn't care (which I know is not true), is rushing it at the last minute or just has no idea what they're doing. I don't go into a con expecting pro-work, but this was just a step backwards for you guys.

The Art Book is a GREAT idea!! I was happy to pay the $5 for one of the last ones!

The Website
-Information about EVERYTHING. Not that you have to go into detail, but simple things like were mentioned above would be nice.

Overall I enjoyed Setsucon again this year. I'll definitely be returning next year. It would be awesome if you guys found a bigger venue. Sales as an artist were good and varied, attendees were very nice and staffers exceptional . I just think you guys need to work a little more on your organization and dissipation of information.

[Elessel]

The main thing I'll talk about is Rock Band Idol since I was a contestant in it for the past two years and I really, really like the event.

What I liked about this year:
-Larger space for more people. Seeing as this is supposed to be a mock-concert, this was great.
-Tie Breaker. It spiced things up a bit and allowed both bands to flex their muscles and show off their skills.

What I liked better last year:
-Judging after a performance. This really gave it an American Idol flavor and also helped to extend the time a bit. This year it felt very rushed and the judges didn't even say aloud their deliberation.
-Guest Judges. The plan might have been to have TPS do this, but it felt cooler to have guest judges instead of just con staff.
-Projector screen behind/in crowd. This gave the band a better view of the crowd and allowed them to actually look at the crowd instead of at a tv in front of the crowd. The bigger space might make this impossible, though.
-Individual Awards. This really showed that a band is more than the sum of its parts and I have no idea why it wasn't in this year since I believe the event still had thirty minutes or so.

Things that need to be fixed:
-The Sound. In particular the vocals of the singer. After I talked to my friends, they said they didn't quite hear my voice as I sang even though they were in the second row. This is more a problem with how the sound levels were set up in the game than anything, so it is an easy fix.
-Bigger Stage. It doesn't need to be super huge, but with the Ion Drum Kit and the sound set up on the stage, there wasn't all that much room to move around. It was a bit better since my band had three people, but the bands of four looked like they were really cramped for space.

What happened I don't know:
-Audience deciding the winner. The board outside the game room that advertised the event said that the winners in the finals would be decided by the crowd. I figured it would just be a "band name *cheers*" sort of deal, but there didn't seem to be too much of that.

It's a very fun event and I'll be certain to come back and participate in it again next year should it still be there.

[Axel]

Let's see. That is a long list.

No problems with registration on my end. Very smooth and easy.
Wasn't involved with friday night.
Or weapons check.

Staff was definitely helpful. :3
I don't really see a need.
And I didn't realize there were armbands, to be honest. I was going by pink shirt.

Lines were fine. They weren't too long, and the end+start people were pretty good.
I wouldn't know about seating. The only event I stood in line for was Dating game, and it was fine. I was in rockband, so no line involved, and I didn't stay for vic.

It was interesting to have them in the same location, I suppose, but it was a little cluttered. People spent a lot more time at the artists, it seemed, and clogged the lines to get to dealers.
Well, a little clogged at time, but I've seen worse.
I wasn't there for either, so I imagine so.

Was only involved with rockband for this next section. As for changes, um. I guess more advertising, maybe? Weren't that many bands competing.


All the game stuff was fine. Layout was just a tad cluttered, but wasn't something you could really help.

Schedule. . .Well, didn't see the last one, so nothing to compare.
But I wasn't pleased that Iron and Dating game were at the same time, and it was kind of annoying that there wasn't all that much to do if you didn't want to do the Vic thing. We ended up leaving early because it got boring after everyone vanished for that.
As for booklets, I didn't realize there were any.

Website was really good. I stalked the forums for months leading up, haha. Can't think of any improvements for this besides a schedule a little bit sooner next year.

I didn't see any of the panels or the viewings. Not because I didn't want to, but because I simply couldn't figure out where they were.

I didn't see the live viewings, either. Wasn't aware there were any. And I came Sunday, so none of the cosplay stuff either.

[Uchiha_Sazu]

Registration
Even though I didn't preregister - I never have, since I'm local, but judging by the turn out this year, I think I'm gonna start to have to ^^; - I thought the idea of the Friday-night pick-up was good. Registration on Saturday went as well as it really could, what with the whole waiting-in-line-to-get-the-badge being pretty normal. I wouldn't change anything, other than making sure that there are maybe two piles of lanyards and booklets, because I didn't see them when I registered, and a friend had to grab me a lanyard XD Another thing I would like to suggest - I believe this falls under this category? - is to find out what your attendance cap is a little earlier than the night before the convention, since plenty of my friends traveled halfway across the state only to learn they couldn't register, which was a major bummer.

Staffers
Staff was - as usual - spectacular, kept things orderly, and were generally pleasant. Keep up the good work!

Lines
Considering the space we had, the lines were kept in pretty good order, but having all of those people in line at the same time really clogged up the moving space. I had a hard time getting from one side of the con to the other when the event hall wasn't packed, but that was a fault of the space, not the lines.

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
The staff kept the traffic flow at a good pace, and allowed enough room for a fair amount of people to walk around and see the merchandise. As far as the Artist Alley/Dealer's Room combo, since there are so few of both artists and dealers able to come, I think having them both in the same room is fine.

Main Events
I thought the order of events was good, it kept my interest and kept me around for the AMVs and judging at least ;D Though, as far as judging the AMVs goes, I think it would be better to have an 'official' award, deliberated by judges for quality, and a 'fan' award, chosen by the audience. The audience will choose the AMV that was the most entertaining or contained the crowd favorite character (for example, Edward Elric, not to say that the AMV containing him this year did not have quality) and not necessarily on the quality of the AMV. Also, since there are so few AMVs, I think it's appropriate to show them during the Masquerade.

Next year, maybe ask different people at the con to write down their own (PG) improv masquerade ideas? Just because I'm sure there's tons of people at the con with excellent ideas >D

I enjoy the skits before the Host Auction, personally, I think they're perfectly entertaining. I think it gets everyone involved a little more with the cosplayers, and it's more fun in general This year my friends and I purchased Frank the MC (for a ridiculously low price - really, people? It's for the children!) but I was still disappointed with the overall layout of the Host Party. It didn't exactly scream 'winner' XD I wish every year that it was a little fancier, but hanging out with my host usually makes up for it, so I'm satisfied enough to not consider this a big issue.

Also, Frank should go up for auction every year.

I did not attend the SetsuDance, Rock Band Idol, or cosplay contest, so no comments there XD


Guests
Everything was Vic Mignogna. He was basically in the event hall the entire con. I'm not a huge Vic Mignogna fan (he's alright, but I'm more of a Yuri Lowenthal person, myself...), so this left me with not a lot of interesting events. I'd like different guests for a little variety, personally...also, we should get Yuri Lowenthal in the near future. Please. I'm begging you. Pleeeeaaaaaaase...

Programming
There wasn't really a problem for me - though my friend showed up on Sunday and discovered she'd missed the only panel she'd wanted to go to because Sunday's schedule had been destroyed and the panel moved much earlier.

[b[The Website[/b]
I enjoy the website and surf the forums like a mad woman, so I'd say you're doing a good job

Last bit
Nothing else to say about the rest of the topics, but I must bring this up: Please, please tell me we are moving locations next year. We hit our max this year at the Day's Inn, which was extremely unpleasant to surf through, and we're only growing from there. Please please please move us.

Thank you.

[Maggie]

Just wanted to thank everyone for giving us their honest opinions on Setsucon. It really helps us improve things for next year. Also wanted to point out that if it makes things easier, you can copy and paste the first post and then add in your answers and delete the parts you don't have answers for.

[The Stig]

This was my very first anime con and due to the good time I had and the conversation I had at the Host Party, not only will I be back next year but it really sparked my interest in anime again that had been dormant for a long time. So here are my feelings about the con, but some may need to be taken as a first timer's look.

Registration
I had pre-registered so this was easy as could be.

Staffers
One of the staffers was amongst those that twisted my arm to come so I may be biased, but every staff member I met, spoke to, or had any contact with was nice, courtesy and generally in a good mood.

Lines
I really didn't hit the lines till the Host Party when it seemed thing had been worked out well and at that point everything seemed to work out fine.

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
While I did have to avoid the Dealer's Room most of Saturday it just became a game of going in while events were going on at that point it was really easy to get around in there. I had no issue with opening or closing times and the layout seemed about as good as you could get in the space.

Main Events

-The first event I went to was the Host Auction and I had a lot of fun there. I was iffy on the play at first, heck I was iffy on the whole con a bit at that point, being my first and all. But by the time the play was over I was really in a better mood and really enjoyed it. So I would totally like to see it again.

-I also thought the Host Party was a lot of fun and for me it was the first time I really got to talk to someone other then the group I came with it. It was really the moment that made me open up and have more fun. (In fact right after I went up to the hotel room and told everyone to get their butts out and do stuff at the con instead of being lazy )

- Do to check out and moving of my car, (its an issue when your car is 59 years old), I missed a lot of Sunday but that's more of a first time to con issue then anything with programming, though it may be good to try to schedule around checkout times as much as possible (I know one more thing to add for you all to worry about).

The Game Room
The game room was nicely done and the times of it seemed okay.

Guests
Not being as huge into anime as many I really didn't have much interest in Vic, but then when I ran out of other things to do I did sneak in towards the end of his show on Sunday and I'm now kicking myself for not going to it sooner. I'd say maybe have another guest, maybe one of the 'famous' net cosplayers or something, but probably only if there is space for such.

Programming
-The schedule layout was easy and really helped to plan what to do.
-It was also easy to figure out what was going on even with the schedule change due to the large posting of it near the reg desk.
-I also liked the balance of different events and viewings to really make it easy to find something to do.
-Also yes, schedule events as early as 8am, maybe not 'important' ones, but I know I was up around that time both days just cause I knew stuff was going on. (Although many people in the group did sleep till noon or so, but hey its their loss.)

PR and Booklet
-The anime club I used to be a part of have gone every year and friends with a staffer

Panels
-I had heard about the anime dating game and loved to see it in action, it was really funny.

-I also went to the Epicenter of All Things Sinister (Mostly cause of knowing the guys running it) It was good, but at times it got a little heated. I don't think that some people got that it was supposed to be funny and took it WAY too seriously.
(For those that missed it they argued which was worse Naruto fans or Yaoi fans and also if Harry Potter or Twilight was worse)

So I'd say for wanting me to come back to the con and to anime in general that in my opinion and for me the con was successful.

[kali]

Registration
I was fortunate enough to be a panelist, otherwise I would have been screwed over because I had to travel on Saturday. I know you guys can't process pre-reg during Winter Break which is why the attendance issue wasn't known until it was too late, but maybe next year you could make the cut-off earlier so you can get an accurate count ahead of time.

Staffers
You know I love you guys. I was very impressed with the quick thinking involved with the heat issue in Panel One as well as moving the line to the central little plaza so everyone could get their autograph. Also impressed with how quickly an efficiently you guys rescheduled after you lost the second panel room.

I think more of a distinction might help. I had no problem because I knew who everyone was, but I don't think your average attendee could pick out who was in charge.

I don't think the band helped secruity too much. I would suggest a different but equally visible shirt color for them next year (or perhaps an obnoxiously bright vest.)

Next year I will definitely find out what color you all are wearing and NOT wear the same color.

Lines

I refuse to stand in line at conventions, but from what I saw you guys did a good job of organizing them. Great job watering the autograph line as well.

I will be donating an 'End of the Line' sign on a stick for next year. Easier to see and easier on staffers arms.

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley

I don't like having the mixed room. but I totally understand why you guys have to do it. If you do move hotels next year, I think separate spaces would be nice. Traffic moved fairly well.

Main Events

I like the skit before the host auction. I actually just watched that and wandered out afterwards since I like you guys but I can get enough of you for free. (Those chocolate cake things were fantastic though.)

The iron cosplay was hysterical. I would either add more contestants or give less time though. Or maybe have two sets of contestants with different secret ingredients or a mini 'halftime show'.

The Game Room

Gaming was great for me, but I only popped in for a bit. My only concern was the slight con funk. I have no idea how people have the funk at 9am on Sunday, but have the funk they did. Maybe a fan or two in the room might keep the air circulating a bit more.

Guests

I'm really not so much into voice actors, so I'd like to see more guest cosplayers/artists/etc.

Programming

The changed schedule was fairly easy to locate on Sunday.

PR and Booklet

I've been involved since the first Setsu, so I cheat and get my info from the listserv. However, I wasn't seeing as much hype on the internet this year.

I didn't get a booklet, soooo yeah.


The Website

I think the menu needs to be expanded/clarified a bit. Digging out the panel application was a little counterintuitive.
Also, online pre-reg.

Panels

Well, my panel didn't work out so well, but I certainly don't blame you guys.

I would like to see better communication with the panelists.

-Is AMST9000 worth doing again next year? It's always worth doing.

[sunfisher89]

Thank you everyone for your feedback so far. I will address a few of the questions you had a little later. We still need more feedback, get your friends to answer the questionnaire if you can. I will personally be reviewing all of the feedback and presenting it to the con chair at the post Setsucon meeting this Friday, as well as the programming meeting this Sunday. Thanks again.

Sean

[majinsteph]

Overall, an excellent con. I have quite a bit of feedback so here goes.

Registration
-How smooth was the process for you?
I arrived around 9:00 A.M. on Saturday morning, and registration was very smooth and easy. Filling out the form while in line instead of having to wait my turn at the desk was a big help. I would have pre-registered for this con, but given the time of year, I didn't want to pre-register when there was a possibility of bad weather and I have to drive. I love you guys, but not enough to risk my life driving in a blizzard.

Staffers
-Were all the staffers up to par and helpful?-
Yes, they were very friendly.
-Would you like to see a distinction between regular staffers and the executive personnel?
There's a difference?
-Did the Secruity armbands help with the visibility of them?
I didn't notice any armbands. However, I was able to identify all of the staffers easily with the bright pink shirts.

Lines
-I know the wait was long to see the guest of honor, Vic, but otherwise how was the line situation?
The lines seemed pretty under control. Impressive, for the small amound of space.
-Seating goes in here too, How did seating for the events go?
I was satisfied with the seating for all of the events except for the Saturday Vic panel...which, I'm sure you already know, was VERY uncomfortable. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't had to all move up halfway through the seating time...but man, nobody I sat near could move at all and the stench was incredible. I probably wouldn't have gone to the panel if I'd known it would be like that, but by the time I got seating I was so crammed in there that it may have been impossible to get back out again.

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
-Do you like having Dealers and Artists in the same location?
I think it was nice, given the number of both. Now, if you had dealers and artists on waiting lists who weren't able to have tables, then I would prefer to have them separated if it would allow for a few more of each.
-Space was tight, but how was the flow of traffic?
It wasn't too bad, especially since the staffers limited the number of people who could go in at once.
-Did the times for opening and closing work for you?
They worked fine for me. I was happy that it opened earlier on Saturday than many cons do on the first convention day; it gave me incentive to come to the con earlier...which apparently was important because if I'd come later I may not have gotten into the con at all! The closing time worked for me, although I know someone who tried to go before the dance, only to find that it was closed.

Main Events
-How did you like the order of events for the masquerade?
I would have loved to have gone to the masquerade, but I decided to eat at Subway quickly after the Vic concert, but when I came back, the Masquerade was full and I couldn't get in. I wish there was enough room that people could come late to the masquerade, but nothing could be done about it.
-Did you like the play before the Host Auction, would you like to see it again?
Yes. I think the event would have seemed kind of empty without the short performance.
-Anything that you would change for the musical performance?
Letting the con-goers know that it's going to start really late would be the only thing I can think of.
-AMV"s, we get so few submissions that we show them during the masquerade, does this work for you?
I thought it was strange that they were shown during the masquerade, so that people have to choose between seeing the masquerade or seeing the AMVs.
-The Setsudance, what would you like to see next year?
I would like to see a real DJ. I stayed for only the first few minutes of the dance...it just wasn't doing it for me, so I left. Maybe it got way better, but toward the beginning it seemed like hardly anyone was dancing...some couples were dancing and people were standing around watching the people with glowsticks dance. The dance needs either a DJ to get people moving, or some popular song to get people excited right away at the onset.

The Game Room
-Was there enough japanese games to suite your needs?
I loved the game room. Spent more time there than anywhere else if you don't include lines. I only hung around the DDR/Pop'n Music area, if there had been more Japanese rythem games, I might have played them too, but I certainly didn't require more.
-Did the variety of games work for you?
Yes.
-What games would you like to see next year?
Just keep the DDR on the nice big projected screen.
-Was the layout OK?
I thought the space available was used very effectively. There was alot of room giving to the RockBand area, which was good because alot of people were watching or waiting in line for it.
-Were the opening and closing times ok with you?
Yes, it was open during the entire time I was at the con.

Guests
-Anything that you would like to comment on?
Good job getting Vic, alot of people came just to see him.

Programming
-Did any times conflict enough that you were not able to be where you wanted to be because of another commitment? (Hall cosplay, host club)
The concert didn't start on time, but I didn't realize it was going to start late. That being said, I wanted to be in line for the concert at least 15 minutes before I thought it was going to start. So, at the host auction, I didn't bid on anybody because I knew that if I did and won, I would want to spend time with them at the host party...but not at the risk of missing the concert. So because I saw a potential conflict there, I didn't take part in the bidding at the host auction (on the schedule, the host party was shown as partially overlapping the concert).
-Were the events distributed enough such that you always had something fun to do?
I had some downtime after the Vic panel and before the host auction that I used to check out State College a little bit. Other than that, it was fine.
-How was the balance of events between Saturday and Sunday.
I wasn't there on Sunday, but it looked like you had some good stuff going on, such as another Vic panel and Rock Band idol. For me to stay for Sunday, I would probably need a musical guest or a Japanese guest (I realize that's probably not feasible for you guys given the size of the con).
-Should we bother scheduling any events at 8AM next year?
I arrived at 9, getting there at 8 would be tough.

PR and Booklet
-How did you hear about Setsucon this year?
I heard about it from Tekkoshocon in 2009. Somebody in a hallway handed me a slip of paper with Setsucon info on it. To be honest, I probably never would have heard of this con otherwise, so do please continue to advertise at Tekko.
-Did the booklet provide all of the information that you needed, if not, what was missing?
Yes.

The Website
-What would you like to see on the website this year?
Okay...this is my biggest complaint. I had no idea where to park for this con, I have never been to State College before. The parking info in the booklet was great...but by the time I got the booklet I was already parked. I really needed this information to be on the website, preferably in the "Location" section. I drove around for quite some time trying to figure out what to do, until finally parking at the front door and asking the lady at the front desk where I should park. I know someone asked about parking on the forums, but once I got to the hotel, I could not find the parking garages.

Panels
I didn't go to any panel, too much other stuff I wanted to do.

Viewings
Same as above with the panels.

Live Events
-Aikido, Karate, Belly Dancers, Did you enjoy the performances? Should we invite them back next year?
I caught some of the Karate event, and I thought it was a really good idea. Having something early that I could just walk right into as soon as I got to the con was nice. And I think anyone, even parents who care nothing for anime, could enjoy these events if they knew about them.
-Any suggestions for future live events?
Karaoke.

That's about it, overall I had a very pleasant experience.

[Elycium]

Registration
Registration was a little rocky at first because the staffer didn't have the list with the names of the people on the table swaps (not his fault) but we did eventually get it sorted out. He was really nice while we were dealing with him. Loved the Friday night pick up.

Staffers
All of the staff I came into contact with was super friendly. I do think security needs a different colour staff shirt though, as the armbands were barely noticeable.

Lines
I didn't really go to any of the events, but I do think you guys did a good job with keeping the lines neat and for the most part out of the way of foot traffic.

Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
Traffic seemed to move pretty good, especially considering how many people ended up at the con. I like seeing both the artists and the dealers together. I would have loved to have known about the schedule change before finding out Sunday morning at 7:30 am that they weren't letting people in until 9. And given that it wasn't just our table, but four or five tables that didn't know about it, I would say that the communication was sort of lacking in that area.

Main Events

-AMV"s, we get so few submissions that we show them during the masquerade, does this work for you?
I think there needs to be an actual panel of judges for an "official" award before they're shown to the crowd and then an audience award for crowd favorite. Judging by applause for the over all award just doesn't seem fair to me, as it will naturally go to whatever anime/song/character is the current crowd favorite
and not necessarily based on actual AMV skill.


Guests
I would like to see more guests. I'm not much of a Vic fan, or even a voice actor fan really, so I would like to see more of a variety in who is brought in.


Panels
-Were there any panels that you would love to see again next year
I would like to see the dollfie panel return.


Hall Cosplay
-Anyone that entered, how did you like the judging time slots, did they run over?
I always love having actual time slots and not just a show up between these hours. I was the last slot on the list, so I couldn't say whether the earlier ones ran over but my slot ended right on time. The judges were very nice too.

-Was the at con registration easy enough to find?
Actually no. I had a heck of a time finding it on the registration table and an even worse time trying to get to it because of people trying to pick up their badges. If it was moved after the time I signed up, I don't know. But I would suggest that you don't try putting it on the reg. table next year.

[Patches]

I think there needs to be an actual panel of judges for an "official" award before they're shown to the crowd and then an audience award for crowd favorite. Judging by applause for the over all award just doesn't seem fair to me, as it will naturally go to whatever anime/song/character is the current crowd favorite
and not necessarily based on actual AMV skill.

THIS. SOOOO much this. Not just as an audience member and rabid AMV fan but as a judge and entrant in other competitions, I was really disappointed with the AMV's being judged by a popularity contest pretty much. Even if there's not many entry's, it just didn't come off as very fair to me and you guys would probably get more entrants if you advertised that there would be a judges award given from a (even a small) panel of judges that knew AMV creation past "OMG I LOVE THIS CHARACTER/AUDIO" then you might get people to take it more seriously and enter. I know I didn't bother entering this year since I saw last year that you guys judge by applause alone. :/ Even though that Casshern vid was pretty awesome.

Judging by applause is obviously the easiest thing to do with so few videos, but like Elycium said, is it really a true test of which video was the best?

I don't know if you guys advertise over on AMV.org (they have a contests forum) or not (I haven't hit the forums there in a while) but if you don't, you should. A prize like a box set or something other than a certificate might also bring in more entries.

[Maggie]

Cross posted this to the staff forums for any staffers to answer there!

[feytaline]

Registration
-How smooth was the process for you?
-Did you like the Friday night prereg pickup?


It took a bit to find get our badges on Friday night for our table swap. This was partially on our fault--an email may or may not have been sent, I'm not sure because I wasn't the one sending them. Also, a friend of mine was judging the cosplay, and wasn't able to get her badge even after verification from the con chair that she was indeed staffing because the reg guy didn't have a list of staffers. ;^; I was honestly shocked that even though there were over 300 pre-regs, there were only two staffers at the registration counter, and one was busy cutting out badges when we first came over. I felt so bad for him, but he was a trooper and pretty darn patient despite the swarms of people. So all in all, it was a great idea, but definitely needs more help next year.

Staffers
-Were all the staffers up to par and helpful?
-Would you like to see a distinction between regular staffers and the executive personnel?
-Did the Secruity armbands help with the visibility of them?


I love you all! You are some of the friendliest staff I have ever come across. Setsu still has that "at-home" feeling and I hope you never lose it. I only had one staffer who was even slightly abrupt with me, and I think that was more so that it was really early. I want to steal you all to staff Kurokiiro Festival & Tekkoshocon. XD

As for the armbands, I actually didn't notice them this year. I think t-shirts may be a better idea--the bright pink ones kept your regular staff noticeable.

Lines
-I know the wait was long to see the guest of honor, Vic, but otherwise how was the line situation?
-Seating goes in here too, How did seating for the events go?


Your line control seemed A+ to me, especially considering the layout you were dealing with. It got a little hairy on Friday night reg (the only line I had to wait in) but I think that was due to the bottleneck right between the railing, tables, and main area--a few people were cutting, shame on them.


Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
-Do you like having Dealers and Artists in the same location?
-Space was tight, but how was the flow of traffic?
-Did the times for opening and closing work for you?


It was really cramped for us, but we made it work. We were running the Tekkoshocon dealers' booth--thanks to everyone who stopped by, and I can't wait to see Setsu's table at Tekko! Traffic didn't really cause too many issues, especially when the sign pointing the way was added.

The times were the only bad experience. We had headed down on Friday along with Patches, who had gotten a dealers' table. She'd been told 8 am was the Sunday opening, and we not told at con that it had changed, hadn't gotten the email because we'd already left--as she and Kassie mentioned earlier. So when I, and several other bleary eyed dealers stumbled in around 7:30 and I just happened to overhear the staffer in the doorway tell someone "Oh no, the room doesn't open til 9," we were NOT happy campers.

I have mixed feelings about Artists & Dealers in the same area. It is true that Artists get more FOOT traffic being with Dealers, but that doesn't necessarily mean people are going to be stopping and browsing. Sometimes people are forced to stop because of crowds and then they end up looking, but other times they just block your table trying to get to the licensed stuff. If you CAN get a larger space, ideally, I would make them separate. I find personally it takes a bit longer to peruse an Artists' table than a Dealers--you're flipping through binders, or talking about commissions.


Main Events
-How did you like the order of events for the masquerade?
-What would you like to see next year in the masquerade?
-AMV"s, we get so few submissions that we show them during the masquerade, does this work for you?
-The Setsudance, what would you like to see next year?


I love Frank. I love your masquerade. Your hall entrants this year were all very good! I think it would be better to have them come sit inside first, even during the tech set-up, so they can hear clearly how to do a walk on. I helped my friends (the judges) with that, and I had to stop a few of them from walking out the door to direct them to walk around the room. (I know, it sounds really simple, but...)

Seconding everything about the AMVs not being solely decided on applause. An audience favorite is great, but putting more thought into technical skill judging will make the contest more meaningful. Advertising your contest more could also help entries!

The dance was so much fun, but the music kept cutting out a bit. It also didn't have a strong beat so was difficult to dance to, but I still loved it. I really look forward to your dance all year!

PR and Booklet
-How did you hear about Setsucon this year?
-Did the booklet provide all of the information that you needed, if not, what was missing?

I've gone to every Setsucon, and I let everyone I know know about it. You're one of my favorite cons.

Your booklet needed a proofreader badly. There's a typo on the cover. "Setsucon 10' " should be "Setsucon '10." It kind of went downhill from there... It was a lot of little things that could have been easily fixed.


The Website
-What would you like to see on the website this year?


The hotel room rate and other information more than a few days beforehand. We went to the forums for all information, where Maggie and a few other staffers kept us mostly up to date.


Panels
-Were there any panels that you would love to see again next year?
-Any panels that didn't work out?
-What panels did you not see this year that you wish you would have?
-For those 18+, how were the 18+ panels this year? What would you like to see next year?


I am actually very surprised--I wanted to submit my 18+ "What not to say to women in Fandom" but your site said "No 18+ panels will be accepted," therefore, I didn't bother. I would be happy to do it next year!

In short, this year was fabulous, and I can't wait for next year. Thank you ALL for your hard work making Setsucon 2010 a success. I'm looking forward to seeing you at Tekkoshocon this year and I'll be directing everyone to your booth.

[ArwenStarr]

Registration
-How smooth was the process for you?
When I walked in this year, I was not expecting the massive line that we encountered, considering last year there were only about 5 people in line when we got there. I think it went smoothly though, although when we got up to the table, there wern't any papers to fill out on the clipboards, so we had to get them from the lady, who told my friend we would have to go to the end of the line again and fill them out? Although we just hurried to fill them out there, so it wasn't a big problem, and right after we left they put more on the clipboards.

-This includes weapons check.
I didn't have any weapons to check, so this doesn't really apply to me. Although I wonder what ever happened to my friends plastic toy gun. xD I told him to glue it...


Staffers
-Were all the staffers up to par and helpful?
Yes, staff was awesome this year, very friendly and helpful from what I saw.

-Would you like to see a distinction between regular staffers and the executive personnel?
I didn't even realize there was a difference actually. xD

-Did the Secruity armbands help with the visibility of them?
I didn't even notice anyone wearing armbands actually.


Lines
-I know the wait was long to see the guest of honor, Vic, but otherwise how was the line situation?
I thought the lines were handled very well. No one in my group went to see any of the Vic things, so it didn't affect us too badly.

-Seating goes in here too, How did seating for the events go?
Didn't go to any seated events.


Dealer's Room/Artist Alley
-Do you like having Dealers and Artists in the same location?
I was expecing the layout, as it was basicly the same layout from last year. Although I think it would be nice if they were separated, if there were enough of each to warrant it. More varitey would be nice also. There were about three tables that were basically selling the same keychains/figures/ect.

-Space was tight, but how was the flow of traffic?
I thought the flow of traffic was good, except getting stuck in one of the table areas when people crowded the entrance, but it didn't bother me to much.
-Did the times for opening and closing work for you?
Yes.


Main Events
-How did you like the order of events for the masquerade?
I didn't go to the masquerade, by the time I got out of the BJD panel, it was filled up.

-Did you like the play before the Host Auction, would you like to see it again?
We didn't make it to the Host auction this year, but it sounds like it was set up the same as the year before, and I liked it then.

-or would you prefer just a straight up auction?
I think a straight up auction would be too boring, the play gives people a chance to see the characters and how they act.

-The Setsudance, what would you like to see next year?
This was my first year going to the dance, and I thought it was awesome. Although the music seemed a little repetitive, to me it seemed like there were only 2 songs played the entire hour we were at the dance, and it skipped at parts. Other than that I thought it was epic, and I wished I could have stayed later. The only other thing I can think of was I didn't remember seeing anything about glow sticks on strings in the program book rules, or on the site from what I could find. My friend got told to stop, but I wasn't suprised, considering it doesn't seem like something that would normally be allowed at a con dance, but after the fact I saw a few other people still twirling the glow sticks on strings.


The Game Room
-Was there enough japanese games to suite your needs?
I didn't go into the game room except to see what was in there, much to crowded for my tastes, but there was DDR, and that was enough for me. xD

-Did the variety of games work for you?
Didn't play any of them, although it seemed like all of the games on the xbox's were playing the same thing? I'm not sure though.

-What games would you like to see next year?
I think the games that were there we good for the amount of space available.

-Was the layout OK?
It looked good to me, although when I ventured in later Saturday, it seemed as if the amount of chairs had grown, leaving little space to walk.

-Were the opening and closing times ok with you?
Didn't go in really, so didn't effect me.


Guests
-Anything that you would like to comment on?
I'm not a terrible big Vic fan, so I wasn't too excited about him. Honestly I was missing the less famous guests from last year, because with Vic this year, it was so crowded. @_@


Programming
-What did you think of the new layout this year for the schedule?
I honestly can't remember what the old layout looked like, so I can't really say anything. I did like the layout though, very easy to read and understand.

-After the schedule change on Sunday, how easy was it for you to find out about the change?
I wasn't there on Sunday, so I didn't know there was a change.

-Did any times conflict enough that you were not able to be where you wanted. to be because of another commitment?
I wasn't able to make it to the Masquerade because of being at the BJD Panel, but it didn't bother me much.

-Were the events distributed enough such that you always had something fun to do?
To me it seemed like if you didn't go to the Vic Panel or autograph or concert on Saturday, there wasn't much else to do. We got bored by the middle of the day.

-How was the balance of events between Saturday and Sunday.
I thought the balance was good, although I was sad to miss the web comic panel because it was on Sunday.

-Should we bother scheduling any events at 8AM next year?
We didn't even make it to the con until about 10 this year, so unless we get a hotel next year, it wouldn't really matter. xD


PR and Booklet
-How did you hear about Setsucon this year?
Went last year, so totally planned to go again.

-Did the booklet provide all of the information that you needed, if not, what was missing?
It seemed pretty good to me, I didn't notice anything missing.


The Website
-What would you like to see on the website this year?
More information about things, I suppose. Having the schedule a little earlier would be nice, and more information about things like parking would be helpful.


Panels
-Were there any panels that you would love to see again next year?
The BJD Panel absolutely , that's really the only panel I made it to this year, and I can't remember any of the other ones.

-Any panels that didn't work out?
It seemed like the BJD Panel wasn't very long, but that was because it took a while to get everything set up, so I'm not complaining.

-What panels did you not see this year that you wish you would have?
The web comic panel on Sunday.


-Suggestions for next year?
Try to get things to start when they are supposed to, I suppose. My friend and I ended up walking in on some sort of meeting because the BJD meet-up didn't start when it was supposed to, and wasn't posted anywhere.


Viewings
-Was there a wide enough variety of viewings for you?
None of the viewings really appealed to me, except for Ouran, which I ended up missing, but I didn't really know what any of the other ones were, so I didn't go to see them.


Live Events
-Aikido, Karate, Belly Dancers, Did you enjoy the performances? Should we invite them back next year?
Although I didn't see any of them, from what I've heard they were good, so I would say yes.



I thought this year was amazing, and I'm totally pumped for next year, and hopefully will manage to stay for both days. xD