I've been to badly run cons.... one example that sticks in mind literally has it's own version of Valve Time for when events will run and happen. But apparently, Dashcon takes the biscuit.
That- and a Tumblrcon... seriously? Especially with the whole 'each fandom has a committee' thing they had going, each one organising seperate fandom events and the like with no sense of where the buck stopped. It's hard to put together the pieces, but I figure having multiple different committees running the one convention is where things started going wrong. Because then you get people booking too many guests without control - along with someone being widely optimistic about attendees when pitching it to the hotel, then getting caught on the hook for the room allocation they failed to fill. (Oops). That, and aiming much too big, too early, with ticket prices that were way to high.
Funnily, a convention can survive disorganisation. It can survive amateur mismanagement. It can tolerate anything so long as a venue is willing to have them, and enough people had a good enough time, that they're willing to par to attend next year. So long as people have a good time, conventions will survive.
The most notorious example I can think of locally was the second Eirtakon. There was no licensed anime - because the committee member responsible forgot to send the request until a week beforehand and ADV liked a few months notice, at least. There were no traders present because some of their stock got stolen the previous year, and the one trader in the country willing to come had a clashing even in the UK.... so they added a Bring and Buy. There was no guest, because the society running it had to dip into the con budget to replace their anime library after some scrotes broke into their locker and stole it. It also ran 4 months late because a television studio overbooked the venue and took priority because television advertising was good for the university.... nerds weren't.
And, at the end of the day, 90% of attendees had a great time inspite of everything because everyone wanted to be there and wanted it to happen because it was the only event of its kind nationally. Well, except for one little scrote of a kid who demanded his money back because he came second in the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament and didn't like the prize, having literally paid the con door fee solely to play Yu-Gi-Oh. But at the same time, it was awesome and accessible with a brilliant atmosphere,
The next con- on schedule six months later - word of mouth was so positive, they actually ran out of pre-printed con-passes and I had to photocopy badges.
Eirtakon 10 is happening this year. In a fucking stadium.
But Dashcon's going to be a watchword for a long time.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
That- and a Tumblrcon... seriously? Especially with the whole 'each fandom has a committee' thing they had going, each one organising seperate fandom events and the like with no sense of where the buck stopped. It's hard to put together the pieces, but I figure having multiple different committees running the one convention is where things started going wrong. Because then you get people booking too many guests without control - along with someone being widely optimistic about attendees when pitching it to the hotel, then getting caught on the hook for the room allocation they failed to fill. (Oops). That, and aiming much too big, too early, with ticket prices that were way to high.
Funnily, a convention can survive disorganisation. It can survive amateur mismanagement. It can tolerate anything so long as a venue is willing to have them, and enough people had a good enough time, that they're willing to par to attend next year. So long as people have a good time, conventions will survive.
The most notorious example I can think of locally was the second Eirtakon. There was no licensed anime - because the committee member responsible forgot to send the request until a week beforehand and ADV liked a few months notice, at least. There were no traders present because some of their stock got stolen the previous year, and the one trader in the country willing to come had a clashing even in the UK.... so they added a Bring and Buy. There was no guest, because the society running it had to dip into the con budget to replace their anime library after some scrotes broke into their locker and stole it. It also ran 4 months late because a television studio overbooked the venue and took priority because television advertising was good for the university.... nerds weren't.
And, at the end of the day, 90% of attendees had a great time inspite of everything because everyone wanted to be there and wanted it to happen because it was the only event of its kind nationally. Well, except for one little scrote of a kid who demanded his money back because he came second in the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament and didn't like the prize, having literally paid the con door fee solely to play Yu-Gi-Oh. But at the same time, it was awesome and accessible with a brilliant atmosphere,
The next con- on schedule six months later - word of mouth was so positive, they actually ran out of pre-printed con-passes and I had to photocopy badges.
Eirtakon 10 is happening this year. In a fucking stadium.
But Dashcon's going to be a watchword for a long time.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?