Coming back to this, it looks like a local 1st year convention is going the Dashcon route in a big way.... Otakucon (No relation to the US monster, though they assure Otakon knows about them and 'approves' EDIT: Which now seems to be a mistruth) looks set to run in the middle of December, three weeks after the largest con of the year. With as many big-name guests as the largest con of the year, and a ticket price that's less than 2/3rds of the cost. (E20 a weekend, to the more normal E35 that cons seem to have settled on, like a group of local petrol stations matching prices. It was already looking to be a bit of a fail when people started wondering just how they were expecting to cover Venue, Guests and all the other ancillaries - especially since it doesn't seem to be attached to a college.
It's especially galling when there is evidence they probably can't. 5 years ago, the largest con in the country pulled in 6-700 people, and with a E20 ticket price and no cost for the venue because it was using a college venue at the time, could afford exactly 1 guest.
The Otakucon crowd have to cover Venue, multiple guests and are running with a low ticket price and unless some tricky wizardry is happening I don't see how they're going to do it.
And pointing this out, immediately had the Director (And PR specialist after their original PR guy was canned after 3 days, and Trade Liason) claiming harassment and [sic]'deformation', and threatening to make a complaint to the police. Before finally addressing and saying he'd pay for the whole convention from "his savings, like the big boys", and he'll "find a really good agent to get a voice actor to reduce their appearance fee". Those're actual quotes, and neither of them fill me with confidence. Being charitable, I might call them hopelessly naive.... being more cynical, they remind me of a certain someone who tried to burn the company I work for.
This is, not to put a fine point on it, already shaping up to be a bit of a Charlie Foxtrot, and we're still three months away. There won't even be a ballpit.
Correction....... now it appears there will be a ballpit after all, 'due to popular demand'. This is going to be embarrasing.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
It's especially galling when there is evidence they probably can't. 5 years ago, the largest con in the country pulled in 6-700 people, and with a E20 ticket price and no cost for the venue because it was using a college venue at the time, could afford exactly 1 guest.
The Otakucon crowd have to cover Venue, multiple guests and are running with a low ticket price and unless some tricky wizardry is happening I don't see how they're going to do it.
And pointing this out, immediately had the Director (And PR specialist after their original PR guy was canned after 3 days, and Trade Liason) claiming harassment and [sic]'deformation', and threatening to make a complaint to the police. Before finally addressing and saying he'd pay for the whole convention from "his savings, like the big boys", and he'll "find a really good agent to get a voice actor to reduce their appearance fee". Those're actual quotes, and neither of them fill me with confidence. Being charitable, I might call them hopelessly naive.... being more cynical, they remind me of a certain someone who tried to burn the company I work for.
This is, not to put a fine point on it, already shaping up to be a bit of a Charlie Foxtrot, and we're still three months away. There won't even be a ballpit.
Correction....... now it appears there will be a ballpit after all, 'due to popular demand'. This is going to be embarrasing.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?