Is Anime Festival Orlando getting too big in it’s current location?

AFO 2008 was my 6^th AFO and I have seen a lot of interesting events take place. I remember the first year I attended AFO, where the directions I was given by my friends were “it is the hotel behind the fugly mermaid store”. That of course was the year of the elevator gnomes and the “candy” being passed out (note to all convention goers, do not take candy from strangers in a dark room and attempt to put it in your mouth, it will probably be a condom). I have enjoyed the Wyndham Location for the past 5 or so years, but I can’t help but wonder if the convention will grow at this rate if we are in the same location year after year. I am going to break down the pros and cons of this AFO and discuss how a new location may or may not be in order.

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PRO:

Food- I read many of anime convention blog and a universal complaint has always been expensive convention food or not any other source of food in walking distance. The Wyndham is located near the large McDonalds, Burger King, Perkins, and a few other restaurants that you can SEE from the actual convention yourself. The hotel also has a small snack bar area where one can buy milk in case you bring your own cereal or a quick order of fries and a hamburger for UNDER 10 dollars. They also set up a small buffet area with reasonable priced pizza and snacks. Now when I say reasonable, not it is not as cheap as if you made it yourself at home. However, it is cheaper than many conventions I have seen (I have seen simple hamburger, chips, and a soft drink meal cost 15 dollars at some conventions). So if AFO changed locations, we would be losing all the food sources we have become use to and of course, the yearly frogger play we all endure to get to said food sources. As a side note, the convention has a very lax set of rules involving bringing in outside food. The events I attended did not make you chuck drinks or a snack when you entered them. That is always a plus side to a hungry con-goer who is late attending an event (just remember guys, treat the hotel with respect and don’t smash French fries all over the floor!)

Hotel Based Convention- for the most part, I find conventions that are all encompassed into one location much easier than ones being held at a separate location. At a hotel, there is a sense of belonging, you and your fellow anime fans are all at the same place for 3 days. The halls are full of cosplayers, no need to pay for separate parking (glad the Wyndham does not charge for parking use), and no need to move to different locations for the main events. I enjoy walking to my room and finding posters and signs on people’s windows or seeing people in the restaurant dressed up as their favorite character. It makes it feel like a close knit community.

Water: I appreciated that the hotel staff provides free water to the con-goers. I have read on many reports how a certain convention is charged outrageous prices for refreshments and how some people get so absorbed in having fun, they forget to stay hydrated. Well, with free water provided all around, there is no reason for anyone to feel that way.

The Price: Again, after reading other convention reports, I realize how lucky we are when it comes to our wallets. The Wyndham does not charge us for parking our vehicles. There AFO hotel rate is 89 dollars, which if you stay 2 days, is 200 dollars after taxes. The rooms can hold 4 people comfortably, more if you bring an air mattress or pay SLIGHTY more for a suite room. The ticket prices have hardly come up in the last 6 years of the convention. Tickets for all weekend are only 35 dollars if you prepay, that is very inexpensive compared to other conventions. There are also other hotels within a few miles within the same price range and the Wyndham does not charge for parking (yet) for those who are not staying at the hotel. If the convention were to move, prices would go up on everything, which means less spending money in the dealers room which AGAIN affects the problem with better dealers.

AFO Channel: Every year but this year, we have had a 24 hour anime channel in our hotel rooms (perhaps other people did this year, but we did not receive the channel after calling the hotel staff twice). I have always found that to be a lovely draw to the convention. Sometimes people need to go back to their room to rest or eat and even then, they do not have to be separated from convention activities. They can watch a few new series or simply laugh at some old ones. It is a nice addition to a convention, to know no matter where you go, there will be SOMETHING to do. Also, with this channel, you can watch anime in the comfort of your own room and not have to worry about the people next to you talking loudly and ruining the experience. :)

RPG: This is a relatively new aspect of the convention and many people seem to enjoy it (including my husband). In a nut shell, one reads up on the plot and decides which side they want to “fight” for. From there, a con-goer can answer clues and riddles throughout the convention, partake in ‘quests”, or simply attend many panels to obtain coins in hopes of leveling up. This RPG allows for those with extra time on their hands to do something while waiting for the next event to take place. If the convention moved to a bigger location, I am not sure HOW this RPG would work or be handled.

Registration: In previous years, registration has always taken under an hour (this year due to the economy and back to school being so close, registration was down to less than 10 minutes in most cases). Last year I attended a first year convention on a Friday and it took a good 45 minutes for me to obtain my one (actually it was not marked as such…) pass even though there were ONLY 8 people in front of me. AFO’s process is much more efficient and allows for con-goers to get their passes without missing any events. I have read horror stories where some people at BIGGER conventions having to wait up to EIGHT hours for a pass. That is missing an entire and I find that unacceptable. At AFO, you know you can get there at a reasonable time and you will not miss any events. If we were to change locations, that might not be the case anymore.

Signage: Perhaps it is the fact the layout has really not changed in the past 5 or so years or that they do have sufficient signs, but I never have to spend much time finding the events I wish to attend. On the daily schedule of events, the times and locations are readily available and easy to read. Maps are provided in the convention guide book. Although this year the registration signs could have been bigger, they were held in the same location so AFO veteran knew the way by heart and could aid any newbie who got lost. Ii we changed to a bigger location, chances are things will be spread out further, possibly to different hotels/centers, thus the chance of getting lost or asking for help will increase.

CONS:

Hotel Size and Layout: When AFO first moved to the Wyndham, we did not take over the whole convention area. I remember the days of being at the convention and running into wedding parties (ruining dodge ball, then she didn’t even get married!) and the Southern Baptist Convention. Then they decided to have the entire convention area and many more panels could take place at once. However, the hallways are SMALL. When a cosplayer with a rather large costume or prop starts walking, the entire section gets crowed with people trying to pass them or go in the opposite direction. This year seem to be the year of dancing in the hallway. I enjoy people having a good time, but there really was not room to walk by the dancers and the people videoing and taking pictures of it. While there are several areas with tables and couches for eating and resting, but certainly not enough for the number of people there and they usually lead to exits so it is hard to sit on the floor near those exits. That means many con-goers are sitting on the floor near the walls (or close to the wall) and that is typically where lines are supposed to be for main events. Some of the panel rooms were very small compared to the number of people who wanted to attend. I personally attended two panels that were full to capacity and one had to turn people away because of fire codes. There were simply not enough chairs or space for more guests to enjoy the panel.

As for the layout, a few years ago I really thought the apartment style layout was fun. But after two years of being placed in the FARTHEST buildings possible, it is not so much fun. It is also nearly impossible to get rooms next to your friends. I can imagine how hot cosplayers can get when it very hot outside and this year we had to contend with the rain and no walk ways coverings. That lead to many cosplayers changing in the bathroom. If AFO remained a hotel based convention, perhaps it could be one that is more standard and not the apartment style layout.

Dealers Room: This year, I feel the dealers room was really lacking. Don’t get me wrong, I found quite a few things I wanted to buy, but not a huge selection. Not even tables that, in the past were full with all the mainstream stuff like naruto and bleach and death note, seemed full. It seemed pretty bare and after talking with one vendor, it seems like we were the last convention of the summer and we got left over merchandise and or had no time to replenish supplies. On top of that, there were many booths that were not anime related. I love Japanese culture as much as the next anime lover, but there were two booths full of stuff I could get at Zensations, a booth that had normal stuffed animals, a jade jewelry booth, and two booths that have been out in artist gallery before and should have stayed there. Not to mention there were two booths that didn’t even bother to show up. Are vendors trying to tell us that AFO is not a big enough draw to bring their best merchandise, that we are the clean up con? I really hope that is not the case, but if we were at a bigger venue, perhaps that would allow for more vendors to WANT to come (which in turn makes for competitive prices and more variety for the con-goer). However, not a location that is SO huge that they have to increase the prices to justify the unloading fees some halls charge.

Security: I am not trying to be the fun police, but every year, I see younger and younger kids being LEFT all day at the convention and they go crazy without their parents being around. I love a good prank as the next person and conventions ARE a place to have fun, but sometimes a line needs to be drawn. People cannot run around and act like their actions have no consequences on other people. The AFO staff does not seem big enough to handle such a crowd at times and the only times I see hotel staff is when they are refilling the water or serving the food. If we were at a bigger location, perhaps this place could have an actual security staff that could help keep the peace and make sure that people remain safe. I am all for fun people, but when your fun interferes with MY fun and safety, steps need to be taken.

Guests: The bigger a convention gets, the more likely a big name guest will come. The only voice actors/actresses that come are Dubbed ones and I know many people would enjoy Japanese voice actors/actresses attending. I am not going to dream the big dream and pretend we could ever get Yuu Watase or Clamp to come as bigger cons in CA were able to. However, perhaps we could get more industry people to attend. I always read how con-goers get t o talk face to face to those in charge of bringing anime to America and how they are informed of new and exciting projects. J-Pop groups are also very popular in the anime community, so perhaps a bigger venue with more seating would draw just artists to us.

SWAG: I suppose this goes hand in hand with vendors and/or guests. Everyone enjoys a free promo poster of an upcoming anime. Sure, sometimes it is as small as a few bookmarks or poster cards, but free swag is always a plus in my mind. Someone might pick up something on a whim, then discover their free poster is actually a very cool anime and they in turn help spread the word of this new series. It draws a crowd in to panels sometimes, where free DVDS and other merchandise may be given out an industry panels. AFO use to give out promotional bags when you finished picking up your badge, a huge bag with a few little goodies inside. I think those days need to return.

Cosplayers: I have heard many cosplayers say they simply cannot maneuver in the halls of the Wyndham or simply, they rather skip AFO and go to a bigger name convention. One of my biggest joys is seeing many people dressed up in their best costumes and this AFO seemed to have not had as many cosplayers as last year. This also could be due to the fact that the convention was held the day before school was to start, but I also feel with the economy how it is, many people have to really pick and choose which conventions they can attend. I want AFO to be the convention people choose to go to. If we picked a bigger location where gatherings could take place and bigger hallways for more elaborate costumes, perhaps we would be put back on top of the MUST ATTEND LIST!

More Structured Panels: I enjoy fan run panels, well run ones that is. I understand things happen, people are late, there is a lack of materials, ect ect. However, some fan run panels get a little out of control. I feel as if some people just sign up for panels so they can receive their free weekend pass and do not take the panel seriously. There needs to be a better process in deciding what panels are allowed to run. People who have failed to deliver a decent panel in the past should not be allowed to apply again. If the venue changed, perhaps there could be actual industry panels being run, limited the amount of fan panels. Professional panels and fan panels should both be offered to further expand AFO.

Artist Alley: I felt pretty bad for the artist this year. They are always in front of the dealers room, but yet they never seem to have much traffic. Their booths always have people taking pictures in front of them or people simply stopping to talk to their friends. It is almost like the artists are a second thought, as in “oh, I am standing here, I shall GLANCE at the table”. It is not fair to the artists and I think that is why they were in low numbers this year. The artists should have their own section and not simply in the way of traffic. If AFO were to grow, we could prove a better area for the artists to sell their merchandise. A bigger location would mean there could be more booths, inside of a few obscure booths scattered about. I find that some people enjoy artist alleys MORE than the actual dealers room itself sometimes, so this is something AFO really needs to address.

At the moment these are the issues I can think of. If anyone reading this can think of others, feel free to comment (I love it when people comment on my blogs!). There are several issues I did not mention that could be improved about AFO, but I doubt a change in venue would affect those issues (such as offering more to the 18+ group, con-goer behavior, the inevitable con-funk). Despite all the things I think can be improved on, I do love attending AFO. I just hope to see it grow in a positive way in the years to come. Thanks for reading.

Here are a few photographs i took while at AFO, enjoy. :)