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I’m glad that he got a sense these last few years of how loved he was.

Dovetailing on the feedback panel comment about keepsake programs and T-shirts, one thing that's in the program that I kinda missed was the staff list. Let us, you know, know who was responsible for putting all this together so they can take a virtual bow. Also, though I wasn't interested in autographs this year, a fun feature of the program book was the autograph page you could have a guest sign, no questions asked. I don't know if any kind of alternative was provided but it would have been nice if that were the case.

I have to say that when I was gofering and had to tell people to pull it up, they did so 100% of the time.

Thank you for your thorough response.

I feel like there’s a difference, during a pandemic, between it being possible to fit a certain number of people in the WEWCC and it being right to allow that many people. I love Otakon. I’ve been going for nearly two decades, I’ve volunteered, I’ve donated. But I’d like to know more about the behind the scenes logic of the decisions that were made in regards to Covid. Specifically, the lack of a vaccine requirement and the lack of a cap. And we’re supposed to hear more from Otakon on their financials and the impact of the donation drive. That was promised at the feedback panel in lieu of th

I didn't expect 26,000 people to show and, heart of hearts, staff probably didn't either. I also don't know what the costs particular to this year looked like, though I know the con was clearly without revenue streams like new merch, advertising and bag pack-ins. I also don't know how a cap would have been implemented in an era of single-day trial memberships. But there has to have been some number below 26,000 where people would have felt safer and the convention still would've wound up in the black.

I know the math is a concern but Otakon has had attendance caps before and survived.

Anime cons are places where people have to be reminded to shower and use deodorant. Even if DC was reopened, the attendance should’ve been capped on the front end. I have friends who were supposed to present who bugged out at the last minute because of the Delta variant. One is a parent to a young child, the other is an art teacher.

I wasn’t after any autographs this year but I understand the issue. That said, I also understand what they’re up against. They have all that real estate in that hall and dealers don’t fill up all of it. But maybe they could’ve moved signings this year to the area normally used for the dance? Could they do that in normal years, too, or would that present logistical issues for the dance setup?

Yeah, I was expecting attendance would take a 2015-style hit. If you told me three or four months ago that this would be the attendance, the con might've been a tougher sell for me and probably a lot of other people, independent of what we're seeing now with the Delta variant. I don't see how conventions are feasible going forward without a vaccine requirement.

The good: Most people wore their masks and wore them right. I didn't see a lot of physical contact. Grab and go concessions were neat. The torch was a great flex. It was good to have some old favorites back like MAT3K and Super Art Fight (I'm biased, since the SAF folks are friends) The bad: I've gone over this before but there was no physical distancing. I mean, we knew it going in but in light of the Delta variant it seems like more could have been done. Parties would go into rooms seated a couple seats apart and then people would come in and fill those seats. I

I said mask mandate when I meant a vaccine mandate earlier in reference to ANYC and Blerdcon. I was tired. But I don’t see how cons are really sustainable without that. But I think the video boards should’ve been in use to communicate information about masks, in addition to wayfinding as they were used in years past. I didn’t think a cap was necessary before the con because I didn’t think there would end up being so many people. I was expecting 2015.

I’m going to repeat/paraphrase/elaborate on what I said at feedback. We have the benefit of hindsight know now things about the virus that Otakon staff didn’t know a few weeks ago, much less when they started planning for this con in earnest a few months ago. Attendance should have been capped. Seats should have been in pods. There should have been more and clearer messaging at-con (including on video boards) about the mask mandate and when, where, why you could take your mask off. Maybe the tape tricks that one guy suggested could’ve helped. This is not going away anytime soon and Otakon s

I was checking their website about this the other day. Yeah, I'm planning on no microwaves. But they have mini-fridges, so overnight oats are doable.

I liked it last time I was there, though it's been a few years. They're veg-friendly, that's a plus in my book.

I just had a great idea for that lunch date--Busboys & Poets. Nobody from Otakon thinks to go there, speaking from experience.

I wish we could have something in write-up form. My girlfriend can only do Friday and I want to take her for lunch someplace reasonably close, not too crowded and not outlandishly expensive. I worry that's too much to ask.

Anime NYC in November is a go.

You're right that they're the biggest video game vendor but I don't think they're the *only* one. But TBH, as I think about it, even at MAGFest, most of the vendors aren't selling video games but instead T-shirts and art and music.

The list of vendors hasn't yet been published but should be available closer to the con. Generally, the most stuff is happening on Saturday but it's also the most expensive day to attend. You could come down on Sunday but some vendors may be out of some things. Have you considered Friday? Are you seriously not considering the whole weekend?

She's a lovely person who doesn't deserve the cyberbullying and worse she and others have gotten in the last couple years. But it is what it is. I'm not staff and I'm not privy to everything that went on behind the scenes before the big announcement that Otakon would happen on schedule. But up until that point, how do you invite someone to a convention you can't say with certainty is happening? Otakon announced they were full go in late May, well after Northwest Arkansas Comic Con started selling tickets and such. And just because she only announced she was going to that event a few days

--not staff-- DC says that fully-vaccinated people don't need to wear masks. And here's the thing--because Otakon isn't requiring proof of vaccination, there's no way for staff or fellow congoers to know if you are, in fact, vaccinated. Events DC lets organizers set their own policy and that's where Otakon came down. The website doesn't say they'll copy CDC policy to the letter, but let CDC guidance inform their own guidelines, and those are what they are right now. And really, is having to wear a mask that big a deal? If Otakon hadn't established a mask policy, people from outside t

If you're accessing MARC/Amtrak via Light Rail, trains are single-tracked from Falls Road to Camden Station. There is a bus bridge serving the affected stops. Plan accordingly. Also, MARC's newer train sets don't have anywhere good to put your stuff. Consider Amtrak instead, if you can. COVID-19 testing is available on the baggage claim level at Dulles. At DCA, testing is offered near the Terminal B checkpoint. Appointments are recommended. At all three area airports, concessions and store hours may be in flux. Know before you go and, if you have a long flight, plan accordingly.

I know that. I could've been clearer though.

The tack being taken by Reed and by Awesome Con (which is also in August) is potentially instructive. LeftField, which runs Awesome Con, also runs ANYC. It just happens that, of all of these, Otakon is first out the gate.