ithilienne

Panels are discussions given or led by an expert fan or by someone who works in the industry. Topics vary widely - Otakon tries to select fan panelists presenting about Japanese and east Asian culture and similar topics, but a panel can be about any topic. You'll also see panels led by Otakon's guests. Industry representatives - people who work for companies like Bandai, Funimation, and Gaia Online, among others - also usually have a panel or two at Otakon to discuss what's coming up for their company, new releases, premieres, and other interesting stuff. The masquerade is the con's Ma

I wonder if the concert will have a huge effect on the Thursday line? Like, everyone goes to the concert instead of waiting, so there's no one in line. hmm... I doubt it. We processed just shy of 9000 (yes, nine thousand, it's not a typo) registrations last year on Thursday night; and as someone else mentioned, the concert venue seats 1000. On top of that, even if all 1000 people went to the concert instead of doing Thursday night reg, there are still potentially 14000 other people who could choose to pre-register and then pick up their stuff that night. Otakon has a lot of people

Topic, please (convenience stores near the BCC). If you'd like to keep talking about beer/bars in Baltimore, please take it to PMs or to another thread. Thanks!

Haha, you're tellin' me.

Back to topic, please, guys - which is budgeting for Otakon 2009. If you'd like to keep discussing travel to and from Japan, please take it to another thread (I think there's already one or two around), or to PMs. Thanks

Oh, sweet! GW is my favorite MMO, the art is so much prettier than WoW's. If I see you, I'll definitely be snapping a pic.

It's a RiteAid, located on Howard Street right near Lexington Market/the Arena.

Just to clarify, if you take 95 to 395, you won't have to exit onto Howard Street. 395 becomes Howard Street once you pass the exit for Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd - the BCC is the intersection of Howard and Pratt.

Not true. From the FAQ, posted on the Otakon website: A shirt that says the same thing that your sign would have said is still, essentially, the sign. Best bet: don't ask for or offer free hugs, period, even if you're only standing in the Thursday pre-reg line.

I get the feeling that BPD would kick them out for loitering if they showed up that early.

We showed Machine Girl last year. I remember, because I was on the other side of the wall from the speakers. It is a loud movie. n___n

The best way to be prepared is to read through the Tips and Hints thread in the General Forum, the Newbies thread here, and the other threads about things you want to see or do. You should also keep an eye out on the Otakon website, because that's where we'll announce guests, deadlines for registration(s), contests, etc. Chances are, any questions you might want to ask have been asked before, so look around before you ask.

Yes. Not an experience I enjoyed.

Here's a link to a Google Maps search for 'convenience stores' near the BCC. Note that location A (the BCC Public Safety Office) is not actually a convenience store. Location B (the 7-11 near the Arena) is probably your best bet.

Bolt Bus and Megabus (the latter has a similar fare schedule to Bolt Bus, but is a different company) are both reputable companies with spotless safety records. Mostly they rely on commuters/business travelers/people who are going to make a habit of traveling to and from NYC, rather than the one-timers. But their low-fare applies to anyone, so it can be a good deal. The Chinatown buses do not have good safety records, nor are the companies in question necessarily reputable. But, you get what you pay for, and your mileage may vary. I'd (personally) recommend sticking with a well-known

You should plan your presentation to include your set-up and take-down time; a panel scheduled from 1-2:30pm would include five minutes of setup and five minutes of teardown, so your actual content should be 80 minutes long. As was stated in your previous thread (to which I and the current panels department thread replied), please do not plan to serve food or beverage at your panel. The only possible exception to this is packaged, unopened candies or snacks that are distributed as prizes (as an example, offering a box of Pocky to someone who correctly answers a trivia question); and if y

A lot of your questions can be answered in the 'Tips and Hints' thread in the Q&A forum. But, here's the quick list 1. You do not need to pre-register. Registration is also available at the door. However, pre-registering speeds things up considerably for you, and once you're registered, you're eligible for members-only contests that we run throughout the year. 2. Typically there is programming available from 9am-2am on Friday and Saturday, and 9am-2pm on Sunday. The dealer's room (where you can buy things) is open for eight hours on Friday and Saturday, and is open for a

Baltimore rolls up the sidewalks food-wise around 11:30, with the exceptions of some of the hole-in-the-wall bars, and Burke's. Bars close at 2. This is pretty off-topic, though, so if you don't mind, I'll just steer us back to talking about hotel prices.

Hi, I've moved your thread to the general discussions forum since it's not related to Otakon.

Why? That's my first reaction - why do you want to set up a game of Twister at an anime convention? Twister is in no way, shape, or form related to anime or Japanese culture. While it's a blast to play a few rounds with friends, the odds of having an official Otakon Twister Tournament are essentially zero. We already have more programming than there is time for over the weekend - and that's limiting things strictly to east Asian or east Asian-influenced offerings. Where? That's my second question - as Jen said, there are no good places in the BCC to set something like this up, even if

Here is the answer from one of our Spec Ops co-department heads: "The toy gun will not be allowed if it has or has ever had any moving parts. Especially for any realistic types of weapons such as the M9, we really prefer that the prop is easily identifiable as being fake. This means that they should preferably be a solid piece of material, such as wood or resin, and should of course have a clearly marked orange tip. The flash bang grenades will depend on what they are made from. Something that is made from or can be mistaken for an actual metal canister will not be allowed. Please feel f

/gently nudges back onto topic

Towson University has a pretty active club.

There's a Superfresh on Charles Street, about six blocks or so north of the convention center.

Offering candy/snacks as prizes (for trivia, or whatever) is different than handing out food to the whole audience of 200+. The worst that will happen is the panels department head will say, "No." If your panel is accepted, you can still present it sans-food.