Comments on: Fixing the Anime Con Schedule http://doalchemy.org/2010/03/fixing-the-anime-con-schedule/ Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:13:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: omo http://doalchemy.org/2010/03/fixing-the-anime-con-schedule/comment-page-1/#comment-6926 omo Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:03:21 +0000 http://doalchemy.org/?p=821#comment-6926 From my own experience, it's a matter of manpower and logistics management, and then there's an issue of money. Baltimore Convention Center charges money for wifi, and Otakon isn't some kind of yuppie silicon valley affair, so they really have no reason to pay for free wifi for attendees (even if they could and can afford it, and that's probably a no in the second case and a "is it even possible?" in the first). I suspect the same kind of deal for a lot of other cons. They've raised the membership fee by $10 this year, so I'd rather that less money go to something that is "wanted" and more money go to something that is "needed." I think this scheduling-updates-over-the-net thing is somewhere in between the two, but it's not a necessity. I think the Hynes Convention Center in Boston provides free wifi as a part of the convention's own attraction. That's a freebie to the con and the attendees. Google doc is probably excessive. I think the built-in scheduling tool they used last year can easily be adopted or extended for this purpose. The problem is you have to have someone who is available the whole time to update any changes coming down from the chain of command, and as a con run by volunteers it's not something you can count on. From my own experience, it’s a matter of manpower and logistics management, and then there’s an issue of money. Baltimore Convention Center charges money for wifi, and Otakon isn’t some kind of yuppie silicon valley affair, so they really have no reason to pay for free wifi for attendees (even if they could and can afford it, and that’s probably a no in the second case and a “is it even possible?” in the first). I suspect the same kind of deal for a lot of other cons. They’ve raised the membership fee by $10 this year, so I’d rather that less money go to something that is “wanted” and more money go to something that is “needed.” I think this scheduling-updates-over-the-net thing is somewhere in between the two, but it’s not a necessity.

I think the Hynes Convention Center in Boston provides free wifi as a part of the convention’s own attraction. That’s a freebie to the con and the attendees.

Google doc is probably excessive. I think the built-in scheduling tool they used last year can easily be adopted or extended for this purpose. The problem is you have to have someone who is available the whole time to update any changes coming down from the chain of command, and as a con run by volunteers it’s not something you can count on.

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