Welcome back to reality -

[kyburg]

Probably one of the best AX weekends in recent memory - no kidding. The Los Angeles Convention Center is a perfect fit for this event. With a couple of caveats, and man - those are HUGE.

They closed all of the food concessions every night at 6:00 PM. No, I am not kidding. You wanna eat dinner? Not going to do at the convention center, bub. Hop a shuttle to a hotel and eat in their restaurant - and suck it up, cost-wise. Anyone who had known ahead of time, could have made a killing with a ramen cart or some such. TRY getting pizza delivery there, BTW. I saw them delivering to the bus stop outside South Hall.

Across the street is not much to write home about. Certainly nothing to eat. Open after 6, and on a holiday weekend? Pfft.

I haven't pounded candy bars for dinner like that since college. Do not even wish to entertain the excuses of 'this is the first year for the venue' arguments. Not even. And the stories I heard about the vegetarian 'offerings' for staff chow? EPIC FAIL.

Guys, you don't tell someone who fed a Type I diabetic for 15 years that there's NO FOOD UNTIL THE NEXT DAY at the dinner hour. Ghad, this is basic. My head is still spinning.

And then there was the parking. That closed after dark - no, you can't get back in even if you DO wish to pay another $12. Went out for dinner...and then had to go home. THANKS.

I already mentioned the lack of intelligent design when it came to designing queues. HINT: do not cross the streams, thank you.

Next year - they'll be back to LACC - and I'll be bringing a microwave and a couple of cases of ramen.

The real dilemma now is if I have time to do more than complain - and if that's cryptic, good. It's meant to be.

Today? I'm about 60% - being away for four days really helped flush the RAM of everything I was doing last week before showing up there.

UM.

Not enough alcohol this weekend. Not by half. But I had a really good time and wished the days were 12 hours longer to allow for more sleep.

Comments

[taiki.livejournal.com]

not even a staff suite with food and shit?!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Staff line, perhaps. And once served, closed as well. For true.

[taiki.livejournal.com]

That's *really* disappointing and really poor way to treat staffers. I've noticed out east, they try to keep their staffers well fed and happy. >_>;; I hate to compare AX with Otakon, but it's sad that AX doesn't have the grasp that food places close and that staffers dont' always have time to grab food off-venue.

[catsonmars.livejournal.com]

w/e fag

[taiki.livejournal.com]

I think it's pretty disappointing hearing that AX doesn't seem to care about it's staff enough to actually make sure that they have some sort of nutrients in their bodies during the day.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

My first anime con, I worked hospitality and FED the staff. But keep in mind, I could count the staff and remember preferences - that's the scope.

Staff at AX were actually better off, food-wise than anyone else. And in all honesty - I can also count on one hand the cons I've worked that fed me. And have fingers left over. THAT'S a luxury, toots. A big one.

[taiki.livejournal.com]

I don't think it should be though. I mean, I've been to my fair share of cons where there's just simply inadequate noshing opportunities, and when you're on hour 9 of an 8 hour overnight shift, esp as something like access control/security/spec ops/etc, luxury or not...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

'Should' is a dangerous word - take care in how you use it.

Where the rubber meets the road? You're responsible for yourself. Your self-care. Your own needs. If you don't do it, it is no one else's responsibility to do it for you.

It's NICE when people do things like this for you. Yep, even when you do pull the late shifts and so on.

Nobody is making you do this, after all. If the job was dangerous, you knew that when you took it.

If you want things to be as 'they should be' - set an example, and provide those things without any strings attached. BRING the pizza. Give someone a potty break without being asked to. Shoot, Pocky is cheap and everyone loves it. Get some for yourself - and share.

You'll find people will reciprocate...on their own schedules, mind...probably when you least expect it. You get the world you make for yourself - I firmly believe that.

But thinking there's some kind of entitlement thang going on...uh uh. That way lies madness and really crummy expectations.

Remember. Fandom's a vacuum - it's only as good as what you put into it. And if you want it to keep putting out...you have to keep putting in. When that doesn't sound like a good idea, then it's probably a good idea to employ some self-care and bug out.

My two cents, and your mileage should definitely vary.

(BTW, I hate pizza. ^^)

[taiki.livejournal.com]

Right, but where does personal responsibility start and end for the basic necessities when con staffing? Hotel room? Food? It's not like we're talking something that's usually a luxury, nor would I expect a con to fork up for luxury food items. Just something to keep you going during the day. A sandwich, a thing of chips, and maybe a bottled beverage or something. Which is what Katsu did.

Yeah, it's a bit of entitlement thinking but when the con expects you to do work and you're tied to the venue to do your duties, what do you do?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

You think ahead. Assume nothing. And be prepared for the worst.

When nice DOES happen?

It's gravy.

Because you've already got everything covered.

[taiki.livejournal.com]

That's true, but I really don't think that "staffers get hungry" is a low possibility contingency.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

No, but being able to manage one's own needs really is the first thing someone is going to look at when deciding if they can be staff to begin with, neh?

Nobody has to feed me - that's my own lookout. Particularly if that hasn't been extended to me in good faith prior to showing up on site.

You haven't had contact with anyone who's worked a Worldcon yet, have you?

[taiki.livejournal.com]

That's true, how can you trust staff to take care of others if they can't take care of themselves?

But from a planning stand point, it just seems ... sloppy. Especially coming from the largest con in America. *shrugs* Just the way I've been staffin' it up.

(frozen)

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Okay bub, you put it out there.

Tell of your wide experience - now that you mention it.

I've been staffing/running events of every size since 1982. I'm not saying you don't know what you've done in the past, but what I can say is I think you've been very fortunate in receiving as many perks as you have. And I might even thank you for letting me lead into something of a soapbox rant.

As far as AX being large - IMHO, it's by default, not design. Smaller cons are easier to run, easier to manage and easier overall in keeping things tight, fiscally sound and smooth-running. You get huge, you get a number of wetware issues directly related to the number of bodies and brains you have to coordinate to get the same tasks accomplished.

You get a bunch of people who are doing these events to be first in line for the perks, you have a group that isn't doing the event to be doing the event as their first priority - which is what I look for when I look at people staffing.

If you're getting paid (as in the trade shows I've done), that's one thing. Those guys go home after dark, (and are the primary customers using the LACC) and it's pretty clear when the money ends, so do they.

People who volunteer to do events, aren't in it for the $$$ because they don't exist. Those who manage to wheedle the $$$ out of 'non-profit' orgs that run events? Man. We know them on sight, right?

You do it because you want an event - and you want to work it, and see if do well. By that token, you have an event because there are people who want to attend it - and if you forget that, you miss the whole point as well, IMHO.

It's *nice* when people feed and house you. In my experience - and it spans more than ten years, mind - I can count the times the con has actually done that on one hand. LOTS of fingers left over.

No, it is not a reflection on how "good" they are, if they don't. Fair is a negotiated state - and always reached by mutual agreement. Don't assume people are going to do anything for you if you haven't checked it out first - frankly, it's rude. And if that is part of your "price" to assist in working, well - that's also fair. You stated it up front.

Me? I like working. 'Nuff said.

Thanks for the salmon onigiri <3

[motorbike.livejournal.com]

I spent my weekend subsisting on rice balls, vodka, and beer. I REGRET NOTHING.

Re: Thanks for the salmon onigiri <3

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

YOU DID NOT SHARE YOUR BOOZE WITH ME.

*smirks*

Re: Thanks for the salmon onigiri <3

[catsonmars.livejournal.com]

that is because mikei was sent out 56 hours ago for rum and has not yet returned

Re: Thanks for the salmon onigiri <3

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

And he never came around for the Jaeger order, neither.

[diepunyhuman.livejournal.com]

I didn't see you. :(

Then again, I only went for a day and a half. It was all I could take.

[djdig.livejournal.com]

No food is just CRAZY!

I'm sorry you couldn't get back in.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Well, now I know - I can make plans. But being horked over on Thursday night was just raw.

I made Marukai runs before coming in after that. ^^

[monkeyfruit.livejournal.com]

Pot noodle and a Thermos of hot water?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Stealth ramen!

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

As chronovius found out on Friday, with our wheelchair-bound friend, the dealer's room was horrible for them in chairs, but that wasn't AX's fault, it was patrons' fault.