Thursday, May 17, 2007

ACen Report-Friday
So much happened on Friday that I am actually having to continue it! I am thinking that I can fit the rest of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday in the next post. Without further ado:

Friday

MsKeller was up and getting ready to depart at around 7am, as she hadn’t picked up her badge yet. Schultzie and I slept in a little longer but not much. By the time we were up and ready, we saw MsKeller down stairs waiting for the shuttle. I wanted to offer her a ride but it wasn’t my car and it only had a two-person capacity so we were all full up. We ate at Denny’s in honor of someguy, and even took a picture for him, but Schultzie did it on his phone so I don’t know if it turned out. After a massive breakfast that I couldn’t even finish half of, we headed over to the con.

The panels didn’t start until 11am, but we went early to check out the artist alley and dealer’s room. We also went to try and get a schedule, which they were still out of on all the occasions that we asked for them. It was way past time for the above-mentioned events to open up, yet masses of people still stood around waiting to get in. After a while, we found out that there was a problem and for some reason the fire marshal wouldn’t let them open up the dealer’s room/artist alley. It would be another hour before it opened >_<. We walked around a bit more, tried to find schedules (to no avail), and then ended up sitting down for quite some time waiting for things to get started.

Eventually, the doors opened and we walked right in. This was the first time I didn’t have to stand in line for hours to get in to a dealer’s room. It was set up so that you could just walk right in. 10 points for ACen! The dealer’s room was also huge! One of the biggest I have seen at a con. It was heaven! I pretty well knew at this point that I would be returning next year. We made several laps around the dealer’s room and then headed over to the Hyatt where opening ceremonies would be (we were also told we could FINALLY get a schedule here).

ACen had a most interesting set up. Artist alley and the dealer’s room were in the convention center, and then all of the panels and events were held in the Hyatt. It was great because it made everything less crowded relative to cons that crammed all their stuff in the same facility. The down side was that you had to take the skywalk of doom. I personally referred to it as an otaku wasteland. At any given time you could see numerous cosplayers ‘broken down on the side of the road’ with costume issues and many otaku wandering around listlessly and obviously lost. I myself ended up on some dead-end strange stairway at one point in time.

Anyway, we finally made it to the Hyatt. We had no idea where the panels were, so we wandered around lost some more. Eventually we found a staffer and asked where we could get a schedule and a map. She stammered that she didn’t know because she was only an assistant and told us that she would be back.

The next thing I knew this guy in a suit came out and introduced himself as the head of something or other (video programming, I think). We were lead back to a staffers only room where we were given a schedule practically right off of the printer as the suit announced, “our guests need a schedule”. I was in amazement. ‘What great service!’ I thought to myself.

The suit asked us what event we were looking for and we told him that we were trying to get to opening ceremonies in hopes that he would give us directions. He then proceeded to personally escort us the substantial distance to opening ceremonies. When we got there he asked us if we wanted him to take us backstage and he seemed surprised when we told him no. “But all of our special guests are usually introduced during opening ceremonies”, he said. o_O We told him ‘no thanks’ as we ran away as fast as we could, realizing why we were getting the VIP treatment.

Opening ceremonies were progressing as normal until someone announced that we were evacuating due to a fire. We kind of stared at him thinking it was a joke until he eventually managed to convince us that it was not. So out we went where we stood around for a while waiting to be readmitted. Schultzie’s first con was already a memorable one, and it was only the first day and first event!

To be continued…

In the next instalment: A brief overview of the panels I attended, the MyO meet up, more VIP treatment, and why I had to make a mad dash home on Sunday morning at 6am…
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