BronyCon Reflections

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

For all those interested, you can treat this thread as a dedicated thread for reflections on the con. Share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes from your time at BronyCon. We already have a dedicated topic for pictures, so limit the amount of photos you post in this thread---unless they happen to provide context for the description of a certain event. And everypony loves a good picture or two to puncuate a story.

 

For the past 48 hours or so, I have been practically dedicated to BronyCon and all it has to entail. I am actually running on very short sleep at the moment, so if my grammar or ability to express myself seem weaker than usual, know it has to do with fatigue rather than suddenly losing a few IQ points since Friday. I'll try my best to explain as much as I can without losing sight of the main topic (i.e., rambling).

 

At this exact moment, I am frankly uncertain how to process my experience. I am torn between the elation and general pleasure derived from mingling with this wonderfully talented and funny community, and the all too frequent disappointments which plagued my experience (and that of my two companions). Overall, I am inclined to treat my attendance at BronyCon as a positive one; but the caveats are strong enough to return to the sensations of irritation and disappointment I experienced over the course of the past two days. Given that I may end up being one of the few people who may publically bemoan the convention, I am prepared to elaborate as best I can so I am not construed as merely griping over trivialities.

 

Let me be clear: I am not spring chicken when it comes to attending cons. Although I do not claim to have immense knowledge regarding conventions, I have come to know the ropes. Since 2009 I've regularly attended Ohayocon and Colossalcon. Neither convention is anything to sneeze at: they are intended to accommodate thousands of people (in Ohaycon's case, upwards of 10,000) over the course of several days. I've also traveled out of state (from New York to Ohio) in order to attend these conventions, so I possess a basic understanding of personal logistics. The bottom line is that I think I fairly well understand how cons generally work and how they are supposed to work.

 

I want to add further clarification by praising con ops (i.e., those in charge of handling crowds and dispensing directions and information) and the security team for their work. I don't think I have ever seen such professionally-behaved individuals with respect to security. If you were at BronyCon, you know how a number of the Royal Guard (as designated by their blue shirts) looked like no-nonsense type of guys. Nevertheless I never once encountered the problem with any member of the staff. All of them attempted to be as helpful as possible. Because it is easy in a convention to get fair share of bad eggs with con ops privileges, the staff as a whole practiced a good deal of self-control. So they truly deserve our thanks for being available and generally helpful.

 

The problems I encountered, therefore, had more to do with the strategic planning at the higher levels of convention operations. I could only engage in conjecture as to why this was the case, so let me provide on-the-ground issues which soured me quite a bit.

 

It was clear from the outset that the convention area simply was not large enough to incorporate +4,000 attendees in one area. The vendors were difficult to move through due to the large crowds. If you got anywhere near one of the more famous brony artists' tables---especially John Joseco----movement became extraordinarily problematic. Attendees would gather around these areas alongside camera crews for the BronyCon documentary, creating congestion in throughways. I suspect that the main reason traffic eventually decreased was due to the vendors be unprepared for the onslaught. A number of vendors managed to create swag on the spot, but by Sunday it appeared as though 1/3 of the tables had been completely vacated. I imagine part of it had to do with scheduling (folks wanting to return home after one day of major sales), yet I suspect the major culprit was a limitation of materials. While I won't pretend to know all the work which is involved in making pins or prints, I would say it is clear many vendors did not realize how coveted their materials were (and still are). A hard lesson to learn, I suppose.

 

There is absolutely no complaining on my part about the quality of the materials available. I managed to grab some nice prints, a few stickers, and some more pins. I even snagged two bookmarks (Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle) which will undoubtedly serve me well in the fall. If I had more money, I would have been more adventurous in terms of buying, say, wall scrolls and posters. (Speaking of wall scrolls, there was a fantastic Chrysalis wall scroll on sale for around $140. If money were of no concern, I would be currently searching for wall space in my bedroom.) A wide variety of swag was to be had; I just wish more vendors had been better stocked. I also managed to get PixelKitties to sign my Death Note! She joins Brad Swaile as one of the victims of Kira's rampage.

 

Perhaps the major attraction(s) of BronyCon, or any major convention, is the potential to see and hopefully meet those responsible for making MLP: FiM so wonderful. We're all aware of the guest list, so needless to say most everypony was excited to drop in for the voice actors' panel and the Lauren Faust panel. I cannot stress how fantastic all of the guests were: Tara Strong, Nicole Oliver, Andrea Libman, et al. were both entertaining and informative. The turnout for Ms. Faust unbelievable: the three of us were lucky enough to grab seats fairly close to the stage before the crowd forced the panel to become a standing room only affair. I have a few pictures showing the size of the crowd, and I intend to share them in the near future.

 

Ms. Faust was so incredibly thoughtful! Each question asked of her prompted an in-depth and worthwhile response, so there were no wasted answers. The crowd loved her (and for good reason), providing her a massive standing ovation from the outset. The panel concluded with a gift from BronyCon to Lauren in the form of a giant framed print of her Fausticorn. She was clearly moved by the experience, and recalling that moment moves me as well. It may be my personal crowning moment for the entire convention. We are blessed to have Lauren Faust as the creator of this wonderful series.

 

(As an aside: Lauren mentioned that "Suited for Success" was one of her favorite episodes as she could, as an artist, sympathize with Rarity being constantly forced to revise her work by unappreciative individuals, especially bosses or higher-ups. That might be one of my favorite nuggets of information regarding MLP.)

 

Unfortunately, I am tempted to say that this was the high-water mark for my BronyCon experience. It was definitely a worthwhile moment, one which I will treasure, but things began to gradually slip through our fingers. The primary culprit had to have been the multiple attempts to get in line for autographs. If only one of these experiences had occurred, I could chalk it up to a single inconvenient event. I am completely dismayed, however, by the logistical nightmare which unfolded. My words may indeed not be enough to convey the mess and the aggravation which only mounted throughout the convention.

 

The basic system BronyCon chose to utilize was a voucher system: get in line, buy tickets for certain autographs ($30 for Lauren, John de Lancie, and Tara Strong; $20 for everypony else). Each ticket entitled you to one item signed, so you could buy more than one in order to have Andrea Libman sign three items instead of one. The BronyCon staff clearly underestimated the demand, and the line quickly stretched out the door. I can only surmise that sheer volume and a lack of multiple voucher tables led to the line moving at a glacial pace; when I mean glacial I mean 10 to 15 minutes before the line would move up by about five people. Because a number of us were standing in the heat, and due to BronyCon being caught off guard by the demand, they cut off most of the line after we had waited two hours. They told us to come back later and try to buy a voucher.

 

Being determined individuals, that is exactly what we did.

 

We got on line once more, and at last we made it inside onto another line to lead us to the voucher table. This involved another hour or so of standing and waiting (at least bronies are willing to talk with one another, making the experience a bit more bearable). We were maybe fifteen people removed from reaching the voucher table when they announced that due to the time constraints, only those with one day passes could remain on line. How lovely: we had weekend passes. Close to four hours were effectively snuffed out by awful planning.

 

But bronies never give in so easily. After serious consideration, the three of us agreed that we should return back to the city, wash up, and arrive early on Sunday. Aside from the lack of any substantive sleep, the plan bore fruit: we arrived around 8:00 AM, got on the line, and waited. The line at last began to move around 9:00, and by 10:30 or so we made it to the voucher table. We're armed to grab autographs. Short of a major disaster, we were practically guaranteed to be rewarded for our perseverance. The main line for the autographs was long but manageable. There is no backing down after eschewing common sense and good sleep for an opportunity to shake hands with Lauren Faust, Tara Strong, and Andrea Libman, get them to sign my copy of The Friendship Express DVD, and complete what had now become an epic pilgrimage.

 

And then disaster literally struck: an overhead light caught aflame, resulting in the evacuation of the entire convention center. The fire department was called in to handle the situation while we were told to remain outside. Wearing a Pinkie Pie hat, I silently swore to the heavens, knowing full well how Rainbow Dash felt throughout SSCS 6000. I no longer see any humor in her constant bait-and-switch tragedy; Dash just wanted an autograph---I mean cider, and each time she was cartoonishly foiled. Like Bill Clinton, I felt her pain. There was little if anything left which could be done on our end.

 

The convention center was eventually reopened, but all the momentum of mounting success was lost. With the addition of a scrambled schedule and an enormous winding line that had no apparent end, it became progressively clear that the autographs would no longer be tenable. Even if we waited patiently on the line for several hours, the likely results would be either a.) not being able to get the desired autographs (the ones we had paid for) or b.) eventually being told that autographs had come to a close. And as we stood around for the second voice actors' panel, all I could do was stew in my own agitation over the mess which had befallen us. Tired, dehydrated, and increasingly agitated, we elected to refund our vouchers and head back home, skipping the John de Lancie panel at 4:00 PM. Truth be told, we very much had looked forward to that panel, but the enjoyment had been lost in the midst of these cascading problems.

 

As I am beginning to grow increasingly irritated again, I think I'll stop here. I want everypony know that I don't normally conduct myself like such a curmudgen, so I hope I don't become the sole Grinch who hated BronyCon. I definitely do not hate it, but improvements are certainly in order. My respect and admiration for the staff of the show and for bronies in general continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I just needed to put my thoughts into words somewhere, even if my voiced opinion is primarily negative.

 

Somepony needs to provide a positive story to make me feel better. I'd be a little happier knowing at least one of you enjoyed the convention completely and wholly.

 

Too long; didn't read version: Thereisnospoon is a cranky old man who didn't get the autographs he wanted.

[Twiliscael 3,960]

Ouch. I heard that the lines were ridiculously long and the fire set things back. I really don't know what to say but I hope it was an overall positive experience.

[Tupin86 195]

Pretty interesting write-up. Shame that you didn't get an autograph, but I heard not many people were in line for Andrea Libman's...

 

I didn't go, but I saw some of the livestreams. I wouldn't want to be there, seemed a little bit too awkward for me...

Edited July 2, 2012 by Tupin86

[spas-ticShotty 3,584]

I wonder how many people turned heads in the streets of NY when they saw a shitload of pony related stuff in one area

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

I do completely agree about the flawed system and layout of the con!

 

Note: Overall I think the con was great and well worth the money, but had its flaws.

 

I will probably post my full experience in my own thread, but here I will post what I didn't like.

 

 

Thereisnospoon basically hit the nail on the head.

 

There was simply not enough room around vendors to accommodate the amount of people present. I found it too difficult to move up and down any aisle. The popular vendors were impossible to see unless you spent 20 minutes waiting and slowly inching up to get a view.

 

Vendors did come unprepared for the crowd. Many vendors had sold out all the best stuff before I could even make it to them.

 

Also, not sure who was the genius who placed a very large garbage can in the entrance of the bathroom that caused people to awkwardly funnel through a small space only to bump into each other.

 

 

The voucher system was completely flawed. I spent 3 hours waiting in line inching up slowly.

When I was finally near the door, with aching feet and a burning sun above me, the fire scare happened and everyone was forced off the ramp.

When the line reassembled I ended up on the back. Having to wait around another hour to finally get into the building.

 

Putting aside the overly expensive voucher prices ($30 for Tara Strong, John DeLancie, and Lauren Faust; $20 for everyone else). All these vouchers should have been available to purchase online prior to the event. Getting a voucher essentially meant killing your feet and wasting hours that could have been spent in the actual event.

 

The line for the autographs themselves were also messed up. It wasn't at all clear how the line was formed and it also blocked one of the two paths to the 'mane hall' along with several vendor aisles.

 

 

I found the mane hall management to be stupid at best. Forcing everyone up and out prior to each major panel, only to let them all back in. So basically those lucky seats you just got, will not be there anymore after the staff tells you to go line up again.

 

The speakers (electronics, not people) were also poorly placed. You had to choose between good audio or good video/panel angle.

If you sat up close or in the center, you'd find difficulty hearing anything. If you sat near the outer parts, you'd hear fine but would be very distanced from what's going on.

 

 

I do hope they learn from this. They may have changed to a larger venue but the con was still managed and laid out as if they had a relatively small crowd attending.

[moneyshredderofdeath 414]

Twas an interesting read, both the positives and the negatives. Liked learning the bit of trivia regarding Lauren most, though it's a shame you couldn't get any autographs.

 

BronyCon doesn't sound like an event I would've enjoyed myself since I generally don't like crowds, but that's something I knew from the beginning. It's still neat to hear about others's experiences though.

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

Pretty interesting write-up. Shame that you didn't get an autograph, but I heard not many people were in line for Andrea Libman's...

 

I didn't go, but I saw some of the livestreams. I wouldn't want to be there, seemed a little bit too awkward for me...

 

I know! I saw the list they had for people who had purchased vouchers for each guest, and Andrea had maybe a dozen or so vouchers purchased. I was completely surprised by that fact. Unfortunately, it was impossible to take advantage of what hypothetically should have been a shorter line since the lines for all the guests merged into one. Nevertheless, the lack of attention for Andrea was both surprising and a bit disheartening. The demand for John de Lancie and Lauren Faust really seized the voucher system.

 

I wonder how many people turned heads in the streets of NY when they saw a shitload of pony related stuff in one area

 

The convention was held in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey, so we weren't all gathered on the streets of New York. Most everypony present in the nearby area was affiliated with the convention. I rarely spotted anyone---outside of hotel and restaurant staff---who had no business in the con.

 

We still had to travel into the city in order to get to the New Jersey Transit terminal. Because we were in New York City, however, I doubt we looked any stranger than most of the folks who work their way through on a daily basis.

 

-snip-

 

My opinion, and it may be grossly plagued my misinformation, is that BronyCon originally intended to accommodate around 2,000 people. With the increased interest and subsequent demand, however, they raised the cap to 4,000. I seem to recall the original limit being lower, hence my desire to reserve badges as soon as possible. So if my memory is correct regarding the maximum amount of people initially permitted, then the team organizing the con tried to squeeze more out of a smaller convention area than was advisable. Their plans backfired whether or not they altered the cap.

 

And the con would have worked well with about 2,000 people. It was clearly overcrowded---if you did not come to that conclusion, then you either had a special pass badge that got you through the lines or you spent most of your time outside of the convention center. BronyCon experience massive growing pains by going from 600 or so guests to several thousand within the span of a year. Logistically speaking, they will need to revise a good portion of their methodology so that they are better equipped to serve so many people.

 

Here are my initial impressions and suggestions:

 

1) BronyCon will need to decide how to accommodate several thousands of bronies. This may necessitate finding a larger convention center capable of handling a large influx of guests both from the immediate area (i.e., New York City) and living out of the state. In other words, I don't believe BronyCon can continually be held at the Meadowlands unless they lower the cap once again or simply buy more convention space across that area (although most of it is designed for business conventions). Although the fire was out of their hands (or hooves), the severe congestion and lack of organization punctuated that particular event.

 

2) The paradigm for autographs and vendors will need substantial overhaul. The voucher system is strong in theory, but that only applies a.) if you have enough staff members handling vouchers and b.) the number of people seeking vouchers is substantially smaller (~1,000 people). Otherwise another line is created which congests the hallways and detracts from the experience for bronies who are stuck on line for three or four hours. I do not oppose first come, first serve, though that principle became moot by Sunday with the fire scare.

 

Vendors were severely underprepared. The BronyCon team is not so much directly at fault for this, though increasing the number of bronies inevitably increases the demands on the vendors. Most of the vendors were seemingly ready for a much smaller convention, or at least an equal distribution of attention from guests. Those plans, however they were crafted, fell through quite dramatically.

 

Still focusing on vendors, BronyCon may have to eventually take a page out of the book of most large-scale conventions and dedicate an artists alley to their vendors. The basic principle is to rent out an enormous room which is designed only to accommodate the vendors and potential buyers. Meshing the vendors together with the rest of the convention led to the aforementioned lines and crowds which created chokepoints. Not only is it inconvenient but it isn't very safe.

 

3) With the need for more convention space also comes the need to separate the convention into different rooms. LRP mentioned the terrible sound system, and it was accentuated by all the noise coming from across the convention. Only Lauren Faust's panel featured decent sounds (for which I am grateful); it was otherwise a crapshoot. In the second voice actors panel, I could barely discern 20% of what was being said as the mics were unfiltered and so much white noise from the con kept interfering. If you place those celebrity guest panels in separate rooms (e.g., massive ballrooms) with proper acoustics, everypony stands a far better chance of understanding what is being said.

 

There is certainly more constructive critique which could be offered, but I wish to avoid turning this into a litany of corrections.

 

Twas an interesting read, both the positives and the negatives. Liked learning the bit of trivia regarding Lauren most, though it's a shame you couldn't get any autographs.

 

BronyCon doesn't sound like an event I would've enjoyed myself since I generally don't like crowds, but that's something I knew from the beginning. It's still neat to hear about others's experiences though.

 

If BronyCon expands its operational space, then I think you would enjoy it. Frankly speaking, however, if crowds---especially tight crowds---are not your cup of tea, then you likely would not enjoy yourself too terribly much. I encourage anypony in BronyCon to make the judgment for themselves rather than treat the experiences of others as definitive.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Good lord, this thread is full of huge posts.

 

You didn't get your autographs, I see. I would probably be upset for the next week if that happened to me :/

 

Hey, we should try planning to go to the winter convention better. I'll probably go there seeing as how the convention just so happens to be set during winter break (off from school for two weeks).

[---------------------- 1,645]

While I was at bronycon, I got autographs from Tara Strong, Lauren Fuast, and Andria Libman, it was so much fun,

 

I also got The Living Tombstone's auto graph, as well as Solrac's (screaming pony)... then he gave my a spontaneous hug

 

Every pony was so nice, and you could just feel all the love in the air, the fact that we all came together to celebrate something that we loved, something that is chanigng the world, when we were outside on the last day of the con, watching some episodes of mlp, I nearly cried, I was so overjoyed, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

Good lord, this thread is full of huge posts.

 

You didn't get your autographs, I see. I would probably be upset for the next week if that happened to me :/

 

Hey, we should try planning to go to the winter convention better. I'll probably go there seeing as how the convention just so happens to be set during winter break (off from school for two weeks).

 

That would be pretty neat. My winter breaks are usually rather long (early December through late January), so I have a lot of mobility during that period.

 

As an aside, I have discussed with my friends the possibility of cosplaying as a brony Adam Jensen at the next BronyCon. It would be entirely out of place but the potential for laughs would be high. I already have a Jensen costume, so all I would add is a MLP t-shirt before skulking around BronyCon.

 

While I was at bronycon, I got autographs from Tara Strong, Lauren Fuast, and Andria Libman, it was so much fun,

 

I also got The Living Tombstone's auto graph, as well as Solrac's (screaming pony)... then he gave my a spontaneous hug

 

Every pony was so nice, and you could just feel all the love in the air, the fact that we all came together to celebrate something that we loved, something that is chanigng the world, when we were outside on the last day of the con, watching some episodes of mlp, I nearly cried, I was so overjoyed, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

 

I'm glad to hear you had a lot of fun! It sounds as if you unequivocally enjoyed yourself.

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

Big posts.... big words... Jeez Spoon, it's hard to tell if you actually enjoyed yourself.

[FedoraMemes 582]

Well, the pros and cons were mentioned here. I really wish I could have gone, it would have been amazing to meet you all. Hope you all had a great time though!

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

Big posts.... big words... Jeez Spoon, it's hard to tell if you actually enjoyed yourself.

 

As I have been saying, it was a mixed bag. I hold no ill-will toward the community or those in attendance, but I am displeased by the fundamental lack of strategic organization.

 

In short, I love the fandom but not the way the con was organized.

 

Someone stickied this for me! Huzzah!

 

As I stated in the first post, share your BronyCon experiences here.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Thereisnospoon303

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

BronyCon Summer 2012 was my first ever fandom expo, and I must say that it was by far two of the BEST days of my entire life! There is a great reason why the Brony fandom is so passionate about the show and why they're so great. The characters are great. The stories are great. The writing is great. And the worldbuilding is great.

 

All of us did plenty of activities. Some bought stuff from the vendors. Others attended conferences. Others attended autograph sessions. I got two autographs on a "Brony-Thank-You-Fund" tabloid poster, one from Cathy Weseluck (Mayor Mare's and Spike's VA) and the other from Tara Strong (Twilight Sparkle's VA). I'd love to get an autograph from John De Lancie (who played Q from Star Trek and Discord from MLP) and Lauren Faust (the creator of this generation's show), but a couple of problems stood in my way:

• There was an electrical fire in one of the lights in the Mane Hall, which stopped production.
• The lines got hideously long, and I wanted to see the other events.

However, two is more than enough for me to frame on my wall, especially with the Brony Queen and Brony Assistant. And I was able to refund my two unused vouchers, so I'm all good.

 

During the expo, De Lancie's documentary, BronyCon: The Documentary, was being produced, and I got featured at one point. I was on the front of the line for Lauren Faust's conference, and the film crew asked if I could be in the film, which I did. They showed me a waiver, which I declined, but after a little bit of fun egging, agreed to sign it. After thinking about it now, I'm glad I did it. Although I wasn't featured again, I was on line for vouchers, and the documentary crew filmed the line as the bronies sung "The Smile Song." I have some of this on video, which I've presented here already in another thread.

 

Needless to say, it was such a great event! It was my very first fandom convention of any kind, and it really impressed me. From the artistic talent from the fandom to the voice actors' courtesy and appreciation for the fandom to De Lancie's dedication to promote the brony fandom. The variety of talent's massive and great, and I love how they were able to showcase it today to not only promote themselves, but gain revenue as a reward, too. "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY" became literal.

 

My four most favorite events during Bronycon are as follows:

• Lauren Faust obtaining her "CREATE" motivational poster. The crowd buzzed loudly with loud cheers and a collective "LAUREN" chant, and Faust literally choked up from the universal love the fandom has for her.
• The closing ceremony. The people in the stands were so passionate and loud. At one point, we all chanted "Bronies! Bronies! Bronies!" after some motivation. The videos from Everfree Radio don't give it justice. The audience was just absolutely loud and happy there, and I couldn't help but join.
• Getting two autographs, more specifically one from Cathy Weseluck. I talked with her at one point the day before because she wasn't getting any autographs, and I felt bad. So, I decided to buy an autograph voucher for her. I had a brief chat with her the following day and got a picture taken of both me and her thanks to someone next to her (presumably her daughter, I'm unsure).
• Not many people got to see it, and I didn't take a shot of it, but it was a HNNNNNG moment. On Saturday, while we all took pictures of Doctor Whooves/Time Turner and Derpy Hooves (each in fursuits), a little girl — three or four years old — passed by and wanted to say "hi" to them both. Both came over, and Doctor Whooves embraced the little kid. It was so sweet, and we all "Awwwww"'d from this. There weren't many pre-adolescents at the event (I counted only to six; most are anywhere from their teens to early-thirties; one person there was in his sixties and proudly dubs himself "The World's Oldest Brony"), but one is enough when you want your heart tugged from the sweetness of the moment. I really hope her mom puts it somewhere on the Internet and/or her album.

Honorable mentions:

• Talking with Nicole Oliver, who voiced Princess Celestia and Cheerilee. She was interviewed by the press, and at one point, I got the courage to shake her hand and say "Hi!" to her. I also showed her my BronyCon logo concept and ponified Carmen Sandiego, which she loved.
• The hilarious "Behind the Voices" panel from Saturday. The VAs got off-track at times and said some funny lines while being their characters, yet using the Canadian accent. Tara Strong, who's a Canadian transplant, commented about Canada being "20% cooler." Punny, punny, punny, Tara! Peter New's (Big Macintosh's) "Eeeeyup!" was also hilarious. XD

Needless to say, it was a fantastic event, and I can't wait to return to the next one.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Feld0
Fixing up some semantic markup.

[Love4discord18 269]

I really enjoyed it. But I had a really bad time during the concert. My camera was stomped on, but that was my fault, I'm the one that left it on teh floor. But there was a group of major perverts behind me who grabbed my butt and breasts during the concert. That's when I left, so I dunno what happened after the concert. I loved how they played Discord first^^ I was a happy person. I was surprised at how many guys were there, I really thought there'd me more girls then there was.

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

I really enjoyed it. But I had a really bad time during the concert. My camera was stomped on, but that was my fault, I'm the one that left it on teh floor. But there was a group of major perverts behind me who grabbed my butt and breasts during the concert. That's when I left, so I dunno what happened after the concert. I loved how they played Discord first^^ I was a happy person. I was surprised at how many guys were there, I really thought there'd me more girls then there was.

 

That's really awful to hear. It's unfortunate that such people, especially within the brony fandom, do indeed exist, and it is part of the reason why I tend to avoid massive raves at conventions. I've never been a victim of sexual harassment myself, so I cannot even begin to pretend that I know how painful that must have been.

 

Hopefully, the rest of the convention was enjoyable for you.

[Love4discord18 269]

That's really awful to hear. It's unfortunate that such people, especially within the brony fandom, do indeed exist, and it is part of the reason why I tend to avoid massive raves at conventions. I've never been a victim of sexual harassment myself, so I cannot even begin to pretend that I know how painful that must have been.

 

Hopefully, the rest of the convention was enjoyable for you.

 

Oh it was^^ I was just happy to see some of my brony friends and all the cosplayers. I love cosplayers^^ And even though all that bad stuff happened during the concert, I still think that was my favourite part because I love pony music.

[Ol' Sarge 885]

Okay, positive experience post forthcoming:

 

As a n00b to cons, I generally had no other experience to compare it to. I can say that despite some of the short comings that were listed here, the fact that they went from cons with mid hundreds to 4000 was quite impressive. It could have been ALOT worse, overall the staff was very professional. Maybe because I have had my own experiences with stupid rules, I wasn't put off that much. I was impressed by the big draw panels and the fact that we had thousands of young adult males gathered in one place and there were zero fights or disruptions (even the fire evacuation was orderly) is commendable.

 

Not to mention, I came as a parent of a Brony just trying to not embarrass him, to leaving as a Brony convert.

[Apple Bloom 2,933]

I guess it's my turn, huh? BronyCon, where do I start...

 

It went beyond my expectations. This trip to BronyCon was a lot of firsts for me. My first time on a plane, my first time going off somewhere by myself, my first time meeting bronies in real life, and my first convention of any kind. I had an idea of what to expect but I never thought it would have the emotional impact it had on me. There was just something special about being in the presence of four thousand other bronies in one place and meeting friends that I have been talking to over the internet. I guess it just didn't really seem real until I saw everything in real life. Going into this, I was just hoping to have a good time and bring back some merch, but what I actually took away from the experience was much more than that. I already knew this fandom was huge but it didn't really hit me until BronyCon. After seeing how nice everyone is and how much fun they are to be around, I now have renewed faith in the community and an urge to get even more involved and attend all the meetups I possibly can.

 

As for navigating the huge crowd and the mess that was encountered trying to get autographs, it didn't bother me that bad. I knew beforehand that it would be crowded and I knew it would probably be difficult to get autographs so I just shrugged that off. For me, just being around fellow bronies and friends from the forums was enough to make it all worth it.

 

Overall it was an amazing experience and I look forward to going again next year.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

I have to say that I didn't even bother getting anything autographed this year because of the voucher price. Huuuuuuuge turn-off.

 

Youmacon's autographs are free. I don't see why people need to be charged to get something signed. :/ I mean, I know that Tara Strong and John de Lancie and Lauren Faust's autographs are treasures in the autograph world I'm sure, and it's not fair to treat the others with that much less importance, but if you absolutely need to charge for autographs, $10 for the huge stars and $5 for everyone else. More people would buy, and if there were an online buying system like LRP said, then more people could get their desired autographs.

 

What took so long for the line to progress, anyways? Were people taking forever getting their stuff signed? The autograph lines at Youmacon move fairly quickly. But it may help to have fewer people at an autograph table at a time... making people like Tara, John, and Lauren appear more frequently at the table but never at the same time... at Youmacon, some autograph sessions include only one person, particularly for incredulously popular voice actors.

 

I agree about the tight space, and the idea for separate rooms for artists and vendors. The only thing that I liked about the open Mane/Tail halls were that there weren't any lines to get in. You could just sit down whenever you wanted without waiting in line to get into an event for 2 hours, only to be denied access because there wasn't any room left to sit. I'm split between having that openness and having a closed space where you can hear better.

 

Ponies the Anthology II was freaking amazing. I was sitting kinda near the front, and when I looked back to see who else was in the room, I was like, O__________O BRONIES EVERYWHERE

 

I love my trading cards. I got to trade a bunch with someone who had a huge collection on their table, and I bought a few cards from one of the vendors (kind of a rip-off, but I wanted the cards, so oh well...). I can't wait until they're released in stores.

 

Also, if anyone on here was on the bus from New York to New Jersey at 8:30am (which I like to dub The Brony Bus), I was the one in the white Rarity shirt hanging with the redheaded girl who definitely wasn't a brony. It cracked me up so much to see so many bronies in a public setting. You guys are so nerdy, I love it.

 

Does Bronycon have a forum where people can put in suggestions?

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

I have to say that I didn't even bother getting anything autographed this year because of the voucher price. Huuuuuuuge turn-off.

 

Youmacon's autographs are free. I don't see why people need to be charged to get something signed. :/ I mean, I know that Tara Strong and John de Lancie and Lauren Faust's autographs are treasures in the autograph world I'm sure, and it's not fair to treat the others with that much less importance, but if you absolutely need to charge for autographs, $10 for the huge stars and $5 for everyone else. More people would buy, and if there were an online buying system like LRP said, then more people could get their desired autographs.

Perhaps to cover the overhead? I'm not certain if the high prices were due to the people involved setting the prices (e.g., John de Lancie asserting that his autograph be worth X amount for several sessions), but I tend to think it had to do with BronyCon trying to extract more income out of a very lucrative enterprise. I'll be honest: I dropped about $120 for autographs; I got a refund once it was clear that my vouchers would never come to fruition.

 

What took so long for the line to progress, anyways? Were people taking forever getting their stuff signed? The autograph lines at Youmacon move fairly quickly. But it may help to have fewer people at an autograph table at a time... making people like Tara, John, and Lauren appear more frequently at the table but never at the same time... at Youmacon, some autograph sessions include only one person, particularly for incredulously popular voice actors.

 

First and foremost, I suspect volume was the main culprit. Too many people in one place to get autographs. That slows everything down. Having one line for all the autograph tables was a logistical error likely caused by the lack of space. There should have been separate lines for separate tables.

 

My second impression is that the VAs and special guests were willing to spend time with folks, beyond simply signing their merchandise. I honestly cannot fault them for this. I've been to signings where it is simply an autograph and a wave/handshake; I far and away prefer a moment to thank the person. I was struck by that when I got an autograph from Brad Swaile (he would speak with each person for close to a minute or so), so I always hold that as the gold standard for autograph sessions.

 

Does Bronycon have a forum where people can put in suggestions?

 

They technically do, but nopony really visits their forum. They now have a survey on the front page.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

If you look at my profile I've already stated why I loved this convention (which was also my first). I share the same frustrations as everypony else, but this con remains the greatest two days of my life, as I'm a completely new person because of it. All of you who attended had something to do with it. Thanks.

 

The basic system BronyCon chose to utilize was a voucher system: get in line, buy tickets for certain autographs ($30 for Lauren, John de Lancie, and Tara Strong; $20 for everypony else). Each ticket entitled you to one item signed, so you could buy more than one in order to have Andrea Libman sign three items instead of one. The BronyCon staff clearly underestimated the demand, and the line quickly stretched out the door. I can only surmise that sheer volume and a lack of multiple voucher tables led to the line moving at a glacial pace; when I mean glacial I mean 10 to 15 minutes before the line would move up by about five people. Because a number of us were standing in the heat, and due to BronyCon being caught off guard by the demand, they cut off most of the line after we had waited two hours. They told us to come back later and try to buy a voucher.

 

Being determined individuals, that is exactly what we did.

 

We got on line once more, and at last we made it inside onto another line to lead us to the voucher table. This involved another hour or so of standing and waiting (at least bronies are willing to talk with one another, making the experience a bit more bearable). We were maybe fifteen people removed from reaching the voucher table when they announced that due to the time constraints, only those with one day passes could remain on line. How lovely: we had weekend passes. Close to four hours were effectively snuffed out by awful planning.

 

But bronies never give in so easily. After serious consideration, the three of us agreed that we should return back to the city, wash up, and arrive early on Sunday. Aside from the lack of any substantive sleep, the plan bore fruit: we arrived around 8:00 AM, got on the line, and waited. The line at last began to move around 9:00, and by 10:30 or so we made it to the voucher table. We're armed to grab autographs. Short of a major disaster, we were practically guaranteed to be rewarded for our perseverance. The main line for the autographs was long but manageable. There is no backing down after eschewing common sense and good sleep for an opportunity to shake hands with Lauren Faust, Tara Strong, and Andrea Libman, get them to sign my copy of The Friendship Express DVD, and complete what had now become an epic pilgrimage.

 

And then disaster literally struck: an overhead light caught aflame, resulting in the evacuation of the entire convention center. The fire department was called in to handle the situation while we were told to remain outside. Wearing a Pinkie Pie hat, I silently swore to the heavens, knowing full well how Rainbow Dash felt throughout SSCS 6000. I no longer see any humor in her constant bait-and-switch tragedy; Dash just wanted an autograph---I mean cider, and each time she was cartoonishly foiled. Like Bill Clinton, I felt her pain. There was little if anything left which could be done on our end.

The situation may have been worse than you thought. The drive from Virginia put me at the convention center on Saturday morning around 9:20 AM. Obviously the place was already packed by then. I waited in line for about an hour and a half before going inside to catch a panel (I wasn't about to miss the rest of the events just to buy vouchers). As you mentioned, heat and dehydration were a concern for security. Completely understandable and I support their decision to put safety first. The heat wasn't a problem for me because of where I'm from - I could have stood out there all day even if it was 20 degrees hotter and much more humid, and I have at some jobs I've held in the past - but I saw some New York and New Jersey folks looking ragged. My understanding is that their printer broke and that held up the line for an additional hour, so they may need to acquire some new, more reliable equipment for next year if they aren't going to do online voucher sales.

 

Sunday morning I got there at 4:00. Second in line for vouchers. Five hours later when the doors were about to be opened, a large crowd had amassed directly out front to go charging in. One of the staff guys came out and told those of us at the front that they weren't using that serpentine line for vouchers that day. They would be opening the doors and letting a line form however it did, with no real plan. The "autograph door" that was used Saturday remained locked. Being in front I muscled my way in the main doors with the rest of the crowd and got my vouchers within minutes, but the people who stood in that line outside for hours on Sunday did so for nothing. Maybe something changed later on and they got more organized, but when I walked by there a few times I saw the con store table mostly vacant and a massive line outside just hanging out, seemingly oblivious.

 

As an aside, I have discussed with my friends the possibility of cosplaying as a brony Adam Jensen at the next BronyCon. It would be entirely out of place but the potential for laughs would be high. I already have a Jensen costume, so all I would add is a MLP t-shirt before skulking around BronyCon.

Please do this.

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

The situation may have been worse than you thought. The drive from Virginia put me at the convention center on Saturday morning around 9:20 AM. Obviously the place was already packed by then. I waited in line for about an hour and a half before going inside to catch a panel (I wasn't about to miss the rest of the events just to buy vouchers). As you mentioned, heat and dehydration were a concern for security. Completely understandable and I support their decision to put safety first. The heat wasn't a problem for me because of where I'm from - I could have stood out there all day even if it was 20 degrees hotter and much more humid, and I have at some jobs I've held in the past - but I saw some New York and New Jersey folks looking ragged. My understanding is that their printer broke and that held up the line for an additional hour, so they may need to acquire some new, more reliable equipment for next year if they aren't going to do online voucher sales.

 

Sunday morning I got there at 4:00. Second in line for vouchers. Five hours later when the doors were about to be opened, a large crowd had amassed directly out front to go charging in. One of the staff guys came out and told those of us at the front that they weren't using that serpentine line for vouchers that day. They would be opening the doors and letting a line form however it did, with no real plan. The "autograph door" that was used Saturday remained locked. Being in front I muscled my way in the main doors with the rest of the crowd and got my vouchers within minutes, but the people who stood in that line outside for hours on Sunday did so for nothing. Maybe something changed later on and they got more organized, but when I walked by there a few times I saw the con store table mostly vacant and a massive line outside just hanging out, seemingly oblivious.

Yikes. That's pretty bad. I didn't hear any announcement regarding the change in the autograph line, so we just remained where we were. It worked out at the time, but it was still a tremendous hassle.

 

I haven't a clue how they will address vouchers in the future. It can probably be readily handled on site with more equipment and better organization. Obviously those were lacking this time around. Again, I attribute a lot of the mishaps to the growing pains of a young con.

 

Please do this.

*folds arms*

 

All right. I'm listening.

[Agent Scrubs 80]

Hey Guys Feulner here from BronyCon. I was quite upset with how the other staff handled the vouchers line, and next con I will do my hardest to make sure that we can fix these growing pains that we have had.

 

A list of things I have slated to help improve next con are:

• Line in the convention center, rather than outside.

• fully staffed con store, rather then being understaffed

• possible chance for ordering vouchers ahead of time (to be determined.)

Other than that, what are suggestions you would like to see?

 

EDIT: Also reading all these stories, definitely will help us plan the next convention. We do have a survey up here, so please be sure to fill it out. We can make this better with your suggestions!

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE5Ud3VyN19VcmlRWDNBajJKZTFNT2c6MQ#gid=0

Edited July 9, 2012 by Feulner

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

First, let me welcome you to the forum, Feulner. I apologize for perhaps the unwanted attention you have received thus far, though I assure you that our members are generally even keel and unlikely to make a major issue of your position on the BronyCon staff.

 

I appreciate your joining the forum and willingness to publically address concerns regarding BronyCon. I have already submitted my survey, and it eases my apprehension to know that the BronyCon staff is actively involved in the community. I would not go as far as to say your serendipitous appearance is a godsend, but it is most certainly welcome. To have the opportunity to converse with someone intimately involved with the operations of the con is not an opportunity I want to pass up.

 

Thank you for lending me your time and your ear, Feulner, even if I did proverbially bend it quite a bit.

 

Let me begin by making this inquiry: Did the BronyCon staff raise the cap on attendees? I have the vague recollection of the cap initially sitting at 2,000 or so attendees, not 4,000. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

As a more general inquiry, how did you folks plan crowd logistics? I am not probing for detailed figures or procedures which otherwise may not be available to the rest of the public, yet I would like to have a better sense of why the congestion worsened as it did. From my experience, the sheer volume of attendees in addition to limited space led to a number of the problems encountered at BronyCon. By having most of the con condensed into one space, the ability to maneuver decreased. I can understand, however, that BronyCon may not be in a position to simply throw money at the problem, e.g. rent more convention space, so I do not want to sound as if I am either ungrateful for your efforts or completely ignorant to the difficulty of general logistics.

 

Nevertheless, the Meadowlands Expo Center seemed to be ill-suited for so many people and events packed into one area. As I said in my initial post, I am accustomed to larger conventions which accommodate independent panel rooms and an artist alley. One of the great unavoidable problems was having the autograph lines spill over into crowds waiting for an event in the Mane Hall. After the fire, an event which was well out of your hands, the autograph line was unwieldy to the point where it snaked through Vendor Hall. Not only is such a situation inconvenient, it is downright hazardous. Therefore, one of my primary suggestions is to find a way to separate at least the section for autographs from central convention hub. Actually, finding separate space for the vendors and artists may be one of the central tasks. Some artists, such as John Joseco, could probably command their own rooms if permitted, so finding enough space to accommodate all of the vendors in one location is paramount.

 

Addressing the con store congestion is already on your list, and I am glad to see it is. To be frank, the lack of staff and working equipment would not have been suitable for even a convention half the size of BronyCon. And while I once more reitorate that I do not pretend to have a working knowledge of convention logistics, it seems to me that staff stationed at the registration desk could have been reassigned to the con store for peak hours. There were periods where four or five staff members were sitting at the registration desk, with little to no demand on their time, while the con store struggled to keep its head above water. Once the initial rush of registrations eases, it seems to be quite reasonable to shift resources and manpower where they are most needed.

 

Therefore, it will not matter too terribly much where you attempt to corral the con store line if the number of people present dictates by either increasing the space for the line or cutting the line off at a certain point. Attendees, should they be determined enough, will find ways to effectively circumvent the system. The result is then robbing Peter to pay Paul: you attempt to continually accommodate at the cost of another convention operation. It has to be a combined effort of faster, more efficient service and sufficient room for the line of people in order to lessen the confusion and crowding which was seen at this most recent BronyCon.

 

I recognize that you are not personally in charge of the whole of the BronyCon staff, so I apologize if I seem to be dumping a lot of complaints/suggestions onto your lap with the implicit understanding that you can snap your fingers a la Discord and rectify the most pervasive problems. I do want to say, Feulner, that the members of the staff I did encounter were generally patient and helpful, even if it was clear that they were a bit disorganized by the improvised plans and alteration of previously established strategies. And I must furthermore admit that I have never beheld such a well-coordinated security staff---at least, the earpieces and professional atmosphere made it seem that way. So I do not contend that the baby needs to be thrown out with the bathwater; rather, identifying the greatest possible demands of the attendees present in the amount of space provided is where some of the potential fixes need to begin.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Thereisnospoon303