/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Watching the Facebook group descend into utter chaos is quite beautiful.

Hahaha holy shit they did end up picking the worst possible location in Dallas. A-kon will see so many people getting robbed.

Wow. Lol. It's in Fair Park.

RIP everyone's belongings in their cars
RIP cosplayers
RIP anyone who wants hotel or food

lmao Frank is an idiot

>>10114822
He's not an idiot. He's smart. He picked the cheapest, shittiest place possible so that he can maximize profit.

What is this A-Karnival?

Copied from last thread:
Let's not forget all the other reasons that Fair Park is an ASININE location.
>one of the worst areas in Dallas for crime
>car break ins constantly
>parking in run down lots that are unguarded
>expensive to park in said shitty lots
>no cover from the sun and just a city block of asphalt
>no hotels that are walkable. period.
>two places to eat total that aren't over a 15 minute walk. (McDonalds and Jack In The Box, and even then those are a solid 5 minute walk from the area A-Kon would be at)
>a half block from where the train line for Dallas ends
>which means it's crawling with homeless people after the train ends and the 50+ homeless people that just ride the train all day to have a place to sleep get dumped there

But hey. They'll make profit off of the idiots who cannot stand the thought of just staying the fuck home. Which is what Frank is here to do. Rake in on that money.

Thank goodness I held off on buying a ticket. This is going to be a catastrophe.
Thank you procrastination.

But can we ride the ferris wheel for free?

>>10114822
RIP

I wonder how many e-mails from angry con-goers A-Kon staff is getting.

I'm going to ask the same question I asked last thread:

Has ANYONE actually gotten a reply about refunds?

>>10114833
All of the rides and attractions are torn down or locked up after Fair Season. You will receive nothing but drugs and homeless people, and like it.

>>10114855
Nope!

I can't believe they actually picked Fair Park. I am absolutely going this year and will be posting photos of the mess. We should start a betting pool. How many heat stroke incidents do you think we'll get?

anime cons in fairgrounds?


a concept

>>10114874
I wish people would stop thinking this is going to be a magical fairground experience.

There's no way they are buying more than two halls over at the plaza. And it's just two big long buildings and massive amounts of concrete.

Fuck it, I rather go to ghost AM then be raped and mugged at A-kon.

I really am enjoying the people that think the infinity pools are going to be nice mid-summer when no other events or fair is going on.

They do not maintain those pools well. Enjoy your dirty trash filled water

this seems like shit planning by someone who didnt fucking care

>>10114855
I just filed for a chargeback for both of my passes. :) I'm not dealing with the A-Kon staff's dogshit.

>>10114888
Is that the only way to get a refund?

I already have asked for a refund after they changed the dates. (Which is not MY fault. I paid for an event on X date. They changed the date and I cannot attend now.)

I have still not received ANY response to my request for a refund.

Has ANYONE heard ANYTHING? I want my fucking money back and if the only way to do that is to take it up with my bank, I will.

I feel like no one on the Facebook or Twitter is talking about the fact that we still haven't gotten our money back or been given a date to expect refunds.

>>10114894
I'm not sure, but I've only read about people not getting responses. So as soon as I heard about the new venue the first thing I did was start my disputes, and then emailed them saying "hey, I just charged these two passes back. Don't mail them to me because I'm not attending."

I just did that first because I don't want to need to wait for the staff to get around to it.

>>10114894
There's going to be hundreds (if not thousands) of people wanting refunds so you're better off getting a chargeback

God-fucking-damn, this is almost the stupidest possible venue. I'm glad my procrastination saved me for once by not getting tickets and lodging yet.
Does anyone know how AFest is as a con? I'd still like to make it to one larger one this year.
Also do you think there'll be an A-kon 2020 in a non-stupid location or is this shit the death knell?

>>10114894
Basically. I don't know why people are waiting so long to contact their banks. I got my chargeback as soon as the dates changed and my bank was more than happy to oblige. Don't wait around.

>>10114907
AFest is pretty decent but it's a family con so you can't wear anything too revealing. It's quiet. Wouldn't say it's the most eventful con but it's still enjoyable with friends (like most things)

>>10114907
A-fest is mid sized. I definitely wouldn't call it 'large' but nothing is larger than A-kon and AX, so. Anyway, A-fest is pretty good, but it's usually kinda understaffed. Every year (except like, last year) they have decent guests, and it's a nice time to hang out with your friends and take pictures of cosplay.

Who knows about the next A-kon... I feel like Collasalcon South will take over soon enough.

>>10114911
I just contacted my bank and started the process. Thank you guys for the heads up. I was stupid to think they were going to be responsible for giving me a refund on time.


Also someone just posted on the Facebook that most of the space in Fair Park aint even rentable. So it's like 2 buildings in the whole thing.

Have fun with that shit show

Well A-kon... it's been a good run. Looks like I'll have to find a new annual summer con.... F

>>10114925
The largest buildings there are rentable.
Dumbass.

Guess I'm lucky I live in Dallas, I can drive to the rail and take it there for max 6 dollars and not deal with traffic or shady areas. Kind of sad it's in a place that is mostly outdoors. Even going to the fair in September can get disgusting, I don't know how I'm going to manage in lolita, in summer.

I'm kinda relieved for the staff that got let go or walked out, now. Holy moly.

Well, definitely going to AFest instead then. Can anyone tell me if the Sheraton charges you at the time of booking for the AFest rate? And what is the cancellation policy? Their booking site isn't really clear on either of those things.

>>10114821
>RIP everyone's belongings in their cars
>leaving valuables in your car

>>10114907
I go to animefest every year, it'sw nice and quiet, good guests, A-kon fantastic old location at the sheraton, no cos-thots because there is a dresscode (basically the minimum to wear is a bikini that covers your entire boob and ass). It's comfy as hell.

Also yikes

>>10114991
This isn't as bad as an outdoor convention in the Texas summer lmao

>>10114969
They charge you for one night at booking

Here's their plan for the nighttime events.

>>10114940
I meant they will likely only rent 2 or 3 of those buildings, dumbass. They don't need the whole space, dumbass. Because the whole point of moving it from Fort Worth is that they couldn't afford the venue, dumbass. And the entire space would cost more than Fort Worth, dumbass.

>>10114940
Unrelated but my bet is the buildings shown in the video. Which are the Centennial Building and the Automotive Building. (MAYBE the Creative Arts Building for programming)

>>10114965

From what I have seen a lot of them are just flabbergasted about the new venue and are discussing the dangers to con goers

>>10115012
This could be fun or absolutely awful.

>>10115017
Is this on their Facebooks or what? The one or two I follow are too professional to shit-talk.

>>10114991
I don't see the issue here? You don't have to pay extra or anything. They just split gaming into its own section. A lot of larger conventions do that.

>>10115040

Are they going to charge for seperate passes?

>>10115044
literally says your ticket gets you into both events

>>10115044
No, both passes allow access to all the events

I'm an artist and holy SHIT. I'm so glad my ticket is free so I get to watch this shit show go up in flames.

>>10115069
I was really worried about being get into the AA this year since it would be my first year selling, but I think a lot of people are straight up not going this year so I might have a chance. This is just a shits and giggles hobby for me, so even if I don't make any money, it'll be a great experience. If I can survive A-Kon 30, I can survive anything.

>>10114825
>one of the worst areas in Dallas for crime
oh you poor, privileged child.
While the area next to the park itself is definitely in the dangerous category, there's so much worse areas in dallas it's not even funny

>>10114894
>>10114911
>>10114925
Started the charge back through my bank too, fuck Akon and this retarded-ass venue, I used to go to this con to cosplay, not get sweaty and ruin my costumes while getting heat stroke.

>>10115142
Yeah I think most people will be fine if they don't mess with people. I kind of wonder if parents from the burbs are going to let their teenages go now.
That could be a hit to their numbers.

>>10114993
>outdoor convention
Fair Park isn't a regular park, it's like 70% buildings

>>10114894
You might want to email them again now that they've officially announced location and dates
cons often can't refund until after the event, but they'll likely come through.
I didn't even know you could register before they announced.

>>10115148
If anything the parents might be MORE willing
Remember, the Texas State fair gets fucking everybody, and it's the same location.
No one said parents are smart.

>>10115069
>>10115088
did AA reg open?

>>10114974
>not realizing this same exact area frequently has people's cars broken into even when there are no valuables in them or in sight inside the car
>thieves are breaking into the cars no matter what hoping to get lucky

Fucking moron.

>>10114991
>>10115040
>>10115044
This was likely done for legal reasons, so if one event becomes extremely costly and the other covers it's costs they can put one down without killing the other.

The Gaming side has always had an extremely steady attendance, but the space needed has always complicated the venue bookings.

>>10115012
Ah yes, lets spread the con out over several locations so that no one spot feels active or "alive" and cosplayers have a fucking awful time getting between areas. This guy is an idiot of the highest caliber.

>>10115158
Apps open March 4th.

>>10115166
Dallas Startup week does it, and it's a pretty big hit.

>>10115173
I'm not familiar with that event since I'm not local to Dallas but I guess I'll try to keep an open mind...even though this really is looking like a massive shitshow.

>>10115069
>>10115088
Please give the play-by-play when you go.

>>10115204
Dallas Startup week is a week long event where people go hear panels about how to start up businesses, and it has different tracks of programming (gaming, fashion, financing, etc) and they're at many different locations throughout downtown (and one or two outside, like the esports in frisco)
They get over 10k registrants. It's a different attendance of course, but a lot of people actually like it because they end up going to different places for coffee, snacks, meals, etc and really mingle with different people.

Anyone have a map of the areas to avoid? I'd be coming from out of state.

>>10115166
I attended a con years ago on a college campus that had events spread around different buildings. The walks weren't far but it was miserable walking between buildings just to turn around and walk to another building after an event finished or your friends changed plans suddenly. It didn't feel alive at all. It felt dead. People were so scattered around these wide open spaces that you hardly saw more than a dozen of them at a time in one spot. It was somber. No one had the energy to enjoy anything or act up like dumb kids do. And to top it all off, it rained.

Dallas Startup week is not an anime con.They're not asking their attendees, who are not cosplaying with props or carrying bags of merchandise, to walk multiple times between buildings without easy access to a vehicle or hotel room in a single day. DSW and A-kon are two different animals that require different handling and needs. You chose a bad comparison.

>>10115221
>I attended a con years ago on a college campus that had events spread around different buildings. The walks weren't far but it was miserable walking between buildings just to turn around and walk to another building after an event finished or your friends changed plans suddenly. It didn't feel alive at all. It felt dead. People were so scattered around these wide open spaces that you hardly saw more than a dozen of them at a time in one spot. It was somber. No one had the energy to enjoy anything or act up like dumb kids do. And to top it all off, it rained.
This is my worry, I've been to cons that were spread out exactly as you're describing and it's fucking miserable if you're cosplaying.

>not picking the dallas convention center

They had one job

>>10115228
There's apparently a tattoo convention there that weekend. I wonder if every weekend was booked though, it's like "you already moved the date this much".

>>10115230
I honestly dont know how they screw up what is essentially one of the most popular conventions in the world. The Anatole I felt was their best years. Then the Fort Worth move soured things. Now they're going the full cheap route. That's a gg as far as a con is concerned.

>>10115231
>The Anatole I felt was their best years.
I really preferred the Anatole as well honestly.

>>10114872
I am going too, will be dressed so close to a hobo it'll be incomparable, but will have popcorn and marshmallows for the inevitable burning corpse.

>>10115231
It's kind of astounding, given they're one of the biggest Southeast cons and get people from all the states surrounding Texas.
I know it got too big for just the anatole, but I don't get why they couldn't make the 4-5 hotels near there "satellite" locations like the hotels near the Fort Worth convention center. I agree things started going downhill with the move to Fort Worth, I don't get why so many people love that convention center other than the photo ops

So between stabbings, heat stroke, and dehydration...what do you think A-kons body count will be? My guess is 2 dead, and at least 8 hospitalized. It's a little liberal, but I'm a high stakes kinda gal.

>>10115240
At least 20 incidents in one weekend.

>>10115088

There's supposed to be around 200 artists, and there's no way in hell that many people are going to apply to this.

>>10115239
The water garden was the only good thing about the convention center and being able to just walk to a restaurant other then that
FUCK FT.WORTH

>fair park dallas
well I guess I'm carrying at this con

Can someone give me a quick run down on what the fuck happen to this con?

>>10115264
Lots of money trading and sheer abuse in the administration.

>>10115245
They'll fill the alley, no worries. As seen, there's always someone who wants to test the waters. I hope the new AA crowd has fun. The trade off is a significant drop in quality and variety. Out of state artists like me are gonna peace out this year.

I saw someone on twitter or facebook ask if they signed a multi-year contract. I bet they did since Frank was adamant about "securing a place for future growth" or whatever. This is it. This is A-kon's future.

>>10115262
post your EDC or should we take this to /k/?

>fair park
it's all fun and games till the underage Nico cosplayer gets raped by a hobo

>>10115269
to be fair, if they're cosplaying nico, it's probably the only sex they'll be getting for years

>>10115268
star BM 9mm or M&P 9c

I was super worried about this happening! When they changed the dates, people where speculating it would be at Fair park...Man am I glad I decided to go with AM this year.

>Wake up at the Hilton
>Walk across sky bridge to con
>Enjoy air conditioned panels
>See my 1st Vocaloid concert
>See ladybaby
>Meet Wataru Hatano <3
>Buy exclusive otomate stuff
>Meet Nozomu Saksaki
>Watch Ellen Kim and KDA
>Eat at restaurants inside the GRB
>Walk across skybridge to room

Most importantly


>Never set foot outdoors
>Be comfy

I'm very fair skinned and the sun would destroy me. I'll miss A-kon but I cannot be out in the sun... I've been planning for AM since they announced the change of dates, and now I'm confident in my choice.

I REALLY hope A-kon will be indoors next year... Houston is like 4 hours drive away...

>>1011524
Place your bets gulls! I'm going with 1 dead and 12 hospitalized

>>10115283
I'll double your prize if you guess the series of the shivved/shot guy and quadruple the character.

>>10114894
Most cons don't give refunds. It's a hassle. At best they usually let people transfer their badge to someone else or the next year

>>10115267
I mean, the contract with Fort Worth was fucking awful, so I get the desire to move. Especially given Frank's inability to make deals with larger hotel chains, from what I read on his personal history. But the venue wouldn't let food trucks park within a certain radius, wouldn't let the AA/Dealer's staff supply vendors and artists with water, and outside food wasn't allowed to be brought in. There was other terrible shit, but the food one was especially bad. They promised alternates for people with food concerns, and then basically went 'tough shit' over said concerns (vegetarians/gluten free/etc.) and wouldn't let people get anything besides their fucking awful food court.

>>10115159
>Implying anyone would lose belongings if a thief breaks into an empty car

>>10115338
>implying anyone wouldn't have a broken window

>>10115338
Do you have a car? Windows cost money to replace. A broken handle is money. Dents are money.

>>10115346
anon has to car pool to cons

>>10115338
>implying anyone enjoys filing a police report, calling their insurance or having to pay out of pocket, and then having to wait a week for a replacement to be put in. Especially out of towners.

>>10115031

Mostly the Nomikai people desu

>>10115355
I've never heard of Nomikai before this year. Is it good? I'm going to A-Kon and AFest regardless, so this would be a con in addition to those two, not in place of.

Didn't Frank just pick up the con recently? Maybe the fair park was the best they could get, I'm just hoping maybe next year they'll have more time to plan

>>10114969
If you are a Marriott Rewards member, you get a cheaper rate for the hotel. Nothing is due up front and you just have to cancel at least 3 days before the event. I actually just booked my room with no problem.

>>10115397
Yeah, he picked up the con Mid-January. I hope they’ll choose a new venue next year since they’ll have more time.

>>10115333
OMG yes the food situation in Ft.Worth sucked so bad.

The Team Skull Cosplayers well be right at home in Fair Park.

Nope, not a bad place for an anime con. Nope, not at all.

>>10115338
It's not about the belongings you fucking retard, it's about the damage to the car when they break in, holy fuck how are you this stupid. There are also reports of the thieves stealing actual parts from off cars, so there's that too, and all the damage that goes along with it.

>>10115239
the anatole broke contract. They couldn't have stayed if they wanted.

>>10115449
>when even the Dallas board of tourism tells you the Fair Grounds are a dangerous shithole that you should avoid
Kek, this year is gonna be fun.

>>10115386
It's warehouse con, and they had the nerve to make it two days this year. There's not even a hotel, so don't bother.

I loved Ft Worth and don't understand the complaints about the food situation when you could hop on the trolley and go to any of the downtown restaurants. The food trucks were parked behind the Sheraton. There was a subway across from the convention center. If you think the food options sucked it was because you weren't paying attention.

I'm going to be passing this year since I can't get an onsite hotel which makes cosplaying difficult. Most cosplayers I know have already said they're gonna pass on this one and the few that still plan on going are going to go light on cosplay.

>>10115492
>>10114821
>RIP everyone's belongings in their cars
>it's not about the belongings

>>10115516
Not the second person you quoted and I never mentioned belongings, just the damage that got to cars so fuck off and quit crying cause you got proven to be an imbecile.

>>10115526
>I never mentioned belongings
>Implying anything else matters

>>10115541
>damage to your vehicle doesn't matter
You continue to prove how retarded you are.

>>10115526
You have to be 18 to post here.

>>10115546
>You continue to prove how retarded you are
N-no anon, I was only pretending to be retarded!

>>10115541
>>10115550
>samefagging this hard

>>10115567

>>10115277
>being an obvious shill for AM despite everyone boycotting the event

>>10114794
>going to garbage western conventions full of normalfags and the plebbest of plebs
What did you expect from plebbitors and gaijin?

Hey, everybody complaining, stop. Just stop. We get it. It's gonna be hot, not like Ft Worth wasn't. It's gonna be in a rough area, not like it hasn't been before. It's gonna be disorganized, we don't know that yet. But you know what? The thing that whined most about? Food options. WE ARE GETTING FOOD TRUCKS SO SUCK IT UP.

>>10115586
Can't wait to get heatstroke while waiting in line at the food trucks!

>>10115586
Oh boy, I can buy food in the 111 degree heat while hobos shank me to steal my shitty food truck pizza! Best con ever!

>>10115576
if you're morally bankrupt AM looks like a good con honestly

>>10115597
Why there are 20,000 people screaming #IStandWithVic and telling the SJWs to fuck off when they said they're going to AM.

>>10115586
A few food trucks can not feed 30,000 people for a weekend. No way. Most major conventions have to warn local restaurants months beforehand so they can plan to stock up their expansive walk-in freezers and add extra staff to the schedule. Those places STILL run out of food sometimes. There are going to be large spans of time where some or all of them shutter up because they've run out of food until they can send someone to the local Costco to restock.

>>10115588
>>10115592
>>10115612
It’s a copypasta from the Facebook group, anons.

>>10115616
There are so many comments using batshit insane defenses for bad decision making that its hard to tell what's real anymore. Particularly on Facebook. He's new, guyz! Stay positive, guys! We don't need your negativity! You're not true fans if you don't pay hundreds of dollars to suffer for days straight for someone's lack of foresight, guyz! Carry on, anon.

>>10115338
>t. 14 year old non-driver

>>10115277
>I REALLY hope A-kon will be indoors next year
they're indoors THIS year
wtf are you talking about
Fair Park has buildings

>>10115231
>I honestly dont know how they screw up what is essentially one of the most popular conventions in the world.
Don't know much about the inner workings from those years, but I did know Mary at the time, and I got the impression she was very much the type to ignore problems and keep going forward like nothing's wrong.
Which eventually catches up with you.

>>10115221
2 things
I think you meant to reply to
>>10115210
and
what about Dragon Con? It's at like 5 different locations
And akon last two years were at multiple, unconnected locations.
It's not that big of a change.
Yeah it'll suck, but it probably won't be much worse than what we're already used to

>>10115996
>what about Dragon Con? It's at like 5 different locations
Dont compare Dragoncon to Akon, they're completely different animals so to speak.

>It's not that big of a change.
The hotels being as far away as they are is what's the big change anon, and it's going to be miserable. This would be acceptable for a University run shitty little one-day con, but not for Akon.

>>10115996
Dragoncon has skywalks, food courts, is literally inside multiple hotels, along with other food, travel, and conveniences in a downtown setting. Bad comparison for your argument but great example of why hotels, travel, food, and conveniences are the key to success for a thriving convention.

>>10114888
I probably sound like an idiot, but how do you file a chargeback? Is that through the bank? I've never had to do it before, so...

>>10115996

The dragoncon hotels are literally across the street from each other. You don't even have to go outside for the main three.

>>10116292
Yeah, you do it through your bank

>>10116296
>>10115996

I would also like to add something similar to this. Even though Ft. Worth had it’s issues, it is an infinitely more convenient location than Fair Park. At least the three main hotels were ACROSS the street from the center. Even though it was hot, all you had to do was walk across the street! Not wait for a train, take a train, then trek across a huge park. The struggle is going to be real if you ever forget something at a hotel downtown..

>>10116322
Walking to the Sheraton from the convention center was terrible and I hated doing it every time. I can't imagine that the fairgrounds buildings are any further apart than that

>>10116423
>I can't imagine that the fairgrounds buildings are any further apart than that
You're in for a surprise anon.

>>10116423

The Sheraton from the convention center? That was hardly a walk at all. Either you're morbidly obese or just fucking lazy.

I'm lazy as hell, but that was not a long walk at all anon. You definitely won't survive this new location.

I’m going to the Irish festival when it opens, do any anons want pics for size relativity as far as distance between buildings? I feel like a lot of the people who aren’t worried about the space between have never been to Fair Park or are forgetting.

>>10116423
If that is exhausting then you would die at AX. You must be a whale.

>>10116446
Please do. I swear people have never experienced the State Fair suffering. Imagine Red River Showdown weekend crowds on top of the usual trek. There's a reason the State Fair has multiple stalls for each of those food vendors too. Fair Park is fucking huge.

>>10116446
>I feel like a lot of the people who aren’t worried about the space between have never been to Fair Park or are forgetting.
I think the opposite
I think people who are USED to the fair are fine with the distance, while it's unusual for others

>>10116451
I went to AX and I did die a lot which is why I don't know why people assume it's a better alternative to A-kon right now lol.

>>10116490
People who've never left Texas for a con have no fucking idea what they're talking about.

>>10116445
>ur fat if u don't like inconvenience
nayrt but i personally hated the walk because homeless people kept harassing me

>>10116507
Im gonna add on to what you said in that alot of my cosplays have uncomfortable shoes- I can wear them for awhile and walk a fair amount but adding in all the distance to the dart line, off the tram and then the slog all the way up to the actual buildings and then actually getting around the con for a while is going to kill my feet. Normally I could easily go back to the room to change into plain clothes if my feet are killing me but this is going to be a royal pain in the ass. I guess I could wear comfy shoes or something but that would look like shit and I made all the shoes specifically for the cosplays so that would kinda suck.

question for those TX anons familliar with the fair grounds. Is there RV parking in the lot? Not overnight parking or camping, but enough room to park rental RV and have that function in the place of a readily available hotel room to change in/relax in during the day? Mainly need to make sure there aren't any tight turns or low over head things.

Any thoughts on this? This isn't the entire post, but I don't know how many pictures i can post in quick succession here

>>10116940

>>10116941

>>10116942

>>10116942
shit, dropped one

Akon white knights now calling ppl racist for calling out south dallas. Maybe cause its true, you faggots. If youre thinking it, its likely not a myth.

>>10116940
The fact that they're admitting to "picking up a couple of more buildings" before the event begins says that they're panicking to address all the points brought up that Frank didn't foresee and now need more space than bargained. That's why nothing is "finalized" yet.

How crowded will the parking lots be Fri/Sat night with the Goo Goo Dolls, Train, and Thomas Rhett concerts happening on site? Is that another thing they didn't plan ahead for?

>>10116789
They have to transport a bunch of trailers during events so there’s nothing overhead that would cause inconvenience as far as parking an RV unless you’re in a parking garage, and you can pull through two spaces if you need to. Doesn’t mean they won’t stop you from pulling in the day of the con; no idea what they’ll close off or how they’ll direct traffic when the time comes.

>>10116944
This honestly gave me a little more hope. The fair or any outdoor events there don’t usually bother me and any amount of walking makes my feet hurt after a while so I’m less concerned about the logistics so far. Then again, there’s a lot of promises that staff have dropped the ball on. I guess time will tell.

>>10116940
>>10116941
This is a good gesture but I still have my doubts about this venue. That being said, all these extra ammenities and provisions they're having to make- wouldn't it have been cheaper to get an actually good location with hotel on-site instead? Seems like this is going to cost more overall than just getting a proper venue but then again I know very little about what some places cost over others.

And still not happy about how far its gonna be spread out compared to Ft Worth or the Anatole. Having been to the fair grounds in the past I think a lot of people are underestimating just how spread out everything is. Don't bring hard to walk in shoes or costumes and dont bring heavy props.

>>10116952
Ironically more than half of the people saying “just say you’re afraid of black people and go!!” are White.
As a Black person, stop trying to seem woke by virtue signaling about the staff’s inability to find a venue that people would be comfortable with.

>>10117053
>As a Black person
What are your thoughts on the area?

>>10117055
As a white person with black weeb friends, they're all pretty ecstatic

>>10117059
Good I guess, at least some people are happy.

>>10117078
I'm from Dallas and I'm more concerned with how much time I'm going to spend walking outside in the heat.

>>10117080
Im from South Texas and have never seen the Fairgrounds but looking at the map I'm pretty worried too.

One of my close friends is working with organizers for some programming they're working on. From what I've been told, A-kon has rented the area "between the Womans Museum and the stadium, the area on the left side of pic related. That's Centennial Hall and the Automotive building, as well as other areas they're working with. No one is going to be walking around outside as much as you think. It's not at the "state fair" part of the state fair grounds like where all the fried food and carnival rides are, that's over to the right.

Honestly I feel like most “concerns” are over overdramatic and whiny. Like “hotels aren’t at the fair grounds”, well most hotels have DART near them and you can always drive or Uber. Or “it’s gonna be so hot!! And the whole con is outdoors!!” Akon is only renting PART of fair park and the buildings they’re getting WILL be close together, so you’ll be outside for a few brief minutes at most when walking? And considering people spent a majority of the con last year at the water garden or walking around downtown in the heat, it’s kinda bullshit. Or “the crime rate!!” Honestly? Just use common sense?? And considering that the late night stuff will be happening at venues in DOWNTOWN DALLAS by the hotels, you will not even be in the “bad part” of town late at night.
I don’t think the con will be perfect but I don’t think it will be as bad as everyone thinks it’ll be. I feel like no matter what the con ended up doing, people would’ve had a fuck ton of complaints.

>>10117092
And where do we park and where is the DART line? That factors in largely into all this too, if we could just magically appear at those buildings you mention I don't think anyone would mind walking between them, its about the overall combined distance of things.

>>10117095
>well most hotels have DART near them and you can always drive or Uber
>so you’ll be outside for a few brief minutes at most when walking
You're not a cosplayer are you.

I am glad they are providing options for the cosplayers.
Honestly the part I am saddest about is not being able to just hang out on the con floor at night. I get there will be drinking event and such, but that is pretty different.

>>10117099
The dart station is right next to the Music Hall and Women's Museum. A very short walk. There is also parking available on that side IIRC from when I was there for the fair last year.

>>10117105
my favorite part of San Japan was the bar crawl for some fun after hours, not that the rave wasn't. Just this might add more enjoyment to head back to Dallas downtown.

>>10117114
I think a big part of it for me is not having to be around...normal people for a bit. I hope the after hour stuff is at least removed from normal people out for the weekend.

>>10117106
That's not as bad as I thought but still a good 5 min walk outside I dont wanna do in heels.

>>10117120
I hope they set up something with the church! Would be fun to hang at my favorite club in cosplay.

>>10117125
That'd be amazing. I hope so.
>>10117120
I get it, but from what I heard it'd be split up so downtown Dallas is getting a weeb injection at 11 PM and will apparently like it as people filter between hotels.

>>10117055
Personally, I don’t care about the crime since I’ve been in downtown/south Dallas without any problems. However, I don’t wear cosplay when I’m out at night kek
My main issue with the venue is that it’ll be hot and I’ll be wearing armor and I’m not to comfortable with public transportation especially if I plan on drinking. So I’m skipping out this year.

Another note, I just got an email from event power, they’re refunding my badge. If you haven’t gotten a word back from them I’d email them again.

>>10117055 #
Personally, I don’t care about the crime since I’ve been in downtown/south Dallas without any problems. However, I don’t wear cosplay when I’m out at night kek
My main issue with the venue is that it’ll be hot and I’ll be wearing armor and I’m not too comfortable with public transportation especially if I plan on drinking. So I’m skipping out this year, I’m hoping that the people who do go have fun and stay safe. If things go well at the new venue I’ll go next year but for now I’m gonna use my a-kon money for Otakon.

Another note, I just got an email from event power, they’re refunding my badge. If you haven’t gotten a word back from them I’d email them again.

>>10115231
I unironically liked last year when it was in Fort Worth. I skipped 2017 partly because of how bad 2016 was, but in 2018 I was pleasantly surprised.

There were downsides (the food was shit for the price), but I managed to find something to do at all times.

>>10115338
You will at least lose your radio, unless the thief is actually retarded. Even a trash-tier radio can be sold somewhere for drug money, and if not the radio then the metal bits inside it. If you're not gonna miss your radio, you'll miss having a window and not having glass all over one of the seats.

>>10117192
I absolutely loved Fort Worth. The convention center was big enough that you didn’t feel like a sardine (for the most part, it was still pretty packed at peak times but everything was decently spaced), food was available everywhere, the water gardens were great for photo ops, the hotels and parking were literally right across the street. The move back to Dallas was a big shocker to me and I have to admit I’m still not happy about it, but I at least can change my plans easily.

I have to chuckle at people from Dallas who complain about how it was suuuuch a long drive and sooooo inconvenient! Yeah, well people were driving to Dallas for a good 20 years to get to A-Kon, you can suck it up and drive to Fort Worth for a weekend out of the year.

>>10117099
The average daily attendance of the State Fair last year was just shy of 100,000. Daily. There is parking.

I don't even know what hotel to reserve at because they haven't announced what the after hours hotels are.

>>10117632
We put in mutiple reservations that could be canceled to decide once they do. It's dumb but it works.

I'm actually looking forward to a-kon this year. I had a decent time at a-kon last year, I thought the fort worth location was nice. But most of my friends didn't go last year and I felt pretty down about it. This year, most of my friends aren't going again, but I decided that I'm still gonna try and have a great time regardless. I'm still waiting on news about the after hours stuff before I decide if I want to book a hotel room or not, though. Either way, I decided that this year I'm gonna try to be super social and meet new people!

>>10117049
>Don't bring hard to walk in shoes or costumes and dont bring heavy props.


>tfw two of my cosplays have heels and my other cosplay has bulky/slightly heavy props

>>10117746
They mentioned some sort of room they might be putting together to help for costumed folks. Hell they had it last year, just did a bad job of telling people that's what the room was for. Handlers, water, food, the works.

Tell your artist friends to check their emails. The AA email was just sent out.
>Apps open 12pm Monday March 4
>Juried
>Closes April 15
>Period to pay for table between April 20-April 30
>Final map released May 23

You're welcome.

Fair park seems interesting to me. I’m kind of a lobbyconner at this point in my life anyway. My biggest concern is that with all the emphasis on security, I wonder if it will be hard to walk around drunk the whole time like usual.

>>10117799
Go as characters that are drunk often and just call it cosplay.

Rick is the easiest, but it depends on your preference.

Jesus Christ on a cracker, this was going to be my first year at A-Kon, but I'm not so sure now.
I'm going to wait for Onicon or Ikkicon instead.
Anybody else have experience with either of those cons? I've never been to Ikkicon and it's been like five years since I've gone to Oni-con.

>>10117309
TFW you live in Houston and you pretty much see Ft. Worth and Dallas as the same city.

>>10117180
Oh, so the refunds are actually working?
This probably sounds stupid but where did you send the e-mail to? Like I'm trying to refund but the A-Kon website is trash so I've been unable to find out how to get it done.

>>10118072
Ikkicon is trash and I've never been to Onicon. I highly recommend A-Fest and San Japan though

>>10118080
I was thinking about San Japan, only issue is I'm a teacher and I'm fairly sure that it's going on the week before school starts, which is when we have a lot of staff meetings and professional development that I can't really take off for.

>>10118072
I went to Onicon about 3 years ago, I remember it as a very nice con, small but dense with stuff to do and a chill atmosphere.

>>10117747
Oh, that's good to hear! Yeah, I definitely don't remember seeing or hearing about anything like that at a-kon last year. I'll definitely have to bring a bag with me for some extra supplies and makeup. I already know I'm gonna sweat off all my makeup when I'm out in the sun.

To those who are going to a-kon, are you guys getting hotels? I was thinking about booking a room at the Marriott close to the DART station, but I was wondering if there were any other ones to look into as well?

>>10118226
I've actually already booked at the Marriott close to it, some people have said 'party central' but then again, I'm clueless.

There's a list of hotels on their website. Also yeah, that's because as I said they sucked at letting it be heard. You know the badge entrance on thursday? Across the hall somewhere there on the exit wall, i guess, was a double room for that.

Anyone hear anything about Anime Dallas next year, since this has turned into a general con thread.

>>10118252
Stop name-dropping your shit con.
You would think after you made a fool of yourself on that lawyer YouTube you would be laying low but I guess not...

>>10117799
This but ironically. Can't wait to get pinned down at gunpoint by homeland security because I'm too drunk to realise the severity of the situation after asking one of them for a selfie.

>>10118295
'Naruto put your hands BEHIND your head and STEP AWAY or I WILL take lethal action. BELIEVE IT.'

>>10118252
It hasn't. There's literally a Texas general. Go there.

I hope Fair Park can accommodate the kind of outdoor fun that used to happen at the Anatole. Boombox raves, Little Sally Walker, spin the bottle. Shit was so cash.

My fear is that after official con programming shuts don’t, Homeland Security is gonna get on everyone’s ass and make them go to their separate hotels.

>>10118336
>My fear is that after official con programming shuts don’t, Homeland Security is gonna get on everyone’s ass and make them go to their separate hotels.
They are, for sure. I think thats part of the reason that the dude put in his letter that they were going to alot of trouble to organize places everyone could migrate to, but its spread across several places, no one central area that everyone is going to go to.

Fuck Homeland. The fact that Frank is talking about all this extra security tells me that its not gonna be a thing. WTF does Homeland give a shit about anime cons? They dont work like that.

>>10115012
>>10115023
awful. Dallas has a tiny handful of clubs, and they all suck ass. I'm talking strippers with bullet wounds, expensive drinks, and getting beaten for your wallet.
If you purchased a ticket, get your refund now. Do not go into Fair Park. It's got a themepark, but so does Florida. You are going into west Florida.
GET. YOUR. REFUND.

>>10115204
Can you smell it, boy? Those are the shit winds. Shit storm's a-coming.

>>10118548
>Shit storm's a-coming.
So this is Akon: Fyre Festival Edition?

>>10118556
more like Akon: get ready to pay for a new car window edition.
My cousin had her car windows [2 for some fucking reason] busted out. There was nothing in the care save for a Starbucks cup, but the gangs just like to check and make sure.
The layout of the land is that you have Balch Springs, Kleburg, Pleasant Grove, Seagoville, and Lancaster all either right next to Fiar Park, or with roads leading into Fair Park. These places are the property crime capitals of the United States. The state runs halfway house my cousin went to almost in the park. It's loaded with house mates just doing spice in the open. Balch Springs had a cop just up pull an AR on a black kid and shoot him in the back. A Dallas cop who was shot had literal neo-nazi tattoos. This is a bad place to exist, let alone had a bunch of anime fans in costumes with no clue about what kind of a ghetto they are going to walk around in.
The resturants are expensive, or can be Spanish-only once you get into Balch Springs-Kleburg. So get ready to BYO food. The Dallas highway system is a spider web of narrow lanes, the canyon, car parts, dead pitbulls, and no police presence to control speeders. It's the top reason the NFL passed on Dallas for the superbowl.
Do not go to this shit, stay out of this shit. DO NOT DO IT.

>>10118564
You know what all these areas have in common? They're East. And there's literally no reason for anyone to go somewhere besides Deep Ellum which is west of the park. And I don't see anyone wandering super far east on foot either way. The trains don't even run in that direction...

>>10118564
What kills me is people on Facebook saying "bawwww but there are MUCH worse areas of Dallas than Fair Park!"
Bitch, I'm from Houston. The fucking 3rd ward is way worse than Spring, but does that mean that Spring isn't a dangerous place to be? No. In a major metropolitan area, there's going to be a lot of rough neighborhoods; just because one neighborhood isn't the literal worst in the entire area doesn't mean that it isn't bad.

When do panel submissions open? It's supposed to be today but they didn't give a time or where we'll find a submission form.

Does anyone know who the lolita brand will be for the tea party?

>>10119549
No but they DID say it would be a Japanese brand so at least we're not getting some random indie brand?

>>10118287

I think you're confused anon
Shane runs Nomikai who you're referring
Anime Dallas is run by voice actors

>>10118287
>>10119581

Man, I was all behind backing Shane and Nomikai at first because he had legit problems with A-kon before everything went to hell with them, but after I saw that lawyer video, I've lost almost all the respect I had for him. Dude is crazy vindictive and immature, and that's... I don't know how to approach him about it, if I'm real. Just know him in passing, but that was fucking embarrassing.

Is the panel submission form not working for anyone else?

>>10119625

He's not the nice guy he tries to be. He got booted from Akon because he treated people volunteers/staff like shit and was drinking on the job most of the time. He will try to be an advocate for women, but he does sleezy things all the time.

And his jump on the Vic bandwagon was another example of him trying to be relevant without thinking before he speaks

>>10119549
>>10119557
I thought the J-fashion department was removed?

>>10121184
I'm fairly certain they were but that J-fashion as a programming block was not. Does that make sense? The people removed but not the events?

>>10121231
It makes sense to an extent, but if they got rid of j-fashion staff then I'm concerned about who is running the events and how they'll be run.

>>10121257
It really couldn't be THAT much of a quality drop from previous years. I was unimpressed so I'm hopeful for J-fashion at least.

Only about a dozen hotel rooms left at the Marriott Center.. I might just go ahead and book one now. I wish they would update the information on the late night activities already.

>>10122086
Last year all of the hotels ended up adding extra rooms the week of so don't worry too much. I got in at the Omni the day before.

>>10122160
>>10122086
Well if they book they can always just cancel 3 days before if they don't want to, or far earlier than 3 days before.

Unless, like, you 3rd party it.

>>10122170
Does Hotels for Hope let you cancel like that or are they considered a third party? I feel like this is a really dumb question and boy am I glad this place is anonymous.

>>10122290
Pic related is through the Hotels for Hope site, so yeah. I'm just waiting for my friends to decide if they're going or not before I book anything. It still seems like there's a good amount of rooms left, so I'm not too worried. Although this is my first time booking a hotel for a con, and I'm not too sure how fast hotels fill up.

>>10122290
I booked a 2 bed room, I'm a basic bitch. I like space.

>>10119658
I was really hype about hosting one this year, but after they delayed panel submissions for so long and news about the venue came out, I don't even know if I'm going at all this year.

>>10115346
leave your door unlocked and slightly open. ;)

>>10116446
This anon from earlier, would y’all prefer I post photos itt or a google drive?

>>10123707
Yes please!

>>10123707
Post the pics here I think.

>>10123798
>>10123821
>>10123798
Okay! I’m out for the rest of the day but when I get home I think I’ll upload all the pics and try to label some of them so people know what they’re looking at!

The one thing people are going to hate is definitely parking. It’s a good 5 minute walk from any normal parking to inside buildings, take into consideration this is a snails pace but that’s accounting for people who don’t know how to walk at a normal pace/people in heavy cosplays or uncomfy shoes. They really need to make an announcement regarding parking soon so people who are driving in will know where to go. I can imagine they will also be charging for parking, in order to have control of who is parking so people who aren’t attending the con aren’t just taking advantage. There’s also a lot of parking and areas on the map labeled parking that were closed off for vendor parking for the festival so I think they may still utilize that for vendors and staff for the con.

If my guess is correct then they may have the Automotive building, Centennial Hall, the Embarcadero Building/Creative Arts Hall (where they list the cosplay contest being; the two are connected but I don’t know if the latter will be closed off? It was behind a gate for the festival so I didn’t get to go in and explore), and maybe the Food and Fiber Pavilion. The Tower Building is very nice and would be a good spot for additional performances or a stage but it’s slightly disconnected from the flow of the main buildings. The same goes for the park’s on-site restaurant. I would estimate planning for a 5~10 minute walk from parking to the Embarcadero Building, ~2 minutes from there to Centennial Hall; the Automotive Building is right across the Esplanade from Centennial but that will probably be the shortest walk you will have to make (maybe a minute with crowds?).

>>10123857
Same anon; I’m not entirely sure what parking is like outside the main gates (main, 3, and 4) since I always park at Gate 5, but I can imagine the main gates’ parking will fill up very quickly considering the traffic A-Kon gets, regardless of how many people are complaining and threatening not to go.

They will also probably have badge checks EVERYWHERE so I don’t think lobbyconning will work out very well; I can imagine they’ll have checks at the gates and at the doors to buildings, plus security around all the parking/staff-only areas.

I can upload here as well and label in the comments but my photos always end up sideways so if someone can spoonfeed me a little and tell me how to fix that I can get started uploading?

>>10123864
>so if someone can spoonfeed me a little and tell me how to fix that I can get started uploading?
If you open up any software on your phone that edits pics and literally do anything to the pic (crop it just a bit, adjust the color, etc) and post the "edited" pic it should reorient it so that it posts correctly.

>>10123864
I take it if we stay at a hotel and DART over there it should be fine then? How close is the DART station to the main buildings, if you know?

>>10123871
Thank you! I’ll start editing and get a few photo groups together then start spamming.

>>10123913
The DART drops off right outside the main gate so accounting for crowds/lines, it’s probably no more than a ~2 minute max walk to either the Automotive Building or Centennial. You’ll be fine as long as you’re not one of those people who faints the moment they step outside. The Dart gate is closer to structures than Gate 5, which has a long shaded walkway between the actual gate itself and the Tower Building.

Bear with me guys, I’ll get photos started soon!

Okay I’m going to post in order from the main gate to Gate 5 since that will be the main route people will be taking, and Gate 5 isn’t really that important since we don’t know how far into the park they’ll be utilizing space. A lot of the nicer photo op areas are over there though as well as the restaurant.

I’ll start with the map; it’s on A-Kon’s website under the Fair Park blurb so I’ll be listing places by number as well as name and general directions!

The DART station you will want to use is Fair Park Station (#41, not MLK @ Trunk unless you want to be walking for fifteen minutes).

>>10124087
(I really hope these post well I’ll try to catch them if they fuck up)

This is the view of the Esplanade (#35) from the Main Gate. To the front, Centennial Hall (#13) is to the left, the Automotive Building (#12) is to the right.

>>10124091
Immediate left of the Main Gate (coming in) are the Women’s Building, the Spirit of the Centennial, and the DAR House (#7, 37, & 3). Immediate right is the Smith Fountain and Vietnam memorial (#38, 39). They are literally RIGHT there, very good photo spots. They are right outside the Centennial and Automotive buildings so you can run in and use the restroom or whatever. No big walk required.

>>10124095
Just for reference, this is a view facing the Main Gate. The tan walkway is the same as the ones in the above photo.

>>10124098
The longest walk you’ll do will be getting to the Embarcadero Building from the Main Gate, and crossing the length of the Centennial and Automotive buildings. If you’re traveling at a slow pace (which you usually are with crowds/stopping for photos and breaks/etc), it’ll take a good five minutes to get from the gate to the end of the Esplanade.

Attached is the gate-side end of the Automotive Building and the view of it from the Centennial/across the Esplanade.

>>10124102
To compliment, the view of Centennial from Automotive.

>>10124103
I took too many photos inside whoops sorry if they end up getting too mixed up but I tried!

This is inside the Centennial; we started from the other end (by the Court of Honor, #14) so just look at them opposite of the arrows to try to see the flow from the gate-side end. Centennial seems to be where they’ll most likely drop AA or panels (Automotive might be Dealer’s due to the garage doors for bigger vendors). They had it divided into four big sections for the festival with big curtains; there were two sections of rows of vendors and two stages. It’s loud but with potentially enough dividers they could divvy it up into panel “rooms.”

>>10124110
Inside Automotive; the numbers on the photo are which end of the building is shown: the end closest to #14 (Court of Honor, basically a row of fountains), and the end closest to #39 (the Vietnam memorial by the main gate). The big white bar on the two right hand photos is a tent with a tiny stage inside that they set up for the festival, it’s in the middle of the building. Keep in mind we don’t know what will be using these spaces for. By the tent there’s a kitchen so hopefully they’ll have food and/or drinks available for concessions. This building seems the best bet for Dealers Hall imo but we’ll see.

>>10124114
This is the view of the Court of Honor (#14) and the Hall of State (#4) from this end of Automotive. Not much to see here but great photo ops. I think the inside of #4 is a museum? So they might now have it open but if you want some cool scenery/steps then this is the place. #14 is literally just a row of low-set fountains. Don’t climb in them. That’s gross.

>>10124118
View of the Esplanade (#35) from the #14 end (so just opposite from the main gate). There’s some cool statues and lots of symmetrical architecture.

>>10124119
This one was tricky; this is the view of #s 14, 4, and 13 from the space that’s marked Parking just north of those buildings. It was actually being used as vendor parking for the most part, but there was also a big stage set up. If you’ve been to the state fair that’s where the Chevy Mainstage is every year.

This is the corner of the Hall of State that you’ll round to get to the Embarcadero Building (#17) where the cosplay contest is listed to be at for A-Kon. It’s back behind the Hall of State and they had it blocked off for the festival so I couldn’t explore but I at least got a photo of it. Plenty of big trees for shade and grassy areas if you feel up to hanging out outside for a quick break.

>>10124128
Here’s the front of #17 (Embarcadero) so you know what to look for. I don’t think I’ve ever been inside it so I don’t know how they’ll have it set up for the contest but from what a quick google search gives me, it looks like it’s going to be your standard main events ballroom setup with curtains for backstage areas. No idea where they plan to put the green room or their supposed changing areas for cosplayers.

>>10124133
I’m just about done. This is just for fun, a couple views of decent chill spots + photo op areas.

#30 (Fair Park Admin Offices): Don't pay attention to what it’s listed as, the offices are inside but on the map the number is on the green next to the Hall of State (#4), which is pictured.

#20 (Tower Building): Like I said before, if they have it open it will be a good space to relax or have another stage (which they do for the festival). There’s bathrooms inside and the entrance is really cool. Even if you can’t get a pic inside, the outside will make for some interesting photos.

You can see the Automotive Building (#12) from the outside of the Tower Building; it’s a mini walk but nothing horrible.

>>10124142
Inside the Tower Building just cause I think it’s cool. I love symmetry in architecture and especially when combined with cosplay photography lol.

>>10124150
#6 (Perot Museum Nature Building), #43 (Museum Green): A little ways out there but a good spot for large meetups and cool photo ops; the nature building has a cool grungy look to it that might work as a decent backdrop.

#31 (Magnolia Lounge): Pretty sure this isn’t an actual functioning business anymore? but if you need any creepy retro/post-apocalyptic vibes then go for it.

>>10124156
Second to last!

#1 (African American Museum): More big green areas and some solid walls for photos.

#21 (Old Mill Inn Restaurant): Has a mill outside obviously, it’s pretty cute if you need something a little more old school. I’ve never been in so I can’t vouch for food or indoor decor.

The one thing A-Kon’s dumb little video fails to mention is that the extras like the aquarium and museums tend to have extra costs to get inside and do stuff in. I’ve only ever been to the aquarium once so if anyone has additional info then I’m sure others will appreciate it.

>>10124160
Last but not least, Big Tex’s resting place, insert emoji here. He will not be out for the con but his little garden is always there. The Celtic cross they had up for the Irish festival was a little depressing, made it look like it was Tex’s grave marker. (His garden pedestal is the little green circle just below #30 on the map.)

That’s it for my photos, if anyone has anymore they’d like to contribute then feel free, or if you have personal input or experiences to fill in the gaps. I may de-anon this and share the info in the A-Kon Facebook groups to calm some heads but let me know if I need to update my knowledge or add something!

>>10124162
Oh, just to add really quick, it’s about a 3-4 minute walk from the closest parking right outside Gate 5 to Big Tex’s pedestal; if you plan on parking on that side, make sure you prepare for a bit of a longer walk, especially if they don’t plan to have Gate 5 open for the con.

>>10124091
>>10124095
>>10124098
>>10124102
>>10124103
>>10124110
>>10124114
>>10124118
>>10124119
>>10124128
>>10124133
>>10124150
>>10124142
>>10124156
>>10124162
>>10124165
thank you for this

>>10124165
Thank you kind sir!

>>10124162
>The Celtic cross they had up for the Irish festival was a little depressing, made it look like it was Tex’s grave marker.
Thank you for making me laugh at work.

Really helpful photos though anon. It's been cold as fuck this year in general, so I'm hoping A-Kon won't be as hot as usual. I could definitely handle this if we're only in the 90s that weekend. I forgot how big the buildings in Fair Park are, so at least we'll have room to shop (if all of the dealers haven't dropped out anyway).

>>10124206
>>10124266
>>10124330
No problem, guys! I was initially kind of freaked about the announcement myself but after thinking it through and especially after going back to Fair Park I’m feeling a little better about it. I just know I’m not going to like whatever they decide for parking.

Also as a pro tip to people who have never been to Fair Park, it’s not nice and fancy like hotels. Just think of the bathrooms and grounds as a sports stadium; it’s kinda gross. I would not plan to get dressed in the bathrooms, utilize whatever area they have for cosplayers to relax or change. Please don’t make a decision that could end up with you contracting HIV or getting a tetanus shot.

Anyone else still waiting on badge refunds?

>>10124410
Basically if you only attempted to reach out to A-Kon you are still going to be waiting and will likely stay waiting. Just reach out to your bank/credit card company. I don't mind walking you through it if you don't know how to.

>>10124369
>Just think of the bathrooms and grounds as a sports stadium; it’s kinda gross
>Please don’t make a decision that could end up with you contracting HIV or getting a tetanus shot.
>AKon will be great this year guys, quit being pussies just because they changed venues!!!

Ii really hope we get to move back to an actual hotel or nice conference center next year, as is Im sitting this year out.

>>10124496
I was almost about to skip but my friend needed a helper in the AA and I'm local anyway. I think it's still possible to have a good time at A-Kon this year, just maybe not in cosplay. I'm just saving my cosplays for Anime Fest. It's only a couple of months after A-Kon anyway.

>>10124448
I appreciate the offer, anon. I was only asking because one of my friends has already had her refund processed as of the day after the venue and other details were announced, but found it weird that I still haven’t heard anything even after contacting them a couple of times. Guess I will have to go through my bank after all.

>>10124778
>Guess I will have to go through my bank after all.
Do it as soon as possible.

>>10114825
Niggers and spics?

Apparently they’ll be repairing some of the DART tracks and stopping service at a few stations, just as a heads up to those of you who were planning to take it.

https://dart.org/riding/cbdrailreplacement.asp?sfns=mo

>>10124908
Ah, the cherry on top.

>>10124908
Kek this is great. I wonder how bad things have to get before the "This year will be great, you guys are just over-dramatic meanies!!!" faggots will finally admit this is a disaster.

>>10124973
K.R. on Facebook is so goddamn annoying about not just admitting that A-Kon this year is at the very least going to be bumpy but not even letting other people voice their complaints.

The news about DART not having service on weekends at Fair Park during A-Kon weekend are making people lose their shit.

>>10124979
Whoops. False alarm.

It turns out people can't read a map when an announcement is made. Why am I not surprised.

>>10124981
You're an idiot. The DART is gonna be down on all the lines UNTIL the deep ellum stop. Fair park stop works, yeah. But if you are on the Pearl Stop heading to fair park on green, you will have yo catch a bus to the deep ellum stop and then you can dart to fair park

>>10124975
Amen. She's super annoying. I can't imagine that she is staff with how active she is on the group. She's just another idiot who has frank's dick so far down her throat she cant do anything except regurgitate "Its gonna be ok guys!!! omg stop complaining!!! :D :D :D "

>>10125000
Nice trips.

Yeah, I don't know what her goal is here. Like you said, she's definitely not staff and funny enough I actually saw her get into it with a couple of (now former) staff members before the announcement about the date/venue change had happened. Maybe she thinks that sucking up to Frank will get her a spot on staff.

>>10124975
>>10125000
Oh my god, I've been reading through the FB threads and she is actually driving me insane.

>>10124987
So A-kon responded.

>>10125091
You know I would almost feel sorry for them with this happening if it weren't for their dumbass-pants-on-head-retarded decision to have the con in Fair Park in the first place.

>>10125091
>>10125121
Honestly, I was getting pretty excited about A-kon being held at Fair Park after seeing >>10124087 posting some pictures. But now I'm just getting annoyed at how everything just keeps getting more and more fucked up.

I mean, it can only go up from here, right? Things can't keep getting worse, right?? I just want to try and stay as optimistic as I can about A-kon but holy shit they're making it really hard.

>>10125138
I was fine with DART but this change is making it harder, like you suggest. Like half their suggestions were seriously 'take DART!' but now that a convention of tons of cosplayers and people will be using them, DART buses are suddenly a little less ... good?

Well, I imagine it will level out - with one more negative surprise, probably, to really. 2019 is the year of the snowball it seems, where bad shit gets worse.

>>10125138
>I mean, it can only go up from here, right? Things can't keep getting worse, right??
Lol anon you're cute. Rain. Imagine how far from the parking lot it is to those buildings and even how far apart the buildings are if it's raining. It'd be one thing if you aren't cosplaying but if you're in a nice costume and it rains the weekend it's going to be beyond miserable.

They turned off comments for their announcement. Guess they can’t handle the complaints?

>>10125353
I really don't know what they were expecting. At this point, I would totally be fine with them switching venues for a third time just to not have this thing in Fair Park anymore.

>>10125393
>At this point, I would totally be fine with them switching venues for a third time just to not have this thing in Fair Park anymore.
Seconding this. It's ridiculous but so was having it there in the first place.

I know they had to figure things out fast since they just got A-kon in January but, where else do you think they could have done it other than Fair Park, or still can have it?
In a perfect world, for me, it would still be in Fort Worth

>>10125423
I would take a Motel 6 in Nowheresville at this point. At least I won't have to be traveling 30+ minutes to the con in a Motel 6.

>>10125429
Where the hell are you staying where your hotel is 30 minutes or more from Fair Park?

>>10125431
Have you not taken the DART before? Even if you're staying at the hotels in downtown, it's still a 20-30 minute trip.

I can't post replies to anything on any a-kon page, it seems they are disabling commenting at least, on my end, overall. It's bizarre. Even tried from mobile. I'm not banned. Do they just not want to hear criticism at all?

They need to address the refunds issue openly in a post all its own, not in a random comment that no one will see except a few people. That's why everyone who hasn't gotten a refund yet thinks the con doesn't care! They clearly don't care enough to put that info where people can find it.

>>10125633
Nevermind, IDK what's up but my fb won't let me post anywhere. But it's frustrating still that the con only replies in comments half the time.

>>10125633
Facebook as a whole is shitting the bed today. Don’t think too much on it.

>>10125441
I mean, I haven't, but Google maps doesn't seem to think that. Ten minutes tops from where im staying

>>10125764
10 mins if you can get on the train (or bus, depending on where your hotel is) as soon as you arrive. I assume there will be quite a queue. And queuing up in the hot sun does not sound fun. You might have to wait for two or three trains / buses... not to mention the 10 minutes that you are inside of the train you will be packed in like sardines. In the middle of June in one of the hottest states.

Anyone else getting zero response from programming? I have emailed a few time in the last few weeks and just silence.

>>10131766
I'm getting silence from every department. I had messaged programming about an event and cosplay about locations (because I need to see what I can make) and nothing.

>>10131766
They recently started getting active on fb. Probably got new staff or realized radio silence is a bad idea.

>>10131766
Programming has been a mess since everyone there stepped down. It's been run by random volunteers this whole time. Like >>10132020 said, they are just starting to actually reply but no promises on what replies you will get if any.

>>10132069

Why do I have a feeling it's going to be an unorganized mess when it comes to getting badges or getting panel spaces ready?

Anyone else see that girl in the A-kon FB group spamming her youtube video? Looks like her post and comments were deleted I think. I couldn't actually watch more than a few seconds it, the way she talks gets on my nerves.

>>10118072
Ikkicon is garbage because everyone in Austin fucking hates anime in public and are absolutely ready to shit on you the moment you start revealing power level.

Their convention Center is really fucking cool though.

>>10118078
Just call your credit card company and have them do it.

>>10132711
Those two things have always been messes in the past. There's no way they won't be messes this year too.

>>10132885

Not really. It's been easy the last few years for paneling compared to other cons in Texas in my experience. Maybe minor hiccups, but never had anything drastic happen. SJ has been ok too.

>>10132761
Can you post the link? I can't find this searching on YT and I want to watch a Trainwreck.

>>10133049
Aw man, looks like she deleted the video.

Wow, good thing I'm a bitch and downloaded it. Somehow I figured she would delete it.

It's not super interesting, though. She's just complaining about other people complaining.

vimeo com/326095777

>>10133158
>vimeo com/326095777

Holy shit can she not hold still for 5 seconds? I can't tell if she's on drugs, nervous, angry, or just stupid.

>>10133173
All of the above most likely.

>>10133027
Maybe I just have bad luck then. Fingers crossed!

>>10133158
>>10133173
She comes off as way too emotional and nervous and its annoying the fuck out of me how many times she touches her hair in just the spam of that clip.
Also kinda shit if you were one of the people who she screen capped and didn't even bother to blur the name of. She deserves to have her video downloaded and posted if she doesn't even have the courtesy to blur out names.

And lol "the con won't change that much, it's not a bid deal", yeah ok sure ya dumb bitch, everything seems just as good as last year, suuure.

>>10133158
I hate to use this phrase unironically but shes an ableist cunt.

>>10133369
Exactly. She acts like it's so surprising that people are making a big deal about a-kon this year. Almost everything about the con has changed, of course people are gonna be freaking out about it.

She acts so condescending and gets so shocked when there's backlash against her.

>>10133369
I hope I'm mentioned. I love getting under weeb skins.

>>10134680
Wheres the backlash btw?

The J-fashion guest this year is BTSSB/AATP. Looks like I’m going.

>>10136337
I feel bad for you frillies in that heat. Please drink plenty of water.

>>10136346
I think this year I'm just going to go in a cute but not lolita outfit. I always regret wearing lolita partway through the con anyway because it gets so stuffy. I'll just bring a couple of dresses any meets that happen.