Celebration V should return to Indianapolis!

I was at "Mudstock" too and that's an appropriate description for the first celebration. That's why I'm not comparing that one to C4. However, C2 and C3 were vast improvements over C1, so I was hoping C4 would see further improvement. I'm disappointed because I have not seen that improvement other than the exclusive fans-only first day. I didn't mention this in my first post, but I just don't remember any examples of convention volunteers who let the power go to their heads like I've seen several times at C4. And we don't have anyhing near the crowds we had at the last two.

It's been a long week working... sorry I haven't been on much. Thanks for keeping this thread non-confrontational .

The site selection committee that set up C-IV for Los Angeles has a three convention option for L.A. So it's very, very likely it will be in Los Angeles two more times. After that is up in the air, but the options were taken for three shows total out here. We'll see, I guess. Other than the problems that everyone knows about, Steve Sansweet sounded pretty optimistic about how things were going at this convention center, and he has a major voice in where it's held, so....

Perhaps that is because at C3 the volunteers didn't do what they were supposed to do (if they bothered to show up at all), here they are doing as instructed and it is making the whole thing run better and more fair to everybody. I would have no objections to C5 back in Indy because it would be much, much closer to where we live, but I don't think it will happen...Celebrations seem more likely to be moved around (with the exception of the long rumored C5 in L.A. again).

Thanks for clearing this up. I was surprised to see some earlier posts asserting that C5 and C6 definitely would be in LA. I hope the planners will look at other options. Indy would be my clear first choice, but there are many other options.

I don't mean to be critical, but Indy is not a big city. Not in the way that Los Angeles is, at least. Los Angeles is a genuine big city, befitting something like Star Wars.

Indianapolis may be a smaller city, but it is definitely a cooler city with a lot more to do and see downtown while feeling safe. I was born in the LA area and currently don't live in Indiana, so I have no reason to be biased on this. I just can't believe how absolutely boring downtown LA really is!

Downtown LA is boring? What you say? Of course if you stay on that side of it...should have taken a trip down to Little Tokyo for some ramen and anime or the garment district area for a real scare. Of course you could rent a car and drive about 10 miles to Mann's Chinese Theatre and all the various other things in the Hollywood area. Or go up to Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park (ok, not so sure these are open after the fire, but ya feel me) or drive down to Venice and Santa Monica or Old Town Pasadena or go to the Getty Museum. Basically, if you were willing to rent a car and brave the traffic there is a TON of stuff to do within a short distance of Downtown LA. You just have to be willing to look for it and go there.

I'd like to see the actual numbers from both Cons because the news here was reporting it was the biggest ever. Maybe it seemed like more people at CIII because of the smaller space. In any case, the only times I had to wait in line were for the Celebration Store on Fan Day, and a few of the events like Family Guy and the Pagaent but those were moved along very quickly once the even was open. I never felt like the place was crowded or overbooked.

Disagree Strongly.

The LACC is huge there is so much more potential for the next celebration there in terms of things that can be added in and there is so much more to see and do in LA for visitors from all over the world.

I drove in from where I live and it was extremely easy to get to. No line for the parking lot coming in or going out.

The lines moved fast into the center, i didnt bother waiting in the sun to get in, sat in the shade for 30 mins and then walked right in after folks who had been waiting for hours in line.

I think cos of all the time that LFL put into the Rose Parade alot of planning and items they wanted to do at CIV couldn't happen as they'd left it too late after teh parade.

That strikes me as a borderline bizzare statement to make. You have to start talking about New York City, Chicago and Boston to find places that equal or exceed the number of places to go in the general LA area.

I'm talking about the area right around the convention center here in comparison to the area around the convention center in Indianapolis. There is no comparison. If you have a car and are willing to drive somewhere else as we did Friday night - no problem. I agree - there's a lot to do and see in the general area. But I'm talking about walking distance here - downtown LA is a sad excuse for a major city's downtown in my view.

It's light years beyond Phoenix's downtown, though both cities are sprawling, which is part of why there just isn't much in the downtown area. Contrast that with a city like NYC, where everything is packed together.

I have been to all 4 Celebrations. I thought C4 was the best so far. I passed on the Opening Ceremonies as my Wife had broken her ankle just 3 weeks earlier and was worn out by 7:00 pm. On that note, The employees of the LACC were awesome !! There was always someone to open a door for you or give you directions while pushing a wheelchair around. I am waiting for official numbers for attendance but I think it might equal C3. It wasn't as crowded because LACC is alot bigger. I don't know if it was Gen Con finally getting their act together or the LACC employees but this con was alot more organized than any of the other 3 !!

I think it should come down to, did you have fun or not ?

I had a blast !!!

Yes, Downtown LA is lame but you rent a car, take the bus or a cab and alot of cool things are within a short distance !!

I would like to see the Celebrations stay in LA !!

Now, I enjoyed Indy alot for both C2 and C3 but C4 in my opinion was better.

I agree with posters above. The problem with LA was that everything is sprawled out and not a lot close-by to do.

When I booked the Sheraton for CIV, LACC appeared to be only 4 or 5 blocks away...but the blocks are long with hardly anything there...long strips of construction where there were no sidewalks so you have to walk on the street, etc.

If I had rented a car it would've been a lot different, but with gas prices ,parking fees, and my tendency to get lost in a strange city, haha, a car was out of the question.

Chicago or NY would be interesting, or my town, Austin, TX. Not sure if the weather would be as good as in LA...again, the whole costuming factor comes into play, you don't want it too hot, too cold, or too rainy!

Martha

My favorite Letterman joke of all time: "Timothy Leary has called Los Angeles the cultural center of the universe. That's like saying the greatest painter of the 20th Century was Earl Scheib."

I wonder how a Celebration would do in Philly. They are expanding their convention center as we speak, and it's gonna be a monster! Not to mention the city isn't sprawled out like L.A., it's very similar to NYC and Chicago in terms of density. Just imagine walking along the same streets our founding fathers did, while on your way to a Star Wars convention which is only a few blocks away. Independence Mall is only 5-6 blocks away, and they're small blocks too.

The Expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center will have:

- 1 million sq. ft. of saleable space.
- The largest contiguous exhibit space in the Northeast (541,000 sq. ft.).
- The largest convention center ballroom on the East.
- The ability to host large tradeshows or two major conventions simultaneously.

http://www.paconvention.com/exp/expand.asp

For those who haven't been to Philadelphia, the best way to describe Philly is a mixture between the hustle and bustle/culture/diversity/commercialism of NYC and the historical/beauty of D.C. Of course Philly has it's own feel, but if you were to compare it, thats how it would be.

I loved having Celebration here in LA. It's convenient at least for me. Plus, great weather.

New York would be a terrible location for a con. There wouldn't be any affordable hotels within a reasonable distance of the convention. Where would it be held, the Javits Center?? Everyone would have to stay across the river in Jersey.

Also, to whomever said "downtown" Indianapolis is cool and fun - um, what? What did you do there that was better than what a major city like LA has?

Yeah, Downtown Indy was a ghost town at C III. Wow, let's go to the uh, mall.

So can anybody tell me where they are getting the info that LA has CV & VII already booked??????

I thought LACC was a perfect place to hold the con! I've been to all four Celebrations, and this one was extremely organized and spread out.

Someone posted about close hotels, but I think we might have been spoiled by Indy. (During CII, we stayed at a hotel that was connected by a skywalk.) My group stayed at the Shereton this time, and we walked to the CC every day. Just under a mile and it took less than 20 minutes. Great exercise too, since we weren't eating very healthy.

Downtown LA did seem to shut down early, but there was still plenty of things to do elsewhere. We tried to make it to Disneyland for a Star Tours ride, but they closed early. However, Hollywood was 20 minutes away, and we did touristy things, saw Harrison Ford's star on the Walk of Fame and took our pictures next to George Lucas's footprints. We also walked down to 3rd and Figuoria and say Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm a total Orange County girl, but I felt completely safe walking around LA as long as I was with a group.

Here's hoping that CV will be in LA once again!

Andé

I think the reason why some people prefer the downtown Indy area is because there are a bunch of places to eat and hang out at within the immediate convention center area. In L.A. you pretty much have the convention center, the staples center, and that's about it. They should really make an effort to commercialize the immediate a little bit.

A certain event coordinator for Lucasfilm confirmed that they are looking at Baltimore and Orlando for C5.

This was leaked at Sunday's fan breakfast as a side note in conversation with one of the tables. Just thought you would like to know. But since CIV just ended an hour ago, things are most certainly up in the air.


I am from Indiana, and it pains me to say this: CIV should not return to Indy unless significant renovations and space has been added to the convention center. LA lacks the infrastructure to host a perfect Celebration, but the convention center itself was spectacular! Space makes all the difference.
I love Indiana like few others... look at my user name. But still, we have to be realistic and recognize that a convention center like ours is not enough to handle the people. The hotels and restaurants are nice, but the center is not up to par in its CIII form.

This Hoosier absolutely loved CIV and the LA convention center.

Nice!

Orlando would be fantastic, except for the frequent light rain...may need to waterproof my Jedi robes!

Not sure about Baltimore...good seafood, I bet!

Martha

I hope this is true, it would be awesome to have a Celebration on the east coast for a change. I believe geographically Baltimore would be a more ideal location. It's closer to the center of the east coast, and it's within the BosWash Metropolitan (Boston/NYC/Philly/Baltimore/D.C. corridor); therefore, a ton of people and more than likely a higher ratio of Star Wars fans (assuming). The 95 goes right through Baltimore, so travel wouldn't be complicated, and these major cities are in relatively close proximity. Of course traffic is absolutely hell on the 95 during rush hour in the D.C./Baltimore area, but that shouldn't be a huge issue if you stay within downtown.

Orlando sounds nice, it's prettier, but since you'll be spending most of your time and money at Celebration, I don't think the themepark attractions would do much (unless they hold CV during Star Wars Weekends at Disney World, that'll open a lot more interesting opportunities and tie-ins with the two events). I guess one big drawback is its location, it's at the corner of the country; yet again, so is Los Angeles.

My vote would go to Baltimore.

I can certainly see Orlando, but not Baltimore -- the convention center exhibit space is too small, only 300,000 square feet. For comparision purposes, that's a little bit smaller than just the South Hall at LACC. Nothing on the scale of the West Hall at all. Perhaps they plan on doing some regional gatherings, where they wouldn't need a huge space. I dunno.