main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Celebration 3: Indianapolis 2005(?)

Discussion in 'FanForce Conventions' started by Sebulba-X, May 13, 2002.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jedigal

    jedigal Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2000
    Why the Midwest, and not San Diego? Or somewhere on the east coast either?
    The Midwest has the geographical center (Lebanon, KS) and the population center (somewhere in Mid-Missouri) of the country. San Diego is a beautiful city, but it would it be MORE time-consuming and MORE expensive for MORE people to go there, than somewhere in the Midwest. NO MATTER WHERE IT'S HELD, there will always be a certain amount of people who are at a comparative disadvantage. The idea is to minimize the OVERALL difficulty for as many people as possible.

    If it's going to be in the Midwest, I think Indy is a pretty good choice. Many improvements could be made from the last time, but the difficulties were not related to the city of choice as much as to the abilities of the convention planners. In other words, it's not the city, it's the ?idiots? in charge.

    People have suggested Chicago or St. Louis would be better, b/c they are bigger cities, better airports. Even though I myself live in St. Louis, I would NOT choose to have it here. Our newly revamped conv. ctr. is lovely, but we do NOT have nearly as many hotels within such a short walk of the conv. ctr. Also it would be more expensive to stay here, and definitely more traffic. While they were not as well utilized as they could have been, I thought the facilities in Indianapolis were superb. I think Chicago would also be a bad choice, talk about traffic, and MUCH more expensive to stay.

    What I DO wonder about is other smaller sized cities that might have good convention facilities. Are there good facilites in, say, Springfield IL, Des Moines IA, Omaha NE, Little Rock AR, Paducah KY, Tulsa OK, etc? Although, I really can't imagine that any city like this might have BETTER facilites than Indy, I suppose it's possible.

    It doesn't really matter where they have C3, I'm definitely going to be there. Even though there were difficulties and disappointments at C2, I determined that I was going to have a great time, and I did.

    When I go to Six Flags on a Saturday in the summer, I don't complain about all the people. Instead I'd just decide to go in the autumn. I certainly wasn't going to complain about all the people at Celebration. I had a great time meeting and talking to fans from all over.

    For me, the bottom line is that once I'm at the convention, the planners have done their stuff, maybe very well and maybe horribly, but my attitude is more than capable of determining the quality of the event for me. Thankfully, I had the time of my life. It was completely fantasmagorical. I didn't get to do, see, or buy EVERYTHING I wanted, but I made my decisions, and enjoyed things as they came.
    Can't wait for the next one.
     
  2. LordJedi

    LordJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2001
    No offense, but I think that's the wrong idea. The idea should be to find the best place for the convention, not what is the most convenient. Do we all remember C1? That was obviously not the best place for it by a long shot. That was definitely improved upon for C2 since it was indoors. I'm sure Indy is a great place for it, but the planners need to do a much better job next time. I'll be at C3 no matter where it is simply because it may be the last one. I'm not holding my breath for a C4 for Indiana Jones, that is assuming they don't decide to combine Star Wars and Indiana Jones (last I heard, they're scheduled for the same release year). The only reason I kept suggesting San Diego is because the dealers room is (I think, recalling from memory) 10x larger (not counting the dome). Yes, that's right, 10x larger. Of course, they did just recently (last year) double it's size. But even before that, it was still over 2x bigger. I think the upper ballrooms, when they're opened up together, are bigger at Indy, but the whole facility just seemed smaller. Of course, from what I hear, the other problem with even thinking about coming to San Diego is that that place is constantly booked up. I know that the Comic-Con is booked up about 5 years in advance (so I've heard anyway).

    I really get tired of hearing the convenience argument. If you can't afford to come to where it's being held, then you can't come, period. This is like the complaints people had about autographs. If you think the price is to high, don't buy it. It's that simple. I'm planning to possibly drive to C3 (coming from southern California) even if it is held in Indy. I don't want to be limited to what I can buy and take back with me and I don't want to pay the exhorbitant shipping fees.

    In any case, I will have fun at C3, just like I did at C2, despite the lack of planning and the long lines. I will have fun because I meet new/different people at every convention. I think I met more people at C2 that I had chatted with online then at any other convention.

    I think we can all agree that the planners just need to do a lot more planning. They really should know what to expect for C3 at this point. If they don't, they should all be fired and new staff hired.

    Sorry if this message is kinda incoherent. I'm really tired and I'm trying to get my point across. Hopefully I accomplished that.
     
  3. TheWampas1138

    TheWampas1138 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2002
    Convenience has to be a factor for one simple reason, many people don't go all three days. You can't say, "Well if you can't go all three days, then too bad." I only go to GenCon for one day because I don't need to go all three, but I still want to go. Same with Wizard World in Chicago. I went for the day. A lot of people might only be able to afford to go for a day, or only be able to free up time for a single day. A lot of Star Wars fans are parents (considering how old the first generation of fans are by now), students, or working full time jobs. It's not always easy to take off. Plus, the more coast-oriented of a location it is, the longer travel time for everyone except the people on that coast. That could mean a whole extra two days. One to get there, and one to get back. That's a big committment. As someone who was at C2 all three days, quite frankly I'm glad some people only go one day. Saturday was a zoo.

    Plus, you yourself said that you would like to drive. That's always my preference as well. No rental cars, no lost luggage. So a central location is important. San Diego is about as far away from every other location in the US as possible without being Alaska or Hawaii. I don't think C3 needs ten times the space. They just need to make use of the entire convention center in Indy, even the football field if need be.

    I also think Indianapolis is a better choice than Chicago. Yes, Chicago has more airports, and more hotels, but the size of that beast is intimidating. Indianapolis is a good size. Second, the roads are horrible. Take this example, when leaving Wizard World Con (outside of Chicago), to get to Milwaukee, we had to head towards Chicago, turn around, and then back track. That's how the signs were oriented. Plus there are toll roads galore and I believe the taxes are higher. I've been to Chicago six or seven times, and Indianapolis once, yet I could find my way around Indy in that short period of time. Indianapolis was a good sized town, very easy to find your way around in and a nice looking place. I'm sure San Diego is beautiful, but it's just too far away from the rest of the country. Might as well suggest Miami, Bangor Maine, or Seattle.

    When considering convenience, you not only have to take into account the travel of patrons, but also distributors. The farther they have to go, the more it costs them to transport their stuff there. Indianapolis is more appealing to companies in North Carolina, than a San Diego location is.

    I would go no matter where it is, but to simply say, "Well if you can't go, too bad," isn't the proper attitude of a fan. I'd love for the convention to be in Milwaukee so I could roll out of bed, hop in my car and go. But I recognize it's not the best location. It's why GenCon is moving after this year. While Indianapolis isn't the most central city in the US, it's a good compromise. It's close to the middle, while still being accessable to the East Coast.

    As for arguements about the convention center itself... First off, Wizards of the Coast ran it, so changing the location won't change the outcome. Second, it's not that the center was too small, it's that WotC did not use the whole thing (plenty of empty rooms) and did not use it well. The display of all the toys is a good example. It's a nice exhibit, don't get me wrong, but yank it out of there, toss it in a separate room and let people walk through. Don't waste exhibit hall space on it. Same with the large card playing area. Most people I saw there were eating, not playing cards. I realize it's WotC and they want you to play cards and buy cards, but that space could have been used better. Also, move the Hasbro display. If you can't buy anything there, move it to another room. Yeah, it's nice to see that there will be new toys, but if I can't buy them there, then put it somewhere else. Come on, I'm at C2, there's a good chance you don't need to tell me that Hasbro makes Star Wars action figures. And, if you are selling Star Wars stuff that's under six months old and you are selling it at triple the MSRP, th
     
  4. LordJedi

    LordJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2001
    So on the main page of TFN, they have an article about the official fan club being sold yet again. Does this mean the new company is going to be handling the next convention or no? If they are, I suggess we all calmly write letters to them telling them about our experiences at C2 and what could be done to make that experience better. Don't go flying off the handle telling them that they better handle it better than WotC because they'll probably just trash emails like that. Anyway, I just saw that news and figured I'd post something about it.
     
  5. Shara

    Shara Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 4, 2000
    If you read further down, it says that WotC is licensing out the Fan Club and Insider to the publishing company so they still sort of own it. Just someone else controls it.
     
  6. LordJedi

    LordJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2001
    Actually, I didn't even go to the official site to read the article. Guess I figured TFN would have all the important stuff listed. Thanks for the heads up and the clarification.
     
  7. Jorg_Sacul_from_C2

    Jorg_Sacul_from_C2 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 30, 2002
    I look forward to CIII, even if it isn't in Indianapolis. I hope it is, though, because Gregg and I are building a full-scale Y-wing to show off...
     
  8. chibiangi

    chibiangi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2002
    Anybody who's seen the San Diego Convention Center will agree with me.

    I agree with you. That place is huge and holds Comicon easily. And not everyone that goes to Comicon is from the left-coast. People from all over the world go there because the convention center is a lot easier to deal with than most, the weather is nice, there are things to do, and its safe.

    Not like they will pick San Diego anyway.
     
  9. vadersfist

    vadersfist Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2001
    George!!! :D


    [image=http://tk421.homestead.com/files/R3_15.jpg]
     
  10. Mara_Jade_Fan

    Mara_Jade_Fan Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 1, 2002
    Definitely San Diego is the place to hold it. And I'm not just saying that cause I live here. The convention center was large to begin with, and just double in size this last year. Anyone going to the San Diego International Comic COn from July 31st- August 4th this year will agree, it is the biggest and best locale for Celebration III. And who wouldn't want to come to San Diego for the sun and surf? ;)
     
  11. K9-Rod

    K9-Rod Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 26, 2002
    Has anyone heard any definite details of where it will be held?

    I want to start making my hotel reservations now!!!!

    Rod
     
  12. LordJedi

    LordJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2001
    I believe WotC was asking ICC to keep their schedule open around the end of April 2005. I may be mistaken, but I think Shara posted that info a few weeks after C2 ended. I may have posted a lot of negative remarks before, but I think if they just fixed the problems we had with C2, which I think the biggest was not having full use of the convention center, then I think it will be a much better experience.

    Something else I was thinking about over the weekend. If they do decide to have a Celebration Store again, and I see no reason not to, they should put it in a smaller area (yes, smaller) and only allow one person at a time to a cash register. They could have a certain amount of cash registers (say 5) and then just have no more than 5 allowed up to the front at a time. And if they do decide to do another exclusive, they definitely need to offer it to the fan club members as a mail order before the celebration. That way all the fan club members get a chance to get the item and don't have to worry about beating the crowds to get it. They'll also need to punch passes to keep people from buying so many like what happened at C2. And, once they move the store to a smaller area, they can open up the dealers room with all that extra space.

    Anyway, just some more comments I thought I'd make.
     
  13. jedi_master_ousley

    jedi_master_ousley Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2002
    well i hope its in indy becuase i live close to there, but i hope they set it up better
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.