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Well, You've read the botcon report, you've probably read the comparison (between these two) report...now read the OTFCC report in all of it's glory. :-) This was one of the oddest adventures I've ever had. This report will be broken down into three sections. Section one is the bad stuff, section two is the good stuff. Section 3 is an add-on; people managed to squeeze a personal opinion out of me, which is unprecendented...but I'm willing to oblige. ;-) Section 1 - Bad Stuff: I got there on the morning of Friday. Nobody was there to direct us. We had to ask the local police where we should go. He had us drive behind the convention center in an alley, where we met another fellow (the janitor) who eventually had us drive into the building itself. What a disaster. This place was a pole-shed. Hose out the cobwebs in my barn, and you'd have what this building was. Right then and there I told my partner that we were going home; no way could OTFCC be in a building like this and succeed. The fellow that convinced me to stay? One of the Hasbro reps, who I spent probably an hour talking to about Transformers, and life in-general. He's a top-notch fellow, and if he was willing to see this project through, then so was I. Considering how much worse it must have looked to *him*, it says a lot about his character.
 The building was run by some rather...dedicated people. They didn't have the tables set up yet, but informed me they were working on it. The forklift guy offered me his copy of the map he was using so I could see what was going on...and the electrician asked me where I needed the wire drop. Suddenly, it dawned on me: they thought I was in-charge!! Eep. So I did what I could, playing the consummate professional, helping where I could, and telling them the guy truly in-charge should be here soon(unfortunately, Glen never did show up the first day; though Amy finally arrived...that makes for another interesting story later on). So the setup crew did the best they could, with the crude maps that were drawn up. Meanwhile, tables and staplers had arrived. These guys don't mess around; you do any kind of union job, and they will kill you. Don't touch the tables. Amy finally arrived (for those that don't know, Amy is Glen's gf, and second-in-command of 1H), and started yelling at me because the room wasn't set up. She told me that she paid $29,000 for this room, so she had better damn well have some curtains. I told her I agreed, that some curtains would look nice. My partner then asked her if she realised that we were attendees, and not the setup people? I've never seen Amy turn so red in all my life. :-) Think about this. The setup people thought I was in-charge of the convention. The convention people thought I was in-charge of the setup. Obviuously, I should simply be in-charge of everything, and we would never have these kinds of problems again! :-) I must say, this was definately the high point of that day for me. I've never laughed so hard. And I needed to laugh, considering. The problems continued; people were lining up to pre-register; the letters said setup at 10:30am, which usually means you should get pre-reg'd beforehand (as has happened in all previous conventions). No one showed up. No one guided us. So finally, the dealers said to hell with it, went to their vans, and unloaded their trucks. Meanwhile, the throng of confused people outside only grew. I guess registration finally took place around noon, but I was setting up until 1pm, so the line was gone by the time I got there. Yay for me. No waiting to get my dealer badge. Not that you needed it; people just randomly walking in and out, no checkpoint, no one to stop and ask to see your id. My what a trusting bunch we are. ;-) Seriously, the only thing that kept out most of the regular attendees (note that I said 'most') was their hesitation/honesty; some people just waltzed right in. Frankly, I have to wonder if they were the smart ones. They didn't even pay for that goofy platinum pass that was good for 15 minutes early on Saturday...and no-doubt got better deals. They finally put curtains up to block the view of the rest of the barn; unfortunately, you could still see the cobwebs, and hear the industrial noises. No insulation in this buiding. No sound buffering either. The lighting was harsh as well. Literally, if you were going to the county fair, and inspecting cows, and looked around you...this is the kind of building we were in. I understand OTFCC got kicked out of the original Hyatt building because they didn't pay the bill (that's what they confirmed at the panel). So already, I am asking myself: what happened to the money from the previous year? What happened to the money that was supposed to pay the Hyatt? What happened to...well, you get the idea. It was a very frustrating moment, considering we went from the Ritz-Carlton to this crapshack.
 So the room is set up...but we have nowhere to sit. We tried to get chairs, but were informed that they would cost 45 bucks a piece (apparently, chairs weren't included in the setup contract that 1H had negotiated). So most people waited until the setup people had gone, and stole chairs. I was probably the only person who got a chair legally, and for free; when one person paid for their chair, I went into the guys office, and asked to borrow the chair he wasn't sitting in. He let me have it gratis. I have to say, this wasn't the setup people's fault; they were hired to do a specific job, and they did it. As a union, they have to protect their interests. They're used to getting screwed over, so they work hard and watch each other's backs. They do not let anyone just come in and do things. They followed exactly what they were told. Had there been someone there to guide the dealers during the setup time, the union setup people and the dealers would not have been so mixed up in getting to their respective positions. It is a testament to both sides that no fistfights broke out. ;-) At least most of us are adults. Still, considering what a clusterf**k that friday was, it's a mircacle that anything came of this. So the setup people were gone, we unloaded our wares, got our tables stocked, and...stayed there until the rosemont police arrived. These guys do *not* mess around either. Get out of the building, or get towed. We will make sure your things are protected. For the first time, someone with authority showed up. I actually felt better. It's always nice to see a fellow in the cause. :-) Too-bad they weren't there earlier. Ah well. Too bad a lot of people weren't there earlier. Let me tell you; I like Glen as a person. He's easy to talk to, and answered all my questions openly and honestly. But he should have been there early to guide the setup people, and to steer the dealers to where they should go. This was the recurring theme all weekend; no one knew what was going on. Poor Amy, she did all the work the first day. And her hands were tied just dealing with one disaster after another. Seriously, there has never been a more confused clot of shenanigans going on in one place. It's a miracle that this chaos finally coalesced into the convention that most attendees participated in. Had people known what was really going on, they might all have left. It amazes me to see what goes on at these things, and the difference between competence...and incompetence. I've observed the 'behind the scenes' activity at many a convention. And I have to tell you, this may have been one of the worst performances ever. I'm sorry. But it was. I can't sugarcoat this just because I like a guy.
 Then... there was the mess that was the art room: the convention was kicked out. You read that right. First, it wasn't open for a convenient setup time. Then, the participants were kicked out; apparently, 1H decided not to rent the room the entire time, so the center rented it out to a wedding party. I am very glad that I trusted my gut, and didn't set-up this year. I feel for the people who had to put work into setting up, moving, and setting up again. I sure wouldn't have done it. Speaking of lost, Dan Gilvesan got lost (the voice of Bumblebee). No one met him. He had to wander around the city, and then the convention center...until he found the dealer room and someone pointed him to where he needed to go. Apparently, he didn't like this; the last convention he was at (about a month ago) somone met him at the airport, guided him all the way through, and made sure all his needs were taken care of. I pass it along without comment. The highlight of the convention was having Hasbro there; of-course, they could be anywhere, and be a hit. :-) In exchange for filling out a big survey, they gave us two sets of energon weapons. Cool. They had their act together. And some very nice toys on-display. But this activity should really be considered seperate from the rest of the convention, because it *was* seperate...their own setup people, their own runners, everything. They simply existed in the middle of the chaos. The pizza party was also a disaster; apparently, for 55 bucks, you got a cold slice of pizza, and a copy of an autographed print for prime and megatron. The mystery whodunit didn't get done properly. I thankfully did not participate in this, and only got this report from the people at the convention who did participate. The organiser panel; my God, the humanity. Glen attacked the fans, blamed them for what was going wrong ("you are all mean people" is a direct quote). Some of the fans were no better. A couple of the attendees at this panel were a bunch of violent posturing types who, having nothing useful to say, would shout out violently and shake their fists, at which point their little friends would clap. When people asked legitimate questions, the answer Glen gave was "none of your business". Glen let his anger get the better of him. It was...unprofessional. All getting angry does is give your attackers more ammunition. Malin was not able to salvage things this go-round. I bet he wishes he could have muted Glen's mic during the swearing portion of this diatribe. Hope there weren't little children present. You compare this with the organiser panel a month ago, at the other convention...my god, it was night and day! Those guys were professional and polite. So were the attendees. What's the deal with that?! Reality check: you cannot attack the very people you rely upon to pay your bills. If you plan to do this for a living, and you're biting the hand that feeds you? You're in a bind. I recommend getting a job outside of convention organiser. Maybe prison guard, or something. They always have room for jack-booted thugs. I think if he wouldn't let his passion get in the way, he might come off as more competent. Many things went wrong this year; some of it was his fault, some wasn't. But I gotta say, that little spiel at the panel really did a lot of people in. I suspect they were neutral up until that point, but giving Glen the benefit of the doubt, in the face of all these probems...is almost impossible to do when he starts acting like this. I feel for those people. The quote I heard from one guy was, "Come-on, if you're going to be a leader, *act* like one!" Otherwise...maybe it's time to get out of the game. Something to note: AThe lisence is up or grabs. Three main groups (including Glen) are competing for the top spot. Even if Glen doesn't get the convention lisence again, he still has the one for the Fanclub. Though I must say, I hope that Hasbro wasn't sitting in on the organiser panel. If they had been...wow, talk about painting a target on your boot, loading the shotgun, and pulling the trigger. This may be Glen's swansong. I dunno. We'll see what next year brings. Apparently, he's still blaming Hasbro for all the screwups, and delays (like plates). Except that when you ask Hasbro, they get upset, because they gave him approval last year already, and, "do not appreciate taking the blame for something that is not their fault." Direct quote. So here it is, wrap-up time. The convention...was good-enough for me. I think Glen may have pissed off a lot of people, and really dug himself a hole this time. He's got a *lot* to answer for, as far as the fans are concerned. Here's just a highlight of some of the things people seem to have against him:
What's going to happen next? Good question. 3H has various options (including bankruptcy). Read my articles *here* on that. If they lose the convention lisence, then all they have left to focus on is the Fanclub...who can say what will happen there. I wish Glen and company the best. They have so much working against them, I wonder how they will ever pull out.
End bad stuff. Start good stuff. |
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Section 2 - Good Stuff: The number-one good thing? I got rid of it *all*. :-) 14 remaining boxes of basement stuff went out the door. The workshop is finally empty. It was priced to move. I brought one box of stuff back, because I forgot I *had* one last box. ;-) Northern was sitting on it all weekend, or something. Throwing that stuff on ebay as you read this. No more smelly toys for me. But it wasn't all about selling. I must say, even though this was more like a flea market than a convention, I did score some good deals (remember, it's all about the toys...isn't it?). The following were found at various places throughout the convention:
End good stuff. |
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Section 3 - An Actual Opinion:
Well, not really. ;-) One thing I will say is that you'll never catch me around an actual opinion. It's like I always say, if you think you read an opinion in something I said or wrote, then you are obviously mistaken. :-) This is just the material I thought was worth mentioning. You wouldn't believe how much more went on. ;-) But seriously, one thing I'd like to say: folks, let's take 'er down a notch next year, okay? Some of you are getting pretty rowdy, and that's trying even my great patience. God only knows what evil thoughts are occurring to the less patient peoples... |