I had a fantastic time at PAX East. The only downside to it is the long drive to Boston. What if PAX East was at a more southern city, like New York City or Philadelphia? It would be closer to the center of the east coast, and probably make it easier for more people to travel there.
Also this makes an assumption that PAX is only for Americans; there were a lot of people from Montreal and Toronto at PAX. Boston became a shipping centre because it actually is close to the centre of the east coast. Placement in Boston makes it a long but doable day trip for people in Ontario, and a 5 hour drive for much of Quebec.
I hosted Canadians last year who did the drive down from Toronto on Thursday, who already asked about space next year.
Thes.
Canadians are not really people.
Kidding...
Of course...
... Kinda...
Putting location and booth babes aside, how much consideration goes into panel flow? For example, spreading out geek parenting related panels across three days, game theory, etc. I noticed that this was done with several game developer panels. But I wasn't sure how well it was streamlined for other panels and whether it factored in things like queue lines, etc.
I would also love to see in the program "If you like this panel you might also like X, Y, Z." or "Other panels by this presenter." I find myself a bit overwhelmed when I look at the schedule and go "ooo Oo Oooo!!!"
I had a fantastic time at PAX East. The only downside to it is the long drive to Boston. What if PAX East was at a more southern city, like New York City or Philadelphia? It would be closer to the center of the east coast, and probably make it easier for more people to travel there.
Also this makes an assumption that PAX is only for Americans; there were a lot of people from Montreal and Toronto at PAX. Boston became a shipping centre because it actually is close to the centre of the east coast. Placement in Boston makes it a long but doable day trip for people in Ontario, and a 5 hour drive for much of Quebec.
I hosted Canadians last year who did the drive down from Toronto on Thursday, who already asked about space next year.
Thes.
Canadians are not really people.
Kidding...
Of course...
... Kinda...
Putting location and booth babes aside, how much consideration goes into panel flow? For example, spreading out geek parenting related panels across three days, game theory, etc. I noticed that this was done with several game developer panels. But I wasn't sure how well it was streamlined for other panels and whether it factored in things like queue lines, etc.
I would also love to see in the program "If you like this panel you might also like X, Y, Z." or "Other panels by this presenter." I find myself a bit overwhelmed when I look at the schedule and go "ooo Oo Oooo!!!"
I could see assigning categories (which is essentially implied by saying if you like this panel, xyz, etc) causing possible issues because many panels are likely not easy to categorize. However, if PA or Reed wanted to come up with some categories that get listed in the program and let the panel submitter pick a top 3 that they fit into, that might work and provide *some* of the info you're talking about.
For me I thought the venue and content at the show was much better than 2010 while the area and setup were far worse and the setup is an easy fix imo because there was a lot of unused space. Also it wouldn't hurt to have some AC in the Exhibit Hall, and to hire some more Enforcers that are actually polite, as most of the Enforcers my friends and I encountered were very rude even more so last year.
I think there are a few general panel categories you could break it down to. I'll include some examples from PAX East 2011.
WEB CONTENT: Loading Ready Run Panel/Screening, Blamimation ALIVE!, OC ReMix CULTURE: Females on Female Characters, Interactive Drama: Dialogue as Gameplay, Gamers Doing Good INDUSTRY: Legal Issues in Gaming, How Your Favorite Game Companies Use Facebook, Just Because You Have An Idea, You Are Not A Game Designer COMMUNITY: Whose Banhammer Is It Anyway?, A Reverse Q&A with the Harmonix Community Team, So I Still Have This Website
I'm sure there could be more, but these are the first few that I can think of, as well as there being major crossover in some areas.
For table top gaming can you please make note of all tournaments that will be at PAX. I was unaware that there was going to be Warhammer and 40k games this year as they where not announced on the site or in the forums. I only found out about them when I arrived on the Game floor but at that point it was to late.
Krag123 on
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dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
For table top gaming can you please make note of all tournaments that will be at PAX. I was unaware that there was going to be Warhammer and 40k games this year as they where not announced on the site or in the forums. I only found out about them when I arrived on the Game floor but at that point it was to late.
The tourneys are posted on paxsite.com on the Tourney Schedule, as well as in the program that is available to everyone on site at PAX.
dyaballikl on
a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
A bit late, but since the thread is still open here are my comments on PAX, the BCEC, and other complaints I've read in previous pages:
- The prices of food and drinks were outrageous and make ballpark hot dogs seem reasonable. I'm pretty sure PAX itself has nothing to do with this and no influence (dear god, $5 for an Amp at the vending machine). I have, however, written a fairly respectful and nasty letter, as a Massachusetts resident, to the MCCA.
- Thank you for the extra food court. It was a bit of wasted space, but they were additional options. Having attended several conferences at the BCEC, it was a welcomed change from the usual food court.
- A bit more rules are needed for raffles and prize giveaways by exhibitors. I won't stress anything about it being a safety hazard, but getting around could be a real pain in the rear when 3 aisles were blocked off by people. Especially when a t-shirt was tossed your way and you had to wonder if you were the subject of a practical joke involving a mosh pit.
- More lockers needed in the media room, thankyouverymuch. Although showing up at 9am to hog a few was a fun way to get the morning started.
- No objections here about booth babes. I saw no booth babes at the gaming exhibits. All the girls I had a moment to speak to actually knew about gaming and what they were representing. These are not "booth babes" but "gaming models". As far as I'm concerned, all the companies stuck to the rules here.
- I personally loved the tabletop area. Last year it was a pain in the neck finding tabletop areas due to their separation into various conference rooms. Despite the noise, it was much more gratifying to see all these tables jack full of people. Really, a beautiful sight. Gathering the entire tabletop area into one also made it easier for people to find other games just by looking at a table that looked interesting. Loved every moment of it.
- Posters of maps around the aisles with a "you are here" arrow would help a lot.
- The Dance Central and Rock Band stages were awesome. Got my Soulja Boy going.
- I can't stress enough how much better the BCEC was compared to Hynes. PAX mostly took advantage of the new convention center and rocked it.
lucazzo on
PAX East '11 Team Squirtle Group B - Professor.
PAX East '12 Team TotodileGold - Professor
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dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
PAX East was AWESOME! However I would have really liked to see a RockBand/DDR room that wasn't on stage. The stages were great but it would have been nice to have a room too.
Most of the lines were ok, but some of the demos were waaay to long! And less confusing maps would have been great. The maps were oriented in a strange way and it took me forever to figure out.
This PAX East was my first and very amazing. I think I took home some ideas for myself on how to better plan and enjoy it. A couple thoughts:
- Food - Yeah horridly expensive but expected and is all about the facilities. If the alternate food spots were known ahead of time that would be great with the lines that were there. Also more seating would be great to eat.
- Overflow video rooms/areas - you can't fit 60.000 into 1 room very true but it would be great if there were preplanned video overflow areas like if the queue area were not being used or even if you could simul-stream them for those with portable media players (prev suggestion).
- I agree on the maps....I mean god, how many of us would have survived a PAX East dungeon if our map maker drew those? I vote that we get someone to map out the convention center. In freakin grid paper, of course.
- Late late late night buses - I was afraid I would get stranded when the concert started late + daylight savings. In the end I was more terrified at how the bus driver drove and the wonderful variety of Boston Late Night.
- Dead end coat/bag check? I was a little leery about checking in either with it being in the middle of an open area like that though could just be me.
- More info for first day virgins - Coming into a new center first time at PAX I was rather uncertain where to go. Pre-PAX a little walkthru guide on "So you want to go to X at 8am: Follow these steps" would be very cool.
- Build more connected hotels! - Those bus drivers and Boston drivers scare me....
I actually like the staged RockBand and always saw people sitting around and bands in line.
Oh one more thing...update the PAX countdown to show it for 2012, wooo! heheh
zeeklumpkins on
0
aerynkellynothing to see here, move alongRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
I've seen a few mentions on here about the bands and having different groups next year - personally I love the music groups that PAX East has had, and would like to continue to see them. That said, I would like to see other groups as well. So...I was thinking, what if there were some day concerts added? Smaller, unplugged type thing? Or a midday big concert in the main theater?
A midday concert would be great. It would pull some folks off the expo floor and help disperse people a bit too. I'm sure that it's probably a logistics issue though as well - you need a big crew of enforcers to run a concert and those enforcers are freed up as the show floor shuts down. If it was possible though, pulling a few thousand folks into a concert would make things seem much less crowded elsewhere.
The problem is where would they have this concert? The Main theater is used most of the afternoon and the only other place that would be big enough would be where the Food court was (Which has already been discussed why it would be veryveryvery tough to have one there). The smaller rooms aren't big enough to host more than a few hundred folks.
gilby123 on
"Where would we be without the agitators of the
world attaching the electrodes of knowledge to the nipples
of ignorance?" - John Lithgow, 3rd Rock from the Sun
0
dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
A midday concert would be great. It would pull some folks off the expo floor and help disperse people a bit too. I'm sure that it's probably a logistics issue though as well - you need a big crew of enforcers to run a concert and those enforcers are freed up as the show floor shuts down. If it was possible though, pulling a few thousand folks into a concert would make things seem much less crowded elsewhere.
this is a pretty good idea. perhaps give some time and extra space to those who perform in the jamspace area. even if not as a specific slot in the schedule an option of performing between the events on the main theatre?
So, random suggestion. Might be hard to predict which booths are going to get swamped. But in the case of things like the new Star Wars game having lines that were over 4 hours. (A friend said he was told 5-6 hrs when he tried to line up on Saturday) Would it be better if they just had a time the morning where they lined everyone who is interested in the queue room and handed out bracelets or tickets with a timeslot. Then those people can get in line at the booth. It would take the really long lines off the floor and out of intersections and booth space.
Plus you might be able to go see a keynote and play the new hot game...instead of sitting in a line all morning.
Admittedly I have not been in Jamspace, but I thought it was more of a "freeplay" room where anyone could come in and play.
Jamspace has both freeplay time and scheduled performance time. If you take a look at the Jamspace thread from this past East, you'll see that there were scheduled performances for a few bands.
So, random suggestion. Might be hard to predict which booths are going to get swamped. But in the case of things like the new Star Wars game having lines that were over 4 hours. (A friend said he was told 5-6 hrs when he tried to line up on Saturday) Would it be better if they just had a time the morning where they lined everyone who is interested in the queue room and handed out bracelets or tickets with a timeslot. Then those people can get in line at the booth. It would take the really long lines off the floor and out of intersections and booth space.
Plus you might be able to go see a keynote and play the new hot game...instead of sitting in a line all morning.
This is a great idea, but it seems like it would only work in a perfect system where:
-No one got a time slot then never showed up
-The booth never ran late for any reason so the time estimation was correct
-Everyone could arrive in the morning to be able to sign up
There does need to be a solution to the line wait problem, because a 5-6 hour wait is frankly not worth it. You're missing out on half a day's worth of excitement.
pardimate - Disney does this. They call it a speedpass.
The way they handle it is speedpass holders can go in a fast access line...they get to cut, then they take anyone who's just waiting.
In terms of PAX, I'd have a line at the booth that doesn't exceed the booth space, you have a pass, you go right in to the smaller holding area. If you don't have a pass, they take first come first serve when there is an opening, but don't allow them to queue outside the booth. (I picture this working for things like the Portal booth...speedpasses load in, 3 spots left, you can come...everyone else, sorry all full, move along or go see the guy in the queue room to pull a pass for the 3-4pm slot. )
Wristbands create logistic issues. They were eliminated for concerts; I don't see them coming back for expo. At a minimum wristbands create three lines where there was only one line; one line to get the wristbands, one line for wristband people at the booth, and one line for people without wristbands.
I have only one complaint and it's not anything that the PAX guys really need to do anything about. And, really, it's a tiny, tiny issue. It's just something I won't participate in in the future.
The whole t-shirt throwing thing. I think it encourages bad behavior in some. What with people pushing, people pulling shirts out of each other's hands, etc. For that 10% so inclined, it brings out the worst in them. I know, it's the nature of the beast and if I don't like it, don't participate. And I won't anymore. Just sayin'.
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2. I stand by my argument on enclosed trailers. If you insist on showing a trailer in an enclosed space, try to make it as efficient as possible. This is where things like this can start getting creative, I think. Maybe give out wristbands to come back at a certain time...
I don't know if you got the chance to attend Pax Prime 2010 but Civilization V was there and they had the most efficient enclosed demo I've ever seen. You had to show up in the first few hours of each morning where a woman would take your name down and give you a time to come back. They fit in about 20 people every half an hour. there was never a line and we waited about a max of 10 minutes when we came back at our designated time.
this of course limits the amount of people who can preview the booth demo but it forces people to make the decision of heading to the booth first thing vs doing anything else at the expo. I dont think this would work very well with hands on playable demos, but more so for walkthroughs.
I know that this is incredibly early but I just wanted to throw some ideas out there.
Where Pax East and AnimeBoston are running on same the weekend in 2012:
1. Would it be possible, as a joint venture between both conventions, to set up matching panels with video feed to cover a topic that pertains to both conventions (anime based video games would be my first pick)?
2. A t-shirt with both logos and 'Revenge of the Nerds' written underneath the logos?
Just curious...how many more years are they committed to have PAX East in Boston? Boston is cool and all, but I would like to see it make its way down south to Orlando. Orlando weather in March is in the low 70s and the convention center is just as big, if not bigger, than the one in Boston. Just sayin.
Ferris007 on
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whypick1PAX [E] Info Booth Manager~2' from an LCDRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
I believe the deal with Boston was for 3 years, so '12 would be the last one, but I thought I saw something about that deal being extended, but I could've hallucinated that.
If you're going to lobby for a new PAX location though, suggesting it should be in your backyard will not help you garner much support. Two problems I quickly see with Orlando is that it has no gaming presence and how it's not central to...well, any part of the country. Seattle at least has the gaming presence, and Boston has both elements.
Boston makes a lot of sense. If they were to move it would have to be somewhere else with access to game development studios on the East coast. It also needs to have a large, centralized convention hall and easy access to airports and rail lines.
Boston meets all these needs. I'd love if they took the show down here to Atlanta but we don't have a good, central convention center and we're far from being a game-design hub but I've been surprised before.
While I love it being in Boston because I live in MA, so most of you would probably be better off just ignoring this...Boston is a great location for a few reasons - as has been stated earlier, while it is in the corner of the country, it's not only Americans that come to PAX. Please don't be ignorant of our Canadian friends - a PAX in Boston is doable for them...a PAX in Philly or worse Orlando, both mentioned in this thread...not so much.
Also Boston has a gaming presence with companies like Harmonix, as well as the Microsoft NERD center that hosted the Made in MA Party...it was great for local developers and schools to showcase their talent the night before PAX started, and wouldn't really be possible at another locale.
Other things...
It's been said so many times...but enforcers...you guys rock. I have never been to an event where the staff are so friendly and nice, yet still keep things orderly. Great job.
While I agree that the food prices were atrocious, especially considering the quality of food...it's on par and probably better than something like a sporting event - plus the big thing is that you can bring in your own food! Whenever I've gone to a sporting event...the security staff has poked through my bag and made me dump any food/drinks I brought, just so I had to pay for their overpriced crap. For PAX...I stopped at a Dunkin donuts during my trip in the morning for breakfast, had a packed meal for lunch, and used the T to go into Boston for dinner. Worked great.
Better maps and directions would be a huge help - for one panel it was right on my right when I went up the stairs...I walked around the entire upper level because I went the wrong way. Was tired after.
And...please bring back line games!!! I missed those...they were awesome. I also think that using the queue room for the concerts would be better than snaking around the entire place - firstly, if you go up to get in line you have to walk all the way around the convention center to get to the end of the line. Second...having people together in the queue room allowed for fun line games as well as a huge group singing of Bohemian Rhapsody and Still Alive. So awesome.
I also don't feel like the food area needed quite so much room...and the indie games alley definitely shouldnt be so hidden away.
My last comment is that in the tabletop gaming area...it was really hard to hear each other over the noise coming from the Expo Hall. Being able to play Magic and D&D in rooms at PAXEAST 2010 was a much better setup, as it made the tabletop area more of its own community, and it was a lot easier to play. Plus, moving it would give more room for the crowded expo hall.
I really want to say that PAX East 2011 was absolutely awesome. My second PAX, and they just keep getting better and better. Please keep up the awesomeness.
My last comment is that in the tabletop gaming area...it was really hard to hear each other over the noise coming from the Expo Hall. Being able to play Magic and D&D in rooms at PAXEAST 2010 was a much better setup, as it made the tabletop area more of its own community, and it was a lot easier to play. Plus, moving it would give more room for the crowded expo hall.
But having the tabletop gaming area sequestered away made many people not know it was there, or pay any mind to it. Having it out in the open, right in people's faces was awesome and made it clear that PAX was for all gamers, Video and Tabletop.
manhattan has some of the best dining in the world (as does Boston), and also has plenty of places that have affordable meals, certainly no more expensive than the food that was served at the convention center. Also NYC does have some prominent developers/publishers such as Atari, Take 2 Interactive, Code Masters, and Mako Games.
As well as the ESRB, MLG and Livestream.com
All of which is moot because it is clear that most game developers are on the west coast, yet PAX East 2011 was the largest PAX ever, with developers from the west coast coming over and presenting their new IPs.
Boston is an expensive city as well, I would argue that the Westin I stayed at (with the PAX Rate) would be as competitive with the hotels in the same location.
Not to mention that NYC runs Comicon every year, and it always gets bigger and better. I would assume that the comic population would be very similar to the gamer population.
0
Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratorMod Emeritus
What NYC doesn't have is cheap hotels. Besides, PA and Reed are contracted with the city of Boston to hold PAX there at least a couple more years.
Loved the con, first time, though only got into a couple panels. Food was terribly over priced but expected; it is like movie theaters i expect and a major source of revenue.
The one thing I would suggest: streaming the panels. Either get overflow rooms set up, stream to portables, have a 'wall of tvs' in the lower area when the queues dequeue, but make a way in this techo world for us poor folk who cannot get into the panel rooms to see the panel conversation.
Hotels on there are pretty decent considering it is a non-PAX rate. Not to mention that Many PAXers came from the NY/NJ/PA area where it is a reasonable drive to the JAvit's Center (where PAX would most likely be held). Not to mention that there are many cheaper hotels in NJ for those who would need to fly in or wanted to stay over. NJ Transit is actually pretty effective into getting people in the city, and run buses about every 15 minutes through the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Not to mention that NYC has 2 major airports and NJ has 1 all within an hour of the Javit's Center.
I mean I know that PAX is signed through 2013, but I feel that is irrelevant to the suggestion thread. The point is to make suggestions based on what we see could maybe improve/advance the PAX experience. I'm sure that if there is enough demand that it would at least provoke thought when deciding where to locate PAX on the East Coast when the BCEC Contract is up.
Also Comicon is held there, and their numbers are comparable to PAX. Since these cons (both PAX and Comicon) are few and far between, they happen to draw large crowds. Given where the Javits center is, I think people would be very happy with the amount of affordable food NYC would have to offer, and would have to rely on convention vendor's for food. Overall I think it is a superior location.
Posts
Kidding...
Of course...
... Kinda...
Putting location and booth babes aside, how much consideration goes into panel flow? For example, spreading out geek parenting related panels across three days, game theory, etc. I noticed that this was done with several game developer panels. But I wasn't sure how well it was streamlined for other panels and whether it factored in things like queue lines, etc.
I would also love to see in the program "If you like this panel you might also like X, Y, Z." or "Other panels by this presenter." I find myself a bit overwhelmed when I look at the schedule and go "ooo Oo Oooo!!!"
I could see assigning categories (which is essentially implied by saying if you like this panel, xyz, etc) causing possible issues because many panels are likely not easy to categorize. However, if PA or Reed wanted to come up with some categories that get listed in the program and let the panel submitter pick a top 3 that they fit into, that might work and provide *some* of the info you're talking about.
For me I thought the venue and content at the show was much better than 2010 while the area and setup were far worse and the setup is an easy fix imo because there was a lot of unused space. Also it wouldn't hurt to have some AC in the Exhibit Hall, and to hire some more Enforcers that are actually polite, as most of the Enforcers my friends and I encountered were very rude even more so last year.
WEB CONTENT: Loading Ready Run Panel/Screening, Blamimation ALIVE!, OC ReMix
CULTURE: Females on Female Characters, Interactive Drama: Dialogue as Gameplay, Gamers Doing Good
INDUSTRY: Legal Issues in Gaming, How Your Favorite Game Companies Use Facebook, Just Because You Have An Idea, You Are Not A Game Designer
COMMUNITY: Whose Banhammer Is It Anyway?, A Reverse Q&A with the Harmonix Community Team, So I Still Have This Website
I'm sure there could be more, but these are the first few that I can think of, as well as there being major crossover in some areas.
- The prices of food and drinks were outrageous and make ballpark hot dogs seem reasonable. I'm pretty sure PAX itself has nothing to do with this and no influence (dear god, $5 for an Amp at the vending machine). I have, however, written a fairly respectful and nasty letter, as a Massachusetts resident, to the MCCA.
- Thank you for the extra food court. It was a bit of wasted space, but they were additional options. Having attended several conferences at the BCEC, it was a welcomed change from the usual food court.
- A bit more rules are needed for raffles and prize giveaways by exhibitors. I won't stress anything about it being a safety hazard, but getting around could be a real pain in the rear when 3 aisles were blocked off by people. Especially when a t-shirt was tossed your way and you had to wonder if you were the subject of a practical joke involving a mosh pit.
- More lockers needed in the media room, thankyouverymuch. Although showing up at 9am to hog a few was a fun way to get the morning started.
- No objections here about booth babes. I saw no booth babes at the gaming exhibits. All the girls I had a moment to speak to actually knew about gaming and what they were representing. These are not "booth babes" but "gaming models". As far as I'm concerned, all the companies stuck to the rules here.
- I personally loved the tabletop area. Last year it was a pain in the neck finding tabletop areas due to their separation into various conference rooms. Despite the noise, it was much more gratifying to see all these tables jack full of people. Really, a beautiful sight. Gathering the entire tabletop area into one also made it easier for people to find other games just by looking at a table that looked interesting. Loved every moment of it.
- Posters of maps around the aisles with a "you are here" arrow would help a lot.
- The Dance Central and Rock Band stages were awesome. Got my Soulja Boy going.
- I can't stress enough how much better the BCEC was compared to Hynes. PAX mostly took advantage of the new convention center and rocked it.
PAX East '12 Team Totodile Gold - Professor
Most of the lines were ok, but some of the demos were waaay to long! And less confusing maps would have been great. The maps were oriented in a strange way and it took me forever to figure out.
- Food - Yeah horridly expensive but expected and is all about the facilities. If the alternate food spots were known ahead of time that would be great with the lines that were there. Also more seating would be great to eat.
- Overflow video rooms/areas - you can't fit 60.000 into 1 room very true but it would be great if there were preplanned video overflow areas like if the queue area were not being used or even if you could simul-stream them for those with portable media players (prev suggestion).
- I agree on the maps....I mean god, how many of us would have survived a PAX East dungeon if our map maker drew those? I vote that we get someone to map out the convention center. In freakin grid paper, of course.
- Late late late night buses - I was afraid I would get stranded when the concert started late + daylight savings. In the end I was more terrified at how the bus driver drove and the wonderful variety of Boston Late Night.
- Dead end coat/bag check? I was a little leery about checking in either with it being in the middle of an open area like that though could just be me.
- More info for first day virgins - Coming into a new center first time at PAX I was rather uncertain where to go. Pre-PAX a little walkthru guide on "So you want to go to X at 8am: Follow these steps" would be very cool.
- Build more connected hotels! - Those bus drivers and Boston drivers scare me....
I actually like the staged RockBand and always saw people sitting around and bands in line.
world attaching the electrodes of knowledge to the nipples
of ignorance?" - John Lithgow, 3rd Rock from the Sun
Admittedly I have not been in Jamspace, but I thought it was more of a "freeplay" room where anyone could come in and play.
this is a pretty good idea. perhaps give some time and extra space to those who perform in the jamspace area. even if not as a specific slot in the schedule an option of performing between the events on the main theatre?
Plus you might be able to go see a keynote and play the new hot game...instead of sitting in a line all morning.
Jamspace has both freeplay time and scheduled performance time. If you take a look at the Jamspace thread from this past East, you'll see that there were scheduled performances for a few bands.
This is a great idea, but it seems like it would only work in a perfect system where:
-No one got a time slot then never showed up
-The booth never ran late for any reason so the time estimation was correct
-Everyone could arrive in the morning to be able to sign up
There does need to be a solution to the line wait problem, because a 5-6 hour wait is frankly not worth it. You're missing out on half a day's worth of excitement.
The way they handle it is speedpass holders can go in a fast access line...they get to cut, then they take anyone who's just waiting.
In terms of PAX, I'd have a line at the booth that doesn't exceed the booth space, you have a pass, you go right in to the smaller holding area. If you don't have a pass, they take first come first serve when there is an opening, but don't allow them to queue outside the booth. (I picture this working for things like the Portal booth...speedpasses load in, 3 spots left, you can come...everyone else, sorry all full, move along or go see the guy in the queue room to pull a pass for the 3-4pm slot. )
I have only one complaint and it's not anything that the PAX guys really need to do anything about. And, really, it's a tiny, tiny issue. It's just something I won't participate in in the future.
The whole t-shirt throwing thing. I think it encourages bad behavior in some. What with people pushing, people pulling shirts out of each other's hands, etc. For that 10% so inclined, it brings out the worst in them. I know, it's the nature of the beast and if I don't like it, don't participate. And I won't anymore. Just sayin'.
I don't know if you got the chance to attend Pax Prime 2010 but Civilization V was there and they had the most efficient enclosed demo I've ever seen. You had to show up in the first few hours of each morning where a woman would take your name down and give you a time to come back. They fit in about 20 people every half an hour. there was never a line and we waited about a max of 10 minutes when we came back at our designated time.
this of course limits the amount of people who can preview the booth demo but it forces people to make the decision of heading to the booth first thing vs doing anything else at the expo. I dont think this would work very well with hands on playable demos, but more so for walkthroughs.
Where Pax East and AnimeBoston are running on same the weekend in 2012:
1. Would it be possible, as a joint venture between both conventions, to set up matching panels with video feed to cover a topic that pertains to both conventions (anime based video games would be my first pick)?
2. A t-shirt with both logos and 'Revenge of the Nerds' written underneath the logos?
As I said, just throwing ideas out there.
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If you're going to lobby for a new PAX location though, suggesting it should be in your backyard will not help you garner much support. Two problems I quickly see with Orlando is that it has no gaming presence and how it's not central to...well, any part of the country. Seattle at least has the gaming presence, and Boston has both elements.
Boston meets all these needs. I'd love if they took the show down here to Atlanta but we don't have a good, central convention center and we're far from being a game-design hub but I've been surprised before.
Also Boston has a gaming presence with companies like Harmonix, as well as the Microsoft NERD center that hosted the Made in MA Party...it was great for local developers and schools to showcase their talent the night before PAX started, and wouldn't really be possible at another locale.
Other things...
It's been said so many times...but enforcers...you guys rock. I have never been to an event where the staff are so friendly and nice, yet still keep things orderly. Great job.
While I agree that the food prices were atrocious, especially considering the quality of food...it's on par and probably better than something like a sporting event - plus the big thing is that you can bring in your own food! Whenever I've gone to a sporting event...the security staff has poked through my bag and made me dump any food/drinks I brought, just so I had to pay for their overpriced crap. For PAX...I stopped at a Dunkin donuts during my trip in the morning for breakfast, had a packed meal for lunch, and used the T to go into Boston for dinner. Worked great.
Better maps and directions would be a huge help - for one panel it was right on my right when I went up the stairs...I walked around the entire upper level because I went the wrong way. Was tired after.
And...please bring back line games!!! I missed those...they were awesome. I also think that using the queue room for the concerts would be better than snaking around the entire place - firstly, if you go up to get in line you have to walk all the way around the convention center to get to the end of the line. Second...having people together in the queue room allowed for fun line games as well as a huge group singing of Bohemian Rhapsody and Still Alive. So awesome.
I also don't feel like the food area needed quite so much room...and the indie games alley definitely shouldnt be so hidden away.
My last comment is that in the tabletop gaming area...it was really hard to hear each other over the noise coming from the Expo Hall. Being able to play Magic and D&D in rooms at PAXEAST 2010 was a much better setup, as it made the tabletop area more of its own community, and it was a lot easier to play. Plus, moving it would give more room for the crowded expo hall.
I really want to say that PAX East 2011 was absolutely awesome. My second PAX, and they just keep getting better and better. Please keep up the awesomeness.
But having the tabletop gaming area sequestered away made many people not know it was there, or pay any mind to it. Having it out in the open, right in people's faces was awesome and made it clear that PAX was for all gamers, Video and Tabletop.
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As well as the ESRB, MLG and Livestream.com
All of which is moot because it is clear that most game developers are on the west coast, yet PAX East 2011 was the largest PAX ever, with developers from the west coast coming over and presenting their new IPs.
Boston is an expensive city as well, I would argue that the Westin I stayed at (with the PAX Rate) would be as competitive with the hotels in the same location.
Not to mention that NYC runs Comicon every year, and it always gets bigger and better. I would assume that the comic population would be very similar to the gamer population.
The one thing I would suggest: streaming the panels. Either get overflow rooms set up, stream to portables, have a 'wall of tvs' in the lower area when the queues dequeue, but make a way in this techo world for us poor folk who cannot get into the panel rooms to see the panel conversation.
Again, I disagree.
http://www.hotels-rates.com/hotels/locations/New_York/NY/usa/2013/
Hotels on there are pretty decent considering it is a non-PAX rate. Not to mention that Many PAXers came from the NY/NJ/PA area where it is a reasonable drive to the JAvit's Center (where PAX would most likely be held). Not to mention that there are many cheaper hotels in NJ for those who would need to fly in or wanted to stay over. NJ Transit is actually pretty effective into getting people in the city, and run buses about every 15 minutes through the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Not to mention that NYC has 2 major airports and NJ has 1 all within an hour of the Javit's Center.
I mean I know that PAX is signed through 2013, but I feel that is irrelevant to the suggestion thread. The point is to make suggestions based on what we see could maybe improve/advance the PAX experience. I'm sure that if there is enough demand that it would at least provoke thought when deciding where to locate PAX on the East Coast when the BCEC Contract is up.
Also Comicon is held there, and their numbers are comparable to PAX. Since these cons (both PAX and Comicon) are few and far between, they happen to draw large crowds. Given where the Javits center is, I think people would be very happy with the amount of affordable food NYC would have to offer, and would have to rely on convention vendor's for food. Overall I think it is a superior location.