That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Next year all the food should be cart/truck based. There was way more room in the lower food court for food trucks. Make it carnival style with a dozen or 2 various food venders.
The weather will be much nicer next year (most likely) so depending on all the factors at play you might have a better chance at getting more trucks outside surrounding PAX. Be it because PAX arranges it or because the trucks decide to follow the money.
Personally, I'd encourage more people to leave the con to eat. There are some really great places to eat downtown and in the financial district so if they're running shuttles take a break for fresh air and food!
VisionOfClarity on
0
That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
The weather will be much nicer next year (most likely) so depending on all the factors at play you might have a better chance at getting more trucks outside surrounding PAX. Be it because PAX arranges it or because the trucks decide to follow the money.
Personally, I'd encourage more people to leave the con to eat. There are some really great places to eat downtown and in the financial district so if they're running shuttles take a break for fresh air and food!
Oh oh oh oh. Get local restaurants to set up food carts all over PAX. Inside or outside.
Another thing. Please enforce "nearest dollar" and "Tax included" pricing for everyone. I ended up with a pocket full of change by the end of PAX because only a few places were doing it.
I didn't find the food that terrible. I only ate two meals a day so I grabbed breakfast at the Starbucks in the Seaport or Dunkin, then around 2pm grabbed a meal at the food court. It was < $15 per day for food that way and I thought the chicken burrito/tortilla chip combo was pretty good. The drinks are way out of hand though - at a 3 day conference when you need to stay hydrated $3 a bottle is sleazy.
One thing I want to add to my last post. Unfortunately it is more for the attendees then the organizers. But please wear some belts. Or at least put your backpack behond you whenn you sit down in line. This is supposed to be a game convention not a plumbers con.
I didn't find the food that terrible. I only ate two meals a day so I grabbed breakfast at the Starbucks in the Seaport or Dunkin, then around 2pm grabbed a meal at the food court. It was < $15 per day for food that way and I thought the chicken burrito/tortilla chip combo was pretty good. The drinks are way out of hand though - at a 3 day conference when you need to stay hydrated $3 a bottle is sleazy.
The $8 italian sausage was tasty but about half the size of the $4 italian sausages you can get from the downtown food carts. The other option at the Italian booth was a $7 slice of pizza. My friend and I would've wanted fries to go with the small sausage sandwich but we would've had to wait in the long burger line for that.
The 'soft pretzel' I got afterward because I was still hungry was rock hard and had most of the salt knocked off before it was handed to me. Price wasn't too atrocious, though.
The next day I got the chicken strips & fries. The chicken was extremely dry and the fries weren't hot, but it at least filled me up.
Edit!
Folks who register for medical badges are informed of the accommodations for them in Main Theatre. Those resources are not infinite, but we do everything we can to work with them. I am not aware of folks bringing in more than their +1 (who also is given a medical badge - only folks with those should be in the area) but I'll see if the House Manager is aware and if we need to update our policy/training.
Aleks/Cheebus
No one was let into the medical area without their medical badge. We don't ask people why they have a badge. People who need a medical badge are allowed to have a +1 who also gets a badge.
I wasn't aware of anyone being turned away from the Medical area, adding more capacity as we go is not a problem.
What can be a problem is adding more capacity halfway through the show. If you want to sit in the medical area you need to arrive at least as the concerts start, preferably before the 5-10 minute early entry.
--For everyone complaining about price: What did you expect? Forget about eating at concerts and sporting events where they would charge double the inflated price. For those bitching about the Westin's food prices: Its a 5 star hotel, things are ALWAYS expensive at these types of hotels. I'm kind of embarassed that I have to inform people of this. In all honest, I had a $150-$200 food budget, and I am greatful that I stayed underneath that. For those who had problems with food prices, I would suggest that you budget better for next year or don't attend if you cannot afford it. I think any complaints about food prices are ridiculous, as you would pay the same price anywhere else.
The convention center was some of the cheaper meals I had while in Boston, but just because I can afford it doesn't make the food good value. If I'm over to PAX East 2012, I'll definitely be looking harder into alternatives outside the convention center.
When at any event (i.e. parade, concert, sporting event, convention) has food EVER been "reasonable". The bottom line is that local establishments know that a lot of people are coming so they jack up the price. Value for dollar is crap at these types of events, and I think a lot of people complaining are having a difficult time with that point.
Maybe its just my experience, but I didn't expect to be a "Dollar Menu All Star" at this event. Some people need to wake up to the reality of these conventions, as they are NOT cheap to put on. Overall I think the event staff did an excellent job. Also, I heard that were allowed to bring their own drinks, were they allowed to bring their own food as well? If so, than there really isn't any excuses regarding food prices.
Some people just want the world, and don't want to pay for it. Its the society we live in now.
- PAX East is awesome, thanks for doing it, the good far outweighs the bad
- Awesome on the PC Freeplay area, which we didn't have last year! Only quibble - it should get a little more organized, like Console. PC stations were being given out when the previous user has just been there a very short time. Conversely I was "tapped" on the shoulder with a "time's up" less than 45 mins after starting at least once.
- Tournaments seemed a drag in terms of how long it took to get started -- took my younger son 2 hours to play one round of Brawl, and the SC2 tournament was delayed in starting due to connectivity issues. Probably each has an unrelated issue, and I'm not saying we shouldn't do tournaments - but it is unpleasant to waste so much time.
- Food options were sadly limited and of course overpriced, but not sure there's much to do about the latter anyway. Anyone try dining out in the area on Sat night? Spent an hour walking around the area, from Lucky's to the sports bar by the Renaissance - all had 1-hr-plus waits. I know, we were warned. Next time I will go straight for a cab and get AWAY from the BCEC. The level 1 onsite dining area was half-decent though pricey, from my perspective.
- There were lots of water fountains, so I think some of the complaints about no feasible option for reasonably priced hydration are unfounded.
- Hated the Main Theatre this year as a concert venue. As someone who is NOT happy standing for hours, it sucked. The Hynes' dual-level theatre felt MUCH more like a concert hall, as opposed to a wedding ballroom (which this was).
- The SC2 event with Day[9] and Husky was awesome. Could have filled a bigger space, hopefully that will be accomodated next year. Even with competition from the concert, the line closed 90 mins or more before the event.
- Would have been nice to have a PC tournament viewing area, with ongoing casting of the various games going on.... Probably doesn't need to be huge.
- Hated the Main Theatre this year as a concert venue. As someone who is NOT happy standing for hours, it sucked. The Hynes' dual-level theatre felt MUCH more like a concert hall, as opposed to a wedding ballroom (which this was).
This.
Also, props for the Bandland/celeb location this year. It was placed perfectly, and I'd suggest the PA staff keep it there.
I'd love to have more chairs, but it's not really possible given the number of people we put in that space. I wanted to up the remaining chairs to 10 rows after the first night, but knew that it would cause a massive space problem and sadly shelved the idea.
The best suggestion I can make is to get a medical badge if it is appropriate - we have some accommodations for folks for whom standing for hours is not viable.
Thanks for addressing this! I really wasn't aware of the medical badge until this thread... and based on last year's experiences (where I'd easily sat in every line and concert), I didn't expect to have any problems. But next time, I'll be looking into it and bringing a seat cane. My joints will thank me.
[Also - I haven't found much info about the medical badges beyond an email address... might be worthwhile to have something in the PAXsite FAQ about accessibility!]
The food was pretty lousy and way overpriced. I know this is a con and everything has to cost too much, but it really sucks for the attendees. Maybe next year you could give them a break on the rental of the space in order to drive prices down. Please taste the food before allowing people to sell it. Most of the food I ate there (save for the Sam Adam's place) was bland and unappealing.
--For everyone complaining about price: What did you expect? Forget about eating at concerts and sporting events where they would charge double the inflated price. For those bitching about the Westin's food prices: Its a 5 star hotel, things are ALWAYS expensive at these types of hotels. I'm kind of embarassed that I have to inform people of this. In all honest, I had a $150-$200 food budget, and I am greatful that I stayed underneath that. For those who had problems with food prices, I would suggest that you budget better for next year or don't attend if you cannot afford it. I think any complaints about food prices are ridiculous, as you would pay the same price anywhere else.
The convention center was some of the cheaper meals I had while in Boston, but just because I can afford it doesn't make the food good value. If I'm over to PAX East 2012, I'll definitely be looking harder into alternatives outside the convention center.
When at any event (i.e. parade, concert, sporting event, convention) has food EVER been "reasonable". The bottom line is that local establishments know that a lot of people are coming so they jack up the price. Value for dollar is crap at these types of events, and I think a lot of people complaining are having a difficult time with that point.
Maybe its just my experience, but I didn't expect to be a "Dollar Menu All Star" at this event. Some people need to wake up to the reality of these conventions, as they are NOT cheap to put on. Overall I think the event staff did an excellent job. Also, I heard that were allowed to bring their own drinks, were they allowed to bring their own food as well? If so, than there really isn't any excuses regarding food prices.
Some people just want the world, and don't want to pay for it. Its the society we live in now.
Pretty sure PAX doesnt have control over the food prices.
Theres a specific company that contracts with the convention center that sets said prices. So if an outside vendor is brought in its the outside vendors prices + the food contract owners markup (which is something like 40%).
Not much can be done about that sadly.
I just recruited people to go to fast food and get me bags of $1 burgers, heh
* Raise the ticket prices and/or lower the amount of tickets sold. I know the event strives to be inclusive as possible, but the crowds/lines eventually become so massive that they actually destroy a lot of the enjoyment of the event. I mean, eventually it gets to a point where the number of cool events/panels doesnt matter, because you have no access to them.
* Some sort of "fast pass" system for popular panels and events. Similar to the system used at Disneyworld... a person can get a guaranteed reserved spot for a popular event by pre-registering for it ahead of time. With the right system it would cut down on a lot of the lines and shenanigans related to popular events. Maybe tie it to pre-registration and allow each user 1 or 2 fast passes to insure they have a chance at access to their preferred event.
* More comments on lines: It was drilled into my head from multiple PAX sources/officials that lines start 1 hour before a panel/event. So I show up to the Starcraft/Day 9 finals cast exactly one hour before it starts... only to find a completely massive wall of people and a wall of enforcers turning everyone away. A little consistency in rules would be appreciated. I could have been there hours early but stuck to the rules and got burned as a result.
* Some sort of icebreaker/mixer event for single visitors. Most people show up to PAX with their circle of friends or their families, which is great, and is the ideal experience. In fact, most things at PAX are built to accomodate that setup.... everything from team games to the ability for group to "save" each other spots in line.
For those of us who don't have that setup and just want to visit by ourselves, the deck is decidedly stacked against us. I am expecting resistance on this point to the effect that PAX attendees are so open and welcoming. I'd like to believe it, but the reality on the ground doesn't support this utopian view.
To this end, I would like to suggest an icebreaker/mixer event on the first day of PAX for single visitors where they can meet up with other single visitors. This would allow for some of us to bunch up, maybe find some like-minded people to form groups of our own.
* Raise the ticket prices and/or lower the amount of tickets sold. I know the event strives to be inclusive as possible, but the crowds/lines eventually become so massive that they actually destroy a lot of the enjoyment of the event. I mean, eventually it gets to a point where the number of cool events/panels doesnt matter, because you have no access to them.
* Some sort of "fast pass" system for popular panels and events. Similar to the system used at Disneyworld... a person can get a guaranteed reserved spot for a popular event by pre-registering for it ahead of time. With the right system it would cut down on a lot of the lines and shenanigans related to popular events. Maybe tie it to pre-registration and allow each user 1 or 2 fast passes to insure they have a chance at access to their preferred event.
I suspect many of the people coming to PAX are okay with the lines as-is, so you won't get much support for this.
* More comments on lines: It was drilled into my head from multiple PAX sources/officials that lines start 1 hour before a panel/event. So I show up to the Starcraft/Day 9 finals cast exactly one hour before it starts... only to find a completely massive wall of people and a wall of enforcers turning everyone away. A little consistency in rules would be appreciated. I could have been there hours early but stuck to the rules and got burned as a result.
I hadn't heard that myself, but definitely needs to have consistent handling, if that happened!
* Some sort of icebreaker/mixer event for single visitors. Most people show up to PAX with their circle of friends or their families, which is great, and is the ideal experience. In fact, most things at PAX are built to accomodate that setup.... everything from team games to the ability for group to "save" each other spots in line.
For those of us who don't have that setup and just want to visit by ourselves, the deck is decidedly stacked against us. I am expecting resistance on this point to the effect that PAX attendees are so open and welcoming. I'd like to believe it, but the reality on the ground doesn't support this utopian view.
To this end, I would like to suggest an icebreaker/mixer event on the first day of PAX for single visitors where they can meet up with other single visitors. This would allow for some of us to bunch up, maybe find some like-minded people to form groups of our own.
In many ways, I think the lines act as ice-breakers, which is why people are okay with them. We got talking to quite a few people in lines both at this PAX and Prime in September. Alternatively, did you look into one of the D&D intro sessions, for example? I was ditched (accounts differ, but I'm telling the story, so I'm claiming I was ditched) by my friend on the Saturday night, and considered those as a way of finding people to talk to. Label your badge with your name, people will greet you by name (well, they did me, anyway).
Anyone try dining out in the area on Sat night? Spent an hour walking around the area, from Lucky's to the sports bar by the Renaissance - all had 1-hr-plus waits. I know, we were warned. Next time I will go straight for a cab and get AWAY from the BCEC.
That's what my group did. During the con for lunch we just took the provided restaurant shuttle, had amazing local food. We ate all over the city for every other time period of the day. I can't encourage everyone enough to get out in the city and eat (monetary restrictions allowing). We had amazing food and beers wherever we went. It sucks you had to miss the sports bar by the Renaissance (where we stayed). We ate there Thursday night and Monday afternoon and ALL their food was amazing. Amazing burgers (huge), amazing hot dogs (huge), chicken wraps, on and on. They are brand new, only been opened a couple weeks (didn't even have desserts yet) and man, we were blown away by the price vs quality there. Just fantastic.
So, to actually suggest something in the suggestion thread:
Here's a google map I made of some of the places we went, if you'd like some smidget-approved places to plan for next year: Boston Food
Smidget on
I read arrows
0
whypick1PAX [E] Info Booth Manager~2' from an LCDRegistered Userregular
- Awesome on the PC Freeplay area, which we didn't have last year! Only quibble - it should get a little more organized, like Console. PC stations were being given out when the previous user has just been there a very short time. Conversely I was "tapped" on the shoulder with a "time's up" less than 45 mins after starting at least once.
I know that at various times we had to reduce the play-time to 30 minutes because of the lack of available computers and the sizable line outside. Unfortunately, can't really communicate that people who have already sat down, but when I bumped people, I explained the situation.
On a singles "ice breaker" one thing I highly recommend is signing up for is the prepax dinner. I was by myself and I found it was a great way to get me in the swing of being social for the trip. Plus, since it was prepaid I felt obligated that I had to show up and not chicken out
* Raise the ticket prices and/or lower the amount of tickets sold. I know the event strives to be inclusive as possible, but the crowds/lines eventually become so massive that they actually destroy a lot of the enjoyment of the event. I mean, eventually it gets to a point where the number of cool events/panels doesnt matter, because you have no access to them.
* Some sort of "fast pass" system for popular panels and events. Similar to the system used at Disneyworld... a person can get a guaranteed reserved spot for a popular event by pre-registering for it ahead of time. With the right system it would cut down on a lot of the lines and shenanigans related to popular events. Maybe tie it to pre-registration and allow each user 1 or 2 fast passes to insure they have a chance at access to their preferred event.
* More comments on lines: It was drilled into my head from multiple PAX sources/officials that lines start 1 hour before a panel/event. So I show up to the Starcraft/Day 9 finals cast exactly one hour before it starts... only to find a completely massive wall of people and a wall of enforcers turning everyone away. A little consistency in rules would be appreciated. I could have been there hours early but stuck to the rules and got burned as a result.
* Some sort of icebreaker/mixer event for single visitors. Most people show up to PAX with their circle of friends or their families, which is great, and is the ideal experience. In fact, most things at PAX are built to accomodate that setup.... everything from team games to the ability for group to "save" each other spots in line.
For those of us who don't have that setup and just want to visit by ourselves, the deck is decidedly stacked against us. I am expecting resistance on this point to the effect that PAX attendees are so open and welcoming. I'd like to believe it, but the reality on the ground doesn't support this utopian view.
To this end, I would like to suggest an icebreaker/mixer event on the first day of PAX for single visitors where they can meet up with other single visitors. This would allow for some of us to bunch up, maybe find some like-minded people to form groups of our own.
I'm not sure who told you one hour...I always told people at least an hour. PAX is huge and running exlusive fast pass or pre-reg for theatres could turn into a nightmare. This is an unfortunate side of any large con. My best suggestion for anything is line up as early as you can, anything you want to buy needs to be bought day 1 if possible, and pre-reg for the show early.
As far as meeting people, you're in the right place man! If you come next year, come up here to the forums and stay active. Hop into IRC and chill out. There are a TON of community events and ways to meet up with people. There was even a thread up here for meeting up with people that while leaving their home town alone, to meet up and hang out with there.
Also, this was the first time in the BCEC, I know there will be a lot taken away from it and a lot to reconsider for next year. Things filling up can't be helped. There are some panels that even if they were to accomodate a large portion of the con, would still fill up.
The food was pretty lousy and way overpriced. I know this is a con and everything has to cost too much, but it really sucks for the attendees. Maybe next year you could give them a break on the rental of the space in order to drive prices down. Please taste the food before allowing people to sell it. Most of the food I ate there (save for the Sam Adam's place) was bland and unappealing.
--For everyone complaining about price: What did you expect? Forget about eating at concerts and sporting events where they would charge double the inflated price. For those bitching about the Westin's food prices: Its a 5 star hotel, things are ALWAYS expensive at these types of hotels. I'm kind of embarassed that I have to inform people of this. In all honest, I had a $150-$200 food budget, and I am greatful that I stayed underneath that. For those who had problems with food prices, I would suggest that you budget better for next year or don't attend if you cannot afford it. I think any complaints about food prices are ridiculous, as you would pay the same price anywhere else.
The convention center was some of the cheaper meals I had while in Boston, but just because I can afford it doesn't make the food good value. If I'm over to PAX East 2012, I'll definitely be looking harder into alternatives outside the convention center.
When at any event (i.e. parade, concert, sporting event, convention) has food EVER been "reasonable". The bottom line is that local establishments know that a lot of people are coming so they jack up the price. Value for dollar is crap at these types of events, and I think a lot of people complaining are having a difficult time with that point.
Maybe its just my experience, but I didn't expect to be a "Dollar Menu All Star" at this event. Some people need to wake up to the reality of these conventions, as they are NOT cheap to put on. Overall I think the event staff did an excellent job. Also, I heard that were allowed to bring their own drinks, were they allowed to bring their own food as well? If so, than there really isn't any excuses regarding food prices.
Some people just want the world, and don't want to pay for it. Its the society we live in now.
Pretty sure PAX doesnt have control over the food prices.
Theres a specific company that contracts with the convention center that sets said prices. So if an outside vendor is brought in its the outside vendors prices + the food contract owners markup (which is something like 40%).
Not much can be done about that sadly.
I just recruited people to go to fast food and get me bags of $1 burgers, heh
People can budget better, bring their own or take the shuttle for local eats.
I think that sometimes people need to put down the controller and step outside to other events different than PAX. Those prices weren't that bad considering what they charge at similar events.
What's crazier is that it was restaurant week! Really good, 3 course dinners for $33, 3 course lunches for $20 and 2 course lunches for $15. If you didn't leave the con to eat you were missing out.
What's crazier is that it was restaurant week! Really good, 3 course dinners for $33, 3 course lunches for $20 and 2 course lunches for $15. If you didn't leave the con to eat you were missing out.
We did leave, we had some very nice food! It just seems a bit absurd how much the center charges.
Eh, if the message is that we should eat elsewhere, I shall eat elsewhere!
What's crazier is that it was restaurant week! Really good, 3 course dinners for $33, 3 course lunches for $20 and 2 course lunches for $15. If you didn't leave the con to eat you were missing out.
We did leave, we had some very nice food! It just seems a bit absurd how much the center charges.
Eh, if the message is that we should eat elsewhere, I shall eat elsewhere!
Om nom nom nom nom nom...
Oh man, the one thing I miss most about Boston is the food! Take two hours away from the con and enjoy it. Anything they have at the convention center you can get a better version of within a mile of the BCEC. Also, make use of OpenTable where possible. Especially for things like brunch. I live for brunch.
Have more classic consoles, and arcade machines, and regular consoles for that matter. With all that space we could have had more consoles and less people waiting I think. Is there a way for people to bring consoles? I could have lent my SNES for the weekend... if it still works...
Watch what games PAX has for the console free play. I checked out Red Steel 2 - only to realize that it requires the Wii Motion Plus. Console free play did not have Wii Motion Plus available, so couldn't play Red Steel 2. I also saw some copies of MAG for PS3 on the shelf back there - but, MAG is online-only and the console area was not connected at all.
+ enforcers were reallying enforcing this year. a lot less confusion within the PA family, queue lines were good, and well taken care of
HUGE negative: I am very upset with the BCEC staff. examples: they held the westin entrance until 8:30am with no reason on saturday, they were rude and brisk with PAX attendants, they tried to kick out the cookie brigade, they tried to kick out chiptune players.
I do not know how much say PA and the Mighty Khoo may have over the BCEC staff but better communication and better education to them would have been wonderful. I put this negative as part of the growing pains but hopefully by 3rd PAX East (and maybe in the same hall) we can get a more familiar staff.
Slight Negative: Better map thats all. I put my Pokewalker meetup in a room that didn't exist at the hall.
like i said this pax was a 9/10. BEST PAX EVER seriously. i enjoyed myself a lot more than last east. I been to every pax since 09 (which isnt a long time) so your doing great but we always need room for improvement.
This PAX was great. But there were two problems...
1. Food Prices Were Awful. Why have an entire cafeteria if all the food is going to be cold, nasty and expensive? And if there's going to be a shuttle to go to other places, put some information out there for it. I'm only hearing about a shuttle now...
But seriously, 4$ for a cold rock hard pretzel? 13$ for a boring burger and fries?
2. The convention's layout was awful. The Table Top area didn't need to be so localized, it could have been in it's own part of the convention center. People are going there to sit and play games for hours anyway. Why keep them front and center?
Meanwhile, the handheld lounge was both small and out of the way, when it's an obvious place to rest. I say switch these two up. And don't waste so much space on tables in the cafe, no one wants to eat there. Use that space to make the expo hall feel less like a maze.
2. The convention's layout was awful. The Table Top area didn't need to be so localized, it could have been in it's own part of the convention center. People are going there to sit and play games for hours anyway. Why keep them front and center?
I am confused by this. If you entered the BCEC at the front of the building, it was a quarter of a mile around the side and down the escalators to get there. Really, I'm all in favour of the handheld lounge being out of the way. People are going to sit there and play games for hours anyway.
+Efficiency given circumstances (2nd event in boston ever, and unprecedented attendance)
+Sheer number of options. Three days isn't enough!!
+Venue. BCEC is amazing. Yes, it's out of the way, but I prefer a big, luxurious place in the middle of nowhere to a smaller place in the middle of a block. The venue security (uniformed guards) were really courteous. Rent-a-cops tend to be really snotty at events like this. I actually had a conversation with one while I was in line for the League of Legends tournament...they were actually interested in this stuff which is nice for a change.
+Interactivity. I've never been to a convention more covered in QR codes. The nVidia mini games were phenomenal. I think next year the minigames should get even bigger, perhaps involving the city itself or the T.
----
-Food. I'm not complaining about the prices. Actually they were considerably less than what Madison Square Garden or Jacob Javitz Center charges. My issue is the quality...If you're gonna charge me that much for a teeny meal, it shouldn't give me a heart attack. I can go to mickeys and pay single-digits for that. MSG has an Outback kiosk built into their food-court. Jacob Javitz used to have local bakeries and delis provide food at incredibly juiced prices but at least the food was good and didn't give your the runs!!
-Schedule. I know scheduling things to please everyone is impossible, but it doesn't take a genius to differentiate between panels that sell out and ones that don't. That being said, whoever scheduled Day 9/Husky at the same time as the Video Game Orchestra is really, really stupid. I queued for Husky, forgoing the VGO, and ended up not getting into Husky. I ran up to VGO to find that it sold out too. Fail on both counts.
-Layout. The top 3 floors were perfect, essentially. Not much you could do to improve them short of tearing down walls, but MCCA might not appreciate that. Floor zero was a cluster of epic proportions. Having a "satellite" food court the same size as your exhibit hall that was never more than 10% full...just stupid. The queue room was all but useless. Next time use the Merman theatre as a queue room in the morning. The main floor should be primarily devoted to exhibit space, perhaps forming a sort of L-shape from the stairs at the entry concourse and running around by the entrance to Merman. The rest of the space would be for tabletop (same size as this year) and whatever's left can be extra food space.
-Plan B's. If you have to make a tough scheduling call for reasons out of your control, uStream the events. Actually, you should uStream all the panels anyway. Have a camera set up in the back of the room and someone should be uStreaming it live on a private channel that only PAX attendees can view. That way you can at least watch something you get barred from on your phone or whatever, or maybe rewatch a panel later. Panel sponsors could have ads placed on the stream replays/load screens and any streams that later end up on youtube.
Another point for food: I agree with the ideas of going away from the con to eat, but I would like to point out that PAX, especially for a newbie, is like this big, overstimulating, shiny ball of awesomeness with so many different facets that you don't want to look away for fear of missing something important. So in a sense, leaving to go to South Station or other places that were really far away seemed like it would cause us to miss so much that we'd feel bad about leaving, so we stay.
I think getting more food trucks into the satellite food court would create a better, more unique atmosphere, and also use up some somewhat wasted space. Plus, with more options, supply goes up and demand goes down, making the vendors work a bit harder to get more of the money, which allows the guests to have more choice.
@HolyYakker, I understand your rant, and I feel your frustration. Let's face it, this "booth babe" debate isn't going to disappear any time soon, and the opinions are as vast as the magic decks handed out.
Really I think people can solve their food problems using the following steps.
1) Realize that any event with large amounts of people in a single area with little access to outside food will yield very low value for dollar food
1a. Realize that Boston is a very nice city, and like all nice cities, has some high end restaurants that can cost a lot of money.
1b. Realize that many of the hotels in surronding area are 4 star hotels, and as such will have what some would consider unreasonable prices for meals.
2) Using this newfound insight we can draw the following conclusions:
2a. Expect to pay more for less at the convention, but have the convenience of staying at the event and getting back into the action quickly.
2b. Goto a local restaurant near the convention and pay a similar price, but yield higher food quality, however takes time away from the convention.
2c. Explore Boston to find a dollar menu restaurant and load up there with cheap but filling/tasty food, but take time away from the convention.
2d. Pack your own lunch and store in the hotel refrigerator. Bring it with you to the convention and eat at the tables with people who bought their own food. You will have to deal with lugging your lunch bag around until it is time to eat.
3) Given the current food situations, determine a course of action.
3a. Either save enough money to buy convention food, or nice food.
3b. Cope with eating fastfood dollar menu for the weekend, less money but more time away from convention
3c. Sit out the convention as it may simply be too much money to afford.
The bottom line is I think the complainers need to realize that while PAX is a great and fantastic event, it costs a lot of money to run. Part of that is the BCEC has food contractors to help pay for the cost of the building. Now I'm sure a lot of people may bitch about corporate greed and such, and that is completely within your rights to do so.
But let me ask you this, which venue is NOT out there to turn a huge profit for holding events like PAX?
Also, for people complaining about the Westin. I didn't think people who could afford to stay there would complain about room cost/food cost. Its like buying a Porsche and bitching about having to fill up with premium fuel.
FireWater on
0
That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Why are you people defending shitty food?
You are making it seem like we are in the wrong for wanting to eat something that's actually edible. I would be fine with paying 7 bucks for a tiny-ass burrito if it actually tasted alright. My problem was that it was dry and flavorless. I am not asking for 5 star quizine. What I am asking for is decent tasting and portioned meals. Back on the burrito I had, it was dry, and was mostly shell and rice. I am not even going to start on the 7 corn chips and half oz of salsa.
Saying that the PA folks have no control over the food is silly. It's like saying a fair or carnival has no control over their food. They are paying big bucks to get these people here. They DO have a say in what is served if they choose to assert themselves. I don't want to have to walk half a mile to a mile in the middle of the day to find decent food. It's bad enough that every restaurant in 2 mile radius of the con had over an hour wait for dinner.
I wanted to add one more suggestion for next year, mirroring what another poster said: An art gallery / artist's corner. I bought four art books at PAX this year from the Udon booth, and they had both Omar Dogan and ZAB there to sign their work. On Friday I was able to get a copy of Darkstalkers Tribute, and they signed both of their prints in it and Omar drew a sketch on the interior cover. I was literally in fanboy heaven.
Other books I bought were the 20th Anniversay Street Fighter art book, Okami Complete Works, and I got my copy of Half-LIfe 2: Raising the Bar signed by the Valve guys.
-Schedule. I know scheduling things to please everyone is impossible, but it doesn't take a genius to differentiate between panels that sell out and ones that don't. That being said, whoever scheduled Day 9/Husky at the same time as the Video Game Orchestra is really, really stupid. I queued for Husky, forgoing the VGO, and ended up not getting into Husky. I ran up to VGO to find that it sold out too. Fail on both counts.
Believe it or not, putting two or even three very popular events against each other is a very smart move. There is just not enough room for every attendee to see these events. You'll never get to see EVERYTHING at PAX and you will need to choose. This way, more people will get to see X popular event that they really wanted to see.
Yes it means sometimes you won't get to see either, but trust me, there is still LOTS going on that you can still have a totally blast!
SmallLady on
"we're just doing what smalllady told us to do" - @Heels
You are making it seem like we are in the wrong for wanting to eat something that's actually edible. I would be fine with paying 7 bucks for a tiny-ass burrito if it actually tasted alright. My problem was that it was dry and flavorless. I am not asking for 5 star quizine. What I am asking for is decent tasting and portioned meals. Back on the burrito I had, it was dry, and was mostly shell and rice. I am not even going to start on the 7 corn chips and half oz of salsa.
Saying that the PA folks have no control over the food is silly. It's like saying a fair or carnival has no control over their food. They are paying big bucks to get these people here. They DO have a say in what is served if they choose to assert themselves. I don't want to have to walk half a mile to a mile in the middle of the day to find decent food. It's bad enough that every restaurant in 2 mile radius of the con had over an hour wait for dinner.
If it's "shitty", then don't buy it. The PA folks aren't like a fair or a carnival where the food comes from off-site. The BCEC has a contract with the food merchants, they are the ones who call the shots. Penny Arcade Megacorp is just renting out the space. It's like blaming Disney for the quality of the food at TDBank Garden when you bring your daughter there to see Disney on Ice. It's the venue's call, not the convention renting the space for a weekend. They're not going to hire a full restaurant staff. Plus, from what I hear Robert Khoo really liked the pulled-pork sandwiches at the food court.
Walking half a mile isn't going to kill you and you could probably use the vitamin D and exercise in-between being at a crowded convention center and playing video games.
Here's some actual advice:
If people really are upset about the food and they can't get into the city to have a real meal PAX will need something mobile. Boston has a great selection of food trucks. When I lived in Boston they had a gathering of all the best food trucks at SoWa market over the spring, summer and early autumn. I don't imagine these trucks are doing a whole lot during this time of year, as their season doesn't really start until the weather warms up a little more. They'd most-likely love to come and compete against each other on the PAX grounds.
It's the most realistic option I can think of, but nerds always find a reason to complain about things without ever offering reasonable suggestions.
I have some comments for the people who complained about the food price to quality ratio and the convention layout.
As far as the food issue goes, what I actually did was buy stuff to make sandwiches for during the day, then go out to eat after the expo hall closed at night. I brought two sandwiches and two snacks, plus a bottle of water for during the day. The tap water quality was great, so refilling at the water fountains wasn't an issue. This plan has saved me a lot of money and hassle (I turn into a snarling she-beast when I'm hungry) the past two PAX Easts. If you don't have a fridge/mini-fridge at your hotel, don't worry! PB and J is totally fine not being refrigerated. No, it's not a gourmet meal, that's what a nice dinner is for. Plus, you can eat while waiting in line for a panel, so you never have to miss anything!
I did find the layout confusing for the first...hour, but I actually found the locations logical. I loved the tabletop area's location and thought it was a smart decision to put it in a semi-secluded area so you could actually hear the people you were at the table with.
My one complaint would actually be perhaps with the exhibitors themselves, rather than how PAX was set up. The lines to play a game/watch gameplay footage/try out the 3DS were monstrous. I know DNF's demo was 20 minutes, maybe it could be reduced to 15? I don't really have any foolproof ideas on how the wait could be reduced, but it's definitely something I'd like considered. I was completely deterred by the wait at many of the booths. Waiting in line an hour and a half for DNF was sort of fun in that I was talking to people working the booth, but that also means I lost out on a lot of other stuff. I don't know, maybe the only win-win solution is to bend space and time.
My one complaint would actually be perhaps with the exhibitors themselves, rather than how PAX was set up. The lines to play a game/watch gameplay footage/try out the 3DS were monstrous. I know DNF's demo was 20 minutes, maybe it could be reduced to 15? I don't really have any foolproof ideas on how the wait could be reduced, but it's definitely something I'd like considered. I was completely deterred by the wait at many of the booths. Waiting in line an hour and a half for DNF was sort of fun in that I was talking to people working the booth, but that also means I lost out on a lot of other stuff. I don't know, maybe the only win-win solution is to bend space and time.
The 3DS line was far from monstrous. I played 3 times over the weekend and never waited more than 20 minutes. It was probably one of the best setup areas as the line was out of the way, moved quickly and the demos were nice and short.
Posts
Personally, I'd encourage more people to leave the con to eat. There are some really great places to eat downtown and in the financial district so if they're running shuttles take a break for fresh air and food!
Oh oh oh oh. Get local restaurants to set up food carts all over PAX. Inside or outside.
Another thing. Please enforce "nearest dollar" and "Tax included" pricing for everyone. I ended up with a pocket full of change by the end of PAX because only a few places were doing it.
I am a monster truck that walks like a man.
The $8 italian sausage was tasty but about half the size of the $4 italian sausages you can get from the downtown food carts. The other option at the Italian booth was a $7 slice of pizza. My friend and I would've wanted fries to go with the small sausage sandwich but we would've had to wait in the long burger line for that.
The 'soft pretzel' I got afterward because I was still hungry was rock hard and had most of the salt knocked off before it was handed to me. Price wasn't too atrocious, though.
The next day I got the chicken strips & fries. The chicken was extremely dry and the fries weren't hot, but it at least filled me up.
No one was let into the medical area without their medical badge. We don't ask people why they have a badge. People who need a medical badge are allowed to have a +1 who also gets a badge.
I wasn't aware of anyone being turned away from the Medical area, adding more capacity as we go is not a problem.
What can be a problem is adding more capacity halfway through the show. If you want to sit in the medical area you need to arrive at least as the concerts start, preferably before the 5-10 minute early entry.
When at any event (i.e. parade, concert, sporting event, convention) has food EVER been "reasonable". The bottom line is that local establishments know that a lot of people are coming so they jack up the price. Value for dollar is crap at these types of events, and I think a lot of people complaining are having a difficult time with that point.
Maybe its just my experience, but I didn't expect to be a "Dollar Menu All Star" at this event. Some people need to wake up to the reality of these conventions, as they are NOT cheap to put on. Overall I think the event staff did an excellent job. Also, I heard that were allowed to bring their own drinks, were they allowed to bring their own food as well? If so, than there really isn't any excuses regarding food prices.
Some people just want the world, and don't want to pay for it. Its the society we live in now.
- PAX East is awesome, thanks for doing it, the good far outweighs the bad
- Awesome on the PC Freeplay area, which we didn't have last year! Only quibble - it should get a little more organized, like Console. PC stations were being given out when the previous user has just been there a very short time. Conversely I was "tapped" on the shoulder with a "time's up" less than 45 mins after starting at least once.
- Tournaments seemed a drag in terms of how long it took to get started -- took my younger son 2 hours to play one round of Brawl, and the SC2 tournament was delayed in starting due to connectivity issues. Probably each has an unrelated issue, and I'm not saying we shouldn't do tournaments - but it is unpleasant to waste so much time.
- Food options were sadly limited and of course overpriced, but not sure there's much to do about the latter anyway. Anyone try dining out in the area on Sat night? Spent an hour walking around the area, from Lucky's to the sports bar by the Renaissance - all had 1-hr-plus waits. I know, we were warned. Next time I will go straight for a cab and get AWAY from the BCEC. The level 1 onsite dining area was half-decent though pricey, from my perspective.
- There were lots of water fountains, so I think some of the complaints about no feasible option for reasonably priced hydration are unfounded.
- Hated the Main Theatre this year as a concert venue. As someone who is NOT happy standing for hours, it sucked. The Hynes' dual-level theatre felt MUCH more like a concert hall, as opposed to a wedding ballroom (which this was).
- The SC2 event with Day[9] and Husky was awesome. Could have filled a bigger space, hopefully that will be accomodated next year. Even with competition from the concert, the line closed 90 mins or more before the event.
- Would have been nice to have a PC tournament viewing area, with ongoing casting of the various games going on.... Probably doesn't need to be huge.
This.
Also, props for the Bandland/celeb location this year. It was placed perfectly, and I'd suggest the PA staff keep it there.
Thanks for addressing this! I really wasn't aware of the medical badge until this thread... and based on last year's experiences (where I'd easily sat in every line and concert), I didn't expect to have any problems. But next time, I'll be looking into it and bringing a seat cane. My joints will thank me.
[Also - I haven't found much info about the medical badges beyond an email address... might be worthwhile to have something in the PAXsite FAQ about accessibility!]
Pretty sure PAX doesnt have control over the food prices.
Theres a specific company that contracts with the convention center that sets said prices. So if an outside vendor is brought in its the outside vendors prices + the food contract owners markup (which is something like 40%).
Not much can be done about that sadly.
I just recruited people to go to fast food and get me bags of $1 burgers, heh
* Raise the ticket prices and/or lower the amount of tickets sold. I know the event strives to be inclusive as possible, but the crowds/lines eventually become so massive that they actually destroy a lot of the enjoyment of the event. I mean, eventually it gets to a point where the number of cool events/panels doesnt matter, because you have no access to them.
* Some sort of "fast pass" system for popular panels and events. Similar to the system used at Disneyworld... a person can get a guaranteed reserved spot for a popular event by pre-registering for it ahead of time. With the right system it would cut down on a lot of the lines and shenanigans related to popular events. Maybe tie it to pre-registration and allow each user 1 or 2 fast passes to insure they have a chance at access to their preferred event.
* More comments on lines: It was drilled into my head from multiple PAX sources/officials that lines start 1 hour before a panel/event. So I show up to the Starcraft/Day 9 finals cast exactly one hour before it starts... only to find a completely massive wall of people and a wall of enforcers turning everyone away. A little consistency in rules would be appreciated. I could have been there hours early but stuck to the rules and got burned as a result.
* Some sort of icebreaker/mixer event for single visitors. Most people show up to PAX with their circle of friends or their families, which is great, and is the ideal experience. In fact, most things at PAX are built to accomodate that setup.... everything from team games to the ability for group to "save" each other spots in line.
For those of us who don't have that setup and just want to visit by ourselves, the deck is decidedly stacked against us. I am expecting resistance on this point to the effect that PAX attendees are so open and welcoming. I'd like to believe it, but the reality on the ground doesn't support this utopian view.
To this end, I would like to suggest an icebreaker/mixer event on the first day of PAX for single visitors where they can meet up with other single visitors. This would allow for some of us to bunch up, maybe find some like-minded people to form groups of our own.
I suspect many of the people coming to PAX are okay with the lines as-is, so you won't get much support for this.
I hadn't heard that myself, but definitely needs to have consistent handling, if that happened!
In many ways, I think the lines act as ice-breakers, which is why people are okay with them. We got talking to quite a few people in lines both at this PAX and Prime in September. Alternatively, did you look into one of the D&D intro sessions, for example? I was ditched (accounts differ, but I'm telling the story, so I'm claiming I was ditched) by my friend on the Saturday night, and considered those as a way of finding people to talk to. Label your badge with your name, people will greet you by name (well, they did me, anyway).
That's what my group did. During the con for lunch we just took the provided restaurant shuttle, had amazing local food. We ate all over the city for every other time period of the day. I can't encourage everyone enough to get out in the city and eat (monetary restrictions allowing). We had amazing food and beers wherever we went. It sucks you had to miss the sports bar by the Renaissance (where we stayed). We ate there Thursday night and Monday afternoon and ALL their food was amazing. Amazing burgers (huge), amazing hot dogs (huge), chicken wraps, on and on. They are brand new, only been opened a couple weeks (didn't even have desserts yet) and man, we were blown away by the price vs quality there. Just fantastic.
So, to actually suggest something in the suggestion thread:
Here's a google map I made of some of the places we went, if you'd like some smidget-approved places to plan for next year: Boston Food
I know that at various times we had to reduce the play-time to 30 minutes because of the lack of available computers and the sizable line outside. Unfortunately, can't really communicate that people who have already sat down, but when I bumped people, I explained the situation.
I'm not sure who told you one hour...I always told people at least an hour. PAX is huge and running exlusive fast pass or pre-reg for theatres could turn into a nightmare. This is an unfortunate side of any large con. My best suggestion for anything is line up as early as you can, anything you want to buy needs to be bought day 1 if possible, and pre-reg for the show early.
As far as meeting people, you're in the right place man! If you come next year, come up here to the forums and stay active. Hop into IRC and chill out. There are a TON of community events and ways to meet up with people. There was even a thread up here for meeting up with people that while leaving their home town alone, to meet up and hang out with there.
Also, this was the first time in the BCEC, I know there will be a lot taken away from it and a lot to reconsider for next year. Things filling up can't be helped. There are some panels that even if they were to accomodate a large portion of the con, would still fill up.
People can budget better, bring their own or take the shuttle for local eats.
I think that sometimes people need to put down the controller and step outside to other events different than PAX. Those prices weren't that bad considering what they charge at similar events.
We did leave, we had some very nice food! It just seems a bit absurd how much the center charges.
Eh, if the message is that we should eat elsewhere, I shall eat elsewhere!
Om nom nom nom nom nom...
Oh man, the one thing I miss most about Boston is the food! Take two hours away from the con and enjoy it. Anything they have at the convention center you can get a better version of within a mile of the BCEC. Also, make use of OpenTable where possible. Especially for things like brunch. I live for brunch.
Also, I don't think it makes much sense to actively attempt to throttle the size of the con without first looking to fill up the space a bit more.
Watch what games PAX has for the console free play. I checked out Red Steel 2 - only to realize that it requires the Wii Motion Plus. Console free play did not have Wii Motion Plus available, so couldn't play Red Steel 2. I also saw some copies of MAG for PS3 on the shelf back there - but, MAG is online-only and the console area was not connected at all.
+ enforcers were reallying enforcing this year. a lot less confusion within the PA family, queue lines were good, and well taken care of
HUGE negative: I am very upset with the BCEC staff. examples: they held the westin entrance until 8:30am with no reason on saturday, they were rude and brisk with PAX attendants, they tried to kick out the cookie brigade, they tried to kick out chiptune players.
I do not know how much say PA and the Mighty Khoo may have over the BCEC staff but better communication and better education to them would have been wonderful. I put this negative as part of the growing pains but hopefully by 3rd PAX East (and maybe in the same hall) we can get a more familiar staff.
Slight Negative: Better map thats all. I put my Pokewalker meetup in a room that didn't exist at the hall.
like i said this pax was a 9/10. BEST PAX EVER seriously. i enjoyed myself a lot more than last east. I been to every pax since 09 (which isnt a long time) so your doing great but we always need room for improvement.
1. Food Prices Were Awful. Why have an entire cafeteria if all the food is going to be cold, nasty and expensive? And if there's going to be a shuttle to go to other places, put some information out there for it. I'm only hearing about a shuttle now...
But seriously, 4$ for a cold rock hard pretzel? 13$ for a boring burger and fries?
2. The convention's layout was awful. The Table Top area didn't need to be so localized, it could have been in it's own part of the convention center. People are going there to sit and play games for hours anyway. Why keep them front and center?
Meanwhile, the handheld lounge was both small and out of the way, when it's an obvious place to rest. I say switch these two up. And don't waste so much space on tables in the cafe, no one wants to eat there. Use that space to make the expo hall feel less like a maze.
I am confused by this. If you entered the BCEC at the front of the building, it was a quarter of a mile around the side and down the escalators to get there. Really, I'm all in favour of the handheld lounge being out of the way. People are going to sit there and play games for hours anyway.
Oh, wait. It's *PAX*.
Thes.
+Efficiency given circumstances (2nd event in boston ever, and unprecedented attendance)
+Sheer number of options. Three days isn't enough!!
+Venue. BCEC is amazing. Yes, it's out of the way, but I prefer a big, luxurious place in the middle of nowhere to a smaller place in the middle of a block. The venue security (uniformed guards) were really courteous. Rent-a-cops tend to be really snotty at events like this. I actually had a conversation with one while I was in line for the League of Legends tournament...they were actually interested in this stuff which is nice for a change.
+Interactivity. I've never been to a convention more covered in QR codes. The nVidia mini games were phenomenal. I think next year the minigames should get even bigger, perhaps involving the city itself or the T.
----
-Food. I'm not complaining about the prices. Actually they were considerably less than what Madison Square Garden or Jacob Javitz Center charges. My issue is the quality...If you're gonna charge me that much for a teeny meal, it shouldn't give me a heart attack. I can go to mickeys and pay single-digits for that. MSG has an Outback kiosk built into their food-court. Jacob Javitz used to have local bakeries and delis provide food at incredibly juiced prices but at least the food was good and didn't give your the runs!!
-Schedule. I know scheduling things to please everyone is impossible, but it doesn't take a genius to differentiate between panels that sell out and ones that don't. That being said, whoever scheduled Day 9/Husky at the same time as the Video Game Orchestra is really, really stupid. I queued for Husky, forgoing the VGO, and ended up not getting into Husky. I ran up to VGO to find that it sold out too. Fail on both counts.
-Layout. The top 3 floors were perfect, essentially. Not much you could do to improve them short of tearing down walls, but MCCA might not appreciate that. Floor zero was a cluster of epic proportions. Having a "satellite" food court the same size as your exhibit hall that was never more than 10% full...just stupid. The queue room was all but useless. Next time use the Merman theatre as a queue room in the morning. The main floor should be primarily devoted to exhibit space, perhaps forming a sort of L-shape from the stairs at the entry concourse and running around by the entrance to Merman. The rest of the space would be for tabletop (same size as this year) and whatever's left can be extra food space.
-Plan B's. If you have to make a tough scheduling call for reasons out of your control, uStream the events. Actually, you should uStream all the panels anyway. Have a camera set up in the back of the room and someone should be uStreaming it live on a private channel that only PAX attendees can view. That way you can at least watch something you get barred from on your phone or whatever, or maybe rewatch a panel later. Panel sponsors could have ads placed on the stream replays/load screens and any streams that later end up on youtube.
I think getting more food trucks into the satellite food court would create a better, more unique atmosphere, and also use up some somewhat wasted space. Plus, with more options, supply goes up and demand goes down, making the vendors work a bit harder to get more of the money, which allows the guests to have more choice.
@HolyYakker, I understand your rant, and I feel your frustration. Let's face it, this "booth babe" debate isn't going to disappear any time soon, and the opinions are as vast as the magic decks handed out.
1) Realize that any event with large amounts of people in a single area with little access to outside food will yield very low value for dollar food
1a. Realize that Boston is a very nice city, and like all nice cities, has some high end restaurants that can cost a lot of money.
1b. Realize that many of the hotels in surronding area are 4 star hotels, and as such will have what some would consider unreasonable prices for meals.
2) Using this newfound insight we can draw the following conclusions:
2a. Expect to pay more for less at the convention, but have the convenience of staying at the event and getting back into the action quickly.
2b. Goto a local restaurant near the convention and pay a similar price, but yield higher food quality, however takes time away from the convention.
2c. Explore Boston to find a dollar menu restaurant and load up there with cheap but filling/tasty food, but take time away from the convention.
2d. Pack your own lunch and store in the hotel refrigerator. Bring it with you to the convention and eat at the tables with people who bought their own food. You will have to deal with lugging your lunch bag around until it is time to eat.
3) Given the current food situations, determine a course of action.
3a. Either save enough money to buy convention food, or nice food.
3b. Cope with eating fastfood dollar menu for the weekend, less money but more time away from convention
3c. Sit out the convention as it may simply be too much money to afford.
The bottom line is I think the complainers need to realize that while PAX is a great and fantastic event, it costs a lot of money to run. Part of that is the BCEC has food contractors to help pay for the cost of the building. Now I'm sure a lot of people may bitch about corporate greed and such, and that is completely within your rights to do so.
But let me ask you this, which venue is NOT out there to turn a huge profit for holding events like PAX?
Also, for people complaining about the Westin. I didn't think people who could afford to stay there would complain about room cost/food cost. Its like buying a Porsche and bitching about having to fill up with premium fuel.
You are making it seem like we are in the wrong for wanting to eat something that's actually edible. I would be fine with paying 7 bucks for a tiny-ass burrito if it actually tasted alright. My problem was that it was dry and flavorless. I am not asking for 5 star quizine. What I am asking for is decent tasting and portioned meals. Back on the burrito I had, it was dry, and was mostly shell and rice. I am not even going to start on the 7 corn chips and half oz of salsa.
Saying that the PA folks have no control over the food is silly. It's like saying a fair or carnival has no control over their food. They are paying big bucks to get these people here. They DO have a say in what is served if they choose to assert themselves. I don't want to have to walk half a mile to a mile in the middle of the day to find decent food. It's bad enough that every restaurant in 2 mile radius of the con had over an hour wait for dinner.
Other books I bought were the 20th Anniversay Street Fighter art book, Okami Complete Works, and I got my copy of Half-LIfe 2: Raising the Bar signed by the Valve guys.
Believe it or not, putting two or even three very popular events against each other is a very smart move. There is just not enough room for every attendee to see these events. You'll never get to see EVERYTHING at PAX and you will need to choose. This way, more people will get to see X popular event that they really wanted to see.
Yes it means sometimes you won't get to see either, but trust me, there is still LOTS going on that you can still have a totally blast!
If it's "shitty", then don't buy it. The PA folks aren't like a fair or a carnival where the food comes from off-site. The BCEC has a contract with the food merchants, they are the ones who call the shots. Penny Arcade Megacorp is just renting out the space. It's like blaming Disney for the quality of the food at TDBank Garden when you bring your daughter there to see Disney on Ice. It's the venue's call, not the convention renting the space for a weekend. They're not going to hire a full restaurant staff. Plus, from what I hear Robert Khoo really liked the pulled-pork sandwiches at the food court.
Walking half a mile isn't going to kill you and you could probably use the vitamin D and exercise in-between being at a crowded convention center and playing video games.
Here's some actual advice:
If people really are upset about the food and they can't get into the city to have a real meal PAX will need something mobile. Boston has a great selection of food trucks. When I lived in Boston they had a gathering of all the best food trucks at SoWa market over the spring, summer and early autumn. I don't imagine these trucks are doing a whole lot during this time of year, as their season doesn't really start until the weather warms up a little more. They'd most-likely love to come and compete against each other on the PAX grounds.
It's the most realistic option I can think of, but nerds always find a reason to complain about things without ever offering reasonable suggestions.
As far as the food issue goes, what I actually did was buy stuff to make sandwiches for during the day, then go out to eat after the expo hall closed at night. I brought two sandwiches and two snacks, plus a bottle of water for during the day. The tap water quality was great, so refilling at the water fountains wasn't an issue. This plan has saved me a lot of money and hassle (I turn into a snarling she-beast when I'm hungry) the past two PAX Easts. If you don't have a fridge/mini-fridge at your hotel, don't worry! PB and J is totally fine not being refrigerated. No, it's not a gourmet meal, that's what a nice dinner is for. Plus, you can eat while waiting in line for a panel, so you never have to miss anything!
I did find the layout confusing for the first...hour, but I actually found the locations logical. I loved the tabletop area's location and thought it was a smart decision to put it in a semi-secluded area so you could actually hear the people you were at the table with.
My one complaint would actually be perhaps with the exhibitors themselves, rather than how PAX was set up. The lines to play a game/watch gameplay footage/try out the 3DS were monstrous. I know DNF's demo was 20 minutes, maybe it could be reduced to 15? I don't really have any foolproof ideas on how the wait could be reduced, but it's definitely something I'd like considered. I was completely deterred by the wait at many of the booths. Waiting in line an hour and a half for DNF was sort of fun in that I was talking to people working the booth, but that also means I lost out on a lot of other stuff. I don't know, maybe the only win-win solution is to bend space and time.
The 3DS line was far from monstrous. I played 3 times over the weekend and never waited more than 20 minutes. It was probably one of the best setup areas as the line was out of the way, moved quickly and the demos were nice and short.
I support this suggestion to bend space and time. I'd pay significantly more for my badge if it came with this option.