answered all questions honestly and tried to include as much constructive feedback as possible. if anything comes to mind than i didn't include, i'll add it here.
though just to stress the point, should there ever be a Euro PAX, London would be my least preferential location.
though just to stress the point, should there ever be a Euro PAX, London would be my least preferential location.
Why? It's incredibly well connected, and relatively cheap to get to. Coming from east-coast Scotland, short of having it in Edinburgh, York, or further down the train line, I can't envision it being anywhere easier to get to for me at least.
though just to stress the point, should there ever be a Euro PAX, London would be my least preferential location.
While I agree that London is expensive and that many in the UK abhore the place for a variety of reasons, one must remember that this will not be a 'UK PAX' but a 'Euro PAX'. Meaning that people from all over Europe will be attending it and London is the easiest place for them to get to!
My personal view for a while was that Birmingham should be its location, but my mind was changed when I considered the number of Europeans that would be attending the show.
Oh and before you ask, no I'm not from Birmingham, but I am in fact a London resident
There must be a PAX Mid West, or PAX South (or, as Scott Kurtz calls it, "PAX Racism").
Otherwise, East was just great!
MJPM on
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ColdbrewDown in Front ProductionsLake Stevens, WARegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
The question regarding how many miles, round trip, one traveled to attend PAX East 2011 is bogus. The highest answer is 1,000+? Bah, I traveled over 6,000!
Also, I don't think America needs another PAX. This coming from somebody who lives outside Seattle, I would love to see a Euro-PAX. It would give me an excuse to visit some place entirely new.
Also, I don't think America needs another PAX. This coming from somebody who lives outside Seattle, I would love to see a Euro-PAX. It would give me an excuse to visit some place entirely new.
I think many people, European and North American, would agree. However what about timing? It'd have to be either very close to one of the existing PAX (Prime would seem the most obvious as East is more likely to draw in Europeans) or in the middle of the summer (in between the other two, but not at Christmas).
Landerolin on
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ColdbrewDown in Front ProductionsLake Stevens, WARegistered Userregular
Also, timing could indeed be an issue. I'm pretty sure most of America's bigger conventions (PAX East, MAGFest, San Diego Comic Con, CES, even Seattle-local conventions like Sakura-con and Emerald City Comic Con) take place during the first half of the year. So as you mentioned, a time closer to Prime, or mid-summer anyway, would probably be most ideal, for potential attendee's from either region.
Coldbrew on
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ProprietyPAX Pokemon League Leader!Registered Userregular
edited March 2011
I... I may have compared the experience of attending PAX to being "dipped, naked, into a vat of ginger ale."
The metaphors... may have gotten away from me. If so, I apologize.
Propriety on
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Love Pokemon? Going to PAX Prime/East/Aus/South? Challenge the PAX Pokemon League!!!
The question regarding how many miles, round trip, one traveled to attend PAX East 2011 is bogus. The highest answer is 1,000+? Bah, I traveled over 6,000!
I'm with the 7,500 crowd. I'll do 11k to Prime.
Anyway, I had a point; it doesn't matter. They probably care mostly how to categorize you. Over 1k miles, you just get lumped into "came a bloody long way"
Time, method & cost of travel might be interesting stats to collect separately though (for example, the train group spends longer traveling than I do, although presumably a lot less money).
though just to stress the point, should there ever be a Euro PAX, London would be my least preferential location.
While I agree that London is expensive and that many in the UK abhore the place for a variety of reasons, one must remember that this will not be a 'UK PAX' but a 'Euro PAX'. Meaning that people from all over Europe will be attending it and London is the easiest place for them to get to!
My personal view for a while was that Birmingham should be its location, but my mind was changed when I considered the number of Europeans that would be attending the show.
Oh and before you ask, no I'm not from Birmingham, but I am in fact a London resident
really? London is the easiest place to get to in Europe from anywhere/everywhere within Europe? easier than say, Barcelona? Madrid? Paris? Milan? Rome? Berlin? Munich? Prague? do i need to go on?
the last survey on the subject suggested quite heavily that if/when PAX comes to Europe it will be in England. even the few options outside London where still in England. now I'm sure that are lots of logistical reasons for this, first and foremost the (near)lack of a language barrier. however it does seem that a pre-emptive decision has been made on an event that wont happen for at least a couple of years(I'd personally estimate 2014 at the earliest).
i will admit that in filling in the survey i did take the chance to champion Glasgow as a possible location. not just because i live here, but because the city is establishing itself as a prime location for conferences/expos both equalling and surpassing some of the other cities i listed about. do i think PAX will be hosted in glasgow? no. do i think PAX should be hosted in glasgow? i'll be completely honest and say i'm not even close to being 100% sure that it should. however i do think it is(along with several other locations across Europe) worth considering.
having said all that, its not that i don't believe that those involved in scouting and selecting the location have look at and are giving every consideration to a multitude of locations just that what we've been presented with so far does not reflect that.
i'd like to stress that having attended both PAX Easts there is nothing that would keep me from attending Euro PAX no matter where it is held. i just feel that London seem to be the easiest location and not necessarily the best.
really? London is the easiest place to get to in Europe from anywhere/everywhere within Europe? easier than say, Barcelona? Madrid? Paris? Milan? Rome? Berlin? Munich? Prague? do i need to go on?
the last survey on the subject suggested quite heavily that if/when PAX comes to Europe it will be in England. even the few options outside London where still in England. now I'm sure that are lots of logistical reasons for this, first and foremost the (near)lack of a language barrier. however it does seem that a pre-emptive decision has been made on an event that wont happen for at least a couple of years(I'd personally estimate 2014 at the earliest).
i will admit that in filling in the survey i did take the chance to champion Glasgow as a possible location. not just because i live here, but because the city is establishing itself as a prime location for conferences/expos both equalling and surpassing some of the other cities i listed about. do i think PAX will be hosted in glasgow? no. do i think PAX should be hosted in glasgow? i'll be completely honest and say i'm not even close to being 100% sure that it should. however i do think it is(along with several other locations across Europe) worth considering.
The NEC in Birmingham, might be better; 20 halls adding to a total of over 200,000m2 of space, although the biggest is 14,100m2, and it's unclear to me how panels would fit into this...
Having travelled (extra L intentional) Europe extensively, yes London makes a lot of sense, especially as you often have to travel out of your way to it to get somewhere else. Yes, somewhere like Germany might be more central, but you're also forgetting this:
It's put on by English speakers.
I think Khoo has enough headaches as it is.
Having travelled (extra L intentional) Europe extensively, yes London makes a lot of sense, especially as you often have to travel out of your way to it to get somewhere else. Yes, somewhere like Germany might be more central, but you're also forgetting this:
It's put on by English speakers.
I think Khoo has enough headaches as it is.
Germany also already has two huge gaming conferences, Gamescom and GDC Europe.
Germany also already has two huge gaming conferences, Gamescom and GDC Europe.
This. It's weird, but due to the odd nature of us Europeans people would be less likely to go to a PAX Europe if it happened in France or Germany, say, even if they lived there. PAX Germany? Pfft, wait for GamesCom. But PAX UK? Now that's Going On A Trip. Europeans like excuses to take field trips to other European countries, and the fact that English is spoken to at least a basic level by most European nerds makes the UK the ideal choice. (Plus, there's the fact that the UK has a pretty strong games industry.)
This. It's weird, but due to the odd nature of us Europeans people would be less likely to go to a PAX Europe if it happened in France or Germany, say, even if they lived there. PAX Germany? Pfft, wait for GamesCom. But PAX UK? Now that's Going On A Trip. Europeans like excuses to take field trips to other European countries, and the fact that English is spoken to at least a basic level by most European nerds makes the UK the ideal choice. (Plus, there's the fact that the UK has a pretty strong games industry.)
Certainly, I don't make the transatlantic hop to PAX Prime/East just because I like computer games, either. We had 4 days around PAX last year (for Prime), during which we saw quite a lot of Seattle (and I learnt to travel home before PAX flu hits), and it was part of a bigger holiday for me. Boston for East was a bit more rushed, but we still spent a day and a half just wandering Boston.
I think quite a few US peeps who go to Prime/East would go to PAX UK for the journey, but may be less comfortable going to a country where they don't speak the language!
really? London is the easiest place to get to in Europe from anywhere/everywhere within Europe? easier than say, Barcelona? Madrid? Paris? Milan? Rome? Berlin? Munich? Prague? do i need to go on?
the last survey on the subject suggested quite heavily that if/when PAX comes to Europe it will be in England. even the few options outside London where still in England. now I'm sure that are lots of logistical reasons for this, first and foremost the (near)lack of a language barrier. however it does seem that a pre-emptive decision has been made on an event that wont happen for at least a couple of years(I'd personally estimate 2014 at the earliest).
i will admit that in filling in the survey i did take the chance to champion Glasgow as a possible location. not just because i live here, but because the city is establishing itself as a prime location for conferences/expos both equalling and surpassing some of the other cities i listed about. do i think PAX will be hosted in glasgow? no. do i think PAX should be hosted in glasgow? i'll be completely honest and say i'm not even close to being 100% sure that it should. however i do think it is(along with several other locations across Europe) worth considering.
The NEC in Birmingham, might be better; 20 halls adding to a total of over 200,000m2 of space, although the biggest is 14,100m2, and it's unclear to me how panels would fit into this...
ok, i was kinda being a dick on the 'London being easier to get to' thing. but the point still stands that when asked to give our opinions/preferences the choices were fairly limited. sure it may be that most Europeans would rather travel to the UK than any other nation state for what ever reason(s), but should this really just be assumed to be true?
as for Glasgow and the SECC, as i said even i'm not fully convinced that its the best location for PAX. however i do know it and Glasgow better than any of the other locations i mentioned(and the multitude that i didn't), so if i'm going to push for an alternative i might as well go with the familiar.
on the other hand, there is a precedent for holding the first new PAX in a smaller venue to gauge interest, both from attendees and publishers/developers. i think i remember a few expressing that the Hynes was too small to contain PAX East(albeit after the event), and of course a move to the larger BCEC had already been arranged. then again perhaps that was a lesson learnt and the intention is to do as much as possible not to limit Euro PAX in size or status.
in the end there will be plenty of reason for choosing one location over another and i'm certain that no matter where it is held Euro PAX will be just as awesome, breathtaking and fun as either Prime or East. the whole point of the surveys and the threads that accompany them is to give opinions, ideas and feedback. yes some of that will be more valuable, some will be biased(i'll gladly put my hand up there), there is probably some that just end up incomprehensible(really hope i didn't fall into that bracket), but i honestly believe that those who are going to be sifting through it all will be able to sort the good from the bad and take all useful info on board. can only apologize if i make that task harder and more tedious.
I wish I had known about him when filling out the survey... but I think it'd be neat to get this guy for the concerts... even just for "intermission" tunes between bands setting up. Wouldn't that be neat?
Imagine if you told people in advance that he was coming, and people came with sheet music for him to recompose on the spot. Apparently that's his big schtick: he can recompose essentially in real time, if it's not an internet hoax.
Dang, I forgot when I took the survey, but I want PA to force Anamanaguchi to be at every PAX. And also to get Freezepop to play a set in their own freakin hometown!
agreed on having anamanguchi next year. was hoping they'd be there this year...
and i dont think i'd wanna see PAX East anywhere else but Boston. It just fits there. as much as i'd love to have it in my own backyard in NY at the Javitz, i dont think NY would do a good job hosting it. hotels, food, and whatnot are even higher here than in boston.
and color me interested in a EuroPAX... i'd go
TeknoRed10 on
"Walking the path of Heaven, the man who will rule everything."
I wish I had known about him when filling out the survey... but I think it'd be neat to get this guy for the concerts... even just for "intermission" tunes between bands setting up. Wouldn't that be neat?
Imagine if you told people in advance that he was coming, and people came with sheet music for him to recompose on the spot. Apparently that's his big schtick: he can recompose essentially in real time, if it's not an internet hoax.
Just filled out mine as well, hope it was beneficial in the long term! Roughly 700 miles for me round trip and I mentioned either Chicago or Florida for another PAX but the thought of a PAX overseas does sound good. There's already TGS (hopefully it'll happen this year in Japan) and GDC is in Germany right? A UK event would be cool, since there are a ton of European based Devs anyways!
SoberChef on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratorMod Emeritus
edited April 2011
Gamescom is in Germany. GDC is in San Francisco (I think), Austin and I think there's a third in Europe but I can't remember where.
I know I love the idea of a PAXLondon... But.... No love for Cardiff? I mean... PAXCardiff.. That would kind of be amazing.
Menolly07 on
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0
Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratorMod Emeritus
edited April 2011
Last I heard, they ruled out Cardiff because they didn't want PAX to be too close to the space/time rift. That many geeks near that kind of anomaly can cause a catastrophic space/time disturbance if not handled very delicately.
Filled out my survey but I wanted to post something I put in my survey just because I know it will be lost amongst the hundres (thousands?) of surveys filled out.
The Expo Hall needs some serious improvement. While it was larger this year, a lot of space was wasted on the queue room. The aisles in the Expo Hall were cramped as hell and they didn't need to be. The queue room was empty for 80-90% of the day. Completely wasted space. Improving the isle size of the expo hall would be a good idea. It would also give some room for some more vendors.
The other point also has to do with the expo hall and its crowding. The raffles on all 3 days crowded the aisles. I was standing next to Mike Fehleur (I think that's how it spelled) when he told the Zalman/Zoltac guys on Saturday that their raffle was blocking the entire aisle from being passed through. They weren't the only booth to have this happen but just an example I saw. I'm pro-raffles, they're great for everyone involved, but they need to have their own area. Maybe a small stage off the side that the various vendors will use at scheduled times. This keeps the crowd out of the main expo area and helps with the over crowding.
Hmm, I actually didn't think too hard about the expo hall, but now that I AM thinking about it I have to agree. I seem to recall the cafeteria space being EXTREMELY under-utilized throughout the convention, couldn't that space be used for queuing and the current queue line space turned into more expo hall space?
Also, while Tabletop was awesome in every way and I had a fantastic time, I think that noise levels in there were a huge problem (it got a little hard to explain what my DnD character was doing at times. Ended up doing a lot of shouting.)
Posts
though just to stress the point, should there ever be a Euro PAX, London would be my least preferential location.
Why? It's incredibly well connected, and relatively cheap to get to. Coming from east-coast Scotland, short of having it in Edinburgh, York, or further down the train line, I can't envision it being anywhere easier to get to for me at least.
While I agree that London is expensive and that many in the UK abhore the place for a variety of reasons, one must remember that this will not be a 'UK PAX' but a 'Euro PAX'. Meaning that people from all over Europe will be attending it and London is the easiest place for them to get to!
My personal view for a while was that Birmingham should be its location, but my mind was changed when I considered the number of Europeans that would be attending the show.
Oh and before you ask, no I'm not from Birmingham, but I am in fact a London resident
Otherwise, East was just great!
Also, I don't think America needs another PAX. This coming from somebody who lives outside Seattle, I would love to see a Euro-PAX. It would give me an excuse to visit some place entirely new.
Pleeeeeeeeease?
Pfffft, 7,540!
I think many people, European and North American, would agree. However what about timing? It'd have to be either very close to one of the existing PAX (Prime would seem the most obvious as East is more likely to draw in Europeans) or in the middle of the summer (in between the other two, but not at Christmas).
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Touché sir.
Also, timing could indeed be an issue. I'm pretty sure most of America's bigger conventions (PAX East, MAGFest, San Diego Comic Con, CES, even Seattle-local conventions like Sakura-con and Emerald City Comic Con) take place during the first half of the year. So as you mentioned, a time closer to Prime, or mid-summer anyway, would probably be most ideal, for potential attendee's from either region.
The metaphors... may have gotten away from me. If so, I apologize.
Love Pokemon? Going to PAX Prime/East/Aus/South? Challenge the PAX Pokemon League!!!
I'm with the 7,500 crowd. I'll do 11k to Prime.
Anyway, I had a point; it doesn't matter. They probably care mostly how to categorize you. Over 1k miles, you just get lumped into "came a bloody long way"
Time, method & cost of travel might be interesting stats to collect separately though (for example, the train group spends longer traveling than I do, although presumably a lot less money).
When you think about it though... it's a pretty accurate metaphor... and I'm ashamed to admit that.
really? London is the easiest place to get to in Europe from anywhere/everywhere within Europe? easier than say, Barcelona? Madrid? Paris? Milan? Rome? Berlin? Munich? Prague? do i need to go on?
the last survey on the subject suggested quite heavily that if/when PAX comes to Europe it will be in England. even the few options outside London where still in England. now I'm sure that are lots of logistical reasons for this, first and foremost the (near)lack of a language barrier. however it does seem that a pre-emptive decision has been made on an event that wont happen for at least a couple of years(I'd personally estimate 2014 at the earliest).
i will admit that in filling in the survey i did take the chance to champion Glasgow as a possible location. not just because i live here, but because the city is establishing itself as a prime location for conferences/expos both equalling and surpassing some of the other cities i listed about. do i think PAX will be hosted in glasgow? no. do i think PAX should be hosted in glasgow? i'll be completely honest and say i'm not even close to being 100% sure that it should. however i do think it is(along with several other locations across Europe) worth considering.
having said all that, its not that i don't believe that those involved in scouting and selecting the location have look at and are giving every consideration to a multitude of locations just that what we've been presented with so far does not reflect that.
i'd like to stress that having attended both PAX Easts there is nothing that would keep me from attending Euro PAX no matter where it is held. i just feel that London seem to be the easiest location and not necessarily the best.
I had meant in the UK, given that...
So, the sheer scale of PAX is a serious challenge here. The SECC's biggest hall is 10,065m2 (http://www.secc.co.uk/organise/conferences.aspx), while Earl's Court has two substantially bigger than this (17,000m2 and 18,860m2: http://www.eco.co.uk/p/conference-space/88 ). To put this in perspective, the BCEC 's main hall alone is 47,900m2 (http://www.advantageboston.com/bcec/ - although that lists it in square feet).
The NEC in Birmingham, might be better; 20 halls adding to a total of over 200,000m2 of space, although the biggest is 14,100m2, and it's unclear to me how panels would fit into this...
It's put on by English speakers.
I think Khoo has enough headaches as it is.
Germany also already has two huge gaming conferences, Gamescom and GDC Europe.
Thanks for giving us a chance to provide feedback on the show!
[ XBL: NemesisFuzz | PSN: Deefuzz ]
Certainly, I don't make the transatlantic hop to PAX Prime/East just because I like computer games, either. We had 4 days around PAX last year (for Prime), during which we saw quite a lot of Seattle (and I learnt to travel home before PAX flu hits), and it was part of a bigger holiday for me. Boston for East was a bit more rushed, but we still spent a day and a half just wandering Boston.
I think quite a few US peeps who go to Prime/East would go to PAX UK for the journey, but may be less comfortable going to a country where they don't speak the language!
ok, i was kinda being a dick on the 'London being easier to get to' thing. but the point still stands that when asked to give our opinions/preferences the choices were fairly limited. sure it may be that most Europeans would rather travel to the UK than any other nation state for what ever reason(s), but should this really just be assumed to be true?
as for Glasgow and the SECC, as i said even i'm not fully convinced that its the best location for PAX. however i do know it and Glasgow better than any of the other locations i mentioned(and the multitude that i didn't), so if i'm going to push for an alternative i might as well go with the familiar.
on the other hand, there is a precedent for holding the first new PAX in a smaller venue to gauge interest, both from attendees and publishers/developers. i think i remember a few expressing that the Hynes was too small to contain PAX East(albeit after the event), and of course a move to the larger BCEC had already been arranged. then again perhaps that was a lesson learnt and the intention is to do as much as possible not to limit Euro PAX in size or status.
in the end there will be plenty of reason for choosing one location over another and i'm certain that no matter where it is held Euro PAX will be just as awesome, breathtaking and fun as either Prime or East. the whole point of the surveys and the threads that accompany them is to give opinions, ideas and feedback. yes some of that will be more valuable, some will be biased(i'll gladly put my hand up there), there is probably some that just end up incomprehensible(really hope i didn't fall into that bracket), but i honestly believe that those who are going to be sifting through it all will be able to sort the good from the bad and take all useful info on board. can only apologize if i make that task harder and more tedious.
Tom Brier
Imagine if you told people in advance that he was coming, and people came with sheet music for him to recompose on the spot. Apparently that's his big schtick: he can recompose essentially in real time, if it's not an internet hoax.
and i dont think i'd wanna see PAX East anywhere else but Boston. It just fits there. as much as i'd love to have it in my own backyard in NY at the Javitz, i dont think NY would do a good job hosting it. hotels, food, and whatnot are even higher here than in boston.
and color me interested in a EuroPAX... i'd go
I wholeheartedly agree.
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Inside the TARDIS? Isn't that dangerous? I hear you can get lost in there...
And people were complaining the Boston Convention Center was too big....
Love Pokemon? Going to PAX Prime/East/Aus/South? Challenge the PAX Pokemon League!!!
The Expo Hall needs some serious improvement. While it was larger this year, a lot of space was wasted on the queue room. The aisles in the Expo Hall were cramped as hell and they didn't need to be. The queue room was empty for 80-90% of the day. Completely wasted space. Improving the isle size of the expo hall would be a good idea. It would also give some room for some more vendors.
The other point also has to do with the expo hall and its crowding. The raffles on all 3 days crowded the aisles. I was standing next to Mike Fehleur (I think that's how it spelled) when he told the Zalman/Zoltac guys on Saturday that their raffle was blocking the entire aisle from being passed through. They weren't the only booth to have this happen but just an example I saw. I'm pro-raffles, they're great for everyone involved, but they need to have their own area. Maybe a small stage off the side that the various vendors will use at scheduled times. This keeps the crowd out of the main expo area and helps with the over crowding.
Also, while Tabletop was awesome in every way and I had a fantastic time, I think that noise levels in there were a huge problem (it got a little hard to explain what my DnD character was doing at times. Ended up doing a lot of shouting.)