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I am personally excited. But I am seeing a lot of mixed reactions, which I think are also valid. There is definitely some concern here, but 3 months out seems like a good timeline for more vaccinations to occur. And WA state itself is in a good place, vaccine wise. I am optimistic.
I just don't know.
I think the immunity of a fully vaccinated persona against Delta is 87%. Those are pretty good odds normally. But a crowded convention with low mask usage (my baseline assumption at this point). And I know it's supposed to be 1/2 capacity, but is it 1/2 capacity with the the same floorspace as before? Do they have some way to limit crowding at booths/VIPs/lines? 10 weeks seems awfully soon.
I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm planning to go. I'm vaccinated. I'm still gonna take precautions. But I will definitely still keep an eye on the numbers and variants. I'm not afraid to hit the eject button if I need to.
I'm 100% in. Either vaccines worked, or they didn't. I took covid very seriously, worked from home, stayed home a lot, and was safe and always masked in public. I got vaccinated once I could in my area.
I understand caution, but I don't know what else you can do at this point if it didn't work. I'm all in, bring on PAX in person.
I'm 100% in. Either vaccines worked, or they didn't. I took covid very seriously, worked from home, stayed home a lot, and was safe and always masked in public. I got vaccinated once I could in my area.
I understand caution, but I don't know what else you can do at this point if it didn't work. I'm all in, bring on PAX in person.
The issue is more those who refuse to get vaccinated and don't take this seriously, as well as those who cannot get vaccinated. I like the precautions and safety measures they've put into place. I do think it's risky with the Delta variant on the rise, but I like that they're showing they want to do what they can to stop the spread.
Let's be honest, we needed some type of guidelines even before the Evil "C". I am down to go but I want to be safe as well. I just hope everyone else in our community does their due diligence to make it a better place.
I think the safety precautions they've put in will be sufficient, as long as they are continuously enforced. Having everyone masked is good, and probably the main reason (besides being vaccinated) that I feel good about going; but I hope they seriously enforce those mask rules at the con. I don't want to hear a "but my medical condition!" while I'm there, and have it be a legitimate excuse for not wearing a mask inside the con.
I can't help but wish that there was a mandatory vaccination requirement. I feel like anyone going that is not vaccinated is all but guaranteed to bring Covid back home with them.
I'd also love to see if exhibitors are onboard before tickets go on sale... but as it is, it sounds like maybe they are still discussing with the venue, city and state about capacity and safety guidelines. Not sure how much more info we would see before tickets go on sale if that is the case.
All that said, pretty damn excited for PAX and it would rock if it was a little less crowded... it would also be ironic if this was the one year that I didn't get super sick after!
+1
bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
I'd also love to see if exhibitors are onboard before tickets go on sale... but as it is, it sounds like maybe they are still discussing with the venue, city and state about capacity and safety guidelines. Not sure how much more info we would see before tickets go on sale if that is the case.
And that is the trick, isn't it?
For me, this is one group that I looked forward to seeing, and if they are not showing up...
I can't help but wish that there was a mandatory vaccination requirement.
Oof, you and me both. Would be a great way to naturally cut down on attendance for the 25-30% who aren't vaccinated. Plus, it would give huge peace of mind to those of us who are. I'd still wear a mask if that was the case, but would just rather know that those around me have taken every measure possible to prevent the spread of COVID.
I do think we need to get back to normal, but I wonder about safety since PAX pox was a thing even in non-pandemic years! Vaccines seem to work well as far as preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, but I don't want to get covid at all, really.
CA has vaccine requirements for conventions/concerts/"mega events" - people can still lie and/or present fake vaccination cards, but it does give me a bit more confidence in considering large events like conventions, concerts, etc..
What are Washington's vaccine requirements for conventions and large events?
Oddly enough I'd feel pretty OK visiting Seattle itself because of its low infection rate, but PAX could have from all over coming in via airports filled with the delta "15 5 to 10-second transmission" variant... I think many of the precautions were developed for less infectious variants (though also with lower levels of vaccination and immunity.)
In seems like it could potentially be the best PAX ever (smaller crowds, massive enthusiasm, backlog of great games) or the worst (no exhibitors, delta superspreader expo, game over.)
Apparently Bumbershoot, which is also in Seattle and usually the same weekend as PAX, is canceled (possibly permanently.)
However its attendance had apparently dropped over the past few years, so it may not entirely be due to covid. Also the full festival/music/concert schedule doesn't seem like it will be back to normal by September.
Apparently prime.paxsite.com and west.paxsite.com are no longer the same? Strange.
Registration (supposedly in the next two weeks) is 'SOON' as they say.
Edit: I noticed this confusing/dark pattern in the newsletter sign-up:
"Our Reed Exhibitions affiliates may also wish to send you information on similar products, services and other events. If you do not wish to receive such information, please tick here"
Apparently prime.paxsite.com and west.paxsite.com are no longer the same? Strange.
There's been an under-the-hood redirect for prime and west for a long time, but it looks like it's out of sync since the new site was put up for west but the older ones are still present for aus/south/unplugged. I'm sure it will be modified eventually once all the older ones are phased out.
After missing out on 2019 (because 2018 had some..issues imho), and the pandemic messing up 2020, I'm happy I can take my yearly retreat. I'm already booked for flight and airbnb, just waiting on badges to drop!
So......the registration page on the new website didn't update with the ability to get badges until much later. Like a full 10 minutes later....I wonder if that managed to mess some people up.
I'm not going this year, fingers crossed for next year, but I did check out the hotel bookings and it's still so inaccessible. You'd have thought they'd do something about that by now. Like, why would it not be set up to book for the whole stay?
I'm not going this year, fingers crossed for next year, but I did check out the hotel bookings and it's still so inaccessible. You'd have thought they'd do something about that by now. Like, why would it not be set up to book for the whole stay?
Yeah. The whole, "only book the show days and then we'll move you to the days/hotel you want" is so cumbersome. Just let me book it.
In other news, 4 days seem to still be showing for me, which I think is a testament to how many people don't feel ready to return just yet.
Yeah, I went to check, and I can still get four days, and all four days separately if I want to. I got what I wanted, but I am surprised there are so many badges left still. Definitely speaks to people's hesitancy.
But, as a county, we have our mask mandate lifted today. We hit 70% on June 15, which then triggered a two week countdown. But of course, many people are going to be coming from out of town. I can only hope they all keep their masks on, and are (hopefully) vaccinated.
Kind of surprising that 4-day badges are still available. What was the last year that they didn't sell out right away?
The caution makes sense due to the unpredictability of the pandemic as well as not knowing whether exhibitors are going to show up. I could imagine it being canceled if tickets don't reach a critical mass and exhibitors aren't showing.
I think a lot of people don't feel comfortable with this, which is understandable. I got our badges and we are excited. to go. I am expecting a little mayhem though with the amount of temp checks that will be performed on the daily.
I can't wait for PAX West 2021! I'll be fully vaccinated by then and will be wearing a mask as I've been overly cautious ever since March of 2020.
I hope most people wear a mask and are vaccinated. If PAX gets canceled, then I'll just hang out with Seattle friends.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this year. I think Nintendo will be there and that's all I care about.
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
+1
bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
Well, the badges going live today was unexpected for me, but I did get right in and reserved my 4 days. I figure that if things go pear shaped for me, I can resell them, at cost of course, to someone.
Hmm, now they tweeted "running low" but I'm unsure what that means. I wonder how many attendees they are expecting? I think PAX is probably normally around 35K but I don't actually know the official numbers.
Hmm, now they tweeted "running low" but I'm unsure what that means. I wonder how many attendees they are expecting? I think PAX is probably normally around 35K but I don't actually know the official numbers.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they have a relatively low number of 4 days comparatively even with reduced attendance and an expectation that most people will probably just come in for a day or two and head back out.
0
bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
Hmm, now they tweeted "running low" but I'm unsure what that means. I wonder how many attendees they are expecting? I think PAX is probably normally around 35K but I don't actually know the official numbers.
IIRC, they did state in the health and safety pages that there is a hard cap on the number of people who can be in the convention centre at a given time, so I'm guessing they also have lowered the number of bobcats for sale. Either that, or the pent up demand of PAX thirsty geeks is pretty high right now :P
they did state in the health and safety pages that there is a hard cap on the number of people who can be in the convention centre at a given time
We were all ready to give it a chance until we read this. We just imagined getting there late, wherever we wanted to go hitting its cap and having to wait until everyone went to lunch before we were able to get in. It just wasn't clear enough for us to move forward with buying tickets then. Maybe things will be clarified more soon, especially if they end up not selling as quickly as maybe anticipated.
They just tweeted that 4 days bobcats are sold out. Single days still available. I wonder how many they allocated for each, between the 4 days and the single days.
So the hotels were definitely strange... currently, the Grand Hyatt is showing rooms at $199+. Sheraton and Grand Hyatt weren't showing when I signed up so I booked something else, but now they're there and most nights are unavailable.
So I went to the Grand Hyatt website and booked there, for $150/night for all the days of the show. Sheraton's available too but a little pricier on their site at the moment.
Posts
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
I think the immunity of a fully vaccinated persona against Delta is 87%. Those are pretty good odds normally. But a crowded convention with low mask usage (my baseline assumption at this point). And I know it's supposed to be 1/2 capacity, but is it 1/2 capacity with the the same floorspace as before? Do they have some way to limit crowding at booths/VIPs/lines? 10 weeks seems awfully soon.
I understand caution, but I don't know what else you can do at this point if it didn't work. I'm all in, bring on PAX in person.
The issue is more those who refuse to get vaccinated and don't take this seriously, as well as those who cannot get vaccinated. I like the precautions and safety measures they've put into place. I do think it's risky with the Delta variant on the rise, but I like that they're showing they want to do what they can to stop the spread.
This year will be our first as a married couple after nine years of dating!!
"The couple who plays together, stays together."
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
I'd also love to see if exhibitors are onboard before tickets go on sale... but as it is, it sounds like maybe they are still discussing with the venue, city and state about capacity and safety guidelines. Not sure how much more info we would see before tickets go on sale if that is the case.
All that said, pretty damn excited for PAX and it would rock if it was a little less crowded... it would also be ironic if this was the one year that I didn't get super sick after!
For me, this is one group that I looked forward to seeing, and if they are not showing up...
Oof, you and me both. Would be a great way to naturally cut down on attendance for the 25-30% who aren't vaccinated. Plus, it would give huge peace of mind to those of us who are. I'd still wear a mask if that was the case, but would just rather know that those around me have taken every measure possible to prevent the spread of COVID.
CA has vaccine requirements for conventions/concerts/"mega events" - people can still lie and/or present fake vaccination cards, but it does give me a bit more confidence in considering large events like conventions, concerts, etc..
What are Washington's vaccine requirements for conventions and large events?
Oddly enough I'd feel pretty OK visiting Seattle itself because of its low infection rate, but PAX could have from all over coming in via airports filled with the delta "15 5 to 10-second transmission" variant... I think many of the precautions were developed for less infectious variants (though also with lower levels of vaccination and immunity.)
In seems like it could potentially be the best PAX ever (smaller crowds, massive enthusiasm, backlog of great games) or the worst (no exhibitors, delta superspreader expo, game over.)
However its attendance had apparently dropped over the past few years, so it may not entirely be due to covid. Also the full festival/music/concert schedule doesn't seem like it will be back to normal by September.
Registration (supposedly in the next two weeks) is 'SOON' as they say.
Edit: I noticed this confusing/dark pattern in the newsletter sign-up:
"Our Reed Exhibitions affiliates may also wish to send you information on similar products, services and other events. If you do not wish to receive such information, please tick here"
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
Yeah. The whole, "only book the show days and then we'll move you to the days/hotel you want" is so cumbersome. Just let me book it.
That's what I booked. That's why I'm not even phased lol. I couldn't pass it up. But at least the Sheraton appears to be up now.
Yeah, I went to check, and I can still get four days, and all four days separately if I want to. I got what I wanted, but I am surprised there are so many badges left still. Definitely speaks to people's hesitancy.
But, as a county, we have our mask mandate lifted today. We hit 70% on June 15, which then triggered a two week countdown. But of course, many people are going to be coming from out of town. I can only hope they all keep their masks on, and are (hopefully) vaccinated.
[ ] Badges [ ] time off [ ] cosplay
The caution makes sense due to the unpredictability of the pandemic as well as not knowing whether exhibitors are going to show up. I could imagine it being canceled if tickets don't reach a critical mass and exhibitors aren't showing.
"The couple who plays together, stays together."
I hope most people wear a mask and are vaccinated. If PAX gets canceled, then I'll just hang out with Seattle friends.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this year. I think Nintendo will be there and that's all I care about.
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they have a relatively low number of 4 days comparatively even with reduced attendance and an expectation that most people will probably just come in for a day or two and head back out.
IIRC, they did state in the health and safety pages that there is a hard cap on the number of people who can be in the convention centre at a given time, so I'm guessing they also have lowered the number of bobcats for sale. Either that, or the pent up demand of PAX thirsty geeks is pretty high right now :P
We were all ready to give it a chance until we read this. We just imagined getting there late, wherever we wanted to go hitting its cap and having to wait until everyone went to lunch before we were able to get in. It just wasn't clear enough for us to move forward with buying tickets then. Maybe things will be clarified more soon, especially if they end up not selling as quickly as maybe anticipated.
"The couple who plays together, stays together."
So I went to the Grand Hyatt website and booked there, for $150/night for all the days of the show. Sheraton's available too but a little pricier on their site at the moment.