As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Constructive Feedback - Aus 2018

DinnyDinny Registered User regular
I know this is a modthread in the other subforums, and I know this subforum is particularly sleepy outside the leadup to PAX, however I did want to get a few things down, and welcome anyone else to join in.
Firstly, I only went into the expo hall twice, and not for long, and only to the Indy section those times. Our crew don't do the queue room, we just skip to the other end (where the bars are - that's where our pax mostly takes place). Second, This was our 6th PAX on the trot, we've gotten good at it, so we know how to avoid the pitfalls.

Negatives - The lines! Again, we don't do the queue room. But what a mess it was! This year the queue room had shrunk by many times, leaving on Friday the lines to spill out the front door in an unorganised mess, with the Saturday not seeming to be much better. We walked right past all this of course to the other end, but what a disaster! Imagine if it was raining or very cold, having people (often these are the newest attendees too) stand around outside is not good enough, especially since its a downgrade from every other year. My idea to fix it? Use the other end - the new section and the slightly lame PAX bar (when we have such great bars across the way) OR - especaially because the queue room is only really fully used at the start of the day - have the queue, then have a bunch of enforcers fill the queue room space with tables and chairs for tabletop.

The keynote! Oh boy I am sure she is a fantastic author. But this was a very weak and boring start to the show. The interview style is just plain wrong for a keynote - the other ones have been a more stirring address to the crowd, and far more apt. This was not so great. Fix it by ditching the interview style.

Overall crowd - seemed much bigger this year, and you could really feel the extra pressure, especially in line management. Our enforcers are incredible, but they are volunteers, not professional event/crowd managers - and this did show with the size of the event this year. (Controversial opinion time) - with the size and success of the show, its time to start paying and training the enforcers. MOST attendees now have no idea about PA, or any idea that the guys in yellow shirts are angels who are giving up their best weekend of the year. Also, I don't think Reedpop care either, they just like not having to pay wages or training (or insurance?). I know team yellow are happy to do the work, but they should be compensated and also get some training for their own protection.

Expo hall and long lines - I heard lots of complaining about this, but not from me! My total line time for this pax would be less than ten mins, and I didn't feel like I missed out on a thing. I actually didn't even notice EB was there.

Awful loud giveaways in the expo hall. I know people love free stuff but this should be banned or locked down hard. The enforcers did a great job keeping the paths clear, but again, this is a tough job for a volunteer. This is also why I don't do the expo hall. This is also where I would whinge about fortnite or whatever, but that's my own opinion and it just is a non issue, pax is so big there is not much need to see anything you don't like

Booth babes sneaking back in! NO NO NO - Its not really cosplay if its professional advertising. That's... Cospro? hmm

Positives (aside from the usual)

EB seemed like a net gain, if anything. I didn't go there, but it seemed like people liked being able to shop.

Tabletop and tabletop shop area, better than ever this year. Level up dice booth - wow.

General Assembly and Boatmakers (bars, and yes nothing really to do with PAX)

Childs play charity (Wednesday night) and just amazing

The new layout, shifting BYOC upstairs seems like a good use of space.

I'll come back and post more cos I'm about to log off and head home!

Posts

  • Dark KingDark King Registered User regular
    I have to agree about the Story Time event. The interview approach was just wrong for it.

  • PlasmanPlasman Registered User regular
    edited November 2018
    - Booth babes. Huh I didn't really consider this but I guess having an all women team of pro cosplayers there for promotion counts as both babes?
    - I agree with the volume levels + positioning of crowds trying to get giveaways was bad and annoying.
    - I know it's a very busy three days for our hosts but the final omegathon felt like a letdown, Jerry didn't seem to address the audience much. I'd like to hear more on stage about what Childs Play is doing in Aus. Street Fighter was a letdown compared to previous years, though happily it was an exciting game. Would have been very one sided if one of the competitors were familiar with it and the other was not.
    - People going for the first panels should get priority for wristbands, thankfully a few enforcers were handing them out for the keynote.
    - I didn't really care for any of the exclusive merch this year. The pint glasses should have returned!
    - Why no copies of Mike's new children's book available for purchase!?

    Plasman on
  • zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    Thanks for starting this thread. I had intended to, but have been traveling for work a lot and it slipped my mind.

  • fishfishmonkeyhatfishfishmonkeyhat Freelance Pin Man Newcastle, AustraliaRegistered User regular
    I was just lost during Street Fighter because I couldn't keep track of who was who.
    Plasman wrote: »
    The pint glasses should have returned!

    Someone said on our slack group that they had them at the main merch (at least in the first day or two).

    +'s
    I'd like to thank whoever it was that removed the "PAX AUS is <number>% over!" messages from the electronic signs. Always so depressing.

    Enforcers were helpful as always.

    -'s
    First year I've not gotten into a panel I wanted to see because it was too popular (Kris Straub unnamed panel) for the theatre it was in.

    The community pin trading area not having any tables the first day was blah. It would be nice if we could get the community daily trading times into the booklet. I realise that would be hard to do.

  • DinnyDinny Registered User regular
    zerzhul wrote: »
    Thanks for starting this thread. I had intended to, but have been traveling for work a lot and it slipped my mind.
    No worries :)


    I'd like to thank whoever it was that removed the "PAX AUS is <number>% over!" messages from the electronic signs. Always so depressing.


    Oh yeah for sure, and the tweets. I hated those so much. "Your joy is fleeting!"
    Plasman wrote: »
    - Booth babes. Huh I didn't really consider this but I guess having an all women team of pro cosplayers there for promotion counts as both babes?
    Its an edge case, for sure. Cosplay is supposed to be ok, if its of playable character. But when its promotional professionals I think its too much. "Cosplayed charaters that are playable in game are an exception to this rule (within reason)"

  • DinnyDinny Registered User regular
    Plasman wrote: »
    - I agree with the volume levels + positioning of crowds trying to get giveaways was bad and annoying.
    - I know it's a very busy three days for our hosts but the final omegathon felt like a letdown, Jerry didn't seem to address the audience much. I'd like to hear more on stage about what Childs Play is doing in Aus. Street Fighter was a letdown compared to previous years, though happily it was an exciting game. Would have been very one sided if one of the competitors were familiar with it and the other was not.
    - People going for the first panels should get priority for wristbands, thankfully a few enforcers were handing them out for the keynote.

    (volume and crowds)The expo hall screamers and streamers are the worst part of PAX. The enforcers did great as usual containing the mess

    (final omega) I hadn't thought about this, but you're dead right. Usually they chat more, maybe they were running late. Especially given the crummy keynote, I fear PAX is losing its narrative thread. And yeah, I would have crushed both these guys. This was risky to pick a skill based, popular game. And - I have a feeling - they have said before that they have a "backup game" and they have never had to use it before. Could this have been it?

    (wristbands at panels at start of day) Usually this is a thing. And I don't know why it wasn't a big thing this time and we had to get lucky. But it is again a theme of little things slipping this year, organisationally.



Sign In or Register to comment.