FanimeCon 2013 faced probably one of the biggest obstacles that has been in the making since 2011, which is the expansion of the San Jose McErney Convention Center. This year, space within the convention center was at an all-time premium, due to the constant construction of the new wing, forcing some unexpected relocations of certain mainstays.
Beginning with Hall One, the biggest change was that it was used for food vendors and a mini archery demonstration booth; this change also brought about its own headache for Artist Alley. Hall Two, remained as the Dealer's Hall, although it seemed a bit more intimate due to the blocking off of certain areas, though there were more areas to sit than before. Hall Three was once again the gaming room but had been expanded to include not just the usual console, arcade and board games but also more tables for collectible card games (ccg) as well as a billiards table. Finally, the ever popular Artist Alley was forced to the South Hall, which, for what proved an unexpected experience for attendees, was located outside of the convention center. Although adjacent to the main convention building and was a very spacious area, Artist Alley seemed almost to be an afterthought due to being located outside rather than inside the convention center.
The largest, yet completely unexpected problem to crop up this year from the loss of convention center space were the lines for registration itself. Rather than using the convention halls to line up attendees, this year, attendees were forced into the various rooms and hallways of the Fairmont Hotel for hours on end. With such a huge turnout, even pre-registered attendees were forced to weave through rooms and hallways up until the wee hours of the morning of Friday after having probably spent most of Thursday at the beginning of the line. Line control issues also seemed to crop up in the programming wing, as there was no rhyme or reason for how certain lines were located.
A huge success this year was undoubtedly MusicFest, which showcased the rock/punk stylings of ROOKIEZ is PUNK'D and the pop-rock sounds of 7!! (pronounced Seven-Oops). Though the acoustics of the Civic Center have much left to be desired (bass being the overwhelming thing one will usually hear during a performance) both bands easily got the crowd engaged, energized and entertained with their respective hit songs.
Despite the chaos, Fanime 2013 was very successful in what it had set out to do this year, which is to provide attendees with entertainment for all. Though I felt that Artist Alley got dealt the raw deal due to being outside of the main convention center as well as certain programming panels, due to mismanagement, I will safely say that I probably enjoyed myself even more this year than previous years past.
With its twentieth anniversary approaching, I honestly cannot wait to see what will be in store for us next year.
