Another Anime Convention Review!

Overall I had a good time, and was very pleasantly surprised at the size of the convention.  My little state isn't exactly known for putting on big cons, but this one was really well-attended.  I'm going to simplify this a bit and do a pro/con arrangement with a little explanation.

Pros:

• The con was actually pretty well run. Sometimes with cons that are just starting or smaller ones, you can find a lot of issues with the management.  This one however was well done, and nicely organized.  Con staff were positioned all over the place, almost at ever turn in the hotel.  They were ready to help you with just about anything from directions to fixing a broken costume.  They even had a "hotline" specifically for costume mishaps, including a text number.  Really convenient and nice people.
• Well attended, and awesomely costumed!  Seriously, there were so many amazing costumes.  
• Lots of fun activities, panels, and general craziness.
  
  There was a little rave, parasol and fan painting, video game lounge, various games going on in the hallways, a gong show, a hentai showing (hilairous!), and so much more.  I'm kind of sad I missed some of the earlier activities.  
• A wide-spread representation of fandoms in both attendees and presentations.  I saw a little of everything: Avengers, Superman, Sherlock, Loki, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, Kuroshitsuji, furries, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, Doctor Who, Homestuck, and so many more.
• Really nice (if at times overeager) attendees.  It sounds silly, but not all conventions have that welcoming feeling.  This one though definitely had it from staff and attendees alike.  Everyone was more than happy to stop and chat, take pictures, discuss their costumes, etc.  People were also really good about offering help or advice if you found yourself lost or in need of something.

That being said, there were unfortunately a few problems (some big, some not) as well.

Cons:

• The vendor's hall closed early.  Really early.  My friend and I got there at 6ish, and it was already closed for the night.  I checked the schedule and apparently it was open in the mid morning until early afternoon, then closed, opened for a half hour, closed, opened for a half hour, and finally closed completely.  This meant I wasn't able to do any shopping. :(
• We encountered a few, rather rude members of the convention staff.  I try to give them some credit because I know conventions are never easy, and I'm sure they had to deal with a lot of crap.  However, there were a few interactions that were less pleasant than they could have been.
  
  For example...When we first arrived, we got our badges and went to enter the vendor room.  It was already closed which we were unaware of, we just saw a staff member at the door checking badges.  There were still people wandering around the vendor hall at this point, in retrospect I assume they were vendors closing up.  In any event, we get our badges and go to enter.  Rather than simply saying "It's closed," we get this interaction.
  
  My friend and I walk up to go in.  The staffer at the door jumps in front of my friend and pushes him back.
  Staffer: Where do you think you're going?!
  My friend: The vendor room?
  Staffer: No you're not.
  My friend: Because...is it closed already?
  Staffer: *big exasperated sigh* Obviously! You guys should have gotten here earlier.
• Creepy, creepy, creepy men. And staff/security not being watchful enough.
  
  I get that creepy guys are everywhere, and especially at cons they can be prevalent.  I also understand that you can't just kick people out or bar them for no reason but...
  
  There were a lot of older, very sleazy men hanging around the young girls of the convention (I would say 80% of attendees were under 18).  Some were just oggling, some were following them around and snapping pictures.
  
  I actually spoke to one of the staffers/attendees and she told me a very unsettling story.  She was at the front of the hotel outside, and a number of older men approached her asking how they could get into the party.  She asked if they were there for the convention, and they said no, they'd just heard there were underage girls in skimpy outfits and they wanted to come look.  They actually said this...
  
  Unfortunately there was also an issue with an older man who kept telling people he was the "official photographer."  Technically he had a staff pass, but he was using his position to get information like phone numbers, e-mail, and addresses from young female attendees.  He kept saying he'd send their photos if they told him where they lived/their number, but when asked by an older attendee he admitted he just wanted the e-mails to contact the women.  Ew.
• Finally, and most unfortunately...there was a lot of sexism, racism, and anti gay language in at least one of the panels we attended.  Now I'm no stranger to bad/offensive jokes, and I get that a con can have some pretty crazy behavior.  But to have a con-sponsored panel where the presenters yelled things like "lesbian!" as insults to the audience, and made racial and sexist jokes just wasn't acceptable.  

Overall I would definitely attend AAC again, and I think I would go for the whole weekend.  I feel like I missed out by only going for a day.