Kumoricon 2023: The good, the bad, the ugly!
At the time I’m writing this it’s been a short time since I came home from Kumoricon 2023. I figured I’d better write this review and critique now while the memories are still fresh in my mind.
After everything that happened at Sakura-Con 2023 I'd hoped Kumoricon would do better. And I have to say I was not disappointed! This article will focus on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the convention.
Plus, some observations I made while there.
Before I begin, I want everyone who reads this to understand. This critique is not meant to attack you or disrespect you. This critique is only meant to make all who read it think.
Now let’s get this started off with the good at the convention. And I can say that there was a lot of good found this year. And it left me with a big smile on my face.
After getting my hotel room I decided to take care of business before getting some dinner. I walked over to the Oregon Convention Center. Which was easy enough I’m pleased to say.
I'm glad the Hyatt hotel is across the street from the Convention Center.
Finding registration proved easy enough. The big sign was rather hard to miss. I appreciated that fact.
I did notice that there weren’t that many people registering for VIP this year. Which was something of a surprise for me. I figured people enjoyed going VIP.
I guess this economic downturn has affected people more than I thought. Says a lot for being a frugal spender and saving my pennies.
I enjoyed the small backpack with all kinds of goodies. They included the skip passes and free autographs and even a little flashlight. Very nice job Kumoricon team.
Also because of my visual impairment the mobility people at the convention were a big help. They even gave me a large print version of the pocket guide. Let me say that large print pocket guide was a very smart idea.
With my limited vision it helped a lot. It made the maps, locations, and times of panels and autographs much easier to read. Like I said this was a smart move on Kumoricon's part.
Other conventions should imitate this. For those of us who have limited vision this is a big help. A large print version of the pocket guide goes a long way.
So Kumoricon you did good here. You did real good here!
Another something I must talk about is the customer or in this case attendee service. And I can say the attendee service and organizing of things was in a word fantastic! The people at the registration booths were responsive, helpful, and very friendly.
I liked that.
The maids and staff who organized the lines for the various events kept the flow of things going. The events were for the most part on time and on schedule. There were some cancellations.
Transportation and mobility weren't an issue in the Oregon Convention Center. For the reason It's a big place that could fit two or three conventions. The elevators were easy to access as were the escalators and stairs.
There were a few hiccups with one escalator. But the crew of the convention center were on such issues like a hawk. And that gets a solid approval from me.
Also, there were plenty of food choices in the convention area. So, there were no starving attendees. A fed attendee is a happy attendee.
Also, I noticed the mask mandates were now optional. That is something I appreciated above all else. It's nice to be able to breathe and see the faces of my fellow attendees.
Now for the record let me offer up some context. I am not one of these sorts who believes COVID is a made-up conspiracy. I’ve had friends and family who’ve had it.
Even my girlfriend has had COVID. So, I know COVID-19 and its variants are real. And yes, I did get the recent booster.
But I’m not someone who believes we should wear our masks 24/7. That’s the other extreme I’m not big on. I’m a firm believer in the happy middle ground.
Let those who want to wear the mask do so. And likewise let those who don’t want to wear the mask not wear them. Therein is the happy medium which made my con experience even better.
So, I approve of Kumoricon’s decision to make masks optional. I offer up heartfelt thanks for this.
Okay now comes the part where I discuss the bad at the convention. The bad parts of this I did notice some of. But many of them have less to do with Kumoricon and more to do with outside factors.
Also, for added context I don’t only point out the problems I also offer up solutions. Because I’m a benevolent person like that.
My first issue is one that has more to do with the convention center than anything else. Not sure if the hotel did this but the convention center did. And this is something I must call out.
The convention center chose to go cashless. Now for those who’ve read my review of Sakura-Con 2023 I’ve made my stance on going cashless clear. But if anyone didn’t, I’ll explain it again.
Going cashless is a terrible idea for the following reasons. There’s the possibility that a freak storm could come in. And thereby knock out the power.
Mother Nature is nothing to take for granted.
Another hypothetical scenario is this. An angry ex-employee or malicious hacker who wants to cause trouble could get into the system. And thus, wreak havoc with it.
Or worse they could steal people’s information to sell on the black market. Or worse raid people's bank accounts. Information in this age of the Internet has become quite the commodity.
One should never underestimate the dark side of human nature.
Or in the case of a worst-case scenario there could be a riot or terror attack that knocks out the power. I recognize some people may consider these hypothetical scenarios far-fetched.
But like I said never underestimate the dark side of human nature. So, what I propose is this happy medium.
And I’m pleased to report that was something Kumoricon did to which I'm quite pleased with. They had the happy middle ground of accepting either card or cash. Especially with the Guests of Honor.
This was something I approve of. Putting all one’s proverbial eggs in a single basket is very…unwise. Which is why accepting both cash and card is a good idea because if the power goes out things can still run.
As I said going cashless is not a good idea. Cash can get replaced in short order. But a debit card takes far longer and the loss of one’s debit or credit card can ruin the con experience.
That’s why I propose the convention center take to this happy middle ground. Kumoricon did this so yeah you guys are off the hook.
Another problem I had at the convention happened when I was at the hotel. I noticed that the viewing and RPG room schedule signs were on the floor rather than on stands. So, I ended up having to kneel to look at the print.
Looking at the small writing is hard enough as is. But bending over as I had to can get a bit awkward.
So, it was hard to see what was playing in the viewing room or what RPGs were going on in the gaming rooms. As I understand though this issue has more to do with the Hyatt than anything else. So yeah, Hyatt you guys botched up.
Though a word of advice to Kumoricon. You might consider buying a few more stands for next year. Never hurts to have a few extra stands in case problems arise. It’s a suggestion.
One more thing of note for next year. Kumoricon you could consider having more than one viewing room. Having only one room for watching dubbed and subbed anime limits options.
Having more than one viewing room could provide more.
And now comes the final part of this article. The ugly of this convention…well I’m pleased to say there wasn’t all that much!
Mobility wasn’t an issue. And the move by Kumoricon to have the Hyatt hotel be the main hotel for this convention was brilliant! Having a hotel near the convention center is a jackpot for safety.
And the fact the hotel was so close to a light rail station helps in the transportation department too.
The only real ugliness I saw was the traffic in some of the hallways got a little congested sometimes. But for context that was due to the sheer volume of people. Where you have that many people in such a limited space things like this are going to happen.
Other than third party issues and minor traffic plug ups this was a good convention. On a personal note, when I went to get Howard Wang’s autograph on Saturday I ran into a Maid/con friend. She and her daughter were helping keep the lines organized.
I’m not sure if she wants her name used or not so I’ll respect her privacy. She like the rest of the staff was very friendly and receptive to my comments.
The same was true of a gentleman in the hotel on the second level. I pointed out the issue with the signs and he listened. That was Saturday night as I recall.
In closing I’d like to say the food from the vendors and stands was delicious and fulfilling.
So, I can say that Kumoricon 2023 gets a solid B from me. You guys did good this year, you guys did very good! I look forward to next year’s convention and what it has to offer.
Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you enjoyed my review of Kumoricon 2023. Stay tuned because more content is coming soon. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Did I do good or does my writing need improvement. Constructive criticism is welcome here. Your thoughts and opinions help me to become a better writer.
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