Lots of VAs at BroNYCon January 2012

[Redeye]

Ruth's Chris is also REALLY expensive, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're already using money on the con.

[Headless Horse]

If I can find a way to pack my DSLR's video kit, I will.

Beware, photogoon, for B&H is also right on that block.

(...Actually, wait, no, you're safe. Closed Saturdays.)

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Oh boy.

[Pony Factory Factory]

Beware, photogoon, for B&H is also right on that block.

(...Actually, wait, no, you're safe. Closed Saturdays.)

God bless those Hasids. They sold me most of the kit in the first place.

It's a good thing they'll be closed, though. I don't yet have a nifty fifty, and I would probably sell an organ for the cash if faced with one in person.

[Lapis Infinitas]

...Burgers and cupcakes? That's as nonsensical as Quills and Sofas.

Hot sauce goes great on both?

Purpletinker, welcome to the boards, and thanks for giving pervs the boot.

[HallerPONY RASPBERRIES THE STOMACH]

Ditto!

So I figure the best way to meetup is over lunch in the area ( My treat! ), maybe around the time of the Equestria online panel (12:30-1:15) if there aren't any objections?

Sbarro? Stout Restaurant and Bar?

Skipping that panel works for me and I'd be cool with either of those places though I'd prefer sitting down and grabbing a beer around that time. However, the artists panel is also around that time and im not going to miss it, so I may cut myself off earlier from the meet than others.

Speaking of beer, does anyone know if there is going to be some kind of bar at the event itself?

[PurpleTinker]

There is no bar within the BroNYCon venue proper, but there ARE restaurants and bars elsewhere within the Hotel Penn, and you can take your food and drink into the con area.

[HollowThis place needs a miracle.]

It's $45 at the door for this con, btw.
Is the threat of The Ugly Con-Goer such a show stopper for some of you? I keep thinking some of you are just determined to assume that they're all horrid unbathed eczema monsters eating hard blocks of ramen out of the wrapper.

It's not the "ugly con goer" that keeps me away, it's the money. I'm sorry but that entry fee is ridiculous. What exactly is the venue they're having this con in? Does it have a spa? A tennis court? Free mani/pedi? Green tea on tap? Massages while you wait in line to get autographs?

Not to mention I can spend 20 dollars to go to a museum in Manhattan and look at dinosaurs. I just don't see the quality - value ratio. I feel sorry for the poor schmucks who not only have to pay the exorbitant fee but also have to pay for plane tickets/hotel rooms/god knows what.

(Also the Pony Fair is only 20 to attend, as well.)

[Tallgeese]

Not to mention I can spend 20 dollars to go to a museum in Manhattan and look at dinosaurs.

To be fair, the particulates contained within the hair follicles of many of the attendees may be of comparable age and importance to science.

Medical science, that is. Possibly archaeology.

[DarkMatter]

I don't know, I don't really think $40 is that absurd of a price.

Considering BroNYCon is put together completely by a small group of fans and is renting out some serious hotel space it seems like a fair asking price to me.

[Pony Factory Factory]

Same price as Comic-Con. Convention space ain't cheap. New York ain't cheap.

[Tallgeese]

Same price as Comic-Con. Convention space ain't cheap. New York ain't cheap.

Correction: Manhattan ain't cheap.

In summary: Ugh Manhattan.

Reading papers from that state, you'd think Manhattan was the center of the universe.

[Pony Factory Factory]

Are you suggesting it's not?

[Tallgeese]

Not by a long shot. The prices of even the most basic mass-produced commodities are inflated for no sane reason.

It is a horrible cesspool and terrible to live in... well, unless you have pre-existing money. There is a reason that most people commute.

[Pony Factory Factory]

Look, it's an island with an enormous population density. The price of living is high because there is little space, high demand for it, and large transportation costs and logistics issues getting those commodities into the city for sale. It's an expensive place to live because it's an expensive place to have that many people. And such high population density means that you have a highly artificial landscape, but it brings a mind-boggling number of people together into one heck of an economic and cultural power center.

And blaming the prices on the decision many people make to pollute is a gross oversimplification and a poor generalization. Wages in the city are often higher for the same job than in a lower cost-of-living area, because they have to be for people to afford to live there. Living in the suburbs and commuting isn't that much cheaper any more, because the primary driver of commuting was suburban sprawl - higher-income people moving out to less developed areas in order to buy land and houses. In the process, they have developed their undeveloped new hometowns, and the costs of living have risen to rival the city proper. See most of Westchester county as an example.

It's not like things cost more money there just to spite you.

And also, New York ain't cheap. It's got a hell of a tax burden and a lot of people competing for resources. Unlike states without powerful cultural and economic centers anchoring their southern tips, whom New Yorkers subsidize with their tax dollars. But that's okay with us. We live in New York. It's pretty great.

[Tallgeese]

I would dare say that someone passing by would think that I had viciously and thoughtlessly insulted your mother by the amount of impassioned typing you did there...

I am not sure where you managed to get the idea that I was equating the city's admittedly filthy state with its inflated cost of living, I must confess. It is also extremely disingenuous of you to state that living elsewhere in the state is not cheaper, and use the example of the seventh wealthiest county in the United States (Westchester) as a basis to make that comparison. If anything, your example only serves to reinforce the position that the cost of living has nothing to do with the reasons in your first paragraph.

After all, if they did, then Kings County wouldn't be cheaper... except that it is despite having much higher population density than your example of Westchester.

I'll be a sport and give you the actual reason: Westchester has the second highest median income of a New York county. Manhattan has the first. That's pretty much it.

Also, I am not so certain New Yorkers are okay with their tax burden, judging from the amount of complaining I have heard about it. You really should not project your own opinion onto others, you know.

[Scuderia Ferrarity]

:"Guys, quit talking about porn."

You heard the man! Get back on topic!

[SvidrigailovI am the one who bucks.]

It's not like things cost more money there just to spite you.

James May of Top Gear once complained that many measures to combat congestion seemed to build from the assumption that people drove around to be really annoying.

I think that's about as derail-ey a comment as I can make. My apologies.

[Tallgeese]

You heard the man! Get back on topic!

Forget New York, the filthiest people are right here in the ponygoons forum! You disgust me, good sir.

[kefkafloyd]

Manhattan isn't cheap, that's a given. If it's too expensive, then don't go. That's the end of that.

[HollowThis place needs a miracle.]

I don't know, I don't really think $40 is that absurd of a price. Considering BroNYCon is put together completely by a small group of fans and is renting out some serious hotel space it seems like a fair asking price to me.

If they would consider other options (maybe not renting out a hotel in the most expensive place in NY) then it wouldn't be so bad. That's what is so cool about Pony Fair, they usually only rent venues at the cheap, and list the best hotel rates for nearby hotels. It's why they started in Vegas, it's supposedly cheap there.

Also Pony Fair is done by one person. So the excuses aren't working in bronycon's favor. Again, it's just ridiculous to assume everyone who likes pony and is close enough to attend is an upper middle class white male who has a lot of money to throw away. Manhattan is one of the worst places to have a convention, unless you're a company attracting loads of people.

All I can do is wait and see if another "brony" decides to do a convention in a Chuck E Cheese or something.

[Lazy]

I would dare say that someone passing by would think that I had viciously and thoughtlessly insulted your mother by the amount of impassioned typing you did there...

Man, it's not like he was angrily attacking you, he was just stating facts.
you say

The prices of even the most basic mass-produced commodities are inflated for no sane reason.
It is a horrible cesspool and terrible to live in... well, unless you have pre-existing money. There is a reason that most people commute.

he says

Look, it's an island with an enormous population density. The price of living is high because there is little space, high demand for it, and large transportation costs and logistics issues getting those commodities into the city for sale. It's an expensive place to live because it's an expensive place to have that many people. And such high population density means that you have a highly artificial landscape, but it brings a mind-boggling number of people together into one heck of an economic and cultural power center.

+a whole lot of other words, and backs up what he's saying with facts. He's not taking a shot at you, he's trying to explain things.

If they would consider other options (maybe not renting out a hotel in the most expensive place in NY) then it wouldn't be so bad. That's what is so cool about Pony Fair, they usually only rent venues at the cheap, and list the best hotel rates for nearby hotels. It's why they started in Vegas, it's supposedly cheap there.

I think the problem here is that the people putting together bronycon probably haven't done this very much. Not that that excuses not thinking it through, but I doubt they have much experience in the area. Maybe they should consider looking for someone who regularly does this kind of thing(next time, anyways).
How hard is it to find an event organizer? Serious question, I have no idea.

[numsOic]

You can ask PurpleTinker personally. She has an account on these forums even. For what it's worth, she says she's organized a number of these, if I remember right.

[Scuderia Ferrarity]

Sorry I can't help but read this in Rarity's voice. Sorry.

I'm sorry but that entry fee is ridiculous. What exactly is the venue they're having this con in? Does it have a spa? A tennis court? Free mani/pedi? Green tea on tap? Massages while you wait in line to get autographs?

\


Every price is just the end result of a whole series of decisions. Expected number of attendees, the costs of the hotel, taxes, cost of the people featured at the con, their flights and rooms, etc. There's a break even number of attendees, and that number is higher than the number of attendees for the last con in a cheaper venue. So it's a gamble.

I think the organizers are counting on most of the people attending the con to be a train ride away. Cost of hotel and flight being a non issue for them so $40 is a non issue ( as opposed to holding it in Vegas ). And they're counting on more attendees than last time because maybe the previous venue couldn't hold all of them. I also think that it's a safe bet that most of the con-goers aren't all that different from you and don't have money to throw away at totally frivolous things.

As far as choice of venue, I'm guessing it's the right combination of accessibility, cost, quality, and size. Any larger is a more expensive venue, any smaller and you're turning people away at the door.
It's not like they're putting the con in a Hyatt and charging $100 for it. This is probably an older hotel that's more accommodating to a con of this size.

On the other end, sure why not have the Briny Brony Con at a Charles E. Cheese, except there's a cap of maybe 30 people at one instead of the 600+ size of this one.

Oh and this is the week after the holiday season. Things are probably pretty slow.
I.e.
You'll pay through the nose to get a caterer for your company party two weeks before Christmas, but you can save quite a bit by holding it in the middle of January.

e: One last thing, I'd attended a con where the organizer got only a third of the attendees he'd expected: a much too empty hotel conference room in a much too expensive hotel. Ultimately the organizers had to eat the cost, around $5k. Like I said, it's a gamble.

e2: Crap this is a lot of fun to think about. There needs to be a Con Organizer Tycoon game right alongside Rollercoaster Tycoon. Take your little convention from GoonCon to SF ComicCon.

[kefkafloyd]

I want you guys to quit arguing about the price/location. It is what it is and it can't be changed.

[Chaos Sonic]

e2: Crap this is a lot of fun to think about. There needs to be a Con Organizer Tycoon game right alongside Rollercoaster Tycoon. Take your little convention from GoonCon to SF ComicCon.

I'd probably buy it the day it came out, play it ~5 times, get bored, and wonder why I didn't wait for it to be on a Steam sale. Like I did with Duke Nukem Forever.

[Headless Horse]

Hey guys, Purple Tinker just sent out an email to the following effect...

They're about to reach their RSVP cap of 650 attendees (there's just under 600 confirmed). If you haven't RSVP'd, you might not be able to get in if you're planning to just show up. They're going to try to allow for 100 non-RSVP entries, but that's only a tentative plan and not guaranteed.

Long story short, if you want to make sure to get in, RSVP and pay now via PayPal (it's $40 vs. $45 at the door).

http://www.meetup.com/Bronies-NYC/events/24366841/

(Interesting side note: this means the con is over twice the size of the one in September.)

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

Now, since I'm not going it isn't like I have a say in all this, but, for those of you who are going, for me, would you please dress nicely?

You don't have to wear a blazer if you don't want to (you should), but a nice collared shirt, maybe a tie, dress slacks. Black shoes and socks if at all possible. Even assuming most of the other con goers won't be odd-looking nerds, you'll get some stares. This is good. Conduct yourselves in a friendly, professional manner, and then tell people you're all from Ponygoons(tm) when they ask.

vvv Congratz Scuddy. I had not heard of Utilikilts before I googled that. Good bye Sweat Pants in Public! We have a new champion!

[Scuderia Ferrarity]

Hey guys, Purple Tinker just sent out an email to the following effect...

Holy shit! I was just planning paying at the door for a little anonymity.

(Interesting side note: this means the con is over twice the size of the one in September.)

Congrats Purple Tinker and friends on a nearly sold out show!

Concerning my above post: gamble of a venue change paid off.

Now, since I'm not going it isn't like I have a say in all this, but, for those of you who are going, for me, would you please dress nicely?

You don't have to wear a blazer if you don't want to (you should), but a nice collared shirt, maybe a tie, dress slacks. Black shoes and socks if at all possible. Even assuming most of the other con goers won't be odd-looking nerds, you'll get some stares. This is good. Conduct yourselves in a friendly, professional manner, and then tell people you're all from Ponygoons(tm) when they ask.

*looks at his Vibram shoes, utilikilt, oversized photographer's vest*
*bursts into tears*

[Tallgeese]

I refuse to believe that anyone would actually buy a Utilikilt. Much less wear them with vibrams. Come on now, leave me at least one small shred of faith in humanity.

[Scuderia Ferrarity]

Actually spotted two in this town.
One was an Apple store employee.
The other I'm going to guess works for a firm that made a popular series of science-fiction first person shooters, carrying a leatherman.
Both had beards. Both rotund.

Come on now, leave me at least one small shred of faith in humanity.
\


They seemed nice.

Vibrams were meant like hardcore runner shoes, and Utilikilts are funky alt-wear.
And then nerds put the two of them together and

.... the effect is Pinkie Pie checking all the boxes.

I'll wear my usual business casual, Aramek.

[Tallgeese]

Well, at least you don't wear one. Otherwise I would have to demand that you lose your Rarity avatar, because Celestia knows she wouldn't want to be associated with that.

[DarkMatter]

I should get some nicer clothes. I don't even think I own a blazer or black shoes that fit anymore.

[PurpleTinker]

http://bronycon.org/prepare.html

How to Dress

BroNYCon is being held in one of the grand old hotels of old Manehattan, so please try to look presentable. T-shirts are okay, but please make sure they are clean. And remember— You'll be in a room with many other people, so please be courteous by practicing good personal hygiene.

ETA: Perhaps I should add "Please don't wear Vibrams and Utilikilts".

[kefkafloyd]

It sounds like it's more of a "never mix chlorine and ammonia" type thing. By themselves, they may be OK, but together... watch out.

[Dong Strongly]

It sounds like it's more of a "never mix chlorine and ammonia" type thing. By themselves, they may be OK, but together... watch out.

But when you mix ammonia and chlorine, you get chloramine and hydrazine, aka, the boiling, toxic party liquor from which all great parties are certain.

Throw in a boombox blasting NWA and a member's only jacket, then I guarantee you'll make the best impression. Never do anything halfway.

[Headless Horse]

"Members ... Only... jacket." Got it!

[Scuderia Ferrarity]

Signed up via Meetup.

Turns out I've got my phone to notify me whenever anyone posts a message to the event and sends me an email. One every few minutes.

flooded.

Also god damn there are quite a few other Pony sites.
Gotta represent! *thumps chest*


Oh - I will also be signing anything you bring to me, the fee wil be $30.

[Pineapplebecause I do not]

You don't have to wear a blazer if you don't want to (you should), but a nice collared shirt, maybe a tie, dress slacks. Black shoes and socks if at all possible. Even assuming most of the other con goers won't be odd-looking nerds, you'll get some stares. This is good. Conduct yourselves in a friendly, professional manner, and then tell people you're all from Ponygoons(tm) when they ask.

If I saw a bunch of people in button down shirts, ties, black pants and shoes walking around a con together I would wonder why the Mormons were there.

[Super Karoru]

Kind of common sense, but I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes for the lots of walking and standing around. Maybe not the most stylish, but necessary.