Back in my day (old), conventions were hosted at universities during the summer when classes were limited or not active. The money they earned one year would go to funding it the next year, and they could bring in more popular guests and rent more buildings. They're now just all for-profit and its exhaustinggggg ;_;

100% agree. I'm getting tired of cons treating us artists as endless piggy banks.

Most cons are now costing $400-800+ for a regular artist table. THATS INSANE.

I miss the old con atmosphere. You can still find it at some small conventions, but most have either gone the way of the big ones or died out.

Even outside of accessibility (which is already more than reason enough to have a ramp, to be clear), some competition level cosplays limit mobility and/or vision to the point that stairs are dangerous. Katsucon needs to do way better. All conventions do, but that "you must be able to use stairs to compete" clause really riles me up.

I hate what has happened to conventions post 2020 😢

This needs to be seen by all conventions. Not having/allowing people to enjoy the con to the fullest should be a crime. Having ramps is an easy fix. Many different types of people and cosplays can benefit from ramps. I hope some of the challenges that you have met is taking serious and hopefully come up with a even slightly better solutions.

I hate how most big conventions have gone corporate.

The part about overbooking is a breaking point for me. If you're like me, and you have bad anxiety, and get claustrophobic in crowds then big corporate conversations are a no-go.

Cons aren't fun for me anymore because of the lack of real platonic interactions with each other- just clout chasing or hookup culture becoming huge, overcrowding, lack of accessibility, and I can't justify the crazy cost inflation for tickets something that's not even my scene anymore.

I started going in 2003, was completely alone in my geekery besides online spaces, and cons were where I finally made irl friends. Recent cons are completely different, in a bad way, than the old good vibes. Rip Katsucon. 😢

Conventions stopped being fun when the cosplay scene online went from being a supportive space to competitive. Where people compete to make the best, most detailed cosplays with the most elaborate wigs and accessories. People stopped supporting cosplayers and began comparing cosplayers to each other to degrade each other… it became a competition of virality and it’s unfortunately bled into the cosplay scene where I live. Conventions are for showing off the most elaborate cosplays, the more photos people ask to take the more points a cosplayer gets to win the non existent competition… basic or closet cosplays are only for children these days, and if you don’t have $3,000 hand made, insanely detailed cosplay at a con you WILL get looked at like you’re weird.

I stopped cosplaying at conventions because of this shit, you can also FEEL this vibe within the cosplay scene. Cosplayers wait for their “competitors” to release their con lineup and go out of their way to try and outshine their “competitors “, where the prize is who goes the most viral. If you’re a cosplayer where I live, everybody can tell what yall are doing. Cut that shit out because conventions aren’t fun because of this bullshit. Make cosplay fun again.

Can confirm!! When i competed at galaxy, we were in the back room, no chairs, water, food or even our phones, especially as my first competition it was disappointing

I miss the old con scene from the late 90s  to early 2000s. People were just a lot more chilled out.

I've been attending cons since 2013, and I have since learned that not one con is ever perfect. Unfortunately, despite accessibility being in federal law, many cons (especially for-profit ones) overlook it because it will hurt their bottom line if they actually comply. They are just banking on attendees not requesting or needing it, which is not how to host a convention. I hope that these conventions will learn that they need to improve the guest experience, or else they will lose attendees and/or even get into legal trouble.

Can confirm that GalaxyCon C-Bus held all competitors backstage last year without chairs or access to belongings (food/water, etc.). As a performer who does intense dancing onstage, having access to that stuff is necessary to stay energized for my performance, especially since the competition is usually around dinnertime, and I don't get a chance to eat a real meal before performing. I also wasn't able to warm up very well before going onstage due to the tight backstage space. Luckily, I was one of the first 5 performances in the lineup but I can't imagine how the back half of the competitors felt backstage that entire time!

0:30 sick wheely dude.

If you guys wanna know how bad corporations in cons go NYCC’s parent company has contracts with DHS/ICE.

Ever been to San Japan? They have a special department ("SJ Cares") to help individuals and families with any accessibility needs or other accommodations like line assistance, elevator access, etc.

I might get flack for this but I miss when anime conventions weren’t over saturated by Hoyoverse cosplayers, booths and merch. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hoyoverse as much as the next person but nowadays every anime convention is filled to the brim with them more than the actual animes. Like I miss my Ichigo, Eren Jaeger and Cely cosplayers..

i've been saying this since cons returned in 2021 and everyone kept telling me that i was just trying to gatekeep and that "con etiquette" was just me being pretentious 😭okay yeah there's a part of me that wishes anime didn't get as popular as it did so that so many people didn't rush into fandom space with disregard to the existing culture but there were (and still continue to be) real issues that can affect the safety and livelihood of people!

This is the reason I dont think I'll ever be able to actually attend a con. I am not paying people to discriminate against me- we deserve better.

I'm really happy I live in norway where all cosplay conventions are still non-profit, and I know a few organisers and they're all very focused on making the convention best for the guests attending. I love the norwegian community so much, almost like a big family