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Well. This weekend was supposed to be an enjoyable experience for me and all us volunteers and con-goers. Supposed to be. That was the idea.

I guess things started to fall apart about a year ago when Keita, our convention chair person came down to look at the hotels here in Killeen, TX. After noting that there was only one real option that was A) big enough for all the expected con-goers and events and B) had a hotel attached for the guests and con-goers to stay at. Well, The Plaza, as it is called, is not a very good place to be. Or stay the night. Or the weekend. Or attend a convention at. Or hold a convention at. First and foremost, the hotel manager assured us that certain sections of the hotel, which were not air conditioned properly, would be repaired and updated to meet our standards. This was not done. Next, we had breakfast and lunch that was supposed to be served to our guests in their “Green Room”. This was not done in a timely manner and we nearly had to beg on our knees to get what we did.

Next, the rooms. What a nightmare. First, no wifi anywhere in the building. Wired LAN in each room, though it seems only half of them actually work. There were reports of shower heads breaking off, showers not draining properly, toilets overflowing, and even cleaner on the sheets causing allergic reactions. The hotel could not provide new light bulbs, working phones, alarm clocks, trashcans, tv remotes, pillows or network cables. Luckily the only problem in my room is the shower. It doesn’t get hot until it’s been running for about 4-5 minutes. Otherwise our room has been copasetic.

In continuation, another convention in town is booked for the same weekend and the majority of our hotel is filled with guests of that convention and not those of Animix. That turns away a number of people when they cannot reserve rooms more that two months before the con even starts. Then The Plaza over books the hotel and we are forced to cram as many volunteers into as few rooms as possible just to fit all of our guests in. I’ve slept on the floor on a sleeping bag I bought Thursday night for the last two nights. And I will again tonight and tomorrow too.

Furthermore, those that are running the con have never run a convention before. Not that they aren’t enthusiastic with all the right intentions. But it seems that a number of items have come up over the week that they were not initially prepared for.

Then there are the volunteers. There are some of us, maybe one-third of us, that have worked 10+ hour days with very little time to really enjoy the con. The few things I have attended, I ended up overseeing as well because no one else was there. I feel like there should have been a more strict and organized schedule for us so that all areas were covered when they needed to be.

In short, I think that even with all the shortcomings of this event, there is potential for a bigger, better one next year. I hope that Keita and her family that put this together will be able to learn from this year and be able to make next year’s Animix even better. I just hope that the guests aren’t too displeased with the hotel and the disorganization. I don’t want them to “blackball” Animix with potential guests of next year’s con.

I’m going to try to make another post on Monday when I get back with a final report on the weekends proceedings.