Hi!
My name is Anders, and I am the guy who tries to keep track of everything that needs to get done prior to J-Popcon 2013 to make sure we're ready when March 2013 rolls around.
During the preparations for J-Popcon 2011, we realized that many participants were interested in some background info and insights into everything that goes into the making of a convention.
Many have asked for more details whenever we have published news and many wanted to know why we made some of the decisions we did, which is why we are now opening up for discussion with all interested con-goers. We hope to take some new inspiration from these discussions, so that we we can make the next J-Popcon even better thanks to all your input.
We will on occasion write about a current task or something else we feel is worth discussing, with as many details as possible to kick-start a debate on that particular subject. We welcome comments and suggestions and will try to answer as many follow-up questions as possible.
This subsequent discussion will take place on Facebook, since most of you already use that site frequently. Anyone who does not wish to use Facebook or just wants to message us privately can send an e-mail to info@j-popcon.dk. We read all incoming mails and do our best to answer them.
So without further ado, let's begin with today's hot topic: Why did we change the date for J-Popcon not just once, but twice?
In the first newspost concerning the new date, we wrote that the decision was made to let us stay at DGI-byen and Øksnehallen, our current venue. This is, and was, the sole reason but a lot of work was done prior to reaching that decision.
Shortly after J-Popcon 2011, we entered negotiations for our next event with DGI-byen. We explained our wish to rent the same areas (including Øksnehallen) at the same time of the year. Unfortunately, Øksnehallen had already been rented out in that weekend of 2012. After we got that piece of information, we began looking for alternatives together with the people from DGI-byen.
First up, we looked at the possibility of keeping the date and finding a replacement for Øksnehallen. We needed a new venue, close to DGI-byen, with a large enough scene and the necessary equipment for hosting concerts and the cosplay show. We contacted a few potential candidates to see if we could find something in our price range, that was available on the desired dates.
Back when J-Popcon was hosted in Valby Kulturhus, we used a nearby venue called Marketenderiet for our largest scene. Even though it was close by the rest of the convention area, we had lots of trouble with keeping proper contact and radio communication between the two parts of J-Popcon. It gave us great pains and the experiences from 2009 and before still haunt us to this day. Because of this, and because no locations close to DGI-byen were available, we eventually decided to change the date instead of the location.
We also looked at the possibility of moving away from DGI-byen entirely and find another place in Copenhagen. The effort required to move J-Popcon again would be huge and give us another couple of years with new and unknown problems to solve, to the detriment of our participants. We agreed that another move so soon after the last one, would not be in the best interests of anyone now that we're finally getting the hang of DGI-byen. Besides, back when we first decided on DGI-byen, we discovered that Copenhagen has very few convention centers that could fulfill our requirements. The mix of large halls, open areas, smaller event rooms, nearby hotels and hostels, close public transport and a reasonable rent is near impossible to find around here.
Together with people from DGI-byen, we began looking for a weekend in 2012 where all the areas we wanted were available. We took into account Danish and foreign conventions so as to avoid overlap. Once we reached early September without finding any suitable dates, we had to give up and instead look for dates in early 2013. The last weekend of February was the earliest opportunity for us and for DGI-byen, and after a bit of discussion we accepted their offer. DGI-byen gave us a promise to clear the same weekend for us for the following years.
So why on Earth did we change the date once more?
Well, first of all because we were given the opportunity by DGI-byen. Moving J-Popcon would help them out of a pickle and after thinking things through, we decided that the new date was a marked improvement for us as well. March is a bit warmer than February (which is the coldest month on average in Denmark). March is no colder than November where J-Popcon was previously held. This means a lot since there is no indoors route between Øksnehallen, DGI-byen and the maid café. Even if the difference in outdoor ambient temperature is only of a few degrees Celcius, the chance of rain is lower, and the improved weather is a good thing for us all and especially for all cosplayers. Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly for some, the new date also means we get DGI-byen to ourselves (save for the occasional swimmer and bowler). We know that some of our participants dislike being stared at by strangers and to alleviate this problem a second change of date was necessary.
The new date means we get to keep Øksnehallen, and I hope we are able to create a experience that's still tied well together and where every part of the convention area feels like J-Popcon. We have moved a bit inside DGI-byen to improve this cohesion for J-Popcon 2013. The reception and check-in area will be moved to accommodate more people and we hope to eliminate the need to wait outside completely this year. We dislike seeing our guests freeze just as much as you all dislike freezing. We also have a few other ideas in the making to reduce the queues, but more on that some other time.
I hope this has served to clarify why we had to change the date for J-Popcon. It wasn't an easy decision to make, and it was not made lightly, but we are convinced that this is the best solution in the long run.
/Anders
