What sort of insights are you looking for? The convention was fairly average for a first-time run (which I say as someone who was at both this, and Furlandia's first-year as well). Both had made some... curious mistakes that should've been caught before the con had signed a contract, let alone began to advertise.
I'm sure that furry-convention space in post-RF Seattle isn't something that's easily obtained, but the Renaissance hotel lacked crucial "hang-out" space and easy access to a lot of amenities critical for fursuiters and non-suiting attendees alike. For instance, bathroom signage was fairly absent, and there was a lack of convention maps both on website and in paper. The only actual map given was on the hotel's electronic signage which wasn't too useful.
The headless lounge (or "Performers Lounge", as it was labeled) was on the third floor by the panel rooms, separate from the main events stage by a flight of stairs or elevator ride. Obviously, for an overheating fursuiter coming from the Games or a dance, it's not particularly acceptable to have to wait in a stuffy elevator or tromp up stairs. Water was fairly accessible during con, at very least, along with lengthy straws for suiters.
Currently, it doesn't seem very probable for the convention to grow further than the size it was for its first year. While Friday and Sunday weren't terribly cramped (I did not attend on Thursday), there was barely any room on Saturday to move around in. The vendor's room was in a mostly acceptable location, but registration and the convention's store was poorly placed in high-traffic areas.
ANW billed itself as an all-ages convention, but a better description would be a "children-focused" convention. In trying to keep its official Telegram chat and convention space at a PG level, censorship reached impressively high levels; even the most level-headed criticism was met with deletion and banning from the chat. For example, Tojo the Thief had expressed dissatisfaction with their vendor's space location, as it was outside of the dealer's den and they'd be unable to leave their things unattended overnight. While they were fairly level-headed in the official telegram chat, their posts were subsequently deleted and Tojo was removed from the chat. There had been reports of a majority of room parties also being shut-down, as well. While understandable from the hotel's perspective, room parties were some of the few places that PG-13 and beyond activities could occur, and by clamping down upon them, attendance will probably be hurt next year.
With its child-friendly (or "all-ages") reputation, however, ANW attracted a significant number of minor attendees. Whether or not this is a positive or negative is a matter of opinion, of course-- but when DJs need to have all their music pre-screened for swearing and other non-SFW things there is definitely a downside. An age-based curfew may be best for future iterations of ANW, in which 18+ panels and dances are held after 10 or 11 PM.
Misinformation was also rampant upon Twitter as well-- with allegations of diapers in ballpits (fake news, despite the ballpit being shut-down on Saturday), claims of Lisa Ling asking fursuiters how they have sex in their suits, and more.
If there's anything in specific you want to hear about, let me know.
What sort of insights are you looking for? The convention was fairly average for a first-time run (which I say as someone who was at both this, and Furlandia's first-year as well). Both had made some... curious mistakes that should've been caught before the con had signed a contract, let alone began to advertise.
I'm sure that furry-convention space in post-RF Seattle isn't something that's easily obtained, but the Renaissance hotel lacked crucial "hang-out" space and easy access to a lot of amenities critical for fursuiters and non-suiting attendees alike. For instance, bathroom signage was fairly absent, and there was a lack of convention maps both on website and in paper. The only actual map given was on the hotel's electronic signage which wasn't too useful.
The headless lounge (or "Performers Lounge", as it was labeled) was on the third floor by the panel rooms, separate from the main events stage by a flight of stairs or elevator ride. Obviously, for an overheating fursuiter coming from the Games or a dance, it's not particularly acceptable to have to wait in a stuffy elevator or tromp up stairs. Water was fairly accessible during con, at very least, along with lengthy straws for suiters.
Currently, it doesn't seem very probable for the convention to grow further than the size it was for its first year. While Friday and Sunday weren't terribly cramped (I did not attend on Thursday), there was barely any room on Saturday to move around in. The vendor's room was in a mostly acceptable location, but registration and the convention's store was poorly placed in high-traffic areas.
ANW billed itself as an all-ages convention, but a better description would be a "children-focused" convention. In trying to keep its official Telegram chat and convention space at a PG level, censorship reached impressively high levels; even the most level-headed criticism was met with deletion and banning from the chat. For example, Tojo the Thief had expressed dissatisfaction with their vendor's space location, as it was outside of the dealer's den and they'd be unable to leave their things unattended overnight. While they were fairly level-headed in the official telegram chat, their posts were subsequently deleted and Tojo was removed from the chat. There had been reports of a majority of room parties also being shut-down, as well. While understandable from the hotel's perspective, room parties were some of the few places that PG-13 and beyond activities could occur, and by clamping down upon them, attendance will probably be hurt next year.
With its child-friendly (or "all-ages") reputation, however, ANW attracted a significant number of minor attendees. Whether or not this is a positive or negative is a matter of opinion, of course-- but when DJs need to have all their music pre-screened for swearing and other non-SFW things there is definitely a downside. An age-based curfew may be best for future iterations of ANW, in which 18+ panels and dances are held after 10 or 11 PM.
Misinformation was also rampant upon Twitter as well-- with allegations of diapers in ballpits (fake news, despite the ballpit being shut-down on Saturday), claims of Lisa Ling asking fursuiters how they have sex in their suits, and more.
If there's anything in specific you want to hear about, let me know.