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This is sort of a regional situation also driven by how bad most Wisconsin hotels are for room parties right now.
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Refocusing Resources

February 11th, 2014 | by Trae Dorn
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└ Tags: lynn, megan

Discussion (11) ¬

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  1. Vanessa L.
    Vanessa L.
    February 11, 2014 at 12:22 am | # | Reply

    I like room parties, myself. I’ve run one room party, and it was the most fun I had during that con (the rest of it was kinda “meh”). It’s a chance to just chill with people, chat a bit, and maybe play video games or watch movies.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      February 11, 2014 at 1:53 pm | # | Reply

      This is more of a “Wisconsin Con” issue — none of the hotels hosting cons are really conducive to room parties (a few are outright hostile) so the parties that do happen tend to be sort of lame (which is why things like con hosted raves now go pretty late to pick up the slack). Con sponsored parties don’t do a lot to promote events at these cons, and so (from a promotions perspective) are a waste of funds if Ambassador tables are available.

      Room parties in the Twin Cities are a totally different situation, and ain’t no party floor like the MarsCon party floor.

  2. Langland
    Langland
    February 11, 2014 at 12:59 am | # | Reply

    Room parties were Awesome and then as the years gone by they started to disappoint. So yea the Ambassador tables are more practical and you can shut them down.

  3. Langland
    Langland
    February 11, 2014 at 1:00 am | # | Reply

    I meant to say shut then down at night

  4. Nick Schneider
    Nick Schneider
    February 11, 2014 at 1:23 am | # | Reply

    Personally, I’ve always been concerned when we haven’t had a room party.

    Although, and I think others may agree with me, a lot of us like using said rooms for ‘sleep’ more than ‘party times’ anyway. I’m not a huge fan of the party block, unless I’m in a really good mood, which means Drunken Schneider stories follow.

  5. Dessa
    Dessa
    February 11, 2014 at 9:56 pm | # | Reply

    Wow, room parties being expected, let alone run by conventions, really must be a regional thing. My area doesn’t allow room parties (at least at major and/or decent conventions), as per hotel policies.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      February 11, 2014 at 10:22 pm | # | Reply

      Room parties run by other cons and clubs are pretty normal in Wisconsin and Minnesota. But these are the same places that didn’t start exchanging ambassador tables until five or six years ago, so running a party was the easiest way to cross promote for a long time

  6. Kay Shapero
    Kay Shapero
    February 11, 2014 at 10:17 pm | # | Reply

    Varies by convention, too. Locally you see everything from “party floor” where anybody throwing an open party takes a room on that floor, prearranged with the hotel, to no open parties at all. Sometimes using the same hotel (though of course not at the same time).

  7. Bob Zygala
    Bob Zygala
    February 13, 2014 at 2:48 pm | # | Reply

    I staff a couple of cons on the east coast, and I’ve never heard of any con out here doing a room party. I always find it odd when you mention them in the comic.

    • Trae Dorn
      Trae Dorn
      February 13, 2014 at 3:16 pm | # | Reply

      I never realized this was a regional thing. Around here, at least half the parties (if not more so) are being run by visiting cons. This is boggling my mind that this doesn’t happen other places.

    • thevirtualjim
      thevirtualjim
      June 19, 2014 at 2:15 am | # | Reply

      What cons on the east coast? I am a participant at about 8 of them on the east coast (most in the northeast)and they all have room parties. I have been to a few others outside that area and they all have room parties too. It would be weird to me to be at a hotel con and NOT have room parties.

      Calling fan tables ‘ambassador’ tables is whats weird to me 🙂

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