Some thoughts regarding line formation, megapanels, and room clears
I've seen some worry on this community about getting in to see the Shatner/Nimoy panel (or one of the others, but this panel seems to be the most worrisome). If you are worried about getting the Best Seat Ever Omg, you should probably go ahead and continue making whatever camping plans you're working on (that won't get you kicked out by the hotel). However, if you just want to make sure you'll be in the room, read on for some advice/thoughts.
The Marriott Atrium, where the Shatner/Nimoy panel will be, holds 2000+ people in our setup. It's the largest room we have and we have rarely had to turn people away for capacity issues. note: the con may make changes that make it even easier to get in, stay tuned...
Yes, some people will be buying a 1-day pass just to see this panel. However, the absolute earliest they can get said pass is at 8am, and that's if they're in line hours earlier and are the first people through the registration door. Figure in ten or so minutes to get the pass and another ten to figure out where the Marriott is and walk to it, and the earliest they can get in line is 8:20 -- if they're lucky. If you're there by 8-8:15, all the one-day-pass folks will be getting in line behind you; if you're there later, you'll probably still beat most of them to the line. This assumes no blatant place-holding, which I'll leave it to you liner-uppers to discourage on your own ;)
Okay, but what about people who have preregistered? Well, if they didn't pick up their pass on Thursday, they're in the same boat (or worse) as the one-day folks. Now, the question you have to ask yourself is, "Are there 2000+ Star Trek/Shatner/Nimoy fans who preregistered, picked up their badges on Thursday, and got up early/stayed up late enough to line up hours ahead of this panel?" There are several factors to consider here:
- It's the only panel Shatner is doing, so that's a big deal.
- However, it's Dragon*Con and mornings are... difficult. There's a reason Dragon*Con TV is calling their 9AM show the "Late Show." ;)
- Also, lots of people stay in the conference hotels and may decide to sleep in and watch the DCTV rebroadcast at 1PM rather than get up early.
- Of the thousands of people who preregistered, picked up their badges on Thursday, and are planning to drag themselves out of bed for a 10AM panel, how many of them will instead go for the Edward James Olmos/Mary McDonnell panel (1500+ person room) or the Babylon 5 megapanel (1500+ person room)?
My gut feeling is that everyone who wants to get into any of these panels is going to be able to do so with fairly little drama. (I could be wrong, of course, but that's just my feeling.)
I've posted a couple more items in comments, but I want to put them here as well:
- As it says in the Pocket Program, ballrooms will be cleared between panels/events/what-have-you. Track room clears are up to the track directors and rarely happen, except for party setup.
- The Friday night Whedon-tacular in the Sheraton Grand is a special case. The schedule is Horrible-Buffy-Buffy-Horrible and they will only be clearing between the two Buffy shows, on the theory that most folks will want to see both. So if you get in to see the first Horrible, you can stay for the first Buffy; if you get in to see the second Buffy, you can stay for the second Horrible.
- Lines for panels will only begin forming after the line for the previous panel has gone in. So, lines for 11:30 panels can start at 10AM, lines for 4PM panels can start at 2:30, etc. We do not have the space or the staff to handle more than one line per ballroom at once; it is, among other things, a fire safety issue and an ADA access issue. If you feel that you must line up earlier, you could try joining the back of the line for the panel before yours and not going into the room when the line goes in.
- Most ballrooms, especially the larger ones, will not open in the morning until, at the earliest, 30 minutes prior to the first scheduled panel/event. We have lots of equipment checks and such to do to ensure that your panel experience is excellent.
I am only a volunteer staffer on a fairly low rung of the staff ladder, so I do not speak in any sort of official capacity whatsoever for the 'con; however, this'll be my twelfth year, so if anyone has questions I can do my best to answer them in an extremely unofficial and non-binding way. ;)
The Marriott Atrium, where the Shatner/Nimoy panel will be, holds 2000+ people in our setup. It's the largest room we have and we have rarely had to turn people away for capacity issues. note: the con may make changes that make it even easier to get in, stay tuned...
Yes, some people will be buying a 1-day pass just to see this panel. However, the absolute earliest they can get said pass is at 8am, and that's if they're in line hours earlier and are the first people through the registration door. Figure in ten or so minutes to get the pass and another ten to figure out where the Marriott is and walk to it, and the earliest they can get in line is 8:20 -- if they're lucky. If you're there by 8-8:15, all the one-day-pass folks will be getting in line behind you; if you're there later, you'll probably still beat most of them to the line. This assumes no blatant place-holding, which I'll leave it to you liner-uppers to discourage on your own ;)
Okay, but what about people who have preregistered? Well, if they didn't pick up their pass on Thursday, they're in the same boat (or worse) as the one-day folks. Now, the question you have to ask yourself is, "Are there 2000+ Star Trek/Shatner/Nimoy fans who preregistered, picked up their badges on Thursday, and got up early/stayed up late enough to line up hours ahead of this panel?" There are several factors to consider here:
- It's the only panel Shatner is doing, so that's a big deal.
- However, it's Dragon*Con and mornings are... difficult. There's a reason Dragon*Con TV is calling their 9AM show the "Late Show." ;)
- Also, lots of people stay in the conference hotels and may decide to sleep in and watch the DCTV rebroadcast at 1PM rather than get up early.
- Of the thousands of people who preregistered, picked up their badges on Thursday, and are planning to drag themselves out of bed for a 10AM panel, how many of them will instead go for the Edward James Olmos/Mary McDonnell panel (1500+ person room) or the Babylon 5 megapanel (1500+ person room)?
My gut feeling is that everyone who wants to get into any of these panels is going to be able to do so with fairly little drama. (I could be wrong, of course, but that's just my feeling.)
I've posted a couple more items in comments, but I want to put them here as well:
- As it says in the Pocket Program, ballrooms will be cleared between panels/events/what-have-you. Track room clears are up to the track directors and rarely happen, except for party setup.
- The Friday night Whedon-tacular in the Sheraton Grand is a special case. The schedule is Horrible-Buffy-Buffy-Horrible and they will only be clearing between the two Buffy shows, on the theory that most folks will want to see both. So if you get in to see the first Horrible, you can stay for the first Buffy; if you get in to see the second Buffy, you can stay for the second Horrible.
- Lines for panels will only begin forming after the line for the previous panel has gone in. So, lines for 11:30 panels can start at 10AM, lines for 4PM panels can start at 2:30, etc. We do not have the space or the staff to handle more than one line per ballroom at once; it is, among other things, a fire safety issue and an ADA access issue. If you feel that you must line up earlier, you could try joining the back of the line for the panel before yours and not going into the room when the line goes in.
- Most ballrooms, especially the larger ones, will not open in the morning until, at the earliest, 30 minutes prior to the first scheduled panel/event. We have lots of equipment checks and such to do to ensure that your panel experience is excellent.
I am only a volunteer staffer on a fairly low rung of the staff ladder, so I do not speak in any sort of official capacity whatsoever for the 'con; however, this'll be my twelfth year, so if anyone has questions I can do my best to answer them in an extremely unofficial and non-binding way. ;)