(no subject)
I am enraged. I am infuriated. I am REALLY REALLY PISSED OFF.
So Anime Banzai? You know, that convention I've been selling at since it was a puny little club convention held on the community college campus? THAT ONE? I went to their website a few days ago and found that - whoa! - all the information is up for the dealers' room. Even though I received no e-mail offering me the paperwork and such before it opened to everyone, since I exhibited last year. Even though last year, they sent me the paperwork right when it was finished, so that I could sign up and pay them early on. Even though that is what every convention does. They didn't. So I'm like "okay, I guess they forgot. That's kind of tacky but whatever." I send off an e-mail requesting the paperwork so that I can get it all filled out. Then I get this e-mail (three days later).
"Thanks for the email. Unfortunately, the dealer's room is full for this year. All I can suggest at this point is to wait until information for the 2009 Anime Banzai gets put up on the website and contact me again."
All I can suggest? All I can suggest is that you leave me alone? There's no, sorry we forgot you? No, thanks for supporting us in the past? No, we sent the stuff but maybe you didn't get it? Just, SUCKS TO BE YOU, too bad you didn't check our site five times a day for the last five months, we don't have the kind of time it takes to e-mail the seven dealers we had last year and see if they wanted to come back?!
I was paying too much for tables to support Utah's only anime convention three freaking years ago, when they couldn't even afford a hotel or convention center to hold it at, or guests, and the only reason anyone paid money to get in there was to get in the dealers' room. Last year I got an e-mail thanking me for that support, and asking me if I wanted to return, and if I did here's the contract and everything. And now? Just a "screw you, we're big-time now and everyone wants some of this"? And a brief, unapologetic e-mail telling me to wait and check the site every day for another year so that I can SQUEEZE INTO that dealers' room in 2009? This ain't freaking Anime Expo, you're not worth it - especially now that it's clear that the convention is run entirely by braindead seventeen-year-olds who have no idea how to run a business entity or maintain goodwill with anyone around them. I'm glad everyone said that there was nothing worth seeing at Banzai last year except for the dealers' room. And I hope your dealers' room THIS YEAR is full of all those dealers selling nothing but the merchandise you can buy on Amazon or at Borders or Best Buy, because I'm looking at the dealers who DID manage to get some precious space in your exhibit hall, and they all sell the exact same thing. Even Vic Mignogna won't be able to save you. GOOD LUCK, FREAKING ANIME BANZAI.