MFM 2010 - Con Report

Sep 08, 2010 14:57

After last year's MFM, I kind of made a vow that I wouldn't attend MFM again, feeling as if I had got the shaft. Through most of the year, I took the hit to my character and partially never recovered. I stood broken, battered, and bruised.

RCFM changed a lot of that. It wasn't the whole "look at dem titties" (which all filming credit still goes to WildRoo... I just posted it up on YouTube), nor was it the idea of having a decent turnout at my show (from last count, it was standing-room-only in the ballroom). It was the people... The old people, the new people, the staff and etc. After the wonderful experience that was RCFM 2010, I decided to give MFM 2010 a go, mainly to show that I DID recover and had returned (mostly) to my feet as that wild and crazy Isfa that people knew all along. I totally went to troll, having hidden the idea from everyone that I would be going to MFM at all.

I was pleasantly surprised. I had gone into the convention expecting a kind of "ehhhhhh", and it ended up to be fun... Maybe not memorable, but still fun. The new hotel was certainly needed, and had a LOT of space for expansion (I think the opening ceremonies ballroom was half-full... this was the first year that I didn't attend all of it).

My big mention was that the con DID admit that it had its faults and certainly some bugs to work out. Admittedly, I had tried to find fault with a lot of things, but the registration complaint worked itself out (there really was no need to worry about registration if you had gotten in early), the placement of a few panels worked fine (the Charity Auction in the auditorium? Genius!), and the mandatory quiet time wasn't TRULY enforced (there really wasn't a need for it, unless you count the dances). The only major fault I did see was the scheduling and how limited it was. I know that bucktowntiger missed the Fursuit Games thanks to the Poker Tournament was scheduled right next to each other.

Anyway, let's break it down to the nitty-gritty. Thus I give you...

The Good

The Charity Auction was held in the auditorium. This was genius, though it seemed like it proved a hard time for the MCs to spot bids. Still...
The look on some of the faces of friends when they spotted I was there. This includes staff who had no idea I was coming in the first place.
Finally getting to sit down in the LAN Room and play a few rounds of Invasion.
Finally getting the time to sit down and have a few beers at the bar with friends.
Continuing the staring contest with Vitae (ended up 2-1 with her winning this year).
Getting at least three commissions from dealers.
Ended up 6th in the Poker Tournament (BEAT THAT, EXILE HUSCOON!).
Under the stairs movie night with Shockwave. Though it was drowned out by the dance music sometimes, it was still very much fun.
At least, at closing ceremonies, they DID mention the GoH, despite the fact that she was sitting in the back of the room. I think the con learned a little from last year.

The Bad

Dealer's Den was split up into two separate rooms. It was hard to determine who had a Dealer's Den table when half of it was in Artist's Alley.
The con suite was hard to find! I wondered where it was, but didn't find it until nearly Saturday afternoon. I understand that it needed to be in a suite room, but it could have been labeled much better
Karaoke was almost hard to find from the start. The changes in the hotel made things not seem like where they would be.
Programming seemed very limited this year with no comedy tract or musical performances.
Having to clear my name as best as I could to those who thought that I was a pile of dirt.
Moving out to the Pavilion at night was so very low light that someone could have fallen and broken something. This is not the convention's fault, but more of the hotel's fault.

The WTF?!?

There was a particular staff member who... maybe refused to acknowledge me at the con. Not mentioning names.
The looks from some of the other staff members towards me were... slightly held in disdain of me even being there in the first place. I guess bridges like those you just can't rebuild, even with apologies and acceptance of my faults.
Many people had asked me if I was doing a show at MFM this year. Though appreciative of people asking for me to perform, my comments remained "Yeah... I don't think MFM will let me perform here again..." Sorry guys.
Having two of the roommates bail on the room during the con, increasing the cost for the other people in the room.

Final verdict: It was a much needed improvement from last year. It'll take a bit of time to bring the attendance up to pre-decade members, but it has potential with the new hotel. There are still a few kinks to work out, but it looks like the con is trying to actively improve itself after a few lackluster years.
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