Anime Milwaukee: A Real Relaxi-con
February 29 - March 2 . . . The old home of Gen Con, the largest gaming-centric convention in the country is now home to the second-largest anime convention in Wisconsin. With the first year under their belt, 2009 will undoubtedly hold bigger and better things for this Miller villiage. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take a look back at the here and now...
Thursday
No load-in today, so I was packing and preparing things all the way through mid-day Thursday. I added display fronts to the new keychain display and generally got things ready in a relaxed kinda way.
I noticed that I've been getting shorter with things, quicker to grumbles lately... That's largely with the non-business stuff I've had to deal (or not deal) with during February, and I'm now certain that month has it out for me. However, I knew mostly what to expect this time around and took a much more relaxed approach to it. While not an outright vacation, I was determined to saunter through this show and reclaim myself. And I can't think of a better venue to do that than a small convention in Wisconsin.
Not worried about maximizing everything to the utmost extent, I plowed through all the load-in. It went so smoothly that I was ready to leave 3 hours before I figured I would be. So I left early.... during Chicago rush hour! The drive to O'Hare was smooth, but it clogged up after that when the traffic was leaving the city toward Milwaukee through construction. It'll be VERY nice once all that is done in 2009... just hellish until then. But hey, if I can live with the insanity that was I-80/90 at the Indiana border on a monthly basis, once a year on I-94 North will be a breeze.
Got to the hotel and really didn't know what to do with myself, so I watched plenty of Arrested Development on DVD. No beer this time, though, lol! It was just a solid, relaxing time.
Friday
Morning rush hour. Construction more confusing and twisted than Chicago. No warning from convention staff. Add those all together and a 30-minute commute turns into an hour-long ordeal in 2 inches of snow. The closest hotel with a decent rate was a half-hour out... And while the rush hour was much more curteous than in Chicago, it was a lot more confusing. On ramps have traffic signals (red light, green light), multiple lanes merging at once, and the big intersecting Interstate (794) was completely ripped up. I got so turned around looking for the street I needed that I ended up at the security gate of a glass manufacturing plant! Then I got turned around in the unplowed snow-covered streets of the upper-middle-class homes of Milwaukee. Downtown Milwaukee is really pretty, by the way. Seems like it could be a nice alternative to the bustle (and cost) of downtown Chicago.
Funny aside... As I was sweeping snow off my car in the hotel parking lot, I heard a bird overhead. Robins and other springtime birds had been popping up lately, but this one was the most surreal one you could imagine with a 2-inch snowfall around you. I looked up and saw... a seagull. No kidding - a legitimate, live, flying and squawking SEAGULL. Does a Milwaukee summer really come with 2 inches of snow??? LOL
The loading dock was a MESS when I eventually found it. Anime Nebraskon's dock is EASY compared to this one. All the loading bays were filled when I arrived, and a dock manager came out to shoo me away from parking on the side until a spot opened up... to which I immediately called shenanigans. It worked out smoothly, though, as the vans in the bays quickly loaded out to a staging area on the dock. I helped one load some stuff upstairs and got a look at the commute from the dock to our room of sales... which was completely on the other side of the building. This is a typical state-university Union, which is LARGE. It took about 5 minutes to walk from the dock to the room. Add on a 1-minute elevator ride to go up a floor, a few doors to navigate, and we had a solid pain-in-the-ass load-in on our hands. The only nice thing about the hike from dock to door was the fact that the elevator wasn't so dated that it needed to be physically closed before it would change floors. (*cough*Nebraskon*cough* ;-p)
The setup went smoother than I expected, primarily because we didn't have any snacks, and I was set up even before the room officially opened. I even had time, an hour or so before we opened, to sell a Cyberia Mix CD to a random student that walked in and didn't even know what anime was. Hmmm.... guess I should relay my parking adventure for this weekend at this point, huh? Of course, I couldn't park in the dock. And since I'm only a little longer than a van, I couldn't park with the vans in the lot directly next to the dock. Instead, I was directed to a bus lane in a lot that was easily a 5+ minute walk away. And that was if the sidewalks were clear. At one point, I was almost run over by a mini snow tractor (which I passed by climbing over the snow that was plowed in front of me as he approached). And at another point, I was literally stalked by a pick-up with a plow on front for about 50 yards. I would turn down a sidewalk and the truck would follow. I would change sides of the walk, and the truck would curve over... I did a handstand and the truck turned into a Transformer mimicing me. It was freakish.
The day sauntered by and I took off afterwards. Without any idea what to do with myself, I finally saw an episode of Larry King Live (which was actually pretty cool for the first half hour before Fran Drescher showed up and wrecked the whole format)... and more Arrested Development. Fun, and zonked out whenever I did. Maybe it was midnight. It really didn't matter, because...
Saturday
I woke up at 10 a.m. To be honest, I woke up a couple times earlier expecting to hustle through the morning, but phoned it in and went back to sleep. The room was opening for setup at 11, and to the public at noon, so there was NO hurry. For perspective, Saturday hours are usually 10-6 or similar. So a noon - 6 is really odd... not that I'm complaining in this instance. With as small of a crowd here, it was a good way to do it. I was much happier and peppier this time around, having actual sleep in my system. Add onto that the fact that February was finally over, and the zestier month of March has come around... I was much more on my game.
The day plowed along and being on my own for the first time in a while worked just fine here. It kept me occupied, and I got to interact with DVD shoppers again. Several were highly appreciative of my expertise and enthusiasm. It was nice to bring smiles in an informative way again. Afterwards, there was a 2-hour break to get food and set up for the dance. So down to the basement I went to the in-house restraunt... and BAR.
Yes, the University of Milwaukee has a sports BAR in their Student Union. That was so unbelievable that I HAD to have a burger, fries, and a beer in the very Union that had an anime convention. And it was good. Filling and hearty with hip-hop resonating in the background (with all caucasian bartenders and customers)... It was something to experience. It was good, and made me kinda wish I went to UW for school. Hmm... I wonder if they have an MBA program. lol
The dance didn't have an table specially set up for me, but I stationed myself on the water table... which was funny to consider that if someone wanted water, they would have to see the glow stick setup. It was a good set from a couple DJs and had everyone grooving solidly throughout. And we didn't get much of the consistent retardedness that we see at most otaku raves... like the circle jerk or running conga line. There was a running conga line, but it was short-lived once it left the room. lol, I still think about that conga line I started at OMG!!con that ran for about 50 feet, just to get people on the other side of the room. That was the BEST...
While it was great to be in the rave atmosphere again, the first time in 3 months in any capacity, I didn't have anyone to dance with and the crowd had thinned out... so I left and marvelled at how EARLY it was. It would normally be 1 or 2 in the morning, but it was still 10 p.m.! So what'd I do? More Arrested Development, of course! LOL
Sunday
Guess who slept in until 10 again?! Yeah, that was fantastic. Sunday was oddly like Saturday. While the other vendors were all packing up, I was still manning the tables and selling what I could. They were all loading out and I was still selling. I really wasn't worried as I would still get home by 10. (It's a single tank of gas for me to get to and from this one - normally it runs 2-4 stops along the way!) With a 2.5-hour drive... I was nowhere near worried about the drive back. Y'know, it took longer to pack up and load out than it did to actually drive back.
Signed up for next year, and looking forward to it! With this year of experience under their belt, the staff of Anime Milwaukee should be able to improve upon this year and start to hit some good strides in '09. I see this working similarly to OMG!!con or No Brand Con as they have been growing, though if there's a good Chicago attendance, this could easily become one of the largest shows in the Midwest. They just need to advertise. Heavily. The heart is there, now I'm looking forward to seeing the masses find this rough gem.
No Brand Con PIMPAGE
Since we're remotely and vaguely on the subject of No Brand Con, I was officially asked to sell myself again in this year's Man Auction! I'm thrilled partake in this annual, and charitable, tradition. I hear that there will be fewer men this year, and I am honored to be one of these elite. I will again match my high bidder in a donation to this year's charity, so please be generous for me. Last year, I matched my winning $45 bid, and hope we can raise over a hundred together this time around.
Oh, and I also hope that for the first time, my winner can benefit from winning me. You get a dinner and dance partner out of it... and my 3 winners have yet to really claim their prize. What will this year's Man Auction have in store for us? Only our imaginations can guess... but you can be sure there will be plenty of man meat on the block!
Maybe I'll get a Youmacon recap for Cinci Steve next time, but probably not. ;-p Have a good one, everybody.
- John
Thursday
No load-in today, so I was packing and preparing things all the way through mid-day Thursday. I added display fronts to the new keychain display and generally got things ready in a relaxed kinda way.
I noticed that I've been getting shorter with things, quicker to grumbles lately... That's largely with the non-business stuff I've had to deal (or not deal) with during February, and I'm now certain that month has it out for me. However, I knew mostly what to expect this time around and took a much more relaxed approach to it. While not an outright vacation, I was determined to saunter through this show and reclaim myself. And I can't think of a better venue to do that than a small convention in Wisconsin.
Not worried about maximizing everything to the utmost extent, I plowed through all the load-in. It went so smoothly that I was ready to leave 3 hours before I figured I would be. So I left early.... during Chicago rush hour! The drive to O'Hare was smooth, but it clogged up after that when the traffic was leaving the city toward Milwaukee through construction. It'll be VERY nice once all that is done in 2009... just hellish until then. But hey, if I can live with the insanity that was I-80/90 at the Indiana border on a monthly basis, once a year on I-94 North will be a breeze.
Got to the hotel and really didn't know what to do with myself, so I watched plenty of Arrested Development on DVD. No beer this time, though, lol! It was just a solid, relaxing time.
Friday
Morning rush hour. Construction more confusing and twisted than Chicago. No warning from convention staff. Add those all together and a 30-minute commute turns into an hour-long ordeal in 2 inches of snow. The closest hotel with a decent rate was a half-hour out... And while the rush hour was much more curteous than in Chicago, it was a lot more confusing. On ramps have traffic signals (red light, green light), multiple lanes merging at once, and the big intersecting Interstate (794) was completely ripped up. I got so turned around looking for the street I needed that I ended up at the security gate of a glass manufacturing plant! Then I got turned around in the unplowed snow-covered streets of the upper-middle-class homes of Milwaukee. Downtown Milwaukee is really pretty, by the way. Seems like it could be a nice alternative to the bustle (and cost) of downtown Chicago.
Funny aside... As I was sweeping snow off my car in the hotel parking lot, I heard a bird overhead. Robins and other springtime birds had been popping up lately, but this one was the most surreal one you could imagine with a 2-inch snowfall around you. I looked up and saw... a seagull. No kidding - a legitimate, live, flying and squawking SEAGULL. Does a Milwaukee summer really come with 2 inches of snow??? LOL
The loading dock was a MESS when I eventually found it. Anime Nebraskon's dock is EASY compared to this one. All the loading bays were filled when I arrived, and a dock manager came out to shoo me away from parking on the side until a spot opened up... to which I immediately called shenanigans. It worked out smoothly, though, as the vans in the bays quickly loaded out to a staging area on the dock. I helped one load some stuff upstairs and got a look at the commute from the dock to our room of sales... which was completely on the other side of the building. This is a typical state-university Union, which is LARGE. It took about 5 minutes to walk from the dock to the room. Add on a 1-minute elevator ride to go up a floor, a few doors to navigate, and we had a solid pain-in-the-ass load-in on our hands. The only nice thing about the hike from dock to door was the fact that the elevator wasn't so dated that it needed to be physically closed before it would change floors. (*cough*Nebraskon*cough* ;-p)
The setup went smoother than I expected, primarily because we didn't have any snacks, and I was set up even before the room officially opened. I even had time, an hour or so before we opened, to sell a Cyberia Mix CD to a random student that walked in and didn't even know what anime was. Hmmm.... guess I should relay my parking adventure for this weekend at this point, huh? Of course, I couldn't park in the dock. And since I'm only a little longer than a van, I couldn't park with the vans in the lot directly next to the dock. Instead, I was directed to a bus lane in a lot that was easily a 5+ minute walk away. And that was if the sidewalks were clear. At one point, I was almost run over by a mini snow tractor (which I passed by climbing over the snow that was plowed in front of me as he approached). And at another point, I was literally stalked by a pick-up with a plow on front for about 50 yards. I would turn down a sidewalk and the truck would follow. I would change sides of the walk, and the truck would curve over... I did a handstand and the truck turned into a Transformer mimicing me. It was freakish.
The day sauntered by and I took off afterwards. Without any idea what to do with myself, I finally saw an episode of Larry King Live (which was actually pretty cool for the first half hour before Fran Drescher showed up and wrecked the whole format)... and more Arrested Development. Fun, and zonked out whenever I did. Maybe it was midnight. It really didn't matter, because...
Saturday
I woke up at 10 a.m. To be honest, I woke up a couple times earlier expecting to hustle through the morning, but phoned it in and went back to sleep. The room was opening for setup at 11, and to the public at noon, so there was NO hurry. For perspective, Saturday hours are usually 10-6 or similar. So a noon - 6 is really odd... not that I'm complaining in this instance. With as small of a crowd here, it was a good way to do it. I was much happier and peppier this time around, having actual sleep in my system. Add onto that the fact that February was finally over, and the zestier month of March has come around... I was much more on my game.
The day plowed along and being on my own for the first time in a while worked just fine here. It kept me occupied, and I got to interact with DVD shoppers again. Several were highly appreciative of my expertise and enthusiasm. It was nice to bring smiles in an informative way again. Afterwards, there was a 2-hour break to get food and set up for the dance. So down to the basement I went to the in-house restraunt... and BAR.
Yes, the University of Milwaukee has a sports BAR in their Student Union. That was so unbelievable that I HAD to have a burger, fries, and a beer in the very Union that had an anime convention. And it was good. Filling and hearty with hip-hop resonating in the background (with all caucasian bartenders and customers)... It was something to experience. It was good, and made me kinda wish I went to UW for school. Hmm... I wonder if they have an MBA program. lol
The dance didn't have an table specially set up for me, but I stationed myself on the water table... which was funny to consider that if someone wanted water, they would have to see the glow stick setup. It was a good set from a couple DJs and had everyone grooving solidly throughout. And we didn't get much of the consistent retardedness that we see at most otaku raves... like the circle jerk or running conga line. There was a running conga line, but it was short-lived once it left the room. lol, I still think about that conga line I started at OMG!!con that ran for about 50 feet, just to get people on the other side of the room. That was the BEST...
While it was great to be in the rave atmosphere again, the first time in 3 months in any capacity, I didn't have anyone to dance with and the crowd had thinned out... so I left and marvelled at how EARLY it was. It would normally be 1 or 2 in the morning, but it was still 10 p.m.! So what'd I do? More Arrested Development, of course! LOL
Sunday
Guess who slept in until 10 again?! Yeah, that was fantastic. Sunday was oddly like Saturday. While the other vendors were all packing up, I was still manning the tables and selling what I could. They were all loading out and I was still selling. I really wasn't worried as I would still get home by 10. (It's a single tank of gas for me to get to and from this one - normally it runs 2-4 stops along the way!) With a 2.5-hour drive... I was nowhere near worried about the drive back. Y'know, it took longer to pack up and load out than it did to actually drive back.
Signed up for next year, and looking forward to it! With this year of experience under their belt, the staff of Anime Milwaukee should be able to improve upon this year and start to hit some good strides in '09. I see this working similarly to OMG!!con or No Brand Con as they have been growing, though if there's a good Chicago attendance, this could easily become one of the largest shows in the Midwest. They just need to advertise. Heavily. The heart is there, now I'm looking forward to seeing the masses find this rough gem.
No Brand Con PIMPAGE
Since we're remotely and vaguely on the subject of No Brand Con, I was officially asked to sell myself again in this year's Man Auction! I'm thrilled partake in this annual, and charitable, tradition. I hear that there will be fewer men this year, and I am honored to be one of these elite. I will again match my high bidder in a donation to this year's charity, so please be generous for me. Last year, I matched my winning $45 bid, and hope we can raise over a hundred together this time around.
Oh, and I also hope that for the first time, my winner can benefit from winning me. You get a dinner and dance partner out of it... and my 3 winners have yet to really claim their prize. What will this year's Man Auction have in store for us? Only our imaginations can guess... but you can be sure there will be plenty of man meat on the block!
Maybe I'll get a Youmacon recap for Cinci Steve next time, but probably not. ;-p Have a good one, everybody.
- John