AWA 2019

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davemerrill
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AWA 2019

Post by davemerrill »

Jeez, is it AWA time already? Actually the show moved a month back in the year so it's on Halloween. There's been some grumbling but overall as people realize it gives them a month's further distance from Dragoncon, the sighs of relief are audible. I know my late summer and fall has been a little less stressful, having a little more time to relax.

The show started in 1995, so this is our 25th AWA. Kind of hard to believe that we've been putting this convention on for so long. Since it is the 25th we're doing a series of panels on the history of the convention:
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I'll be at the first panel but the others overlap with some of my other events, so I might not be able to make them. Another one of the founders, Lloyd Carter, is managing these events and he's got it under control, believe me.

Of course I'm also doing an Anime Hell, Friday at 10pm.
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Sunday I'll be doing a panel all about the anime of 1969 - it's built around the "Golden Ani-Versary" column I wrote for Geoff Tebbett's blog a while back, expanded and with more sharks vs ninjas.
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Saturday Shain and I are doing our live Stupid Comics panel - this is the first time in Atlanta for this panel, I think (did we do one in 2008? I forget) and I'm looking forward to sharing bad comics with the Atlanta crowd.
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I'll also be managing the Super Happy Fun Sell on Thursday night, it's happening in the atrium outside the event halls in the Galleria this year, so if you're looking for it in the Waverly, well, it's not there this year. If you're coming to the show, see you there!
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DKop
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by DKop »

As of this post, I'm working on one of my two panels for the con: "Anime on Cartoon Network: An Overview History" on Saturday at 12pm at the CGC 104, and "Anime at War" on Friday at 12pm at the CGC 102. I've been helping John out with his Science in Anime panel on Sunday at roughly 11:30ish. So it looks like my stuff doesn't overlap yours so I can totally make it!!
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Drew_Sutton
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by Drew_Sutton »

"25 Years of AWA" and "Anime At War" make me really, really mad I am gonna miss this year. Hope everyone has a blast!
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DKop
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by DKop »

Shoot, im really sorry to hear I won't see you. What's the reason you're not gonna make it? (I'm going to assuming being a dad is one of those main reasons ;) )
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by Drew_Sutton »

DKop wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 1:35 pm Shoot, im really sorry to hear I won't see you. What's the reason you're not gonna make it? (I'm going to assuming being a dad is one of those main reasons ;) )
Yeah, mostly dad stuff: my niece's first birthday is the Saturday during AWA so we'll be away for that, then my daughter's first the following week. Lead up to both of those, some other social obligations to a dear friend's wedding, plus general craziness around work, my schedule's slammed from like mid-September through American Thanksgiving.

Shame, too, my daughter liked the first con she did a day trip at and now that she's "older", she'd probably really enjoy gawking around while I swung by and said hi to some friends like you and Dave but she's active enough that I wouldn't be able to sit in and watch panels anyway :lol:
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DKop
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by DKop »

Oh, do you have just one daughter or another one? I was only aware of the one you were expecting last year when we meet. Yea man it happens, another buddy of mine got married and has a kid, and I didn't see him for like 4 years till briefly at this last Animazement, and she looked cute in here Wonder Woman costume walking around the con. He seems to be doing a pretty fine job raising her so im proud of him. It'll happen to me... someday ;)
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Drew_Sutton
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by Drew_Sutton »

DKop wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:27 pm Oh, do you have just one daughter or another one?
Just one, but my wife's sister was also pregnant at the same time, so I have a niece that's about 2 weeks older than my daughter. There's always next year!
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DKop
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by DKop »

Drew, ill make sure to make it bigger and better next year, ALL FOR YOU BUDDY!!!!
davemerrill
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by davemerrill »

Now that the con is over and our big road trip has ended and we're back home, I can process how the convention went, for me at least. And it was a lot of fun! A lot of regulars couldn't make it due to Real Life, but they were more than replaced by new fans crowding up the place. The date shift meant everybody put everything off an extra month. I think there were 25 percent more musical acts, which meant the schedule got bumped around somewhat and teams of tech people had to all come together and make stuff happen, which always means challenges. Some events got moved into different or smaller rooms this year, but it seemed to me that they were good fits - I didn't see long lines or people turned away from those events.

my events were well attended - I think I had the biggest crowd for Anime Hell ever (filled main events for the entire screening). The convention ditched the program book in favor of two printed schedule sheets and an app, and the app stunk. The weather was crazy on Thursday - it went from warm and humid, a cold front moved in, we got a big rainstorm for much of the day, and then the temperature dropped 20 degrees. There was barely any vintage stuff in the vendors hall, but I spent too much money anyway.

Overall the mood seemed to be positive, fans seemed to be having fun, the Waverly ballroom was jumpin' Thursday and Friday and Saturday nights with cosplayers and dancers and socializing. Atlanta - and this is an observation from my trip as a whole, not just the convention - Atlanta seems to be more of a fun, party atmosphere sort of town, a nightclub town, a restaurant destination, more like New Orleans, than it was when I was a kid. It seems like AWA's sort of reflecting that- people want to get together and have a few drinks and be social.

My only real problem with the show was how tough it was getting through the crowds of dawdling, shuffling, phone-staring loiterers aimlessly wandering the halls staring at their phones. I mean, it's bad everywhere, but AWA seemed particularly bad.

We did three panels about AWA's 25th anniversary and I am going to share some images from those panels, in a different thread.
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DKop
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Re: AWA 2019

Post by DKop »

Yea the app crashed on Friday meaning that everyone who had bookmarked panels had to rebook them again. I understand them trying to be self-sufficient but if they gotta pay to use Evanbrite as a decent schedule app than their own then just pay the extra cash to make sure stuff works.

My two panels and the Anime Blinded Me With Science Panel I helped out with on Sunday were well attended. I was pleased that people would stop by and hang out in the back during my Anime on Cartoon Network panel, which seemed to mostly fill the room. Daryl Anime 30 Years Ago panel was in a too small of a room with people from the hallway sticking their heads inside to see it. And it stunk I missed out on Geralds stuff since it was during the room party of your's Dave, but im sure there will be a next time. The other thing was I heard my AMV did get played for Fbombs for Charity, which I didn't think it would, and I heard it was well received.

I felt like there was never a point at the con that you couldn't really move anywhere unless you were in the middle of that hotel party/rave on Saturday night. Even with a big con I didn't have issues with walking around. Yea it sucks that Otaku Joes wasn't there this year, so I have to strongly assume he was at the other big con that same weekend, which I forgot what that was called.
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