I'm not quite sure how to approach my write-up of Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) because I did not actually get to do anything at the convention aside from assigned responsibilities as a volunteer. I did not attend any panels (aside from the panels in which I had badge check duty), watch any concerts, or browse the dealers room (aside for the final half-hour before the convention ended). In fact, all I did during the convention was check for badges and organize lines for autographs or events. If one were to look at my time at AWA from an outside perspective, then one could easily be led to believe that I had a miserable time and they would be wrong. Yes, my feet hurt at the end of each shift and I was wary of the drive from the convention center to my hotel and the persistent rain showers put a massive damper upon the vibe of the convention (I'm speaking from an environmental perspective not a participatory perspective), but I do sincerely enjoy working at a convention that has given me so much joy over the years. Of course, this isn't to say that there are not negative aspects to my overall experience, but the positives certainly outnumber the negatives.
For example, the feeling one gets from being recognized by peers that you may only see less than a handful of times a year. Sure, there are fellow staffers that have been in Panda Ops/Support for as long (if not longer than) as myself that I am unable to recall their names (and that is more than understandable given the infrequency with which we socialize), but when a fellow staffer does remember you; it gives me great joy. Like on Friday when I first arrived at the convention, I had just retrieved my badge and upon arriving at our departmental office (which we had to share with Public Safety); I was warmly greeted and immediately assigned to the autograph lines despite having not undergone any of the "necessary" training. But, the supervisors remembered me from my previous years of volunteering and knew that I was capable of helping (also, the line was severely understaffed and there was nothing else to do). So, I spent my first five hours of the convention working the autograph lines. Now, I could go into a few of the things that I perceived as could have been handled better in terms of man management and organization, but I'm going to maintain a positive tone for this post (at least in regards to AWA).
Beyond the confines of the convention, I found myself staying at hotel about five miles away in a rather interesting neighborhood. I would not say that it was bad neighborhood, but the hotel was roads leading toward the hotel were not well-maintained and there was a club located across the street. But, the room was reasonably priced and considering I waited until the day of the convention to book the room, what right do I have to complain? The commute back and forth between the convention center and hotel was made miserable by the consistent rain that fell throughout the course of the weekend--if it had been a dry weekend, then it might have been a more pleasant experience.
My initial stay at my hotel did not last long as I was soon back at AWA to meet with a friend of mine that was volunteering for the first time and to work another shift since I did not work the day before during AWA's now official first day: Thursday. When I arrived back at AWA, my friend and I were separated--it happens--and I was off to work the line for Totally Lame Anime, which had built up due to the previous event running behind by about an hour. Despite the negative perceptions held about line control, it's not that bad--the attendees are generally very cooperative and understanding. Though I am still slightly confused as to why such a line would exist anyways given the fact that rooms are rarely cleared at AWA--those waiting could have simply entered the room, listened to some Japanese musicians and been seated for Totally Lame Anime. Eventually, the line was dispersed into the room and I was onto my next assignment, which was organizing the line for yet another autograph session, but this time I was joined by my friend and this helped passed the time.
I'm beginning to realize that this may be longer than I had initially anticipated. So, I'm going to stop here for now since all I did after the evening Heidi and Universe autograph line was go off duty and walk around for a few minutes before calling it a night because I was exhausted. I will hopefully be back tomorrow with another post about AWA. Until then, take care and DFTBA!
