The Eurofurence Forum
Eurofurence Information => Feedback => Topic started by: krakendwaggin on 23.08.2011, 11:34:02
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Well Eurofurence 17 has been and gone and we start to amble back into our regular lives, wallets lightened, memory cards filled, PCD clouding our thoughts!
I LOVED this years Eurofurence, everything went so smoothly and nearly everything ran to time!
The delays of the dealers den opening and the pawpet show are almost traditional so I've come to expect them!.
I've hardly anything negative to say from this year, I had such a fun time and had alot of fun!
Also to the person who made this years smoking sign, thank you!, always raises a chuckle, plus the two signs (last years and this one) are on the sponsors USB stick, neat!
One thing I'll say, the super sponsors gift, last year it was a face towel, this year it's a delightfully cute wash bag...are you trying to tell us something?! haha!
Thank you ALL who make sure Eurofurence is awesome every year, all the late nights, tears and stress, just, thank you!
Bring on Eurofurence 18!
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I totally agree with Krakendwaggin! It was my first EF and it will certainly be not the last one! Only one thing: Maritim, please LOWER those insane high prices. And what's the point to even give tapwater a pricetag of €0,50? What's the use of that?!?!
That stuff aside: it was awesome. EF 18 -- I'm ready for it!
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Well Eurofurence 17 has been and gone and we start to amble back into our regular lives, wallets lightened, memory cards filled, PCD clouding our thoughts!
I LOVED this years Eurofurence, everything went so smoothly and nearly everything ran to time!
The delays of the dealers den opening and the pawpet show are almost traditional so I've come to expect them!.
I've hardly anything negative to say from this year, I had such a fun time and had alot of fun!
Also to the person who made this years smoking sign, thank you!, always raises a chuckle, plus the two signs (last years and this one) are on the sponsors USB stick, neat!
One thing I'll say, the super sponsors gift, last year it was a face towel, this year it's a delightfully cute wash bag...are you trying to tell us something?! haha!
Thank you ALL who make sure Eurofurence is awesome every year, all the late nights, tears and stress, just, thank you!
Bring on Eurofurence 18!
Hehe, maybe soap next year ;3
I double that, EF 17 was one of the most best days of my life once again and probably the first con that I realy cried after it was over.
Big thanks to you all.
- Kisu
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I have to say I also had a really great con !
For the first year I had a real staff job as being responsible for dance lighthing, and it really took me more time then I was thinking, but I had a lot of fun working on it :) If possible, I'll try to do it again next year !
I think this EF went way way better then last year, the general atmosphere of it was just perfect ! I never went to bed before 4am, even if Iw as awake at 9am ...
Otherwise I would like to point a cople stuff :
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- The hotel staff was perfect this year, from bar to reception to room cleaning, it's so awesome to come back to your room after a long day and find it perfectly clean 8)
- The 2 room for the dealers den was a big plus compare to last year, way more space to circulate and less noisy. Also the security staff made a great job at avoiding having to much people at the same time inside.
- The pawpet show, was seriously the first time I watch it from the beginning to the end, and I had fun doying so.
- Cocktails at the bar might be a bit expensive, but the quality there was really awesome ...
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- The front stairs were open on all floor at all the time, but that wasn't the case with the back one, some floor were open while other close. But it was always possible to get to the main floor.
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- Fetish gear ? I saw a lot of people wearing some, also zeta suit and body paint ( with just the genital part hiding ) ...
Also, here are the pict I took during the con :
http://media.furcon.de/Eurofurence/ef17/djem/tn
And a small video I made of the dance's :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9dtM6Bak8E
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Just a short message for now, but I just wanted to say I absolutely LOVED the con. It's nearly impossible to think of any complaints at all. It was definitely the best con I ever attended so far, thanks again to everone who made it possible :D
I'll post more detailed feedback later!
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Best con ever!! The whole team has truly outdone itself once again. It's always really hard to imagine how to make the con any better, but they did it like every year :)
I'll need some time to write together all the positive feedback (and the very few things that could be improved), so I'll do that later :D
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Well it was my first EF this year and I have to say... it was awesome. I never thought that the con is going to be that good. EF 18...I'll be there for sure =)
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Fantastic con, and it was my 10th EF or so.
It ranks way up there with the best of them. It's hard to name an EF that wasn't made of 100% pure awesome, really... but EF17 was one of the very best.
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I went to EF 17 with a friend and we attended some anime/cosplay conventions before, but this was both our first furryconvention. We absolutly loved it:
- the family environment, nobody seems untouchable, you can talk to everyone and hug them
- the well structured organization, the con ran absolutly smoothly and was well planned
- the location and setup of the hotel, nearby to the trainstation and a shopping center, all rooms are pretty much equally far away from the big con-area in the center
- the visitors, next to parents with their kids even old people visited and weren't even afraid to take a hug, it is nice to make them smile
- the community feeling and care for each other, the fursuit lounge with their repair station, big fans and drinks
- the love for the furry scene, it was amazing how much effort people put into their shows, panels, pictures and creations to do their share for the furry fandom and an awesome con
So even we didn't knew anybody, we didn't felt like outsiders. It seemed really easy to get into talk with people and make new friends.
But maybe it would be good for next EF if there would be a kind of wall standing around or maybe a simple online board for personal unofficial schedules.
Like when a group of decides to head out in fur to the city and are fine to invite maybe +3 more people to their group. I would have loved to go into the city, both in fur and to take photos of people.
So maybe a kind of unofficial board or schedule for the attendees would be great where you can put up your "event" and people can join.
(Maybe there is already something like that, sorry then ^^)
Also the security did a great job. I headed out as bearess in swimsuit and see-through blanket around my hips. Then I saw furries standing at the street and waving at cars in front of the hotel.
I didn't thought anything bad and also headed to the street to join the fun. I think Gyroplast came after a few minutes to me and whispered to me that people might think something wrong when I would stand at the street dressed like that. I quickly headed back to the hotel. I'm so sorry about that, was my fault, I didn't thought about how I looked and was taken away by the furry fun ^^ Hugs to Gyroplast! :)
When I was standing in suit at the entrance of the hotel, some drunken guys (not attendees of the con, just people randomly coming by) asked me about how I look like out of suit. 2 People of the security that were around then asked me if I'm okay or if those people bother me. So great job from the security, you felt cared for and safe and that is important when you are in suit. Many thanks!
My friend and me loved EF and I can't wait to see more of the furry world. It was such a positive impression, we are sooo looking forward to EF 18! :)
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Hey there,
I'd also like to say a few words about my very first EF.
Short version: AWESOME!!!1
Long version:
You guys and gals simply exceeded all my expectations and I was totally overwhelmed and stunned about the con. I had lots of fun and met so many awesome and funny, known and new people... a complete sensory overload.
I liked the hotel very very much and all rooms, events and programs seemed to be very well organised. People have been absolutely open-hearted, I guess I never experienced it before in such a way. Loved the fursuit lounge with all its services! And I've been really sad to leave, even if I also looked forward to sleeping more than 4-5 hours a night again. :D
However, there is one point that could be figured as a small minus.
The prices in the bar and coffee-thing in the lobby.
It's a high-class hotel, I'm seriously aware of that, and I have no problem at all to pay a little bit more than I'm used to, but I think 9,90 EUR for a cocktail and 3,80 EUR for a simple coffee are a little bit too much, especially when I think of the hotel being booked out completely. I don't really care about the restaurants and such because we had all possibilities to buy food, drinks and such in the local mall and go to other restaurants that have been really worth the money.
Buuut... later the evening or partying all night long, you couldn't do anything but to buy drinks at the bar. And I certainly would have ordered more drinks, if there hadn't been this really baaad feeling about my remaining money all the time.
I'm pretty sure I would have ordered some coffee too, but I surrendered the plan immediately when I saw the price list.
Plus, and that's something that's still annoying me:
For all the world to see, they filled up my second cocktail glass with crushed ice because the mixed drink would not be enough for both glasses. That's a NOGO if I have to pay 10 bucks for a drink. Definitely.
All in all, it's been a great and unforgettable time and I thank you a thousand times for making it possible.
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This was one of the best cons I've ever attended. Everyone did such a great job and MANY things people complained about last year were done/got better.
- Art Show was great (pick up and cash out, almost no waiting time), actually loved the separation. The "new" bidsheets weren't such a big problem as everyone thought they would be.
- The Dealer's Den felt less crowded than last year, great improvement.
- The restaurants outside the hotel were much more friendly, faster and professional.
- Still love the location, so many options to eat out and buy something last minute!
- The overall mood was very awesome
There's only one thing that annoyed me quite a lot ... the music in the Piano Bar (when there was none of EF's DJs). Tina Turner was just about (well, very hard) to tolerate, but when they started to play SCHLAGER (I only say Wolfgang Petry ... ) I was close to throwing up. I mean, if there are reasons why they can't/don't want to play other/our music - I really would love to hear them.
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I have to admit that this year's EF was by far the most awesome EF I ever had. :)
The security did an awesome job, the medics were always around when you needed them, con ops and logistics worked so well and even the hotel staff seemed to have learned from last year's experience. There were so many things that helped making this EF a wonderful experience.
Dividing the art show was an awesome idea as well as having two dealers' dens again.
I really loved that convention and hope next year will be just as awesome. :)
However ... among all the endless good things, there was one thing that was really disappointing this time - the piano bar.
No discussion about the kinds of music they played there (though Nimrais really has a point there) but it was just way too loud IMHO.
Wasn't the original intention of no longer having the singing piano lady around to make it a little less loud and actually possible to talk to other people without shouting? Instead you replaced her with even louder DJs and repeating music mixes ...
The piano bar this year was rather disappointing ... it was too loud, you had to wait half an hour for your drinks (even if the counter at the bar wasn't full), the glasses weren't full at times (like ... one fourth of the drink was missing) and they even charged more than the price that was actually written on the card (which made me simply stop giving them tips or ordering myself at all).
Not to mention that the Pinacolada didn't taste like one and the White Russian ... well, leaving the strange taste aside, it didn't even look like one. :') (And yes, I did order those drinks there last year and they tasted goddamn awesome.)
While a lot of people were complaining about the prices for the cocktails, the quality last year was definitely worth it. However, this year it wasn't. At least not to me.
If the piano bar stays that way, I'll probably end up spending most of my free time in the evenings (as well as the money) somewhere else.
However, aside from that bar, it was a great con, great people and it felt rather relaxed. :)
Thanks a lot to all the other staff departments that did do such an awesome job. I really appreciated being able to attend EF and I hope next year will be just as great.
Just my two cents and a little ranting. ;)
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Hi Faolin!
First of all, I'm glad to hear that you had a great time! Thank you very much for your kind words. I won't go much into detail, but for you and everybody else here who had incidents with the hotel:
The most important thing if you are not happy with your drink or your meal is to complain IMMEDIATELY to your waiter, and have them fix your problem. It's their job, and for the price you are paying, you have the right to demand appropriate service. And if you do it in a polite friendly way, they will do everything to help you. The hotel staff works very hard to service more than 1000 people for almost exactly one full week. That means, they are running at about 200% of their normal capacity. Mishaps will happen, and please do not outright assume these are hostile attempts to rip you off. We are bringing this place to their limits, and sometimes this will show.
Whatever happened: It is pointless to take your complaint to us, Eurofurence, weeks or months after the con. I can understand how you felt, but what are we supposed to do about it? It was not us who poured you the drink, and even if we forwarded your complaint, nobody at the hotel will take a single complaint about ice cubes seriously several days after you've paid your bill and left.
What goes for individual complaints about the service also goes for the prices: The hotel, although they are our hosts, is a business separate from Eurofurence. They can fix the prices however THEY want, and they will do so by strictly economic criteria. If you find the cocktail prices too high, I can totally relate to you. Of course you want your drinks as affordable as possible, everyone wants that. But it's not our business - so we have no influence on the prices. The only thing I can recommend is voting with your feet, and either get drunk at roomparties and stick to the affordable drinks in the bar (the beer prices are pretty normal for a bar, for example), or maybe try the cocktail bar directly next door. I've heard they're really good.
It's really important to understand the difference between services provided on the behalf of Eurofurence, and those provided on behalf of the hotel. You can still voice your opinion about hotel services here, and compare experiences with others of course. It won't change a thing tho :)
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However ... among all the endless good things, there was one thing that was really disappointing this time - the piano bar.
No discussion about the kinds of music they played there (though Nimrais really has a point there) but it was just way too loud IMHO.
Wasn't the original intention of no longer having the singing piano lady around to make it a little less loud and actually possible to talk to other people without shouting? Instead you replaced her with even louder DJs and repeating music mixes ...
The piano bar this year was rather disappointing ... it was too loud, you had to wait half an hour for your drinks (even if the counter at the bar wasn't full), the glasses weren't full at times (like ... one fourth of the drink was missing) and they even charged more than the price that was actually written on the card (which made me simply stop giving them tips or ordering myself at all).
Not to mention that the Pinacolada didn't taste like one and the White Russian ... well, leaving the strange taste aside, it didn't even look like one. :') (And yes, I did order those drinks there last year and they tasted goddamn awesome.)
While a lot of people were complaining about the prices for the cocktails, the quality last year was definitely worth it. However, this year it wasn't. At least not to me.
If the piano bar stays that way, I'll probably end up spending most of my free time in the evenings (as well as the money) somewhere else.
Piano bar's drinks quality did vary alot but it doesnt help much typing it here, if it wasnt good why not just tell them right there at least we did once :)?
And I partly agree with the music, it was way too loud as yelling next to other person could not talk properly.
Me and hHp and Bria would've liked some Jazz or perhaps Blues with the fine coctails. That'd fit the bar well.
I didn't complain much of the prices this year, there was happy hour with reduced price this time one evening and even normal prices there are 2euros below awerage Finnish bar prices :P
Some furs said there was few awesome bars almost next to the hotel but I did not have much time to check those. Maybe try em next year. (one bar was not happy for foreign peeps as if you did not speak german they served like 1 drink per 1,5hours or so)
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There's only one thing that annoyed me quite a lot ... the music in the Piano Bar (when there was none of EF's DJs). Tina Turner was just about (well, very hard) to tolerate, but when they started to play SCHLAGER (I only say Wolfgang Petry ... ) I was close to throwing up. I mean, if there are reasons why they can't/don't want to play other/our music - I really would love to hear them.
I think we did not request any special kind of music on those days, so they played random stuff they had in store. I would suggest you take this criticism directly to BBF (in case he misses your post here), and maybe he'll be able to provide a few mix CDs for the bar to play at the times when nobody's DJing.
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Kisu: Indeed, it was my fault for not pointing out right away that there was something wrong, I have to admit that and I will definitely do so next time. :)
When was the happy hour? I seem to be lucky enough to always miss it. :')
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No discussion about the kinds of music they played there (though Nimrais really has a point there) but it was just way too loud IMHO.
Wasn't the original intention of no longer having the singing piano lady around to make it a little less loud and actually possible to talk to other people without shouting? Instead you replaced her with even louder DJs and repeating music mixes ...
Actually, the plan was to have music in the bar that contrasts what is going on in the main ballroom. People specifically requested more opportunities to dance when there's no dance in the main room, that's why we had DJs in the bar on Wednesday and Friday, but not on Thursday and Saturday. We realized this caused some issues, so we closed the front of the bar, and removed the outside loudspeakers, so there was always the opportunity to get drinks from the bar, but sit down in the lobby to chat. You can't make it right for everyone I guess. And for most of the times I checked, the bar was rather well attended.
the glasses weren't full at times (like ... one fourth of the drink was missing) and they even charged more than the price that was actually written on the card (which made me simply stop giving them tips or ordering myself at all).
I can only repeat what I've already said to Faolin: If that happens, complain to the waiter, immediately. Do not complain to us a week after you've paid your bill. I can't judge how full your glass was supposed to be, or if the pricing mistake was maybe just a misunderstanding - or maybe they even mixed up your order with the one who sat their 5 minutes before you took their seat? How am I supposed to know? I had a few pina coladas, and they all tasted wonderful. So who's right now? Maybe you got the wrong drink? What did you tell your waiter?
If you think the amount on your bill is wrong, show them the price on the card and have them correct your bill. They probably poured close to ten thousand drinks that week. They are humans, too, and they're all on a fixed wage, so they have no personal reason to rip you off. These are simple mistakes, and they will be happy to fix them for you, if you only tell them when it happens. And not me :)
And refusing a well-earned tip to one waiter because another one made a mistake will just make you look like a jerk to them. Be nice to them, and they will be nice to you, too! It really works.
If the piano bar stays that way, I'll probably end up spending most of my free time in the evenings (as well as the money) somewhere else.
Which is fine. Don't stay at a place you don't enjoy! We intentionally provide more than one space to stay in the evening. Everyone wants to do something different, so it is impossible to make everyone happy in one place.
However, aside from that bar, it was a great con, great people and it felt rather relaxed. :)
Thanks a lot to all the other staff departments that did do such an awesome job. I really appreciated being able to attend EF and I hope next year will be just as great.
Thank you so much :)
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Hi Faolin!
Hey Cheetah,
I know I should have complained about the ice immediately, but after waiting about 20 minutes or even more... :) It wasn't meant as a complaint about you or Eurofurence, though, I just wanted to mention it, to have my all-in-all con feedback complete. It really was the one and only minus I experienced, so it won't seriously touch all my positive impressions and highs at the con. I will be there next year, that's for sure.
Regarding the prices in general, I just thought you would somehow provide the hotel with a general feedback or something. I'm pretty sure that people would buy way more drinks if the prices would be just a tad cheaper. Like a win-win situation (ha). And nooooes, I won't go outside at night, if the greatest party of all is INSIDE the hotel. :D
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Regarding the prices in general, I just thought you would somehow provide the hotel with a general feedback or something. I'm pretty sure that people would buy way more drinks if the prices would be just a tad cheaper.
We gave them general feedback last year, and they said "thanks for your feedback". Apparently they are fine with their bar turnover, and who am I telling them how to run their business?
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Ok, I didn't know that, I thought they'd be more open for feedbacks like this.
But then I'll just deal with it. :)
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Regarding the prices in general, I just thought you would somehow provide the hotel with a general feedback or something. I'm pretty sure that people would buy way more drinks if the prices would be just a tad cheaper.
We gave them general feedback last year, and they said "thanks for your feedback". Apparently they are fine with their bar turnover, and who am I telling them how to run their business?
That said, the bar was already at capacity and I think experienced Hotel managers know better how to run a hotel and make a profit than your average convention attendee.
So rest assured, they probably know damn well what they are doing in terms of pricing, quality vs. quantity tradeoffs, etc.
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Cheetah: I really thought the piano bar was a place to sit down and chat with some quiet music in the background. I didn't know people wanted more and different kinds of music, my apologies. :) Most of the times I simply escaped to the lobby which was a really nice place to hang out in the evenings.
And I already said earlier that it was pretty much my own mistake for not pointing things out I was dissatisfied with immediately to the waiter. :)
Oh, and rest assured - if someone's doing a good job, I have no problems with giving tips without being stingily.
And like I said, aside from my experiences in the piano bar this year (which were beyond your control, I know that), this EF was most awesome. :)
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The only thing I can recommend is voting with your feet, and either get drunk at roomparties and stick to the affordable drinks in the bar (the beer prices are pretty normal for a bar, for example), or maybe try the cocktail bar directly next door. I've heard they're really good.
I can't really agree to that piece of advice.
Call me old-fashioned, but the majority of con-goers disappearing into private room parties or restaurants means staffers off-duty will have an even more difficult time to find their friends and the con-atmosphere inside the hotel will dilute even further. :-/ What I loved about the Ringberg hotel was that it was so easy to meet people as everybody seemed to be in or around the lobby.
I quite liked the cocktails at the piano bar and Ithe DJ-sets (or, on Saturday night, Foxamoore's spontaneous piano concert) were a nice touch that brought back some "party feeling" to the hotel. You could think about turning down the volume a bit, but I wouldn't want to miss it.
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Still recovering from the PCD of my first Eurofurence convention, so I guess that's already a good sign.
Naw, really, I was pretty nervous about the con, but in the end I really had a blast.
Thank you very much for making it possible!
I'll try a bit of a feedback, but I'm not very good at it, sorry:
-The Pawpet Show was really, really awesome. As it was my first EF I had no comparison to the older shows, but I really loved it. I had been expecting some martial arts themed "historical" show but I was very positivly surprised to see a kinda cyberpunk themed show. Yes, there were some glitches and all ... but the people are no professional puppeteers, but they played with such enthusiasm and heart that I simply did not really notice the "mistakes" during the show. Just later, when I had time to think about it, I remembered them. But the show, awesome. Amazing how much life and soul you can put into the puppets. I mean Null was just so ... D'AAAW. SO the PPS was my favorite this year.
I loved Bitter Lake and the other shows, but the PPS blew me away.
Seating and everything seemed to went quite well and without much of a fuss (the big delay on the beginning of the PPS, well .. technical difficulties and accidents happen. And it's not that we did not have fun with the balloons ;) . Reserved seating rows for sponsors are a fair deal I think.
- I also enjoyed the BBF dance and I am very thankful for the free ear protection in three different versions. So even people with very sensitive ear could enjoy the dance. Thanks!
- I heard some stories about the elevators not working and everything. Gladly no problems this year. Yeas, sure you had to wait a couple of minutes sometimes, but since you could use the stairs this year it was no problem.
- Hotel staff was very friendly and helpfull. Every question or lil problem was readily answered.
- Prices. Well, that's something that is beyond your control. Was no problem to by myself the stuff I needed during the week in the nearby shopping center anyway. It just hurt when you stumble out of the dance and just need a cold drink to rehydrate. What bugged me a little was that even tap water was on the list of beverages at the minibar, but as I said .. nothing you could do about (and from what I've heared was that the mini bar staff themselves handed out water later)
- What I really liked was how the security staff handled the access to the Dealers Den on the first day. Just a small amount of people at a time. Yes, that meant you had to stay in the line for a longer amount of time, but that also meant you don't step on each others toes in the dealers den. And you had time to look around and maybe exchange a few word with your favorite artist.
- Security seemed to handle their job quite well (of course I can only tell from my positive personal experience) and was friendly and aware of access to certain areas (like Dealers den). I had not been wearing my con ticket around the neck but had it tied to my pants, so when I was in full motion it could be missed. Upon entry to the den I had been (rightfully and friendly) called back by security a few times to check my card.
- A small point at the end ... from what I've heared is that there was some confusion about stage tickets, day pass and so on. Maybe that's something that should be announced a clearer, I don't know. I was there for the full con myself, so I had no problems myself.
To sum it up... it was my first EF and if nothing goes wrong, it won't be my last.
Thank you for the awesome time!
Edit: now I got it I think. o.o'
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So rest assured, they probably know damn well what they are doing in terms of pricing, quality vs. quantity tradeoffs, etc.
That's for sure, I didn't wanna question that or make the impression that I'd think I knew better.
I'm just being naive and thought they would maybe make some more advances for us attendees, due to the fact that they are making the biggest turnovers in I guess a whole year. ;)
Nevermind.
I'll bother the local medieval store next year and be happy about tasty mead instead of drinking cocktails.
Even if I agree with Luxen, I'm not really a fan of private roomparties.
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The only thing I can recommend is voting with your feet, and either get drunk at roomparties and stick to the affordable drinks in the bar (the beer prices are pretty normal for a bar, for example), or maybe try the cocktail bar directly next door. I've heard they're really good.
I can't really agree to that piece of advice.
So what would you suggest instead?
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I'm just being naive and thought they would maybe make some more advances for us attendees, due to the fact that they are making the biggest turnovers in I guess a whole year. ;)
They are already making a lot of advances, they're just apparently very stubborn about their pricing :) Chances are good, by the way, that the prices are set by corporate headquarters for the entire chain, and that they can't change it, even if they want to. I don't really know the exact reasoning, and they're not going to tell me. Sorry.
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I'm just being naive and thought they would maybe make some more advances for us attendees, due to the fact that they are making the biggest turnovers in I guess a whole year. ;)
They are already making a lot of advances, they're just apparently very stubborn about their pricing :) Chances are good, by the way, that the prices are set by corporate headquarters for the entire chain, and that they can't change it, even if they want to. I don't really know the exact reasoning, and they're not going to tell me. Sorry.
My opinion changed since last year.
This is a 4 star hotel, normally people in 3 part suit, that listen to a quality entertainer behind a piano and drinking 70 euro per bottle whiskey come here. Even when a guy with a more flashy, but equally tasteful suit comes in and orders a beer for 1.50 euro it sounds kind of stupid.
And feel free to drink anything you want, load you jacket or trousers with Jagermeister or go to your room and get loaded their. Or some other bar.
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I totally agree with Krakendwaggin! It was my first EF and it will certainly be not the last one! Only one thing: Maritim, please LOWER those insane high prices. And what's the point to even give tapwater a pricetag of €0,50? What's the use of that?!?!
That stuff aside: it was awesome. EF 18 -- I'm ready for it!
I got tapwater for free o.O including ice, and even in a big glass!
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I don't really have anything specific to complain on - the music in the dancing area (not in the pianobar) could have been more varied; the beat
was almost identical in all the songs that were played.
When it comes to price... well - at the hotel the price was almost identical to Norwegian prices (a tad lower) so I can't really complain. The low prices at Kaufland
were more shocking as they were incredibly low. XD
The con was really well done - I'll be back next year. ~
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As Cheetah already said, the hotel can not do a lot about the prices.
They already have two special cocktails for 7,50 and the beer and coffee prices are lower for us.
Here is the problem, if they lower the cocktail prices for us their other costumers will find out somehow, then they want that too.
And the prices are ok for a four star hotel in a bigger city in germany.
Just have a drink or two in your room or in one of the other bars around and then come back to the piano bar to meet other friends and have maybe one nice cocktail, that way its not getting too expensive.
If you enjoy a good drink and its not just about getting drunk the piano bar has a very very good selection on spirits and the cocktails are made really well and with good high class ingredients.
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Well, what can I say...I had a blast :) EF17 was a very sweet revival after like 10 years of absence from such a big event. Since my last EF (8), things really have changed a lot, most notably the sheer mass of people now attending the con. Also the location of a Maritim Hotel can't be compared anymore to the youth hostels of the past ;) I really like what EF has become, so thanks to all the people who made this possible. I can't imagine the amount of work that goes into a project like this, so let me just say: my deepest respect to the staff who managed to pull this off without getting a nervous breakdown :D
I could name some minor inconveniences now but to be honest, I was having so much fun partying and meeting new people and old friends, that all the little things that bugged me kinda fade into the void. And if the intensity of my current PCD is any indication, I'd say this was the most awesome EF ever :)
Really gonna miss you guys and hopefully seeing you at EF 18 again!
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EF seems so far away and yet not over... strange feeling at all.
I wanted to write some feedback so badly but I don't know what I should write about.
I didn't see one of the shows (we were a tiny little late for Bitter Lake what botherd me a lot). Pawpet show works best when I'm not in the audience (something I don't explain again. XD ). And the dance contest I could't see cause I was busy being so f***ing nervous while waiting in the suiters lounge trying to cool down a little... x)
Erm yah. I didn't even had the time to walk through the artshow seeing the art. I just rushed through once.
Things I can talk about was Dealers Den. Yap. It became my little baby. x)
I think it was much comfier and much more relaxed than last year. The two rooms were big step in the right direction. I got some ideas to improve the whole concept for next year.
The security mad a great job by letting the right amount of people in. There weren't any stress at the doors and everything went smooth and peaceful.
The security made an awesome job in general! I love you guys, but you know that!
I know how hard all the people work before con even started and how much the whole crew do to get everything in the right flow. And it gets better and better with every year. A big applause and a huge thank you to all the guys making this event happen. Without you it wouldn't have been that great.
The hotel staff was nice and friendly and the cleaning ladies did a great job. The hotel was way more comfee and inviting than last year and the whole atmosphere was all in all very relaxing.
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my feedback on the bar, was that they were amazing.
The prices may have been high but we came in expecting that, its the same if you go to London(UK people will know about cost of cocktails at meets) its as others said a 4 star hotel.
If you wanted to save some money you could go to the supermarket over the road and pick up lots of things, have a few drinks in your room.with friends and then come down to the bar? The staff despite being run off their feet constantly were always happy and always friendly, I didnt mind waiting for my drinks as you could clearly see they were busy, and often they gave us a bowl of crisps to eat in the mean time, and sometimes reduced the price of our drinks without us asking. We normally tipped them as they did a good job, and Codewolf did a whip round for them as a thankyou.
I was happy with everything, I think considering how busy the hotel was they did a fantastic job and put up with alot of stuff so well done to them:)
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I bow my head to all the staff that made EF 17 possible. Thank you for your outstanding commitment! I enjoyed every minute, and will surely come back next year. :)
Only one small point of criticism: Not beeing able to get on some events after they started, bothered me a bit. Saying that, what I disliked about it is that in the previous years, you could enter late. I did not know that you changed that fact this year. Those kind of changes should be announced :)
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at first i have one thing
Why is the Groupfotoshot on the Last Day so early in the morning, mostly all people looked like they was up for 6 Days, and some not only looked like this... :P And much was still sleeping.. woulnd it be better to make it on the second day, instead of the last?
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Just want to say.
Best guest of honour ever! :) :) :) :) :) :)
Just brilliant, really enjoyed his panels, learnt a lot, and such a lovely guy! :)
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Hi everybody,
thank you for the EF17. Wholeheartedly. That's it.
Just one question to the staff: are you afraid? of the future I mean? Is there a chart, which puts attendance/ year into a visible line? Does it point to the sky? For how long you & the Maritim will be able to herd the hoards? Just kidding :-) You can't keep me with a club from coming back next year, that's for sure, together with more than 1000 other people....
I wish you sweet dreams...
Ragear
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Since I didn't found an appropriate moment during the closing ceremonies to grab the mic, I'll do it on this stage.
I want to thank all my stage team for the incredible hard work they did before, during and after the convention days.
For us from the stage department the con starts Monday with loading and driving to Magdeburg and ends Monday the week after with rolling home and unloading. That's what we refer to as "damn early arrival and f***ing late departure".
We are the ones who have to be in on every rehearsal, be it early or late and even working extra hours way into the night when something needs to be fixed or reset.
This is my team and these guys Rock!
Credits go to: (in non specific order):
- Darkwing: helping managing the team, for baring with my lighting concepts for the PPS and still smiling when I'm in my "I'm eating little children" mood.
- Djem: for the most awesome dancelighting ever! Bringing lots of his own equipment and for fixing all the lighting that broke during the convention.
- Dhary: for his rigging work throughout the con site, setting up the backdrop, organizing additional equipment and designing the lighting in the Lobby.
- Kamikaze: helping me with audio and solving various microphone issues.
- Furball: Helping with loading, and taking over audio or lighting when personal was short.
- Mafundi: Helping me out with more UV and Strobe power for the PawPetShow and also for lightboard work during the dances.
- King Taibu: For saving my ass on the FSGS and preparing all that nice "ingame music"
- Tillikum & Reeve: Spending a day with me at the storage moving and packing everything
- Reesa & Zefiro: hearding all the backstage chaos.
- Ayun: Head of the loading crew on the logistic-days
- Ioron: Loading Crew
- YayYay: Assistance to Mr Dhary :D
- Tsanawo: Assistant to Mr Darkwing :D
And because some of you asked: The disco ball in the lobby was created by a group of people:
- Jaryic & Nightfox: Idear - inspired by the Setup of "Nature One 2009"
- Dhary: static calculations and rigging
- Michael Barowski (rental company): technical conception and equipment
- Furball: Light Programming
-Jar
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oi, my third con! and it deffinitly took it all to whole new levels. and for my part this year was so fun it made last year look like a booring busines meeting.
it was a lot more social this year, and there was more colors on the actual hotel walls. AND there were trash cans put out everywere *thumbs up!*.
one complaint tho was mainly at the first dance in the main hall! the DB were dangerously high even with ear protection and i'm deffinitly still feeling it in my ears even 1 week afterwards... this is quite serious, and you might want to put up some of those electronic sensors that flashes different colors or shows the actual DB-levels. both for the sake of the people in there, and for the DJ.
dancefloor should have a bit more danceable to music, not complaining about the style, just that there seemed to be way to many pauses in the music.
as for the alcohol and food prices, Kauf Land is allways nearby, bread and whatever to have on it, and bottles of alcohol for the price of 1 drink :P and as said, room parties^^
otherwise as said, it was the most fun i've ever had. and if i can, i will most deffinitly go next year again!^^
allso, the dance competition and the kung fur hustle was absolutly wonderful! well planned and had the same feeling as any real sort of TV-show^^
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A couple of points about schedualling: It seemed to be a bit all over the place this year.
In the past members of EF eV have asked me not to submit panel ideas until they ask for them. This year they asked for them about two weeks before the convention book was due to be finalised for printing. This is a very short gap and left little room to ask questions or resolve issues.
I know that some of the room rearrangements were very necessacery this year. I was involved and actually suggested the relocation of Real Furrys One to Bonn due to undesirable overcrowding. But the others were at very short notice, and the notice board advertising them was not in a very prominant place. I tended to walk past the elevators and focus mostly on the huge lobby full of furies, not a patch of glass to my left. Could it be put up somewhere more prominant next year? Possibly several places?
Oh yes, and one other thing...
While there was absolutely nothing wrong with based the convention around Kung Fu this year, in hindsight, dinosaurs would have been an awesome theme too. ;D
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Urgh, no thanks. I loved the theme. Hope next year will be SciFi. Or actually, 2013 should be SciFi, because by then my suit will be done for sure. :) Nothing would suck as much as being at the stone age themed EF with a space age themed suit. *g*
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! the DB were dangerously high even with ear protection and i'm deffinitly still feeling it in my ears even 1 week afterwards...
Hm i wasnt feeling that it is to loud, it was more a normal level for party for me
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! the DB were dangerously high even with ear protection and i'm deffinitly still feeling it in my ears even 1 week afterwards...
Hm i wasnt feeling that it is to loud, it was more a normal level for party for me
That's an old discussion, I wore my 25db Elacin ER (http://www.egger-gehoerschutz.com) filters and some of the bass was still painful just through bone resonance.
It's an entirely subjective thing, and it varies from person to person. There are also many among you who'd have liked it considerably louder even than it was.
Since the split between preferring quieter/okay/louder is about 30/30/30, that's why I provided basic hearing protection at the Protect Your Ears table outside the dance area for anyone who wanted it. Also, since the dance area is so large, you can always move to a location where the loudness isn't as intense.
Next year I'll have the Protect Your Ears thingy set up for all the dances, just in case, maybe with stronger filters even (seeing how most people took the orange earplugs, which attenuate the sound the strongest)
Also, if you have sensitive ears, by all means protect them with hearing protection that's either customized for you, or works well. You can't expect too much from standard one-size-fits-all foam bolts. Those are better than paper tissues, but no match for high quality, multi-use hearing protection that can cost from 5 Euros to 200 Euros a pair.
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Here it is my feedback ! Don't be afraid EF staff ! ;D
Hotel : a very very good surprise ! I was scared that the Ringberg can't be replaced but the Maritim hotel and his staff are really good ! Was a pleasure to give nice tips everyday to the maids & staff ! Never had a too long wait at lifts...in fact, it was worst at the Ringberg ! Lot of places to seat, chat & having fun with furry friends as a big family during EF. I was expecting a sad business hotel and in fact, it's a great place for EF ! Lot of places around the hotel to do shopping or to eat and the train station is really really close. Congrats to Nightfox and all ppl involved who made it possible !
The piano bar : one of my favorite places to hang with friends or to dance ! I loved all the dances there !
The main lobby : simply gorgeous ! If a church would be build for furry fans it'd look this ! The atmosphere there was fantastic, especially at night.
Swimming pool : very easy access ! Not a lot of lockers, but you can change yourself in your room and go there directly.
SIGs : awesome panels with an awesome GoH. EF makes possible one of a very old child dream. Big big thanks ! I would love to see more puppettry sigs every year, focusing on specific aspects of that art. I would love to help into these SIGs too, including full body costumes SIGs.
PPS : see my full feedback on the dedicated thread but I have the feeling I won't attend to the PPS anymore...
EF staff : very effective as always ! It's fascinating to see these guys/gals working. Special thanks to Pinky & White Dragon for their work !
Bitter Lake : I'll post a full feedback if a dedicated thread is opened.
Main stage : some of the chinese vertical decoration blocked view of the screens/stage under some specific angles. At the Big Blue Dance, with a good ear protection + fursuit head, the sound was still painful. O_o I didn't expect that !
Fursuit gameshow : I would love to see more physical fursuit games and less puzzles or dexterity games. Maybe it's impossible because of the limited depth of the stage (because of the PPS setup) ? Could we have the main stage configuration like Enter the Arena for the fursuit gameshow ?
Fursuit lounge : definitely the best one I ever used and for the first time I could use a drying rack for my fursuit head or paws. Lot of space & fans... Congrats to the fursuit team !
What could I say else ? I really enjoyed the convention and I definitely want to come back next year. ^^
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If there's not already a thread about Bitter Lake, you can start your own. It's not something you need special privileges for :)
As for the Fursuit Gameshow, I believe the team is in search for new and challenging games every year which can actually be used. I'm sure they'd love to hear your suggestions.
*purrrr*
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OK time for some feedback ;)
First the Maritim a wonderfull hotel with really friendly personal the prices where normal and only some where changed (breakfast was cheaper than last year) neverless one jump over the street and it was still cheaper and better ^^
Second the people: This year I got the feeling that all where more relaxed than last year Really good
Sadly I can´t say more about the sigs because I was the whole time in the Artshow which in my eyes improved a lot since last year
PPS : This was my second time watching the life event and I enjoyed it a lot:it was differrent than last year where the whole "OHH no war is comming and death and all" storyline was more a epic ending for the old cast and with this year a new beginning was formed (It was more on the comedy side than last year)
Last I like to thank all Staffmembers and volunteers for their great work and hope to see all next year again
*hugs to all*
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Just thought to leave my 2 cents here.
Overall a lot of the problems from last year had been ironed out! Things went very well and there was a huge improvement with stuff like the Dealer's Den(s) and Art Show payout. The staff at the hotel seemed to be more comfortable with people, events happened in better time and I had no issues with the lifts this year. Thumbs up!
The expensive drinks from last year remained, however the cocktail bar right next door to the hotel was a worthy alternative - cocktails at 3 euros in happy hour and 5.50ish normally - and MUCH better quality drinks than the hotel was serving. It's sad that it means the hotel is emptier but it was just too good to overlook!
My only real issue was with the water in my room, the shower would switch from normal to ONLY blazing hot water, resulting in a couple of nasty scalds. I should indeed have reported this to the hotel but we were extremely busy with the dealer's den and it just wasn't at the forefront of my mind at the time.
The hotel itself is absolutely lovely and a joy to stay in. Extremely clean, beautifully furnished, great cleaning staff, just wonderful. The location is brilliant (I got to fully appreciate the convinience this year - last year I had an injury which meant that a walk to the mall was too far for me >_>) and the nearby restaurants are excellent.
Overall an extremely positive con! Thank you guys!
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Crossposted from the German language thread:
Hi!
I also would like to you give you all a short feedback:
This years convention even topped EF16, which has been great already! This might be caused by the fact that I got to know a lot of new and awesome people since I moved to NRW last October. Last year I only knew about 10 people at EF, this year I can't even count how many I recognized and how many actually recognized me (even though I couldn't recall all of the people who told me I know them :D ).
But there's also some things in the convention itself that improved after last year:
+ Dance Competition. This is THE event that was missing at Eurofurence. It was a very entertaining show, even though the judges have made questionable decisions and ratings. Next year I'll most likely be dancing there as well ;)
+ Staircase. Finally!! People could actually use the stairs not only to get upstairs, but also downstairs. Huge improvement to last year. If you were lucky and could catch a room in the first two floors, you didn't have to wait an eternity for that elevators to finally stop at your floor.
+ Piano Bar. Awesome idea to have DJs in the bar. There hasn't been one single night you didn't have the opportunity to dance your furry butt off. Party every night, that was certainly awesome. I'll be DJing there next year as well - has been great fun.
+ The disco ball in the lobby. Didn't work out at all last year, this year it sent chills down my spine - It flooded the lobby with dancing stars. This created a wonderful atmosphere.
In the German feedback thread I also asked what happened to that Eurofurence flags. Well, apparently they managed to somehow disapper in a mysterious incident where alien lifeforms have been involved.
(This replication of the original statements isn't necessarily accurate)
To put it all in a nutshell: Great great great convention! Thanks to the whole staff, the Security, the Con Ops and everybody who has been working in the background or foreground to make EF17 as awesome as it was!
Asgra
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I just got reminded of something, clearly nothing terribly important otherwise I'd have mentioned it in my first post.
I loved visiting the pool and saunas in the hotel, having been dragged into them by a good friend (after running to kik to get some swim shorts!).
The pool area really REALLY needs more lockers, EF can't help that, just an observation!.
Now, I do kinda like inflatables, they can be cute, but the ones in the pool most of the time were HUGE, it's not a terribly big pool and at one point we had a great big tomcat jet, must've been at least 6ft from point to end and nearly the same across at it's widest point, a massive tiger and a massive dog, and some folks seemed insistent on putting more and more into the pool when most people would like just to have a swim about and relax, I'm not asking for 'No Inflatables' far from it, I just wish that some folks saw some common sense and not overload the pool with them, bobbing about in the pool and hearing a air pump start up to see another massive inflatable about to be thrown in when the pool already has a sizable number of them got kinda annoying.
At the time I just shrugged and enjoyed the time with my friends but in future please guys think of others!
Also, speaking of 'thinking of others', I do not know what standards continentally are expected in that sort of area, yeah, if you want to go nude into the sauna, you do so, its fine, it's all sectioned off anyway, but if you are gonna go back out to poolside, let me say this on behalf of everyone else in the pool, PUT YOUR SWIMWEAR ON!.
Seriously, was VERY uncomfortable for alot of people seeing people 'hang free' out of that little area, is this normal? I don't know, but please, for decency, when heading out of the sauna area please cover up >.<
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Just want to say.
Best guest of honour ever! :) :) :) :) :) :)
Just brilliant, really enjoyed his panels, learnt a lot, and such a lovely guy! :)
From the bottom of my heart (and I'm sure his heart too, if you permit it I'll pass your thanks on to him :) ) thank you so much. I agree, I learned a lot from him too. I'm so happy you liked it.
GoHs vary and we try to get a new "area of furriness" covered every year (e.g. last year we had an artist). So hopefully they will always be to some people's liking and others will care less as it's not their thing (which is perfectly good and as long as they have fun, all is well). :)
And thank you Vector for your kind words. I hope you enjoyed the SIGs. :)
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And thank you Vector for your kind words. I hope you enjoyed the SIGs. :)
Oh, you can't imagine how I'm thankful & grateful to all the ppl who make this possible. It was a daydream.
Jim is such an thrilling, inspirational person. Thanks to you Pinky for taking care of our GoH & his wife. They deserved your attention.
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*blushes bright pink and goes speechless*
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Do please pass on all our thanks and warmest wishes! :)
Hopefully with his teaching, our cavalcade will be a bit less cack next year! :)
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Well, there are so many things to talk about...
Let's start with the artwork in the lobby - especially at night the large banners, the flying dragon and the mirror ball created an amazing atmosphere. The artists (and technicians) which were involved creating all this stuff cannot be praised enough.
The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful all the time. The hotel room was clean and the bed was comfortable.
This year I had mixed experiences with the security team, some of them being very friendly and helpful, but in some cases inadequate rude. I already sent a PM to the person which was involved and will not spread any details here.
Again I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. Didn't have any bad experience with one of the other furs. I loved to hang around with my friends and also talking to "new" people.
Unfortunately, one of my favorite events was a big disappointment this year - the fursuit parade at friday.
After the group photo being made, nobody gave instructions what to do next, resulting in a huge pile of fursuiters just standing around in the lobby. After a while, somebody announced that the rain just stopped and the parade would start outside. Well, it did, but with VERY bad timing, because all the poor fursuiters experienced the worst rainstorm of the whole day without any chance to escape. After returning to the hotel, most fursuiters just vanished to their hotel rooms trying to dry their suits.
I am aware of the fact, that the EF staff is not able to influence the weather, but you didn't have to be a weather expert to see, that it would NOT stop raining. A simple view out of the window showed a very dark cloud coming towards our location.
At last year's fursuit parade the fursuiters were walking around in the hotel first and then started the parade through the city. If this procedure would have been repeated this year, the outside parade would have taken place in perfect sunshine.
About the dances...
The mix of music styles being played was ok, with some very nice highlights. For example, I loved Kenai for playing the original version of "What is love" instead of some crappy remix and that "Big bad wolf" song was cool ;D Aouuuuuu!!!! :D
Unfortunately what made both dances less fun compared to last year for me was the partially bad (or non-existent) lighting. The lighting rig was capable of some really cool effects (loved the spots at the side of the stage), but the LJ used them rarely, instead left the whole dancefloor in complete darkness for minutes.
(http://www.cleanerwolf.de/assets/images/misc/EF17_dark_dancefloor_01.jpg)
It's ok to have dimmed lighting during a slow, romantic song, but during fast paced tracks, the lighting should support the party atmosphere with appropriate effects. Come on guys, EF is a furry party, not a gothic funeral!
Another downside was the loudness - at past EFs I never had problems with the loudness, it was always very enjoyable without earplugs, but at this years BBF dance it was just hurting my ears at some point.
So my wishes for the next dances would be - spend more energy for light and less for the amplifier.
Overall, EF17 was a very nice experience again with only a few things to complain about and I want to thank everybody who helped making this possible. See ya all again at EF18 hopefully :)
Edit:
Forgot something I want to add now - last year I liked Kenai and djem working together as DJs. They were a dream team at the mixing table. They rocked the house while looking very cute with their fursuit heads. I hoped, it would be repeated this year and was missing it somehow.
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Feedback about feedback :) Last years there's been feedback session on sunday. I liked those, I liked to hear face to face from people what was in their mind right after convention. But this year there wasn't one?
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Feedback about feedback :) Last years there's been feedback session on sunday. I liked those, I liked to hear face to face from people what was in their mind right after convention. But this year there wasn't one?
We found out feedback on the forum is in general more valueable, as during the feedback session only some people can give feedback, while on the forum everyone can participate. Also, it's usually more broad and some more thoughts put into it as opposed to just the one single issue right on your mind when speaking in person (sometimes even things which are completely outside of our control, like cocktail prices). Additionally, it is way easier to collect all the feedback together when it is written here.
Another issue was that many staff members were either too exhausted on sunday or still very busy so that only a few of us could actually join the feedback sessions, forcing those attending to relay the opinions voiced to the different departments.
Overall it was found that although a live feedback round sounds nice in theory, it wasn't the most efficient way to improve Eurofurence any more.
*purrrrr*
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Feedback about feedback :) Last years there's been feedback session on sunday. I liked those, I liked to hear face to face from people what was in their mind right after convention. But this year there wasn't one?
The amount of stuff needing to be packed away increases year after year, and staff is very much exhausted after Saturday's events, so I understand they rather concentrate on equipment breakdown lest they have one themselves. Core staff already has enough work to do on Sunday, and not having any planned events other than the DDP reduces their stress levels very much.
Also, there is still a lot of time till next EF, so feedback posted here is still early enough and is more useful after everyone was able to catch up on sleep.
Time-critical feedback should have been mentioned to con or hotel staff right then and there, the feedback session would have been too late for that anyway.
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Right I do have a few things to say:
The con was the best i have ever been to and I have been around a bit.
Things run late as they always do at cons and mistakes happen. I'm happy that things went as well as they could have.
The music was just too loud. I did speak to 2 members of the staff who said "Oh well", and as you can imagine wasn’t to happy with their answer. The music was dangerously loud at times. Yes I know it's too late, but I’m telling you for next time: You have the power to say "Well, last year's music was too loud, turn it down a notch next time". It's not too late to leave Feedback you can help with.
I see a lot Cheetah's replys in here having a go at people who leave feedback for you. I though this was a place for people who are to shy or didn’t have the time to make a point make it here and Hope something can be fixed from it. That’s what i’m hoping anyway. Cheetah, none of this is an attack at you or the con we love!
I have to raise a point I got told off about: Nudity in the Pool area? Now as I was aware that it was allowed in the sauna rooms and behind the wall, but next to the pool sat in the open in view of the public and in view of the public looking through the window was not allowed? I got told later it was allowed, but I have to ask one question:
Do you think that going nude at a con looks good in public? If a person off the street walked into the hotel - as they were allowed to go to the bar - and if they had wandered off and looked through the glass of the door, whoa, can you imagine what they would say if they saw naked people?
I know what I asked these people and Nightfox has already spoken to me about it so please don’t feel the need to say to everyone here what was said, it won't help its been done and been dealt with.
Also, if being nude is okay (which is what I got told by nightfox) why were there so many people in there with cameras? There’s pics on FA now of that pool area. Now I don’t want to sound like a whiner, but I really don’t want my pictures of me in a bathing suit on the net and although I went to ask if people taking pics were allowed, I couldn’t find any security who could understand me and I gave up after 20 minuets. I’m sure they understood English but just couldn’t be assed - and I have no idea who they were, before you ask.
I had a camera stolen from the lobby at EF17. It took from nine pm till 3:30 am to get it sorted, was told to wait because something had gone on.
Now I understand that things are important, but just for next time: Why not just send some one to say "Come back in 2 hours" and go from there as I waited 2 hours to be told to come back in 2 hours. It got sorted out in the end, and I was very thankful that an English speaking German girl had helped me. Many thanks. I Apogise I can’t rember your name however.
On the last night the last party was the one I was building up for and then I found that the fursuit room had been taken down and in its place was 3 fans. Brilliant! I know you wanted to pack up, but perhaps a note in the conbok at this last event saying "The fursuit room will be very limited because of closing of EF" would have helped me for a start!
The dances in the week never had enough airflow though them for suiters. I know this as I semi passed out from the heat.
Dealers den:
I would suggest giving people in the dealers den a way to show their selfs, although I only had a few hold ups asking who I was and where I was going I found that it was difficult at times to walk past cues to get back to our table.
The fusuit lounge was fantastic! Enough blowers at all times and it was a hell of a bonus to the con to get free drinks in there - we have to thank a lot for that.
The hotel staff on the last day tried to charge me 120 Euros for parking, for a car I didn’t have parked in there. Car park id moved my car 3 days before checkout. Paying 70+ euros (no ef staff to tell as there were none left at this point). They took 30 minutes arguing. I had to pay or my credit card would be charged. The only thing I could say was if I didn’t pay how I got it out. LOL.
The con was excellent. I wasn’t very impressed with the time it took for the paw pet show to get running and then become late by 2 hours, if not more. I didn’t realise how long the pawpet show took either and then found the time was really late when I wanted to party, and the party had not been setup yet! Still I know things run late and please do not quote me just to say something along the lines of problems happen.
So to Nightfox and Cheetah: Please read this. Please do not take to heart and please do not feel the need to quote and tell me how wrong I am about all this. This is here to help in the future of the con!
Thank you so much for a good time Looking forward to next year.
Tiggie and Sketchkat
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Okay, so I'm not quoting you. But I took the liberty to turn your feedback into english, because staff members started complaning about severe headaches trying to read two full pages of text with no punctuation. Please do not take to heart and please do not feel the need to quote and tell me how wrong I am about all this. This is here to help in the future of the forum!
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Unfortunately, one of my favorite events was a big disappointment this year - the fursuit parade at friday.
After the group photo being made, nobody gave instructions what to do next, resulting in a huge pile of fursuiters just standing around in the lobby. After a while, somebody announced that the rain just stopped and the parade would start outside.
Plus, those announcements being made from somewhere else through some kind of speaker were not really audible. Everyone around me was standing there like "what did he just say..?", no one had an idea what to do next. Rain? No rain? Parade? No parade? Ah, the parade, it already started! Let's go! Hurry up!
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Okay, so I'm not quoting you. But I took the liberty to turn your feedback into english, because staff members started complaning about severe headaches trying to read two full pages of text with no punctuation. Please do not take to heart and please do not feel the need to quote and tell me how wrong I am about all this. This is here to help in the future of the forum!
Thats cool thankyou
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I would like to leave a feedback comment me too.
First of all, this was my first con and, even if I wasn't really prepeared for this, I've enjoyed it and had good time there.
At the moment of the registration I was a bit sceptical about the price for the room, which seemed quite high for me. Changed my mind when I've found out which kind of hotel I ended in. Rooms were good and the fitness area was faboulus, great for a moment of relax after the long and sleepless nights.
I can't give feedbacks about the hotel's kitchen since I've never used their services, but I can say I'm happy with the pianobar, the staff was great there (the place was more enjoyable around 17.00/18.00, and the service was pretty fast too).
The only thing I've noticed and disappointed me was the hig prices for water. a problem that was simply solved by living on tap water from the restrooms (that wasn't just in the hotel, every restaurants around the place had really expensive water, even tap water).
About the organization, I think the staff did a great job, nothing more I can say.
I enjoyed mostly everything, with the pawpet show being the brightest star of the event.
I changed my mind about the panels too, unfortunately I wasn't able to attend all those I was interested in because many were held at the same time, but then realized that there's no time and no room where every 1000+ people would have fit in just to follow a single panel (and the fact that there was nothing on sunday allowed me to visit the Zoo as well :p)
nothing else comes to my mind right now, hope you all enjoyed the time you had there.
Kinase
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I wasn’t very impressed with the time it took for the paw pet show to get running and then become late by 2 hours, if not more.
it was late because the sound console fused and someone got hurt trying to fix it in hurry. cant really blame anybody but bad luck.
personally I preferred waiting sited in the room than waiting standing in a crowd in front of the doors.
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Plus, those announcements being made from somewhere else through some kind of speaker were not really audible. Everyone around me was standing there like "what did he just say..?", no one had an idea what to do next. Rain? No rain? Parade? No parade? Ah, the parade, it already started! Let's go! Hurry up!
I agree all the announcement done using the megaphone were difficult to understand for people not close to the speaker.
I certainly may have a few difficulties understanding english, but the megaphone was pretty much useless as the sound seems very directional and if the speaker is not directing the megaphone at you, the sound is poorer than someone talking very loudly.
maybe a good way to convey information understandable by most people in the lobby would be to speak from the balcony on the upper floor? (just an idea)
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On the last night the last party was the one I was building up for and then I found that the fursuit room had been taken down and in its place was 3 fans. Brilliant! I know you wanted to pack up, but perhaps a note in the conbok at this last event saying "The fursuit room will be very limited because of closing of EF" would have helped me for a start!
I recall the con book schedule did list the fursuit lounge as ending before the "dead dog" dance (same as last year), and having the small area in the lobby with the water and drinks was very welcome this year.
The dances in the week never had enough airflow though them for suiters. I know this as I semi passed out from the heat.
I didn't go in many times, but there were several very powerful fans to the edge of the dancefloor if you needed air, and the amazing fursuit lounge was only a very short walk away.
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I've got some full feedback on the way, but I'd just like to say, please do NOT lower the volume of any of the music in the fursuit or BBF dances. If people find it too loud, they can either not go or wear earplugs. Don't spoil it for the rest of us.
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I've got some full feedback on the way, but I'd just like to say, please do NOT lower the volume of any of the music in the fursuit or BBF dances. If people find it too loud, they can either not go or wear earplugs. Don't spoil it for the rest of us.
I'm surprised people were finding it too loud. It seemed an appropriate level for a nightclub environment.
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On the last night the last party was the one I was building up for and then I found that the fursuit room had been taken down and in its place was 3 fans. Brilliant! I know you wanted to pack up, but perhaps a note in the conbok at this last event saying "The fursuit room will be very limited because of closing of EF" would have helped me for a start!
Here is what the conbook says:
(http://www.tigress.com/nightfox/Jeep/conbook.jpg)
What else should we do? Send you a personal messenger to your room telling you that the con is over now?
Honestly, the con is officially OVER on sunday noon.
Some of the staff members have to work on monday moning.
There is normally no fursuit lounge at all on that night, and i personally think it was great of our fursuit track manager to put up the mini lounge besides the bar.
He did that on his own and he had to do all the work, so instead of complaining about the size people should thank him for doing this.
@gaz_a
Thanks a lot for mentioning it too :)
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I don't think that the music was too loud at any point.
I enjoyed EF 17 very much, everyone did a great job, the staff from EF and the hotel was very nice and kind, the workshops were awesome and stunning, I loved every part of the EF. I really enjoyed the art show - it was magnificent!
I'm very thankful that smoking was not allowed, and that the hotel staff had no problem with us depositing our stuff at the reception quite often (and the coffee was great too : -)
It bears repeating and cannot be too highly praised what a great job you all did and how much almost all of us loved it, the convention was at a very high professional level. <3
I have nothing to complain about, and told about what I would like to have improved in another thread already (less intermissions, more moderate water prices, German security, younger host).
EF was one of my personal highlights of the year 2011 and the greatest convention I've ever been at (as was EF 16 in the year before : -).
Thanks so much to everyone of you!
<3
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I didn't go in many times, but there were several very powerful fans to the edge of the dancefloor if you needed air, and the amazing fursuit lounge was only a very short walk away.
Yep, this video proofs it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sxCe2xAnhw
At some of the dances someone asked me to open the windows of the room to let more fresh air in, but I doubt that this is possible, because of the neighbourhood having a hard time getting sleep with the loud music coming out of the hotel windows. Maybe the air condition of the main stage could be turned up next time?
About the loudness discussion - the loudness at the Kenai dance was perfect for me and nobody seemed to complain about it being too silent. The BBF dance was ok in the beginning, but at some point was just pain in the ear. I talked to BBF about it the next day and he shared my impression, but indicated that he couldn't do anything about it, because somebody else had the control of the master level.
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At some of the dances someone asked me to open the windows of the room to let more fresh air in, but I doubt that this is possible, because of the neighbourhood having a hard time getting sleep with the loud music coming out of the hotel windows. Maybe the air condition of the main stage could be turned up next time?
The ventilation system was already at maximum capacity. Opening the windows would have made it worse ... and of course you're absolutely right about the neighbours. That would have gotten us shut down within minutes :)
About the loudness discussion - the loudness at the Kenai dance was perfect for me and nobody seemed to complain about it being too silent. The BBF dance was ok in the beginning, but at some point was just pain in the ear. I talked to BBF about it the next day and he shared my impression, but indicated that he couldn't do anything about it, because somebody else had the control of the master level.
Ear fatigue of audio operators becomes a serious issue at long-running events like these. Maybe we should get ourself a dB-Meter next time, and actually measure the loudness.
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Maybe we should get ourself a dB-Meter next time, and actually measure the loudness.
I would very much appreciate this!
Regardless of whether it really got louder and louder with each year or some of us just getting older (with this year I'm also including myself, used ear-plugs for the first time ever at a dance and always enjoed the loudness) , it would be good to know the actual level is measured and thus held rather constant.
*purrrr*
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Fursuit gameshow : I would love to see more physical fursuit games and less puzzles or dexterity games. Maybe it's impossible because of the limited depth of the stage (because of the PPS setup) ? Could we have the main stage configuration like Enter the Arena for the fursuit gameshow ?
The depth and overall size of the stage is in fact one of our main limitations for the game selection. We also tried to balance in-audience and on-stage games to optimize setup/teardown times and there is only so much non-puzzle games that can take place on that narrow stage... by now all events on there are pretty much set up around the ever growing pawpet stage ;)
We are of course always open for suggestions, but please keep in mind that we have to make sure they work for the show, so please don't be disappointed should your suggestion not make it into the show.
Greetings, Atkelar
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The Pawpet stage has last gown in depth. when we went to the Ringberg Hotel.
Since EF13 the depth is constant at 2,5m with the front stage at 4m depth.
Only the width expanded from 6m to 7,5m and the front stage from 10m to 15m (12m between the projection screens) with the move to the Maritim Stage. There is no change in any size parameter, except Playrail height, compared to last year.
Please consult the facts before you let yourself get ruled by assumptions.
There are limitations of the venue we have to work with and that will not change in near future.
-Jaryic
Head of Stage
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We were told by the pawpet team that it had been necessary to increase the depth of the pawpet stage as opposed to EF16 because of the large new puppets. I have not measured whether this was true, though.
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We were told by the pawpet team that it had been necessary to increase the depth of the pawpet stage as opposed to EF16 because of the large new puppets. I have not measured whether this was true, though.
The pawpet area appeared to have more depth, indeed, but this was due to more space between lift 4 and the back wall. It was exactly the same space between lift 4 and the playrail.
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We were told by the pawpet team that it had been necessary to increase the depth of the pawpet stage as opposed to EF16 because of the large new puppets. I have not measured whether this was true, though.
The pawpet area appeared to have more depth, indeed, but this was due to more space between lift 4 and the back wall. It was exactly the same space between lift 4 and the playrail.
Nevertheless, this would mean that there was less space between the front (audience) edge of the stage and the play rail -- which is the space FSGS can use.
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Nevertheless, this would mean that there was less space between the front (audience) edge of the stage and the play rail -- which is the space FSGS can use.
No, lift 4 is the last one from the audience POV (i.e., the nearest one to the back wall). The play rail was under lift 2 like it was last year. (Last year IIRC just holding a sheet of molleton, this year securing the play rail)
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Nevertheless, this would mean that there was less space between the front (audience) edge of the stage and the play rail -- which is the space FSGS can use.
No, lift 4 is the last one from the audience POV (i.e., the nearest one to the back wall). The play rail was under lift 2 like it was last year. (Last year IIRC just holding a sheet of molleton, this year securing the play rail)
No need to discuss about things that are not gonna change. Maritim 1 is a presentation-stage not a show-stage.
And for technical and statical reasons the PPS-construction can not be moved. Neither more front nor more back.
Besides that, FSGS had more space than ever before. Backstage and Frontstage. Please adapt to your resources. :P
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I think we're adapting just fine ... but isn't this a topic for the internal PPS forum, or maybe the staff meeting?
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I think we're adapting just fine ... but isn't this a topic for the internal PPS forum, or maybe the staff meeting?
I don't even see what all the excitement is about... I made a tongue-in-cheek remark about our space restrictions and was taken way too literaly... Sorry for that but in my defense: there was a smily face right next to it.
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I came to EF to have fun, relax, catch up with friends and in the process I made new ones.
It was a break, and I enjoyed myself, I've seen alot of posts complaining of little things, which didnt affect me because, I was on holiday and didnt care, I took it with a care free attitude. I had fun, that is what I came for and that is what I achieved.
I thought all the staff did a great job making things run smoothly. They were professional and always seemed happy when I talked to them.
I felt the music was good, and the sound seemed fine. I was in the dance at various times and it was quiet enough that I could hold a conversation with someone in suit and be heard.
There were plenty of fans in the dances and the fursuit lounge to keep me cool whenever I needed it, and if someone was on a fan they would happily move over so I could share.
I felt information was well put across on posters on all the rooms and in the book, and therefore could plan my time accordingly:)
So I would like to thank all the staff for making that possible and I hope that they could enjoy the con a little bit as much as we did in between running things:)
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EF 17 was my fourth EF. And it was great again. All of you in the staff were doing a great job again. Thank you very much.
Things that come to my mind that I liked especially this year:
- The night when registration started (in January) had the first great surprise for me when I got a confirmation for a place at EF including a single room at the hotel. So, for the first time, I had a room at the con hotel. This made a lot of things easier during the con, compared to the years before. (Only disadvantage: I couldn't sleep in the night from Sunday to Monday because it was too noisy.)
- EF Prime. Even when you have a break at your room you don't miss a thing. Cool.
- The city guide sheet helped me to discover some very interesting places in Magdeburg I didn't know before. It would have been a shame to miss the city wall excavation site and the Elbauenpark.
- Such a nice and interesting person as Guest of Honour.
- A lot of interesting SIGs as always.
- EF remained in a place where Vita Cola is available. ;)
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the only thing i can complain about was,
--the heat in the lobby at wednesday, and thursday. ::)
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Only one thing that i wish to say:
THANK YOU EF TEAM! - All of you made a very hard and great job for all of us. I spend one of best days of my life on this con. It was really great, and for me, greater than previous.
REALLY BIG THANKS for fursuit team - fursuit lounge was purrfect! ;)
I hope, that all of attendees can feel the same, what I feel about this con. And I know, the next con will be better and I definetly will come there.
THANKS A LOT again to all!
Oh, by the way. Because this is "feedback" thread - I want to say one very little, but very annoing thing for me - EF IS OVER ;)
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Oh, by the way. Because this is "feedback" thread - I want to say one very little, but very annoing thing for me - EF IS OVER ;)
We're already working on fixing this one *g*
*purrrrr*
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Oh, by the way. Because this is "feedback" thread - I want to say one very little, but very annoing thing for me - EF IS OVER ;)
We're already working on fixing this one *g*
*purrrrr*
Then let's hope it'll ever happen again after the fix…! :D