The Eurofurence Forum
Off Topic => General Furry Talk => Topic started by: Quincy the Raccoon on 06.03.2014, 23:35:47
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Well, I do! Each time I watch my photos from prev years, I feel a bit sad why we had to leave that awesome hotel. Ah the sweet memories we had and all the fun, now it will be all gone...
Oh well... time to start a new chapter in Berlin I guess...
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Ah the sweet memories we had and all the fun, now it will be all gone...
Why would the memories be gone? It's not like we forget about the things if we leave the place.
Having a good time depends on people, not on places. The new hotel offers more space for more awesome people. ;D
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so many THIS!!
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I may not have been to Ringberg hotel, but now i understand how ppl felt when they left Ringberg.
For me, after being to EF since EF16, and all the way up to EF19 for four consecutive years in Maritim, it does feel sad when you have to leave a place where many things happened, memories and such, and i realy started to get used to this place :)
But i personaly think that despite the "everything that has a beginning, has an end" saying, well in this case i say whatever has end, has a beginning too :)
New places to discover, new experience, and many other new..."new" awaits us :3
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Since the beginning of the concept of Eurofurence it has shifted from location to location depending on the requirements to accommodate specific needs such as an increased attendee capacity.
Will I personally miss Magdeburg?
I'm not sure. Reminiscing about the location certainly will continue to happen, but I'm not sure if it will involve 'wishing we could go back' to that location.
After all, the Estrel hotel will be a downright huge upgrade!
Besides, according to vulpine logic, bigger usually means better. ;)
Regards,
Vix ♥
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I will surely miss the big atrium. It gave me the feeling of connected-ness and watching the whole con. I also did totally enjoy hearing the constant mumbling, which was a sure sign the con was alive. (Never bothered me sleeping-wise, actually I already missed it when I wasn't in the Atrium at EF19)
*purrrr*
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By the way: Magdeburg seems to miss us.
We went there for a small fursuit outing in december, and again last weekend. Both times, many people approached us and said they missed us and wished we could all come back next summer. It is heartwarming to hear such things. People keep telling us how much they loved the creativity and friendliness of the furries. Many even say they want to come to Berlin and watch the fursuit parade.
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By the way: Magdeburg seems to miss us.
We went there for a small fursuit outing in december, and again last weekend. Both times, many people approached us and said they missed us and wished we could all come back next summer. It is heartwarming to hear such things. People keep telling us how much they loved the creativity and friendliness of the furries. Many even say they want to come to Berlin and watch the fursuit parade.
Awww, this is really nice to hear. :) Well, by car the distance between Berlin-Magedeburg is 1,5 hrs. Who knows if some suiters are flash mobbing in Magdeburg during or after EF?? ::)
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I'm not yet sure but I *might* continue my tradition of visiting the Ringberg hotel after the con. As Uncle Kage said, the employee turnover is causing less known faces to show up there, but the family of the Crazy Horse still remembers us fondly :D - they did recognize me immediately last year.
I doubt if I will extend that to Magdeburg though... it would get expensive and loooong to add another location to the tradition every time we have to "trade places" and it would be like an Alice in Wonderland game :P
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I'll mostly miss all the different cheap yet very good chinese places to eat ;)
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I was only able to attend the last EF held at the Ringberg, but that was enough to leave me with fond memories - particularly of the late-nights sitting around the fire pit.
It's funny - but at a certain size, when everything just feels "cozy", a certain "Critical Mass" is reached; and either adding OR subtracting people would lead to a diminishment of the experience, and the memories of the event grab your soul and color how you look back on it...probably distorting it, but for the better. It was never really as good as you remembered it, and any organised or controlled attempt to duplicate the experience leads only to frustration and disappointment.
As to Magdeburg - I shall miss the Maritim Atrium (sooo much like a Cathedral), and the Maritim Burgers, and the snackpoints with the Currywurst and Bratwursts and sandwiches, and the Bierkart, and of course the Bar and our special drinks. I'll miss the many Pizza places close by, the walks to the old Dom (I listened to an organ recital on Sunday of the first year we were there), and to the cafes about eight blocks to the south of the hotel, for nightlife. I'll miss the total convenience of the train station being so close, and of the Kaufland Market being even closer, and by our last year, feeling that I could walk into this market in total confidence like I actually was entitled to shop there, and not feel like a lost foreigner.
I missed the Fursuit Parade this last year (I stayed behind for the Art Show closing), but I did follow the fursuit "flashmob" to the shopping mall on Wednesday - and was particularly struck by the reception which we received, and how so many passersby and shoppers got into the spirit of the thing, and had a good time. It felt really good to see, and I'm glad I was there for that. I'm certain that most of the mall patrons will long remember that day, too.
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I'm going to miss Magdeburg because of it's perfect location. The hotel in itself was very nice, and I loved the main hall with the disco ball, and how you could just listen to the crowd downstairs. Of course, I'll miss all the restaurants who served delicious food and deserts, and those who were excited to have us back. The fact that people seem to be so accepting and happy to have us there, made suiting around feel both welcome and safe.
I'm going to miss it for sure, but it's also going to be exciting to check out the new hotel and see how it's layout works out. Maybe not as good a location as the Maritim, but maybe it has something else to offer us :)
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It's great so see how Magdeburg has grown on so many people here. But it's also a bit amusing, because the first reviews when we moved there in 2010 were everything BUT positive. The city was perceived as ugly and unfriendly, the hotel looked like the prison. The drinks were terrible and totally unaffordable. But did all that matter in the end? No. We got used to it, and we learned to appreciate all the good things, and we even got a bit attached to them. And the biggest surprise: Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
I am totally expecting to see a similar pattern in our first year in Berlin. People will see that the beer prices are higher than in Magdeburg. People will find every single drawback of the new hotel, and post them here on the forum in glorious detail. The water pressure of people's showers will drop when 1900 furries flush their toilets simulaneously. People will be late for breakfast and complain abot the opening times. A waiter will serve the wrong drink. A rommaid will accidently throw away something that wasn't supposed to be trash. People will dislike the architecture, maybe the front desk will be overwhelmed on the first day, at least one fursuiter will accidently step into the fountain in the lobby. If he's from the UK, he will raise HELL because of it :)
All that is expected. But in Berlin, too, once we got over all the little annoying things of the new place, we will discover the many ways in which it is totally awesome. We're just afraid of change, and that changes our perception. It's normal :)
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In my first 2 EFs i went to (EF18 & EF19) The Magdeburg location and the Maritim in my humble opinion were quite nice!
EF was comftable there for 3 to 4 years and as things were getting good for us as in reputation, we outgrown it and had to move... -_-
It's a real shame but EF had to move on to make the con bigger and i will really miss Magdeburg...
I can't wait to go to Berlin, it's gonna be epic! :D
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Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team? WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
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...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team? WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
Simple as that, Magdeburg got smaller and smaller for the ever-growing con. Surely wouldn't have been possible to fit the upcoming EF 20's amount of folks there, though of course it's likely that so many people wouldn't have registered, had we stayed.
Berlin will be good for a few years at least — we'll get to like them just like every other spot; and they'll surely enjoy the mayhem we bring :) Eventually.
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Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team?
But we're not changing the winning team. We're just playing in a different stadium this year.
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I'd say a change is good, I'm sure many people have fond memories of Madgeburg.
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Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team? WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
I think because we were splitting the venue at the seams!
I tried to register immediately when registration was open (I was at a convention in San Jose, California, and it was mid-morning-ish there); started the process from the beginning, finished it within the first quarter-hour...and still couldn't get a room at the Maritim Hotel.
The InterCityHotel was great; the room-rate with the included breakfast buffet was very attractive (and it was a good breakfast, too!), and the proximity to the con was good for staying up until all hours, and walking back to my nice, "quiet" hotel room inside of 6 minutes. But having a place for the extra bodies to sleep only highlighted the problem of space for all those extra bodies during the day. Even with people filling the event rooms and the art show and the dealers' den, the lobby was still a sea of people, many standing because there were no more places for them to sit or perch...despite all the floorspace in that nice, open, airy lobby.
Result: EF staff felt the need to find a bigger place (I remember reading that it was an extended, ongoing search effort), and the planets aligned to provide us with the Estrel.
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Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team? WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
I think because we were splitting the venue at the seams!
I tried to register immediately when registration was open (I was at a convention in San Jose, California, and it was mid-morning-ish there); started the process from the beginning, finished it within the first quarter-hour...and still couldn't get a room at the Maritim Hotel.
The InterCityHotel was great; the room-rate with the included breakfast buffet was very attractive (and it was a good breakfast, too!), and the proximity to the con was good for staying up until all hours, and walking back to my nice, "quiet" hotel room inside of 6 minutes. But having a place for the extra bodies to sleep only highlighted the problem of space for all those extra bodies during the day. Even with people filling the event rooms and the art show and the dealers' den, the lobby was still a sea of people, many standing because there were no more places for them to sit or perch...despite all the floorspace in that nice, open, airy lobby.
Result: EF staff felt the need to find a bigger place (I remember reading that it was an extended, ongoing search effort), and the planets aligned to provide us with the Estrel.
Maybe you have a point there... haven't thought about that one. m(
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I won't know if I miss the old place until I see if the new one is better.
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I won't know if I miss the old place until I see if the new one is better.
I tend to think I suffer (slightly) from fear of starting all over over. I know what we had, but I don't know what the new place will bring. And the rumors about the neighborhood is too casting its shadows. But then again; it is all fear, and has no rational thought to back it up, what so ever.
My hopes is ofcourse, that we will like it just as much, if not better, than the place we left.
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Fear of change is very popular among furrys, but this is a good change.
We need more space its a fact, that way nobody will be excluded and friends won't be taken apart.
And you can be sure that the team who decides about the new venue really knows that it does.
I was there a few times and i like the neighborhood. Its a more quiet part of Berlin, mostly flats and houses.
We never had any big incidents with the people of Magdeburg and the people in Berlin are known for being very open minded towards new things.
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The first year in any new hotel with an event is always something that will have things go wrong. As much as people everywhere think they have warned them the old saying 'you have to see it to believe it' holds true. As long as people are realistic in their expectations things won't be all that bad.
Plus, there's always the fun of a hotel staff seeing hundreds of suits for the first time. They might have seen pictures and maybe met a few demonstrators. But hundreds of suiters at ones? It's an experience they won't forget.
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I miss Suhl to be honest. So far the best EF hotel i have been to, and way better then magdeburg. The new hotel we are going to now have potential, so i have my hopes up ^^
Magreburg was not good the first year, the second year it was better and third year was good. :3 On Suhl they was totally amazing, and we even got free Beer for all from the nicest guy ever. And i mean everyone at the con got it :3
Berlin have the space for big bbq's like suhl had, and from experience Berlin is a good town. The only thing i miss with the hotel is a pool :P But we should be able to live without it ^^
I have a feeling Berlin will be very good, and not just grow on us but might be very good from the beginning.
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The sourroundings of the Ringberg Hotel was really nice, and the Staff super friendly, I agree on that.
But it was a bummer if you had to stay at an overflow location or if you wanted to go shopping. There was no public transport appart from the shuttle buses, so you had to plan and arrange your trips more carefully, whereas in Magdeburg you were able to reach everything in walking distance whenever you wanted - I quite liked that.
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I do miss Magdeburg, if not for the fact that we had Kaufland, with the numerous of Currywurst stations nearby, but because of the extremly nice bar staff, especially Stefan, and hotel personnel in general; And the fact that anything you wanted; Anything, was nearby. Historical sites? You got it. Supermarket? Right across the street. Central location? Yes, that too. Cheap bar nextdoor as well as restaurants? Yup.
Hopefully Berlin will be able to, at least, supply a few of these; I would never argue against the choice of hotel as I can certainly understand the need to expand, though, I will always have my fond memories of the Maritime hotel and it's staff; And the surrounding areas.
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I do miss Magdeburg, if not for the fact that we had Kaufland, with the numerous of Currywurst stations nearby, but because of the extremly nice bar staff, especially Stefan, and hotel personnel in general; And the fact that anything you wanted; Anything, was nearby. Historical sites? You got it. Supermarket? Right across the street. Central location? Yes, that too. Cheap bar nextdoor as well as restaurants? Yup.
Hopefully Berlin will be able to, at least, supply a few of these;
Currywurst? Definitely.
Supermarkets? I read that there is one right next to the hotel. (If anyone who knows the site can confirm that?)
Historical sites? For sure.
Central? Well, not in the middle of Berlin, but the public transport system is good.
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Supermarkets? I read that there is one right next to the hotel. (If anyone who knows the site can confirm that?)
There's an E(deka)-Reichelt and an Aldi across the Sonnenallee.
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Historical sites? For sure.
Like this one (http://currywurstmuseum.com/en/)? ;)
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Historical sites? For sure.
Like this one (http://currywurstmuseum.com/en/)? ;)
HAHAH! That made me giggle so hard - Die gesamte Geschichte von Deutschland erzählt durch Curry Wurst** X'D
** The history of Germany, summed up in curry sausage ;)
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Definitedly YES! It had such a nice cozy familiar atmosphere.
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I am looking forward to the "Do you miss Berlin?" thread due when we squeezed ourselves out of the Estrel by passing the 3k-attendee mark and havin' to relocate again ... 2-3 years tops :)
Ragear
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I am looking forward to the "Do you miss Berlin?" thread due when we squeezed ourselves out of the Estrel by passing the 3k-attendee mark and havin' to relocate again ... 2-3 years tops :)
Ragear
Is there any larger place than Estrel in Europe? Can you think of any?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hotels_in_the_world
And yeah.. I miss Suhl/Ringberg much more than I will miss Magdeburg/Maritim.
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Not really as large as the Estrel, but close, would be the Sheraton airport convention centre in Frankfurt.
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If the Estrel ever gets too small for us... we're in trouble. There may be convention centers around that are larger but the "one location" feeling would certainly be gone. I'm still for the "wait and see" approach. Will EF ever get 3k+ attendees? Only time will tell.
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Even if. The Estrel is building another housing tower and convention centre combined with the current one. Rooms for 6000+ furries and for ~16000 people in the convention areas. No, we won't leave the Estrel anytime soon. :3
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Is there any larger place than Estrel in Europe? Can you think of any?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hotels_in_the_world
ITYM "Western Europe".
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If the Estrel ever gets too small for us... we're in trouble. There may be convention centers around that are larger but the "one location" feeling would certainly be gone. I'm still for the "wait and see" approach. Will EF ever get 3k+ attendees? Only time will tell.
Orrrrrr you'll have to go to MOSCOW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izmailovo_Hotel 7,500(!!!!!) rooms!
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Yeah... Ehm it claims it "only" has 7,500 rooms. Not 75,000...
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Yeah... Ehm it claims it "only" has 7,500 rooms. Not 75,000...
Sorry, baaaaad comma! BAAAAAAD! (typo, fixed!)
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Magdeburg was not as cool as Suhl was. Missing the Ringberg Hotel and the cozy atmosphere there badly.....
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Not only did we end up liking the city ... the people of Magdeburg actually began to like US!
...SO why change? Ain't it like: Never change a winning team? WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
Because, we were running out of space...
Look the venue was fine, but just not longer big enough.
This year we expected an increase of 10%, we got a bit more.
The increase in attendees has out performed expectations.
Last year we already had an overflow hotel and we wouldn't be able to accommodate a whole lot of additional people.
This year we can.
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If it gets too much for EF to cope with the numbers.......as a pressure vaule...Germany, or Europe as a whole needs a 2nd big convention in Europe....
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If it gets too much for EF to cope with the numbers.......as a pressure vaule...Germany, or Europe as a whole needs a 2nd big convention in Europe....
Europe as in Continental Europe? ;) (http://confuzzled.org.uk)
*purrr*
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If it gets too much for EF to cope with the numbers.......as a pressure vaule...Germany, or Europe as a whole needs a 2nd big convention in Europe....
There are several big cons - for example ConFuzzled and Nordic Fuzz Con are growing. But I think that doesn't reduce the number of people who want to go to EF.
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If it gets too much for EF to cope with the numbers.......as a pressure vaule...Germany, or Europe as a whole needs a 2nd big convention in Europe....
There are several big cons - for example ConFuzzled and Nordic Fuzz Con are growing. But I think that doesn't reduce the number of people who want to go to EF.
Seems the furry fandom is become thé largest fandom in the world... and it just keeps on growing! ;D
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Seems the furry fandom is become thé largest fandom in the world... and it just keeps on growing! ;D
Nah, the furry fandom is pretty large among genre fandoms (then again, Dragoncon is probably larger than all furry conventions combined), but small compared to product fandoms (such as Star Trek, Starwars, ...) The latter have conventions selling more than hundred of thousands day tickets. We are, however, one of the few genre fandoms that developed to an artists community, the fan aspect being moved to the background.
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I do not miss Magdeburg the slightest bit! Not a tiny bit!
I do miss Suhl, but Magdeburg had only exactly one good thing, and that is all the awesome attendees of EF. The rest I could really do without. Unfriendly people all over the town, unfriendly hotel staff, ugly hotelrooms… nah, I really do not miss it. :)
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I do not miss Magdeburg the slightest bit! Not a tiny bit!
I do miss Suhl, but Magdeburg had only exactly one good thing, and that is all the awesome attendees of EF. The rest I could really do without. Unfriendly people all over the town, unfriendly hotel staff, ugly hotelrooms… nah, I really do not miss it. :)
Pardo me, but... unfriendly people? If even the MAYOR says that she will miss the furries... then what? For me, I had a good time in Magdeburg, even it was just for two EF editions in all...