SMOF News, volume 1, issue 46
Anime Expo gets stuffy, counting conventions, and news in brief.
Anime Expo Artist Alley Has Terrible Ventilation
The Artist Alley of Anime Expo (Los Angeles, California, USA, July 1-4) is located in Kentia Hall, a basement room in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Numerous artists and attendees reported it was hot, stuffy, and full of unmasked people.
Anime News Network has the details:
One artist, Ivory Ice, confirmed that the temperature improved after the AC was increased on Day 2, but said it was still humid: “For the rest of the con, it wasn't as extreme, but it was still hot/humid. Never felt like the AC was really on.” Another artist, who wished to remain anonymous, added, “Day 1 was really hot. They were supposedly told to crank up the A/C several times throughout the day, but never did until Day 2.” A different artist, Julie S, said she almost passed out twice the first day and was drenched in sweat from the heat. One artist tweeted a plea to AX to ask if they'd be turning on the AC, saying that her body temperature had reached 99.6°F and that she had to leave her table on Day 1 due to symptoms of heat exhaustion. Yet another artist told us she witnessed several vendors who were red-faced and dripping in sweat.
And some horrifying numbers from an attendee who brought a carbon dioxide monitor:
CO2 levels inside Artist Alley were a staggering 4,202 ppm, with the second-to-last row reaching 4,740 ppm. The quiet hallway between the doors of Kentia Hall, where many attendees would sit, relax, and eat clocked in at 4,171 ppm.
ANN also repeats claims from the monitor manufacturer about the effect of high carbon dioxide levels on the brain, which appear to be a mischaracterization of a single study. Nevertheless, the recorded levels indicate that the room was highly conducive to the transmission of respiratory viruses.
Anime Expo required that all attendees wear masks and show proof of vaccination or a negative test. It tried to go to just a mask requirement last month, but reinstated the full policy a day later. But even the mask policy was broadly ignored, according to the artists:
Many posted signs saying, “No Mask, No Service,” and while some attendees obliged, others were combative. Of the artists we spoke with, many shared similar stories. Shattered-Earth estimated that some 50% obliged, but immediately removed their masks once they left her table. Some attendees said they didn't have a mask at all, despite AX requirements for convention center entry, while some even tried to use their shirts before being turned away. Others circumvented the artists' requests simply by asking their masked friends to make the purchase. Some were simply rude; one artist who asked to remain anonymous said she was angrily flipped off after an attendee refused to put on a mask.
Kentia Hall is described by some as a parking garage, but the LACC’s site indicates it is a permanent room, adjacent to two garage areas. Ironically, if it were a parking garage, it would have to meet strict ventilation requirements.
Who Has the Most Conventions?
July 13 is, for reasons no one seems to know, Embrace Your Geekness Day. In honor of the occasion, Lawn Love attempted to determine the geekiest cities in the USA, looking at metrics like video game stores, geeky Meetup.com groups, and number of comic cons. The cities hosting the most comic cons were Atlanta, Denver, New York, Orlando, and Las Vegas.
Lawn Love’s metrics skew toward only a subset of geekdom. Some of this is understandable— it’s hard to find statistics by city on the open internet about book sales or movies in the geekier genres— but we can do better than to just count one kind of convention. Checking SMOF News’s master file of convention listings, Atlanta still comes out on top, but followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, and then a tie between Dallas and Orlando.
In Brief
FantasyCon (London, UK), cancelled as of last week, is back on with new management on its original weekend, just shortened by a day. The new dates are September 17-18.
Tekko (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, July 21-24), which was in danger of permanent cancellation, has reached its full fundraising goal.
Event Calendar
Weekend of July 15-17
Estcon 2022 (Estonian national sf convention), Udu, Estonia
OzCon International (Oz series), Pomona, California, USA
Once and Future Fantasies (symposium), Glasgow, UK
Fur-Eh!: Mardi Paws (anthropomorphic), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Anthro Weekend Utah: The Curse of Awubis, Layton, Utah, USA
Brazil FurFest 2022: A Fantástica Fábrica de Doces (anthropomorphic), Santos, Brazil
Furway 2022 (anthropomorphic), Brandbu, Norway
Furry Siesta 2022: The Truth Is Out There! (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
ConQuest Fresno (gaming), Clovis, California, USA
FlaMinGoCon (gaming), Delray Beach, Florida, USA
Phoenix Con (gaming), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Final Boss Con (gaming), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
Breakout 2022 (gaming), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
CharCon 2022 (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Lavecon 2022 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK
Ettin Con 2022 (gaming), online
Berlin Brettspiel Con 2022 (gaming), Berlin, Germany
GeeklyCon 2022 (gaming), Rochester, New York, USA
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (video games), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Anime North, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dokidokon (anime), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Dream Con (anime), Arlington, Texas, USA
Atsusacon: Ninja vs Samurai (anime), Ghent, Belgium
Sydney Manga & Anime Show, Sydney, Australia
Shore Leave 42 (media), Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
ConnectiCon XIX (media), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Hershey Comic Con, Grantville, Pennsylvania, USA
Metrocon (media), Tampa, Florida, USA
Saggeek (media), Saguenay, Québec, Canada
Utopia 2022 (Doctor Who), Wyboston, UK
TrotCon (My Little Pony), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Weekend of July 22-24
ConGregate 8, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Celsius 232, Avilés, Spain
Aurawra (anthropomorphic), Sydney, Australia
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
Open Gaming Convention 2022, Westford, Massachusetts, USA
Twisted Lords Con 2022 (gaming), Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Historicon 2022: World in Conflict: Italy (miniatures gaming), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Zolocon Game On (video games), Warminster, Pennsylvania, USA
Classic Game Fest (retro video games), Austin, Texas, USA
AkaiCon: Aces and 8’s (anime), Lebanon, Tennsesse, USA
Metrocon (anime), Tampa, Florida, USA
AnimeIowa: The Spectrum of Heroes!, Coralville, Iowa, USA
Kitsune Kon (anime), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
ExpOtaku Tarragona (anime), Tarragona, Spain
Tekko 2022 (anime), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Ai-Kon 2022 (anime), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Chibi-Con 2022 (anime), Winterthur, Switzerland
Kogan Con 2022: The Summer Festival Episode (anime), Grand Haven, Michigan, USA
Comic-Con International, San Diego, California, USA
Weekend of July 29-31
Diversicon 29: More Human Than We Are, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
NärCon 2022, Linköping, Sweden
Confluence 2022, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA
LeakyCon (Harry Potter), Orlando, Florida, USA
Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien (symposium), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Costume College 2022: Costuming Post Apocalypse: Creating a New World, Woodland Hills, California, USA
CanFURence 5 (anthropomorphic), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Kantcon (gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
Field of Games, Silverstone, UK
Ropecon 2022 (gaming), Helsinki, Finland
Cardboard Caucus 2022 (gaming), Des Moines, Iowa, USA
PretzCon 2022 (gaming), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Ptarmicon 2022 (gaming), Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Otakon (anime), Washington, DC, USA
Tokonatsu (anime), Henlow, UK
AnimeFest, Dallas, Texas, USA
Tokyo in Tulsa: Worlds Collide (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
OokiiSoraCon (anime), Helena, Montana, USA
Anime Com Fest, Kingston, Jamaica
Anime Revolution, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Wasabicon (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA
New World Comic Con 7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
GalaxyCon Raleigh (media), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
TERRIFICON (media), Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
The Urban Nerd Con (Black media), Montgomery, Alabama, USA
GalaCon (My Little Pony), Ludwigsburg, Germany
Above, Below, & Beyond (Beauty and the Beast TV show), Wichita, Kansas, USA
Weekend of August 5-7
ArmadilloCon 2022, Austin, Texas, USA
AMA-CON, Amarillo, Texas, USA
CrossingsCon 2022 (sf books), Montréal, Québec, Canada
PulpFest 50, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Surrey Steampunk Convivial, Epsom, UK
Megaplex: Electric AvUwU (anthropomorphic), Orlando, Florida, USA
Tierra de Nadie (gaming), Mollina, Spain
Gen Con 2022 (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Continuum 2022 (gaming), Oadby, UK
Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Fragapalooza 2022: Hybrid Venture Showcase (LAN gaming), Leduc, Alberta
Crunchyroll Expo (anime), San Jose, California, USA
Otakuthon (anime), Montréal, Québec
Advík (anime), Prague, Czechia
Puchicon NJ (anime), Teaneck, New Jersey, USA
KO+Con (anime), Lewisville, Texas, USA
Anime-zing!, Davenport, Iowa, USA
Queen City Anime Convention, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Animangapop Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Animethon 2022, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Mid City Micro-Con (comics), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dublin Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland
Really Cool Comic Con, Flint, Michigan, USA
Bell County Comic Con, Belton, Texas, USA
Weekend of August 12-14
Geek Out at Staten Island, Staten Island, New York, USA
CONvergence 2022: Your Reality May Vary, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Argentina FurFiesta (anthropomorphic), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Wild Prairie Fur Con: Tropical Paw-radise (anthropomorphic), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Wild Game Roundup, Austin, Texas, USA
Long Island Retro Gaming Expo (video games), Garden City, New York, USA
Grand Tribunal (Atlas Games products), Cheltenham, UK
Abunai!: The Good, the Bad, and the Cheeky (anime), Veldhoven, Netherlands
Anime Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
Ronin-Expo (anime), Los Angeles, California, USA
Superstar Anime, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
AniBash (anime), Rochester, New York, USA
MatsuriCon 2022: Tana's Night Market (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Pretty Heroes (female-centered anime), Toronto, Ontario, USA
MAPLD Fan Fest (media), Matteson, Illinois, USA
Sunrise Comic Con, Sunrise, Florida, USA
Fan Expo Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Fandom Fest 2022 (media), Schenectady, New York, USA
Monster-Mania 50 (horror media), Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
Starfleet International Conference 2022 (Star Trek), online
TFNation (Transformers), Birmingham, UK
Coda
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