This is a callout post for thereinliesmyproblem who just wrote Bill x Celestabellebethabelle fanfiction. I propose we put her in the corner for all of eternity so she can think about what she’s done.
YOU DON’T CONTROL ME HORSE JESUS!!
—
“Oh come on doll.” Bill coos swinging his cane around as he leans against a tree. “Just a drink or two down by the gnome tavern.” He snaps one of his little black hands and winks though it’s hard to tell when he only has one eye. “And hey, I’ll even make it bigger so you can fit inside, what do ya say rainbow mane?”
The unicorn stamped at the ground and gave an indignant sounding whiny as she narrowed her bright eyes at him. “I say,” she threw her head back and yelled, “NEEEIGH!” This lasted for a few seconds before she trailed off into laughter and snorted, looking amused. “But seriously, not even in your dreams.”
“Well,” Bill trilled, suppressing his automatic spark of rage. He just had to remember that he needed the damn rainbow snotted beast to like him. Didn’t matter how annoying or rude she was. “What about yours horn head?” He purred wiggling his, eyebrow at her.
C. Beth snorted again, looking a tad pitying. “Cute,” she simpered mockingly. Then she promptly turned and walked away. “You can leave now.”
—
“Stop following me.” C. Beth snapped, tail swishing agitatedly. “I can feel you watching me.”
The world slowed for a moment and then laughter echoed around the forest, high and disjointed before a yellow triangle popped into existence in front of her. Bill glowed cheerfully, somehow looking pleased despite his lack of a mouth. “Okay okay you caught me glow stick.” The demon trilled adjusting his bow tie. “And hey, now that we’re both here, how about that drink?”
“Hmm,” the unicorn considered this for a moment before flashing her horn in his eye. The demon yelped as he was temporarily blinded and she smiled smugly, walking past him while he flailed and groped at his pink clouded vision. “Nooo.” She cooed, tail brushing him as she passed. “Bye now.”
Recently, a friend of mine whom I worked with during the last three BronyCons, 2013-15, reblogged a post a post from a department head of staff in regards to nightguardmod‘s own open letter. Upon reading it, I felt strongly to write my own to speak my own piece about my feelings towards the con.
Let us start with the explanation for rising costs for the tables, in that unions were requiring certain payment, the decorator was offering the cheapest option, etc. Now, let me start with saying being a customer service representative for a bank, I know there is a world of different between what we know it could cost and what it does cost. When comparing the two, the lesser may seem rational because, well, it’s the best option you have. However, you need to understand that the vendor staff, and the people helping them, see only one thing. What the cost is.
These infamous $175 chairs, to start. While I realize this was the best option available to you, there comes a point where you have to look back and see that no chair is worth $175. $175 is just as unreasonable a price as $200 or more.
Now, onto the tables. The corner table I was helping with cost about $500. CiderFest cost $300 with extra tables and electricity. While I understand that certain areas are going to be harder to work with due to having their own rules, there has to be a justification to the increase in prices. If the prices increase, what you get in return should also increase. I’ve helped for three years and… well, I haven’t seen any difference. This applies to you, the people running the con as well! If the fees for the convention center go up, then you too need to throw your weight around to get what is best for the people paying you.
My second point is the comment about attendees not being as important as vendors. Well, your vendors are just as important as your attendees, actually more along the lines of your sponsors than anything else! Consistently, I have seen the line for the vendors hall reach outside. These vendors aren’t just like the general merchandise vendors that sold items catering to all fandoms, Those vendors go to every convention. If they lose money on one, they’ll make it back at another, while brony vendors have a very niche market.
The Brony vendors aren’t just that. They’re artists, musicians, sculptors, etc. They all have names in the fandom, and they all contribute to bringing in more attendees! The Vendors Hall is just as much a part of the con experience as the panels or guests, and to treat them as less than is just insulting.
If the staff of bronycon would heed any advice, it is to realize when you are getting played, and that the rolling over and doing nothing about it is hurting the very people that help bring you your paycheck. If the unions are bleeding you dry, then a solution needs to be found. If an interior decorator is forcing someone to pay for nearly half a freakin’ booth for a single chair, it might be wise to invest in your own chairs for the con. Then you yourself could charge a much more reasonable price and you have your own assets to profit from each year! If it really is Baltimore bleeding you dry and not allowing you to do what is best for the people of your con, it might be time to consider a new venue.
one chair costing almost the same as a booth is so BS though like
if I’m going to spend that much on a chair, I better get to KEEP that chair
So I’m going to highlight the fine examples of why vendors are upset and nervous to complain about anything, and I didn’t make any of it up because you guys can see it clear as day out in the open the very same attitude we’ve been getting the past few years.
So let’s take a look at this trainwreck of a post and the unprofessional and often degrading tone it uses in response to vendors with legitimate complaints:
Unfortunately, the “deafening silence” that you mentioned was simply that the changes that we are working on behind the scenes haven’t been finished yet.
I’m bolding those little condescending terms and words they shouldn’t have used. Sarcastic quotations and using the word ‘simply’ is an attempt to minimize the issue and make it seem like we’re the ones making a big deal over this and that it’s ‘not that bad’.
A lot of the problems reported to us for 2015, both anonymously and otherwise, relate to things that are either completely unrelated to us or completely out of our control.
Nice job throwing away your responsibilities and blaming the brunt of it on others.
Yes, the lighting in the Artist Alley was dimmer than the rest of the hall, but there was little that we could have done about that.
More like: you were too fucking lazy to bother to find a solution to that, like investing in, oh, I dunno, some cheap lamps or strings of lights or something. A quick walmart run, 3-4 floor lamps? That’s not that hard or expensive. And it would have already made a world of difference. Also you should have checked the lighting ahead of time, you should have made your artists aware that that area would be dim, then they could have maybe had a chance to prepare some alternative lighting in their booths or something.
We could have removed several booths to add in spotlights, (an actual suggestion made to me), but that would have been at tremendous financial cost to us and at the loss of having to kick out a few vendors.
“See this is the ooonly solution we had but you guys don’t want that, dooo yoooou? You guys WANT to have more booths right? So let’s just threaten you with the one thing you don’t want and pretend it’s the only solution so you get off our backs about it! Because clearly we’re just thinking about you guys.
Out of all the solutions we could have suggested, our solution is to kick you out. Why are you so afraid of communicating with us? Dhuur I dunno.”
We charged $290, knowing that those booths bringing in more (islands, corners, endcaps) would cover the difference.
Let’s just make bullshit assumptions and raise a price based on nothing more than placement and assume it’ll make up for the costs of one small factor in the overall cost of what a vendor has to spend to sell at the convention. Let’s just totally disregard that they have to make up the difference not just for table cost, but hotel, food, supplies, and whatever high priced added fees they might have had to spend on top of that.
I’ve had several people ask why we didn’t use the PA system and instead used bullhorns. That is also simple: the BCC does not have a PA system.
THEN USE SOMETHING OTHER THAN BULLHORNS????
LIKE, GEE I DUNNO. A LOUDSPEAKER?
Amplifying microphones aren’t that costly. Get your shit together. Bullhorns are blunt, loud, sudden, and can cause a lot of stress because of this. It’s a very forceful, loud method and it only makes it feel like we’re being herded around or rushed out. There are PLENTY of ways to amplify your volume that don’t include bullhorns. Hell, whistles would have been less degrading than that.
I want to address a common misconception. Our department does not put vendors first. It can’t. We put the attendees first. Without them, there is no BronyCon. Then comes our vendors.
VENDORS ARE ATTENDEES. HIGH PAYING ATTENDEES, IN FACT. I’m so glad you see us as LESS than normal attendees even though typically, Vendors are supposed to be almost as important as staff because they are technically staffing a HUGE part of your convention. Who’s more important, the guy who spent 60 dollars to attend or the one who spent 600 to not only attend but sell, advertise, and bring in more attendees looking for things to buy? What the hell is your damage that you would flat out say your attendees and vendors are completely separate things?! We attend, we spent a hell of a lot to attend, and we are VERY important to your regular attendees.
Other conventions treat vendors much like sponsors because that’s exactly what we are. We’re another type of sponsor who proves you guys with an important aspect of any convention: Sales.
This does not mean that you should be treated like second-hand citizens. If you are treated poorly or even harassed, it’s vitally important that you report that. We cannot fix what we don’t know is broken.
More like you don’t fucking bother to so we’ve given up telling you. When you talk to us like this, we don’t feel like we’re being treated like people at all. We don’t feel like we even remotely matter to your venue.
I think the biggest point to address here though is the fear that has seemingly come from nowhere over the past few years. I can think of no rational reason why it has cropped up.
No, you don’t say that. You just don’t. you’re basically saying the problem is invisible. If it’s been over the past few years, it’s NOT ‘seemingly out of nowhere’ as you so shitily put it.
And then you continue on by listing a bunch of unrelated reasons that have nothing to do with complaints. Including this little gem:
It shouldn’t be due to us being on power trips, as we obviously gain nothing but heartache and pain from this position (the death threats are a bit much, but luckily have been few and far between). Hmm, that was a bit melodramatic, wasn’t it? We are honestly baffled that this fear exists.
“POOR US
WOE IS WE
You should feel SORRY for us bronycon staff because we just go through so much for you guys ;n; booohoooooo
it’s not like we sit here trying to make ourselves seem like the ones having problems and that you guys are at fault for it
Gee, why would that make you afraid to talk to us? I dunnoooo!”
When it comes down to it, we here at BronyCon can only do our best with the limited time and resources that we have at our disposal.
You’re not doing your best at all. Otherwise you wouldn’t be making shitty responses like this.
If you are lying to make yourselves seem better, it hurts everyone involved.
what the fuck
wHAT the FUCK
So now you’re accusing vendors of lying about feedback to ‘make themselves feel better’? Even though it’s been pointed out that we feel the need to lie about feedback because you react like this every time? Where we get walls of blame shifting, self victimizing, and then we get told we’re just hurting everyone else by it? You just go on and on about how we’re being unreasonable and unfair and that’s about all you’ve ever done and THAT in itself makes us afraid to bring anything else up to you.
If you aren’t setting yourself up to make more than you are spending, we CANNOT be held to blame.
Uh yeah you can, if YOU set up the hall like shit and made it hard for vendors to set up, then that’s money THEY lose because of YOUR mistakes.
If you pay for the cheaper booth package that doesn’t come with as much and isn’t in a premium location, you shouldn’t be surprised that it doesn’t come with as much and isn’t in a premium location.
Way to talk to us like we’re a bunch of morons.
That’s like ordering a hamburger a la carte and being upset when it doesn’t come with fries, a second patty, cheese, bacon, and a milkshake. Just because the meal really should have the stuff included with it (because let’s be real, it’s way better that way!), that doesn’t mean that the restaurant should just eat the costs and give you the extras. (Pun unintended.)
Yeah cuz that’s real professional, let’s just make this a joke even though it’s supposed to be a serious issue.
Because clearly 600 dollars is the same as a cheeseburger.
I’m so glad that this whole thing is just a big joke to you. I’m so happy having my business compared to cheap fast food. /sarcasm
Most of the major problems that we have been facing have been due to the fact that we have been employing a small-con solution to a big-con problem
Oh you mean that thing we’ve been complaining about for years?
Please have patience and please have faith. And for the love of Celestia, please make sure that you actually read your emails.You can’t complain about lack of communication when you refuse to communicate with us.
Yeah because emails is how we’re supposed to communicate at con when we have no fucking clue where to go when we’re trying to set up.
Or like, maybe we think we have everything we need from your emails but by the time we get there, there are a ton of things you failed to mention or didn’t account for, such as where the hell we were supposed to load our items in. Or that the bullhorns were distressing. Or that the lighting was too dim.
Clearly, this is all our faults for not reading everything you sent in your array of haphazard, poorly worded emails that never give all the info in one go.
I have never had a convention send nearly as many spread out emails to vendors as Bronycon does. Most other conventions are short and sweet. I get maybe 3 emails max and they provide everything I need to know and do.
Many of us vend at other conventions just fine. We read our emails just fine too. We have no problems with other conventions.
But no, it’s clearly us. Not you. We’re just lazy and don’t read all your emails so it’s only on our heads that we missed something.
I apologize for venting, but that is one of my absolutely biggest pet peeves. We do our best to get to the hundreds of emails we receive each week (sometimes each day), but inevitably some will slip through the cracks.
Yeah way to make it personal. You don’t do that when you’re trying to be professional and consistent. You don’t tell your vendors that they are essentially annoying you with your little ‘pet peeves’. This is supposed to be a business arrangement, keep your personal shit out of it.
tl;dr I am tired of “tl;dr”s. If you can’t be bothered to read it all, then how can you say that you care about the contents?
Was this necessary at all? Or was this just trying to throw in a funny quirky sassy quip to what was supposed to be a professional response?
With that, I am finally allowing myself to pass out. It’s well past 4 in the morning and I have class at 11 with a meeting before it… ZzZzZzZzZ
Oh yeah you poor thing, staying up all night for us, you shouldn’t have, we just waste SO much of your precious time.
And there you have it. A nice big summary of why Bronycon’s treatment of vendors is absolute garbage and why a good deal of us were stressed beyond reason working with them. Because they don’t want to work with us.
They just want us to work for them.
We who are to them, considered less than a common con attendee.
Ye. I honestly didn’t expect him to be as developed as he ended up being. I expected to forget about him as soon as the paint pony and lawyer fads pones ended but I continued to use him. I made have a normal life, then it got horrible then it got better which is more than many of my other OCs.
