NYCC '08: A CROWDED SATURDAY

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

Fans were frustrated on Saturday evening by the New York Comic Con staff's decision to shut down the entrance to the panel area because of overcrowding.

At around 4:30 p.m., security guards began pushing crowds back toward entrances and turned off the escalators leading to the panel rooms. Several panels were shut down for awhile and started late as a result of the closing, and crowds gathered at entrances, asking why they couldn't pass security guards. Several gave up. Some comic book talent waited in lines along with fans, although others argued with guards and flashed their badges enough to get through.

According to Sandy Bouchahine, a New York Comic Con staff member who spoke to Newsarama about the overcrowding issue, the decision was the result of a mass rush of people who were trying to get into several panels that all started around the same time.

"We're just letting people in in waves and shifts so we don't surpass our capacity," Bouchahine explained, adding that it had nothing to do with one particular panel, but was instead a problem of several very popular panels happening at the same time. "It was just a crowd control issue. There were just a lot of panels that everyone wanted to see. We're just having loads of crowds that wanted to see things like the Venture Brothers. "

Between 4 and 5 p.m., the Venture Bros. were in one panel room, while Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia was in another. At 5 p.m., a Robot Chicken panel featured Seth Green, while other panel rooms previewed various movies that crowds wanted to see. Cup O' Joe started at 5:30, and other premiers and Hollywood presentations soon followed.

"We had to cut everyone off and let them in a little at a time. We had to. It was just wall-to-wall people. Basically, we had to make sure the people are safe," Bouchahine said. No Fire Marshall came, as far as Bouchanie knew, but the staff themselves made the decision to stop the crowds.

[Impulse2k1]

The very reason I just rather read about the con then actually be at the con

[Hazard]

This almost makes me feel better about missing NYCC this year. I remember last year the Kevin Smith panel filled up really quick. Some of the smaller panel rooms were already packed beyond capacity last year, no standing room, even in the combined rooms. Its a great con but I think it's outgrown the center faster than people expected.

[Amoebas]

I finished all the panels I wanted to see before any of this. Obviously in light of this article, I'm glad I did.

[4PointOh]

Sounds like the same chaos from the first year and it's why I've not been back since.

[theWeapon]

Yeesh - kinda glad I didn't go...

Is it logistics? Is it really that many people? Is the Con Center just too small?

WTH NYCC?!?!?

[Dr.Finger]

It was so crowded in that one hallway outside of the panel rooms that some people began freaking out a little bit by me. But closing off the hall was the only move they could make. It was getting dangerous.

[Glen Cadigan]

I guess in the future they'll just have to schedule things so that the popular panels are staggered throughout the weekend, and not happening all at once. But it's definitely bad PR for the con.

[GOSD]

Just proves that they need the entire Center to run this show.

It was more crowded this year than last year.

[michaeljjt]

According to 2 of the security guards, it WAS the fault of the Robot Chicken panel

From what I heard it was full to capacity and tons of other people were attempting to get in, making for an incredible logjam of people.

I was standing there at 5:10 to get into Cup O Joe, and had to wait as they let people in 10 at a time. It was not nearly as bad as the issue the 1st year. As far as I know, nothing started without anyone, and the delay was minimal. I still got into the panel at 5:25, and got a very good seat.

People were very impatient and very pushy all day. I can't wait for tomorrow when the crowd will be a nice thinner Sunday crowd.

[GhostOfTomJoad]

Originally Posted by Amoebas

I finished all the panels I wanted to see before any of this. Obviously in light of this article, I'm glad I did.

Security was on a slow burn all day. At the Grant Morrison panel, they weren't listening to anyone (including Javits Center staff) and were just kind of grunting orders at passersby, so that you were instructed to get in line even if you just happened to be passing on your way to or from another panel. It was inevitable that when these scheduling things happened all at once (The Spirit panel was huge at that time too), the combination of bad behavior, bad scheduling and security on a short fuse was going to lead to a mess.

[Masschine]

Yeah the con was as crowded as before but it looked like everyone was getting in. I was there the last two years and today's was manageable. The rows were still too close together and bottlenecks were everywhere. I only managed to get to one panel, spent too much time talking to people, but the Gail Simone panel was tight. I was standing as were at least a dozen others. I think they scheduled way too many panels. At any one time there were 8 panels going on. A few of the rooms could have probably been joined together.
Reading some of the other comments as much as you want to blame the staff some of the blame goes to people who were too rude to follow directions or get there on time.

[Skillet]

Originally Posted by theWeapon

Yeesh - kinda glad I didn't go...

Is it logistics? Is it really that many people? Is the Con Center just too small?

WTH NYCC?!?!?

It looks like the real problem was scheduling, and I don't know if the con setup the panels or if people selected the best time slot for their panel. The problem started when you had Milo Ventimiglia and Venture brothers at 4pm, then at 5pm you had Gaia Online, Robot Chicken QuickStop Entertainment and then Cup O Joe at 5:30. Every ones of these had huge lines and Milo's room was packed to capacity so all the people lining up for Robot Chicken didn't really have anywhere to go. I spent the morning in the IGN theater and am I glad I got there early and lined up for that, cause by the time Hulk rolled around the line had to include half the attendees, even though the room was already full. I attended last year and had no problem getting in the Kevin Smith panel, and I arrived after it had started. Here's a question though, is there another convention center around the area, that maybe could be better accommodating. From the Philly area, so not that familiar with the convention centers in NY.

[CBrown]

As someone who was literally at the front of the line when they closed the entrance the first year, leaving a couple of teenagers to manage a crowd of hundreds of angry fans with paid-for tickets, I can say that this year and last have been MUCH better!

But, yes, while I wasn't around for the particular shutdown mentioned here today, it was pretty messy around the panel rooms. It was REALLY crowded at times - and the lines were so long in such a limited space that it was confusing where to go to get into what line. I think some simple traffic control and perhaps staggering some start/end times would help greatly in the future.

[CBrown]

And to Skillet - no, Javits is it. There is more space in Javits Center that isn't being used; I imagine it's a cost issue. Renting venues - of ANY size - in Manhattan is VERY expensive, and the Javits gets booked months if not years in advance, so it's not as easy as just saying, "just get the whole place." Also, it's fun to see the attendees of the other Javits events (yesterday it was a City College Job Fair) look at us and say, "what the hell is going on?"

[stylemonger]

Its seemed to be a question of scheduling. I was down at the corridor for the Dan Dare panel at 1:30 and there was almost no one in that hallway. Around 4 PM it was loaded with people. I just gave up hopes of seeing Venture Brothers stuff and decided to go look at the naughty artists photos. Seems to be a question of scheduling. Javitz center is big enough. They just need to take up more space next year. I mean there was a another convention going on in the basement area and the upstairs area was not being used at all.

[jmringuet]

Maybe the problem is that there are so many panels that have nothing to do with comics at a comic convention. Venture Bros, Heroes, Robot Chicken... ?

[Lay109]

Very glad I didn't make it to this. I can understand it being busy because a small venue but a scheduling conflict that caused it would have just completely horked me off.

[Beheader]

They really could have arranged the panels better.

Granted, there really wasn't a Heroes panel, it was just that one of the main stars had a comic book coming out and he was promoting that.

The Venture Bros. panel was packed, but it really wasn't a big problem.

The thing that got out of control was Quickstop Entertainment aka Kevin Smith's new movie which promised "big surprises". That really should have been in the IGN theater, not a rather small panel room. Even an editor from Boom Studios had trouble getting through security, and he had his own panel to get to.

They could have spread out the panels better. On Friday, there was a business expo going on, but yesterday and I assume today as well, the place will only have the Con going on. They should have grabbed the extra space.

[Jamal Y. Igle]

Originally Posted by theWeapon

Yeesh - kinda glad I didn't go...

Is it logistics? Is it really that many people? Is the Con Center just too small?

WTH NYCC?!?!?

It really was that many people, it's been great but it's a little nutty.

[saiyanspider]

Geek-stampede!!!!

[CountD]

Originally Posted by saiyanspider

Geek-stampede!!!!

A big booth panel almost came down on me, my wife and a bunch of people. Everyone propped it back up until it could be secured.

The con was bursting with geekiness!

[hamgravy]

Originally Posted by Beheader

They really could have arranged the panels better.

Granted, there really wasn't a Heroes panel, it was just that one of the main stars had a comic book coming out and he was promoting that.

The Venture Bros. panel was packed, but it really wasn't a big problem.

Actually the Venture Bros. Panel audience was so huge that the line doubled back on itself and out the panel area. It got upgraded to the room three times its original size (the Cup o Joe Room) and was pushed a half hour late. From what I could tell, there just wasn't the anticipation for such a mad push for this and other adjacent panels in what amounts to one narrow hall with roughly a dozen rooms of increasing size with the same start times.

My recommendation would to be to stagger the start times by a half hour (at least) to allow for traffic in and out (and allow for us to panel jump) and if possible use some sort of roping (like in movie theaters) to direct traffic although I'm sure the logistics of this are a nightmare.

[hamgravy]

Originally Posted by Jamal Y. Igle

It really was that many people, it's been great but it's a little nutty.

Friday was so nice and manageable and I'm hearing the same about today. There were plenty of great moments and opportunities to be had yesterday but there was no getting anywhere fast and crowd traffic was either pushing you, blocking you, or darting willy nilly. But I do feel that people were much better behaved and more polite than year one, in a "we're all in this together mentality," even for as frenetic as it was.

[CountD]

despite the crowds, I would go again. It was my first time going to this one.

Everyone was pretty civil/polite and tehre were deals to be had