FFXIV Fanfest 2023 North America safety/security/disability support issues discussion

[Avenger]

To be fair, there were several water stations in the room. They definitely weren't visible enough, but that's on the convention center not SE.

Interesting – I wish I'd found one! I have had an easier time finding water at other conventions and festivals (which weren't even in a 108º desert.) But I did find a second restroom open on the second day which had been inaccessible the first day of fanfest.

[LianaThorne]

I don't see it in a search for "fanfest safety", so I guess I'll start the thread.

I'm a Vegas local, and an FFXIV player, and hope to see fanfest come back to my town in the future.

That said, it looks like there were some issues on the floor this last weekend regarding security and disability access to events, particularly pertaining to communication to festival attendees and communication ability within the event execution staff (no radios for event staff? How did communication even happen?)

There's quite a bit of coverage and first-hand accounting on this as of Tuesday 1 AUG 23:

• https://twitter.com/Azekthi/status/1685527714256592896 "I need to talk about security at #FFXIVFanFest in the Las Vegas Convention Center."
• https://twitter.com/PSOflow/status/1685676020668751872 "I wanted to take a moment to talk about #FanFest2023 and the ADA experience."
• https://twitter.com/chainspells/stat...01795538513920 "been to every NA fanfest since the first, but i'm pretty sure this is going to be my last one."
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF9Nu78_l2U ZeplaHQ actually interviews the above poster to get a first hand accounting of what they experienced on the fanfest floor.
• https://twitter.com/shandravdeg/stat...86670781779970 "I am very disappointed at the ADA accommodations at the Primals concert."

My own question here: Is there someone or some process of providing feedback to SQEX, specifically the person in charge on the SQEX side of things for organizing fanfest? I think lessons need to be learned from this situation so that the next fanfest can go much more smoothly--not just for disabled people but for all attendees--via well-communicated and well-enforced security rules. It would be nice to know that someone is listening to us and taking these concerns seriously.

Thank you.
-Nacl Free, who in real life is a resident of Clark County NV near Las Vegas and really wants you guys to return to Vegas next time there's a NA fanfest.

Hey Nacl, ran your DRS events a few times. Nice to see you. c:

It's really sad to hear about what's been going on with Fan Fest. The lack of awareness towards how they were basically encouraging a crowd crush is horrifying to me (especially after the tragedies that occurred in Seoul over Halloween and Astroworld). There really isn't an excuse and I feel blame should definitely be applied to both SE and the venue staff.
As far as to answer your question, this forum isn't really the best place to try to reach actual SE employees (outside of maybe tech support?). I personally only really know someone is there when they silently delete threads but as far as actual communication it's pretty much a once in a blue moon situation. Might not be the answer you want to hear but I respect you for the work you do in the community so I wanna be up front with you about that. Can try reaching out to them through their actual support line but otherwise I don't really have advice on where to go.

This definitely shouldn't be left to fade into oblivion though to be repeated in the coming years so hopefully it blows up in multiple places to actually get their attention.

[Jeeqbit]

My own question here: Is there someone or some process of providing feedback to SQEX, specifically the person in charge on the SQEX side of things for organizing fanfest? I think lessons need to be learned from this situation so that the next fanfest can go much more smoothly--not just for disabled people but for all attendees--via well-communicated and well-enforced security rules. It would be nice to know that someone is listening to us and taking these concerns seriously.

You could try using the support desk (where, even if they direct you to the forums, the GMs are sort of part of the community team or answer to them, so the message gets through). Or try their press contact area (which seems to be a broken link).

Or just find them on twitter and tweet them (assuming twitter still works, it looks like it's breaking down).

[Tsumdere]

To be fair, there were several water stations in the room. They definitely weren't visible enough, but that's on the convention center not SE.

Wait are you serious? T_T After both cafes outside and the vending machines sold out within a few hours (both are LVCC problems - these were outside the hall), we literally left to find water at gas stations.

There was a lack of seating in both the hall and outside of the hall. The only time I got to sit in a chair during the whole convention was during the PvP event because someone moved and I swooped in like a bat out of hell. Couldn't sit inside. Couldn't sit outside. I'm a fairly fit person and even I felt pain by the end.

Not to mention the super narrow pathway they have up to the monorail that was a massive risk of crowd crush in Las Vegas heat.

[Fawkes]

Imagine not letting people carry water bottles in a desert.

[Ahzuvi]

Hi there, thank you for taking the initiative that you have with all of this. I was the other person interviewed with Zepla, and have been helping in reaching out to ADA attendees and keep their voices heard while trying to get Square's attention to help mend whatever happened in this event to cause so much disorder. I don't have much more than hasn't been covered (given the interview was almost essentially 1-for-1 running down the massive document I wrote in response to our experience at FanFest), but I do have a thread with additional experiences that may be worth sharing if you want more first-hands. https://twitter.com/Ahzuvi_txt/statu...80159370776576

Of note, please also be sure to include a video that one ADA attendee was able to take from the row as the Primals concert was being set up, it very clearly shows the state of the crowd and the eventual announcement to have the crowd step back directly into ADA: https://twitter.com/Ahzuvi_txt/statu...490781696?s=20
This is potentially the only footage of this moment and many people are trying to downplay how dangerous this was since they aren't seeing enough evidence, so please do not get on their case for filming. People were genuinely concerned for their safety and many incidents this weekend happened without recordings already.

[Dagny]

I've been to every NA fanfest since the very first back in 2014. It was always a big part of the experience for me, getting to see my fellow WoLs and enjoy the excitement of the game. Unfortunately, due to an unexpected medical incident during registration day, I was in a wheelchair for the entirety of the weekend and was unable to enjoy much of the event as I should have been able to.

The most egregious incident was the Primals concert. It was a direct threat to everyone's safety. The 'pit' section was crushing everyone in together without a set cap on the crowd. The walkway to get out of it was backed up right on the disability (ADA) section, and right before the concert, it was announced that everyone in the pit needed to take a step back--wiping out the walkway between the two sections (barely wide enough to fit a wheelchair to begin with). It's a miracle no one was seriously injured because that could have easily been a crowd crush incident, since there was no attempt to control the pit, and it was decided to back up ADA right onto the pit. ADA attendees were treated with indifference and hostility from the staff for much of the weekend, but I also know that the experience was also unpleasant for many others.

Please don't ignore this. I'm sorry to say as a 10 year player, this is going to be my last fanfest.

[Jeeqbit]

I don't see why anyone would disbelieve it. It's hard for a small amount of staff to manage a huge crowd and make sure all of them are having a pleasant experience, so it's very likely that not everyone who organizes such an event will succeed at managing it. They obviously invited more than they were truly prepared for.

SE is not unaware of disabilities considering the petitions they heard and responded to with disability settings in the system menu and changing the color of quest/fate circles, so disabilities should have been on their mind. However, if people were stealing the seats for people with disabilities, that is partially the fault of the people attending for doing something extremely selfish, and partially on the organizers not having enough seats for the non-disabled in the first place.

[Koros]

Lmao people keep blaming the staff but from what I've heard a lot of fans were rude to ADA fans.

[Ath192]

Look I'll be honest. Any big event is going to be a jungle. It will always be understaffed and be a mess. This happens in all conventions and fests for the most part. It is not exclusive to SQEX fanfest. While you can complain and whine because things weren't the way you envisioned them I would focus on making the best I can out of the event.

"Oh but they should've been more prepared" "Oh but it could've been better" "Oh they shoulda done this and that". But they didn't, and likely they won't.

1. This is an international company god knows how many contractors and outside organizers had a hand in the pie.
2. Said contractors probably don't get paid much and don't care about you or if they get fired
3. By the time the next fanfest rolls all those employees will be gone and new contractors and employees will be there so #2 will repeat itself
4. Most people will forget and the hype will be back for the next fanfest in 2 years. I'm sure 10 others will take the spot of each person who decides not to go anymore.

It is what it is. People here demanding to be treated like they are in some country club in Monaco they paid millions a month for. It's a cheap mass public event in the grand scheme of things. You are on your own. Count yourself lucky if you find a toilet in working order nearby. I'd just like to encourage people to be realistic about their expectations. You are on your own when you sign up for one of these.