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

[PirateRyanG]

Oh look. The typical cultists defending Square Enix.

Jesus. I some of you would totally Jonestown if Yoshi asked you.

[Jeeqbit]

Yes there is certainly the factor that the communiy team has changed over time, especially with the game having been around so long so experiences have to be re-learned. Not to mention it being the first real fanfest since right before Shadowbringers released, which is 4 years.

I wouldn't expect it to be a healthy or pleasant environment, because you are advised to wear earplugs to protect your ears, there are a lot of people to navigate around and a lot of people breathing in one area. Oh and what are the chances that one of them has a cold and sneezes near you so you catch it? Almost guaranteed in a crowded place.

But a lot of comments I have seen all over the internet and from videos of the event did show a lack of seats and problems with seat availability and that does seem to have been the consistent, fundamental problem being expressed by people more than anything.

[Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeej]

Yeah don't get me wrong. I love this game, and I love the effort SQEX puts into fan outreach. It's still fair to criticize when things go wrong, but it's not like I hate these guys or want to sue or anything. Discussing and understanding what happened before will help us do better in the future.

It would be nice if the event running team could be transparent about lessons learned from event execution. Perhaps share with us so that we could provide input and perspective as attendees.

[PirateRyanG]

Remember;

Blizzard have no issues running Blizzcon.

[Rokke]

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.

Dunno why you're hostile to the idea that it could've been better when the 2018 Vegas one was handled pretty efficiently. There were more chairs, merch was handled differently (items were preordered and able to be picked up anytime during the event), the concert didn't have a standing pit, all lines were kept inside the event building, etc.

no one going to fanfest is expecting country club service, but it was fair to expect the quality of the prior event.

[PirateRyanG]

Dunno why you're hostile to the idea that it could've been better when the 2018 Vegas one was handled pretty efficiently. There were more chairs, merch was handled differently (items were preordered and able to be picked up anytime during the event), the concert didn't have a standing pit, all lines were kept inside the event building, etc.

no one going to fanfest is expecting country club service, but it was fair to expect the quality of the prior event.

They're a cultist. That's why.

[Dagny]

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.

I didn't want special treatment at fanfest. I just wanted to be treated like a human. I didn't even get that. I couldn't have predicted almost collapsing due to the heat. I tried to be prepared. I couldn't predict being in a wheelchair, making my friends help me the entire time. I'm upset that Square put people in active danger and have yet to respond to that beyond a 'we will talk about it in the meeting/do better next time'. That's not enough. Having the event properly managed would have made it better for everyone.

[Brightamethyst]

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 true, there were more issues here than just the normal con stuff.

You expect crowds. You don't expect 2/3 of the attendees to be forced to stand or sit on the concrete floors during the keynote/LL/concerts because there was nowhere near enough seating.

You expect lines. You don't expect them to wrap around the outside of the building for 2 hours in 110° desert heat. (though to their credit, they did move said lines inside on day 2.)

Those are the kinds of things people are complaining about.

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.

Don't get me wrong. Overall I had an absolute blast and would definitely go again, but my enjoyment doesn't somehow negate all the issues that could and should have been handled better.

[ThatQEDguy]

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.

Ain't no way this is real!? People just wanted to be treated like people. International company or not, that's not an excuse for how poorly it was run. SE is a multi-million dollar company.

[DragonFlyy]

Remember;

Blizzard have no issues running Blizzcon.

That is a complete lie. I've been to Blizzcon, my wife slipped on an event button and damaged her knee. We tried to get a wheelchair for her and they said that all 3 had been loaned out already. 3 f-ing wheelchairs at one event??? We had to rent a wheelchair from a local group and it cost us $100 for the event. Blizzard isn't any better than any other event.