Are all fan festivals like this?

[DrWho2010]

the schedule and events are pretty much on par with past fanfests.

the issue is that there are TOO many people now that need wrangling and it just ends up being line-con.

also this is the biggest gathering in NA that they've attempted, so naturally there are growing pains and dealing with a new venue (the past ones were at hotels). And as usual staff they get for these things half or most of them don't know how to do their jobs properly.

A lot of personal experience is when you go to these things the main attraction is connecting, meeting and interacting with your fellow fans, meeting up and seeing friends you play online with in real life.

[Arzalis]

That sounds super disorganized. I've been to basically every one they had in NA except this one and that sounds a little insane. They've always had a bit of chaos to them, but not on this level. Kinda glad I didn't get to go this year from the sounds of it.

I'll agree that the major draw is going and meeting up with friends and stuff, though. I'm not sure I'd have went to any of them without that. Part of what makes the lottery system for tickets so annoying imo. It defeats the entire purpose if groups can't really go together.

[Alleluia]

Sounds very crowded and exhausting. I will never be part of any fanfest of anything even if I could because chances are im gonna get lost and die.

Dramatic, but technically possible, I guess? lol

[ServerCollaps]

i visited the frankfurt fanfest a few years ago and it was pretty much the same. Hours of waiting for minimal rewards and horrible catering. It was only bearable with friends that suffered trough this together with you ^^;
the concerts were really nice but anything else was meh

[CidHeiral]

I was very salty about not getting a ticket but after seeing what a clusterF it was I don't feel so bad. I've been to plenty of packed cons and festivals and whatnot but that really looked like a logistical nightmare.

[Kisshu]

Was at the Fanfest in Frankfurt years back (2017). As I recall, it was a long time for the initial entry, but once inside there were enough seats for the keynote.

While the onsite food-place wasn't that good, it was easy to exit, grab something to eat at the local mall and then get back in.

For the activities the lines weren't that bad, did help that it had 1 Anti-tower speedrun, 1 trial roulette and the 24 man Proto-Ultima. Last one drew a lot of people but also moved quickly, did it multiple times on different jobs.

Recall the line for merch was somewhat long right after the key-note. But that was mainly for the pre-ordered and pre-paid stuff so people just needed to show ticket and wait for their bag.

[IndyPendant]

Heh. Okay, consensus answer to my headline question seems to be summarized as "Yup, all fan festival/cons are pretty much the same. Don't attend them for the fan festival/con, or for the game it's about. Attend only if you have an additional, different reason to be there: showing off your cosplay, meeting your gaming friends irl, and/or including it as part of a larger Las Vegas vacation are the three most common good reasons to go." Thanks everyone, I'll just accept this as an (expensive!) lesson learned.

[Limecat]

They were trying to replicate the in-game experience of queuing for something with a long wait time and then getting out-lotted on the drop you wanted as closely as possible.

[DixieBellOCE]

Basically just described an expansion launch, and have a perfect retelling of how hype dies down once its here and things go from fun to bitter, with a few exceptionally good parts.

[VelKallor]

Are all fan festivals like this?

Yes. They are. From your description? I have seen much, much worse. One I was stationed at as a medical officer, some lunatic had decided to slap a curtain over the fire exit signs in the amphitheatre ( yes yes I know Steve Jobs did it too )

Another Comic Con i was at, the main building had had a plumbing issue that hadnt been fixed, the closest working toilets were 400 metres away.

In another building.

These events are usually, as has been noted, outsourced. They are the ones hosting the event yes, but they DO NOT own or control the venue or its staff.

Your beef is with the venue organisers, not Square Enix.