Convention Space Critique: Otakon is getting a lot of things right
[blockquote]
“While you’re enjoying your convention activities, how easily can you move around? Is there space for everyone in your event? How chaotic was the line situation? At Otakon, the convention center is actually three buildings over three blocks, with three or four more hotels on the adjacent blocks offering up their first and second floors. All are connected by straight-shot skywalks wide enough for six people, if not eight. Via the skywalk, the convention’s various buildings are all connected within a one-minute walk of the one next to it, and even take you over to the Harbor District — this is in contrast to some conventions, where the skywalk system takes you everywhere but where you need to go, and takes you fifteen minutes to do it.
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“Otakon also has a multi-tiered convention center that offers lots of space for attendees to sit and chat in bright, wide-open spaces that lift the spirits and increase the positive convention experience. Three separate, outdoor terraces in the main convention center building alone are complete with chairs, fountains, and trees; side-hallways and annexes feature window seats as well as places to tuck lines; corridors set off from the rest act as small lounges with couches and end tables; hotel lobbies with programming rooms above don’t mind visitors talking or taking pictures for a hour; and nooks around video rooms all offer good space to combat that ever-lasting problem of attendees sitting on floors and breaking fire code.” [/blockquote]
What Otakon and the Baltimore Convention Center Do Right and Why Cons and Con-goers Should Listen Up : Thalia Sutton, 7 November 2013, Suvudu.com
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Can you see now that my position as an anime, manga, and sci-fi fanboy and my passion for livable, walkable urban spaces actually have a fair amount of overlap?
Please go read the other 12 paragraphs, and leave a comment for Thalia and Suvudu — this seems like an excellent opportunity (and forum) for this kind of discussion.
This is about more than just me throwing a bone to the ‘old’ readership and making my case for the new blog topics, though. Making spaces inviting, accommodating most if not all use cases and special needs of your customers, and anticipating bottlenecks are all considerations of retail space as well. The larger your space, the more you have to consider.
If you’d like some expanded thoughts along these lines, I’d recommend my blog post from 25 August 2012.
