Dedicated Changing rooms for Cosplays

By Willuknight. 08/04/10, 02:33 pm

08/04 - NEW UPDATE:
OK, update:

We have two changing rooms with dedicated seperate toileting and showering facilities. This area will be avaliable to cosplayers between 10:30am (maybe from 10am) to 11:30am AND 5pm to 6pm both days.

What you need to be able to use these rooms: intention of cosplaying/belong to the cosplay community AND any ID with your name printed on it.

We will be tracking who uses these rooms for security and safety purposes. You will need to verify your name with your printed ID (eftpos card, licence, school card etc.) and sign in and out of the room.

You can leave your belongings in the room, we are all care but no responsibility. We will take steps to prevent theft but can not absolutely guaranteeanything. Having said that, non-valuables I expect will be perfectly safe. The fact we are tracking entry should be enough to deter most people.

Please let me know if you can help supervise the rooms during any of those times; I beleive Pyro is covering Saturday morning, everyone else please touch base there if you wish to help out. I will be there at the start and end of each opening time to open and lock the rooms.

So TLDR: Male and Female Changing rooms with toilets and showers. 2hours both days

02/2011 - NEW UPDATE:

The event organizers have said that they should be able to arrange to have the doors open for a limited period during the event, to be used by cosplayers exclusively.

I have proposed three opening times, 9-10am, 12-1pm, 5-6pm on both days. Depending on practicalities and volunteer numbers this may change, but it will be the aim.

I need volunteers for any of those shifts on both days, please say which if any you can do, or which ones you can't do etc.

I also will need volunteers to help with cleaning on the last day - this will possibly just involve a sweep, but depending on messiness of cosplays could include cleaning sinks, mirrors or toilets.

I will be working for Armageddon during the Wellington event, but I will take responsibility for the entire endeavor and be the go between with cosplayers, event staff and Armageddon organizers.

If all goes well, this could become a permanent feature at 'Geddon's.

Room Supervisor:
Saturday
10-10.30am - Pyro
1-2pm - Riven
5.30 -6pm - Victorian Couture
-note this roster is being worked out, don't assume anything is permanent until it says.

Sunday
10-10.30am
1-2pm
5.30 -6pm

Cleaning Volunteers:

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I was talking to Adel (one of the co-organizers of Armageddon) about the changing rooms at TSB Arena.

These are actually including in the hire of the venue, however they are left locked, because Armageddon have no use for them.

Depending on how we worked things out, It's possible that we could get these in use for cosplayers as a secure place to change in, and store costumes / props.

Having dedicated changing rooms would benefit Armageddon, as it would make it a lot more attractive to Cosplayers, and as such probably increase the numbers of cosplayers at armageddon and thus increase the festive atmosphere.

Armageddon would only be involved in as far as having the keys and would have absolutely no responsibility for the room itself. We would only be able to possibly use these if we could promise Armageddon that it would be hassle free on their part, that we would take all responsibility for ensuring the rooms were left in a pristine state, and take care of any security issues as needed.

The easiest way to secure these rooms would be to only have them open at certain times, and have volunteers standing 'guard' at the front the deter any problems. I would probably suggest the changing room be open for the first hour of the con, between 1pm and 2pm, and the last hour of the con. The rest of the time, the door would be locked.

With this in mind, we would need to have volunteers to cover 3 hours each day on the door (say an hour each person) as well as a volunteer cleanup crew who would take responsibility to ensuring the rooms are left clear and clean each day.

People using the room would have to understand that while we would do what we could to secure the rooms, but at the end of the day, we can't take any responsibility if anything does go missing.

With all that being said, who would be interested and use such a facility if it were provided, and would you be willing to help out with cleaning or door duty if needed?

By Hannah. 08/04/10, 02:59 pm

^totally support this.
it would be good also if we could get tickets for items so you don't get people walking in and taking stuff.
i would volunteer to help simply because such a thing is needed.

By PIe. 08/04/10, 03:06 pm

This is a great idea, even though it'd only be open for 3 hours the (female_ toilets were pretty much completely taken over by cosplayers this year and we were probably a bit of a pain to 'normal' peoplecso having our own dedicated place to shove our stuff safely and properly put on our costumes once inside is a cool idea

By Willuknight. 08/04/10, 03:11 pm

Personified Insanity wrote:: This is a great idea, even though it'd only be open for 3 hours the (female_ toilets were pretty much completely taken over by cosplayers this year and we were probably a bit of a pain to 'normal' peoplecso having our own dedicated place to shove our stuff safely and properly put on our costumes once inside is a cool idea

That's pretty much what i'm thinking. + it's kinda embraressing trying to put your costume on or whatever while normal people are staring at you and thinking wtf.

I felt a bit like that the first time I cosplayed and was in the bathroom for like 20min putting on my green facepaint.

The ticketing thing is a good idea, but it's probably more complicated then what i'm thinking off. This would mainly be for people to store their change of clothes, large unweildy props - items of low value and hopefully stuff of limited attractiveness to theives. At most, we could do a signin book to keep track of who actually used the room and at what time - would again deter undesirables.

By neimhaille. 08/04/10, 03:34 pm

Adele and I have also been talking about it after that (espeically as I needed a room for the judging and had to get the site manager to take me around the building!) there are other options.
The green room is part of the arrangement as well however it was used as storage or it too would have been an option for the judging. Sigh. A sofa would have been nice.

By **JVCA**. 08/04/10, 03:35 pm

Was the green room used for geddon storage, or venue storage? 'Coz surely you could ask Bill to use the Freezer for storage next year so you can have the green room instead if it was geddon storage?

By **seraphik**. 08/04/10, 03:44 pm

this sounds like a great idea-- actually, this is what a lot of people do at overseas cons, they turn up with a wee suitcase on wheels, get changed at the venue, meander around and then change again before they go home. plus, an area you can go to fix up your costume that ISN'T the public toilets i'm sure would be welcomed with open arms by all cosplayers.

just a few things... you'd have to make sure there's no mess left behind & there'd have to be seperate gender changing rooms (which i'm sure they already are)... unless you want creepy star trek guy in the changing rooms with you...

By **JVCA**. 08/04/10, 03:47 pm

Out of curiousity, where in the Con are the changing rooms, exactly?

By hyolee123. 08/04/10, 03:51 pm

NO NOT THE CREEPY STAR TREK GUY!!! D=

But I totally support this. It sounds like a brillant idea. And saves me walking with all my gear around the whole day =3

By CMKMStephens. 08/04/10, 04:01 pm

JVCA wrote:: Out of curiousity, where in the Con are the changing rooms, exactly?

If you mean at Wellington, there are changing rooms along the left hand side of the building towards the rear (when facing inwards). Last year they were being used by the Wrestlers (they were like 'shoo, weirdo with a costume' sweatdrop

). Not sure about this year.

By **JVCA**. 08/04/10, 04:07 pm

In the funny corridor thing on the left hand side? (Yeah, I did mean at Wellington :3)

By CMKMStephens. 08/04/10, 04:26 pm

Yep.

Here we go: http://www.wellingtonconventioncentre.com/sites/default/files/c0052084.pdf

By Tails. 08/04/10, 04:31 pm

I would LOVE this, especially for next year, it'll be impossible to wear my comp cosplay to the arena. I'm just scared that things will get stolen, so the number system is a good idea. A camera watching the room at all times would help too. You never know sad

By Willuknight. 08/04/10, 04:44 pm

As mentioned, there would have to be a cleanup crew. Also, there are two changing rooms as far as I know, so already seperated into male and female.

Creeps like startrek guy need not apply to either.

By Junko. 22/04/10, 12:12 pm

we managed to wash a dry a cosplay this year in the bathrooms. as fantastic as it was, I think yeah, we should stop taking over the bathrooms so much

By Rolly. 22/04/10, 01:54 pm

I would think it would be a good idea if cosplayers tried to keep the sink clean and the general room clean instead of leaving spilled make-up all over the sink. Ergh.
If we all leave a mess it might not make a good impression. sad

By Chitara. 26/04/10, 09:02 am

Willuknight wrote:: I felt a bit like that the first time I cosplayed and was in the bathroom for like 20min putting on my green facepaint.

Try the dedicated 40 min or so to construct Diva Plavalaguna in the Ladies!
We went down the far end of some section you have to do an extra turn to get into, but people still got this "deer-in-the-headlights" look on their face when they discovered our group. That corner must have looked like a slot cut from a theatre workshop! The costume was transported in two wheeled cases and required us to drag around a 60cm high stool so I could sit low enough for assistance with strapping bits on.

I'd take my turn at guarding if we were permitted these rooms!

Btw, due to the complaint discussion on the Armageddon forums, Bill's decided to ban creepy star-trek guy next year.

By Mischa. 26/04/10, 09:06 am

I had to get in sideways with my katamari head on!

By Tails. 26/04/10, 11:23 am

If it's locked during the day, would it be possible to find the person with key if we need to get in there? Last year at Auckgeddon I had to sit in a bathroom for hours because my Ultimecia cosplay was too straining to wear, so a private room would have been awesome~

By Huntress. 26/04/10, 01:53 pm

I like the idea that WHICHEVER room we ended up using was watched over every hour (except of course comp hours where it would be locked and keys with say?? The judges?? Or maybe someone from the SPCC??) I would certainly be prepared to take an hour shift at the doors.

Huntress.

By Highlander. 09/02/11, 01:40 pm

Has anything been followed up on this?

I would be happy to help if it was just short shifts.

A note on the ticket idea. There is no use ticketing items kept in a hidden room/toilets behind the bouncer, since he/she can't keep an eye on it. The idea is to have the bags kept behind a desk/in a room behind the bouncer so you can only retrieve the bags by swapping the tickets for the bags via the bouncer. Of course I would like to think if you leave abag in the toilet area cosplayers are honest enough. Auckland has been bad for theives, but that was in the public areas.

Are we talking on the first floor. The second floor would be better during the judging. Even better if judging was first floor?

By Lucca. 10/02/11, 12:37 pm

I would be happy to help in short shifts if this is still going on. I still shudder at how busy the bathrooms were at Wellygeddon last year.

By Victorian Couture. 10/02/11, 12:48 pm

I am more than happy to put my name down to help in short shifts, both of my cosplay are huge (hoop skirt and long train) so having a place to go were i won't be too much of a hassle to normal con goers would be awesome, so im more than happy to help out Razz

**Guest** Guest

My Competition piece is fragile and I don't think a Bathroom would be suitable, so having a room just for us would be great Very Happy

By Willuknight. 17/02/11, 03:18 pm

Update:

I messaged the organizers about this last year, they said that they would look into it. Haven't heard anything else.

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