BotCon 2014 dates and location officially announced

[griffin]

It's not looking good for BotCon 2014 having some 30th Anniversary Voice Actor guests...

Since FunPub leave their booking and announcing of guests late, often after they promote and sell the toys of the boxsets, another American convention on that same weekend has already announced several Gen1 Voice Actors, including Peter Cullen (Optimus, Ironhide) Gregg Berger (Grimlock, Long Haul, Outback, Jetfire), Neil Ross (Bonecrusher, Hook, Springer, Slag), Alan Oppenheimer (Warpath, Beachcomber, Seaspray), and Michael Bell (Prowl, Sideswipe, Scrapper, Swoop).
(if they were all at the one BotCon, it would be one of the best ever for guests... leaving one to wonder why FunPub can never manage a good line up of vintage guests who are clearly still doing the convention circuits)

And an update on the Hotels, FunPub claim that there are some days still free at the Sheraton (they weren't there when I looked the other day), and they will be announcing another block soon (probably at the Hilton a couple blocks away).
The three days they claim are still available are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, so you'd have to be checking out Sunday morning, and check in Thursday (if you are doing any tours or classes on Wed & Thurs, you'd need to stay somewhere else for two nights).

[griffin]

The Texas Con site says Peter Cullen is only there Saturday, so it leaves it open for him to be flown in and out of BotCon for a day or two.
But if FunPub had booked him first, he wouldn't be available at all to the Texas one.

This is going to seriously impact on BotCon's numbers, as many of the Vintage fans who have already lost faith in FunPub, will probably go to the Texas one.

[UltraMarginal]

That info about the voice cast being at another con on the same weekend is very disappointing. Not a lot of forethought from fun pub.

[griffin]

Why can other conventions, even fan-run ones, lock in locations and guests, a whole year in advance, and yet an official, "professional" convention wastes their resources on producing an excessive amount of toy products for several months before working out where the event will be or who will be their guests.

Focussing on material profiteering of toy products instead of producing a "convention experience"... it's their own fault, and then will play the victim as if it was the fault of the other convention for FunPub to miss out.

[Paulbot]

This is going to seriously impact on BotCon's numbers, as many of the Vintage fans who have already lost faith in FunPub, will probably go to the Texas one.

I don't think I'll go to the Texas one, but seriously do Funpub have any faith left to lose? It's getting beyond ridiculous how many mistakes they make.

I was looking at flights to actually go but it feels like I shouldn't on principle!

[UltraMarginal]

I'm going to Botcon for transformers and to meet other fans. Fun pubs involvement involvement is a side issue that I'm choosing to not let spoil my fun.

[griffin]

It still spoils it a little, having in the back of your mind, what FunPub might do (or not do) to limit your full enjoyment after spending thousands to get all the way over to America to attend it.

Their track record isn't good, and it looks like they hit their peak a couple years ago... so it makes you wonder, how far they are going to let things slide before they make some serious changes to their blasé treatment of our fandom. They'd never reveal their numbers in recent years, but my own impression of crowd numbers, the last two were noticeably down... and if Pasadena (their last resort golden goose) doesn't have an improvement, it is not the location of recent years being the only reason for the downturn.

And now, as another nail in the FunPub coffin, TFCon (the *fan run* convention that was in Canada for the last few years) is coming to America this year, and centrally located in Chicago.
If TFCon ever got Hasbro support, BotCon would be finished... but Hasbro won't support it while they promote and sell unlicensed (3rd party) toys.

For me, as a fan of BotCon, or what it used to be, it's actually been sad to read through the global fansite news topics... as the "Brand" is now so tarnished, there is hardly any enthusiasm or support for it like there used to be on those fansites.
People are looking out for the toys, but the event itself is not getting much interest.

[KalEl]

uhhhh i arrive in the states on the 23rd....

[griffin]

For people who get comics, next week has the release of the non-convention version of the BotCon 2013 comic... which FunPub claims will have the theme of this year's convention noted in it somewhere.

[Paul Agnew]

...Yo Ho Ho?