Security

August 20 2011, 11:56:10 UTC 9 months ago

this.

glasscannon

August 19 2011, 22:16:40 UTC 9 months ago

Last year security was checking badges and roomkeys at the entrances to each hotel starting sometime around sunset. I personally ran into it at the hamster tube entrances to the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt at different points throughout the weekend. Based on what has been posted on this com and elsewhere, security is supposed to be even tighter this year (see this post and this discussion). So yes, I think it's reasonable to expect that if you have neither a hotel roomkey nor a DragonCon badge, you'll be turned away at the door. Given the security concerns from past years and the overcrowding from just the people who paid to be there, I don't think it's unreasonable to check badges/roomkeys during peak hours. So you'll be fine with your badge, even though you don't have a hotel room, but your friends without badges won't be able to get in.

As far as letting someone use a badge under another name, that's generally a no-no as well. If your boyfriend wasn't going to be able to make it, you could have transferred his badge to another name, but badge transfers closed around the end of July. They check the badge name against a government-issued ID when you pick up the badge, but other than that I would be surprised if they start checking IDs against badge names, especially in the evenings. There are just too many people coming and going to be able to carefully check both government ID and badge name for every person entering a hotel, much less for every person entering a DragonCon ballroom. But if you (or rather, your friend) were found to be using a badge with a name other than your own, I think you'd probably be kicked out of the convention.

August 19 2011, 22:38:03 UTC 9 months ago

You won't have an extra pass since you would need your boyfriend to pick it up.

If your friends want to attend the parties they will need to buy badges.

August 20 2011, 02:24:49 UTC 9 months ago

Actually, the first part is not entirely correct. People can pick up badges for their friends. If this is a legitimate post and not a troll, they can easily search this LJ and the DC web site to figure out how to accomplish that. In fact, I think the method has been explained multiple times this week already.

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ronofthedead

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ktetch

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boldpurpletext

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fieryredhead

August 19 2011, 22:56:14 UTC 9 months ago

"I know that crashers are really annoying"

Yes, yes they are. So do the right thing and make your friends buy day passes or tell them to stay home.

*is so pissed off at this post I'm just going to stop typing now*

proteus_crow

August 19 2011, 23:16:38 UTC 9 months ago

Agreed!

awillis2

9 months ago

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scifisambam

9 months ago

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greycoupon

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asim

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neovenom

August 19 2011, 22:57:57 UTC 9 months ago

Yeah, the D*C powers that be have been stressing an emphasis on security this year. They've said that no badge/no hotel key = no entry at night time. And I fully support them. I hate it for your friends, but a lot of folks without badges tend to ruin the con atmosphere.

August 19 2011, 23:48:22 UTC 9 months ago

Gentle Reader:

If one is going to partake of events being put on by the con, the very least one can do is to pay the con for providing the entertainment from said events.

In other words: Don't be a freeloader. Pay for you damn pass.

possibly_sane18

August 20 2011, 00:14:33 UTC 9 months ago

This. Also, I believe in karma, do the right thing, buy badges, have fun. Otherwise, one might find karma is truly a fickle bitch.

gypsy_kitty

9 months ago

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ronofthedead

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mad_brilliant_

9 months ago

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m_cubicle

August 20 2011, 00:09:08 UTC 9 months ago

Buy a badge like everyone else.

claygilbert

August 20 2011, 00:58:27 UTC 9 months ago

This kind of freeloading BS pisses me off to no end.

platostruth

August 20 2011, 01:16:34 UTC 9 months ago

See OP, this is the kind of thing that annoys the people who spend their hard earned money and limited time on on a badge for DragonCon. I'm sure your friends are all wonderful people who just like to go and see all the freaks come out and play and are civil and cordial and all around swell.

But getting a DragonCon badge is a rite of passage. You know that when you see someone with a badge on they paid their dues. They stood in a line for several hours in sweltering heat to pick it up. They paid around a days wage for it, and they do so because it's important to them. It gives them accountability . No one would want to have their badge taken away from them because that would be it, the con would be over for them, so for the most part people who go to this con have a very high degree of respect for it and when non badge holders are out there walking around they have no accountability because they have nothing to lose. If they get kicked out, oh well they go home. But if a badge holder got kicked out then they would be SOL. especially if they were sharing floor space with people they didn't know because they wouldn't have anywhere to really go. When the drunk footballers start wandering around this year i think you're going to see a whole new DragonCon. I think that these con going folks who are some of the most wonderful and kind hearted people I've ever met, but you're going to see a new side come out, a protective side. See a lot of these ladies and gentlemen see each other as family, and we don't like to see our family members getting messed with. So i think that this year, of all years, is not the year to come as a non badge holder.

It's good to contribute to DragonCon, especially if you like it, you should want your friends to do the right thing.

Have them buy a badge, It's good for them.

It's good for all of us.

freak_thankyou

August 20 2011, 03:40:46 UTC 9 months ago

Some people pay for badges on a very limited budget. As a college kid, my money is limited. I have been employed part time working for minimum wage 6-10 hours a week (making only $14.50-$29 a day) and unemployed. I even considered limiting my experience and doing only non-badge things due to limited funds last year, but ended up buying a badge and doing everything I wanted. I'm glad I did. I met my boyfriend there and we're going again this year.

chiefsbaby

9 months ago

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August 20 2011, 02:38:51 UTC 9 months ago

I can't believe I'm going to post this, but here goes.

I'd have no problems with people sharing the BF's extra name badge, so only one person is using it at a time. For example, if person A showed up on Friday, person B showed up on Saturday, Person C on Sunday, and D on Monday. It would be a great way for those who absolutely couldn't afford their own ticket to be able to participate and find out if it's something they'd like to do again. I do NOT support someone trying to sneak multiple people in at the same time on a single badge.

If it wasn't for the overcrowding issues, and the jerks that cause trouble, I don't think I'd mind people who showed up just to people watch in the hotel lobbies, provided they were there to seriously admire the costumes. That lenience does not extend to those who heckle or harass others. After my first year, I thought about just roaming the halls since appreciating all the costumes is my main joy and focus of DC. Instead, I decided to become an Eternal Member.

Provided the OP wasn't just trolling... You might try letting your friends check out the Sheraton or the Hilton since those hotels aren't as popular. But please leave the Hyatt and Marriott to the paid attendees, since they will locked down big time, possibly the Hilton too. While neither of the options I mentioned above are technically allowed, people do a lot of things that are against the rules, like speeding.

August 20 2011, 09:37:26 UTC 9 months ago

I actually agree with you about the BF's badge. If something came up at the last minute and I couldn't go, I would want *someone* to get my money's worth out of the badge. I understand neither the hotels nor the D*Con staff want to deal with last-minute transfers, but taking those options away has really put a crimp in the way we fans usually handle these things.

However, OP trying to use the same badge for multiple people makes me mad. Give it to one person and tell everyone else to buy day-passes or whatever. Crowding and security issues aside, free-loaders and counterfeiters are not making the prices any cheaper for the rest of us. Don't like paying $120? Buy next year's badge at this year's con.

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briguy123

August 20 2011, 03:00:38 UTC 9 months ago

I have seen this activity grow within the past five years. I love the fact that others are interested, but the "zoo" affect has gotten out of hand when it takes us Dragoneer's over forty minutes to get back into our hotels.

bmajors

August 20 2011, 03:05:15 UTC 9 months ago

Your friends should buy their own passes.

whiteladyeowyn

August 20 2011, 03:38:56 UTC 9 months ago

Along these same lines..

I may be staying at the Marriott just on Saturday night with someone. Will we BOTH need to have a room key, since we will be together at all times?

chiefsbaby

August 20 2011, 05:02:11 UTC 9 months ago

Re: Along these same lines..

I'd say better safe than sorry!!

meinken

9 months ago

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keita_yuki

August 20 2011, 04:19:36 UTC 9 months ago

Dont be a freeloader, Buy a badge like everyone else.

bigleftboob

August 20 2011, 07:11:31 UTC 9 months ago

Its smart ass kids like you who will kill this con in the future. Stay home and watch american idol and jersey shore, seems more your pace.

belisamadesigns

August 20 2011, 18:40:51 UTC 9 months ago

Agree with the Rest

If you want to come and enjoy the fun, then you need a day pass, period. I agree wholeheartedly with the decision to restrict entry to only paying members of the convention. Aside from the fact that it is wrong to break the rules and weasel into an event for free, it is just too large now to do anything else other than check badges and keys at all the doors of the host hotels so that the fire marshall doesn't ruin everyone's good time. I'm not spending hundreds of dollars so people who want to hang out for free can shut down the party I helped pay for.

August 20 2011, 18:48:32 UTC 9 months ago

Wow...seems to be a lot of troll answers giving scifisambam grief for some simple, honest questions.

This is DragonCon, people, it's time to have fun and leave the real world behind. In the past this has meant being able to put on a show for the mundanes, but anymore that's not an option since too many have decided that we're a free freak show.

So take a cleansing breath, give the newbies some good advice and remember how many answers YOU needed when you were new and relatively inexperienced.

And when in doubt please repeat the mantra given in the above icon.

scifisambam

August 20 2011, 21:29:39 UTC 9 months ago

Thanks I really appreciate that. Im not trying to ruin everyones good time. In fact this is the first time that I have actually bought a pass. Me and my friends have been coming to dragon con for a few years to admire the costumes. It's not like we are the group of people we are trying to start trouble and honestly I didn't know how big of a deal it was.

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mir280

August 20 2011, 22:45:50 UTC 9 months ago

Not pissed, just protective

A few years ago I'd have said come on in but with all the crazy stuff that's been going on the last couple of years with people being harassed I just can't say come to the hotel lobby to people watch. The sad fact is that too many people now come just to people watch and it freaks out the fire marshal and then those of us who have paid get stuck outside when we were on our way to a panel that we paid to see. It's very frustrating as you have no doubt gathered from all the pissed off comments.

If you all just want to people watch, hang out on the street. No, it's not as comfy but you'll still get to see tons of costumes. I'm sure you'll also see why we've gotten so protective about this topic as there will most likely be plenty of people there just to harass us Geeks. Also, there's the parade Saturday morning for costume watching. Otherwise, your best bet is going to have to be to buy a day pass. Like someone else already mentioned on here, it does give you a bit of credibility with the other con goers because then we know you are one of us and not just there to gawk or cause trouble and you will feel our pain when you've paid the $$$$ and you want to go this one panel and you walk over and the fire marshal says no way because the hotel is full....of people who haven't paid :(

elvishtard

August 21 2011, 02:30:26 UTC 9 months ago

Re: Not pissed, just protective

*high fives this comment*

August 21 2011, 06:18:58 UTC 9 months ago

There is a basic economic problem with having more than one person use one badge -- even if it is only one person at a time.

There is a monetary value attached to that badge -- the cost of *one* membership. If three different people use that badge, the con is losing the price of two memberships because now two extra people are getting the use of that one badge (ie, that one membership) essentially at no monetary outlay on their part.

Essentially, your friends are cheating the con out of the cost of two memberships.

Aside from the security issues, it's just downright rude and tacky to cheat the people who have gone to a great deal of trouble to provide you with entertainment.

southernstyle

August 22 2011, 08:00:41 UTC 9 months ago

NOT AN OFFICIAL COMMENT

**THIS IS NOT FROM D*C**

This is my own take on the situation. I am in no way stating this as official word from Dragon*Con. Normally, I don't say anything on this board, but I'm going to break that tradition.

I volunteer for the 'con. Now, before you assume that I put in 24 hours and get to go have fun for the rest of the weekend, let me tell you what I do. I work for Security. I run the busiest shift in the busiest hotel so that the attendees CAN have fun. Every year we lose more and more people because we get yelled at for five days straight due to situations like this. Letting multiple people use one badge causes the D*C higher ups to want to choke down on Security practices, which in turn, forces us to have to restrict y'all, be it hotel access, IDs for some events (Yes, I've done it), or what have you. Hence, the attendees get mad, yell, and my people don't want to put up with being yelled at when we aren't paid. Yes, we get a badge, but if you work the 60 I work, and get a 60 dollar badge, that's a dollar an hour. Is that really fair compensation for the treatment most give? No. Am I calling for us to be paid? No. I want folks to understand WHY these things happen. Is it all the attendees? No. It's also the people watchers from sporting events that get drunk and rowdy. It's lots of things. But, it starts with us.

If your friends want to see what it's about? They can buy a one day badge. If they wanna see it for 'free', tell 'em to come to the Marriott and ask for Security Operations, we always need people.

utkari02

August 22 2011, 17:12:37 UTC 9 months ago

Re: NOT AN OFFICIAL COMMENT

Thanks for volunteering!! :)