I did not write most of these, but I am posting them here as a way of making sure they are recorded.

Will Tekkoshocon be at the Wyndham Grand next year?

No.

What is the new venue?

We are currently investigating this. Negotiations for a venue may take several weeks or months to complete. We want you to join us next year so we will let you know the minute we can. Please be patient.

Why were Artists’ Alley and gaming in smaller rooms?

Midway through the year, after several guests were already booked, we were informed by the Wyndham that the King’s Garden (those rooms you saw by the elevators, where Artists’ Alley was last year) would not be available to us due to construction. We had two choices at this point: work with the space or cancel Tekko. We put Artists’ Alley into the next biggest space the hotel had to offer and moved the rest of our layout in order to accommodate every other department that got displaced. The fourth floor was not ideal for anyone, but the activities of RPG/CCG/Video Gaming were able to be segmented into the space while a panel room or Artists’ Alley could not.

How long was the waiting list for Artists’ Alley?

The waiting list for Artists’ Alley was double the size of the alley itself.

If we had the space we had last year for Artists’ Alley would it still would have sold out in 20 minutes?

Yes, the alley would have still sold out in 20 minutes. The alley had a waiting list twice the size of the room (The room was 32 tables with a waiting list of ~60). Even if we had the same space as last year, the alley would have sold out just as fast. Any future venue will potentially sell out just as fast.

What do I do if I had complaints about the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh?

You can call the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh at (412) 391-4600. If you do not feel comfortable contacting the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh, please contact the Wyndham Corporate Offices at (973) 753-6000 and voice your concerns, complaints, issues. I have been told they are very nice, understanding, and seem concerned of issues with their franchises.

Should I write a review on TripAdvisor.com or the like about my bad experience?

Tekkoshocon’s official stance, at this time, on this issue is to respect the wishes of the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh and not place negative feedback on those websites.

What happened Saturday night?

At 2:15 AM we were approached by the hotel and asked to end all programming and have our guests leave the common floors by 3 AM. The stated consequence was that individuals would be removed from the hotel. We know it was very disappointing that panels, videos, and the dance got cut short and we apologize for the inconvenience. We would like to thank those who were on the floor for your friendly cooperation. You reminded us why we love you so much! <3

What other Tekkoshocon related events are going on this year?

■Anime Sundays at the Hollywood Theater – We don’t run these but we always have a table promoting Tekko events. Next month’s film is Origin: Spirits of the Past, showing April 29th at 2, 4, and 6 PM (stick around for Raiders of the Lost Ark at 8!).

■Tekkoshocon Kennywood Day – is June 30. This is a fireworks day! We have a pavilion in an excellent location but we need your help to ensure that we secure it and get to keep doing this. How, you ask? By purchasing the lunch buffet with your ticket! We’ll be having fun games and contests at lunch, and it’ll be a great way to reunite with friends from Tekko and meet new friends. Plus, you get unlimited pop/soda for an hour before and an hour after our lunch time!

■Sangawa Project – is July 13-15. This is a relaxing and fun anime retreat weekend for those ages 18 or older. Most of the programming isn’t the stuff you see labeled 18+ on anime con schedules – instead, its stuff that adults would be interested in. Past panels have included a guide to traveling to Japan, salutes to specific anime creators such as Tomino, introductions to hobbies such as BJD collecting, and a sake tasting. There’s also gaming, which includes tabletop campaigns and an eclectic, awesome selection of retro gaming. Main Events include karaoke and the Towel Cosplay Competition (yes, you’re actually wearing more than a towel; yes, there are silly stunts involved; yes, the prize usually includes fancy soap). There’s also a dealer/artist area. The Best Western Greentree offers free breakfast and two free beverages from the bar in the lobby for up to 4 people in your hotel room. Intrigued? Visit sangawaproject.com!

■KuroKiiro Festival – date TBD. While KKF has a good deal of anime content, it’s NOT a “baby Tekko” – what you’ll find is that the events there are very playful and educationally skewed. KKF is home to the KuroKiiro Cafe, our performing maid/host troupe which performs dances and serves you yummy food like a Japanese maid cafe! We also have a semi-formal dinner dance the first evening of the Festival, a talent show Saturday night, and a carnival on Sunday filled with Japanese carnival games and other fun activities. Gaming is exclusively Japanese or heavily Japan-inspired, and panels tie in to Japanese culture and history (or they teach you how to get started doing things like model building or cosplaying that are part of fan culture).

I have to say that Tekkoshocon X went off very well for the majority of the attendees.

I will start by saying the following:

Effective 26 March 2012 Tekkoshocon and the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh have parted ways. We have agreed that our business and their facility do not work well together. As such Tekkoshocon will no longer be utilizing the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh for any official Tekkoshocon Inc. events.

We were asked by the management of the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh to request that our attendees and staff to either refrain from posting negative feedback on sites like Tripadvisor.com or post about their positive experiences.

We wish the management and company well.

This marks the end of a relationship which began when the hotel was a Hilton, became unbranded, and then became the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh. I would like to say that our time was all positive, but that would be a lie. We had many positive and many negative things to say about the location. With all that aside, Tekkoshocon X fixed the majority of the space utilization issues, the most of the line issues, and made due with the quirks of that hotel. I give props to the staff for doing such a great job, especially since we had lost over 2/3rds of our staff from Tekkoshocon IX.

I have heard many saddening things about some of our staff, that they treated attendees badly. This is unacceptable, and we will work harder in the future to rectify this situation. I have also heard many saddening things about some of the hotel staff.

For both of those situations, I apologize that you were treated poorly. I feel responsible for all the problems related to all staffing (hotel and Tekkoshocon) as I placed the convention in the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh.

So, we are homeless, again. This isn’t the first time we were homeless. We lost our home when the ExpoMart closed, again with the Westin, and now the Wyndham Grand. With this community we are used to challenges and this is just another one to overcome. We will succeeded and prosper.

I would love to thank the Hollywood Theater in Dormont for putting up with the crazy Pittsburgh Anime Community. With the turn out as good as it was, I believe we may continue the idea.