Reservation Notes:
1- READ THE ANIME NORTH ARTIST ALLEY POLICY.
Every year, we have people who always act surprised when we tell them they cannot have people unregistered to the alley behind their tables. That including family, pets, significant others, etc. You have the responsibility and are required to read and know the rules of the Artist Alley. Failing to follow rules will result to the loss of your table without a refund. Harassment of staff which is not limited to verbal abuse will result to an AUTOMATIC REMOVAL from the Artist Alley. I will not warn you. Security will ask you to leave and escort you out of the area.
2- Pre-registration confirmation Requirement
****ATTN to individuals who have not pre-registered up to this point****
*************************************************************
First of all, the requirement to reserve for a pre-registration confirmation was posted both in the website and the forums in December of 2007. I had stated that this was mandatory for your reservation request despite not having a solid opening date for when reservations open. I also clearly stated for people to not leave this for the last minute, especially if you are doing group registrations. I encouraged you to register on your own if you could since at most times, you will have no control over when the group registration will be sent in.
If you are e-mailing me now to state that I had not given you enough time to pre-register, and how unfair it is that I am only giving you a little more than a week's worth of notice when alley reservations are opening, it is highly unacceptable. I will be clear that more than two months notice is more than enough to make sure you get your pre-registration confirmation. We will NOT accept any blame if your organizer for the group registrations is sending it tomorrow, and the registration department has no responsibility as to when your group registration organizer decided to send that in either. You were given enough warning and it was your decision on how to acquire your confirmation.
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Anyone who plans to participate in the artist alley needs to be pre-registered and confirmed with the convention to have a valid reservation. This includes ALL ARTGROUP MEMBERS as well. They will not be allowed to register as artgroup members if they are not pre-registered with the convention.
Again, this is not the paypal receipt you get after paying online, if you chose to pay with this option. The form itself starts with this as it's heading:
ANIME NORTH 2008 - PRE-REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION FORM
You will then need to copy and paste the whole confirmation form to the reservation you plan to send to artist alley.
3- Name
When handing in a reservation, be sure to use your real name and not an alias. The registration form you will receive from alley requires your real name as that is a contract between you and Anime North's Artist Alley. Your registration form and the name on the reservation need to match... so please, do not use nicknames.
4- Table or Space
You must state clearly if you need a table or just a space. Remember that if you reserve for a full table, you will only get one chair with it. The reasoning behind this is because of previous problems in the past of artists' stealing chairs that are empty to accommodate friends who are not registered with the artist alley. This resulted to unnecessary crowding and chairs to be stolen from other parts of the venue (from the main stage at one year). You may not bring your own chair as this is our way to control crowds and assure that only the registered artists are behind the table at all times. Please... I repeat... PLEASE REFRAIN FROM HIDING YOUR FRIENDS UNDER THE TABLE. It will result to the loss of your table or space without a refund this year... and without warning.
5- "Relevant Details"
To be clear, relevant details means any information you want us to know concerning who you wish to sit with. This is also for the artists who need special accommodations for mobility and access or anything medical related that the staff need to know about. You may not tell us what area you want to be seated at. Doing so might possibly just irritate the staff member responsible for arranging the seating plan. So please, refrain from doing so.
6- Resending reservations TWICE
Something I found out recently (although this problem luckily didn't happen last year), resending your e-mail will push your reservation further down the list. I open the e-mails according to what arrives first. Considering I use gmail which uses a "thread" system, if you sent your e-mail at 8:00:01 and resent it again at 8:00:03... your whole e-mail will be pushed to the more recent time, which is 8:00:03. So if you plan to resend your request twice, please do so with caution and keep in mind that this might happen if you choose to do send your reservation in twice.
7- Reservation Confirmation E-mail
What exactly will you expect from a reservation e-mail? A reservation confirmation e-mail will state if you had or had not successfully reserved a table with Anime North's Artist Alley 2008. It will also contain your copy of the Anime North Artist Alley Registration form. This usually will be sent to you within 48 hours max.
Please note that reservation requests will be checked by the order they come in. Also, for the individuals who receive a copy of the registration form: If you decide to give a copy of the registration form to a friend who didn't secure a spot in the artist alley, they will still not get a table even if they send in payment and a copy of it. I keep a record of all e-mails that are sent out and who has been confirmed. So please, I kindly ask that you do not even try.
A small waiting list will be provided which will remain active until April 25, 2008. That is the last day registration will remain open for Artist Alley for CANCELED tables. Tables that are canceled after April 25, 2008 will be made available on a first-come first-served basis at the alley registration desk on the first day of the convention (I will make an announcement after sign in is finished for the registered artists). Alley reservations will officially close when all tables have been reserved and the waiting list is filled.
8- Pre-registration Refund Policy
Before anyone tries to start the rumor again how artist alley is using the pre-registration confirmation as an excuse to make extra money.... Please be aware that Anime North has a refund policy for registrations. You can apply for refunds until May 2, 2008. For more details, please visit the Anime North Website and go to the registration page.
Refrain from giving them grief as the requirement for pre-registration confirmations were decided specifically by the artist alley department. If you have complaints about it, then direct it to me, the Alley Director. They have no control as to who got a table or not, and telling them that you didn't get one will not acquire you a table magically.
9- Bribing or Pressuring the Alley Director and the Alley Staff
Yes, this is actually happening and I will be clear that trying to bribe or pressure myself or my staff to try and assure a space in the alley is not acceptable. I find it highly offending. So please, I kindly ask individuals to stop it. NOW.
10- Concerning E-mail Times
If your computer is old and has time issues, please be sure to use http://www.time.gov/ (choose Eastern Time Zone) or http://www.worldtimeserver.com/ (type Toronto) as your time references. Remember... I will not accept any reservations that are marked 7:59pm Eastern Standard Time. It has to be exactly 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time.
**Please note that GMT-05:00 has entered Daylight savings time this passed March 08, 2008.
*****Important NOTE for G-mail users ONLY:*****
If your account currently displays all your received mail 1hr late, you will have to change your Daylight savings time option on Gmail or possibly your computer. Please visit http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=7992 for information on how to change your DST options.
*******************************
1- READ THE ANIME NORTH ARTIST ALLEY POLICY.
Every year, we have people who always act surprised when we tell them they cannot have people unregistered to the alley behind their tables. That including family, pets, significant others, etc. You have the responsibility and are required to read and know the rules of the Artist Alley. Failing to follow rules will result to the loss of your table without a refund. Harassment of staff which is not limited to verbal abuse will result to an AUTOMATIC REMOVAL from the Artist Alley. I will not warn you. Security will ask you to leave and escort you out of the area.
2- Pre-registration confirmation Requirement
****ATTN to individuals who have not pre-registered up to this point****
*************************************************************
First of all, the requirement to reserve for a pre-registration confirmation was posted both in the website and the forums in December of 2007. I had stated that this was mandatory for your reservation request despite not having a solid opening date for when reservations open. I also clearly stated for people to not leave this for the last minute, especially if you are doing group registrations. I encouraged you to register on your own if you could since at most times, you will have no control over when the group registration will be sent in.
If you are e-mailing me now to state that I had not given you enough time to pre-register, and how unfair it is that I am only giving you a little more than a week's worth of notice when alley reservations are opening, it is highly unacceptable. I will be clear that more than two months notice is more than enough to make sure you get your pre-registration confirmation. We will NOT accept any blame if your organizer for the group registrations is sending it tomorrow, and the registration department has no responsibility as to when your group registration organizer decided to send that in either. You were given enough warning and it was your decision on how to acquire your confirmation.
***********************
Anyone who plans to participate in the artist alley needs to be pre-registered and confirmed with the convention to have a valid reservation. This includes ALL ARTGROUP MEMBERS as well. They will not be allowed to register as artgroup members if they are not pre-registered with the convention.
Again, this is not the paypal receipt you get after paying online, if you chose to pay with this option. The form itself starts with this as it's heading:
ANIME NORTH 2008 - PRE-REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION FORM
You will then need to copy and paste the whole confirmation form to the reservation you plan to send to artist alley.
3- Name
When handing in a reservation, be sure to use your real name and not an alias. The registration form you will receive from alley requires your real name as that is a contract between you and Anime North's Artist Alley. Your registration form and the name on the reservation need to match... so please, do not use nicknames.
4- Table or Space
You must state clearly if you need a table or just a space. Remember that if you reserve for a full table, you will only get one chair with it. The reasoning behind this is because of previous problems in the past of artists' stealing chairs that are empty to accommodate friends who are not registered with the artist alley. This resulted to unnecessary crowding and chairs to be stolen from other parts of the venue (from the main stage at one year). You may not bring your own chair as this is our way to control crowds and assure that only the registered artists are behind the table at all times. Please... I repeat... PLEASE REFRAIN FROM HIDING YOUR FRIENDS UNDER THE TABLE. It will result to the loss of your table or space without a refund this year... and without warning.
5- "Relevant Details"
To be clear, relevant details means any information you want us to know concerning who you wish to sit with. This is also for the artists who need special accommodations for mobility and access or anything medical related that the staff need to know about. You may not tell us what area you want to be seated at. Doing so might possibly just irritate the staff member responsible for arranging the seating plan. So please, refrain from doing so.
6- Resending reservations TWICE
Something I found out recently (although this problem luckily didn't happen last year), resending your e-mail will push your reservation further down the list. I open the e-mails according to what arrives first. Considering I use gmail which uses a "thread" system, if you sent your e-mail at 8:00:01 and resent it again at 8:00:03... your whole e-mail will be pushed to the more recent time, which is 8:00:03. So if you plan to resend your request twice, please do so with caution and keep in mind that this might happen if you choose to do send your reservation in twice.
7- Reservation Confirmation E-mail
What exactly will you expect from a reservation e-mail? A reservation confirmation e-mail will state if you had or had not successfully reserved a table with Anime North's Artist Alley 2008. It will also contain your copy of the Anime North Artist Alley Registration form. This usually will be sent to you within 48 hours max.
Please note that reservation requests will be checked by the order they come in. Also, for the individuals who receive a copy of the registration form: If you decide to give a copy of the registration form to a friend who didn't secure a spot in the artist alley, they will still not get a table even if they send in payment and a copy of it. I keep a record of all e-mails that are sent out and who has been confirmed. So please, I kindly ask that you do not even try.
A small waiting list will be provided which will remain active until April 25, 2008. That is the last day registration will remain open for Artist Alley for CANCELED tables. Tables that are canceled after April 25, 2008 will be made available on a first-come first-served basis at the alley registration desk on the first day of the convention (I will make an announcement after sign in is finished for the registered artists). Alley reservations will officially close when all tables have been reserved and the waiting list is filled.
If you do not get a confirmation by April 25 2008 and find yourself to have no reason
to come to Anime North 2008, please apply for a Refund on your pre-registration befor May 02, 2008.
8- Pre-registration Refund Policy
Before anyone tries to start the rumor again how artist alley is using the pre-registration confirmation as an excuse to make extra money.... Please be aware that Anime North has a refund policy for registrations. You can apply for refunds until May 2, 2008. For more details, please visit the Anime North Website and go to the registration page.
Refrain from giving them grief as the requirement for pre-registration confirmations were decided specifically by the artist alley department. If you have complaints about it, then direct it to me, the Alley Director. They have no control as to who got a table or not, and telling them that you didn't get one will not acquire you a table magically.
9- Bribing or Pressuring the Alley Director and the Alley Staff
Yes, this is actually happening and I will be clear that trying to bribe or pressure myself or my staff to try and assure a space in the alley is not acceptable. I find it highly offending. So please, I kindly ask individuals to stop it. NOW.
10- Concerning E-mail Times
If your computer is old and has time issues, please be sure to use http://www.time.gov/ (choose Eastern Time Zone) or http://www.worldtimeserver.com/ (type Toronto) as your time references. Remember... I will not accept any reservations that are marked 7:59pm Eastern Standard Time. It has to be exactly 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time.
**Please note that GMT-05:00 has entered Daylight savings time this passed March 08, 2008.
*****Important NOTE for G-mail users ONLY:*****
If your account currently displays all your received mail 1hr late, you will have to change your Daylight savings time option on Gmail or possibly your computer. Please visit http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=7992 for information on how to change your DST options.
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