Ann T.
Yelp
Attended the Fate 20th Anniversary Event here and did have some issues with the event space. I'm not too sure how much was it on the event itself, the planning and coordinating or on the side of the venue.
There's a paid garage parking at the side, $25 maximum for the day. There was a space outside for a red carpet back drop kinda thing and then a small entryway where they sold the merch and then doors into the actual event. The event space had some rows of chairs, some couches towards the side, a small standing table at the end, and that was about it in terms of furniture.
At the "front stage", there was a projection on the back wall and during the intermission times there were also projections on the sides of the room which was pretty neat in my opinion. The surround sound was great in the venue and the acoustics were nice too, made the very iconic moments shown in the visual novels and anime sound exceptionally amazing. Sent chills down my spine to relive those moments and to experience the new ones. My issue with the "front stage" projection is that because of the guests sitting below, a lot of bottom text was cut off and there was a fire alarm that was on the wall too, making it a tad distracting. I'm not sure if they couldn't adjust the projection or to pull down the screen instead, but it worked overall.
Each guest was given a non-alcoholic drink voucher, at the start of the day there was only canned/bottled/etc. beverages available that they can pour for you. It wasn't until when they started serving the food did I see the mocktail options. The cucumber cooler was pretty good! Refreshing, not too sweet and had a slight citrus/acidic sharpness to it that woke me up. Very nice for pictures too. They also have iced water and cups for thirsty guests throughout the day. As for food, it was $25 for one of their meal options, some kinda wrap or pasta salad and cookies. They also had alcoholic drinks for purchase too, all cashless. None of this was that appealing to me and if it weren't for the short time between panels or the episode 0 being shown in between, I would have snuck out to grab something else instead.
Also, I'm not too sure if this was the fault of the venue or the event planning, but we were instructed that only really small or clear bags allowed unless you're brining a diaper bag. This sucked because I have a very large ita bag dedicated to this fandom event that I'm attending and I had to readjust and change everything. Imagine my disappointment when there was NO BAG check! I could have just brought my huge purse in and would have been no problem. Quite frustrating.
Another issue I had, again, not sure if this was venue's fault or the event planning, but the plastic seats provided with the cushions were SUPER uncomfortable. I felt my back hurting and my spine being compressed sitting on them for too long. Likewise the solid cement floor may be aesthetically pleasing, but not designed for people to be on their feet for far too long. I stood on my feet for a bit over an hour for the first panel and as the day went on, it felt like 2 metal rods were staked through my heels into my legs. Can't imagine what it's like for cosplayers or those formally dressed in heels or dress shoes. The set up for this event was back to back panel sessions and I feel like better accommodations could have been given to guests for their comfort and enjoyment.
The restrooms were a bit narrow in space, but kept clean the entire time. They also use the fancy rich people soap and lotion, from Aesop, so you know it's bougie.
As a fan of the event, I had a great time overall, but there were large areas of improvement and I feel like this event space wasn't the best for the event in mind.