The Thoughts on Being a Panelist at Conventions

Japanese Music Panel in the Works

For those expecting reviews on Zenkai Girl and Ouran, I will be working on those tonight.

In one week I’ll be taking a two hour drive north to a convention called Anime Festival Orlando to host three panels on Saturday. 2011 marks six years of hosting Japanese pop culture panels at conventions, primarily in the Florida con circuit. So, I just wanted to write a quick reflection on doing it for so long.

Panels are the no. 1 reason why I would go to a convention. I don’t care for raves, dances, cosplaying, dealer’s rooms, video games, or hanging out in the hallways wasting money and time. I get my rush out of going to panels, hosting panels, and having conversations with like minded people on topics important to me. I think learning about new things and sharing about old is probably the most rewarding experience one can have at a convention.

Which is why I’ve been hosting panels for so long.

Panel hosting is such a thankless job in the con scene. You’re basically a glamorized volunteer who either gets the respect or none at all from the event organizers. Usually, what comes with the package, is a weekend pass in exchange for X amount of panels, your name in the con guide, and an hour to provide entertainment to the con’s attendees. It’s usually your moment to shine and for that hour, or two, you feel sort of like a faux celebrity.

But it’s still thankless when it comes to the organizers.

When I presented four panels and volunteered for one convention, I got a pat on the back and a free badge. When the staff was chowing down on pizza and sucking up soda, as I sat in the operations room waiting for my next assignment, I not invited to share on their lunch or enjoy a nice cool can of coke. Of course, I could have drank from the pitcher of luke warm chlorine, I mean tap water, but with the amount of work I had put into their convention to make sure it was a success… It felt as if I was doing more of an obligation rather than volunteering my time.

Well, I’ll mention that the panel coordinator did mix a drink for me towards the end of his 18+ panel I had to sit on to make sure no one underage entered. So thanks for the free $10 margarita.

Another convention, I had hosted 3 very successful panels back to back, and was not given a badge for my services. In fact, I was told that panelists still had to purchase their badge regardless of how many hours of service they were providing to the con. But the door guards, the ones who simply sat at the door and didn’t control the overflow issues, got a badge and a t-shirt.

I may sound like I’m crying over spilled milk — but it’s not like we roll into the convention center and pull a panel out of our asses. An excellent panel is weeks of research, planning, and editing that culminates into a 1 – 2 hour presentation that, hopefully, leaves good memories in con-goers. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into a one shot chance that can either blow up in your face or be an absolute success. So, it’s not like I’m asking much when I say a little more perks should be thrown into the package for all the work we do.

Panels make up nearly 60% of the scheduling at the con. Without us there would be no convention; or, to put it lightly, there would not be a convention that would make it to another year.

For one of my panels, it costs me nearly $100 to put on every year. I buy a cake, treats, prizes, and other goods to throw out into the crowd because I want it to be a successful event where the con attendees can have fun watching crazy videos and interacting with those around them. For me, running panels are not cheap. Its an investment with no return.

But I do it because I love it.

I like it when people come up to me after the panel and remark on how much fun they had. I like knowing that people left knowing more than when they came in. I like putting on a show that does not short change the audience. I like interacting with them and making them feel apart of it. I like the feeling of knowing that I can change a room’s entire mood from angry to sad and keep their attentions for one to two hours.

So, sometimes, the experience out weights the perks.

I’ve noticed, though, that panels have been turning from “great places for information and interaction” to ways of people getting free badges for doing absolutely nothing. Not only does that short change the convention but it also short changes the convention goer. This is probably why conventions are not so open to providing panelists with compensated badges, t-shirts, access to green rooms, or other compensations.

If all it took was to have a bunch of people dancing to music and label it Jpop/Kpop panel, then everyone would be running panels. And if you are hosting the panel and its your audience that takes over then you’ve failed as an panelist.  Another case of poorly ran panels is ones where the panelists simply talk about the subject rather than inform people on the subject. Example

versus this panel

You can interact with your audience without it being a chaotic mess where it’s simply a circlejerk between hardcore fans. Inexperienced panelists never seem to realize that panels are a place where fans and non-fans looking to find out more about the subject will be sitting in the same room. There needs to be that balance where fans can have fun and non-fans.

There needs to be a system. Some order.

Same with music panels. One year, I visited a Japanese Music panel but the entire panel ended up being a Jrock panel with Morning Musume and Ayumi Hamasaki thrown in. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed. People need to research and be fair when they host panels before it turns into a major bias circlejerk.

After 6 years of doing this, I can say that at first I was terrible but I grew with my panels. Everyone needs to find their places; one of my biggest panels was a fluke that ended up becoming a success and when I toyed with it one year to change up the format it bombed, so you live and learn. You only have one chance to show your effort to a crowd of 50 or more, so take it to heart and really put you’re all into it.

Panels are the heart of a convention. I’m proud to say that I’ve contributed to that for so many conventions, big and small, and I hope to continue as long as I have interest and the will to do so.

And so I leave you with a video someone recorded of one my most successful panels,

Because the most wonderful feeling after doing a panel is watching it through the eyes of your attendee and knowing that they had the time of their life and you made that happen.