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[Skie]

Yes, Germany is weird like that

Just a little background on the "no free water" thing: From 1933 till 2001 there was a law in effect in Germany that made it illegal to add free givaways to any kind of purchase or give personal discounts. So giving you a free glass of water would have been illegal. I guess it made sense in 1933, but the world has change a lot since then But this law has been in effect for so long, it became a part of the culture. So even today for many store owners it still feels wrong to give you free refills, free water, or even negotiate an individual rebate. They grew up in a corporate environment where this used to be a taboo. Things like these need many years to get out of the system.

That's ok, cultures are different, I'm not really complaining
It's very interesting to know though.

[K.P.]

I was unfortunately unable to attend Eurofurence this year due to personal reasons.  I'm really sad that I could not make it (and hope to be back next year), but I have been watching and listening to the feedback with a great deal of interest.  If folks would permit me, I'd like to add a perspective that many people may not be able to see.

I staff multiple conventions in the US.  Of those, only one is in the same city/state in which I reside.  It's very difficult for convention staffers to anticipate every conceivable problem that can happen at a new venue when they are not able to be at the hotel/venue at a moment's notice for planning.  Moving to a new venue is never easy.  Every convention that I staff has gone through the moving process for one reason or another.  Whether it be growth, or loss of the facility, moving is painful for the staff because they need to build new relationships with new hotels and buildings.  At the same time, they can feel like they are losing close friends with the former hotel.  The very first time a furry convention moves to a new hotel, there is almost always a little "culture shock".  People need time to get to know us, and we need to get to know them.  So please, as much as folks may love the staff and layout of the Ringberg, give the Maritim and its staff a chance.  Let them get to know us and see what new kind of environment the Maritim can give us that will be different, but just as much fun.  (There were concerns about moving from the castle to the Ringberg, but it worked out just fine...give this new place a chance.)

The other thing that I believe the EF staff think you understand, so they don't say it outright, is that they know for many, this may be your ONLY real vacation of the year.  They truly want to make EF the very best convention experience that it can be.  They are setting up an event for you to be happy.  Of course they are looking for input, but also understand that there may be limitations that the convention and hotel staff is working under.  Many times, they have had to work behind the scenes to correct other issues so that really big problems are already solved when you arrive.  When providing feedback, I always think of it as offering suggestions that the staff can't see.  Once something has been brought to their attention, let them work on any possible solutions for the next year.

I know that the choice to relocate to the Maritim was not an easy decision.  But in the end, I know in my heart that the staff of Eurofurence made that decision for the true benefit of not only the convention, but for the attendees.  By all means, let them know what can be done to improve the experience.  But if it's been said a number of times, it really doesn't need to be repeated again.  I know all too well that hotel issues can be particularly troublesome, because there may be many things that cannot be changed because of hotel rules or limitations.  If there is something you think that could be implemented that would help all hotel guests while EF is there, by all means suggest it.  But be realistic with suggestions, and be receptive to any answers that the staff provides.  That's really the very best way to get a good dialogue going and make the convention really spectacular.

Just my 2 cents as someone who really loves EF and can't wait to come back.

KP

[Jaeger_Fuchs]

Thanks to the staff of EF-16 for all their hard work with the new venue. Its never easy making changes and I am sure with all the feedback that they have received, next year will be even better for those attending. Some of the highlights of the new location for me were sightseeing in Magdeburg and Berlin (easy train access), and of course the BBF fursuit dance. I got to meet some great new people and spend time with friends I only get to see once a year. There was a host of great places to eat in Magdeburg and I already miss many of the traditional German dishes and tall dark beers. Thanks to everyone who made my trip enjoyable!

[Blacktail]

Well for my first German furry con I had a blast.
I meet awesome people I could help out in the artshow with registration and had all in all a good time.
I found the hotelstaff friendly and when I had a question they answered it without a problem.
One morning I decided to get breakfast in the hotel and yes it wasn´t cheap but the girl behind the bar apologized a thousand times to me for the prices.
The conbadges as keycards where priceless. 
The artshow was great (sorry for the delays at the end but we had softwareproblems and Cairyn suffered a mild shock when all happened at once so I can only apologize for it and hoping that next year it will be better)
The dealers den was quite crowded and a bit to small.
I enjoyed the Pawpet show (was my first, someone mentioned that the artshow staff was there and didn´t open the doors to sell the art and to my knowlegde I was the only one there, the others tryed to get some warm food after some days without proper feeding)
A little lokal map for us where some things are (needed a hour in the morning to find the Sparkasse)
All in all it was a good con and I will be back next year.

[Suran]

The dealers den was quite crowded and a bit to small.

Well, it was the largest one we ever had.

[gaz_a]

The fursuit lounge was in no way undersized, if there was a problem with drying space it was fursuiters who dump their heads on a fan outlet and go away leaving it there all night as some kind of permanent storage area.  It is a problem at all conventions, and perhaps the only solution is polite signs saying something like "Temporary drying space only, please remove your heads when they are dry.  Heads left longer than X hours will be moved to make room for other users"

I only ever left mine there for the time I was having a drink and talking, when I was done I changed out of my suit in my room and was completely dry every time I next went to wear it so I don't think there was even a need to leave suits there long-term.

[nifela]

Despite all the things that people complain about, I still had a blast - no sign of PCD, quite the contrary actually. I felt down before and now I feel rejuvenated!

Here's however a small note on how to increase the amount of perfection and quality of the pawpet show: consider the more extreme angles. I often saw a head, hand or nothing because the puppets were hidden behind some prop from my point of view (somewhere in the outer right middle).

Thanks to the screens however I was able to watch the show and see most things. If it weren't for the screens, I would have seen very little so thanks again for providing a live feed. But please, next time don't have those white things hanging from the ceiling during the pawpet show, I always had to look to the screen which was further away because that thing blocked my view

So aside from putting me on the 6th floor (which is more the fault of the Maritim) and people not reading the conbook, I had a great and fun time. Despite my initial plans to save the money for something else, I'll definitely try to come to the next EF!
Also a great thumbs up to the con ops team, who were always eager to help.

So see ya next year (hopefully),
a rejuvenated unknown little Husky

P.S.: Thanks to all the people who made this con possible - that also includes every single sponsor and super sponsor.

[Dhary Montecore]

Here's however a small note on how to increase the amount of perfection and quality of the pawpet show: consider the more extreme angles. I often saw a head, hand or nothing because the puppets were hidden behind some prop from my point of view (somewhere in the outer right middle).

Our PPS, Stage and Videocrews have already solved that problem for next year

[Cheetah]

Moderation Notice: Entire pointless argument about Kimu and the fursuit lounge moved to the trashcan forum (where you can still read them for reference, btw, if you're into that sort of pain). Further replies on that particular topic will be deleted without notice.

[Keenora]

Well, so, after a week I finally revived ^^°
So, my feedback for the EF is actually very positive I am very happy about certain things, and of course, some things could be better, but well...its the first time there and I can remember the first time Ringberg and the first time Nürnberg aswell ;3
So, anyway, there are only two little thinsg, I already mentioned to some staff members. Its not that big problem but it would be awesome, if they can be changed next time. The fursuit lounge was really huge compared to last year o.O And for me was everything alright. Only at the last night there was a little thingy. I am a diabetic and the tea/sugar water there, was very sweet. The days before, there was the big normal water bottle, but not on the last night. I already heared, that these water barrels are unreasonable expensive. Maybe its possible for the next year ^^°
Another thing, which was kinda unplannable was, that the fursuit parade was nice, but the little sidestep through the dealersden and the stairs was not the perfect route ^^ And after the regular parade, 50% walked to the front and 50% to the back, where they kept going into the city. I felt a bit lost in the front, till someone told me, they are in the back o.o

So, basically those two things could need a bit improvment but thats it. For the rest of the con...well...only impossible things to mention, like better weather ^^° Or longer for at least 2 weeks...oh and 36 hours a day, so I can get sleep...maybe
So, anyway, thank you very much for the con. And thanks for the awesome and unaffordable work the staff members did! Great job guys :3

[Bostitch]

My first EF again since EFX, and first off, thanks to all the staff for a wonderful event, I hope I will be able to make it as a regular attendee in the future.

By page 7, almost everything has been said already (and I only read up to 3), but I'd just like to share my pov. I've been employed in F&B in various hotels in Amsterdam and Schiphol, and the prices which everyone is complaining about are indeed too high for a youth hostel crowd - but they are pretty standard prices for a business hotel, which is what we were staying at. I read in a reply that the staff will take it up with hotel management - and hats off to you if you are able to come to any agreement.
Our event was noticably a culture shock to the hotel staff (most of them took it in good stride), but their common (business)clients prefer the overpriced food and drinks to a 5 minute walk. If we're back next year, things will go much smoother I'm sure, and if we are able to fill the entire hotel, a deal might be struck on prices.

On the locals outside of the hotel - I know this has nothing to do with the con staff, but maybe as a general tip; in my experience the local's attitude and friendlyness was always consistent with age; under-35s always were friendly and spoke decent English, over-45s were often dour and refused to speak English. (And the over-60 ladies seemed to have a blast with the fursuiters) :p

Other feedback you've heard before: dealer's den was set up too narrow and ill-ventilated. Automatic locking out of rooms at 12:00 on sunday seemed a bit harsh with half the hotel checking out at once.
While conbadge and roomkey in one is a good idea, they are a bit vulnerable where the perforation is. Both me and my roommate lost our badge at some point because the perforation had given outand it just fell off the chain. Another friend managed to snap his in half, but I think he sat on it.
Maybe add both the chain and a clamp?

/nitpicking

Thanks again for a wonderful EF.

[Weed]

Other feedback you've heard before: dealer's den was set up too narrow and ill-ventilated.

Oh trust me on this one, the Dealers' Den had MUCH more room (overall and between the tables) than it did at Ringberg (EF13 - 15)... However I do agree, the passages between the tables got stuffed very fast. Right now I can't come up with a working solution for this one, but there's still a year until EF17. Plenty of time.

While conbadge and roomkey in one is a good idea, they are a bit vulnerable where the perforation is. Both me and my roommate lost our badge at some point because the perforation had given outand it just fell off the chain. Another friend managed to snap his in half, but I think he sat on it.
Maybe add both the chain and a clamp?

It's not a good idea, it's a magnificently brilliant idea: Now attendees have to carry their badges around, otherwise they're locked out of their rooms *g* No but seriously, the room keycard-badge does have few security flaws that are simply impossible to fix, since they occur with ANY given room keycard in ANY given hotel. If you lose a keycard, anyone who finds it can enter your room. It's nothing EF can prevent really. However I'm curious, how exactly did you manage to break the perforation? I was dancing all night long during the Fursuit Dance & Big Blue Dance, as I did at EF14 and 15, and I've never experienced anything like that I can't really see it happening on a normal wear and tear.

Main Stage/Maritim Hall. When I got a sneak peek at them, I was absolutely mesmerized. Huge stage that took almost 30 seconds to walk across, room for practically everyone to sit in during the events, lighting and the A/V-setup at the back of the Hall. And a disco ball. An honest to god, bloody hell disco ball. And one in the main lobby as well, not forgetting the Eurofurence-banners. I really can't wait to see what you guys come up with for next year Great job!

- Weed

[Bostitch]

However I'm curious, how exactly did you manage to break the perforation? I was dancing all night long during the Fursuit Dance & Big Blue Dance, as I did at EF14 and 15, and I've never experienced anything like that I can't really see it happening on a normal wear and tear.

Maybe from taking it off and stuffing into a jacket pocket; I don't like dangly things around my neck, took it off most of the time I went outside the hotel.
That's why I'd prefer one of these thingies, to hang it on my shirt.

[Tsanawo]

About the badges: AFAIK there are dealers who sell clips to hang commissioned badges on in the dealers den.
It's the same guy who offers to laminate badges, BPython.


Get one of these (Universal usage across all EF's from now as long as they keep using the same perforate unit).
Very easy to obtain and attach if you do not wish to use your lanyard.

[Korrok]

I also had these in the Dealer's Den. You can get them for a few euros for 50 of 'em on eBay, more for bulk. (not for the individual obviously, but if the con actually wanted to source them).