Author Topic: Hall H line start times  (Read 7666 times)

Offline semigeekgirl

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #15 on: May 13, 2022, 01:32:03 PM »
Yeah. Maybe I'm wrong/naive, but I really feel like if CCI had tried harder to prohibit the next-day lines at the beginning they would have had a CHANCE at keeping control. Like, that first year the 'unofficial' Saturday line formed Thursday, CCI should have just had security disperse it, over, and over, and over again. It's true that plaza is a public space and CCI can't stop you from standing there... but their TOS reserves the right to revoke your badge at any time, so they could have yanked badges if it came to that. (Or even yanked badges and let you go pick them back up the next day at Badge Services if they wanted to be nice. And as for the 'public space' thing, so is Harbor Drive... but the city seems pretty ok with letting CCI control that space for the duration of Con.)

It would have sucked. They would have probably had to bring in more security and they would have had to be willing to be hardasses about it. But they MIGHT have been able to establish a culture/norms that didn't involve 3 day lines, mobs, trampling, rampant line cutting, etc.

They didn't, and what they have now is barely controlled chaos. At this point I'm pretty sure they have no idea how to fix it.

Offline angi

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #16 on: June 02, 2022, 06:51:14 PM »
I wouldn't mind a lottery like SWC but the standby would still have the huge line unless the really policed the area.

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #17 on: Today at 02:13:31 PM »

Offline Verdant

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #17 on: June 02, 2022, 10:31:58 PM »
Honestly dont know what this chaos on 2019 line people talking about? I was towards front of line for formation probably like legit 15th person inline when they started the formation and had us lined up single file but as day went on people kept adding to groups and was extra chaos come wristband time.  The location was bad, no one couldnt spread out like they did in years past and the passing cars and they had us not on sidewalk but medium before street with passing cars, hopefully theyll change location again this year.  Maybe the chaos people keep talking about is during wrist bands distrabutions and linecutters at the front? I do know these mega groups dont help out at all because by time wristbands getting distributed some cutters can easily move in with the mega groups who during the day arnt saving enough for the people they have and bulges out and the cutters lurk/mix in with the mega groups where it bulges out.  I get the 1=5 saving but they should limit it on other end as well of 1=5 but can only have certain number of people in your group at one time. and ya "luck" for formation and if u end up being behind a mega group. Cutting at front defiantly happened, of how close luck actually got and seats we got, no one in my group got seat in front sections, we ended up being behind section reserved for media so ya line cutting did happen. In terms of worst line, that would have to go to 2017 formation of everyone trying start saturdy line thursday evening while the friday line is bulging out waiting for wristbands to start.

Offline perc2100

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #18 on: June 03, 2022, 12:45:43 PM »
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Yeah. Maybe I'm wrong/naive, but I really feel like if CCI had tried harder to prohibit the next-day lines at the beginning they would have had a CHANCE at keeping control. Like, that first year the 'unofficial' Saturday line formed Thursday, CCI should have just had security disperse it, over, and over, and over again. It's true that plaza is a public space and CCI can't stop you from standing there... but their TOS reserves the right to revoke your badge at any time, so they could have yanked badges if it came to that. (Or even yanked badges and let you go pick them back up the next day at Badge Services if they wanted to be nice. And as for the 'public space' thing, so is Harbor Drive... but the city seems pretty ok with letting CCI control that space for the duration of Con.)

It would have sucked. They would have probably had to bring in more security and they would have had to be willing to be hardasses about it. But they MIGHT have been able to establish a culture/norms that didn't involve 3 day lines, mobs, trampling, rampant line cutting, etc.

They didn't, and what they have now is barely controlled chaos. At this point I'm pretty sure they have no idea how to fix it.
Yeah, that's a great topic up for debate.  I've been attending Comic-Con annually since 2000, and have seen the entire evolution of crazy: from the first year of Hall H, when I literally walked right into a LotR panel that was only about 2/3rd full, to waiting an hour or two outside, to waiting 2-3 hours outsider in a line that wrapped around the convention center sidewalk by the loading dock, to the introduction of the tents (BOY was that a game changer!) where I would get in line at 7-8am for a 10am Friday Hall H panel (that included Spielberg & Peter Jackson; James Cameron; and others); to the Twi-hards who started the camping-out crazy that snowballed from there.  What I think some forget, is an attendee actually _died_ due to the line craze.  IIRC, Twihard was in the gas lamp one evening (maybe PN or Thursday? it was early in the week), got a text that the line was moving, sprinted across the street and got hit by a car and killed.  Then CCI moved to try to manage the lines better, or at least have more explicit directions.

Unfortunately, SDCC attendees don't follow rules explicitly.  If they say "line doesn't form until 8pm the night before), throngs of people will "hover" around the start of the line before it officially ends.  CCI _could_ have security chase them away, but that is a very tough job with the amount of attendees who do this.  Think about in the Exhibit Hall, when people know a booth is going to start giving something away: there are a myriad of vultures hovering around, waiting for the right moment to dive in (I'm guilty of this at times as well).  Security will tell you not to stop in the middle of an aisle or whatnot, and then you'll comply, walk away, and quickly return to hover-mode.  This is what happens with the Hall H (and all) lines.  People won't comply because of FOMO and without turning into a jackboot police state I'm not sure what CCI can really do about it, unfortunately.

IMO, the only 'deterrent' besides going to a lotto system _might_ be to hold panels in such a place where all can see them: Petco Park, The Shell by the bay, etc.  That will lack intimacy of Hall H or Ballroom 20, or Indigo Ballroom but will accommodate the crowds.  Most studios release footage publicly immediately after it screens in the panel (or, sometimes, immediately before), so maybe that's not even such a big deal to also have overflow ballrooms for streaming.  I personally dunno if that'd go over well (or even if I would dig that, as the energy in Hall H is indeed a palpable hype), but it may diminish the bulk of line issues.  IDK.

The other option is to just have line-up groups.  When I joined one in 2015, it was a game changer for me: not only did it afford me more time to make plans & see more stuff, but I've met some great people over the years that I keep in contact with all year long! 

Offline semigeekgirl

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #19 on: June 03, 2022, 01:23:23 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login I think you're right AND wrong. It's true the SDCC attendees don't follow the rules exactly as set out. But it's also true that CCI doesn't enforce the rules they do set out much of the time, so they've inadvertently 'taught' attendees that the rule breaking often doesn't have consequences, and is beneficial most of the time. That's not an environment that incentivizes rule following (which drives me mad as I am very much a rule follower).

It's also true that enforcement would have had to be harsh and consistent at the beginning (I think 'jackbooted security state' is going a bit far, but yes, it would have sucked). CCI seems to generally like to operate using only the carrot and not the stick, but sometimes enforcing rules is necessary. As I said, I think if they had moved to nip this in the bud early on, the extra security/enforcement might have only had to last for a year or two, until it was established as a norm. As you said about your line group - most of the people at SDCC are great! We want to follow rules and be nice to each other. And we also want to not reward people who make the experience worse for the rest of us. So I think there was a way to establish a relatively self-policing norm - which is basically how the lines are now anyway. They just wouldn't be three days long.

Also, as You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login and others have mentioned, they have the opportunity for creative solutions. Move the next day line to far apart secret locations each day. Make it a lottery. Make each member ID eligible for only 1 day in Hall H. Other, better things people smarter than me can come up with. But instead CCI just sort of managed the problem just enough for it not to become utter chaos, and then settled into a sort of accidental format that attendees basically made up. To paraphrase Ned Flanders's parents - they've tried nothing and they're all out of ideas.

Offline squidward

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #20 on: June 03, 2022, 09:57:23 PM »
I'm very interested in the Hall H panels this year. I am going to need to pay close attention to the line and wristband rules as well as connect with a few of my friends on here to try to be successful this year.

Offline Eric_Draven66

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #21 on: June 10, 2022, 11:33:45 PM »
In 2019 I was in a group from FOCC discord channel, We were close to the front of the line and god like second row from stage. it did get kinda crowded when everyone started to show up about 8 to get the wrist bands. other then that is was pretty decent.. I cant remember though if it was 2019 or 2018 that someone was selling fake wristbands that screwed up the line. I do remember that the people that didnt get inside got free badges for the next year

Offline Verdant

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #22 on: June 11, 2022, 07:49:20 AM »
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In 2019 I was in a group from FOCC discord channel, We were close to the front of the line and god like second row from stage. it did get kinda crowded when everyone started to show up about 8 to get the wrist bands. other then that is was pretty decent.. I cant remember though if it was 2019 or 2018 that someone was selling fake wristbands that screwed up the line. I do remember that the people that didnt get inside got free badges for the next year
Ya when they lined us up single file is was 15th inline but that bulged out during morning & througout day. Didn’t get a seat in front section. We won’t know until official announcements but if rumor true of marvel skipping SDCC then that make Saturday line up a little easier. I’d much rather them start the line earlier or middle of night & have it be trickle up lineup instead of mob.

Offline NCDS

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #23 on: June 11, 2022, 02:20:22 PM »
First rule of line club is you don't talk about start times.
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Offline Verdant

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #24 on: June 12, 2022, 03:47:41 PM »
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First rule of line club is you don't talk about start times.
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Offline Zero

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #25 on: June 12, 2022, 05:44:38 PM »
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First rule of line club is you don't talk about start times.
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Offline Darxlot

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #26 on: June 14, 2022, 10:05:42 PM »
Any group looking to add people for Hall H line? I have three people with Hall H line experience looking for Friday line for Saturday attendance.

Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #27 on: June 15, 2022, 09:45:32 AM »
How do you guys even know when you want to go to Hall H? I'll need to know something of the programming first.

Offline stl_ben

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #28 on: June 15, 2022, 10:24:06 AM »
Yeah programing and current line rules seem like things I would want before making decisions.

Offline perc2100

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Re: Hall H line start times
« Reply #29 on: June 15, 2022, 11:23:17 AM »
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How do you guys even know when you want to go to Hall H? I'll need to know something of the programming first.
For me personally, after 20 SDCC's, I _know_ there will be at last SOME must-see panel in Hall H at some point of the week.  WB has soooo much DC-themed programming coming relatively soon just as one small example of what could be a massive panel if WB come back to Hall H with a bang.  You're right, that it's not worth sweating plans or whatnot right now w/out knowing what the schedule will be; but in my experience it's safe to presume there'll be some fun days of Hall H programming