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softpawKeeping with the theme of 2009 being a pretty "meh" year, WPAFW was a pretty "meh" event this year. Part of this is directly related to the event's growth over the years, and it now seems to be at an awkward place where it's too big to be run like a furmeet, but too small to be run like a con. The staff seems set on the latter, but I'm not convinced that's the best direction for it; some of the best WPAFWs of past years were the ones that weren't trying to be a con, and were simply trying to be an awesome meet.
Due to various life issues/factors, I was unable to pre-register in time for the event. And, when I found out how much the at-the-door registration cost, I was rather blown away: $30. WPAFW is typically a great event (I usually pay $10 extra for sponsor/supporter reg), but definitely not $30 worth of "great" just to get in the door. I would've expected a pricetag like that on WPAFW 2007, where they tried to be a full-blown con with panels and what-not, but now that the programming has taken a more free-form path, it seems awfully steep.
Speaking of programming, content seemed to actually be reduced this year compared to last year. For the record, I consider last year's WPAFW (2008) to be the best ever. Just looking at the schedule, this year's event added a dance on Saturday night, something that seemed unnecessarily tacked-on, but lacked Swift's Bedtime Story (a personal favourite event, and a nice way to end the day), and had only one laser tag game. Several recurring events, like the menagerie, were shortened this year, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, this left more open space in the schedule, which could've been filled by other material.
In addition to schedule changes (or lack thereof, since the schedule had a net loss of content), this year just seemed to feel like a step backwards in terms of what was offered. The "open gaming" alluded to in the schedule, for example, seemed to be practically non-existant compared to previous years, and chatting with friends seemed to be the primary activity of the event, much like Furnival (which I similarly criticized for a lack of offered activities/programming).
Overall, WPAFW works best when its focus is on the Saturday park-centric events. That's what started the whole thing, that's its unique component, and that's what brings people from great distances to attend. No one's going to WPAFW for its "menagerie"/masquerade or its dance (which I didn't hear very good reviews of, but that's just from comments I overheard in the lobby from those leaving), those are just extras. For that matter, everything held at the hotel is "extra", originally conceived to give out-of-towners staying there something else to do and to get the coinciding Friday-night furmeet out of a cramped apartment. While evolution of an event is a good thing, WPAFW seems to have forgotten its roots, that it is, first and foremost, a picnic in a park. It's even an above-average picnic in a park, compared to similar events I've attended, even on its "off" years. And, including the hotel-based events isn't inherently a bad idea, but those events should be crafted with the knowledge that, no matter what is offered at the hotel, the hotel-based offerings are not the event's strength, and never will be, because the park-based offerings rival the "fun-factor" of major cons on a good year.
Anyway, I've had my soapbox. Short version, WPAFW seems to be forgetting their core appeal, and I hope they fix this problem next year.
Another somewhat minor criticism, unrelated to most of what I discussed above, regards the Sunday group activity. Traditionally, WPAFW goes to the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday, and holds the Carnegie Science Center in reserve if the weather's bad. And, while Pittsburgh's weather in October is unpredictable enough that, theoretically, this should switch things up nicely from year to year, it hasn't worked out that way. I've been attending WPAFW/Fur-B-Q without fail since June 2004 (when it used to be a twice-yearly event), and in all that time, only once has the event gone to the science center, back in 2005. Now, going to the zoo with furries is an experience that every new fur should have, and it doesn't easily lose its appeal, but after so many years of always going there for WPAFW, even I've grown tired of it. Judging by how difficult it was to find someone who was going there to give me a call when the group departed the zoo (to meet everyone for dinner on time), I'm not the only one. I submitted this in the WPAFW feedback form, but I'd really love to see them offer both trips as an option for Sunday activities. Furries aren't little kids (technically, anyway), there's no real supervision requirement like on a school field trip, so it seems trivial to set up Sunday as "everyone going to the zoo meets by X, everyone going to the science center meets by Y, be with your group by Z o'clock if you're travelling with the group". The only thing necessary for this is someone to get everyone together and hand out directions. Plus, the 60-70 people who stick around for Sunday activities form way too huge of a group for a proper field trip for adults anyway.
On the plus side, the food at WPAFW was absolutely spectacular, better than any picnic of any kind I've been to, and especially better than furry events (which usually consist of just burgers, hot dogs, and chips). There were burgers and hot dogs, of course, which were quite tasty (the hot dogs were, anyway, I don't touch burgers unless directly prepared by a trusted cook or a restaurant, too many instances of food poisoning at picnics/cook-outs from burgers), but what really made it awesome were the side dishes. Cadpig made chicken noodle soup, which was quite possibly the best batch I've had from him; flavourful, well-seasoned, and just all-around perfect. Had I been in the mood, I could've made a meal on that easily. There was also an Italian noodly-dish in marinara sauce that was quite tasty, no idea where it came from or who made it though. They even have lunch in addition to dinner, though don't count on it if you're not in the mood for PB&J or fake-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches (American cheese != cheese), but at least they brought strawberry jelly, the One True Jelly :-P
Overall, I had a good time, and playing Blackjack with Lilpup & crew was a fun surprise. And, while this post has been pretty critical of WPAFW, the staff and volunteers definitely gave a valiant effort to pull it off; Xavier even showed up with a cold to work the event, that's dedication! I'm just disappointed with the direction of the event this year compared to previous years, and if this trend of increasing price without increasing event offerings continues, I probably won't attend in the future. Unlike actual conventions, WPAFW doesn't have the long-distance attendance draw to make "seeing friends" a viable reason to attend, nor does it have the business/shopping opportunities of furry cons. So, pure enjoyability is the real selling point for WPAFW, and while that selling point has been very strong in the past, it definitely slipped this year.
Due to various life issues/factors, I was unable to pre-register in time for the event. And, when I found out how much the at-the-door registration cost, I was rather blown away: $30. WPAFW is typically a great event (I usually pay $10 extra for sponsor/supporter reg), but definitely not $30 worth of "great" just to get in the door. I would've expected a pricetag like that on WPAFW 2007, where they tried to be a full-blown con with panels and what-not, but now that the programming has taken a more free-form path, it seems awfully steep.
Speaking of programming, content seemed to actually be reduced this year compared to last year. For the record, I consider last year's WPAFW (2008) to be the best ever. Just looking at the schedule, this year's event added a dance on Saturday night, something that seemed unnecessarily tacked-on, but lacked Swift's Bedtime Story (a personal favourite event, and a nice way to end the day), and had only one laser tag game. Several recurring events, like the menagerie, were shortened this year, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, this left more open space in the schedule, which could've been filled by other material.
In addition to schedule changes (or lack thereof, since the schedule had a net loss of content), this year just seemed to feel like a step backwards in terms of what was offered. The "open gaming" alluded to in the schedule, for example, seemed to be practically non-existant compared to previous years, and chatting with friends seemed to be the primary activity of the event, much like Furnival (which I similarly criticized for a lack of offered activities/programming).
Overall, WPAFW works best when its focus is on the Saturday park-centric events. That's what started the whole thing, that's its unique component, and that's what brings people from great distances to attend. No one's going to WPAFW for its "menagerie"/masquerade or its dance (which I didn't hear very good reviews of, but that's just from comments I overheard in the lobby from those leaving), those are just extras. For that matter, everything held at the hotel is "extra", originally conceived to give out-of-towners staying there something else to do and to get the coinciding Friday-night furmeet out of a cramped apartment. While evolution of an event is a good thing, WPAFW seems to have forgotten its roots, that it is, first and foremost, a picnic in a park. It's even an above-average picnic in a park, compared to similar events I've attended, even on its "off" years. And, including the hotel-based events isn't inherently a bad idea, but those events should be crafted with the knowledge that, no matter what is offered at the hotel, the hotel-based offerings are not the event's strength, and never will be, because the park-based offerings rival the "fun-factor" of major cons on a good year.
Anyway, I've had my soapbox. Short version, WPAFW seems to be forgetting their core appeal, and I hope they fix this problem next year.
Another somewhat minor criticism, unrelated to most of what I discussed above, regards the Sunday group activity. Traditionally, WPAFW goes to the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday, and holds the Carnegie Science Center in reserve if the weather's bad. And, while Pittsburgh's weather in October is unpredictable enough that, theoretically, this should switch things up nicely from year to year, it hasn't worked out that way. I've been attending WPAFW/Fur-B-Q without fail since June 2004 (when it used to be a twice-yearly event), and in all that time, only once has the event gone to the science center, back in 2005. Now, going to the zoo with furries is an experience that every new fur should have, and it doesn't easily lose its appeal, but after so many years of always going there for WPAFW, even I've grown tired of it. Judging by how difficult it was to find someone who was going there to give me a call when the group departed the zoo (to meet everyone for dinner on time), I'm not the only one. I submitted this in the WPAFW feedback form, but I'd really love to see them offer both trips as an option for Sunday activities. Furries aren't little kids (technically, anyway), there's no real supervision requirement like on a school field trip, so it seems trivial to set up Sunday as "everyone going to the zoo meets by X, everyone going to the science center meets by Y, be with your group by Z o'clock if you're travelling with the group". The only thing necessary for this is someone to get everyone together and hand out directions. Plus, the 60-70 people who stick around for Sunday activities form way too huge of a group for a proper field trip for adults anyway.
On the plus side, the food at WPAFW was absolutely spectacular, better than any picnic of any kind I've been to, and especially better than furry events (which usually consist of just burgers, hot dogs, and chips). There were burgers and hot dogs, of course, which were quite tasty (the hot dogs were, anyway, I don't touch burgers unless directly prepared by a trusted cook or a restaurant, too many instances of food poisoning at picnics/cook-outs from burgers), but what really made it awesome were the side dishes. Cadpig made chicken noodle soup, which was quite possibly the best batch I've had from him; flavourful, well-seasoned, and just all-around perfect. Had I been in the mood, I could've made a meal on that easily. There was also an Italian noodly-dish in marinara sauce that was quite tasty, no idea where it came from or who made it though. They even have lunch in addition to dinner, though don't count on it if you're not in the mood for PB&J or fake-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches (American cheese != cheese), but at least they brought strawberry jelly, the One True Jelly :-P
Overall, I had a good time, and playing Blackjack with Lilpup & crew was a fun surprise. And, while this post has been pretty critical of WPAFW, the staff and volunteers definitely gave a valiant effort to pull it off; Xavier even showed up with a cold to work the event, that's dedication! I'm just disappointed with the direction of the event this year compared to previous years, and if this trend of increasing price without increasing event offerings continues, I probably won't attend in the future. Unlike actual conventions, WPAFW doesn't have the long-distance attendance draw to make "seeing friends" a viable reason to attend, nor does it have the business/shopping opportunities of furry cons. So, pure enjoyability is the real selling point for WPAFW, and while that selling point has been very strong in the past, it definitely slipped this year.