At the end of last year’s con, Monkey Paw Entertainment announced a move from the Tucson Community Center to the JW Marriott Resort at Starr Pass for what was to be called “The Beach Episode.”
The concept sounded great, the location looked amazing in the slide show, and there was hope at something bigger and better than what had been going on for a number of years at the TCC (a rather generic location with no personality).
Upon our arrival after a long drive into the Sonoran Desert, the resort looked amazing…but under construction work. Any major views were blocked with scaffolding, which was disappointing.
Other than a little grumbling from some vendors at some issues affecting them, the con seemed to be going well. People seemed happy, though things seemed off. There was a tension in the air.
One thing we noticed was that the food trucks suddenly disappeared and the valet parking lot returned right before you’d think the food trucks would become busy with an evening rush. The con seemed “slow” and we spent most of our day talking with a few friends and covered the J-Fashion Show (on our fashion blog – The Haute Togs).
The second day was different. When we got there, we immediately heard of limitations on where con-goers were allowed, changing photography rules, and a number of other similar situations. These boundaries and rules seemed to change through out the day, and we were told they were set in place by the JW Marriott Resort and Marriott as a whole. Pool shoots were forbidden, as well as location/scenery shoots. The con was to be kept in one smaller section of the conference center and the rest of the hotel (lobby, etc) was not allowed. We ourselves were told to move along when we were talking to one of our friends (quietly, I might add) around a water cooler and then again when we went to use the restroom. We also heard reports of rudeness by the hotel’s Starbucks employees toward con-goers.
Now, I know first hand that photography restrictions are NOT anywhere set in place by Marriott and were put forth by the individual resort.
It is my belief that Monkey Paw Entertainment is not responsible for these problems and that the JW Marriott should be ashamed for their behaviors. Cosplay and going to cons is NOT deviant and NOT something anyone should be shamed for.
Anime fans are to be celebrated. They are open to others and artwork, and have a larger world view than most people.
Though there were some lighting and audio issues the Masquerade, it went off without major incident.
We did not attend the third day this year. After the heightened stress in the air of the previous two, we were burnt out and feeling the con-crud of close quarters.
I want to applaud the efforts of Monkey Paw Entertainment to keep everything going even with adversity of the hotel.
Shorty after the con was over, it was announced that Con-Nichiwa would be moving again to the DoubleTree in mid-town Tucson near Reid Park for next year, June 12-14, 2020. We look forward to seeing what Monkey Paw brings us next.
Our Con-Nichiwa 2019 Coverage:
