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Frequently Asked Questions:
More FAQs
Last updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Before you register:
- How do I register for Anime Boston 2007?
- Do you take PayPal?
- Do you take credit cards?
- Is there a discount for kids?
- Is there a group discount?
- Can I register as a group if I'm not sure who will be in the group yet?
- Can I buy a one-day membership ahead of time?
- What if I just want to go to the dealers' room? Do I still have to register for a full membership?
- Why do you need my date of birth?
After you register:
- If I move after I send in my pre-registration or I change my e-mail address, how can I update my information?
- I pre-registered but haven't received any confirmation. Am I really registered?
- My friend said he sent in my registration, but you guys don't have it. What happened?
- What happens after I pre-register? What do I need to do next?
- When will registration be open at the convention?
- What happens if I arrive after registration closes?
- Can I have my friend pick up my badge for me?
- What will the badges look like?
- I can't go to Anime Boston anymore. Can I get a refund?
- Can I transfer my Anime Boston membership to someone else?
- Is there a limit on the number of people you'll allow at the convention?
- How many people were at Anime Boston last year?
- How do I register for a Press pass?
- How do I register for an Industry pass?
- How do I register for a VIP pass?
- Other than entrance to Anime Boston, what else can my membership get me?
- How do I register for Anime Boston 2007?
Visit our Registration page for instructions.
- Do you take PayPal?
We accepted PayPal for pre-registration, but the pre-registration period has expired. At the door we will only take cash or money orders.
- Do you take credit cards?
No, sorry.
- Is there a discount for kids?
Yes. Children 6-12 save $10. Children 5 and under admitted free. (Age determined as of April 20, 2007.) All children must be accompanied at all times by an adult with a paid membership. See our Registration page.
- Is there a group discount?
A group discount was offered during pre-registration, but it is no longer available.
- Can I register as a group if I'm not sure who will be in the group yet?
The group discount period has expired.
- Can I buy a one-day membership ahead of time?
No. One-day memberships are only sold on the day on which they are valid. No exceptions.
- What if I just want to go to the dealers' room? Do I still have to register for a full membership?
Yes. Unlike Anime Boston 2004, we will not be offering passes offering access to the dealers' room. We offered those passes in 2004 knowing that we would sell out of pre-registrations. The only way to let people still visit the dealers' room (which was in a separate building at the time) was to sell passes to just the dealers' room and not the already overcrowded hotel.
- Why do you need my birthdate?
We only need your date of birth if you're getting a child membership. If you're an adult, you don't have to share your birthday with us. You can tell us if you want, but it's not necessary. (Although seeing some birth years close to our own makes us feel not quite so old sometimes.)
- I moved after I sent in my pre-registration or I changed my e-mail address. How can I update my information?
The registration database is locked down and we can no longer make changes. Please talk to us when you check in at the convention.
- I pre-registered but haven't received any confirmation. Am I really registered?
Maybe. We only send out e-mail confirmations after your payment has cleared. From the time you send in your pre-registration, it could take up to two weeks for PayPal, one month for money orders, and up two months for checks. Plus, we only send out confirmations in batches, so we may not have sent your batch yet. Finally, it's entirely possible that you typed your e-mail address wrong, we typed it wrong if you mailed it, or your e-mail server bounced it for any number of reasons. (We get a lot of confirmations bouncing back to us! The mail-in forms get more bounces because we have to guess on a lot of the handwriting.) The point is, if it has been less than two months and you have not received a confirmation, DO NOT PANIC!
One easy way to see if you're pre-registered is to check our Pre-Registered Member List to see if you're on it. The page also explains why you may not be on the list. Please be patient. Having dozens of people e-mailing to ask if they're pre-registered does not make the process any faster.
Mailed Pre-Registrations:
We check the mailbox weekly, so it could take a couple weeks from the time you mailed it until it's actually in our hands. (This is why you shouldn't use Express Mail.) After we have received the mail, it takes a week or two to process all the mail and enter names into the database. (I don't see your name in the database yet, but this is normal depending on when you mailed it in.) Once the names are entered, it can take several weeks until checks clear. ...and then it can take a couple weeks for us to mark the payment cleared in our database. If someone has chosen to have their name on the public list, it will only display after the check has cleared and the database is updated. (Money order payments don't need to clear and are listed as soon as they're entered.)
Online Pre-Registrations:
Online pre-registrations are automatically in the database, which saves us time and helps us avoid having to read your handwriting. Once a week (or so) we go through and verify which PayPal payments have cleared. Once they're cleared, we will display any names that have chosen to be listed on the public list.
- My friend said he sent in my registration, but you guys don't have it. What happened?
Your friend either lied or doesn't know how to spell your name.
- What happens after I pre-register? What do I need to do next?
Just show up at the convention. Your first stop should be the Registration Office during Registration Hours. Please bring a photo ID. (This will let us know we're giving your badge to the right person.) You can pick up your badge, lanyard, and registration bag there. After you get your badge, you're free to attend any of our events.
- When will registration be open at the convention?
Hours of operation will be as follows:
- Thursday, April 19 - 4pm to 10pm Pre-registered members ONLY
- Friday, April 20 - 7am to 10pm
- Saturday, April 21 - 7am to 9pm
- Sunday, April 22 - 8am to Noon
Please note that these are registration hours, NOT convention hours! The convention does not start until Friday morning. Our Thursday hours are so people who have pre-registered can pick up their membership badge the night before the convention starts and not have to wait in line on Friday morning. It also helps to cut down on the lines.
- What happens if I arrive after the registration desk closes?
You'll just have to wait until it opens the following day. Attendees cannot attend any convention functions or events without a pass. We will be checking.
If you arrive after it closes on Sunday, what took you so long?!
- Can I have my friend pick up my badge for me?
No. This would give us major headaches if someone picks up a badge for someone else and then that person arrives later looking for his or her badge. You need to pick up your own badge and your friends need to pick up their own badges.
- What will the badges look like?
We'd love to tell you. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who would rather forge a fake badge. That means we can't show anyone (not even most of the staff) what it looks like ahead of time. You'll find out what it looks like when you show up. Although they are always very different from what we used before, they'll still look cool and be a good souvenir.
We can tell you that the Anime Boston 2007 badges will feature never-before-seen mascot art. Our badges always do.
- I can't go to Anime Boston anymore. Can I get a refund?
Sorry, we cannot give membership refunds. This has always been stated on our registration page since it went online in early 2002. We cannot make exceptions to this rule.
- Can I transfer my Anime Boston membership to someone else?
No. Pre-registration is a commitment to attend the convention. Transferring it rather defeats the purpose. (It's caused all sorts of problems in the past, too). This means the name you register with must match the name on your ID, and you are not allowed to change it in your registration (with obvious exceptions such as getting married between registration and the con).
- Is there a limit on the number of people you'll allow at the convention?
Yes...but the Hynes is so huge that it would be silly to even mention it. If there's one thing we're sure of, it's that won't be having any capacity problems in 2007.
The Hynes has an attendance number posted on its web site, but that is only the estimated attendance that they came up with and not what we told them. It is NOT an attendance cap.
- How many people were at Anime Boston last year?
Anime Boston 2003 reached a weekend attendance of 4,110 people*. This set records as:
- The largest first-year anime convention in North America.**
- The largest pre-registration count for a first year anime convention. (1,384 people)**
- The largest anime convention in New England. (previous record: 330 people at Mikkakan 2001)**
- The seventh largest anime convention in North America in 2003. (...in our first year!)
Keep in mind that the fire marshal asked us to turn people away after noon on Saturday (unless they had pre-registered). If we hadn't needed to turn people away, it is very likely we could have passed the 5000 mark.
As for Anime Boston 2004 attendance, the total number of people to attend the convention actually dropped down to 3,656*. Why? We had to cut off pre-registration early in order to be within the fire code. However, everyone had a three-day pass. In 2003, we sold a number of one-day passes on Friday and Saturday.
In 2005, we were in a much larger space and expanded to nearly 7,000 paid attendees and a total of about 7,500* people at the convention.
2006 saw 9,354* warm bodies invade the Hynes.
In 2007...who knows what might happen?
* Anime Boston attendance numbers include staff, guests, and press since they're people too! Memberships are only counted once (ie: if someone attends all 3 days, they do not count as 3.) Some non-anime conventions count attendees multiple times if they attend multiple days. Under that method, AB2005's attendance would be over 15,000.
** According to AnimeCons.com, these records have yet to be surpassed by another anime convention.
- How do I register for a Press pass?
Information on obtaining a press pass can be found in our Press section. Note that the deadline has passed and no press passes will be issued at-con.
- How do I register for an Industry pass?
Industry passes are handled by our Public Relations division. Contact us for more information.
- How do I register for a VIP pass?
You can't. Anime Boston's executive staff members are the only ones who can send out VIP passes. They are typically given to local celebrities, spouses of guests, and athletes who are invited to the convention. There is no application process.
- Other than entrance to Anime Boston, what else can my membership get me?
A membership purchased for Anime Boston only admits you to Anime Boston for that year. It does not admit you to other conventions or events run by the New England Anime Society nor will it admit you to future Anime Boston conventions. For information on other NEAS events, visit neanime.org.
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