This weekend, I went to the Hyatt hotel in Newport Beach for the Anime Expo Managers’ Retreat. Although most of the material was presented in a rather dry and direct instruction fashion, some of the information will be useful in preparation for the actual day of the convention in the summer. Most of it was kind of useless and inapplicable to my life, but what is? In reality, most of what I learn will be done probably on the spot, like any other jobs I have had in the past.
The true beauty of the experience came in enjoying the free hotel accommodations, the free food (which wasn’t great: 2 stars), and finally meeting in person most of the people I will be working with this summer. Although I’ve had online meetings with them prior to this point, it was interesting getting to know them and identifying their unique personality traits and contributions to the Registration department. Although they all come from different places and all are unique in their own way, I have no doubt that they will be a delight to volunteer with in the future (most of them, if not some).
That being said, I would argue that the highlight of the whole convention was the free trip to Dave N’ Busters, which included a free buffet (yum), as well as a free $15 power card. As a result, we had the chance to play games, and have some much needed fun. My favorite games were obviously again, Mario Kart, and four-player air hockey.
By the end of the night, the earning of a Pokeball as my prize by the end of the night was well worth the games, and I hope to use it as a talking piece in my classroom for future circles and future activities.
Here’s to hoping the rest of my interactions with these people remain positive, and that the event goes off without a hitch come this summer. If not, then I’ll just quit. Just kidding.
