[Jtsummers]

In 2011 (2010?), at the Origins convention in Columbus then VP Biden was conducting a fundraiser at the same time at the same convention center. It was hilarious to see the secret service agents walking around. At first I thought it was some kind of MIB LARP or something. Seeing Secret Service agents trailing behind the (armed with swords and maces and such) entourage of a minotaur was hilarious.

Sadly, no one got the joke when I asked if anyone had warned the Steve Jackson Games crew.

[kregasaurusrex]

Scheduling at the Columbus Convention Center really seems to be done without any regard for neighboring events. An Ohio Linuxfest a couple years ago was done right alongside a youth cheerleading competition, which had made some parents seem noticeably uncomfortable. And other weekends have mixed conventions like Wizard's World Comic Con and Origins, where I'd guess there's an overlap of people who'd like to go to both but not pay for a split experience. The expansion which has been under construction for a couple years is finally done, and the "As We Are"[0] art installation was added including a decent chunk of event space.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6dyWT4Cms

[PhasmaFelis]

Hahaha, many years ago I went to a MarCon in Columbus that had been scheduled alongside a high school prom. Not necessarily a problem, but there are always people in costume at these things, and there happened to be a dominatrix leading two gimps on leashes through the main concourse at the same time that the kids were parading through...

[WorldMaker]

Many Cons have had to establish boundary rules for that sort of "play" regardless of if they are scheduled alongside a more "normal" event. Also, BDSM culture itself has fought hard to move towards a more consent-based culture and publicly displaying such things without public consent is increasingly considered rude.

[eh78ssxv2f]

May be I am missing something about the American culture...What's wrong with having Linuxfest next to cheerleading competition?

[barry-cotter]

Nerds and men with wizard beards near loads of young women, almost all of whom are still in high school. Men with lower than average social skills, grooming and attendance to the normal rituals of social behaviour. American high school stuff, basically.

[Jtsummers]

The issue at that convention center (from my experiences there) are that multiple events really occupy the same space, not adjacent spaces. Like if there are 4 event halls in a row with two groups (A and B) it won't be AAAB, it'll be ABAA. And you have to travel through the common (very large) hallway to get to these areas.

I could understand parents being somewhat disconcerted with finding their teenage daughters surrounded by a bunch of adult men. Especially if they didn't know that another convention was going on (at first). Imagine you take a large group of young teenage girls somewhere and find that there are a couple thousand adult men seemingly at the same event. At first it'd seem very odd.

[katastic]

Please tell me you've got pictures. I would very much like to see them.

[Jtsummers]

Unfortunately no. I wasn't in the habit of taking pictures with my phone at the time.