Table Lottery Results - Coming next Weekend (June 4-5)

[The Chris McKenna]

A very big thanks to to everyone who applied for a table this year.

Now we must begin the task of assigning everyone as best as we can, this does take a while as we try to make sure that everyone is next-to their person of choice.

Until that is done, and that list is finalized, we won't be able to post the full list of "ticket number=table number". When we do post that list it will be here, and we hope it'll be ready by next weekend.

We can say that with our new layout the number of tables available this year went UP by twelve from last time, while sadly the total number of applications went down by almost 70.

Therefore, this year it looks like 9 out of 10 people who applied will get a table. Yep, OVER %90 will be selected!

And those are just the preliminary numbers. Every year people with tables drop out and those on the stand-by list are moved in, so that percent will only go higher.

Thanks again to everyone, and please be patient for about week while we sort everything out.

[Deleted]

Regarding ConAID Access Attendees: according to the information page on the main site, "should you be selected to get a table, we can contact you to work out any specific arrangements that can help with your participation in the event."

Does this mean that we will be contacted before the official table list goes out next weekend? If so, when can we expect to be contacted? I know that I myself would have some specific accessibility needs, and would hope to be able to address them without disrupting overall preparations for the event or causing the staff too much hassle.

[The Chris McKenna]

Don’t worry, that has nothing to do with it. It’s just a lot of work to make the list and we are very busy people so it’ll take some time.

However, we’ll likely give sellers who selected the Con-Aid box a slightly delayed sign-in time on Friday so we can better assist them once the majority of sellers are already inside, the sign-in area is less crowded, and before the buyers come pouring in at 7:00.

But we haven’t made final decisions yet. Full details to follow once we sort out the list.

[ajthecollector]

Just wanted to be sure, once the final results are in, is that also when we can expect the thread for those of us looking to partner with someone to go up too?

[The Chris McKenna]

Yeah, I'll set both threads up at the same time.

I figure the best way is for people with tables and who are looking for a 2nd or 3rd seller can post there, and people looking to join can find them and work it out via PM.

[ajthecollector]

Personally I feel like it may be easier for people looking for a table to post there, that way we can put out what we'll mostly be selling, how much of the table we're willing to pay, etc. for all to see and decisions can be made quicker.

[twobluetails]

May 30, 2022 20:02:56 GMT -5 The Chris McKenna said:

Yeah, I'll set both threads up at the same time.

I figure the best way is for people with tables and who are looking for a 2nd or 3rd seller can post there, and people looking to join can find them and work it out via PM.

If what you said regarding 90% of lottery participants getting tables, leaving only 10% out in the cold, turns out to be true, then wouldn't getting the have-nots to post their table-sharing requests in this hypothetical thread work better?

I believe that running this hypothetical thread this way would mean that the thread would be easier to manage, instead of the other way round. The number of people who got tables and wouldn't mind sharing their table is likely to be smaller than the number of people who didn't get a table from the lottery and who still want to share a table, for one thing. Another issue with running this hypothetical thread "the other way around" is that posters who have a table and wouldn't mind sharing that table are likely to get inundated with requests to share a table from the have-nots. The have-nots would also have to "apply" to share a table with each and every poster in this hypothetical thread in order to maximize their chances of sharing a table, possibly resulting in a lot of inconvenient PMs.

If, instead, the have-nots post up their table-sharing requests in just one thread, then they won't have to "apply" to multiple table winners to share a table. They would just post up in the thread once with the relevant details (what exactly they're looking to sell, how many items in total they'll likely bring, how much of the table fee they'll be willing to pay if they get accepted to share a table), simplifying things greatly. This way, the table winners who are willing to share a table only need to go to the thread and take their pick amongst the have-nots.

For those who don't know what I'm getting at, my method is a "don't call us, we'll call you" paradigm. The have-nots hang out their shingle (so to speak) in the table-sharing requests thread, and the table winners who are willing to share a table go to that thread to find who will fit best, resulting in less work (requests sent, PM traffic, etc.) for everyone overall.

[ajthecollector]

Basically everything said in the post above, yeah. He said it better than I could've.

[The Chris McKenna]

As I said %90 of people who requested a table will be getting one this year.

Therefore, the number of people who are not on the table list, nor on the standby list, is very few this time. So when we consider the large number of people with a table, and from them consider those who have less than 3 sellers and want to add another. And contrast that against the far smaller number of people without a table, then the smaller number of those who would also be willing to settle for 1/2 or 1/3 of a table instead, it makes sense to us to invite the larger of the two groups to post they are looking for more sellers and the smaller of the two groups to do the asking to join.

Even in the most extreme situation where every seller who wasn’t selected for a table applied to every table who was looking for another, that’d still wouldn’t be a flood of PM to deal with, you could either pick the first who asked, or just roll a d20.

And besides this gives sellers another opportunity to post about their table, “Join us at table N000, we’re selling X and Y”. We wouldn’t allow people without a table to post a list of what they intend to sell, as you need to have a table number to do that.

In the end the only number that matters is how many tables are looking to add another seller. When that number hits zero then it won’t matter if there are still 5 or 500 people still looking to join a table, will it?

[twobluetails]

May 31, 2022 18:42:43 GMT -5 The Chris McKenna said:

As I said %90 of people who requested a table will be getting one this year.

Therefore, the number of people who are not on the table list, nor on the standby list, is very few this time. So when we consider the large number of people with a table, and from them consider those who have less than 3 sellers and want to add another. And contrast that against the far smaller number of people without a table, then the smaller number of those who would also be willing to settle for 1/2 or 1/3 of a table instead, it makes sense to us to invite the larger of the two groups to post they are looking for more sellers and the smaller of the two groups to do the asking to join.

Even in the most extreme situation where every seller who wasn’t selected for a table applied to every table who was looking for another, that’d still wouldn’t be a flood of PM to deal with, you could either pick the first who asked, or just roll a d20.

And besides this gives sellers another opportunity to post about their table, “Join us at table N000, we’re selling X and Y”. We wouldn’t allow people without a table to post a list of what they intend to sell, as you need to have a table number to do that.

In the end the only number that matters is how many tables are looking to add another seller. When that number hits zero then it won’t matter if there are still 5 or 500 people still looking to join a table, will it?

I believe that the number of people looking to add another seller can be subject to change. The right sharing partner can in fact be a net benefit; if the sharing partner can bring a sufficiently-attractive set of goods, or a set of goods that complements the primary seller's goods well, then both benefit from the increased customer traffic that could be brought to the table. So it's possible for someone who may not necessarily plan on sharing a table in the first place to be convinced that sharing a table with the right seller could be a net positive.

I also believe that the number of people who didn't get a table through the lottery, yet would be willing to share one, may not be as reduced as you may think. Surely there must be many amongst that group who would be willing to share a table to get at least some room to sell their items, else why would they sign up for the lottery in the first place?

The process of getting a shared table after not getting a full table through the regular channels wasn't easy for me in the past. I had to send out quite a few PMs and got rejected quite a few times before someone finally let me share some space at a table at a previous Nominoichi. This process would also be necessary if the haves who want to share a table are the ones to post up in the thread, not the have-nots.

The proposal I made would cut down on the total number of PMs necessary for everyone to work things out; the have-nots "hang up their shingles" in the thread, the haves who want to share their tables then make their choices after reading through the thread, and each of the haves who want to share a table then sends just one PM to the have-not they deem worthy. 

And if the have-nots putting up a list of items they intend to sell is against the rules, why not just give a general idea in the thread if the have-nots are the ones to post up requests to share a table? Or would that require other channels of communication?

[The Chris McKenna]

I think this whole idea is getting blown a little out of portion.

We have almost 180 tables this year. The total number of people who completed the application process, and who are not getting a table right now, is less than 20.

And, based on previous years, there are always a number of sellers who cancel before the event. That's why we also do a stand-by list and they are offered a table when one becomes available. Therefore, even if no sellers want to add anyone, by the day of the event the number of people without tables will be even lower.

But in the end it doesn't matter how many people want to join a table. The only number that matters is how many tables actually want to add another seller, and I have no idea how many that'll be. I can only assume it'll be higher than 20, but I don't know for sure, so we can set up a thread and find out together.

[ajthecollector]

So those of us who want or outright need to secure a table partner (because personally, if I don't and therefore am unable to sell anything, I'll have to either chop my spending budget in half or outright call off my trip) will indeed have to take the time to message each person in the thread with our pitch and just hope to be noticed and chosen first, and then the sellers have to note everyone else that they weren't chosen, and some who are chosen might even feel they should let other sellers they contacted know they're no longer searching for the sake of politeness. And this is...easier than letting us be the ones to post in the thread, put our pitches out publicly, and wait for an interested seller who knows for sure they won't be cancelling to contact us?

And regarding the whole thing with not being allowed to list what we want to sell, I hadn't even imagined we'd do that, but surely there's nothing wrong with giving a general idea. In fact, I already prepared a pitch in which I simply mention that I'd mainly be selling a selection of DVDs, games, books and cards, along with info like my past selling experience and how much I'm able to pay for my part of the table.

[Michelle]

If I end up testing positive at the very last minute and need to drop out, will my eligibility to participate as a seller in future years be affected?

[vampyneko]

Is there still a way to get on the stand by list? I completely missed that the reservations we're open.

[samuraizero]

If I get a table, I'd be happy to go splitsies with someone.