Decorum in the Headless Lounge
Hi all,
We will be posting more information about fursuit programming shortly, but I wanted to take a moment to address a question that is popping up quite a bit. It involves resting/socializing in the headless loungue.
We are anticipating a large turnout for Anthrocon this year. With that turnout, is the prospect of having 700 or more fursuiters attending the convention. That is a large number of costumers, and to be honest, as large as our facilities are, both of the headless lounges together simply can't accomodate THAT number of people simultaneously. So here is something that we'd like our fursuiters to understand. (I'm a fursuiter too...so I understand this all too well.)
The headless lounges are restricted to fursuiters, their handlers, and staff/volunteers who are working/assisting with these rooms. However, during peak times (such as the dance or around the fursuit games or parade), we may restrict access to the headless lounges to limited staff and fursuiters ONLY. This means that if a handler is needed to help remove part of a costume piece, they may only remain in the lounge long enough to assist, and then must exit. Please understand that this is for the benefit of as many of our fursuiters as possible. (Also bodies do generate heat, and people not needing to cool down will raise the overall temperature in the headless lounge just by being there..so if the room is crowded, we must ask handlers to wait outside the lounges.) We will have specific personnel assigned to monitor the headless lounges throughout the weekend. If they ask folks to exit to make room for other fursuiters, please do not argue with them.
Also, we must ask fursuiters to keep in mind that the lounges are not social zones. By nature, people will probably talk while in the headless lounges...that's normal. But we should not allow the lounges to become areas where folks sit and chat for 20+ minutes in clusters. This prevents other suiters who need access to the fans and head drying trees to not be able to use them. So please, once you have cooled down, please exit the lounges to let other fursuiters have access. It will help keep things as comfortable as possible for many people, and will allow the largest possible number of people (especially important to our fursuiters who are not staying at the Westin) to be able to cool down when they need to.
Thanks all! This is going to be a great year!
KP
Thank you for the regulation!
This may be a silly question, but once a suiter has cooled down that needs assistance getting himself 'back together,' how will they get the attention of their handler? A word to the staff? Peeking their head out of the door? Calling their cell? All of the above? :3
This of course, is under the assumption the handler hasn't wandered off too far. Just another reason to always have your cell phone!
At times when a monitor asks handlers to exit the lounge, the monitor should also be able to step outside to ask the handler to come back in should a fursuiter need assistance in getting the costume back together.
Now one nice thing about the location of the headless lounge in the DLCC, is that room 303-305 (we call it the Sandstone Club) should be open many of the times that may have peak useage of the headless lounge. So it may make a great waiting area that isn't too far away. (It's right next door.)
In the Westin, we could probably arrange a waiting area in one of the smaller and less used briefing rooms which are also right near the headless lounge.
KP
Thanks for the info!
This will be my first time suiting at a con so its best to know all this. Thanks!
Very well put. I was at ac last year and yes the rooms got crowed at times. I think this would help out a lot. I just wanted to say thank you for this... 
Perhaps in future years we should rename it to the Fursuit Recovery Room. No-one can stay more than 5 minutes without removing their head. 
Correct. Cameras are usually frowned upon in the headless lounge. A lot of fursuiters do not like to be seen with their heads off and bringing cameras into the lounge would diminish the privacy in the lounge.
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