General Convention Hours

These are the hours the Raleigh Convention Center will be open. Doors open before Registration opens to allow early birds to meet up and get in line. Please note that the RCC will be closing at 2:30am on Friday and Saturday this year (the dances will end at 2:00am). More sleep + more showers = a better con experience for everyone!

In the interest of ensuring everyone a safe and fun convention, all attendees of Animazement are expected to adhere to to the following Code of Conduct:

1. Do not sleep in convention areas. Rooms are available at nearby hotels.

2. Do not sell anything at the convention (art, T-shirts, videos, glowsticks, etc.) without PRIOR written permission from the Animazement director. Selling stuff out of your room is a great way to end your convention early!

3. Wear your badge. No badge means no admittance. Period. One-day badges expire at midnight. Badges are non-transferrable.

4. Treat the Guests of Honor, convention staff, volunteers, and other attendees with respect.

5. Do not take photographs, shoot videos, or make recordings when the use of such devices is prohibited. If you aren’t sure, ask the nearest Animazement staff member. Signs will be posted. This is an unfortunate way to end your convention early.

6. Do not destroy or damage the convention facilities, or any property belonging to the RCC or Animazement. Animazement is not responsible for any damage you cause to the RCC or any hotel facilities or property.

7. Do not touch or “borrow” the audio/visual equipment. You break it, you buy it.

8. Do not talk loudly or heckle the anime in the video rooms. Leave your cell phones, pagers, and walkie-talkies OFF. There is a time and place to be obnoxious; this isn’t it.

9. Do not obstruct the flow of traffic. Keep doorways and stairs clear. We all want to move around the convention, and we can’t if you are in the way. Step to the side to take photographs. The stairs are not a hangout spot.

10. Follow the Props and Weapons Policy. Don’t spar with or swing your props. You could hurt someone, and will be removed from the convention.

11. Use your “inside voice.” Do not be loud and obnoxious unless instructed to do so by convention staff. There is a time and place to be obnoxious; we will let you know when that time comes! Do not beg, panhandle, or solicit for anything.

12. Wear appropriate clothing at all times, as outlined in the Dress Code below. If you are asked to change, please do so. RCC rules require that you wear shoes at all times. Violation of these rules may end your convention early.

13. Do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are under the age of 21. Animazement does NOT serve alcohol to attendees. No alcohol on the convention floor. Ditto for illegal substances. Raleigh police officers will be on hand at all times, so don’t even think about it.

14. Do not move tables and chairs. These items have been placed where they are needed. If you see convention staff moving furniture, please volunteer to help.

15. Bathe. This should go without saying, but every year some attendees manage to incite the wrath of the Febreeze Ninja. Nobody likes a funky-smelling otaku. Hotels provide soap for a reason.

16. Signs are so last century! Have a personality, not a sign!

17. Take care of yourself! We know that there is so much to do at Animazement, sometimes it’s hard to remember to eat, drink, and sleep. But please remember to take care of your body’s basic needs! Water stations are provided for you. Take advantage of them, and stay hydrated! Plan your day so that you can have times for meals and rest. It is not a badge of honor to survive the weekend on nothing but Pocky and no sleep, it’s just stupid.

18. 18+ panels. There are certain events at Animazement designated as 18+. Attendees planning to go to these events must be at least 18 years old and obtain a wristband from the wristband booth PRIOR to the event. Picture identification is required to obtain your wristband. We will NOT check identification at the door – no bracelet, no admittance.

Animazement has worked hard over the years to provide a family-friendly environment. In keeping with that philosophy, we have decided to codify our dress policy.

Essentially, our policy is that you should only wear outfits that you would be comfortable wearing in front of children, grandparents, and anyone in between. We will not allow anything lewd or more revealing than a modest bathing suit. Also, all costumes must be robust enough to remain intact if you stumble, bump into someone, or burst into spontaneous jumping jacks.

In order to remove as much subjectivity as possible, we’ve compiled a general list of guidelines. These are not all-inclusive, but they’re likewise not negotiable. Animazement staff and security reserve the right to tell you to change on a judgment call basis, so make sure you have a change of clothes or the cash to buy a wonderful Animazement t-shirt if you feel your outfit may be inappropriate.

Dress Guidelines

1. Your outfit must cover you at least as well as a modest swimsuit would. (No thongs or other minimalist bottoms. No pasties, tape, or paint in lieu of a full coverage top. Also, obviously nothing transparent for these areas.)
2. Your outfit must have shoes or sandals that ensure that no part of your foot touches the floor at any time. (RCC rules require that you wear shoes at all times.)
3. You cannot wear roller skates, blades, or any variation thereof. (You may still have the skates with you – usually worn by the laces around the neck for photo purposes, you just can’t wear them in the convention area.)
4. You cannot connect yourself to another person. (No chains, leashes, ropes, or anything else that limits the mobility of another person. This is a safety hazard and thus is not allowed.)
5. Signs are not costumes. (They come off as tacky and in the past we’ve had issues where they evolved into solicitation, so we’ve blanket-banned them.)
6. All props must pass the weapons policy, even if you just want to use them during the cosplay contest.

Also, please remember that if you dress up, people will look at you. We maintain that Animazement is a safe and friendly environment, but we can’t stop people from looking at you if you choose to draw attention to yourself with an elaborate or risqué costume. Please consider this when deciding what to wear.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

Hotel Information

Primary Hotel

Once again the official hotel for Animazement is the Raleigh Marriott® City Center. Located directly across Fayetteville St. from the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC), the Marriott is seconds away from all of the Animazement festivities via underground access.

Marriott City Center
500 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 USA
Phone: 1-919-833-1120
Reservations: 1-800-236-2427 (code: anmanma)
www.marriott.com/az

Convention Rates

Single and Double Rooms (1-4 people): $113.00/night + tax
Convention rates are available from May 23 through May 27, 2013. This rate is only guaranteed through April 20, 2013 after which the hotel will accept reservations at this rate subject to availability.

Reservation Notes

Be sure you understand the difference between “guaranteed” and “requested” when you make a request for a type of room and what appears on your final confirmation email. If you are guaranteed a double room then most likely that is what you will get at check-in. However, if your reservation confirmation indicates “requested” it means that as long as doubles are available you’ll get one, but if not, you’ll get a King. The hotel has a mix of double and King bed rooms, so not everyone will get the type of room requested. The earlier you check in, the better the chances are of getting what you requested. If you can’t get a double bed room you might want to request a rollaway bed (additional fee) just in case.

Regardless of how you make your reservation, the hotel requires the use of a credit/debit card to hold your room.

If a parent, friend, or some other third party will be paying for your room at check-out, please download and complete this Marriott form along with a copy of the cardholder’s drivers license. Then either fax it in or have it with you at check-in along with the drivers license copy. It will save you a lot of time and trouble if you complete this in advance.

If you use a debit card at check-in (not when you make the reservation) hotels typically will immediately debit at check-in the total dollar amount of room, tax, and an incidental amount for each night of your stay. Any amount that is authorized and not spent may take up to five business days or longer after your departure to release depending on your bank.

 

Primary Overflow Hotel

The other primary hotel for Animazement is the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel which is located near the Raleigh Convention Centers just a few steps away from all of the Animazement festivities! It’s next door to the Marriott and just about as convenient.

Sheraton Raleigh Hotel
421 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 USA
Phone: 1-919-834-9900
Fax : 1-919-833-1217
www.starwoodmeeting.com

Convention Rates

Single and Double Rooms (1-4 people): $108.00/night + tax
Convention rates are available from May 23 through May 26, 2013. This rate is only guaranteed through April 22, 2013, subject to availability.

 

Secondary Overflow Hotels

In addition to the two Primary hotels located adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC), Animazement has arranged special hotel rates at this group of hotels which are further away from the RCC but have lower rates: Clarion Hotel State Capital, Doubletree by Hilton, Courtyard Raleigh Midtown, Red Roof Inn and Hampton Inn Midtown.  Please see the brief description for each of these hotels below followed by details for each.

The Clarion, north of the Raleigh Convention Center, is a 15 minute walk to the RCC or a brief ride on the free downtown loop R-LINE bus service which runs frequently on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (afternoon only).  A bus stop is a block from the hotel.  For information on the R-LINE line go to www.godowntownraleigh.com/get-around/r-line or ask the Clarion hotel staff.

The Doubletree Brownstone is located northwest about 5 minutes (2 miles) by car from the RCC.
The Courtyard is located north of the RCC about ten minutes (5 miles) by car.
The Red Roof Inn is located south of the RCC about five minutes (3 miles) by car.

 

Convention Rates
Single and Double Rooms (1-4 people):

Clarion: $79.00/night + tax (guaranteed through April 26, 2013)

Doubletree: $94.00/night + tax (guaranteed through May 2, 2013)

Courtyard: $76.00/night + tax (guaranteed through May 3, 2013)

Red Roof Inn: $59.99/night + tax (guaranteed through May 2, 2013 but possibly later)

Hampton Inn: $74.00/night + tax (guaranteed through May 9, 2013)

These special convention rates are available at least from Thursday, May 23th through checkout on Sunday, May 26th. Convention rates are only guaranteed through the dates listed above after which the hotel will accept reservations at this rate subject to availability.

Parking at these hotels is free.  But you will need to walk or take a bus (Clarion) or drive to the RCC (Doubletree, Courtyard, Red Roof Inn, and Hampton Inn) and find parking near the RCC.

 

Physical Address and Contact Information

Clarion Hotel State Capital
320 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA
www.clarionhotel.com/hotel-raleigh-north_carolina-NC376?promo=gcrnc376
Phone: 1-919-832-0501
Reservations: contact hotel directly

Doubletree by Hilton
1707 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27605 USA
www.brownstonehotel.com
Phone: 1-919-828-0811
Reservations: call 800-331-7919 (in-house) or 800-331-7919 (national reservations)
Or use the reservation website:
http://www.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/R/RDUDNDT-MAZ-20130523/index.jhtml

Courtyard Raleigh Midtown
1041 Wake Towne Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609 USA
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/rduwf-courtyard-raleigh-midtown/
Phone: 1-919-821-3400
Reservations: 888-236-2427 (ask for the Animazement block)
or use the reservation website:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/RDUWF?groupCode=ANIANIA&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/23/13&toDate=5/26/13
Note: the link above will automatically be prefilled with the group code for King rooms.  Therefore, if you want a room with two Queens change the group code to ANIANIB.

Red Roof Inn
1813 South Saunders Street (just off of I-440)
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA
www.redroofinn.com
(when booking online add code “ANIMAZ” in the Special Remarks box and the hotel will change the rate to the con rate prior to check-in)
Phone: 1-919-833-6005
Reservations: 800-733-7663
Mention  code “ANIMAZ” when calling either number.

Hampton Inn Raleigh Midtown
1001 Wake Towne Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609 USA
www.raleighnorth.hamptoninn.com
Phone: 1-919-828-1813
Reservations: by phone only, call hotel directly (see number above) or 800-HAMPTON (national reservations)
Mention  code “MZE” when calling either number.

Reserving a Hotel Room

To reserve a room and get the convention rates you must either use the website (if provided) or call the hotels at the above number and identify yourself as part of the Animazement group. Educational Growth Across the Ocean is the official group name if there are any questions. The hotel requires the use of a credit/debit card to hold your room.

Any questions contact us at info@animazement.org

Parking

The good news is that there is plenty of parking near the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC) in downtown Raleigh. If you want to park close to the RCC, you will probably have to pay, but if you are willing to park further away and walk it is possible to find free parking. Remember that like many large cities, downtown parking is not usually free especially during the week. In this article, we have tried to provide you with information about downtown parking options that we hope will be helpful.

Important Note: Wherever you park whether in a paid deck, free deck or on the street make sure that you do not leave any luggage, packages, or valuables (for example, GPS devices) in plain sight. Either take them with you or lock them in your trunk.

For free parking you should park in well-lit areas and exercise caution when out late at night. Downtown Raleigh Safety Ambassadors offer free escort services and can be contacted at 919-368-7962 until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

For a list of Raleigh’s parking decks and garages, check out Get Around Raleigh Parking Options. If you click on the links for each individual deck or garage, you will even get driving directions and costs of parking.

Props and Weapons

Animazement wants to create a safe environment for all attendees, while also allowing costumers to show off their hard work and craftsmanship. Please review this page and ensure that everything you bring to the convention follows Animazement guidelines.
Failure to adhere to this policy can result in immediate expulsion from the convention.

Forbidden Costumes & Props

Items which are strictly prohibited (no questions asked) include :
1. Live Steel– This includes swords, knives, shurikens, bayonets, or other metal objects which have an edge.
2. Guns – This is anything that shoots a projectile or could be enabled to shoot a projectile, including air guns, airsoft weapons, crossbows, or replicas of actual guns.
3. Signs – This includes all message based signs attached to costumes, picket signs, polling signs, and dry erase boards.
4. Paddles – Regardless of the shape, size, material, or message that may be written on them, paddles of any kind will not be allowed.

Restricted Props & Costumes

Items which are permitted with certain limitations include:
1. Easily identifiable toy plastic guns
2. Wooden bokken, staffs or walking sticks
3. Fake weapons made from cardboard, Styrofoam, rubber, or other craft materials
4. Large props, regardless of construction
5. Large costumes
6. Heavy props (or props constructed mostly of metal)

If a permitted weapon is an integral part of a costume, it must be bound at all times, in such a way as to make it impossible to draw or use the weapon. Misusing a prop, or engaging in horseplay by swinging it around, sparring, etc., is the fastest way to lose the privilege of carrying it at all.

Due to safety concerns, large props will not be permitted in the dealers room.

All props are subject to review by the convention staff. You may be asked at by Animazement or RCC staff to remove your prop. If this happens, you must not only cease wearing it, but also remove it from the convention area immediately.

Failure to adhere to this policy can result in immediate expulsion from the convention. Remember, if you have any doubt, you can always contact us or check with security staff at the convention.

Dealers Room Weapons

If you purchase a weapon in the Dealers Room, take it immediately to your room or car for storage. Do not carry it around with you.