Frequently Asked Questions
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Table of Contents
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What IS Auchinawa?!
Auchinawa is Scotland's largest Japanese popular culture event, encompassing everything from animation (anime) and comic books (manga) to music, cosplay, games and everything in-between!
When/where is Auchinawa?!
Auchinawa 2010 will be running from the 19th to the 21st November, 2010. It will be held in the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor hotel, which is located across the road from Edinburgh Haymarket Station, and a five-minute walk from Edinburgh's famous Princes Street. The convention will kick off around midday on the 19th, and conclude around middnight on the 21st.
How much are tickets? How do I buy a ticket?
A pass for Auchinawa 2010 is £45, and allows you access to all our events over the three days if the convention.
There is no physical "ticket" as such fir Auchinawa. To attend, you register your details online via our website, pay for your place by either posting us a cheque, or using your debit/credit card via Google Checkout, and that's all there is to it! Once registered, you just turn up on the first day of the convention with your appropriate ID and we'll issue you with your convention pass.
How long has Auchinawa been around for?
The idea that became Auchinawa first formed back in 2003, when a group of diehard anime fans visited Ayacon, and thought to themselves "Scotland could do with one of these!" (or something along those lines).
After rigerous planning, the first Auchinawa was held in 2006, in Glasgow's Quality Central Hotel, to great success. Featuring special guests such as Jan Scott-Frazier, Scott Ramsoomair, Dave Cheung and Joseph Jamal Jr, Paul Gravatt and Mugenkyo, it was such a packed event that it spread across four days, a first for UK anime conventions.
Bolstered by how well-received '06 had been, the committee reconvened to put on Auchinawa 2008 at the Glasgow Airport Holiday Inn. A much more streamlined event, it featured the return of Jan Scott-Frazier, who once more regaled us with tales of working in the Japanese animation industry, as well as the effective use of an MP5 in pest control.
Selling out in only 9 days, and with a waiting list for places running to almost 200, the demand for another event was massive, and as such, we decided to move to a much bigger venue for this year's convention.
How old must I be to attend Auchinawa?
In order to attend Auchinawa 2010, you must be aged 16 or over by the 19th of November.
Will I require ID to attend Auchinawa?
Indeed you will. A form of photographic identification is required by all attendees for two reasons:
- In order to issue you with your convention pass upon arrival, we need to establish that you are, in fact, you, and that you are on our members list.
- We need to confirm that you are over 16, and also whether you are under 18 (see below).
What types of ID do you accept?
We accept the following types of identification:
- UK Drivers License (Full/Provisional)
- Valid UK Passport
- Young Scot Card (With PASS hologram)
- Prove It Card
- NHS Medical Card
- EU Photo Identity Card
- HM Forces ID Card
We also accept other forms of photographic ID that bare the PASS hologram, so if you are in doubt, don't hesitate to email registrations@auchinawa.org.uk and check.
Please note that due to the high rate of forgeries, we do not accept Student ID cards as valid forms of identification.
Also, please note that if you arrive at the convention without any form of ID whatsoever, you will not be issued a pass, and will be denied entry to the con without refund.
Are there age restrictions on events?
Only a few events have age restrictions in place - for example, material rated 18 in our screening room, or our infamous Adult Event. As such, when registering, anyone aged 16-18 is given a distinctly seperate pass from the over-18s. This aids our staff in quickly identifying anyone that shouldn't be in an age-restricted event, and also assists the hotel staff when IDing attendees at the bar.
What is a convention pass?
A con-pass is a badge which you are issued with upon arrival at Auchinawa. It will have your name (or nickname should you so choose) printed on the front, and is your all-access pass to the events of Auchinawa. You will need your pass in order to attend ANY event at the convention, as passes will be checked on the door to screening rooms, panels, dealers room and so on.
Your pass is attatched to a lanyard, so be sure to wear it somewhere visible (generally, around your neck seems to work best). If your pass is not visible, our staff may stop you and ask you to present it to them. If you do not have your pass (if, for example, you left it in your hotel room), you will be asked to leave, and return upon fetching it. If you cannot provide us with your pass upon request, you will be sent to Operations, and may be ejected from the convention if we establish that you did not have a pass to begin with.
What happens if I lose my pass? Will you kick me out?!
Don't panic. If you lose your pass, simply come speak to a committee member at Operations. If you show us your ID, we can check against our members list to ensure that you're a paying member, and can issue you with a replacement.
99% of the time though, if you've lost your pass, by the time you come to Ops to speak to us, some kindly soul will have handed it in to our Lost and Found box.
Can I lend my 16-year-old friend my 18+ pass, so they can attend XYZ-event?
No.
Seriously, don't do that. If we catch you, then at the very least, we will eject you from the convention without refund, and depending on the severity of the infraction, we may eject your friend as well.
So yeah, don't even try it.
Does the cost of my pass include my hotel room too?
No, your hotel room is not included in the cost of your pass, and must be booked seperately. The Hilton has put on a special discounted rate for Auchinawa attendees, the details of which you will be provided with upon registration. Alternatively, there are a great number of alternative hotels and hostels nearby, should you choose to stay off-site.
What is a convention t-shirt?
An Auchi tshirt is a great piece of memerobilia to take home with you from the con, and is only ever available when registering, or on the day (often in short supply, though!)
Some of the details I entered during registration have changed/are incorrect! Help!
No worries, just email registrations@auchinawa.org.uk with your name, registration code and the revised details, and we'll sort you out.
Why do you ask for my address/? Will you be sending me my pass through the mail?
Your address is required so that we can contact you in an emergency, if we do not recieve a reply from you via email address. Additionally, if you cancel your membership and require a refund, it will be posted to you in the form of a cheque.
You collect your pass upon arrival at Auchinawa in November, so don't panic if you don't recieve it in the mail!
