TEKKOSHOCON NO LONGER AT THE WYNDHAM GRAND HOTEL

 Tekkoshocon Convention Chairman, Jim Gogal,  has some big news to reveal via Facebook. 

I figured I should say something official about Tekkoshocon and the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh. Effective 26 March 2012 Tekkoshocon and the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh have parted ways. We have agreed that our business and their facility do not work well together. As such Tekkoshocon will no longer be utilizing the Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh for any official Tekkoshocon Inc. events.

We wish the management and company well.

Then there is this Facebook post that gives more detail on why they cancelled their relationship with the hotel.

Will Tekkoshocon be at the Wyndham Grand next year?

No.

What is the new venue?

We are currently investigating this. Negotiations for a venue may take several weeks or months to complete. We want you to join us next year so we will let you know the minute we can. Please be patient.

Why were Artists' Alley and gaming in smaller rooms?

Midway through the year, after several guests were already booked, we were informed by the Wyndham that the King's Garden (those rooms you saw by the elevators, where Artists' Alley was last year) would not be available to us due to construction. We had two choices at this point: work with the space or cancel Tekko. We put Artists' Alley into the next biggest space the hotel had to offer and moved the rest of our layout in order to accomodate every other department that got displaced. The fourth floor was not ideal for anyone, but the activities of RPG/CCG/Video Gaming were able to be segmented into the space while a panel room or Artists' Alley could not.

What happened Saturday night?

At 2:15 AM we were approached by the hotel and asked to end all programming and have our guests leave the common floors by 3 AM. The stated consequence was that individuals would be removed from the hotel. We know it was very disappointing that panels, videos, and the dance got cut short and we apologize for the inconvenience. We would like to thank those who were on the floor for your friendly cooperation. You reminded us why we love you so much! <3

I was at Tekkoshocon this weekend and I fully support Jim's decision in this matter.  The hotel management, staff and design are not suited to handle an anime convention. It should be interesting to see what venue in the Pittsburgh area they end up in.