CONQuest 2023, a highly anticipated pop culture event in the Philippines, turned into a major disappointment after numerous management mishaps. One of the blunders that occurred is when enthusiastic congoers, eagerly waiting in line to meet their favorite voice actors at their booths, were informed that they had to make a purchase in order to at least interact with them.
This raised concerns among guest talents, such as Sean Chiplock, who voiced their disappointment with the situation. Some fans further shared their own unfortunate experiences after the voice actor wanted proof that this whole mess was actually happening.
In another tweet, Sean clarified his own perspective, “I did see them grabbing the price sheet & bringing it to the line, but mistakenly thought they were helping people ‘pre-plan’ what they wanted (like having a menu in advance) so the wait wouldn’t be as long. I had no idea this was going on.”
Other voice actor guests were quick to join the conversation and share their thoughts on the messy situation that unfolded. They expressed their concerns for fans and frustrations regarding the mismanagement and miscommunications.
“I am so so sorry. This is unacceptable and my heart is in pieces. I wish we could have said hello. That policy was absolutely not made known to us and definitely not the will of the VAs.Thank you for working so hard on those gifts. It means the world to me.” Laura Stahl expressed her feelings on this CONQuest 2023 mishap and she further shared in another tweet:
Anne Yatco, also added “If any of you were told this weekend that you couldn’t come talk to me without buying anything, that was 100 percent not true. I LOVE meeting and chatting with everyone at cons, regardless whether they can afford anything or not. Saying hi is free and always appreciated.”
Ratana also was surprised by all of this and expressed her sympathy for the fans who were informed that meeting the guest voice actors required money. She further emphasized that meeting with the guest voice actors is entirely cost-free. Voice actors Cory Yee and Adam McArthur were also completely unaware of the policies that were being enforced at the event. Cory, who cherishes fan interactions, expressed his sadness upon learning about the situation.
Khoi Dao vented out his frustrations in a tweet, “This breaks my heart. There was NEVER a fee to just meet ANY of us at our tables. I had zero clue that’s what they were telling people in line, and learning about this now infuriates me. I am so sorry. Crowd issues are rough, but they don’t justify lying to attendees, or any other shit the con did. Some of y’all prepared elaborate gifts, flew in from faraway parts of the country/SEAsia, only to be turned away when you were so close, and it kills me to find this out now.”
However, amidst the CONQuest 2023 mishaps, Khoi Dao and other voice actors made a promise to the fans in the Philippines that they would return to the country.
CONQuest 2023 surely didn’t end on a high note and this mishandling is just the tip of the iceberg. Currently, the organizers are yet to release an official statement regarding this issue.
Source: Sean Chiplock, Laura Stahl, Ann Yatco, Ratana, Cory Yee, Adam McArthur, Khoi Dao via Twitter
