Smoking outside the hotel entrance

[James The Dog]

I'm not sure if I can make it  to the feedback session, so I'm going to post this here. Outside the hotel entrance, there's a sign asking people not to smoke there, and use the smoking shelter (which is near the entrance to the health club), but throughout the whole con there's been crowds of people smoking there, plenty of them right next to the sign. In some cases it's been unpleasant, with smoke coming back into the lobby- particularly when they've left the revolving door wide open- and going outside in fursuit and your head fills up with clouds of smoke. The sign's there stating the hotel's policy that they don't want people smoking there, so I'd personally like to know both why so many attendees have ignored it, and neither the con or hotel staff seem to have made any effort to enforce it.

[Noonikinz Moonlight]

I too would like this addressed, if people want to smoke then that is there own choice and not my place to say yes or no, but having to walk through a crowd of smokers every time I want to go to and from the car was an unpleasant experience.

[Kraken]

I'm unsure of the official stance but as I've observed both con staff (and security), hotel staff and normal (non convention) patrons smoking around that area then one would presume it would be okay, if they didn't want us to smoke there, then why have ashtrays there?

As a smoker I was told off for smoking near the door but merely escorted a few feet to the side where the ashtrays were, I agree with what people are saying but since nobody was being reprimanded for it everyone assumed it was alright.

[Matt the Lion]

This did not get raised as the feedback session, although it was something we had become aware of over the weekend and did discuss with the hotel staff about it.

Apparently this is a problem they have all year around, not just during our event, and wherever possible our staff and theirs were asking people to move to the designated smoking shelter which is far from the main doors (or at least away from the entrance if people declined to go to the shelter).  Unfortunately we do not have the manpower to be able to station someone on the doors for the whole length of the convention and had hoped that the existing hotel signage and gentle reminders would be sufficient to move people along, however this was not the case.

We'll be looking at what we can do to improve this for next year.

[DamianTanuki]

This is something that bothered me, too. It was said a few times that people weren't supposed to smoke at the doors, and I did see some people get re-directed to the shelter. I know it put quite a few people off going outside.

[SouthPaw]

It's worth noting that there's another shelter by the NEC entrance, behind the water feature. Less of a walk than the one at the Health Club end of the building.

[James The Dog]

if they didn't want us to smoke there, then why have ashtrays there?

But were they actually there to be intended as ashtrays, or were they just intended to be bins, but happened to have ashtrays on top of them? I see loads of bins like that in all sorts of places, inside and out, in places where you both can and can't smoke, they just seem to be a standard sort of bin you find in public places.

I was going to come to the feedback session, but it happened to be held at the sort of time in the afternoon I end up crashing and needing to go to the room for a nap!

[Kraken]

Well, I see your point and I can only apologise if I made you uncomfortable with my smoking, I shall make sure I smoke out in the shelters and hope that others will follow next year. ^_^

[James The Dog]

I wouldn't say it even has to be the shelter- even the picnic tables that were outside the miller's bar are far enough from the entrance to not really be an issue.

[aurora]

There were clearly no-smoking notices on display outside the hotel entrance so no excuses.

CFz should have issued fixed penalties for offenders and donated the proceeds to the charity.

[DamianTanuki]

Yeah, I almost forgot about a sign. I saw a group of five or six people leaning on one whilst they were smoking. I was uncomfortable going outside in-suit because of it, really.

[RizzoRattie]

This was indeed a bone of contention from my part especially, since indeed it was fed back on multiple occasions both during feedback sessions and to the night managers.  It was annoying, and as someone who detests smoking, I did not like having to walk through a cloud of it coming into the hotel.  However, and as Matt already mentioned, this is something they struggle with all year round. 

We did have the hotel hire in a gazebo for the event, but given the weather, I think this is why most people gravitated towards the entrance.  It’s something that will be addressed for next year, as it also makes it very unpleasant for fursuiters, given that their suit will just absorb the smell of the smoke should they wish to go outstand for 'fresh' air.

Thank you for the feedback. It’s much appreciated.