Thank you for making VAX happen! :)
I don't usually write lengthy thank you posts on FB, but after three years, and finally a positive outcome, I think it's time I paid my dues. It's a very long list so here's my #VAX2017 appreciation post.
First of all, I'd like to thank the staff members of Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) Official for the faith, kindness and generosity afforded to us. We hope to host a better con there next year. You guys need to get used to seeing make up kits in the men's toilets.
To YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and the many officers at the Selangor State Government who have continued to support us since 2015, thank you very much.
Many thanks also to OISHI Malaysia for thousands and thousands of cans of tea as well as Grab for the discount code to SACC. More drinks next year, please?
I'd like to thank inui tatsumi, Pierre Sugiura, Studio MAPPA and Studio TRIGGER and AiRI for gracing us with your presence. You made VAX2017 a very special occasion for all the fans who came to see you. I hope you had a great time in Malaysia and recommend all your friends to join us here!
Many love and thanks to Kazutaka Sato and IOEA for welcoming us in Tokyo and for connecting us with the many individuals and organizations in Japan. We will see you again very soon!
I'd like to thank our event partners AniManGaki, Kitamen, Gundam Toy Shop and 星空 Ent. for your support in putting this event together. Also to our friends at Macross Malaysia Synergy Lego Users Group and Hobby & Collectibles Community for bringing great exhibits to our show floor.
Special thanks to Shawn Ngu for bringing yet another foreign guest to run a cosplay workshop. Let's do a better one next year!
To all the colleges who helped us with the early bird sales, thank you so much. Special thanks to EMiNA – Society of Modern Visual Culture for being the ever reliable backbone and jack-of-all-trades. ACG events would never have come this far without your heritage and legacy.
To all the local studios who exhibited with us, I hope you had a great time exhibiting with us and we hope to host you again next year. To all vendors and doujin groups, I hope you are happy with the facilities we provided and that you made great sales. You play a huge part in ensuring medium-scale events like VAX are well populated with content and activity.
Special thanks to Tariq Mohd Noh for having me with you during TGS2016. You have no idea how much that trip added value to us. Join us in the hall next year, yea?
To all the panelists who presented in the room and on stage, thank you for enriching the weekend with your words and passion. You are the beating heart of VAX and it will not have been what it is without you. Special thanks to Amir Fujiwara and Yuan Wong and co. for being with us in both the room and stage.
For the HYDRAs, you are our pride and joy. I regret not being able to afford you the simple luxury of proper meals and accommodation at the event. In the future, we hope to able to give you better perks and benefits in return for your selfless commitment and outstanding service.
On to individuals:
To our emcees Syauqi Dante Jamil and Siraj Kumar thank you for gracing our stage for the past 3 years. I could not have asked for a better pair to hype up the focal point of every VAX. Thank you so much
To D-vj Paramont Sanjay, thank you for the awesome AV systems despite our very modest budget. There are very few people on earth that I know who is capable of doing what you do with all the financial restraints we have.
Thanks Mogi Yg Jahat for the super cool animated logo used on our stage and for the 2016 video montage used in our sponsorship pitch. I love you, bro
On to our the standing committee in the VAX Team, the real heroes here:
Major props to 宮崎 のどか our Stage Manager for handling all the scheduling and panels with finesse and patience. I know how hard it can be to run the stage, but it's the best seat in the house and I am very proud of you.
Zymz, thank you for not only handling the doujin registrations and deployment, but also for running the most efficient structure of filing and tracking all the registration, invoices and receipts. I'd tag your name, but it appears Zuckerberg doesn't like you on his website.
Austin Yap thank you for managing all our vendors. Most of them have come away from the event with very good sales and a good experience on the floor. You have grown a lot since you joined us last year.
Shiro Tan thank you for communicating with all the local studios. Our local heroes deserve more love from the audience. Let's bring in more of them next year!
Our resident techs Faizal Dar-Sandur and Raymond Choo, thank you for maintaining our website and more importantly, for creating and maintaining the first ever proprietary online ticketing system for ACG events in Malaysia. I'm extremely proud of your work.
Faris Danial and Loke Chun Kit our resident saltbucket and memelord, thank you for managing the Special Interest Panels. The SIPs has always been my favourite component of VAX since Day 1, and I cannot thank you enough for making my little dream come to life.
桜井海斗, thank you for handling our workshops with Liberatus and Gundam Toy Shop. Also for being the point man in all our roadshows, ensuring that our little booth at every other event runs smoothly and that we always make some sale every time. Special thanks to Evangeline Young for being with us on the road, too. At this point, you're pretty much an honorary member of the VAX Team.
Sharil Abdul Rahman, one of my oldest and dearest friends, thank you for managing our social media presence and maintaining our relationships with the media at large. Your skill, fingertip knowledge and resourcefulness is matched only by the sheer size of your heart.
Tin Sen who first started out handling doujins, then went MIA for a while to focus on work and studies. Thank you for coming back to us as HR. Your work is essential to ensure that each department operates at their best.
To 椿崙, our resident designer who flew all the way from Hokkaido just to attend and help out at VAX over the weekend. Thank you for creating all the graphics used in our socmed postings. You're our little wireless mouse clicking so far away from home.
Elyn Chai thank you for all communications you've sent out with 3rd parties in our desperate search for partners and sponsors. Also, good job running the VAX shop with Faizal. I think I can safely leave it in your hands again.
To Chris Lee who joined the team this year, thank you not only for affording us the space to keep our stock and host our meetings, but also for your creativity, wisdom and business experience. Your shop is almost the unofficial VAX HQ. We've got a lot to talk about for the future.
Mohd Amirul B Hisham our resident FB manager, thank you for ensuring that the VAX page is constantly alive with trailers and news. Without your work, we'd be digitally absent from the eyes of the community for the rest of the year.
Wan Azlan Shah our resident head of security, thank you for recruiting our HYDRAs and ensuring that we encountered no security issues. We had a fun and safe con environment thanks to you.
Rachael Youdontknowme our head of guest liaisons and the GL team, thank you so much for taking care of our guests during their stay. I'm sorry for all the pain I've put you through. I owe you and the liaisons a little dinner and good chat.
Yap Wei Kit our head of ticketing, thank you for liaising with all colleges and making sure our over-the-counter sales run smoothly. Your work ensures that we have money to pay the bills. After all, we can't spell T-I-C-K-E-T-I-N-G without K-I-T
Our handymen Dinesh Roy and Justin Looi thank you for handling our logistics department and making sure we have our hardware and furnitures in check. Next time we start early and watch out for that 2-meter gap, yea?
Thanks also to Ian Johari for handling our portfolio review sessions. I think this year is probably our most successful edition to date, considering how the guests have told me what a great time they had reviewing the works of local talents.
Exo Des has been with us since day 1, phasing in and out of existence but always reliable and trustworthy. Despite his slacker reputation, Exo always comes through when we needed him the most. Thanks bro.
Kimberly Wong thank you for serving as our team secretary this year. It's been a challenging one so far, but you have also been a dear friend and confidant to me. Thank you, sweetheart.
Tian-I Goh who literally joined the team only weeks before event, swooped in and helped us score an exhibitor and a sponsor! We've got our work cut out for 2018 and this roller-coaster shitshow is just getting started :D
And saving the best men for last:
Shout out to Shaun Lopez, my cherished and beloved chocolate brother whom I have known the longest in this committee. He is also the one who got us started on this crazy journey back in 2013. Without your commitment, work ethic, love and undying support, we wouldn't have come this far.
And finally, Christopher Low, my brother who has been by my side since the glory days of EMiNA Cyber. He has been an endless source of ideas, creativity and motivation, and easily one whom I cannot do VAX without.
Thank you, each and everyone one of you. Please have all my love, and for all the fans who came all the way to Shah Alam, I look forward to another great year ahead.
See you at VAX2018!
