FIVE DAYS AFTER WHAT HAPPENED AT CONQUEST 2023, the festival issues an apology. Days earlier, CONQuest's boss, Justin Gorriceta Banusing, also issued an apology on his personal Facebook account, topping it off with a warning to everyone who suffered at the festival:
"Please do not harass or threaten any of our hard-working (sic) team members, crew members, and volunteers; they’ve been working and looking forward to this as much as you did. (sic)"
There is no sugarcoating what happened on June 2 to 4, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center: CONQuest 2023 was a massive catastrophe.
The cries of the general public echoed around the community, with the vast majority citing issues with regards to the long lines that even caught the attention of TV5 news anchor and reporter, Julius Babao.
However as the days went on, the other problems of the convention started to surface. The Philippine esports and gaming media has oftentimes been mistreated in the industry and this was further emphasized in their attempts to craft storylines in CONQuest 2023.
We at Spin.ph had two notable experiences. In Day 1, we tried to secure our media passes only to be told that we needed an email confirmation from CONQuest, despite our names being listed on the media list. The staff was so unhelpful and aloof that we needed to call someone from AcadArena to get us inside.
Even members from the MPL PH Press Corps had negative experiences. Michelle Lojo told Spin.ph that she was branded as "bobo" by the CONQuest staff even though she was diligently following instructions on how to reach the media room.
She even overheard a conversation where a QuestCrew said: "May nasita daw na media sa Conrad. Deserve! Bakit kasi sila makulit!"
Indeed, SPIN.ph's Abo Limos recalled how CONQuest staff refused entry to them even when they presented a stub for access.
"We were late for 15 minutes because we got lost from registering at Microtel, then walking out all the way to SMX just to find out the MeetZone was all the way back to Conrad. There were no signages to direct congoers to the MeetZone, so we met a lot of 'lost' congoers at the mall, also looking for the venue. When we got to Conrad, we realized we had to go back to Microtel to get our assigned passes," said Abo.
"When we finally got to Conrad, the CONQuest staff was rude and dismissive, telling us we should have come earlier. When I contacted AcadArena's media relations, they profusely apologized and said their CONQuest staff did not properly coordinate."
Other media outlets were promised interviews with talents and personalities, but they were also restricted access to venues and failed to interview a single talent.
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN's Angela Coloma even tweeted about her experience.
And it didn't just end there as the complaints have even reached some of the esteemed guests.
Genshin Impact's voice-over actors and actresses have been a major attraction in CONQuest, and they were left saddened that attendees tried to reach out to them and give them gifts, only to be denied as they are required to spend on merchandise.
Then there were reports of attendees suffering from the blunt of the heatstroke only for their cries to be ignored.
Even some of the recording artists have expressed their sentiments.
The end result was a disaster as CONQuest 2023 became bombarded with derogatory memes of being branded as 'line-con, pila-con.' It was also targeted as a massive cash grab for AcadArena.
For an organization that aims to be a beacon to student gamers, where everyone can benefit from their call to action, the outcome of CONQuest 2023 proved that AcadArena failed to uphold its mission.
By looking at some of the public posts from shoutcasters and VIPs, it was only the so-called 'elites' and the privileged ones that enjoyed their experience while everyone else was left out.
In the end, the ambitious dream that was promised to send everyone's jaws on the floor, has devolved into a nightmare with Justin Banusing being questioned for his supposed arrogance, forcing him to deactivate.
Did AcadArena sell 70,000 tickets for CONQuest 2023?
In 2022, CONQuest had 30,000 attendees. Apparently, the organizer wanted to more than double that figure for the 2023 iteration of the festival.
In a May 27 post, Gus Palmares Banusing revealed that his son and CONQuest organizer Justin Banusing wanted 70,000 people to go to CONQuest 2023 but he tried to dissuade him from it, saying SMX could not fit that many people.

What is the crowd capacity of SMX Convention Center?
According to a sheet from SMX, Halls 1 to 4 altogether have different crowd capacities depending on the layout of the event.
For cocktails and banquets, Halls 1 to 4 on a single floor of the SMX can host up to 6,200 guests. For an event with regular booths with a size of 3x3 meters, the halls can accommodate only 500 people.
Table: Crowd Capacity of SMX Convention Center


Should AcadArena hold back?
Speaking about Justin, was he wrong for being too ambitious? While there were those who ridicule him for overstepping the mark, there is nothing wrong with pursuing his dreams of hosting a massive convention, given the legacy it might entail.
If CONQuest 2023 became a success, AcadArena might be praised for being a potential driver in supporting geek culture and integrating it into Philippine tourism.
Unfortunately given the fiasco, it is possible for their investors and for their VIP guests to start pulling the plug. There is even a movement happening online where fans have decided to file a lawsuit against AcadArena and boycott next year's festival.
Given the aftermath, should AcadArena hold back?
Some will argue that CONQuest should just diminish its prestige by lessening the number of activities, and while this could be a logical solution, this would also be a massive letdown to the org that has already set standards high.
And while we believe that Acad should carry on with its ambition of tapping into various communities, there is one lingering concern that's stuck in everyone's mind: the venue.
Given the overwhelming crowd, there's no doubt that the PH is ready to host its own "TwitchCon-esque" convention, however, the recent backlash showed that there's a lack of infrastructure to support it.
To begin with, is there a venue that can fulfill the standards of a massive convention? Bluntly speaking, none!
Now that we touched upon the issues with regard to the venue, what can AcadArena do if ever they'll push through with CONQuest's magnanimous approach next year?
Having a staggered schedule, with multiple weeks catered to a specific niche would be an ideal setup. Like for example, week 1 will be focused on gacha games, week 2 on streamers and icons, week 3 for VAs and Vtubers, and so on.
If not weeks, how about days like let's say 5-7 days?
While this would potentially aid in crowd control, this could be an added operational expense for AcadArena as they'll have to spend more for their VIPs and guests.
But knowing AcadArena's reputation for being able to shoot the stars as seen with their ambitious endeavors, they can surely cater to their needs.
With so much negativity surrounding the recent CONQuest 2023 event, there's a lot for AcadArena to reflect on in the succeeding months. As cliche as it sounds the org needs to produce a glorious redemption arc in order to regain the trust of the community.
Otherwise, the once promising org will slowly crumble and collapse to obscurity.
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