Volks Doll Party LA 2024 - September 7-8th

What’s the address of event exactly? 1 thing says it’s Grand Ballroom in Disney hotel downtown LA the other address is Marriot hotel in Torrance. It’s like 1h apart. Or ONLY the lottery is in the Grand Ballroom? Thx.

And I just paid for entry badges how do I get them? I only got receipt in e-mail. I just show receipt at entrance at September 8th? Thx.

 

@AbrakadbrA, according to the entry badge purchase page on the Volks USA website, you pick up your badge on the day of the event. And I suggest you be sure to have your ID with you, in case they check that before issuing your badge.

It's all at the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach, 3635 Fashion Way in Torrance. Unfortunately Volks USA didn't proof their webpage, and must've left in info from last time

 

I have a few things in mind for clothes at least. All for the dolls. I figure that my shirt dress is going to work the best for a tea party.

 

2019 they sent the badges in the mail and it was pretty dicey because some envelopes couldn't handle it and arrived opened or torn. This year it's going to be pick up so I'm guessing there will be a table to show ID and claim the badge. Volks hasn't given official details yet. I'd arrive early so you have time to get the badge and line up. They draw a new line up number about half hour before the door opening.

 

I was looking forward to seeing everyone and their dolls but I’ve decided not to go. I start school the week prior and to spend money on a plane ticket, a hotel room and other expenses doesn't seem worth it for a dolpa with a theme and dolls I'm not interested in I just wish this was all announced before I payed for my tea party ticket because I don’t think they’ll allow refunds for that although I’m sad my bank account is happy lol

 

It didn’t ask me for my ID at all… Fingers crossed that they will know that I paid … and I bought 1 for my bf too & there was nowhere to put his name at all.

 

I would contact Volks USA and let them know you will be cancelling. There are people still waiting to get into the Tea Party. Who knows? They may refund you. I suspect you can’t sell your spot because they are all linked to your name/identification. Sorry you can’t make it.

 

Yah ill try emailing Volks since its still ahead of time! I cant wait to see pictures from everyone!!

 

Just curious, is anyone thinking about getting together after the tea party to hang out and maybe swap meet? I know there has been chat about not meeting at the hotel but is there any suggestions or interest?

 

Love the idea of a swap meet! If someone doesn't mind hosting it in their room, or if we can rent an event room at the hotel, that might be better than just doing it in hallways. Alternatively, a public meeting space outside the hotel.

 

Volks has already outlined on the Dolpa event page that dealer sales are strictly prohibited in the hotel. There are a few legal reasons behind this. So any sales will have to be arranged ahead of time or done elsewhere.

 

That makes sense, I am aware that you'll need a sellers permit in CA for dealer sales. I was under the impression that a swap meet will be swap only, so no money exchanging hands.

 

I'd err on the side of caution and conduct all transactions, be they swap or monetary, outside of the host hotel and completely outside of event hours. Even room sales or "swap" meets would probably be shut down pretty fast by the hotel if they caught wind of it; there's simply too much liability.

 

Honestly, have you even lived if you haven't been escorted out from dolpa by the police for doll pants sales out of a hotel room??

 

What happens at Dolpa, stays at Dolpa ....

Anyways, is anyone interested for some sort of after tea party OFF PROPERTY? And any suggestions on location? I'm not familiar with the area.

 

Hmm, the Dollpa will officially end on Sunday around 3-4 PM, so later this hours - all the time is ours, I guess.

 

I was thinking of something Saturday night after the Tea Party. Most people I'm sure will book it home on Sunday.

 

I believe that for Saturday night meetup, we will need to leave the hotel

 

That's why I asked if anyone had any suggestions of meeting some place else near the hotel.

 

Hi all, finally found this thread and read through all the comments. This will be my first Dolpa. I'm kinda bummed about the theme and don't care for the outfits on the one offs, but it's probably a good thing I'm not tempted. I successfully scored a teaparty ticket with the +1 for my friend. We're coming from the Quad Cities (IL/IA) border. Hopefully we see some other Chitowndollz folks there! I'll be hitting Disneyland on the 5th too before moving on to Torrance, just in case anyone else is doing that and wants to meet up.

 

I think it looks like as good of a pick as any @idrisfynn (or best suggestion so far). Hopefully Paul Blart and the rest of the looky-loos stay away. I probably won't bring much myself (unless it's been claimed before hand). There is only so much room in the suitcase.

I just checked the Dolpa page and looks like games are back! Yay!
Dolls Party in LA 5 | VOLKS USA, INC.

Still deciding on who to bring ... It's between my sour faced Ran or my too perky (equipped with her slap hands) F-42 Elena.

 

Elena! OMG, I want to see other Elenas! It's my favorite--I would have more of them if I could!

 

@pris84, I'd like to see sour-faced Ran, lol!

 

The Del Amo mall is right across from the hotel, so plenty of options to have a meet-up! They have a large outdoor/ indoor area by the AMC.

Also, if anyone is flying in early and doesn’t mind to Uber around, there’s a shop in Lomita called, Retro Reload, which has so many cute vintage thrift finds. It’s about a 1.5 miles from the hotel.

 

Hey guys just an FYI from a local, there are tons of areas to meetup in the Del Amo mall or in the Barnes and Nobles, various Starbucks, Coffee Bean, in the outdoor shopping area by AMC (there's upstairs and downstairs areas), etc. I'm not certain that area by Mitsuwa is very big or has good seating -- I haven't taken a good look at it because that area is super super busy traffic wise and it's best to get out ASAP lol. BUT I do know there is a nice seating area right outside the Torrance building, which is next door to the Marriot. There's a little cafe right inside the building doors, so that maaaay be an option.people.can use to hang out and do swaps etc nearby. Admittedly I've only been during the weekday (my hair stylist is at that building) but I don't believe it gets closed off in any way. Just another suggestion!

 

Thank you for the awesome suggestions @nimbusdrake @karlyl @idrisfynn !! Sounds like we have some good options! The closer to the hotel, the better I think. Even if people don't swap, I'm sure people would love to show off their dolls and possibly their one off wins!

 

The auction model has been announced. Dolls Party in LA 5 | VOLKS USA, INC.
Tae looks quite pretty.

 

Hey everyone! I'm kind of late to the party here, but I'll be going to Dolpa as well! I've never been to one before, or to a bjd con in general so this will be my first everything. lol I even bought my first Volks for this!

But I'm reading through the comments now to kind of find out what to expect, I'm kind of nervous since I've never flown to CA before so I'm also a little nervous about that too. lol

 

More updates from VolksUSA. The trade in service is back! Yay!! Plus the shop has been updated and schedule!

Dolls Party in LA 5 | VOLKS USA, INC.

@Peachy Welcome! It's a lot of fun and so many beautiful Volks dolls to see. I'm sure you will have a great time!

 

I'm actually so disappointed by the schedule. I had no idea things would go so late on Sunday! I'm going to have to miss so much because I have a Sunday night flight. I would have booked a Monday flight if they had given us any advanced warning at all that it would end so late on Sunday, even just a "Sunday 9am to 5pm" note without a detailed schedule, but only 1.5 week advance warning is not nearly enough time to change my travel plans. I'm honestly a bit baffled why Sunday night wasn't part of the hotel block if the event was going to go so late in the day.

And still no time for when to pick up lotto dolls! I am going to be devastated if it's super late in the day.

Meanwhile Saturday, where I am there the full day, only has 3 hours of events if you didn't get lucky enough to win a Tea Party lotto, and it doesn't start until 11. Really baffling that Friday was part of the hotel block and Sunday was not.

 

For what it's worth this is pretty much the same time block for both Saturday and Sunday as the 2019 LA Dolpa.

 

AYO, FCS recommended choice re-make is available

 

I'm not sure how we were supposed to magically intuit that Dolpa 2024 was going to have the same schedule as Dolpa 2019, considering Dolpa 2017 had a TOTALLY different schedule from Dolpa 2019? Dolpa 2017 had shopping on Saturday AM, a Scavenger Hunt on Saturday AM, Beauty Salon Saturday PM, and Tea Party Saturday PM (then had no Sunday, but did have Friday events). Dolpa 2015 was a one-day affair and had all events on Saturday.

The US Dolpa schedule has not been consistent from year to year. If 2015, 2017, and 2019 had all shared the same schedule, then it'd be reasonable to assume that was "the" schedule. But the schedule has changed so radically from year to year that this is our first "repeat" schedule.

 

Im so sad to miss the Satogaeri service but that alone is not worth the trip The new September collection Lacy tulle dresses posted on shopping page for the event are so gorgeous!!!!

 

Without even knowing or checking a previous schedule, I just figured that I should leave ample room for Sunday activities, so I picked up an 8pm flight for good measure. It just seemed intuitive given that we already knew in advance that everything was going to take place on Sunday.

 

We didn't know until Aug. 4 the timing for the lotto dolls, and didn't get a full Sunday schedule until Aug. 28. So, yeah, that is "in advance," but like only a month out. Again, I just wish Volks had posted clear information far earlier -- for example, when the hotel block opened and people were booking their rooms. They would have had to know their rough event times by that point, because you have to have start and end times as part of your hotel event space contract.

If I had known even a vague timeline at the time I booked my hotel (in May, when the hotel block opened) and my flight (in late June), I would have added an extra night at the hotel, flown out Monday, and requested Monday off work. Anything later than my current flight requires requesting Monday off even without the extra hotel night, because I'm flying halfway across the country -- every single flight option after 6:30pm does not land until after 4am on Monday morning and would still require taking Monday off work, especially because it's a 2+ hr drive from the airport to my home.

So, I'm glad it works out for other people and that they're able to enjoy the full event, but I think it would have been really helpful for Volks to have released even a vague schedule months earlier than they did.

 

Sure, the schedules haven't been exactly the same, but the one thing that has been since Volks moved to a two day schedule was that the second day (in 2017 Saturday was the second day) has been the longest day, with the most activities. There's nothing magical about making an assumption just to be on the safe side that the second day for this event might also be it's longest. If it had ended up being shorter, then you just have extra time to hangout or sightsee.

 

I will miss most of the second day—I didn't expect it to be the longest, either, and I can't book a later flight or I'd miss a critical meeting on Monday. I'm accustomed to Sunday giving attendees more travel time for other events. It is what it is, but obviously I'm sad that I'll miss so much of Sunday.

 

I just saw the "Satogaeri Service" section on the Dolpa site and am wondering how they are going to be redoing face-ups in a hotel event room? Will they be setting up some kind of ventilated paint booth, like ones used for automotive paint, for spraying all that MSC ? Please forgive me if this is a dumb question, as I've never been to a Dolpa before

 

They receive the dolls at Dolpa and take them back to Japan for the service. After it's done, the dolls will be mailed to you or you can pick up at the VolksUSA office!

 

That makes so much more sense! . Thank you for the info!

 

I am so thankful they announced the trade in service!

 

If anyone has the Full Choice Handbook 2021, pages 32-41 have more examples of the Renewal makeup course.

 

Get your calculators (or your thinking caps) ready!

Price list has been added :
https://volksusa.com/event/2024dolpala/data/TradeExchangePriceChart.pdf

 

lid

 

O great I’m happy that I’ll have full day to spend on Sunday there coz I’m completely skipping Saturday coz I missed registration for lottery. And I and my gfs specifically requested Sunday off from work. I thought I miss a lot because of Saturday but no.
O looks like the whole thing is only from 10 to 5. Even can sleep in & have relaxed breakfast.
I feel excited

But still worry that “badge pick up” will be a nightmare because I didn’t receive nothing but receipt from Volks & there is no names no nothing just that I pay d for 3 ppl.

 

On the schedule they have Saturday Pre-Registration Badge Pick Up 9:00AM - 6:00PM at Registration Desk
and Sunday Pre-Registration Badge Pick Up 9:00AM - 3:00PM at Registration Desk

 

I've been working on getting stuff together for the trip and I have a few items set aside for a swap meet. Did we ever decide on a place and time? Also, if anyone is going to be around Anaheim on Thursday and wants to go to Disneyland for free, I ordered a ticket for my friend before she had to cancel on the whole trip to CA, so it's just going to go to waste at this point.

 

On the schedule they have Saturday Pre-Registration Badge Pick Up 9:00AM - 6:00PM at Registration Desk
and Sunday Pre-Registration Badge Pick Up 9:00AM - 3:00PM at Registration Desk[/QUOTE]
What will happen if I pick up badge on Saturday but can’t come till Sunday? Will it work next day too?

 

What will happen if I pick up badge on Saturday but can’t come till Sunday? Will it work next day too?[/QUOTE]

Yup! You can definitely pick up on Saturday because there are panels on Saturday, the badge is good for both days no matter when you pick them up. (as long as it's when the registration desk is open)

 

Looks like temperatures in the LA area are going to be exceptionally hot this week (100f+), peaking on Thursday/Friday. The weekend will probably be hot as well, so those of you flying in please be careful and pack accordingly!

 

Pack some extra eye putty, just in case the dolls aren't well insulated during travel!

 

Late to this thread, but I'll be going to Dolpa LA for the first time as well~ This may be a dumb question, but my travel anxiety is making me overthink everything lol If I have a tea party ticket, I don't need a regular entry ticket right? I ended up buying both, but if I didn't need to, can I give the extra general pass to a friend? The wording on the info site is kinda vague???

 

Yes, if you purchased and won a tea party ticket, admission is included with it. You're free to pass along your general admission ticket to a friend.

 

I also saw this after party meetup at 6pm on the Sunday at the Mitsuwa in the mall by bjdandvinyldolls_la on Instagram. https://facebook.com/events/s/dollpa-after-party-doll-meet-u/880714833920955/?mibextid=Gg3lNB

Anyone going to that? I think I will.
I'll be around until Monday so I have all day Monday as well and I'm nor sure what to do with it. It's my first time in California if anyone has any suggestions. I wish I could do Universal or Disney but not sure if it's enough time for that.

 

I didn't know that there was an after party meetup event That looks pretty cool, I know Sunday will be the day most people fly back home but it may be worth popping over to check out.

 

That's good, since my friend forgot to buy earlier. Thank you!

 

How is everyone submitting their heads for Face Up Renewal? I'm not sure what packing material to hand it over to other than what they're asking and bubble wrap...

 

I'm guessing they provide the shipment stuff I've never done it yet, this is my first time this year trying the Satogaeri Service. I just filled out all the paperwork and hoping for the best.