JackTheBiscuit

I can relate to OP. My girlfriend has M.E. and dyspraxia. She looks fine, but she's in constant pain all the time. She told me she wouldn't bother with a badge, because she knows the looks and muttering she would get. Which, by the way to one post here, doesn't get her "s**t for free". She had to pay her entry and for her autograph, just like everyone else. I think if people stopped reading the gutter press, and actually listened to people with disabilities, of all kinds, they'd see they're not living like kings at the expense of the tax payer. They just need some help and some damn compassion.

My two cents, is that LFCC is growing too fast for a suitable venue (outside the excel center) to host it. This was my 6th, and probably my last, LFCC. Several factors have lead to that decision, the lack of a decent venue is the main one. I only went for Signourney Weaver, and - not having a diamond pass or being in the queue before 8am. I'm not gonna moan about diamond tickets. If people are willing to pay nearly $400 for autographs and photos, Showmasters would be mad to stop, or even reduce the amount. But I feel like I've been priced out of the big guests. Good: The comics section at the top. Not as crowded, and yes, you could feel the air con. I got to get John Wagner's autograph- who was aghast at how much people were paying for Michael J. Fox, and didn't hold it against me that I thought he had a cameo in Dredd (that'll teach me for not checking IMDB) when he didn't. The red shirt with the long brown hair and jean shorts, who had a whole bunch of people wanting her help, but she dealt with my question about where Weaver's autograph queue was, so give her a bonus. The stalls. I'm kicking myself for not some pop vinyls, but my girlfriend did at that big table doing a deal on 3, and that one stall doing fudge was pretty good too. Catherine tate was nice to my girlfriend, while getting an autograph. Bad: Lack of proper signage. With most of us funneled around the floors, it was near impossible to read the signs for the virtual queues, if there was anything written at all. I checked on the Weaver queue around noon and there was nothing on it. I had idea of what numbers had been served, so I couldn't really figure if my VT (303) would be seen. So what with the heat, and my girlfriend's disability I cut my losses after a blue shirt said I was highly unlikely to get seen before 3 or 4pm. Also, having really large signs, pointing to major guests, or certain zones would have saved most people so much time, as it seemed most people needed help trying to find their way around. Lack of space. This is kind of a three-part thing. The event is getting bigger each year, and while limiting the ticket sales stopped the awful pile ups of last year. The Olympia wasn't easy to walk around. The lanes between stalls was only wide enough for two rows of people, so when someone wanted to stop and look at something (which we've all done) then everything grinds to a halt. And it was even worse around the photo booths. That's not all SM's fault, there's a lack of decent-sized, modern, con venues in London. Earl's Court needing knocking down (but replaced with a new one, not posh flats) had all that space outside, where you could take a breather. Also, we're all guilty of this, but people need to be more aware of their surroundings. We're all gonna bump into each other, it's inevitable, but don't just stand there, chatting with your mates, right at the only proper entrance/exit. Or in the middle of any floor, for that matter. Unrelated to the event, but it would help if the admin here got forum accounts verified quicker. I got an email on the Friday of the event, reminding me to get my tickets. I got worried, thinking it was something to do with the ticket validation (it's a booking fee, just call it that), so I tried to sign on here and I couldn't post a question. Luckily, someone else asked about it, because I nearly ended up not going. Things change, the guests and crowds are getting bigger, but the costs are just getting too high- in terms of money and dealing with crowds and a boiling venue.