Showmasters Admin showmasters Posted September 15, 2009 Showmasters Admin Share Posted September 15, 2009 Well another event over and after a good nights sleep i have time to reflect on the show. You might say i am slightly biased but in my opinion this was our best ever run event. The crew were superb and the show ran so smoothly i kept having to look for things that had not gone wrong. The dinner for those of you who attended was sensational and without a doubt was the best we had run in 10 years. Yes it was quiet but surely from a collectors point of view is that not good news ? As to the guest list if you can find a show that brings you legends like Edward Fox and Ursula Andress and a whole bucketload of Astronauts please feel free to visit it. Everyone i spoke to at the event and there were many, said they were having a geat time i did not speak to a single person who said it was a terrible show with rubbish guests. I find it strange that there is so much criticism levelled about the no photos rule. If some of you were so desperate to have a photo done what was wrong with having a photoshoot. Our guests had specifically requested no photos so we have to go with their wishes. Prices are clearly displayed on the forum before the show and on the signing tables so if you are shocked at them it is because you have not read the forum or the signage and not because we have made them up on the spur of the moment. Signage was a problem i agree and the Hilton is a big hotel but there were several events in the hotel that weekend and we were limited by what we could put up. But i agree and that will be sorted next year. Finally i will leave you with a sad little story To illustrate the life and times of a show organiser. I was called to the front desk to sort out a problem with an extremely irate and upset customer that the crew felt warrented a command decision. A totally blind man and his helper were waiting for me at the front desk. I asked them to come into a private room and i would listen to his grievances. I escorted them into the room where the Blind Man proceeded to reel off his complaints. The show was not what he had expected, it was really very small, The guests were not what he had expected and finally he felt his helper should not have been charged for admission. I listened to his complaints and then asked him what he had bought at the show. Bought he said in a surprised voice, I have not bought anything and he showed me an almost empty bag with a few free leaflets collected from dealer stalls. I rarely get out and came here for a trip out today he said. I apologised profusely for his dissapointment and sent him on his way. A fine example of that old saying. You can,t please em all. !!!!!! If you read another topic by Machbusterman you will see the lengths we can go to , to make your weekend a pleasant one. Again my thanks to the crew who performed admirably throughout the weekend. My best to all of you who came up to me and thanked me for a great show. And for all of you who didn,t next year you will be ! Dave Phillips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Fooku Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've said it several times on this and other forums and mentioned it to you personally at the show Dave but I'm going to say it again, this was probably the best Autographica I have been to and I'm already really looking forward to the next one. If you can deliver another show to this standard next time round I will be very happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosfer2 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I find it strange that there is so much criticism levelled about the no photos rule. If some of you were so desperate to have a photo done what was wrong with having a photoshoot. This would be a reasonable response if Ursula had been doing a photoshoot, but she didn't. I would happily have bought one if it had been available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraHawk Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I find it strange that there is so much criticism levelled about the no photos rule. If some of you were so desperate to have a photo done what was wrong with having a Photoshoot I find it strange you can't see why some collectors of expensive autographs might want some evidence of valueable items being created. A photo of your item being signed could be considered proof its real should you have to sell it in years to come, I mean anyone can say they've met an astronaut. Even proof of a meeting isn't proof an item is the exact one it claims to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spocks-brain Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 As I've said elsewhere on the boards, thanks Dave for a great show once again. We've spoken many times over the years as this was my 13th Autographica. And I really thought the professional way that the photoshoots and talks were run were the best I've ever seen. Count Fooku made a good suggestion on here about the talks that would help the more hard of hearing guests. Have a microphone for attendees to use during the Q and A part. Or someone from AIS to repeat the question. To avoid embarrassment on the guests part if they have to keep asking for a question to be repeated. I agree that would improve the talks even more. And I have to agree with what has been said here about Ursula doing a photoshoot. I did more photoshoots at this show than I've ever done. Six on the Sat. I would have happily paid for an Ursula shoot as well if there had been one. Reading the comments elsewhere on the boards it seems she has an eye problem which means no flash for photos. So if you manage to get her to attend a future show I wondered if a non flash pro photoshoot would be an option. Even if the quality was a bit less than we're used to, as long as its clearly Ursula and us in the photo then a lot of us would still prefer to have that rather than no photoshoot with her at all. I think an Ursula shoot would have probably been the most popular of the whole weekend. So I hope we get to do one with her one day. She was so great to meet and it would be good to get a photo with her. Thanks again Dave for another memorable weekend and all your hard work. Can't wait to see who you get for us all next year. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybunny Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 (edited) This whole post show analysis seems very unfair. Is this really ‘Dave Phillips’?, or somebody else from the company writing on his behalf. See you all next time. Edited September 16, 2009 by fluffybunny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted September 16, 2009 Moderators Share Posted September 16, 2009 Dave does use the Showmasters account, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin showmasters Posted September 16, 2009 Author Showmasters Admin Share Posted September 16, 2009 I find it strange that there is so much criticism levelled about the no photos rule. If some of you were so desperate to have a photo done what was wrong with having a Photoshoot I find it strange you can't see why some collectors of expensive autographs might want some evidence of valueable items being created. A photo of your item being signed could be considered proof its real should you have to sell it in years to come, I mean anyone can say they've met an astronaut. Even proof of a meeting isn't proof an item is the exact one it claims to be. Hello There I think i should clear that one up. I was not referring to general at the table photographs of items being signed, onl;y to posed ones. By the way a photo of a signing is helpful bvut not absolute provenance of the item. As an autograph dealer with 25 years experience i have seen many scams pulled off using photos from signings. But i understand your point entirely and it is something we will look at for the next show. Dave Phillips (not a trained impersonator) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrin Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I enjoyed it and was glad I went. The only things that teed me off was missing Al Wordens unscheduled talk, and the poor signage in the hotel to Autographica (or from the long concourse from the station/airport) I liked the layout and it was sure good that there were seats around the walls so there was room to sit. Regarding the lack of people, it's plain as day to see that the recession, expensive charges of some of the guests and type of guest available all contributed to a quiet weekend - remember the hustle and bustle of the Northampton and Cov shows in comparison? Then again Showmasters are right in saying whats the problem with this, having a quiet show isn't a complaint in itself and anyway I feel that Autographica has a small band of loyal followers that will support it whomever is attending. To be blunt, I only go for the astronauts/cosmonauts, and some of the war heroes, if they hadn't been there this time I wouldn't have attended, and occasionally there is someone else that I'd go to see, Richard Todd, Milvena Dean, Sir John Mills, by and large I've never heard of many of the guests. But saying all that I'm so glad that we have Autographica its easy to be critical but I have met people I've really admired at the events and Im very grateful for that. And as long as the guests I like keep coming and showmasters keep plugging away I'll keep attending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swan Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 If some of you were so desperate to have a photo done what was wrong with having a photoshoot. I couldn't get to Autographica until Saturday evening and had to leave by mid-day the next day, therefore no time for a photoshoot with General Stafford. I paid £300 for two of his autos and would have loved a pic of him signing, but I adhered to the no photos rule, and felt gutted! Nothing I can do now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machbusterman Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 If you read another topic by Machbusterman you will see the lengths we can go to , to make your weekend a pleasant one. Again my thanks to the crew who performed admirably throughout the weekend. My best to all of you who came up to me and thanked me for a great show. And for all of you who didn,t next year you will be ! Dave Phillips Absolutely Dave... It was a great show... just wish I had been able to stay around longer and attend the dinner... the first I've missed in a number of years. If you guys haven't read already... My flight was canceled and I had to drive down arriving at 1pm. This meant I'd missed the Tom Stafford photoshoot (which was at 1120) and when getting my litho signed I asked General Stafford's assistants if I could get a photo taken at the desk with General Stafford as I arrived late due to my flight being canceled and having to drive down instead. General Stafford's handler said he thinks he could do better than that and called one of the Autographica runners over and told her of my predicament. I waited while she spoke with the photographer and when she came back she said that there was a slot available at 1435 and she spoke with General Staffords assistant and handler and they all very kindly agreed to help me and came over for the photoshoot right at 1435 on the dot. I cannot thank the Autographica crew, General Stafford and his assitants/handler enough for making this happen... they went above and beyond what would normally be expected in my opinion. This wasn't the only good deed by the crew... Dave himself helped me when my good friend was being IMHO unfairly charged a completion fee for a multi-signed item. Dave asked General Stafford's handler to view my friends multi-signed piece and when he came over he advised it should be a base fee item which was fantastic... and allowed my friend to add another Apollo commander to be added to his piece. Thanks again for all the hard work you and the rest of the crew did at the show and in putting it on in the first place. Looking forward to the next one already!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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