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FIRST TIME AT DST


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I'm going to the event, and it will be my first Star Trek convention. For those who went to the last DST, can you answer my questions please?

 

1. Based on the guests and their popularity, which one would I most likely miss out on meeting due to large queues and scheduling etc

 

2. How much money would you recommend I bring on the day? Roughly?

 

3. Due to large popularity and everything else mentioned, would you recommend more of a photo shoot with the guest or an autograph? Or is it just a matter of personal interests?

 

Thank you! 😊

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I'm going to the event, and it will be my first Star Trek convention. For those who went to the last DST, can you answer my questions please?

 

1. Based on the guests and their popularity, which one would I most likely miss out on meeting due to large queues and scheduling etc

 

2. How much money would you recommend I bring on the day? Roughly?

 

3. Due to large popularity and everything else mentioned, would you recommend more of a photo shoot with the guest or an autograph? Or is it just a matter of personal interests?

 

Thank you!

It depends on how many you are prioritising. If there are only 2 or 3 that you are absolutely dead set on getting a photo and/or autograph with then there are a couple of things you can do to help. Prices will be released soon for photos and autographs so you can start to plan ahead and budget.

 

One option would be to pre purchase a photoshoot before attending, that way you know you've absolutely got them (short of a last minute drop out by the actor). Consider getting a Friday photo session when it's likely to be quieter than Saturday which is always busy and everything takes longer.

 

Look at the timetable closely when it's released to make sure that you get as few clashes as possible, but if there are ones that are close I did see people mentioning this to SM staff who were able to nudge them further ahead in the queue as necessary - providing you prove you have those sessions purchased.

 

I found the autograph queues moved relatively well whilst I was there, but would probably allow at least 30-45 minutes per photo or autograph that you want to collect and work out the rest of your time availability from there.

 

It ultimately comes down to what you want to get out of the event. For me I wanted signed pictures with actors, so I plucked for Bill Shatner and Jeri Ryan (Patrick Stewart could only get an autograph after he cancelled his individual photoshoots), everything else after that was a bonus. I will be doing the same this time but not with the top billing guests (unless all 5 captains are announced).

Edited by robmoriarty
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  • Bigger announced actors are usually busier on the day itself. You'll see continuous queues at Shatner fo example

For photoshoots there will (most likely) be fixed timeframes in which you can join the queue. You purchase a photoshoot for a specific day beforehand (on the website)! If you want to attend a lot of them, these photoshoots MIGHT overlap somehow if you're unlucky. At DST2 (Germany) I missed Gates McFadden, but I was allowed to join the queue the day after. You should always consult employees there if you have a situation in which you are likely to miss something. They might even push you to the front of a line.

Autographs are purchased on site, and work with overall queues... first come, first serve, within the fixed timeframe an actor / person has.

Money... well that depends greatly on what you want to do. Bring some food-and-drink money maybe (40 bucks a day?!) and if you'd like autographs, try to figure out the total price of these before you go ;). They'll be on the website shortly.

Edited by Vivec
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I'm going to the event, and it will be my first Star Trek convention. For those who went to the last DST, can you answer my questions please?

 

1. Based on the guests and their popularity, which one would I most likely miss out on meeting due to large queues and scheduling etc

 

2. How much money would you recommend I bring on the day? Roughly?

 

3. Due to large popularity and everything else mentioned, would you recommend more of a photo shoot with the guest or an autograph? Or is it just a matter of personal interests?

 

Thank you!

 

Best thing to do in my opinion is list all the guests attending in order of your desire to meet each one of them and what activity is most important to you based on the activities available for that guest. Only you can say who and what is the most important thing to you. Do you prefer autographs, photos or talks?

 

If it's photo's or auto's you can try and get as much done on Friday as robmoriaty suggested as day ticket holders can't attend on Friday so there will be a few less people there.

 

With regards to money, at Sherlocked I had pre bought any photo's I wanted that weren't included in my ticket package so I only needed money to cover autograph's, food and any 8x10's I wanted to buy. For the autographs it can be a bit of a rush when you get to the payment table and up to the guest and I didn't want to miss anything out, so I had a chart with each guests name on it and a list of the items I wanted to get signed by each guest - I had also noted down the total cost for each guest autograph wise and pre sorted the money into different envelopes on with the relevant guest's name on for easy locating! It seems a bit much but I knew I had it all done and could just hand the money in the envelope over at the desk and not get stressed by trying to sort it out whilst being only a few places away from my turn with the guest and carrying all my stuff whilst trying to get my items out at the same time!

 

That meant I could just have some extra money in my purse for any additional items i might want and it was a bit less stressful for me.

 

Really though, pre planning is the key - pay for anything you can before hand that you really want to do (less money needed on the day and you've definitely got a place reserved), print off the schedule when it is published and highlight what you have booked and what you want to do each day so you can see where you want to be when and speak to the crew if you have clashes.

 

Whilst it should be fairly obvious who the most popular, and therefore busy guests will be, one who you can certainly guess will be very busy is Jonathan Frakes :whistling:

Edited by Raylenth
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Prime examples of just how much busier it gets on Saturdays for the most popular photo sessions:

 

at DST3 on the Friday Jeri Ryan did 315 photos, Bill Shatner 169

at DST3 on the Saturday Jeri Ryan did 523 photos, Bill Shatner 761 (including TNG group shot)

 

Sunday probably somewhere between the two, you just potentially run the risk of running out of time before the end of the convention and the actors looking utterly knackered, though they all do their remarkable best to look anything but exhausted. I know I would be by that point!

 

Have a look here to see the number of photos involved each day.

Edited by robmoriarty
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Based on my experience of DST London (the only DST I've been to) I'de agree with the others - plan, plan and plan again. I had a spreadsheet with all the guests, their costs on and a priority for autographs (must have, would like, could miss) and used that to calculate how much I would need at the event and I created a schedule so that I knew where I had to go next.

 

Time wise, I found that I had gotten all my must haves by close on Saturday, so Sunday was for the free talks, the couple of photoshoots and lots of taking in the sights (I was there for all three days), and I didn't even need to rush during Friday & Saturday.

 

I found that the queues for the 5 captains autographs were very quick (I think the longest was for William Shatner). They used a ticket system when the queues got too long, so you could go for a walk whilst you waited for your number to be called.

The queues for the photoshoots were longer - especially if you were in a later group as the crew members let people who had missed their slot in as well.

 

The queues for the talks grew very quickly, especially if you are on a normal ticket, so make sure you build in time for that (and take some reading material)

 

Money wise, always give yourself a buffer for food and transport, 8x10 pictures and merchandise (it's very easy to get caught up in the moment and spend a fortune on that one action figure you desperately need!).

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Thank you all so much! Really appreciate it!

 

Do you have to pay for the 10x8 photos seperately to the autographs?

 

You don't buy the photos at the autograph tables. But there is a stand for (at least it was during the first DST, so I expect it will be the same here). But you are always free to bring in own material. Also non-ST related stuff. The actor/actress from who you get the autograph can decide for him or herself whether he or she want to sign it. (like -for example- nude fake stuf, they will not sign, but pictures from other shows etc. I think they are happy to sign for you).

 

First time I bought a photo of William from the stand (price I have no clue about anymore) and brought my own creation for Kate to sign.

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I've kinda got my eye on two original Quad Cinema Posters (ST Generations for Shatner, Koenig and the TNG cast) and a ST: Into Darkness in the case of the new trek cast get announced like Karl Urban etc. Also have my eye on a few other things ST wise.

 

@Annick - I know someone said last year (I think it was last year) for Destination Star Trek London that they got guests like Patrick Stewart to sign a X-Men film poster (since he's in it) etc.

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  • 2 months later...

If it's the same as at other event's it's usually a max of 5 at a time. You can go up again if you want more but if you have a package and have been through on your ticket access you will need to get a VQ for a second trip through, and if you have non package tickets you will need 2 VQ tickets to go through twice. If there are any restrictions they usually announce it with the relevant guest info.

Edited by Raylenth
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If it's the same as at other event's it's usually a max of 5 at a time. You can go up again if you want more but if you have a package and have been through on your ticket access you will need to get a VQ for a second trip through, and if you have non package tickets you will need 2 VQ tickets to go through twice. If there are any restrictions they usually announce it with the relevant guest info.

 

Exactly that. If the Virtual Queue system is in place - which is likely for all DST guests - the maximum is 5 items.

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Hi was just wondering if there is a limit to the number of items a guest will sign for you. Is it just one item per person?

 

 

If it's the same as at other event's it's usually a max of 5 at a time. You can go up again if you want more but if you have a package and have been through on your ticket access you will need to get a VQ for a second trip through, and if you have non package tickets you will need 2 VQ tickets to go through twice. If there are any restrictions they usually announce it with the relevant guest info.

Also contingent on the size of your wallet/credit card limit!

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