183 replies to this topic

[Noddy]

Thank you Jason for a very quick summary of the worked well/what did not about the event. Admittedly you seem to do a lot of these post events now but they are welcome none the less.

Thought you had a good variety guests although no doubt you were disappointed that you could not fulfil anywhere close to the “up to 7 A list guests” you intended. Could I suggest that making such claims only opens yourself up for comments such as these.

Thought the venue was an inspired choice and clearly worth a try. The narrowness of the concourse meant that crowding was a problem so that was a shame but lessons learnt. The dealers room was not crowded due to the attendee numbers  but access issues (2 doors) compared to the multi entry and grid pattern layout of the shopping centre. Move more of the dealers out of the room. Be interesting to see how next year works and if it will still be free entrance.

Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

As for the issue of security I would confirm that I saw baldy bonce on one of his guest marches through the concourse and thought he was somewhat over zealous in his role. I put if down to the cold - he should have worn a hat.

It was a shame to leave the centre as that made Collectormania unique. This was probably as good as it could have been for a new venue and I think you plenty of positives to work with as long as the faults are addressed as well.

Edited by Noddy, 08 June 2009 - 02:20 PM.

[chris_mk]

Noddy, on Jun 8 2009, 03:19 PM, said:

Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

I'd guess it was in relation to photo and autograph sales?

Can't agree with it being quieter. I'm a dealer and my takings were up nearly 300% on the last Collectormania that I did (C13) and that's despite the recession!!

[Rockstar6662]

Lizzy, on Jun 8 2009, 02:36 PM, said:

And how long does it take to eat brekkie anyway?!

LOL, that's funny. And why leave it until 10am to have it too?

Anyway, good to see Jason has taken on board all the issues that some of us were trying to raise in a constructive way on friday. Some of us have been going to these things for many years even if we don't post a huge amount here or know many of the regulars in person - we know your names at least.

A quick thanks to the freezing Roxy who was taking the money on Ben's queue late friday afternoon, for keeping us amused while waiting for him. You wouldn't know me but it helped ignore the cold and rain that started blowing in.  

The last thing we want is to see CM fail as it's been by far the best event of it's type I've been to but there were genuine concerns some of us had, we weren't trying to put people off going.

I look forward to the next one and seeing the changes in place.

One final thing, finances and space allowing, for those who find they have to hang around for long periods of time waiting for their VT number to come up or whatever, without the shops to go look round etc, do think about putting in something to keep us occupied. I'm not into funfairs but maybe something like a gaming zone (challenge competitions??) or an area showing new movie trailers or something. You can only look round the stalls so many times and besides that there was nothing else to do, espcially on the friday.

The free talks would obviously help fill a bit of time and I welcome those (though I'm sure some will complain about it taking time away from signing sessions but I like them) but those usually happen on sat/sun. Something for those who like to go on fridays to avoid some of the crowds would be nice although there's usually less hanging around needed to be fair.

Thanks.

Oh and please try to get Amanda Tapping back asap. Was so disappointed when she had to cancel.

Edited by sugar_mouse, 08 June 2009 - 02:31 PM.

[Noddy]

chris_mk, on Jun 8 2009, 03:22 PM, said:

Noddy, on Jun 8 2009, 03:19 PM, said:

Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

I'd guess it was in relation to photo and autograph sales?

Can't agree with it being quieter. I'm a dealer and my takings were up nearly 300% on the last Collectormania that I did (C13) and that's despite the recession!!

300% well done! Be intresesting to see how other dealers found it compare to other events. C13 was not the busiest.

I should have said it felt quieter (can it feel quiet?)

[DavidB]

I personally found it a lot easier to look at the stalls, especially the ones outside the main room.

Only problem was wheelchair/pushchair access in the main dealer room.

[trick of the tail]

Thanks Jason for all the comments...it's so nice that you have taken on board what other people have suggested or had issue with in order not to make the same issues appear again...

I had a great time this weekend...I thought it was really well run and the guests were fab! It was a real shame about the talks, but that's the British weather for you! I just hope it didn't put the guests off coming back and that they understood.

I like the new venue...I hated the shopping centre it was sooo crowded and you really felt hemmed in...I know, once everything has been finished at the venue, there won't be any hassles!!

I thought it was a really shame to hear about the security guys...I didn't see any of the pushing over, but I have seen them at other events, and I have to say they have always been polite and professional and really friendly. I did see one of them dealing with someone at the Nimoy shoot and I was impressed at how he was handling it considering the abuse that was being thrown at him - very professional...I suppose hard for us to judge really what they were thinking or were worried about...

Driving around MK is ALWAYS trial and error...all those bloody roundabouts...grrrr...

As always, cant' wait for the next one...thanks again...

[mpharris]

By and large I enjoyed the event.
The cancellations on Saturday of Naoko and Darren Campbell meant it was largely a wasted journey for me and I could have saved the hotel bill and just done Sunday but otherwise it was as good as could be expected in the circumstances.
I did miss the ability to wander off to the shops for half an hour as there's only so many times you can wander round the stalls, particularly when you are on a tight budget and I lost count of the number of laps of the stadium I did, but that was (for me) the only down-side of it not being in the Centre.
The wait for the photo shoots pictures to come back on Saturday was a pain  but it seemed to have improved on Sunday, oh and personally I didn't mind the open plan queue for the photo shoots as it meant you could see how to behave with the guest before your photo, I didn't even notice the people queueing whilst I was having my photo taken, I was just concentrating on trying not to pull a stupid face!
I do think it would be wise not to have the organisers booth right in front of the main entrance, it needs to be near obviously but when it's busy first thing in the morning it does tend to block the way (this applies to LFACC as well which had the same problem last year).
Highlights for me.. Some lovely guests, including but not limited to Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Burn Gorman, Liz May Brice ( ) and David Yip.
Some great Cosplayers (although I do wish people wouldn't stand in the middle of the walkway to take photos of them).
Walking behind Avery Brooks while he was walking to the Green Room and seeing him shoot one of the red bins with his banana  
Following The Joker to Asda and seeing one little girl burst into tears and practically every customer do a double take.

Also I'd like to thank Showmasters for getting Candice Orwell and Megan Udall as guests. I didn't meet them but they made the laps of the stadium far more pleasant

[Big_Pants]

You're right.  Lets all go to San Diego it's only up the road, entry is free and you get to meet loads of guests without waiting for them.  Oh wait that's a lie isn't it?

[Boneshaker24]

CM15 - Always a pleasure , Crew - Wonderfull, SM&ME great job.       

Recomendations - Bus Drop / Pickup point - tape off a area so that cars don't park right outside the main door - and block access to the drop/pick up point.

PS Giles - Step Ladders need to think Safety...... LOL - Give me a shout if your ladder man is missing again....    


All in All - Great Job - with the resources at hand. Looking forward to LFCC - CM16 & Hub3.

[Rockstar6662]

I'm probably going to regret replying to this but here goes...

What on earth has the design of the website got to do with anything? Ok, it hasn't changed much in years but maybe they can't afford a top class web designer and are doing as best they can. All the important info is on there, it gets updated pretty frequently and is easy to navigate.

It may be basic but is easier to get around than some others I wouldn't be allowed to mention on here.

Maybe the change in weather was too late to make it worthwhile, the food wsn't really down to SM and as has been said elsewhere many times, there were easy alternatives a few minutes walk away and there will be more by next year.

Schedules are always flexible and you have to be patient and work with it I'm afraid. It's impossible to say how long a photoshoot will take exactly or when a guest may need a break for all sorts of reasons. Flights get delayed, there could be traffic on the motorway, all kinds of reasons for delays/hold ups. They do the best they can to maximise the time the guests have signing but you try doing it for x hours a day without a break, you couldn't. And the people who have paid for photoshoots should get their opportunity too, you know it's going to happen so accept it, work with it and maybe you'll end up being a bit happier to even have the opportunity to meet some of these people.

The queue management has improved over the years but could still be better with the better use of radios/computer tracking etc though I've never had a major problem and have never missed a guest I wanted to see, even if it means hanging around until the end of the day. That's the game I'm afraid.

It sounds like you want a numbered ticket with a time on saying when you'll be able to stand in front of the guest and that everyone should get 30secs or 1min each with a timer going off to tell you to move on. Not going to happen. These are people too and you need to understand the way the system works.

Edited by Queen_Sindel, 08 June 2009 - 08:18 PM.

[BLACKKNIGHTS]

All  was  good It  Can Only  get  better  with Wendy on the crew so  get her   some gloves to  keep her hands warm  in the Organisers Booth

[BeatrixKiddo88]

Again that woldnt work if your ticket was the same time as your photoshoot or autograph time with someone else.

The way it works now works FINE unless something weird and unplanned happens.


I have NEVER missed a guest for any reason other than my own lazyness/poor timing, and I always meet at least 1 or 2 of the busiest guests.

[clloby]

I had a great time at this event - a COLD time, but a great one nonetheless.  However this was down to the people, the guests, and the fact that I had lent a hand in the (WARM) dealers room.  If i wasn't helping out there then I would have been climbing the walls with boredom waiting for the next photoshoot or VT number to come up.  I miss the shopping centre!

I am glad that the stadium is only the stop-gap venue, as it would have made me seriously re-consider attending another Collectormania MK.  

The photoshoots did not seem to be as well organised as in the centre, but this is probably to do with trying to get used to the new set-up.  I almost missed my Natahn Fillion photos shoot on Sunday due to timing problems.  The shoot was supposed to last an hour - so I turned up 20-25 minutes into the shoot to discover than apart for some of the crew I was one of the last people to arrive.  I had been in the dealers room and therefore had not heard announcements for last call.

The crew and all the guests I met were great and I admire the crew in particular for doing a sterling job in far from ideal conditions.

[misskitten]

My thoughts.

The venue was awful, especially with the unfortunate weather we had. It was cold, windy and despite being under a roof we were rained on. I ended up going to the dealer's room a lot just to warm up, and I will say that this was the main reason why the dealer's room was so crowded all the time. We had no other place to warm up. Also the lack of places to sit down was not good (we tried to sit down at one of the seats just to eat some food, but was chased away almost immediately).

The guests were amazing, such troopers really with how freezing they must have all been. Yet, they seemed to always be in a very good mood whenever I saw them. Kudos to them.

Food was good, with the ASDA nearby I got decent food for decent prices.

Dealer's room was good, despite the crowd looking to warm up. I know I spent way too much money in there

[Rockstar6662]

In reference to keeping up to date with web standards, branding etc... newsletters, social networks like facebook to spread the word, web design and development should not be neglected. It can be a great form of marketting etc...

in regards to the data...it would be easier to change for the admin's and they can add, edit and delete information far more easily making sure it looks consistent.[/quote]

Ok, well I don't know how the SM business is structured but I suspect they do the website themselves and aren't skilled web developers. Certainly looking at the code, it's about as basic as you can get. SM maybe don't have the time or expertise to make the kind of changes you're suggesting or aren't able to employ a full time web person, especially when the site is only really "live" running up to each show.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be a good thing but implementing a wholesale content management system may be beyond them and the hosting they use.

Maybe with a new venue and the knowledge that they can carry on with the event, now's the time for a relaunch.


[quote]
[quote name='sugar_mouse' post='1362487' date='Jun 8 2009, 05:51 PM']

Maybe the change in weather was too late to make it worthwhile,
[/quote]

It was like 12 when it started clearing up a bit, it stopped raining at least.
[/quote]

I'd say that was probably too late to rearrange a whole days schedule and who's to say it wouldn't have changed back anyway.

[quote]
[quote name='sugar_mouse' post='1362487' date='Jun 8 2009, 05:51 PM']
Flights get delayed, there could be traffic on the motorway, all kinds of reasons for delays/hold ups. They do the best they can to maximise the time the guests have signing but you try doing it for x hours a day without a break, you couldn't. And the people who have paid for photoshoots should get their opportunity too, you know it's going to happen so accept it, work with it and maybe you'll end up being a bit happier to even have the opportunity to meet some of these people.
[/quote]

Inconveniencing one mass of people for another shouldn't happen. I would have gladly walked around if it was an HOUR wait after handing over cash in the queue. Should predict how many tickets are sold for the photoshoot, the scheduled time and that delays would and could occur - like putting bags/coats down etc... should be given ample time for the photoshoots too.
[/quote]

With the number of guests they have, the number of photoshoots they run etc, it'll never be an exact science. I suppose having been to many of these things I'm used to just waiting for as long as it takes though I've never had the money taken and then been told to come back later.

[quote]
[quote name='sugar_mouse' post='1362487' date='Jun 8 2009, 05:51 PM']
It sounds like you want a numbered ticket with a time on saying when you'll be able to stand in front of the guest and that everyone should get 30secs or 1min each with a timer going off to tell you to move on. Not going to happen. These are people too and you need to understand the way the system works.
[/quote]

Maybe that could be a good idea, at least you can really say you MEET THE STARS. If you fail to arrive on time with your ticket, too bad. Sure the actors are people, but they are also highly paid actors that are paid on the clock for this.
[/quote]

I hope you're being sarcastic. Only on a couple of occasions have I felt really disappointed in the experience. I am there first and foremost to get an autograph in person, anything else is a bonus. I always try to engage in a conversation and sometimes you can spend time with a guest, sometimes not. I've had some really good chats with some, very brief contact with others and not even been acknowledged - that was only once (Mr Shatner). But that's the way these things go. I'm also very concious of the people waiting behind me and try not to take too long.

Sometimes in my view, it is unnecessarily rushed and sometimes you do have to wait a long time but you're never going to get a long personal audience with any of them so I'm not quite sure what your expectations are of these events.

Edited by Queen_Sindel, 08 June 2009 - 08:19 PM.

[1of2]

Ticket sales are predicted I imagine. The schedule that is raised before the event shows that some guests are allocated longer photoshoot times because it is predicted they will be busier. It is impossible to predict accuratley how many people will turn up on any given day, let alone how many will want a photo with a specific guest. It can only ever be a guess.

I haven't read all of your posts so I don't know this but did you have a photoshoot with anyone? If so then surely you would have seen that the baggage/coats are put down way before the person who is next in line for a photo so there is absolutely no chance of a delay or holdup in a photo being taken from that. There are only two 'delays'. Number one being the person who just had a photo taken moving out and the next person moving in, which lasts mere seconds. The second being the photographer checking that the photo he has taken is blink free etc. Again a second or two.

Edited by Queen_Sindel, 08 June 2009 - 08:19 PM.

[chris_mk]

misskitten, on Jun 8 2009, 07:02 PM, said:

My thoughts.

The venue was awful, especially with the unfortunate weather we had. It was cold, windy and despite being under a roof we were rained on. I ended up going to the dealer's room a lot just to warm up, and I will say that this was the main reason why the dealer's room was so crowded all the time. We had no other place to warm up. Also the lack of places to sit down was not good (we tried to sit down at one of the seats just to eat some food, but was chased away almost immediately).

The guests were amazing, such troopers really with how freezing they must have all been. Yet, they seemed to always be in a very good mood whenever I saw them. Kudos to them.

Food was good, with the ASDA nearby I got decent food for decent prices.

Dealer's room was good, despite the crowd looking to warm up. I know I spent way too much money in there

  How did you get rained on, on the concourse?!? I was at the venue for all of all three days and the only time the concourse got wet, was when someone dropped a tray of drinks! For rain to hit the concourse, it either has to be blown at a 90 degree angle, or do some kind of crazy zig zag manouvre! Where were you?

Who chased you away from the seats? I saw people sat down all weekend with no trouble? Did you report this matter to the organisers desk?

zeezack, on Jun 8 2009, 07:04 PM, said:

BeatrixKiddo88, on Jun 8 2009, 06:45 PM, said:

Again that woldnt work if your ticket was the same time as your photoshoot or autograph time with someone else.

The way it works now works FINE unless something weird and unplanned happens.


I have NEVER missed a guest for any reason other than my own lazyness/poor timing, and I always meet at least 1 or 2 of the busiest guests.

Thats why you should be given a choice as to which time slot you want so you don't miss other events personal to you.

I was not present at the 2007 london film comic con, but a lot of people missed Patrick Stewart as he left early.

Good grief, you might actually be the maddest person here.... so you want the guests to take bookings now? 'Sorry zeezack, Mr Stewart can't make 11.22, how does 11.56 work for you?'

Patrick Stewart decided to go early. That is out of the hands of the organisers. They just tried to help as many people meet him as possible, given the limitations. You cannot force a guests to stay and sign..... they call that 'kidnapping' round here.

[Lizzy]

At certain points the rain got through with the wind on Friday- the curls in my hair are proof

[Queen_Sindel]

chris_mk, on Jun 8 2009, 08:09 PM, said:

  How did you get rained on, on the concourse?!? I was at the venue for all of all three days and the only time the concourse got wet, was when someone dropped a tray of drinks! For rain to hit the concourse, it either has to be blown at a 90 degree angle, or do some kind of crazy zig zag manouvre! Where were you?

I'm not sure how things worked for misskitty, but Friday afternoon the wind did blow so hard that I actually had photos get wet in the Ben Browder queue near door 5. So either the rain got blown in somewhere or there was a leak in the roof.

But that was fixed quickly by adding additional gazebos.

[Psychosis]

I got rained on on the concourse. It wasn't a full blast of rain, but the sides were exposed - the only way to NOT get rained on was if the rain was falling perfectly perpendicular to the ground.