104 replies to this topic

[keith123]

Zagreus, on Jun 15 2009, 08:39 PM, said:

Lizzy, on Jun 15 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

Craig genuinely was ill as he had an evening radio show the night before and cancelled that last min too

He didn't cancel his radio show, he presented his Funk and Soul show as usual, and even mentioned that he would probably not be able to make it to the con.

I enjoyed the weekend and can't really fault it in any way, but a few recommendations;
As said previously, the drinks reception was very hot and busy.  I gave up after a while and went back to my room.  With the exception of Lockdown, all the ones I've been to were like that, so perhaps a bigger room would help.

I've always thought it would be great if con attendees could get a free auto or photo session from a cancelled guest at a future appearance.  Like, if Chris Barrie went to LFCC and Better Than Life attendees could show their booklet or something to get the auto they would have had he not cancelled.  It would stop a lot of the frustration that occurs when the (inevitable) cancellations are announced.

The main thing I am desperate for is for no more cons in Bedford.  Please!  The transport issue almost put me off going to this.  I did think it was a one-off though and that Massive Events are now using Northampton again, but my heart sank when they said onstage that next year's con was going to be there again.  No trains running on Sunday?  An hour from Bletchley to Bedford?  Make it in Northampton or somewhere even easier to get to (Milton Keynes even?) and I will be there.

I know what you mean about the trains - I live in Northamptonshire and it was a nightmare on sunday, I had to take a train to Milton Keynes, then a bus all the way to Luton, then train to Bedford. I didn't arrive till 11 am!

[Havanaman]

[as to the hotel as we saw its being renavated as we were there so any events we run there next time it will be like a brand new hotel so give it a chance as we need a hotel of this size to grow new cons out of so next year this hotel will work well]


Oh please don't use the Park Inn at Bedford next year. I know it's being renovated but they are keeping the hotel running at the same time. I've been staying in business hotels for the last 35 years and guess that there will be little chance of the Park Inn being completely finished by BTL2.

It will NOT be like a new hotel. It will be an old hotel with a lot of superficial improvements, mainly on the parts that are highly visible. The way the hotel is organised is poor, the staff try their best but were overwhelmed by the difficulties, the food choice will be similar - fancy names, high prices and poor quality. Just in case you do end up there (I certainly won't), a receptionist told me there was a Chinese Takeway only 80 yards away that delivers (free) to your room. I ordered and it was gorgeous.

It's not just the hotel itself - it is its location. Why down in Bedford??? As other guests have said, awful to get there, on no main-line railways or major bus routes (neither East-West nor North-South). Finally, I believe we had some mind bogglingly enterprising fans from America and Australia. They must have had fun getting to Bedford, I don't think.

Have a look at the Birmingham hotels. There are dozens on the same lines as the Park group. With the NEC close by you will be spoilt for choice. Don't forget that when the Park Inn Bedford is renovated, someone will have to pay for it - US. Birmingham has excellent transport connections. Most major road and rail networks pass through Brum. It has an International Airport with full shuttle services to most hotels. Also, as most of them are designed as conference hotels they have good and secure carparking facilities. No matter how much you tart-up the Park it will still only have space for about 80 cars (including overflow). I arrived early evening Friday and got the last space (literally).

By the way, I DON'T live in Birmingham, far from it, but I'm fed up with good "do's" of whatever kind being held in the deep south. Brum would be roughly central for everyone. A cracking selection of hotels at cheap prices and transport facilities second to none.

Personal choice - have BTL2 in Manchester. Yipppeeeeeee, Red Dwarf AND the Curry Mile.

[chris_mk]

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

By no means is the party the only reason to come to a con, but for many it is one of the highlights, and when you have a DJ as poor as the one we had at Better than Life, it can put a real damper on things.  The trick is to play a bit of everything, and something that everyone likes.  I saw some of the CDs the DJ had and there were plenty of great tracks which would of filled the dance floor.  Someone even got hold of a peice of paper and wrote down a load of tracks that would of been great, but he just ignored the list and played Rock, much to the scrunched up faces of everyone in the room, excpt for the odd person who actually knew it.

Before I come to another massive events con I will need a cast iron guarantee that we will have a DJ that knows what they are doing on the Saturday night - and only plays a few Rock/Metal tracks and the same for all other genres!

Just thinking about how poor that DJ was just makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Have to admit that I thought the DJ on Saturday (was it Davey?) did a pretty good job! I admit that I like indie rock a lot (and lets face it, musical taste is purely subjective), but I danced a lot to the cheese that he played (I vageuly remember Aha, Five and The Jam). I also remember that he played the con songs and the line dances, as well as some 60's stuff, so it seems like it was the usual mix? Can I ask what songs you requested that werne't played? I'm surprised there was a stack of CD's, I thought they usually just use a laptop loaded with MP3s! I think a bigger factor on Saturday was the heat. It got pretty warm in that room that evening and that might have put off some people from going in there any dancing?

I admit that the music on the Friday night was pretty dodgy, don't know who was the DJ on that evening. For me personally, I'd much rather than SM/ME kept the disco in house, rather than get a different DJ in. That way, they have more money to spend on guests!  

[crystalmagic]

Hi

This was my first proper con and it would have been a most enjoyable one if it wasn't for my accident on Sunday night during the Macarena!

I was very disappointed that Chris Barrie cancelled but was looking forward to meeting everyone else so it didn't spoil the weekend for me. Craig Charles cancelling so late on was also disappointing but couldn't be helped.

The hotel was a bit run-down but I've seen worse. The staff were friendly enough, especially the bar staff.

The party on Friday was a bit of a let down but there wasn't a lot of people expected so that was ok. Still had a nice time and met a few nice people.

The gold drinks reception was a bit of a let down, very crowded and only got to briefly chat with Hattie. However, I'd won a guest encounter with her so had already had chance to chat with it. There was only Chloe, Hattie and Steve there right? However, the free wine was a bonus, I didn't realise that was included, lovely surprise thank you :)

Must say, it was incredibly well organised, and I was impressed how well things got changed after Craig had cancelled. The highlight of my weekend was DJJ doing "Tongue-Tied", made my weekend! He really "saved the day" in my book.

The group photo shoot was a nice replacement for Craig. Hattie was trying to make me laugh by tickling me!

Downside was my unfortunate accident at the Sunday party (which was dead btw!), during the Macerena I twisted my knee (well I think that's what I've done) and fell to the ground. Getting 3 trains back to my home-town was the most painful experience I've ever encountered and had to ask for a wheelchair at two stations. I'm now off work for a week - which is a bonus but in a lot of pain. Thanks to Neil for carting me over to the chair when it happened, can't have been easy!

All in all a successful weekend and I really enjoyed meeting new people and the stars of the show.

Well done all crew, you did a fantastic job :)

Lindsay

[Zagreus]

crystalmagic, on Jun 16 2009, 11:55 AM, said:

Getting 3 trains back to my home-town was the most painful experience I've ever encountered

That's why I didn't like the Bedford location.  Nothing to do with the hotel at all.  My room was fine and looked very modern (maybe it was one of the ones "done-up" already?) and was VERY comfortable, but sadly no double glazing.  The town was fine and a few eating spots (but beware Pizza Hut - they had ants crawling about when I went in!).  But having to get 5 trains to get home, and being restricted to what trains are actually available was a pain in the neck.  The Bedford to Bletchley train felt like it was being pushed along by a tractor.  Sadly my trains were not cheap either.

So Ideally an easily accessible location, on a main train route, would be perfect.  Whether it be Manchester, Birmingham, London, or even Northampton.  As long as we have a choice of which train to go for, and can travel home on Sunday night if we want.

[Grazer]

Zagreus, on Jun 16 2009, 12:13 PM, said:

crystalmagic, on Jun 16 2009, 11:55 AM, said:

Getting 3 trains back to my home-town was the most painful experience I've ever encountered

That's why I didn't like the Bedford location.  Nothing to do with the hotel at all.  My room was fine and looked very modern (maybe it was one of the ones "done-up" already?) and was VERY comfortable, but sadly no double glazing.  The town was fine and a few eating spots (but beware Pizza Hut - they had ants crawling about when I went in!).  But having to get 5 trains to get home, and being restricted to what trains are actually available was a pain in the neck.  The Bedford to Bletchley train felt like it was being pushed along by a tractor.  Sadly my trains were not cheap either.

So Ideally an easily accessible location, on a main train route, would be perfect.  Whether it be Manchester, Birmingham, London, or even Northampton.  As long as we have a choice of which train to go for, and can travel home on Sunday night if we want.

It was perfect for me. Direct bus from Oxford to Bedford then a 5 minute walk from the bus station to the venue.  

[Psychosis]

I have to admit (does my opinion count even though I didn't attend?) the only reason I didn't attend was because it was held in Bedford. Shockingly, there is actually an entire population of people living north of Northampton, and Northampton was awkward enough to get to - but at least wasn't quite so appalling! I was literally in tears because of the transport conditions (and the hotel, though that appears to be getting up to scratch slowly) so there's absolutely no chance of me (and quite a few others I spoke to) attending an event in Bedford again. I'm not sure what logic - if any - was used in deciding to use Bedford, unless it was the "it's easy from Milton Keynes/London"  logic. A 2.5 hour journey home from Northampton vs an almost 5 hour journey home from Bedford - and that's if London Midland actually have any staff for the Bedford route, which it rarely does! If London Midland are short of staff, I'd be happy to take a job  

[DavidB]

Oddly enough I thought it was better than I was expecting it to be

[Duke]

chris_mk, on Jun 16 2009, 09:38 AM, said:

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

By no means is the party the only reason to come to a con, but for many it is one of the highlights, and when you have a DJ as poor as the one we had at Better than Life, it can put a real damper on things.  The trick is to play a bit of everything, and something that everyone likes.  I saw some of the CDs the DJ had and there were plenty of great tracks which would of filled the dance floor.  Someone even got hold of a peice of paper and wrote down a load of tracks that would of been great, but he just ignored the list and played Rock, much to the scrunched up faces of everyone in the room, excpt for the odd person who actually knew it.

Before I come to another massive events con I will need a cast iron guarantee that we will have a DJ that knows what they are doing on the Saturday night - and only plays a few Rock/Metal tracks and the same for all other genres!

Just thinking about how poor that DJ was just makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Have to admit that I thought the DJ on Saturday (was it Davey?) did a pretty good job! I admit that I like indie rock a lot (and lets face it, musical taste is purely subjective), but I danced a lot to the cheese that he played (I vageuly remember Aha, Five and The Jam). I also remember that he played the con songs and the line dances, as well as some 60's stuff, so it seems like it was the usual mix? Can I ask what songs you requested that werne't played? I'm surprised there was a stack of CD's, I thought they usually just use a laptop loaded with MP3s! I think a bigger factor on Saturday was the heat. It got pretty warm in that room that evening and that might have put off some people from going in there any dancing?

I admit that the music on the Friday night was pretty dodgy, don't know who was the DJ on that evening. For me personally, I'd much rather than SM/ME kept the disco in house, rather than get a different DJ in. That way, they have more money to spend on guests!  

You must be joking...The DJ was horrid!!  Unless you like Rock of course!

[chris_mk]

Duke, on Jun 16 2009, 01:29 PM, said:

chris_mk, on Jun 16 2009, 09:38 AM, said:

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

By no means is the party the only reason to come to a con, but for many it is one of the highlights, and when you have a DJ as poor as the one we had at Better than Life, it can put a real damper on things.  The trick is to play a bit of everything, and something that everyone likes.  I saw some of the CDs the DJ had and there were plenty of great tracks which would of filled the dance floor.  Someone even got hold of a peice of paper and wrote down a load of tracks that would of been great, but he just ignored the list and played Rock, much to the scrunched up faces of everyone in the room, excpt for the odd person who actually knew it.

Before I come to another massive events con I will need a cast iron guarantee that we will have a DJ that knows what they are doing on the Saturday night - and only plays a few Rock/Metal tracks and the same for all other genres!

Just thinking about how poor that DJ was just makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Have to admit that I thought the DJ on Saturday (was it Davey?) did a pretty good job! I admit that I like indie rock a lot (and lets face it, musical taste is purely subjective), but I danced a lot to the cheese that he played (I vageuly remember Aha, Five and The Jam). I also remember that he played the con songs and the line dances, as well as some 60's stuff, so it seems like it was the usual mix? Can I ask what songs you requested that werne't played? I'm surprised there was a stack of CD's, I thought they usually just use a laptop loaded with MP3s! I think a bigger factor on Saturday was the heat. It got pretty warm in that room that evening and that might have put off some people from going in there any dancing?

I admit that the music on the Friday night was pretty dodgy, don't know who was the DJ on that evening. For me personally, I'd much rather than SM/ME kept the disco in house, rather than get a different DJ in. That way, they have more money to spend on guests!  

You must be joking...The DJ was horrid!!  Unless you like Rock of course!

Ok, I understand that you didn't share the same taste in music as him, but what music did you request that didn't get played? How long were you in there for (between what times?) I'm not intending to be challenging, am just trying to figure out whether the issue was perhaps that he didn't switch genre types of music often enough.

[Grazer]

Duke, on Jun 16 2009, 01:29 PM, said:

chris_mk, on Jun 16 2009, 09:38 AM, said:

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

By no means is the party the only reason to come to a con, but for many it is one of the highlights, and when you have a DJ as poor as the one we had at Better than Life, it can put a real damper on things.  The trick is to play a bit of everything, and something that everyone likes.  I saw some of the CDs the DJ had and there were plenty of great tracks which would of filled the dance floor.  Someone even got hold of a peice of paper and wrote down a load of tracks that would of been great, but he just ignored the list and played Rock, much to the scrunched up faces of everyone in the room, excpt for the odd person who actually knew it.

Before I come to another massive events con I will need a cast iron guarantee that we will have a DJ that knows what they are doing on the Saturday night - and only plays a few Rock/Metal tracks and the same for all other genres!

Just thinking about how poor that DJ was just makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Have to admit that I thought the DJ on Saturday (was it Davey?) did a pretty good job! I admit that I like indie rock a lot (and lets face it, musical taste is purely subjective), but I danced a lot to the cheese that he played (I vageuly remember Aha, Five and The Jam). I also remember that he played the con songs and the line dances, as well as some 60's stuff, so it seems like it was the usual mix? Can I ask what songs you requested that werne't played? I'm surprised there was a stack of CD's, I thought they usually just use a laptop loaded with MP3s! I think a bigger factor on Saturday was the heat. It got pretty warm in that room that evening and that might have put off some people from going in there any dancing?

I admit that the music on the Friday night was pretty dodgy, don't know who was the DJ on that evening. For me personally, I'd much rather than SM/ME kept the disco in house, rather than get a different DJ in. That way, they have more money to spend on guests!  

You must be joking...The DJ was horrid!!  Unless you like Rock of course!

Most DJ's are horrid if you don't like the sort of music they are playing. I'm never going to get the music I want because most people wouldn't be able to keep pace for long enough lol

[Duke]

Grazer, on Jun 16 2009, 01:34 PM, said:

Duke, on Jun 16 2009, 01:29 PM, said:

chris_mk, on Jun 16 2009, 09:38 AM, said:

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

By no means is the party the only reason to come to a con, but for many it is one of the highlights, and when you have a DJ as poor as the one we had at Better than Life, it can put a real damper on things.  The trick is to play a bit of everything, and something that everyone likes.  I saw some of the CDs the DJ had and there were plenty of great tracks which would of filled the dance floor.  Someone even got hold of a peice of paper and wrote down a load of tracks that would of been great, but he just ignored the list and played Rock, much to the scrunched up faces of everyone in the room, excpt for the odd person who actually knew it.

Before I come to another massive events con I will need a cast iron guarantee that we will have a DJ that knows what they are doing on the Saturday night - and only plays a few Rock/Metal tracks and the same for all other genres!

Just thinking about how poor that DJ was just makes me shake my head in disbelief.

Have to admit that I thought the DJ on Saturday (was it Davey?) did a pretty good job! I admit that I like indie rock a lot (and lets face it, musical taste is purely subjective), but I danced a lot to the cheese that he played (I vageuly remember Aha, Five and The Jam). I also remember that he played the con songs and the line dances, as well as some 60's stuff, so it seems like it was the usual mix? Can I ask what songs you requested that werne't played? I'm surprised there was a stack of CD's, I thought they usually just use a laptop loaded with MP3s! I think a bigger factor on Saturday was the heat. It got pretty warm in that room that evening and that might have put off some people from going in there any dancing?

I admit that the music on the Friday night was pretty dodgy, don't know who was the DJ on that evening. For me personally, I'd much rather than SM/ME kept the disco in house, rather than get a different DJ in. That way, they have more money to spend on guests!  

Its all about a mixture - Something for everyone.  All this DJ did was play Rock and a few others.  He clearly didnt have a clue.  I have been to coutless Discos were the DJ has been amazing - Playing good music for everyone and filling the dancefloor.  If that DJ is playing again at future showmaters event, I wont be there.


You must be joking...The DJ was horrid!!  Unless you like Rock of course!

Most DJ's are horrid if you don't like the sort of music they are playing. I'm never going to get the music I want because most people wouldn't be able to keep pace for long enough lol

[Grazer]

"Its all about a mixture - Something for everyone. All this DJ did was play Rock and a few others. He clearly didnt have a clue. I have been to coutless Discos were the DJ has been amazing - Playing good music for everyone and filling the dancefloor. If that DJ is playing again at future showmaters event, I wont be there"

Yes, a mixture. Lets have tracks slow enough that I can waltz to when its supposed to be called "DANCE" music. Good music is subjective.

I know I wont get the any of the music I want (short of DJ'ing at the event myself) but that's not why I'm there. Still think not attending a convention designed to allow people to people stars of shows because of the DJ is odd

Edited by Grazer, 16 June 2009 - 01:30 PM.

[chris_mk]

Duke, on Jun 16 2009, 02:00 PM, said:

Its all about a mixture - Something for everyone.  All this DJ did was play Rock and a few others.  He clearly didnt have a clue.  I have been to coutless Discos were the DJ has been amazing - Playing good music for everyone and filling the dancefloor.  If that DJ is playing again at future showmaters event, I wont be there.

I can't help but notice that you keep ignoring my questions!

'Play good music' is such an utterly useless comment, if you don't give some idea what your idea of 'good music' actually is.

I've been to a LOT of conventions, run by various organisers and I've seen disco's of highly varying quality. I felt that whilst Saturday night didn't stand out as anything unique musically, it was perfectly acceptable, 'normal' to conevntions and a lot of fun for me personally (as well as all the others who were dancing, including Hattie for a while)  

[Havanaman]

Psychosis, on Jun 16 2009, 12:42 PM, said:

I have to admit (does my opinion count even though I didn't attend?) the only reason I didn't attend was because it was held in Bedford. Shockingly, there is actually an entire population of people living north of Northampton, and Northampton was awkward enough to get to - but at least wasn't quite so appalling! I was literally in tears because of the transport conditions (and the hotel, though that appears to be getting up to scratch slowly) so there's absolutely no chance of me (and quite a few others I spoke to) attending an event in Bedford again. I'm not sure what logic - if any - was used in deciding to use Bedford, unless it was the "it's easy from Milton Keynes/London"  logic. A 2.5 hour journey home from Northampton vs an almost 5 hour journey home from Bedford - and that's if London Midland actually have any staff for the Bedford route, which it rarely does! If London Midland are short of staff, I'd be happy to take a job  

Don't know what cons we will be attending next but a combination of my wife, my son and I will be going (at least two, possibly all three). So there would be room in the car for one or two!!! If you would like a lift, you would be most welcome. We live at Leek. John, Pat and Richard.

[Psychosis]

That's very kind of you to offer! Thank you! I don't know what I'm doing next  (other than one in London) but I'll keep that in mind I'm in Hanley.

[Clapper]

Duke, on Jun 15 2009, 07:14 PM, said:

Well, I am back from Massive Events first ever Red Dwarf Weekend.  As a weekend convention veteran and a mind of Red Dwarf facts, figures and history, I thought I would give my honest opinion and run down of the weekend.

The High Points:

The Organisation – Flawless.  I have seen some right shams in my time but these guys really knew what they were doing.  Everything was so smooth.  Full marks here.
The Atmosphere – Brilliant! Everyone was in high spirits!
The guests – A good selection (except for the obvious cancellations, which they could do nothing about) and they were all very friendly
Good use of initiative when Craig no showed by giving everyone a free group photoshoot.

The Low Points

The Saturday Party – 0 out of 10 here.  The music was AWFUL. Most people disappeared to the bar as they gave up hope of their request being played.  I even saw some bloke have a go at the clueless DJ for the poor effort he was making...  Normally I would of stepped in but I have to say I thought he was justified in having a go.  I know Massive Events are trying to save money, but my advice is to pay someone no more than £200 so we have a DJ that has some idea what they are doing.  The guy working behind the bar says it was the worst DJ he had ever heard in the 3 years he had worked there.  
The guests cancelling – As I say, not really their fault, but it did upset a few people.

So the burning question is…Could Showmasters/massive events put on an Unofficial Red Dwarf Convention that was better that the OFFICIAL Red Dwarf Fan club that has been running for years?  And my verdict is: No they could not.

Why?  Well, despite the fact that there organisation is a million times better, they offer full professional photo shoots and the rather nice extras such as the Drinks reception, they just ballsed up the Saturday night party.  This has historically been a dance floor filled extravaganza, with a fun filled atmosphere, and the highlight of the weekend.  Most people in the bar downstairs were moaning that the music was crap (yet were having a good time drinking and playing pool anyway!!) and the dance floor barly had anyone on it all night.  I had to laugh at the end of the night when the ‘DJ’ came on the mic and said ‘It had been a tough night and difficult to close the right tracks’  Well, I am no pro DJ (or maybe I am…) but my advice would be less rock and a mixture to cater for EVERYONE.

To be fair, this was the first RD Con that Massive events have done, so I can understand that they didn’t quite match the official one, but they almost did, which is more than I thought they would.  Get a half decent DJ next time and you are sorted!

Totally agree, leave it up to the people who have been doing it for years. Bedford is pants, terrible to get to. Been there before it hasn't changed. Segregating by means of profit for the organisation isn't very nice for the humble student fan. One price for all. You pay more and you get a better experience? That shouldn't be the case, everyone should have the same chance as the rest.

There must have been a profit, otherwise an event announcement so soon wouldn't have happened. Make better use of the money next time, or donate it to charity and save yourself the bother.

[DavidB]

So you're basically criticising the organisers because they're a business and they want to make a profit?

To be honest, Jason is a huge Red Dwarf fan and if he wasn't, the con would probably never have happened.

Compare the attendance of BTL to a Twilight con for example, and BTL isn't the huge money spinner for Massive Events that you seem to think it is.

But even if they DID make some money out of it, what's the problem?

[Too Tall]

The problem is that we do it at all.

Clapper is all for the "other" event and would like to see us not do it at all.

[chris_mk]

Clapper, on Jun 16 2009, 03:58 PM, said:

Totally agree, leave it up to the people who have been doing it for years. Bedford is pants, terrible to get to. Been there before it hasn't changed. Segregating by means of profit for the organisation isn't very nice for the humble student fan. One price for all. You pay more and you get a better experience? That shouldn't be the case, everyone should have the same chance as the rest.

There must have been a profit, otherwise an event announcement so soon wouldn't have happened. Make better use of the money next time, or donate it to charity and save yourself the bother.

So you're saying leave it to the people whose organisation is rubbish (Duke said ME were 'a million times better' and you agreed)? Hmm.. no thanks. You do realise that Showmasters/Massive Events HAVE been running events for years? In fact, if I remember correctly, they've been around for longer than the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club! Charging more for different levels of ticket is pretty much industry stanard these days. Yes, it means that 'humble student fans' don't get as much included as less 'humble student fans', but it means that more money can be spent on guests (and organisation).