50 replies to this topic

[steevofromglasgow]

DavidB, on Sep 28 2010, 08:42 AM, said:

If there's no photos allowed, then it certainly isn't the case that you could pay more and get one at the desk.

Thanks David, I thought that but couldn't get the drift of what Rhianydd was referring to earlier when she said
"I did hear the two ladies saying to quite a few people that they were very welcome to purchase a photograph ticket if they would like a posed photograph with them."

[DavidB]

I assumed she meant a photo shoot? I'm sure she can clarify.

[Leacroft]

My first post- my first Showmasters experience.

I attended on saturday morning.
All guests and onsite staff were very friendly, helpful, courteous and professional.

However as a 'newbie' i found the lack of signage (particularily in relation to finding the photoshoot area) poor and confusing.

I attended just the one photoshoot, Linda Gray, and (when i found it)
it was , again, run smoothly and professionally.

I explained to the photoshoot staff that i could not hang around afterwards to wait for my photo, and was told that if i paid £2 and filled out an i.d form, it would be posted on to me.

I look forward to receiving my photo. What sort of turnaround time can i expect?

Thanks again for making my first Showmasters experience an enjoyable and positive one.
I hope to be back for more in the near future.

[Rhianydd]

DavidB, on Sep 28 2010, 08:50 AM, said:

I assumed she meant a photo shoot? I'm sure she can clarify.

Sorry for not explaining clearly.  Yes, I distinctly heard the ladies say that they were not doing photographs at the signing table as they had a photoshoot scheduled, and that attendees were welcome to go to the reg desk to purchase tickets for the photoshoot, they didnt mention the reason for this.  I just respected it as the rule for that particular guest/s.

Too Tall has put an explanation on post #113 on the following link if you would like to read it.
http://showmasterson...p;#entry1589787

Edited by Rhianydd, 28 September 2010 - 11:30 AM.

[steevofromglasgow]

Thanks Rhianydd

Sorry for mis-understanding you earlier and I've read TT's post which is helpful.

Thankfully most guests don't adopt that policy of stopping photographs because a photoshoot is taking place. For us, attending the photoshoots and collecting the photographs would have added hours to our day (which we didn't have) and at the end of the day it's the organisers who've lost out more than us as we walked away and weren't desperately after meeting them.

Regards

Steve

[Helmut]

Hello,

I would like to say THANK YOU to the staff and to all crew members, who made Autographica 16 to this beautiful show. I attended on Saturday and I returned to Germany with a lot of amazing impressions about my meetings with the guests there. Thank you again.

Because of the discussion about the abruptly ban of photos at the table, I would like to say, that it would be a pity, when posing photos will be no more possible at the show. Autographs and posing photos at the table with the guests, belongs to Autographica like sugar into chocolate. However, the guest decide, if he will pose for photos or not. Because I don`t know, if a guest will be posing for a photo at the table, I book photoshootings with my favourite guests in advance of the show. Then I have the chance to become a photo at the table (when the guest allows) AND additionally for sure, a picture at the photoshooting. And the photo sessions are a great addition to the "table photos", because my small camera  photographs not the quality pictures like a professional camera. And with my favourite guests, I would like to have a quality photo from a professional photographer as a memory. And Autographica have an excellent professional photographer.
Autographica 16 was my fourth Autographica show where I attend and I had not yet the situation that a guest says to me "No photograph". But it must be still an decision of the guest, if he will posing for a photo at the table or not and shouldn`t become a "business" decision of anybody.
Best
Helmut

[spocks-brain]

My 15th Autographica, and as always the guests were a pleasure to meet.

Have to agree with what most others on here, and on other boards, have said about the venue though. Having been to every Autographica venue over the last decade this one was by far my least favourite. Some of the special unique atmosphere that we usually enjoy was lost because of that.
The Birmingham venue is the best one ever for the show in my opinion.

My favourite moment was the Stafford/Leonov photo shoot. I hope we can continue to have a few joint shoots with the space guests. A Lovell/Haise one would be a great future possibility. I'd love to see that at Birmingham next year if we could get them back.

Apart from the space guests who were excellent, I also enjoyed meeting Sylvia Anderson, Bob Anderson, Richard Roundtree, Ian Lavender, Tanya Roberts, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton, Sylvia Syms, Tricia Muller and Francesca Tu. All were great and any of those would be good to have back again in the future.
I like how Sylvia Anderson and Bob Anderson are becoming regulars at SM events. I always have lots for them to sign so I hope they keep getting invited back, as they fit into any of SMs signing shows.

I missed having the usual excellent line up of military heroes. As others have said, this month would have been perfect for a Battle of Britain theme. I hope that we have them back for the next show, especially Battle of Britain guests. I'd very much like to meet again Group Captain Billy Drake and Wing Commander Tom Neil.

I hope we can get another Hollywood legend guest next time too, in the tradition of Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine etc as along with the space and military guests those are my favourites to meet and they certainly seem to add a lot of extra attendees to a show.

Thanks for all the hard work that was put into the show. The guests I met were great.

Very much looking forward to Birmingham being the venue for the next one, and hoping for another great line up as always.

Edited by spocks-brain, 29 September 2010 - 04:02 PM.

[ForAllMankind]

Loved it and appreciate everything Autographica do, great show, thanks to these guys they certainly do bring a smile to my face!

[von Dawson's Express]

May I add a few thoughts on the day? I went on the Saturday for only one autograph, I was disappointed that when I rang the hotline it was a automated message saying the office was closed - oh hum, do I risk driving 220-odd miles? Well, I had other jobs to do, so off I set. I had some directions for the hotel from there website but they were a waste of paper. The hotel was a nightmare to find. Carparking was easy and free or was it? was there a charge? I never saw anything saying so... Any ways, I arrived and was greeted at the desk by the ever efficiant staff and yes Bruce Melnick was here, good oh. I found his desk to be told he was having a spot of lunch, fairdoes. So I met the B.I.S. team and was given a autorgraphed post card of a ESA astronaut and some other bumpf. Met Bruce - he signed my big blue book we had a quick chat - but would the assisitants please be quite, I have come to meet a astronaut not the assistant. Had something to eat (chilli and baked potateo, v.nice but could be hotter and warmer   ) and noted the hotel was past its best (Please lets be back at the Radisson next year...) Met Kiwi and had a great chat with him then left for home via Coventry and Leicester. Home been York.

All-in-all a great day for me where I managed to accomplish all I wanted to do.

Bruce Melnick came over as a nice chap and he had a look at my 'Big Blue Book' but please a word to the assistant's - please let us the punters get a word in and chat with the guests...

Regards and best wishes to all and see you next year!

von Dawson's Express

PS Nice to meet you Kiwi, you have a great future ahead of you, we're watching you! Oh did you get Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov's Auto's?

[yahweh70]

Officially the parking was 8 quid a day, but 4 if you were at the show. When I checked out next day, some folks baulked at the idea of paying parking on top of the price of a room. I didn't guffaw, though I did think about it..

I did spot limited on street parking, and still wonder why they had such a huge car park reserved for staff, and only seemed to allow guests to use it as a last resort. It's been noted that folks can use that hotel's car park during their holiday, as long as they spend just one night as a resident.

Oh and we're back there next year.. Radisson will have to wait. One advantage to SM would be the show's entrances will be easier to control than the numerous levelled doors available to the more dishonest guest at the Radisson.

[cookiemonster]

We came down by train and got the tube to Heathrow and then the free bus to the hotel. Saved a lot of hassle in getting lost!