19 replies to this topic

[Charmer]

I was at a rival event yesterday and just wanted to post this as it was so awfully managed and I was finding myself wishing the SM/ME crew were there! I felt like doing this to the crew members    The queues were badly handled and took forever to move, the layout was awful and all in all we came away feeling really annoyed! I spoke to a number of people who were wishing it was run by SM!

Basically, what I'm saying is, you only realise how great a job you guys do when you see it done badly at another event! I don't think anyone else comes close to putting on the shows you do, so big up to SM/ME!   

[Tina197]

No one matches SM and ME, I completely agree. This is a big reason why I now insist on only attending events run by our lovely pals at Showmasters and Massive Events, others just either don't work as well, or in my opinion, are downright boring!  

[reddragon]

Totally agree - I was very stressed yesterday and really didn't enjoy the event.

[timelord81r]

whilst trying not to mention other events, i will say this

some ppl on this forum make me laugh when they complain about some stuff with showmasters, go to THAT rival and you will be saying showmasters are the gods lol.

photo distribution was an absolute disgrace with them! along with the queues. you dont get that with showmasters,
and when there is a problem like that with queues with SM, you see jason out there sorting it! non of that with THOSE other organisors at those other events.

[Not_Pennys_Ship]

Was contemplating going to this event but chose not to because wasn't sure how it would compare to SM/ME events.

Sounds like that I made the right choice not to go.

[timelord81r]

Not_Pennys_Ship, on Oct 30 2011, 06:06 PM, said:

Was contemplating going to this event but chose not to because wasn't sure how it would compare to SM/ME events.

Sounds like that I made the right choice not to go.

im of the opinion that no matter how much I hate someone/org or dislike how things are done at whatever event, its guests that get me to events, if i can or rather if my credit card sigh, can afford it and i can get off work then its down to the guests! I wont boycott an event based on not liking it if good guests are there. I find that a bit silly, especially if its on other ppls word and not my own experience. I can understand that feeling as I get that with certain events, I really dont want to go cos of what event it is, but guests get me to events, and although yesterday was a shambles, I came away happy with my photos and talks attended.

I dont like a certain company and havnt been to one of there events yet, primarily cos they always have very late big cancelations, so I dont risk it and wait and see, but they recently announced a guest that I had to take the risk on, the guest is so big! even though my gut tells me dont risk it, guests get me to events, even if I dont like said events or orgs that run them.

[reddragon]

timelord81r, on Oct 30 2011, 09:19 PM, said:

Not_Pennys_Ship, on Oct 30 2011, 06:06 PM, said:

Was contemplating going to this event but chose not to because wasn't sure how it would compare to SM/ME events.

Sounds like that I made the right choice not to go.

im of the opinion that no matter how much I hate someone/org or dislike how things are done at whatever event, its guests that get me to events, if i can or rather if my credit card sigh, can afford it and i can get off work then its down to the guests! I wont boycott an event based on not liking it if good guests are there. I find that a bit silly, especially if its on other ppls word and not my own experience. I can understand that feeling as I get that with certain events, I really dont want to go cos of what event it is, but guests get me to events, and although yesterday was a shambles, I came away happy with my photos and talks attended.

I dont like a certain company and havnt been to one of there events yet, primarily cos they always have very late big cancelations, so I dont risk it and wait and see, but they recently announced a guest that I had to take the risk on, the guest is so big! even though my gut tells me dont risk it, guests get me to events, even if I dont like said events or orgs that run them.

I've just seen the event you are talking about. I wouldn't risk it myself as I have an awful feeling this guest will pull out at the last minute. It has happened many time before hence I gave up on them a while ago.

[timelord81r]

yep you are correct, but on this one ive taken the risk, its too big not to for me, would I of for DT in the same situation before he did EMS? probably not, deff right away anyway.

p.s "im not breaking the laws of time but i am bending them a little"

trying not to mention other cons, but deff trying to praise showmasters !

[nosfer2]

Without naming other shows, I will simply say:

Thank you Showmasters that you know how to organise queues, and that if something goes wrong you get someone to sort it out.

Thank you that you have sufficient crew members to cope with your events.

Thank you that when you tell us that you will have virtual tickets you are true to your word.

Thank you that your crew members know answers to questions, and if they don't know they will find someone who does.

Thank you that you let us pay for autographs with cash or card, and don't make us queue up to buy vouchers named after the event organiser.

Thank you that at your photoshoots the photographer knows how to use his camera and the photos are in focus.

Thank you that when photos are not allowed you make it clear rather than shouting at us just as we are getting our camera ready.

Thank you that you make it clear where attendees need to queue for autographs.

Thank you that when someone has a clash you have somebody available to sort things out.

Thank you that you make an effort to ensure that photoshoots are not spoilt by grubby fingerprints, and that you have a big enough area for photo collection.

Thank you that you don't make promises you can't keep, and that you give a realistic timescale for the return of photoshoots, as well as making arrangements to post them out to people who can't stay until the end.

Thank you that you are not just in it to make a fast buck, but are fans like us and make an effort to ensure that we have an enjoyable experience.

Thank you that your events are generally relatively stress-free.

No event is perfect, but this weekend I was reminded why I think your events are the best.

[Tina197]

Nosfer2, I completely agree with everything you've said there.

Others I have been to in the past have either had nothing to see (after one walk around!),and I'm bored within an hour, the organisers I have never seen around anywhere, and, at one event, the organisers did nothing and the poor guests did pretty much everything the organisers were meant to do, and even the organisers did a runner with all the money at the end of the event and never paid the guests..

Needless to say, with those, I lost complete confidence in those events, and I did wish for Showmasters. That's why I promised myself after the last one that Showmasters and ME are the only organisers whose events I will attend. They, as of course we all know, are 100% better and very trustworthy    

[nosfer2]

I forgot one:

Thank you that you are willing to listen to criticism and make improvements rather than telling us that visitor numbers were up and most people seemed to have a good time.

[reddragon]

I've just read this comment.


I hope Showmasters can bring Freema to a proper event soon, they are a company that can organize an event correctly.

[jaffajay]

i acctually used 2 go 2 these said events aswell as showmasters but i got so annoyed with them events that i just thought all my money is gonna be going on showmasters from now on that was about 3 years back and im still at showmasters :) been here since the beginning always gonna b here :) i must admit on sunday i was bored and thought umm shall i go 2 the rival show then i thought nah save money  :)

[Raylenth]

I used to go to this company a lot but tailed off simply because they didn't have the guests I wanted and because I was getting fed up with them.

I got a saturday early bird as they did have 2 guests I really wanted to meet who haven't done an SM event yet.  

I thought the actual queing to get in method wasn't too bad but they really didn't help themselves as there was no signage to tell people where they had to go to queue and there where no show staff around to ask.  I got some help from a venue employee in the end.

The website design was terrible, there was no info about the show, about how it works, how the autos are run and paid for ect.

I got in just after 9, there was no show plan so I had to wander round looking for the auto area, I saw no show staff that I could ask, no info desk, nothing.

When I got to the auto area (at just after 9ish) I was told the guests I wanted where not due to be signing until 12 - I must admit I didn't react very well to that - I wasn't feeling brilliant, and hopeing it might have had a logical running order that the guests would have been there on time and I could see them and go home, when I heard that I was so peed off by it all I walked out and went home!

[Blonger]

Almost went to that event but chose not to . I haven't done a weekend con with ME yet but will soon as it is a convention for the hunger games but had a weekend con with a diff company for vampire diaries and went well so just hope ME are as good as them , anyway thanks sm for the hard work you do and am hoping ME do good weekend cons :)

[showmasters]

WOW thank you , thank you all so much.

when we are up to the wire with lots of things all going off at once with things coming at us from all side we try to keep on target and get it right for everyone its hard some times but we think it through and really try to get an outcome were you are all looked after .

thank you for seeing this and its so nice to read your posts and i know the crew will also appreciate your comments as there jobs can be very tuff to so thank you as its nice to show them they are appreciated buy you the fans .

so thank you for this very nice thread thank you

Jason and everyone that mates the events happen .

[Elspeth]

Showmasters/Massive events do indeed rule!

I didn't go to the other event that weekend, as it clashed with 'Hallowhedon 3', but I did attend the same one earlier this year and I really didn't enjoy it at all.

There was one panel that I wanted to go to, so decided to go along at the last minute and see what it was like.  I got to the venue 2 hours before the doors opened and joined the pay on the day "early bird" queue where there were about 150 people in front of me. Basically the entry system meant that we didn't get let in until ALL of the pre-booked tickets were in, so I didn't get into the event until 45min after it had started, only 15min before the standard entry tickets were let in!
Showmasters entry system is so much better, you don't get "punished" for not buying tickets in advance. While there is a distinct advantage for being in the pre-paid ticket queue, On the day tickets get in quickly too.

As it was my first event with this company, I asked one of the crew members the basics of how it all works just to double check I was reading it all correctly their response was "Yeah, I don't really know, you'd be better asking one of the attendees".....seriously????

SM/ME crew always know what's going on, and even if they are not sure they will find out for you or point you in the direction of someone else who definitely will. As far as convention staff go, they are by far the best I've come across!


I have also attended, weekend conventions with another company, while I have enjoyed them, they don't have the organisation that ME does and they definitely do not have enough crew members!  While I will continue to attend these events (as ME don't currently run cons for the TV shows they do) if there was ever a clash with a SM/ME event I would go to that instead!

So thanks SM/ME, you are the best in the UK by a mile!!!  

[cunningham1471]

Charmer, on Oct 30 2011, 10:20 AM, said:

I was at a rival event yesterday and just wanted to post this as it was so awfully managed and I was finding myself wishing the SM/ME crew were there! I felt like doing this to the crew members    The queues were badly handled and took forever to move, the layout was awful and all in all we came away feeling really annoyed! I spoke to a number of people who were wishing it was run by SM!

Basically, what I'm saying is, you only realise how great a job you guys do when you see it done badly at another event! I don't think anyone else comes close to putting on the shows you do, so big up to SM/ME!   

I really wish I knew which event this is. I keep looking at doing a con organised by another con-organiser that I have heard good things about (a few years ago) and am now wondering if it's them and they've let  their standards slip.

Curses to the forum rules  

[Charmer]

cunningham1471, on Mar 5 2012, 10:16 AM, said:

Charmer, on Oct 30 2011, 10:20 AM, said:

I was at a rival event yesterday and just wanted to post this as it was so awfully managed and I was finding myself wishing the SM/ME crew were there! I felt like doing this to the crew members    The queues were badly handled and took forever to move, the layout was awful and all in all we came away feeling really annoyed! I spoke to a number of people who were wishing it was run by SM!

Basically, what I'm saying is, you only realise how great a job you guys do when you see it done badly at another event! I don't think anyone else comes close to putting on the shows you do, so big up to SM/ME!   

I really wish I knew which event this is. I keep looking at doing a con organised by another con-organiser that I have heard good things about (a few years ago) and am now wondering if it's them and they've let  their standards slip.

Curses to the forum rules  

You're welcome to email me at: starbuck_mark@yahoo.co.uk and I can let you know incase you're worried you may have a bad experience if you go to one.

[Arcane]

A bit late to this thread but I just wanted to add my 'Here here!' to this.

SM/ME are definitely my favourite organiser of events . There is one more UK organiser whose events I enjoy, but also one (I suspect the organiser mentioned by the original poster of this thread) whose events I simply will not EVER attend again.

The guys from SM/ME do an absolutely fantastic job, and I cannot praise them highly enough