220 replies to this topic

[Massive Events]

Hi everyone,

First, please accept our apologies for not having updated the status of this event sooner! We have been trying very hard to work out a way to ensure the event goes ahead as we are HUGE Lord of the Rings fans ourselves and have a real personal investment in this show!  

It is has become very apparent that in order for this event to be successful and to do it the justice we want to it needs to partially use the hype that will be generated from The Hobbit later in the year and to that end we have decided to move the convention to a time much nearer to The Hobbits release date.

Therefore, Return to Middle Earth will now take place on 23rd to 25th November 2012!   It will be at The Park Inn Northampton and they are ready to take bookings for the new date as of now! Return to Middle Earth will also now be exclusively LOTR / Hobbit based and we will be looking at bringing Game of Thrones guests into some of our other events instead.

I know that we have refunded most people who had tickets to the original date but anyone else who still has a ticket booked as of todays date, and wishes to have it refunded please let us know and we will be happy to do that. Otherwise your ticket will now just move across to the new date.

To go with the new date we have a fantastic new guest too!    Please check out their announcement thread in the forum but we think you will be VERY happy! We know we are as it is an old friend who we are very much looking forward to spending the weekend with again!  

The website will be back up online within a few days and next week we will have lots of news about some of the exciting things that will be going on over the weekend of the show, including some Live Action Role Play! We are also working on various other guests and hope to have more news on them soon!  

Once again, thank you for your patience over this event. We do really appreciate it. Please be assured this is the last time the event will be moved or changed and it is now full steam ahead for what is personally my most anticipated event we have ever run!  

Take care,

Mark  

Edited by slaycandy, 02 April 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[jael001]

Yay, so glad this is still going ahead and that we've got Billy (and John).

[swan]

Glad you have re-arranged it.  Just need to get guests whom autos I don't have.  LOL!

[Heavenly]

Perfect! Thanks so much!

[CosmicAvatar]

Glad to hear this is still on.  I would like to attend if at all possible and Nov is definitely a better prospect for me than June.  Fingers crossed!

[Tolkienerd]

I met Bernard Hill at the Titanic 3D premiere a couple of days ago and he advised that he will only sign autographs at convention events (he was actually telling people in the crowd that every autograph he signs for free is money out of his own pocket so he won't do it!).

Whilst I don't agree with his mercenary attitude towards fans, it might make it easier to book him for an event such as this, as his last convention appearance was quite some time ago now.

[Big_Pants]

While I am sad that this is no longer on my Birthday weekend I am ecstatic that it's at least still going ahead!

[showmasters]

Tolkienerd, on Mar 30 2012, 09:29 PM, said:

I met Bernard Hill at the Titanic 3D premiere a couple of days ago and he advised that he will only sign autographs at convention events (he was actually telling people in the crowd that every autograph he signs for free is money out of his own pocket so he won't do it!).

Whilst I don't agree with his mercenary attitude towards fans, it might make it easier to book him for an event such as this, as his last convention appearance was quite some time ago now.

well i have talked a lot to many guests over the years and one thing they say is that meeting fans at events is nothing like meeting PEOPLE at theatre doors or at film events , then they go on to explain that they get hit up a lot out side theatre doors but a lot of people that sometimes do not even know what they have worked on and they have found out that  a lot of the people that do this are paid to collect autographs from them or are traders that some times try to hit them up maybe as many as 10 or 20 times a night , so the sad fact is that real fans get painted with the same brush :-( i really feel for the guests also as they tell me they do now know the difference between a real fan and a trader and this really messes it up for all the real fans out there .

i know Diana Rig felt the same way before attending our event and then she attended the show she loved meeting the fans and said that these people are not the same people that hit her up out side the theatre and she said it was so nice to be able to meet and sign the things that these people have been collecting for over 40 years and she loved meeting the fans at an event .

so there is a lot more to all this than what people think first off .

jason

[RingsFan]

Can't wait, Gold ticket still here  

Billy Boyd OMG!!!! Its going to be great!!

Get buying tickets people  

[Banished_From_Rohan]

showmasters, on Mar 30 2012, 11:39 PM, said:

well i have talked a lot to many guests over the years and one thing they say is that meeting fans at events is nothing like meeting PEOPLE at theatre doors or at film events , then they go on to explain that they get hit up a lot out side theatre doors but a lot of people that sometimes do not even know what they have worked on and they have found out that  a lot of the people that do this are paid to collect autographs from them or are traders that some times try to hit them up maybe as many as 10 or 20 times a night , so the sad fact is that real fans get painted with the same brush :-( i really feel for the guests also as they tell me they do now know the difference between a real fan and a trader and this really messes it up for all the real fans out there .

i know Diana Rig felt the same way before attending our event and then she attended the show she loved meeting the fans and said that these people are not the same people that hit her up out side the theatre and she said it was so nice to be able to meet and sign the things that these people have been collecting for over 40 years and she loved meeting the fans at an event .

so there is a lot more to all this than what people think first off .

jason

Sorry Jason. I don't normally bite at these sort of things but I am going to this time.

Guests need to come out of their millionnaire cocoons and realise that not everyone has vast amounts of money they can lavish on autographs at the moment. Sure they get hit up by the same people every night, but you get to know these people pretty quickly and there is nothing at all to stop people saying "I've signed for you once, I won't do any more". I've seen it happen on more than one occasion. Alternatively sign one for each person and insist on personalising it, or do what some have done and go down the "theatre merchandise only" route. A genuine fan would be more than happy to get a signature on a programme. Dealers/traders are easy to spot - they're generally the ones who are there night after night with piles of the same 10x8 and a complete lack of manners or thought for others - so for guests to say they don't know the difference as you've stated above is most likely poppycock.
Of course guests are going to say they prefer to meet people at conventions - they get paid handsomely to do it. Would they enjoy it as much if they had to do it for free? Of course not. And seeing as you mentioned Diana Rigg most people in their right minds are probably going to want to get her scribble for free at the theatre rather than pay £35 for essentially the same thing in a factory line.

[Manklin]

Brilliant, cant wait for this, I owe a lot to LOTR

Brilliant, really looking forward to this, I owe a lot to LOTR

[yellowmarlin]

The new LOTR Lego sets have rekindled my love for these films and now I'm more tempted than ever to attend this event.

[Starlit Sky]

This is right near where I live at the moment, so yes, I'm gonna be here!

[Heavenly]

I am very excited about this event.
The Lord of The Rings is my favorite movie and I can't wait to meet the actors.
I will buy my ticket very soon! :)

[rosie727]

i wondered if this was gonna happen what with sean astin at CMMK and craig parker and karl urban at LFCC

Edited by rosie727, 02 July 2012 - 07:08 PM.

[Squirtchy]

This is going to be a very good year for Lord of the Rings fans, including myself, come on SM, we need to ring barer !!!!!!

[Squirtchy]

I know this is a REALLY BIG SHOT IN THE DARK but how amazing would it be to have a photo shoot with someone *anyone* from LOTR in costume!

Obviously the two guests we have at the moment cannot as Billy and John were made smaller to look like hobbits and dwarfs but if it was at all possible to get someone who played a human or elf, and there be someway of getting a costume available then the demand would defiantly be there to have a photo taken!

[yellowmarlin]

Definitely.

[Heavenly]

Agree!

[Spill]

Just a quickie - we are very interested in attending this event.
On the home page, a link takes us to the Purchasing Event Programmes page, where the standard price is £78 (+ £3 p&p).
On the Buy Tickets page the price is £88.

What's going on? Is the programme different to a ticket? The items they list are the same.

Spill

Edited by Spill, 01 August 2012 - 12:16 PM.