Steve Green

You could probably get more people in at Olympia, but you would probably need to take 3 venues looking at this. I suspect that the logistics (and cost) of that would be too problemmatical. (The same considerations probably also rule out them hiring the conference centre there for decently-staged talks). Hi, Looking at the capacity, the National hall has about 3800 more than Brompton Hall, and Olympia Grand about 750 less than EC2. So even 2 would still offer more than the combination this weekend. (Olympia also seems a bit airier and doesn't have the awful yellow tinged lights) Having a separate area for talks is just a personal bugbear, my main take would be to concentrate on making the guest photos/autos a pleasant experience. If that is a miserable experience because of crowding, then they should rein back on arcade machines/stalls/cardboard standees etc. Yes, these extras are nice to have - but the guests are the priority.

I'd like to know why the space leading off from the Brompton Hall exit wasn't used at all - too expensive? It was completely empty of anything official - I saw a few photographers taking shots inside, and I asked the lady on security later in the weekend and it was out of bounds. I know the cosplay groups would love to have a separate space to get changed/relax. I'm sure even with a surcharge to cover costs, having a corner of somewhere like that to cool down (especially in the winter cons) would be appreciated. At previous cons, it seems entirely arbitrary whether there have been facilities or not - I've seen cubicles (which aren't hugely useful for most bulky costumes), and sometimes rooms set aside. It would also free up space from costume groups who have their tables and all their kit. Someone said it's not Showmasters responsibility to provide water - but if people are willing to pay for it, you could make a hefty profit with people selling water to the queues outside - seems bizarre not to. I don't have much to add about the rest of the event, but it was by far the worst LFCC I've attended, I didn't even bother going inside on the Sunday, I just couldn't face it. The bottleneck at the entrance with the Dragon Skull and the photo queues really was horrible positioning. I've much preferred Olympia to EC2, not sure if that's considered too small now, but it at least has the balconies to retreat to. Someone mentioned the O2 - there was a great event a while back with talks in the cinema screens - having talks in a barely partitioned hall is the worst way to present things, it needs something dedicated. Areas need to be separated properly to allow people to enjoy it (LFCC is not the only culprit there)

I don't cosplay but hang around with the Mega City Judges, and have photographed them a fair bit - this sounds like a great idea. I think some kind of rock/rubble backdrop would cover the most bases. Maybe a selection of foam/polystyrene props would let the cosplayers vary the look without changing the backdrop. You might be able to cover 'destroyed urban' and 'natural wasteland' with the same set, just a couple of different bits of dressing. Fake girder/concrete/machinery or maybe something sculpted as if it's mid-explosion? With the trend for force-choke/hadouken shots it wouldn't be a bad idea to have something that could be thrown safely in the air, or a sculpted impact point. A decent lighting setup will be just as important (thankfully it's not at Orange EC2) I think what would go down well though is a decent changing area set aside for people, it can be a bit hit and miss as to what there is.

Hi, thanks - Friday it is then... Cheers, Steve

Great, thanks - I'm guessing that you still need a Friday ticket even if you only want to buy a photoshoot for Saturday?

Hi, I have a couple of questions about buying photoshoot tickets - I currently have a Sat/Sun pass, and was looking to buy a Norman Reedus shoot for a friend who's coming on the Saturday, but not till midday. Are shoots tied to a particular person, and are there limits on how many can be bought by an individual? Can you buy a Saturday Shoot on the Friday? I wondered if there was a risk that photos could be bought up in advance by those attending on the Friday, especially for last minute guests. I'm London based, so getting to Earls Court on the Friday is not a problem, just wanted to check the best way of getting the shoot. What's the general policy for photos at autographs? By the looks of things, the photo sessions are very in and out. Is it a blanket 'no photos' for autograph sessions, or varies according to guests, I'm guessing if you actually want to say much beyond 'Hi' and get a photo, then you need to do both the photo and autograph session? Thanks, Steve