BigBlue

I think I miraculously managed to finish getting everything organised, printed and packed. Whew! My home now looks like a shopping mall exploded in here but that has to wait until I come back on Monday. Hopefully everything goes according to plan because my transfer times are pretty tight. But I'm sure I'll see some of you tomorrow or over the weekend. :)

Hi everyone. Very long story short: until 2 days ago I didn't know if I could go. Turned out I could an am now scrabbling to organise everything at the last second. Between buying tickets and booking flights I haven't even really looked at the timetables, will have to be able to somehow sort that out in the next 24 hours. Yay? Anyway, hope it will be as much fun as last time

That's sad to hear but I guess we have to accept that. I can understand why no official video footage might be available but it would be nice to have it nevertheless. Especially as the sound wasn't ideal sometimes and there were so many people from abroard who might not have understood everything while there.

Loved David as well and he did a great job even if he was shot 3 times over the weekend. His sense of humor was right up my lane. @dazzlerjames: You did a great job as well when you jumped in for him, round of applause!

Ah, thanks for clarifying. :)

I had a giggling fit on the tube earlier when I started my trip home and saw an advert there (some diet drink it was I think) with the phrase "are you beach body ready". XD Someone had scribbled "everybody is" underneath. I might have attracted a few puzzled looks.

Raylenth: Regarding that chill out area: that's exactly what I meant. It was a good idea to have some space to just generally hang out and get out of the crowd for a bit but a few more chairs or cushions or similar would have been nice. Even if I did not have much time to actually use it. :) And I realise the space between photo booths and autograph tables was necessary for the crowds but maybe a different kind of arranging these might have made it look a bit less...bleak? Sorry, not sure how to describe what I mean. They probably made the best out of the space they had and I'm not really complaining, just trying to think about ways how to present everything a bit better next time. Which I will hope there will be :)

I agree with the general gist of the event being rather hectic, if you had a gold or above ticket and so many paid-for activities. But I think it's not the same for people with silver or below. I think quite a few people only went to sessions with guests they were really interested in and therefore didn't have such a packed schedule. Less guests could mean for everything to be a bit more relaxed, true, but then again everyone was so delightful and lovely that I wouldn't have wanted to miss anyone. The only real criticism I have is that the whole setup of the venue could have been a bit more friendly and cozier. Maybe next time there could be a somewhat separate area for people to relax and sit down for a bit and have some food/drink and a chat without having to leave the main hall (I'm thinking of an area that could be designed go resemble the 221b living room a bit). Also a few more stands for fan-oriented stuff might be nice.

Ok, time for my thoughts as well. :) For me it was my first convention ever and I was a bit nervous about everything. I did a last minute upgrade to platinum on friday and I have to say, despite the price of the package, it made a lot of things easier. What really stood out for me was the loveliness and utter amazingness of the guests. Not so much Benedict I have to say quite honestly. Of all of them I had the least interaction with him. But that's mainly due to the fact that his sessions were very rushed because of the sheer number of people who wanted to see him, so I understand and am not disappointed. Nevertheless he was very friendly to everyone and gave his best, even if he was a bit unwell. Andrew was a real sweetheart. His sessions were a bit rushed too but he found the time to have a few words with everyone. So did Mark (though in his last photosession you could tell he was exhausted by then; did poses with anyone who asked anyway), and especially Steven in his autograph sessions. I think his queue was usually the longest and he really made a point of taking time and talking to everyone. Didn't expect that, to be honest and it was a nice surprise. I had a few moments with Lars as well. Had a nice chat with him in German (his skills have mothertongue-quality!) when he discovered where I came from. And I was reeeeally lucky I managed to get his photo because by sunday evening I had at one point completely forgotten I had a session with him and I only discovered when I got in the queue for Una. He was still around then and I was the last one getting a picture with him. Phew. Lara was so gorgeous on Sunday and really lovely as well. I think it's a tie between her and Loo who gave the most hugs in photosessions that day. The talks were fantastic as well. Sadly I missed the group talk as well as the one with Rupert and Jonathan because of clashes. The ones that stood out to me were Mark and Andrew as well as Rupert and Lars. Both were hilarious and I REALLY would love it if we could get an official recording of at least some of them one day. And I have to especially mention Loo. I'm not sure where she took the energy from but she was a blast all the time. Whenever she noticed someone upset or a bit down she made sure to spend extra time with them and cheer them up. She would even organise her own queues if necessary and met everyone on eyelevel, devoting as much time and energy on everyone as possible. There are many more great moments from the weekend but I think you get the general gist. :) It was great to immerse myself in the fandom for a weekend and being surrounded by likeminded people. I came alone but quickly made some wonderful new friends and I hope I can get a repeat really soon.

Just a short comment on the line-cutting: I think they mainly did it when there was a clash for platinums or any other reason to hurry them. I always felt sorry when it happened (I did a last minute upgrade to plat) but especially today it sometimes couldn'd be helped I think. My timetable was completely off from the first minute today when the crew shot started late and did take longer than most others because of the number of people in it. There where two other photoshoots with big crowds on at the same time for my group and a talk starting around that time as well. In the end I only got one shot out of the three at my original time and had to squeeze the other ones somewhere inbetween. Had to reshuffle my whole schedule for the day from the start. I think there where quite a few more who had that experience. When there was a bit more time between things the crew usually put me at the end of the line behind gold or weekenders.

I have to compliment the crew as well. I can only imagine how exhausted and sore-throated they must be now. I think they managed everything as best as possible even if hardly anything went straight as scheduled, in the end it all worked out fine, thanks to them. Big round of applause! On a sidenote I think Loo would make a great crewmember as well because she seemed to manage her appearances mainly herself. XD You should make her an honorary redshirt or something.

I don't do cosplay myself but I think everyone in costume is awesome! Have already seen some great ones when I registered earlier and I might ask you guys for a photo when I see you. :)

Have already registered and met some nice people (and saw some grat cosplay!) in the process + managed to get an upgrade too. Relaxing now as well and will then be getting ready for the party because I don't want to get back and get changed once I get there for the opening later. See you all in a bit.

Am now in London, too. Things worked out better than I anticipated in the end but am glad I have some time to relax before everything starts. We'll see each other this time tomorrow.

Is there any more info on that in your email? I tried upgrading by email but was too late and hope I can do that at the event know, but I don't know exactly yet where and when.