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.

I'm finally getting giddy, too. I think I have my train-troubles sorted, though with additional cost but I'm positive I can get a refund on that. If my plan B works out I'll be in London around 5 pm tomorrow. Gonna pack the last few things that need packing and then I'm ready to go.

TooTall's post here http://showmastersonline.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88198seems to indicate that you can upgrade at the event, I would guess if you ask when you go to register they'll be able to help you :) Yes, I've already seen the post. I thought there might be some more precise information about where exactly at the event I might be able to upgrade, and if I can already do so on Friday 2 pm when registration starts. Would be nice to know beforehand, though everyone is probably swamped with other, more urgent questions, troubleshooting and stuff.

@MGO: Aw, that's so nice of you. Maybe i'll find something to bring in return, I just have no idea yet what.

Dammit, they do strike on thursday. (Sorry, had to vent. This will only affect you too if you plan to arrive by train from Germany, if anyone wonders.)

Unfortunately I was a bit late upgrading via email and am hoping now I can do that at the event (here's to hoping there will be enough Platinum packages left). Is there any info about when and where I can do so? Is it possible to do so already on Friday, right when I register? My bank account looks better than I thought and I can get a better package now.

Rationally speaking I too think flying is still the safest way to travel and Germanwings is a perfectly safe airline normally. But I admit it was a bit of a non-rational decision on my part to not go by plane this time. I've had some drama to deal with not too long ago which left me in a not so good mental condition and didn't want to face a panic attack or something during the flight on top of that, so train it is. Even if the trip takes a few more hours I still think it's not a bad alternative. I like trains. Lots of time to relax, read a good book, listen to music and looking forward to the con. I'm just happy I planned enough time for any incidents that could happen en route should it come to the worst strike-wise.

@J.P.: I booked my train ticket starting in Leipzig. And yes, the Germanwings plane crash was one of the reasons I decided against going by plane, even though there is a perfect little airport here, too. I just couldn't stomach booking a flight. The thing is: I'm staying with a friend in London and the one (affordable) flight connection NOT serviced by Germanwings arrives around midnight in London Stansted. It'll probably be around 3 am before I arrive at my friend's which is just no option because she has to work. Another flight alternative would have taken me about 6 hours to Stansted with one stopover somewhere in south Germany. It's just too much of a hassle for me, I like trains more than planes, I find it more comfortable and relaxing, have no luggage restrictions and I don't have another commute from the airport to London to take into consideration (train arrives in central London). Plus, the train ticket was in the same price range as the plane ticket as well. Oh, and I don't have a car so that's no option either. If everything goes according to plan I'll arrive on thursday afternoon and will have enough time to get settled and go buy some groceries and stuff. That is, if said strike doesn't throw a massive spanner in it. (Sorry for boring you all with my convention-unrelated worries)

Yeah, I'll have to worry about getting there in the first place, too, before allowing myself to wallow in any post-con blues. I'll be arriving from Germay by train* and it has been announced today that there will be a major strike amongst train drivers sometime next week. It will be announced 24 hours before. Please PLEASE let this not be on thursday when I booked my train ticket. *At least I'll not have to worry about luggage restrictions with that.

@J.P.: You could have it sent back home by mail. There is a tool to calculate how much it costs on the royal mail website.

Just some heads up for Sunday: there is the London marathon on Sunday (with part of the events surrounding it taking place in another part of the excel) and public transport might be delayed, roads closed off, etc. It's probably wise to take that into concideration and allow for more time to get to the excel (I'd say about an hour extra to be safe), especially if you have a bit of a commute to get there. Apart from that I can safely say from my experience that the British are by far the best when it comes to organising big crowds and queues!