Jen

so ask 4 no flashes

i understand if the queue is ENORMOUS stopping the posed photos, but no photos of people getting signitures, i was told it would take too long. I counted a total of 8 seconds that my sister spent with James Marsters, plenty of time for me to take a shot, so why was my camera pushed away?

Queue control is a crappy and thankless task. In order to allow as many people as possible to get an autograph and/or meet the guest, you have to (unfortunately) hurry people along. So you're slagged off for doing your job wether you benefit the people at front of the queue or at the end. It's completely impossible to win *shrug* I was working ADs Q for most of Sunday (though I was covered for a while when I ran off for a break and to get Alan Cumming's auto, so I understand that you may not be referring to me) but I have NEVER pulled or grabbed anyone that I don't know personally. On occasion, it can be necessary to touch someone's shoulder as you ask them to move. They've been queueing and waiting for hours to see one of their favourite stars and people start to freeze up as they get closer to the guest, it's just nerves really. Sometimes people totally shut down and you could stand there offering them free money and you still wouldn't catch their attention! lol It's not like we're poking you all down the line with an electric cattle prod *rolleyes* But with all due respect (and this is not a comment about you personally, because I don't know you), if people observed what was going on in front of them instead of idly blocking the exits and understood that they're not the only person in the queue and that there are literally hundreds of others waiting, then maybe it would all run smoother and the attendees would have a much happier experience. At the end of the day we're there to do as the guest and/or organisers want. If a guest wants to talk to people and take their time or if they want to sign for as many people as possible, its our job to hurry people through as appropriate and we take the flack for it. Personally, I've got thick skin, so I don't mind Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the show. EDIT - I deleted this post 'cos I thought better of it, then I decided to replace it. I went out of my way to be friendly to people, I helped with personalisations to save your names being spelt incorrectly on your photos and thanks to everyone working with that guest, more people met AD than were expected and once again he managed to get through his entire Virtual Queue. Hey dude, know controlling the queue must be a pretty tough job, i admire anyone who actually wants to spend the day doing it, but i can assure u i wasn't standing in anyones way or stopped idley through nerves or anything like that. I was standing slightly to one side of Alexis taking a photo of my sis meeting him and whoever the crew member was, tried to drag me to the side, unsucessfully by the way. I admit i may have been rude to them at the time, i had to watch my sis cry her eyes out most the day cus she didnt get a photo with JM, and i found it tough. I usually have no probs with the crew, but there are some crew members who forget how much it means to people to meet their favourite stars. At the end of the day most of them are just doing what they're told and we just have to deal with it Love Jen xx

My major complaint of the day was how rushed everything was. I met James Marsters, JRD, Sean Astin and Antony Head and i barely got a minute with them altogether. I got to the doors 4 5 am and had no probs getting any of their autographs but i was pushed past byt he crew members b4 i had a chance2 say two words to any of them. The only guest i actaully got to speak to was Sean Astin and thats cus i was getting 5 signitures, and for £100 i should have got a photo at least The worst queue was Alexis Denisof, i was going up 2 get his autograph but changed my mind when i saw the way the people were being pushed through. The crew member was actually putting her hands on peoples shoulders and moving them to where she wanted them to stand. I went up to take a photo of my sister meeting him and she tried to move me too, if i'd been asked politley i may have stepped to one side, but to actaully be grabbed and pulled to the side was completely unacceptable. I've always loved CM but came away yesterday feeling quite cheated cus i didnt get to actually really meet and speak to the guests, it was like a production line. Im not criticising showmasters, i was speaking to one of them yesterday and i completely understand the dilemma, if they slowed the quueus down and let people have photos then less people would get to meet them and then they would all complain. I'm aware you cant please everyone. But when someone like me who has always loved the event and enjoyed going comes away thinking i really dont want to go again, no matter what guests they get, then the really is a problem that needs rectifying. The experiences with the guests is what makes it special, its why i queue up early and spend a huge chunk of my wages, and i didnt get it at all this time unfortunely.

At the end of the day if i was given a virtual ticket higher than 500 i would not get my hopes up that i would get the chance to meet the guest. Its not that unusual that guests leave earlier than planned or that their queue may move slowly. I didnt want to come away disappointed so i arrived at 5am. No problems getting any virtual tickets or autographs. It was an enormous shame that i came away without a single photograph of any of the guests i met, but it seemed so much busier than any of the other collectormanias i have attended.

Its nice to know there is still stuff to be released in the future, it means it isnt really over yet and gives us something else to look forward to.

It was near all the guests, i just wondered if that was better than the one by Next, cus weren't some people let in through next last time before some of us were let in?

I usually wait at the one by cyclo sports, is ne any better than the other really? I can only go for one day and i dont want to miss out on any guests

I think it would be good to tell people which queue they are nearest too when they are queuing outside so they can get to the queue they want quicker. There was only one person in the queue in october when i arrived but loads of people got in before me so it was a little annoying. Crew shold be there to tell us which door is best to queue at for certain guests

erm.... it is i think what you did wrong was q'd for nick brendon as soon as u got there and got in the first 20 people. that meant u took no ticket, but u did get in the q first. It also meant u couldn't go round all the other q's and get a ticket at the start like everyone else did. the virtual q was a collectormania idea. Yeah, I'm aware that there is a virtual ticket system in place. Maybe i wasnt clear enough, what i'm saying is, the tickets are not always handed out as soon as you reach the queues, you have to hang around and wait for them to start handing them out, whereas at LFACC i have always been given a virtual ticket as soon as i reached the queue and was then able to collect others. The queue for Nick Brendon did build up enormously behind me as did many of the other queues. Some tickets were being handed out striaght away so i just wondered why some are delayed. ok, in that case it was either just that the crew on that side weren't ready wuick enough. but its more likely to be that fact that the centre opens before the guests will be there. it is always the intention to have the tickets ready when people come in, but the crew are not always completely ready at that time because a lot are newcomers and so have to be taken through the processes. But yeah, you should all going to plan be able to walk in and just take a nick brendon ticket then go away to get other tickets. just out of interest, did u ask for a ticket? if you were within the 1st 20 you may not have been offered one as the crew member assumed you were qing from the start. if there was crew there they would have given you a ticket. also, london is a closed venue, so we have complete control over when we open the doors. so we can be definate that the q's are ready when people come in. Yeah, Ive been to loads of events before, i know how the system works and everything. The tickets were not given out until about half an hour after we got there and me and my friends were first in the queue with some other people we know that we bumped into but we were in the queue for virtual tickets not just waiting for him to arrive. We asked straight away for the tickets and were told they would be given out 'soon'. I always ask someone whats going on if the tickets arnt being handed out. I dont mind the delay so much, as long as all the other queues have delays too, its the missing out on other guests im bothered about. I managed to meet the three hobbits and Andy Serkis in one day because the tickets were being handed out straight away and i was able to go from queue to queue before they got too long. I just hope they are being handed out straight away at C7 cus i want Sean Astin, James Marsters, John Rhys Davies,and Alexis Denisof in one day

erm.... it is i think what you did wrong was q'd for nick brendon as soon as u got there and got in the first 20 people. that meant u took no ticket, but u did get in the q first. It also meant u couldn't go round all the other q's and get a ticket at the start like everyone else did. the virtual q was a collectormania idea. Yeah, I'm aware that there is a virtual ticket system in place. Maybe i wasnt clear enough, what i'm saying is, the tickets are not always handed out as soon as you reach the queues, you have to hang around and wait for them to start handing them out, whereas at LFACC i have always been given a virtual ticket as soon as i reached the queue and was then able to collect others. The queue for Nick Brendon did build up enormously behind me as did many of the other queues. Some tickets were being handed out striaght away so i just wondered why some are delayed.

One thing that would it a lot easier for me is if it were done as it is with LFACC with regards to handing out tickets. For example, last time there were lots of people i wanted to meet but went to queue for Nick Brendon first. But because i had to wait 45mins before getting my ticket i didnt get to meet Carrie Fisher or Billy Boyd because by the time i got over there their queues had built up enormously and their virtual ticket numbers were now very high. I dont see why it cant be done as it is with LFACC and have people waiting at the end of the queues waiting to hand out tickets so that we can collect who we want and then get out of the way until the stars arrive. It works really well at LFACC because it means those who make the effort to get up really early and queue out in the cold get to meet everyone they want and not just whoever they choose to go for first. Ive never missed out on anyone at LFACC cus i always get my virtual tickets straight away. Is there a reason why it is not done that way at Collectormania? Love Jen xxx

Uh oh, looks like ill have to go on my own now, my boyfriend is going to Glastonbury if he gets a ticket Oh well, hopefully i wont get too lost

it would be cool to get people that were involved in the production of the film too, even better if they sign for free like Rick Porras did. i would have paid for his signiture. People like Richard Taylor, Gino Avecado, Barrie Osbourne etc, but preferably Peter Jackson:)

I wont be able to go if the dates are changed, cus ive booked it off work and al the other days are booked off:(