oldnick

Wearing my PB hat, thanks to everyone who I worked with on the two days I was pit-bossing. As usual, you were all great. What has happened to the lazy, sneaking off, crews of old? Wearing my Guest assistant hat, even more thanks to everyone who made Sunday's rather busy day so easy and smooth running. I have already received one offer for the tee-shirt I wore that day, that got sneezed over by the guest in question! Wearing my 'quiet day' hat, I've posted my event photos (mainly of crew) to Flickr. Enjoy (and if you really hate any, let me know, and I'll take them down - and save them for blackmail)). http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldnick/sets/72157605035565675/

I'm not a lawyer. What I do know is we had a very long gap between the desk and the signing table, and filled that area with paid up customers before we closed. We did what we could to get people through.

Think timings again. Let's assume that everyone is a really sharp photographer with a reliable camera, that they've switched on, and has brought a friend with them to operate it - or is willing and able to get a crew member to do it. Let's look at what happens... When the guest has finished signing the autograph, they stand up / lean forward, the customer half sits onto the table, the photographer takes one photograph, perfectly the first time, and everyone then disentangles, and gets ready for the next customer. That's a minimum of ten seconds per customer. That's IF everything is done perfectly. In practice it takes 2-3 times that long most of the time. Someone's said earlier that JB signed over 1000 autographs - so let's use that figure. By the time he arrived and got started, went to a long photo shoot, and had lunch, he only actually signed for about 4 hours. So - taking those numbers he would have signed about 250 items per hour - or being generous one every fifteen seconds. Effectively, each posed photo taken is one fewer item autographed. Is your photo worth depriving someone else of getting an autograph? Now, before people say he should have signed for more than 4 hours. He worked flat out from when he arrived at the centre until we closed, when trading laws prevented us from continuing. While the crew had our lunch break (although the ones working with him were put on another job packing and distributing crew lunches to other areas during that) he was doing the photoshoot - the opportunity to allow those who really wanted a photograph with him to get one. He did have a lunchbreak, but that was it - no little breaks otherwise. Basically, if you want big names, so does everyone else. Because of that. you'll get seconds with them. If you don't like that, I'd suggest you find other ways to meet them.

Hard work, but good fun. Most people were very friendly and co-operative. He was very professional and very good at dealing with the large number of people.

:-)

oldnick ..where you one of the crew members on saturday? Where or were? ;-) I was - I was working all four days. Where? On Saturday I was pit boss for the area with Colin Baker etc. On Sunday (when the events in this thread occurred) I was a guest assistant.

Sad troll, or someone who doesn't have the courage of their convictions? Either way, goodbye, and don't expect further whinges to get taken seriously.

As one of the crew, I'll make sure that these thanks get around the crew tonight. We're all a bit shell-shocked after today's work at the moment so these nice comments will, I'm sure, be very refreshing! Thanks.

Hey Nick just wanted to ask how it was sitting next to John and what he was like? Hard work, not through his fault, but just through volume of work. He was very professional, and very funny at times. I am now worn out - and I didn't have to drive anywhere tonight. He had to work harder and keep up the public side too. There are other tales too - but not for this forum ;-)

Indeed so. I've just seen him and spoken with him in the MK area a few minutes ago.

Yes and no. Trading laws meant that no further autographs could be sold after 5pm. For the last few minutes before 5pm, both Eve and John went open queue, so that anyone who had stayed around got an autograph. We know though that quite a few people had departed before then. On the matter of posed photographs, personalisation, and guests being snotty. The instructions came from the event organisers, not the guests or their agents. I only know the exact details with JB not EM, but in his case the decision was made at the start of signing that he would not spend time on posed photographs, but that we would allow personalisation. When this proved too slow, we cut the personalisations, but he made the effort to speak with all fans who were buying autographs right through the day, with the result that everyone who stayed got to meet him. Nick Guest assistant to John Barrowman 04 May 2008

I'll be wearing a red "Pit Boss" tee shirt on some of the days, and a normal crew tee shirt on the others. Otherwise I'll be recognisable by a beard that currently needs trimming.

How tall is VERY VERY tall? I'll be the short quiet guy yes?

Well done - another step on the way to world domination ;-)

Sunday funny shenanigans? I don't know what you mean. Everyone seemed perfectly well behaved most of the time! ;-)

I make signs for a living, what town was it?? Could be like a gold mine for me. LOL I have no idea really its the 2nd junction off the M69 it may be Hickley? I may be making that up, the signs were dreadful we found one that said coventry and then it lead to nowhere - I think they need you! That would be Hinckley - the M69 - A5 junction to it hsa just been rebuilt and is lacking a lot of signs.

There was a much more accurate report in yesterday's Coventry Telegraph paper, unfortunately it hasn't made it on-line yet.

Maybe I should start a stand up act Perhaps a sit-down act, for the sake of our necks.

Woke up at 07:00 on Saturday morning. Parked in carpark A at 07:20. Mind you, I do live in Coventry, and do know the short routes, not the signed one.

Hurrah - he's catching up with me (for a few months!)

Thanks all - it was great to see everyone working together so well, especially on the takedown tonight. By 7.20 every trader was gone, and every table and chair stacked. Well done!

You didn't - there were plenty of toilets indoors directly off the exhibition hall.

I've just come from the venue - so can describe how it's laid out. This may help. It may not. It's an exhibition hall Most of it is filled with traders tables, selling photographs, posters, replica swords, toys, all sorts of things connected with films and TV. Straight opposite the door is a yellow car you might recognise. Just to your right is the organisers booth, where a highly skilled team can answer your questions. They've got posters with the times of guest talks, and you can get free tickets for these from here. Along the left had wall of the main hall is a row of tables where the guests sit, signing autographs. I front of som of them are other desks to take the money, and provide you with photographs to get signed. You pay by the autograph, the pictures are free with a autograph. so if you bring something of your own along to be signed, you pay the same. In the far right corner is a screened off area where the guests will do talks - there's a stage, anda couple of hundred seats here. Tucked away at the left end of the hall is another smaller hall, with catering vans, as well as the café. All through the hall are people - some are queuing for the guests - but not many at a time, as the virtual queueing systems means that you can get a numbered ticket for the busiest queues, and come back when it's nerer your number, rather than stadng in line all day.

Only if you live at Coventry railway station

PAUL JERRICHO £10 ALISTAIR CUMMING £10 CAROLINE MUNRO £10 KENNY BAKER £10 or £15 You are indeed lucky.