isandhlwana

You @#?%*%. Looked at the original line up and thought...... For me and my son - 2 gold passes + 2 hotel rooms for 2 nights + food + drink + petrol (300 miles) + buying nice things etc........... Total in excess of £900 (really)!!! Attended 4 out of 5 Chevrons so won't bother this time. Just casually looked at the FINAL line up and nearly choked on my coffee. Would have DEFINATELY forked out to meet the last 3 guests. Now monitoring the 7.6 website for the announcement - RDA will have me reaching for the keyboard - credit card clutched in sweaty palm.

RATS !!! You've at last found a good hotel in the Birmingham Metropole. Why spoil it by going back to the Park Inn group ???!!!???

I moan when I think it's warranted but I am quick with praise when it's due. VERY WELL DONE AND THANK YOU SHOWMASTERS. The fifth guest is a goody. Don't watch the other shows he's in but his Atlantis input is good. Also, I think I missed saying it before: thanks for booking the Birmingham Metropole. A far superior hotel than the Park Inn group. Of course, never being satisfied I would still like : Rachel Luttrell, David Nykl, Rachel Luttrell, Paul McGillion, Rachel Luttrell and and and and..........

Come on you guys. Nothing against them of course but an SGU and a stunt co-ordinator??? Methinks you are riding on the back of a Mr Hewlett !!! Just pray that David Hewlett doesn't cancel or Ebay will be flooded with cheap chevron tickets. Please try and get some SG1 or SGA CAST members. I'll start with RDA - well, if you guys can propose impossible people, so can I

Brilliant news from Showmasters. Saw the first guest and gloom settled. Can't remember his name and I'm sure he's a really nice guy but SGU really is a God awful series. Hamish MacBeth running Stargate? Where's the nearest airlock? Was convinced they were going to concentrate on SGU - then David Hewlett. Dug out the old credit card and spent £600 (2x Gold Passes and hotel rooms) - worth every penny. Suanne is definately a bonus

I agree. Obviously Showmasters don't listen to the fans. Nobody had a good thing to say about the Park Inn and Bedford. I will need some convincing to buy a ticket this time. BLT had three major let downs and a crap hotel. Not a good starting point for BLT2. Let's hope the Gold party is on the Friday evening and that the stars actually turn up to it this time!!! Sorry to be negative, but for me BLT was a 50% wash-out. I went home Sunday morning after Craig had let everyone down. I will watch the guest list with great interest. Hattie, Danny and Cloe worked really hard for the fans at BLT and I think they deserve a medal. It might just be worth going to BLT2 just to thank them for saving the show last time. SHOWMASTERS - please explain to everyone why, after what was said, you chose the Park Inn at Bedford. (Please don't mention refurbishment, it rarely changes a hotels standards - and those were dire).

Don't know what cons we will be attending next but a combination of my wife, my son and I will be going (at least two, possibly all three). So there would be room in the car for one or two!!! If you would like a lift, you would be most welcome. We live at Leek. John, Pat and Richard.

[as to the hotel as we saw its being renavated as we were there so any events we run there next time it will be like a brand new hotel so give it a chance as we need a hotel of this size to grow new cons out of so next year this hotel will work well] Oh please don't use the Park Inn at Bedford next year. I know it's being renovated but they are keeping the hotel running at the same time. I've been staying in business hotels for the last 35 years and guess that there will be little chance of the Park Inn being completely finished by BTL2. It will NOT be like a new hotel. It will be an old hotel with a lot of superficial improvements, mainly on the parts that are highly visible. The way the hotel is organised is poor, the staff try their best but were overwhelmed by the difficulties, the food choice will be similar - fancy names, high prices and poor quality. Just in case you do end up there (I certainly won't), a receptionist told me there was a Chinese Takeway only 80 yards away that delivers (free) to your room. I ordered and it was gorgeous. It's not just the hotel itself - it is its location. Why down in Bedford??? As other guests have said, awful to get there, on no main-line railways or major bus routes (neither East-West nor North-South). Finally, I believe we had some mind bogglingly enterprising fans from America and Australia. They must have had fun getting to Bedford, I don't think. Have a look at the Birmingham hotels. There are dozens on the same lines as the Park group. With the NEC close by you will be spoilt for choice. Don't forget that when the Park Inn Bedford is renovated, someone will have to pay for it - US. Birmingham has excellent transport connections. Most major road and rail networks pass through Brum. It has an International Airport with full shuttle services to most hotels. Also, as most of them are designed as conference hotels they have good and secure carparking facilities. No matter how much you tart-up the Park it will still only have space for about 80 cars (including overflow). I arrived early evening Friday and got the last space (literally). By the way, I DON'T live in Birmingham, far from it, but I'm fed up with good "do's" of whatever kind being held in the deep south. Brum would be roughly central for everyone. A cracking selection of hotels at cheap prices and transport facilities second to none. Personal choice - have BTL2 in Manchester. Yipppeeeeeee, Red Dwarf AND the Curry Mile.

Had a good week-end overall. Would tentatively come again but there should definately be reduced like-for-like ticket prices for those that bought one that attended this BTL. With Chris and Craig cancelling there MUST be substantial funds spare. PROs - The GUESTS - all were brilliant. Steve Wicks was obviously out gunned sometimes but he was very interesting to talk to and very friendly. Mucho thanks to Mac for turning up at the last minute. Great to have a quick chat with - really nice guy. Would have loved a longer chat at the Gold drinks. The queues were kept moving better than Chevron. Crew were very good and cheerful to the end. Ouroboros - nice touch. I smile everytime I think about it. CONs The hotel - it really is a God-awful place. Shabby, expensive and food choice - abysmal. BUT - good breakfasts. Choose one that is further north. Try around Birmingham - roughly the middle of the country. Not all fans come from London! The cancellations. Don't believe Chris cancelled at the last minute - he wasn't even on the autograph sheets!! Craig mmmmm - well, he is known for cancelling I believe!!! Gold Pass Drinks - saw Steve, Chloe and Hattie. Managed to meet Steve and Chloe. Badly organised. Crew not in useful evidence moving guests round. Chevron was better. Each time you chose a room that was too small and stuffy. Gold Pass - Definately NOT worth it. See last comment and top of page. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BTL2 - The top 4 + 2 Hollies + Mac + Chloe + Confidence + The Writers. This next comment is for both BTL and Chevron. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE arrange for the guests to appear in costume at the opening ceremony and /or the photo shoots. I know Kryten would be too much to ask (or would it?) but the rest would be easy and take them all of 5 minutes to change clothes. They frequently do this in Europe and the States, why not us. Let's face it if the guys were not in a show we loved there wouldn't even be a BTL. So, let's see them as they are in the show - that's what we watch, after all!!!

Went to vote and decided there was only something worth voting for in sections 2 and 3. ERROR - rats, I have to vote in section 1. What to do, what to do, what to do. I know, I'll vote for "Skins" - this has two advantages :- 1) It has the lowest vote, so probably won't affect the result. 2) I don't feel guilty as I haven't a clue what it is! Having to vote in all three sections can easily give a false result.

Can't really say any more than has already been said. Was really looking forward to meeting Don for the first time at Chevron 7, but it was not to be. Very, very sad and sorry that this has happened. 65 is no age these days. Feel really down now - I know that's being selfish but I can't help how it affects me. Think I'll go and watch a few choice episodes of SG-1. My own way of saying goodbye. However, these very episodes are the legacy that Don has left us to remember him by. He will be there forever. My thoughts, of course, are with his wife and family who will be terribly distraught at this time. Rest in Peace Don, you will be sadly missed by more people than you would have thought.

This is my first non-business convention of any kind. The best bit for me was chatting to Carmen during the Friday night drinks party and him remembering my name two days later, amazing. Really nice guy and would love to chat again. Agree that the worst bit was the queuing (and the Sunday role play). Agree with Rich that a cinema room is a great idea. I have always thought it a pity that the Stargate "movies" were never shown on the big screen. What would be needed would be a 20 foot screen with top-end projector. I have used these in business presentations before and with the correct setup the display would look and sound magnificent.

Who's this Ben bloke then???????????? Why do I get the feeling that most of the forum are female? New rule for next year - no more male guests until we have......... Amanda Tapping Claudia Black Teryl Rothery Rachel Luttrell Torri Higginson Awww shut up - a guy can dream can't he.

It's one of those chicken and egg situations isn't it. "Don't buy a ticket until you know who the guests are - Guests can't be announced until organisers know what they have to spend". Although I think some changes/improvements were needed to Chevron 7, these have been well documented on the forum and it sounds as though Showmasters have taken these on board for 7.2. Consequently, I have bought 2 x Gold for 7.2 to help build up funds thus enabling Showmasters to have the confidence to go all out for some cracking guests and in greater numbers.

Hi Mara Jade, thanks for your response. I just want to clarify what I had written. I would have liked to see the guys arrive on stage as "SG1" and at the photo shoot. Not dressed up the whole week-end. I chatted to many people there (admittedly mostly ladies) and they were VERY vociferous in their wishes to see "Daniel Jackson and Teal'c" as well as Michael and Chris. Don't think I would risk life and limb by asking Chris to shave his head but fatigues, a pair of combat boots and forehead sticker wouldn't be too much to ask as it would only be for a very short space of time! It was made abundantly clear to me by the ladies that the effect would be electric!