discodiva

I wouldn't even pay 50p for Tony Blair's autograph...

Us fans shouldn't turn on each other but you think that SM should price some of us out? Nice, real nice!Just to be clear only on the most prestigious guests such as Stan Lee or other A/B list actors......there is only a limited amount of time and if say 5000 people want to meet person 'X' and there will only be enough time for 1000 to do so - then I simply would put the price of 'X' higher to limit the amount .....its called supply and demand. In effect this is exactly what happened with Stan Lee, Dealers, Gold Pass and Silver who pay a premium to be there got all they needed. So that's what was done for this event it just wasn't taken on board by attendees (despite SM warnings that the higher passes would give you the chance). Then at least people would know if you turn up on the day you would have virtually no chance of getting guest 'X' So not putting the entry price up, not putting the regular guest price up.....just the top few guests. This has been done at many events.....I paid £250 auto and £255 photo for Stallone.....many more wanted it, but there was not enough time, so higher price takes one section of the queue out of the mix. This isn't a new idea....think airplane seats, 14 First, 72 Business, 40 Premium, 300 economy.........THIS IS HOW THE WORLD WORKS.......I'm just being a realist. 'so higher price takes one section of the queue out of the mix.' Yeh people on low incomes who save through the year to go to an event like this and have as much right as anyone else to meet guests. People with families trying to get by. Students who struggle on part time jobs. People with disabilities who rely on saving part of their benefits month after month to come, people living off national pensions, people who have to consider what they are going to have to give up for a little while in order to come to comic con. People just like some of the people on this forum who have to budget and save and scrimp. People who are just as much a fan as you are. I cannot believe that anyone would openly suggest that this is the right idea moving forward. At the end of the day if you cannot afford to fly first or business class you can still buy an economy seat which is a guarantee that you will be on that flight. Out charging a majority of people who come to your event DOESN'T make business sense. The answer here is better organisation. NOT taking away the chance for people poorer than you to meet the people they love and admire. This is an experience that should be open to all NOT just the privileged few. I think you missed my point - I'm saying a Stan Lee type guest would be first class and you can still get you economy £15 guests as per normal. Plus airlines oversell as a policy so no a ticket does not guarantee you a seat!!! Really? So those on a lower income only deserve to see less famous guests?!? I suppose it is our own fault for not being able to get higher paid jobs.... how dare we expect equal opportunities to see our heroes..... Would you like a use my shovel to keep digging? Actually don't worry, you can afford to buy a bigger one to keep digging this hole.... I always thought Showmasters ethic was to be accessible to ALL the fans....they prided themselves on not going down the devisive and greedy way of separating guests into financially "elite" groups... One for all and all that ya know

It's really gone beyond a joke now... I've been around a long time in the fandom and this place, the company & it's owner seems to have changed a lot since the day I first met him when he put on a really good show and had nothing but the fans' interests at heart... There are other alternatives but they are costly...I now limit my expenses for the Showmasters and Massive Events to the bare minimum & spend on only one or two particular guests from the Stargate Fandom if they appear anywhere and save my money for other "adventures".....had an amazing one 2 months ago where I got to realise a wonderful dream...sadly I don't think it will ever happen at a Chevron so I took the opportunity where I could... Vote with your feet and purse is the only way to make a protest these days I find...money is tight thanks to years of recession, I mean to make sure I get full value from my hard earned & saved up pennies....

Me too...I'm still a little "leery" re the Health and Safety Issues which at this moment in time would preclude me from attending a Showmasters Event on a Saturday at Earl's Court again...those minutes in that stifling crush are still weighing heavily on my mind and I could not put myself through a crush like that again, knowing that there could be escape routes locked/blocked/chained/non-accessible

I'll say what I said in the other thread..... I miss Malcolm...*sighs*

Well sorry Jason, but I bought a Pre-Paid Early Bird on Saturday in advance online and didn't get in the building until 10.30.....and that was because I was "bumped" by a Crew Member (Blue Shirt) to try and not miss my David Hewlett Photo Op...and there were HUNDREDS of people with Early Bird tickets behind me, including my husband....perhaps we all had our watches set to British Winter Time and it was really 9.30???? Sorry to be nit-picky, but I don't like being dismissed as a liar.... Especially as I've stated this twice on threads that have been "moved"

A few pounds for 2 coffees & a bottle of water at the venue.....a bit more on the gorgeous Italian Seafood & Pasta lunch with wine that me and my husband went to after we escaped the crush and gave up...

That is down to the venue not event organisers. That is the most stupidest thing I have read in this thread. Just because the venue had the fire exits chained up then SM take no responsibility? They were hiring the damn venue, fire escapes and health & safety should have been their NUMBER 1 priority. So if we want to ask SM why the fire escapes were chained up then we should be able to ask them and they SHOULD be able to answer because they SHOULD have asked the same damn questions to the venue managers. As I said, the most stupidest thing said in this thread so far. Apparently myself and others on the thread "misinterpreted" this comment...

Well don't worry...all our concerns about the safety aspect that were up on the Facebook Page have gone, along with the whole post.....I bet even the "rational" ones will never see the light of day again.... Shame shame shame...

Yes I must say I was rather disappointed to see that as well. A whole thread with over 300 comments gone within a few clicks of a button. Such a shame. Surprised it lasted that long tbh... Plus ca change eh?...

*sighs*...how sad a whole thread on Facebook is no longer there this morning....there were some good points made there too....

Sadly no...he is missed greatly by me... He was so polite....I still remember his "Thank you Ma'am" fondly.. Oh and can I add I never had a badly shot photo op with him.......

I want to see the first ever "Dusty Batmobile" Cosplay Come on guys, you know you want to

Just don't delete the "Dusty Batmobile" thread...it's Gold!

LMAO!..Clever clever lady.....mind you I've heard worse....feigning illness, charging at a guest and kissing them without even asking permission, groping at photo shoots, stalking them round hotels....the list is endless... She done well...I salute her... There were plenty of CHILDREN crying that didn't even get to SEE Stan, let alone get a photo or auto from him... Puts things in perspective a little, I think. Oh don't get me wrong...I think it's disgusting to push oneself onto guests in a manner of getting more time....but it happens....my sarcasm to the young lady is directed totally at her and not at anyone who was unfortunate to miss out on any special time or indeed any time at all with the man himself....I cannot comment as I didn't even try ...I might have another chance to meet him soon though...depends on how exhausted he is after this trip....am sure he'll be good to go after a quick trip home and good rest though... Not sure what the winking smiley is about, but I not only find it sarcastic, but also find it very condescending. I hadn't read your original comment as sarcastic, but having read it back, it is just as sarcastic as the last one. Yes, Stan Lee is 90+ years old... yes, he will get tired... and yes, people are VERY disappointed... but replying with sarcasm won't help anyone... In fact, it will just p*ss people off even more. Oh no..sorry!...I didn't mean to put that winky smiley there... The "winky" was because I can't say where I'm going to see him in a few weeks time...SM policy re other places.... No I'm really horrified that so many people lost out on meeting such a legend.... I was only able to stay in the place for an hour on Saturday and had a horrible time...I really really do feel for the people who missed out... My other comments re what fans do to get attention stands though...I've heard of some absolutely diabolical way fans behave to get noticed or a bit more extra-special time... Trust me, I mean no offence at all....

LMAO!..Clever clever lady.....mind you I've heard worse....feigning illness, charging at a guest and kissing them without even asking permission, groping at photo shoots, stalking them round hotels....the list is endless... She done well...I salute her... There were plenty of CHILDREN crying that didn't even get to SEE Stan, let alone get a photo or auto from him... Puts things in perspective a little, I think. Oh don't get me wrong...I think it's disgusting to push oneself onto guests in a manner of getting more time....but it happens....my sarcasm to the young lady is directed totally at her and not at anyone who was unfortunate to miss out on any special time or indeed any time at all with the man himself....I cannot comment as I didn't even try ...I might have another chance to meet him soon though...depends on how exhausted he is after this trip....am sure he'll be good to go after a quick trip home and good rest though...

LOL... LMAO!..Clever clever lady.....mind you I've heard worse....feigning illness, charging at a guest and kissing them without even asking permission, groping at photo shoots, stalking them round hotels....the list is endless... She done well...I salute her...

LOL....that programme was hilarious..I'm sure they made up matching the clues as they went along.......NONE of them ever related to the prize

I'm sorry but every time I see the title of this thread I think "Is Dusty Batmobile a relation of Dusty Bin?" Those of a certain age who remember Ted Rogers and 3, 2, 1 might get it...

That is down to the venue not event organisers. Oh well, thank god we didn't have a fire then! Are you serious? It should be one of the main things that should be checked! If an emergency arose (like a fire) how many people would of found a safe fire escape? They put us in serious danger Hmmm, you all appear to have misunderstood me. I was simply saying that any chaining of fire doors would have been done by Earls Court not Showmasters. Just curious, did any of you actually speak to a member of Earls Court or Showmasters about your concerns regarding chaning of doors. There were still mutliple exit routes available, including the massive loading doors at the back of the venue which could have been opended easily if needed Why would I check my lawers? Sadly I was stuck in the middle of the aisle trying to get out, feeling rather ill and panicking, there was no way to even make it to a fire exit to check if it was open or not or indeed chained up......I didn't get the chance to talk to anyone at the door because the floodgates of people coming in the same door made the crush even worse....I based my, hopefully in the main, generalised comments re Health and Safety around those made by others that were there and your replies to them...... I am seriously NOT trying to troll or flame....if you read my post about my experience with a fire and the fears from that you would know that my interests are purely in proper safety control.... But as this is a waste of time until Jason gets back to us I'm leaving the discussion now to go and prepare for a lovely little trip I'm taking across the water in a few weeks to partake in hopefully the chance of meeting Mr Lee elsewhere along with some rather interesting peeps... Real life beckons.....

*sigh*..yes it looks like it's gone..

Thank you for a decent response....and for admitting that things have gone wrong....hope you don't mind I screencapped that....it's nice to have someone admit something in the correct manner on here....I appreciate it..... I am sure we will get some answers.....please if you have any influence over the organisers, the Health and Safety aspect of Saturday needs to be addressed urgently....

Yes we know it will....I have screencapped a couple of things re Health and Safety that concern me...it's all I can do atm....however when I go to other "places" and meet "other people" I will tell them all about my experiences...I've done it before ...

I fully understand..I've been doing Showmasters events since GMEX Manchester 2006 as well as Chevrons as well as visiting "other places" all over the world to attend "things" - you know the rules here.... Positives are great.....and I salvaged my day by having a wonderful time away from the venue... I will only go on about the Health and Safety aspect....this to me, is important....and deserves the correct input, answers and if change is needed, changes made... And I did meet Robert Hays and get to shake his hand....I have seen Airplane at least somewhere in the 50-100 times including the cinema when it came out so that's a real hero of mine to make the journey up to London worth it.....it was trying to get out of the place after this happy moment that terrified me....

I have no beef with those who enjoyed themselves - good for you - but what I have a beef with is PROFESSIONAL care for ALL fans, not just those who are having a wonderful feckin' time but those who are scared, hot, & ill which if you look around between some of the angry posts are very very valid - myself included..... The only thing I will keep going on about and I REFUSE to be shouted down by those who had fun is the Health & Safety aspect for ALL people there on Saturday...Fans, Guests, Crew, Owners, Police, Volunteers from Earl's Court, Staff etc....if Fire Exits were indeed chained up and someone is to blame - who depends on whether you are 1 of 2 or me I guess - then these are the IMPORTANT things that MUST be answered... I'm glad you had a wonderful time....I didn't, I was scared and panicked and had to leave...my day wasn't ruined but if I had been trapped in that place due to a serious emergency I know darn well I probably would not have had a very good chance of getting out if indeed any FIRE EXITS were chained shut!!! I hesitate to say it but it does indeed sound a criminal offence if this is true.... Editing to add that I am very "hot" on this due to an experience of a fire in a venue I attended in London a few years ago...I was at the front barrier of a gig when under the stage caught fire....it was a small fire but I couldn't believe how quickly it escalated and the heat and smell from the smoke was horrific!!...everyone got out safely but there was panic and many people were traumatised over a very "small" incident... This is NOT fun folks, trust me....I remember that smell and that heat now ..which is why I'm so adamant on knowing that if I return to another crowded venue like this I can trust Showmasters 1000% ....at the moment, and after Saturday I don't... However I am sure this one aspect that Jason will want to give a true and honest answer to us all...