misskitten

Wish I had seen him, Moffat is my favourite Who writer.

I think maybe this was a plea to bring back the early bird/regular system that we used to have. Going to e-tickets and wristbands is fine and all, but selling only one entry time means everyone is more likely to show up at the crack of morning (even those who would have preferred the later entry with the old system) making the venue overflooding with people from the very beginning. I didn't go last year, but the two years before that were very doable in terms of crowds in the morning. I never had any issues getting to what I had booked and I rarely had to do the afternoon shoots for a guest meaning I had that time to browse or get autographs instead. That would mean less crowded photoshoots as not every single one would flock around the first one making it hard to get to for those who genuinely had the correct tickets, and many of the early birds would not show up for the later shoot as they got through in the morning, meaning less crowded shoots for those opting for later entry. The problem (as I see it) with the old system was that there was no actual early entry per se. There was early bird tickets which were just pre-paid tickets (the name change is good btw), but because people could purchase these on the day and arrived early - everyone was entering at the same time behind the Golds. Then you would have the standard entry tickets which would be sold to people who arrived later, but realistically they were essentially just at the end of the early bird pay on the day queue! Actually there were early bird and regular entry tickets, both that you could order in advance and those that you could pay on the day. The pay on the day was removed, which was a good idea considering venue capacity and people queueing for hours only to be let in when people were leaving. Removing the early bird/regular entry bit of it, however, created the mess that was last weekend. People who would otherwise have arrived for the 11 am entry to save a few quid, instead had no incentive to arrive later, meaning nearly everyone who bought tickets for the event arrived before or as the venue was opening its doors. That part of the old system worked, and it really should be re-introduced as it would solve the crowd/chaos issue that arised from everyone arriving and trying to get in at the same time.

Diamond passes are alright for the big names that simply won't be able to get around to everyone due to popularity, and therefore being a way to guarantee yourself the auto/photo/talk/etc (though they really need to be limited more in numbers, 500+ is not something that can be guaranteed - some guests are slow signers). I'm not sure I ever will invest in one, though, not unless it became an absolute must-have guest for me (MJF/SW were not in this case) and the price wasn't priced unreasonably high. Diamond passes only guarantee you the photo/auto/seat at talk, it doesn't guarantee you will get time to chat - more likely you're not because the guest will be too popular and pressed for time.

That was probably due to the fact that when the first photoshoot started, most of the people (like myself) were still queuing outside; therefore, they all concentrated at the second chance. No, there were more people at the first shoot than the ones who was let through. I know this because they cut the queue right in front of me and said we had to come back later (fair enough, but then we should be able to expect being let through at the second shoot). The first shoot started roughly 15 minutes late, and that plus the chaos (sign didn't state which batches were currently being called, so it was absolutely no help, the crew were hard to reach as they were mostly in the middle of the queue) bled into the second shoot. Like I said in my post above I barely got into it because I was a weekend pass holder, but no way was I going to queue the entirety of a third shoot of his when I had a ton of shoots to get through the other two days. Like the OP said, we plan our days by our shoots, spread them across the days we are attending, barring cancelations or guest day changes we should be able to expect to get through our shoots if we show up in time. A schedule needs enough wiggle room so any delays can be made up for without it being at the attendees' expense.

I did 21 shoots and did not hear this for non-diamond guests

I think maybe this was a plea to bring back the early bird/regular system that we used to have. Going to e-tickets and wristbands is fine and all, but selling only one entry time means everyone is more likely to show up at the crack of morning (even those who would have preferred the later entry with the old system) making the venue overflooding with people from the very beginning. I didn't go last year, but the two years before that were very doable in terms of crowds in the morning. I never had any issues getting to what I had booked and I rarely had to do the afternoon shoots for a guest meaning I had that time to browse or get autographs instead. That would mean less crowded photoshoots as not every single one would flock around the first one making it hard to get to for those who genuinely had the correct tickets, and many of the early birds would not show up for the later shoot as they got through in the morning, meaning less crowded shoots for those opting for later entry.

You're not the only one. I get coughing fits when people smoke around me and when you're huddled really close I find it really inconsiderate to light up in the middle of a crowd.

I recognize you from your avatar, you were standing pretty close to me in the Friday huddle next to the queue. I had a weekend pass, but like you I had a ton of other photoshoots the other days and therefore couldn't go for his shoot another day. They reluctantly let me through when I pointed this out. I fully agree with you that they should have taken into consideration that even weekend pass holders cannot always make the other days due to clashes and honestly the shoot should have been extended since the first one had been 15 minutes short. This was not the attending people's fault, we showed up when the shoot was supposed to be on.

I get both whenever I can. I mostly prefer the pro photos, but my hair ended up looking way better in the over the counter photos I got than in the shoots where it ended up looking washed out and greyish (my hair is blue and was recently dyed so it would look good). I disagree with saying no to over the counter photos if they have photoshoots. It should be left up to the guest and whether they have time. People who go for autos know they might not get a photo, it's a bonus they *might* get, heck in some cases they might not get the auto either as not all guests will make it to every fan. When you book a photo it's pretty much a guarantee, it's those who go for autos that take the risk.

To anyone begrudging disabled people getting to avoid queues etc. I don't have any disability myself, but I work with a lot of people who do and given the choice between having one of those disabilities and queuing for everything, I'd happily queue. It's not VIP treatment. If you're in a wheelchair you have a harder time to navigate around a crowd (I agree that this doesn't give anyone the right to ram their chair into other people, that is never alright), if you aren't able to stand the duration of a queue you aren't going to manage to move around the convention floor without some serious breaks to rest up, seizures takes a lot out of a person, and panic attacks are horrible. No matter how much our able-bodied feet are killing us, I'm willing to bet that most of us are able to experience more out of a con than a disabled person with the same ticket level.

Sean Gunn was definitely one of the highlights for me, lovely and chatty. I was also very happy to find out just how friendly and nice Richard Dean Anderson is. Lea Thompson and Sherilyn Fenn were fantastic to meet. I could probably go on and on, but those four were definitely in the very top for me :)

That really surprises me about Catherine cos i'd have thought she'd be really friendly She was very friendly the last time I met her (which was at a weekend con), but this time I have to agree that as much as I adore her, she was brief and only looked up and smiled as she was handing me the autograph I was collecting for my cousin. I figured she was being pressed for time as she was being very quick with every autograph, but yeah, I was a bit disappointed with it when comparing it to the friendly, lovely and chatty person I remembered from two years ago. As for the other guests for me: Several really positive encounters. Sean Gunn, had a lovely chat with him at his table and he remembered me when I went to his shoot Lea Thompson & Sherilyn Fenn called me beautiful <3 Richard Dean Anderson being genuinely interested in meeting and talking with his fans Rose Leslie being all smiles and energy And there were so many other nice guests I met over the weekend. One really disappointing encounter, however, was Michael Gambon. I know better than to expect much in a photoshoot, but hey man considering the price we were all paying (diamond or not), at least meet our eyes and acknowledge that we're there. No matter how busy a shoot is, there's always time to at least look, smile and/or nod to us. There was an adorable little girl in front of me in the queue with a Dumbledore wand and all he did was vaguely point to her in the photo, I mean, come on. I'm happy the little girl was happy in the end, but she deserved more than what he gave. I hope other people got their money's worth with him, because I don't feel I did.

Anyone able to help me with photographer names from the weekend so I can properly credit the photographers? Specifically looking for Friday A: Friday B: Friday C: Saturday A: Saturday B: Saturday D: Saturday F: Sunday A: Sunday B: Sunday C: Sunday D: Sunday E: But feel free to add the photographers for the other sessions for anyone else looking to credit the photographers

I don't have many people who'd tell me I'm beautiful, but Lea and Sherilyn both did out of their own accord <3

thankfully found the auto area as I was searching level 3 for a way to photo F, noticed the GoT people and figured out when I couldn't find the people I needed in signing area 2 that I needed to go there for them.

Two friends helped me out with lower VQs that I desperately needed and another gave me a pack of throat lozenges when I mentioned getting a sore throat. A tip for future vendors, lozenges would make people like me extremely happy. I was really desperate towards the end as all I could find were sweets and that's not helpful when your throat feels like sandpaper (no matter how much water and juice you drink)

1) I didn't get either myself, but considering the number of gold/diamond passes around, I think they were oversold. I know the number 500 had been thrown out in terms of gold passes sold, and that's just way too many. How can it be a perk if most of the pass holders are looking to get some of the same guests? This seemed to be the case with some of the bigger names as the gold pass queues were huge. And 500+ diamond passes for a single guest? How can any guarantees be made when such numbers are sold? 2) Photoshoot A was a disaster Friday and Saturday. The sign gave no information on what batches were being called, the crew members were often somewhere in the middle of the queue (they should have had at least one person at the end of the queue making sure only the correct batches, and people with serious clashes was allowed entry to the queue and make sure they didn't have people queue up that wouldn't get to go in). Thankfully this had been significantly improved on Sunday when additional walls had been added and a crewmember was holding up the sign that clearly stated which guest and which batches were up. I commend the crew member organising A on Sunday, he did a fantastic job. Photoshoots B, C, D, E and F were well managed every time I had a shoot at either of them despite the crowds. 3) The Super Stage had very bad sound, and I only heard about half of the talk I was there to see and I was sitting in the fourth row (the room was not made for talks and there was not adequate speakers around the room to ensure those of us that paid good money to be there actually got to hear what was being said). At times I could better hear the walkie talkie over by the stage entrance than I could the talk itself and that isn't good. Also there were no crew looking after the stage entrance when a bunch of us arrived for the BttF talk. More crew should have been allocated to work that area. 4) Thumbs up for the crew walking the lines on Saturday scanning tickets and handing out weekend passes to make the queue move quicker once the door opened. However, at least two of my friends who had weekend tickets, who were missed in the queue outside were not directed to pick up their wristbands, and one of them was a newbie and wasn't aware she needed one. Thankfully the crew was good about sorting this out when I went with her to pick it up, but there should have been clearer instructions or signs or something to make sure attendees with weekend tickets didn't risk being denied entrance other days. 5) Considering the signing areas was on the opposite end of the hall, there should have been at least one wide area set aside specifically for people looking to move across the area. The way it was over the weekend the people looking to move across the room had to get past the people looking to browse the stalls. Had these been more separate, it would have been easier for both groups. 6) The guest plan with signing area numbers posted to the forum was great, however the signing areas on the venue posters were not numbered and there was no place to find a list of what area people were actually located on the day (didn't need specifics, just to know whether I had to look around the balchony or go to the opposite side of 1st floor or take the elevator to 3rd floor - some guests that said area 2 were actually area 3 instead), and no crew members knew this either, this made collecting VQs extra difficult. Better floor planning needs to happen at future events.

One impression I got was that (some) guests possibly had been instructed not to take over the table photos. I got an autograph from one guest who did not have any signs up about not allowing photos (and no queue) and when I asked if I could have a quick photo with them, they said they weren't supposed to, however they were happy to actually do so. And I know other fans who met the same person got photos over the table with them as well.

Loved meeting him, was pleased to see how friendly and talkative he was with his fans, but felt sorry for those who missed out on him because of how slow his queue was going.

Speaking as one of the foreginers attending this weekend, it's a bit difficult for us to get anything other than 20s because that's what the cash machines give us when we withdraw currency. I did however make sure to pay exact whenever I could. Like I had three autographs where I got a 5 back on my 20, and then I paid the fourth one with the fives I had been given. And then on Sunday I bought vouchers I needed for my remaining autos as I was running low on cash and needed money to spend on food and drink, and made sure to get vouchers that fit the prices on the guests I had left. We can do little things ourselves, but not everyone have the opportunity to prepare to that degree. Other than that, I agree about preparing tickets before they were due to be scanned and so forth, that's something all of us could have done. The phone app worked great and as I went through I would delete off used tickets so it was easier to find the next one. I didn't even have to get my paper print-outs, even though I had them on me as a safety measure. For anyone worried about carrying a lot of cash, I hear you, but there are ways to store it practically invisible on your body, look into travel wallets you can clip on the inside of your pants and money bags you can hang from your neck (or bra strap - that works).

It's normal to feel nervous if it's one of your first events. I was when I started out going to events, so nervous and so star struck I was unable to speak to the guests. It got easier and easier with every time and now I don't have any problem, but the butterflies still make an appearance before an event

Been around the major geek shops in London today, so plan to rest up

I got over 20...

Packed and ready to head for London after work tomorrow :)

Sadly this happens, and you just learn to go with it. I travel from Norway to attend events, and once attended an event where the two guests I wanted to meet the most both had to pull out. I still ended up having a good time with the remaining guests, though. I'm now up to 4 guests that I planned to meet that have pulled out (but my list still have over 20 that are still attending)