sickofdoingnewusernames

-Understatement of the year! How come the website hasn't been updated to reflect the cancellation?

-How about running it as a not-for-profit? Charity event maybe? Perhaps take a leaf out of Trek conventions- higher entry prices, but guests are expected to give a decent-length talk and q&a, rather than just signing at tables, looking depressed.

-Not all of us buy hundreds of pounds of autographs. I don't buy any, for example. Used to collect Trek autographs but realised it was a bit pointless. Travelling also takes time, some of us have jobs to get to, I work on Sundays, say. And to make it pleasant and not a slog, you have to stay over, which is costly. And I know, I've slept in my car to save money, which is not pleasant... Also not all of us can book weeks in advance - we may be unsure if we are attending until the last week or two before the event. And, since we don't know whether the event is happening, we can't book our ticket until it's confirmed. So if GMEX goes ahead in, say June, you will struggle to get a cheap ticket now. If any genuine Northerner (above the Midlands) is perfectly happy with the cancellation of GMEX, then fair enough, can't really argue with that. But, all you Southerners, butt out! As for the discussion abouty venue, yes GMEX is far, far too big for such an event. Hold it in one of the Universities, which must be cheaper, surely.

Well, yes, if Manchester isn't making money then all this arguing is redundant. However as others have noted, better promotion and a smaller less expensive venue may help. Anyway all of us Northerners need to go to Manchester in 2009, show our support, and if we lose Manchester, then we may have to take our custom elsewhere. Enough said. Cheers.

Um, isn't your student loan supposed to be for the costs of studying and that? Course it's not SM's fault I don't want to travel to Milton Keeeeeynes. I *won't* be travelling to Milton Keynes, zat is my point. SM don't get my money. I'm sure that will bankrupt them...

Psychosis and DavidB - I'm not asking for an event on my doorstep (I doubt SM would do a show in Middlesbrough!)- I'm asking for an event in the 'North of England'. Essentially I'm saying 'It would be a good idea to have an event in the North and I believe SM are making a mistake by not having one in the North'. Psychosis and DavidB are essentially saying 'Well you can't have one, tough'. Nothing much else to be said, really is there? I'm not entirely sure what we're arguing about here, diametrically opposing views. Oh well. I'm being honest here, I don't think any Collectormania event is good enough to stay overnight for, and I am slightly amazed by those who have posted talking about how far you travel. I think you guys are crazy, but more power to you if it makes you happy. I have attended Manchester and it's fine. The point I'm trying to make is that I feel there are a lot of people in the North who won't travel. You will therefore lose their custom. Now maybe there are more people in the North who *are* willing to to travel so this negates my argument- it's difficult to prove either way, I feel. Anyway: tough. Hard cheddar, etc. SM don't have to put events all over the UK, and they don't. I won't attend a Collectormania further than 130 miles from me, so I won't go to Collectormanias anymore. Everyone's happy! Um, is that right? To look on the brighter side, Collectormania *is* still in Manchester, we just have to wait till 2009.

Well that's what credit cards are for... as I have found out to my cost... ;-) I do think though, that DavidB and Psychosis, who are both based in the South (according to your profiles), where there's a greater concentration and choice of events, may also like to follow the wise maxim 'Walk a mile in a man's shoes before you judge him'. Or something. And in my case, walk 122 miles...heh. No doubt I'm putting my foot in it here and you're going to tell me you are both originally from Northumbria and Cumbria and had no trouble getting to events. ;-) Try and see it from our side. It's easy to say 'tough luck' when it's not your luck that is tough. And we agree that the New York comparison is a bit silly. ;-) Maybe a few of us Northern types on these boards might like to get together and run a not-for profit charity event up here? Perhaps we could start something... hmmm...

I checked out the distances on Multimap - distance from my home to Manchester event is 122 miles, distance from my home to Midlands event is 183 miles. Hope that helps! How far is far is subjective, isn't it? If we had a Collectormania Newcastle it would be 50 miles fro me to travel, so... well, yes - some people don't mind 2 hour train journeys, others find it a pain. Courses for horsecourse. Hey on Teesside we don't get anything like this, we're a backwater, so I don't expect cons on my doorstop - Newcastle would be the best I could hope for. I think those of us from the North East are used to having to slog to events, so it's easy to 'lose it' a bit when we can't even stay in North at all and have to go to the Midlands. In other words, no event in the North makes Northerners cry. Anyway roll on 2009.

Sorry to write so much on my first post, but an idea strikes me that will be a compromise between the needs of actors to work and the need of fans to avoid planning travel and accommodation to see stars that don't show. When you book your ticket you should have the option to select your preferred guest star or two. In the event your preferred star cancels, you are entitled to a refund of your ticket. It would help advance bookers, I suppose, although I always buy my ticket on the door anyway. Or how about a text alert service, sign up to it and as soon as a guest cancels SM text your mobile so you can get on with cancelling tickets and accommodation etc. I do have to say though, no-one is putting a gun to these stars' heads, surely they can guarantee ONE day a year?? And if they can't maybe it's just considerate to avoid cons altogether. And, to be cynical, how do we know when the stars cancel it's because they've found other work? It may just as easily be because of a hangover for all we know.

I was afraid this had happened when the website didn't seem to be getting updated. Maybe you could put up a prominent message about 'summer 2009' (?) on the site? Sadly, once again Northern fans are left to flounder or pay premium prices for transport to events. Me and my mate don't really have the time or money to drive to the Midlands or Scotland, Teesside to Manchester is bad enough. The forum administrator defends this decision, but where is the evidence that delaying the event will actually result in a better event at all? Having attended various Trek conventions, to me Collectormania is really a trade/ shopping show, not a proper convention, (where the money raised is usually given to charity anyway and fan involvement is greater) so I never have massive expectations when attending a Collectormania - they are supposed to be cheap and regular, surely? Why not avoid the GMEX at all and set up in a smaller Manchester venue if you can't get the numbers of attendees etc? The Universities have large spaces which could be used and I'm guessing for less money than GMEX, though I could be wrong I suppose. To me, Collectormania is a cheap and cheerful day out for fans, not a full blown convention where the stars are more or less obliged to go on stage and talk at some length and take questions. Therefore it doesn't seem necessary to me to have extra planning time.... perhaps Collectormania will evolve into more of a formal convention than a shopping event (which may be a good thing). As many have said, it's us Northerners who lose out as usual, perhaps we should all move South as that Conservative think tank suggested earlier in the year! So get some low quality guests then..! One man's idea of a high quality guest is another one's low quality. Or you could concentrate on UK stars so that there is less travelling time and likelihood of cancelling (and I say this selflessly ;-) as I'm not much of a fan of UK shows) Or how about a 'wall of shame' at the event where we put pictures of cancelled stars up for people to doodle on.. this will scare the other actors into making sure they attend. This idea may not be intended to be taken seriously. I'll give you a list of people who have attended or cancelled who have ongoing careers with work they are proud of: Michael Rosenbaum Jamie Bamber Amber Benson John Rhys Davies Matthew Lewis Dean Andrews Adam Baldwin Hayden Panettiere Patrick Stewart John Hurt John Barrowman Elijah Wood James Marsters Rachel Luttrell Alan Tudyk Simon Pegg Burt Reynolds Michael Biehn Amanda Tapping David Hewlett Nick Frost That's just a short list that I came up with off the top of my head. Need I say more or did I manage to appropriately highlight the sheer ignorance of your assertion that all guests who go to cons or cancel have no career and are desperate? Nick Frost? Are you serious? "Your first sentence is a huge sweeping statement. Malcolm McDowell was at Manchester last November and turnout was poor. The accuracy of "if SM get the guests then people come to the event" depends on people's perception of those guests. If you're statement was true, then you have to assume most of SM's audience didn't consider Malcolm to be a "big guest". That would be a very sad thing indeed." I can only say that although I was impressed to see Malcolm McDowell, I certainly wasn't going to buy his autograph and I didn't attend to see him. Generally I attend Collectormania for what its name implies: the collecting (the stalls). Rarely do the guests interest me all that much, as I don't buy autographs anymore so I can't chat to them, and unlike in conventions most of them don't give talks anyway. If guests had to give a talk I think attendance would dramatically increase once word got round..