TerraHawk

If you are doing it all by train you'll want Exeter Central to get to the Bus depot rather than Exeter St Davids

The only thing I'd say is don't forget the small guests.

The line up is what I expected. Already meeting twice as many guests as last year Your fandom tastes may vary. Think I've only got 3 guests I want so far, some years its been 30.

How far is the walk? We normally get a train straight to Euston from Northampton or Milton Keynes but then go for the tube. Doesn't the Milton Keynes train stop at Kensington Olympia anyway? I've walked from Earls Court back to Waterloo before. But with Olympia it's easier for me just to go straight to Clapham Junction catch my train there.

I don't think it was ever listed on his website

I walked by the Tattoo pavilion at the event I went to in Germany (Essen) They just had their own corner of the hall with tables with the rest of the traders. Quite a big thing (over 40 of them!) at the US event last year. Perhaps UK laws are more strict.

I imagine there's all kinds of health and safety issues that would come up with trying to do it at one of these events. Trying to get an area that is clean enough and then licenses etc. would probably be a nightmare. Especially when it's only for a couple of days. They've had them at official Star Wars events. As to shops near the venue, there are no shops near the venue - it's about six miles to the centre of Exeter..

I hadn't read any reviews and enjoyed it.

I'd be surprised if London is an option this year, she's still listed for Exeter the week before Bolton. So two visits in six weeks is a little unlikely. It wouldn't be very impressive if all the US Exeter guests were rescheduled.

I try to avoid making an extra effort for a particular guest if I can avoid it - If I buy/watch things especially they usually end up cancelling. So I try not to jinx it.

The auto's are another thing entirely as you can't regulate the speed at which the guest signs - some are very quick but some aren't. If you sell 1000 auto tickets to a guest who only gets through 200 in a day there would be a massive uproar. Or do you take that into account and only sell a couple of hundred for each guest? Then people would be complaining even more saying 'what is the point coming' I've been to several official events where you can buy in advance, they just cap it at a low level, then those on the day take their chance there will be time or tickets left over - really it takes a lot of the hassle out of it. And considering its mainly been in foreign currency on those occasions - I've been able to spend hundreds of pounds more than I would have having just paid for everything on the day, knowing I've less to worry about before I've even boarded the plane. 'what is the point coming' if you aren't near the front of the queue to buy on the day? They'll still only get through the same numbers. I've made holidays out of it (hello Orlando!) but I could potentially spend £1000 and weeks of my life to then find out I've missed out on an auto because I arrived 30 minutes too late. Buying in advance, at least you know.

I've been waiting years for him to come to London, if he has I must have missed him. That was before I now find out he was in Empire too. It does seem London is missing out on the smaller non-current UK TV names now there are more events going on. They are being booked for them instead.

Showmasters already took her to a US event earlier in the year, so I did think schedule permitting it was inevitable they'd try to get her here.

He does official Star Trek events. Perhaps he will do the official UK event

I know what you mean ! Normally by now people are moaning about there being too many Star Wars guests There's more rooms to fill this time so would hope the number of smaller guests will increase in relation. Right now there's only one name to interest me, and I'm not sure its worth braving the queues for one.

Well I did a day at the Spring LFCC and Bournemouth only needing a few guests at each, because the trains were unusually cheap, but I don't anticipate getting that same offer again so don't expect to go to Bournemouth (or Brighton) again, unless the guest list is exceptional. But they will carry on perfectly well without me. You only have to look at the follow up posts on here for Newcastle and Bournemouth - 99.9% of attendees didn't say anything about it on the forum. Local events for local people is a good thing. Personally I'm not sure the forum is fit for purpose anymore with so many events, you have to check it twice a day otherwise you can miss guest announcements. But as for saturating the market, well they still only account for maybe a quarter of events I get too, or get autographs from.

With MJF I could have potentially got all the other BTTF guests too, but I wouldn't think of getting all them without the main star - so I could have spent as much on his auto as the rest put together - but that wouldn't put me off. Obviously he can only do a limited number in one go, but they could have signed some in advance. He's done a few private signings since. I'd never say never to Diamond if it was the right guest, but I'd still rather queue overnight (if required) for a good chance at just the auto. The package is great if you want both, but you can equally have people desperate for one or the other - having to buy both - with other people begging for the thing you don't want, and neither of you can do anything about it. That seems stupid to me. It costs no more, and takes no longer to sell those to two different people and have two happy customers rather than one who misses out, and another who's had to pay for something they've no interest in. In theory could you decline to stand next to guest, and ask them to do a unique pose for your photo on their own? You've paid enough for the photo after all. Back to the original question - it's generally gone down for me. Probably peaked at one month's wages down to half a week's. Alas they haven't really gone up much - just that in 10 years I've met most of the people I've wanted to already. I don't even go every year.

Oh sure, but most of us have been around long enough to spot the difference between people posting who've put two and together - event isn't listed here, actors got a role in... etc, and things heard on grapevines allegedly from organisers like this one. They do tend to be proven true. ​ All I'm saying is a bit more up front communication when it comes to bad news would mean less work for you guys to moderate. Is that a bad thing?

If that was one of Showmasters 'keeping everyone in the picture', official posts it would carry more weight than even a moderator post, there'd be virtually nothing left to speculate on. From the first page we have someone say 'If the "officially" part is coming from anyone but Showmasters then it is pure rumour and sacremongering by people who have little else to do. As is the same with every event run by every event organiser, nothing is ever announced until it is official' So pure rumour turned out to be pretty spot on.

What was he last time? Hopefully it only went up that much just because it's last minute - I mean there's no pre-orders to make up the numbers. Still its another reason - that I'd have to spend so much on the returning stars (more than I spent the first time) - that I decided not do collect autographs from Star Wars past the first 6. I just got two Star Wars autographs yesterday, as well as Clare Higgins. I wasn't going to go, but the trains were cheap!

I want to know why they have so many extras for Because they know there is a reasonable market for them and they don't require a large booking fee to cover. They don't need to be massively busy. But they are likely do be more busy at their first show. This will be the first show for most of them. It pays to be first, before you get them elsewhere. its actually disappointing for me as I thought it would be a good excuse to get back every Star Wars guest who'd come before. One last time. Still it's the 40th next year.

He does do shows in England, I expect he will do anything official, just nothing with Showmasters until further noticce

How limited is limited? If I arrive at 10 will I definitly get in? I was all ready to post in an item instead, but Richard combined with cheap trains makes Saturday slightly tempting again. I'm now stuck in the middle of not knowing I'm not going and so posting, and waiting to see if i'll be getting on the train... I could end up missing out completely.

Why is that though? it's something that might actually be useful. For example There was a trader at the Stan Lee show - I had no idea they'd be there or had a good offer on that weekend. I couldn't take advantage. I didn't have the cash, my lists or strong enough bags to get them home. I could have coped with the cash as they took card, but not the other two problems. I could have spent £100 with them. So the next event I come prepared - cash, lists, bag.... and they aren't there. Or at least I couldn't find them. Cash to spare - which I could have spent on autographs, but I didn't have those items on me. It went home with me. Then there's another case where a tiny company had a self published DVD I was interested in, I go to their website September... and find they'd had a stall with guest writer, director etc signing the DVD at the summer show. I probably walked past them half dozen times, but never saw them or knew to look out for them. As a result - missing out on a signed copy - I've never got an unsigned copy either. Just one post on here, I'd have known. I even know one company paid (at least a deposit, I don't know how that side of it works) for a stall last year and then decided it wasn't worth the agro. They went to another show instead and did a lot of trade there. I've been on the other side - at business shows. We know who is there, who's offering the same as us, where everyone is, who will notice us. It just seems so less professional not knowing. The difference between it being a serious business and a hobby.

And Fireworks. But they didn't have to.