GoldenGreen Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Following on from another thread that suggested an official photo be taken of the guests at the Q and A for purchase, I wondered what other ideas or changes forum members would like to see in the future. Showmasters are doing a great job let me add, but well, you know, always room for improvement. Some thoughts: 1/ Q and A sessions with all the main guests (Thinking particularly in relation to Carrie and Billy Dee Williams not doing one at C6) 2/ A photo area, where you can have the opportunity to take a photograph of a guest for a short period without having to purchase the auto. 3/ Main Guests to sign a batch of photos (Maybe for the first hour) , that can be bought for sale individually from the main desk at signing price, for those who do not wish to meet the guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf the Black Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 costume competition at the main event. no party open to the public. possibly introduction of authors - this was discussed briefly in another thread and a few ppl mentioned terry pratchett. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGreen Posted October 8, 2004 Author Share Posted October 8, 2004 possibly introduction of authors - this was discussed briefly in another thread and a few ppl mentioned terry pratchett. Oh yes. Terry Pratchett does quite a lot of book signings, so I guess may be willing to do an event of this sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dezzy Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 (edited) 1/ Q and A sessions with all the main guests (Thinking particularly in relation to Carrie and Billy Dee Williams not doing one at C6) 2/ A photo area, where you can have the opportunity to take a photograph of a guest for a short period without having to purchase the auto. 3/ Main Guests to sign a batch of photos (Maybe for the first hour) , that can be bought for sale individually from the main desk at signing price, for those who do not wish to meet the guest. Those are some good ideas Golden Green. No. 3 is a good idea for those who want an autograph and want to know it's authentic, but without having to bother queueing. Good for those who (unlike myself) don't want personalised autographs. ......... My ONLY real beef with C6 was Showmasters imposing the "No posed photos at all" rule with the biggest guests (ie. Billy Boyd, Nicholas Brendon, Carrie Fisher) I like it the way it was setup at previous Collectormanias: If you got there early enough, you got a photo. If not, tough luck. Also, due to this rule being imposed, I heard quite a few people slagging off Nicholas and Billy, saying that they were up their own a**e and whatnot, when in fact Showmasters had imposed the ban. I'm a big Billy fan, so was kind of annoyed to hear people talk about him like that. I told my dad about this - his point of view was that, although it's fairer in allowing more people to meet the guest, it's kind of harsh on those of us who spend lots of money getting there, queue outside in the morning for hours, fork out £15/£20 for an autograph and are then told that there is absolutely no possibility of getting a photo with them. Showmasters seemed incredibly harsh because of this. I had ticket number 150-something, and as my friend and I gave him some presents we just wanted to have a quick chat to explain to him what they were etc. and Showmasters crew just wanted us to get our autograph and move our a*ses. A particular phrase comes to mind: Something about biting the hand that feeds ... This is, I think, one of the reasons Collectormania has gotten so popular: unlike other cons, people arent charged for photos and moreover, there is the actual possibilty of getting photos. This made it a bit better than the rest. If they continue like this, then they'll be just the same as the others. I understand the need to get as many people through the queue as possible, but decreasing the possibilites of getting a photo/a chat is, I think, not the way to go about it. Thsi is the first con I've come away from feeling a bit miffed. Edited October 8, 2004 by Dezzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kookie22 Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Who said 'no photos' was imposed by Showmasters? Did i miss something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilteus Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Don't scrap the party idea altogtether, just make some major alterations to the organisation and layout of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Would you rather get an autograph while meeting there person or not get one at all, basically, in the case of big guests, they (The Organisers) would rather push the queue along and get 800 people through to meet the one guest and get an autograph than only 400 who gets an autograph and a posed photo. It all comes down to time and money, that’s why they stop posed photos, so the guest doesn’t have to keep stopping. Or it could be the guest’s choice; I mean signing loads of autographs in one day is one thing, but standing up and sitting down for photos would be very tiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditz Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 why shudn't there be a party to the public Gandalf the black? the party at collectormania 6 was great!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted October 8, 2004 Moderators Share Posted October 8, 2004 Just a point: I was working on Nic Brendon's cash/pic desk on the Friday, and it started off as no POSED photos, then it went to no flash photography, then no photos at all, then back to no posed/flash ... as far as I was aware it was coming DIRECT from Nic, not from Showmasters because I was having to tell the people in charge as well and surely they would have known if they were doing it themselves! It's different for every situation . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin Too Tall Posted October 8, 2004 Showmasters Admin Share Posted October 8, 2004 I was taking cash for Carrie on Saturday. It started off with posed photos but it was taking forever, we only got through 8 ppl in the first 20 minutes. That obviously wasn't going to work. So the decision was made between SM and Carrie that it would be non-posed pics only from then on. That continued until 12:30 when Carrie went to lunch. When she came back there was another discussion and as a 1000 tickets had been given out and only 380 had been seen so far Carrie asked that there be no more photos at all so that she could try and get through the 600 ppl in the afternoon. Personally I think it was fair, and Carrie did it for the right reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin Too Tall Posted October 8, 2004 Showmasters Admin Share Posted October 8, 2004 As for suggestions for the next events. I would suggest that there be a custome comp commitee put together. A group that organises the comp before and on the day. The ppl that come in costume are a big part of what makes these events great and I think that some time and effect should be put into the comp. I'm not having a go at SM here. I realise they have so much to organise over these weekends, that's why I think a dedicated commitee would be a good idea. I have 1 or 2 ideas on how to make it better, I'm sure some of you do too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kookie22 Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I was taking cash for Carrie on Saturday. It started off with posed photos but it was taking forever, we only got through 8 ppl in the first 20 minutes. That obviously wasn't going to work. So the decision was made between SM and Carrie that it would be non-posed pics only from then on. That continued until 12:30 when Carrie went to lunch. When she came back there was another discussion and as a 1000 tickets had been given out and only 380 had been seen so far Carrie asked that there be no more photos at all so that she could try and get through the 600 ppl in the afternoon. Personally I think it was fair, and Carrie did it for the right reasons. that sounds fair to me. Although I would have liked a posed pic - I was amazed at how many people managed to get through - and I'm happy to have shook hands and have an autograph. At the end of the day - photos and less people - or no photos or more people - someone ain't gonna be happy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegetable Maiden Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Was it just me, or did anyone else feel that ShowMasters had tightened up so much in terms of seeing the guests and attempted organisation, that it made the whole event even less smooth-running? For example, issuing tickets for minor guests...when it was obvious that they'd be back to open queues before lunchtime. I remember when collectormania was more relaxed, and when such crowd-control measures were only needed for people like Elijah. This one was purely organised chaos. And to be honest, I'd rather have chaos that came with the opportunity for a photo with the guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmooz Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 possibly introduction of authors - this was discussed briefly in another thread and a few ppl mentioned terry pratchett. Oh yes. Terry Pratchett does quite a lot of book signings, so I guess may be willing to do an event of this sort. i think... i'd.... DIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Some of the guests need a better selection of 8X10s, but that is always the case at every event i go to, maybe I'm too fussy. One guest in particular that i had trouble with was Adam Busch. He had loads of pictures for his band, but no good ones from Buffy on his own. There were some shots of the whole Trio, but no good ones of just him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggsy Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 1/ Q and A sessions with all the main guests (Thinking particularly in relation to Carrie and Billy Dee Williams not doing one at C6) 2/ A photo area, where you can have the opportunity to take a photograph of a guest for a short period without having to purchase the auto. 3/ Main Guests to sign a batch of photos (Maybe for the first hour) , that can be bought for sale individually from the main desk at signing price, for those who do not wish to meet the guest. Those are some good ideas Golden Green. No. 3 is a good idea for those who want an autograph and want to know it's authentic, but without having to bother queueing. Good for those who (unlike myself) don't want personalised autographs. ......... My ONLY real beef with C6 was Showmasters imposing the "No posed photos at all" rule with the biggest guests (ie. Billy Boyd, Nicholas Brendon, Carrie Fisher) I like it the way it was setup at previous Collectormanias: If you got there early enough, you got a photo. If not, tough luck. Also, due to this rule being imposed, I heard quite a few people slagging off Nicholas and Billy, saying that they were up their own a**e and whatnot, when in fact Showmasters had imposed the ban. I'm a big Billy fan, so was kind of annoyed to hear people talk about him like that. Actually with the majority of guests and photo's it was there preference...I was ticketing for Dwight Schultz on the saturday (you know that ) and it was his choice not to do posed photo's.Not SM enforcing something. I think its fair with the bigger guests...lots of people want to meet them and if everyone got a photo that would mean a lot of fans would go home not having met who they wanted too and more disapointed that just not being able to have a posed photo. So as someone suggested before having a photograph area might solve these problems...I know some cons have this where you pay and you get a quality photo of you and the guest...Im not saying thats the way to go im just saying it might be a better idea for people who really do want a photo with one of the bigger guests :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I'm confused about Dwight. On the saturday he had signs saying no posed photos, and you say this was his choice, but both my sis and boyfriend got great photos with him, and he offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixen64 Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Those are some good ideas Golden Green. No. 3 is a good idea for those who want an autograph and want to know it's authentic, but without having to bother queueing. Good for those who (unlike myself) don't want personalised autographs. ......... My ONLY real beef with C6 was Showmasters imposing the "No posed photos at all" rule with the biggest guests (ie. Billy Boyd, Nicholas Brendon, Carrie Fisher) I like it the way it was setup at previous Collectormanias: If you got there early enough, you got a photo. If not, tough luck. Also, due to this rule being imposed, I heard quite a few people slagging off Nicholas and Billy, saying that they were up their own a**e and whatnot, when in fact Showmasters had imposed the ban. I'm a big Billy fan, so was kind of annoyed to hear people talk about him like that. I told my dad about this - his point of view was that, although it's fairer in allowing more people to meet the guest, it's kind of harsh on those of us who spend lots of money getting there, queue outside in the morning for hours, fork out £15/£20 for an autograph and are then told that there is absolutely no possibility of getting a photo with them. Showmasters seemed incredibly harsh because of this. I had ticket number 150-something, and as my friend and I gave him some presents we just wanted to have a quick chat to explain to him what they were etc. and Showmasters crew just wanted us to get our autograph and move our a*ses. A particular phrase comes to mind: Something about biting the hand that feeds ... This is, I think, one of the reasons Collectormania has gotten so popular: unlike other cons, people arent charged for photos and moreover, there is the actual possibilty of getting photos. This made it a bit better than the rest. If they continue like this, then they'll be just the same as the others. I understand the need to get as many people through the queue as possible, but decreasing the possibilites of getting a photo/a chat is, I think, not the way to go about it. Thsi is the first con I've come away from feeling a bit miffed. I totally agree with you.....I felt it had a different atmosphere this time, because of rules being reinforced with certain guests. Feeling that you have paid out a lot of money, (for what is technically a scribble on a photo) and being rushed through isn't nice. Some people I spoke to were very peeved! We can't be expected to pay out for every single person's auto just so we can quickly say "Hi" can we? The guests who attended were great.......but at times meetings didn't go great for some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfy_sah Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I agree with many of the comments already made but will re-iterate them and not quote them all think posed photos depends on guest and SM and how many tickets etc, I had a posed pic with Dwight on the Friday - maybe it was quieter then?!?! 8x10 photos are under copyright so SM can't always get the coolest ones, I found this with Dwight, the only Trek one they had was AWFUL! but as a SG fan that wasn't too bad, just got a SG one instead on topic on 8x10 photos (that you get signed) when I met Brent, HE had one from First Contact that funnilly enough had Dwight in it yet Dwight didn't have any I heard this as well with some of the SW guestsand getting more than 1 sig on a photo... I also agree on the whole "rushed through q" thing, for me it is more the auto is part of the meeting, if I wanted to collect the auto, I would buy it from a dealer or online or something!! ooow virtual tickets for the "minor" guests e.g. HP perhaps? it is REALLY hard to run round getting all the tickets, challenging enough navigating from buffy round to say a-team side then if you have to get e.g. sw and lotr as well, MAN!!! but yeah I don't think it's necessary to have virtaul tickets for them, spesh where they were signing, it was VERY hard to move around the hall! ummmm yeeeeessssss!!! surfy sah xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady of The Realm Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 The no posed pics thing was a bit confusing!!! We were told on the Sun no posed pics with him, and to not let him get up, but he was bouncing up and down out his chair as though he had a rocket up his backside!!! He was lovely and let us have pics!!!!!! *steals Billeh and locks him away* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixen64 Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Well put surfy_sah! Love the emoticon Lady of The Realm! Vic xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I'd like the idea of a photo call for guests. Maybe an opening event? Guests arrive say Hi stand there for the cameras and get blined by the flashes!! (If they light it right, flashes wouldn't activate.) I'd like to see a Collectormania Brochure perhaps with a floor plan! I think they would shift like hot cakes!Wandering round was a pain and walking half a mile to find something to drink only to find O'reillys was a Sandwich bar!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen_Sindel Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I am a bit confused abou the no posed photos thing as well. I got a posed photo with Billy (but I was maybe 10th in line on Saturday and waited in line without getting a ticket until he arrived) and also with Dwight and Dirk on Friday. I know it depends on the guest, but it would be nice if the rules about photos wouldn't be switched 3 times a day. Also I agree, the photo selection wasn't really great this time. I understand about the copyright and everything, but for Comic Con I think I'll rather bring my own stuff than depend on the Showmasters selection. I didn'd do this time because I got what I wanted at C4, but especially for Dwight and the Buffy people I wasn't really satisfied this time. One thing about the set up: I know that this means less space for dealer's tables and stuff, but I think it would be a good idea to get more room between the stalls and the Costa Coffee area. You almost couldn't move there Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 GET BETTER QUALITY PHOTOS AS WE ARE PAYING FOR THEM, AND THEY WERE POOR LOOSE THE EVENT LOGO/ SITE ADDRESS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggsy Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I'm confused about Dwight. On the saturday he had signs saying no posed photos, and you say this was his choice, but both my sis and boyfriend got great photos with him, and he offered. well apprently it was his choice.But towards the end of the day I noticed he was doing posed photo's and obviously if people asked him then he wouldnt say no. And as Surfy_Sah said posed photo's guest depending and on que length etc.Otherwise some sort of photo session or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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