Your Autographica Experience

[Doc Bones]

I was a bit miffed that the most popular images for some guests were in such short supply. The graveyard image for Harvey and the conch image (the one used on her autographica poster) for Ursula were both totally gone by the time I saw the guest early Saturday afternoon. The organisers must have realised some images would be much more popular than others, but didn't seem to accomadate for this. I know people will say "bring your own images" etc etc, but this isn't the point

Apart from this minor problem, the rest of the weekend was nothing short of fantastic!!

[sydney_bristow]

Totally superb time had - cant wait for the next one. I must mention as well how nice it is to have it in a plush hotel as well

[Mr Wiggly]

Once more in English please ?  You really didn't get much sleep ! Is this my luggage ? Because it's not an advisable subject 

888612[/snapback]

 

No - nothing to do with luggage (of which I know nothing). There were running gags all weekend about leaving people to lie with those hideous fishes.

 

One area I would agree with other people's comments was a disappointment was the state of repair of the hotel. The poor lighting in the atrium, & the poor control of the air conditioning were both put down by hotel staff as being maintenance problems. 5* facilities (and prices) with 3-4* maintenance seemed to be the problem.

888621[/snapback]

 

 

Totally agree with this, I have no complaint about the event which I enjoyed very much but for a 5* hotel it could have been much better. We arrived early on Saturday with a pre-booked room and had been told by the hotel that we could book in anytime as we were pre-booked but when we went to check-in the room was not ready and we had to have a smoking room instead of non-smoking. Fancy fixtures and fittings in a hotel are all very nice but let the place down if they are not cleaned or maintained regularly.In general the hotel was shabby and not worthy a of 5* rating.

[Too Tall]

Once more in English please ?  You really didn't get much sleep ! Is this my luggage ? Because it's not an advisable subject 

888612[/snapback]

 

No - nothing to do with luggage (of which I know nothing). There were running gags all weekend about leaving people to lie with those hideous fishes.

 

One area I would agree with other people's comments was a disappointment was the state of repair of the hotel. The poor lighting in the atrium, & the poor control of the air conditioning were both put down by hotel staff as being maintenance problems. 5* facilities (and prices) with 3-4* maintenance seemed to be the problem.

888621[/snapback]

 

 

Totally agree with this, I have no complaint about the event which I enjoyed very much but for a 5* hotel it could have been much better. We arrived early on Saturday with a pre-booked room and had been told by the hotel that we could book in anytime as we were pre-booked but when we went to check-in the room was not ready and we had to have a smoking room instead of non-smoking. Fancy fixtures and fittings in a hotel are all very nice but let the place down if they are not cleaned or maintained regularly.In general the hotel was shabby and not worthy a of 5* rating.

888838[/snapback]

That's not great news to hear, as I'm going to an event there in about 3 weeks time

[Mr Wiggly]

Once more in English please ?  You really didn't get much sleep ! Is this my luggage ? Because it's not an advisable subject 

888612[/snapback]

 

No - nothing to do with luggage (of which I know nothing). There were running gags all weekend about leaving people to lie with those hideous fishes.

 

One area I would agree with other people's comments was a disappointment was the state of repair of the hotel. The poor lighting in the atrium, & the poor control of the air conditioning were both put down by hotel staff as being maintenance problems. 5* facilities (and prices) with 3-4* maintenance seemed to be the problem.

888621[/snapback]

 

Totally agree with this, I have no complaint about the event which I enjoyed very much but for a 5* hotel it could have been much better. We arrived early on Saturday with a pre-booked room and had been told by the hotel that we could book in anytime as we were pre-booked but when we went to check-in the room was not ready and we had to have a smoking room instead of non-smoking. Fancy fixtures and fittings in a hotel are all very nice but let the place down if they are not cleaned or maintained regularly.In general the hotel was shabby and not worthy a of 5* rating.

888838[/snapback]

That's not great news to hear, as I'm going to an event there in about 3 weeks time

888840[/snapback]

 

 

I would go there again for the event but would not stay in the hotel again.

 

P.S. Food costs are extremely high (£15 for breakfast per person!) but next door there is a McDonalds and about 1/2 mile east along the Bath Road is the White Hart Pub where you can get 2 steak meals with trimmings for less than £10!

 

Also if you are driving, the car park is £10 per 24 hours (not to bad but can get expensive if you are staying more than one night.

Edited November 1, 2005 by Mr Wiggly

[GoldenGreen]

I was a bit miffed that the most popular images for some guests were in such short supply. The graveyard image for Harvey and the conch image (the one used on her autographica poster) for Ursula were both totally gone by the time I saw the guest early Saturday afternoon. The organisers must have realised some images would be much more popular than others, but didn't seem to accomadate for this. I know people will say "bring your own images" etc etc, but this isn't the point

888820[/snapback]

 

Bring your own images.

 

Presumably the organisers get an equal number of images of each photo, I don't think you can expect them to predict which image is going to be the most popular for each guest, as one persons taste is different from another. Some of the guests bring their own images anyway, so it is not down to the Convention organiser.

 

I don't know if it was the first show you have been to, so maybe it will be a lesson learnt, but I have learnt the hard way the only way of guaranteeing you get a good image you want, is to bring it yourself. O.K. it means I have to put a bit of effort in prior to the convention to get what I want, but boy it makes me a lot happier afterwards.

 

And I am afraid it is the point.

[Too Tall]

Once more in English please ?  You really didn't get much sleep ! Is this my luggage ? Because it's not an advisable subject 

888612[/snapback]

 

No - nothing to do with luggage (of which I know nothing). There were running gags all weekend about leaving people to lie with those hideous fishes.

 

One area I would agree with other people's comments was a disappointment was the state of repair of the hotel. The poor lighting in the atrium, & the poor control of the air conditioning were both put down by hotel staff as being maintenance problems. 5* facilities (and prices) with 3-4* maintenance seemed to be the problem.

888621[/snapback]

 

Totally agree with this, I have no complaint about the event which I enjoyed very much but for a 5* hotel it could have been much better. We arrived early on Saturday with a pre-booked room and had been told by the hotel that we could book in anytime as we were pre-booked but when we went to check-in the room was not ready and we had to have a smoking room instead of non-smoking. Fancy fixtures and fittings in a hotel are all very nice but let the place down if they are not cleaned or maintained regularly.In general the hotel was shabby and not worthy a of 5* rating.

888838[/snapback]

That's not great news to hear, as I'm going to an event there in about 3 weeks time

888840[/snapback]

 

 

I would go there again for the event but would not stay in the hotel again.

 

P.S. Food costs are extremely high (£15 for breakfast per person!) but next door there is a McDonalds and about 1/2 mile east along the Bath Road is the White Hart Pub where you can get 2 steak meals with trimmings for less than £10!

 

Also if you are driving, the car park is £10 per 24 hours (not to bad but can get expensive if you are staying more than one night.

888848[/snapback]

Thanks for the heads up on the pub. I'll have to give that a look. I am driving and will be staying there. Well hopefully it'll be OK.

[Doc Bones]

I was a bit miffed that the most popular images for some guests were in such short supply. The graveyard image for Harvey and the conch image (the one used on her autographica poster) for Ursula were both totally gone by the time I saw the guest early Saturday afternoon. The organisers must have realised some images would be much more popular than others, but didn't seem to accomadate for this. I know people will say "bring your own images" etc etc, but this isn't the point

888820[/snapback]

 

Bring your own images.

 

Presumably the organisers get an equal number of images of each photo, I don't think you can expect them to predict which image is going to be the most popular for each guest, as one persons taste is different from another. Some of the guests bring their own images anyway, so it is not down to the Convention organiser.

 

I don't know if it was the first show you have been to, so maybe it will be a lesson learnt, but I have learnt the hard way the only way of guaranteeing you get a good image you want, is to bring it yourself. O.K. it means I have to put a bit of effort in prior to the convention to get what I want, but boy it makes me a lot happier afterwards.

 

And I am afraid it is the point.

888856[/snapback]

 

 

This wasn't my first event by far!!! This was my ninth SM event.

I think you can expect SM to have an educated guess as to which images will be more popular. At previous events there have often been many more of the "popular" images available and fewer of the "niche" images. To me this makes a lot of sense. The classic image of ursula with the conch was the one they chose for the autographica poster, they will have known this would be popular with everyone. When I asked if it had been available to the crew member at the table, she said it had but, "predictably was the one everyone wanted so ran out very quickly". She even said she was surprised there weren't more of them. This was early Sat afternoon, they still had the rest of the day and all day Sunday to get through.

It wasn't a major problem. I said the weekend was fantastic. The images i got were decent enough. I was trying to offer some constructive feedback for future events. The organisers obviously want to provide a good selection of images to be signed on the day. They obviously don't expect everyone to bring their own. I am simply commenting on how they might improve their service further.

So saying "bring your own images" IS NOT the point!!!!

[oldnick]

P.S. Food costs are extremely high (£15 for breakfast per person!) but next door there is a McDonalds and about 1/2 mile east along the Bath Road is the White Hart Pub where you can get 2 steak meals with trimmings for less than £10!

 

Another pub to be aware of, a bit pricier, but only a short walk away...

 

Leave the hotel by the front door and turn left out through the short-stay carpark.

At the corner turn left down a side road, "New Road" that runs down the side of the hotel, then down the side of the main hotel carpark. (Alternatively, leave the hotel North exit and find your way out through this back car park).

 

Follow this road for about five minutes and there is a pub at the junction. with West End Lane "The Pheasant". It has an old fashioned main pub building, with a very strange looking chalet-roofed restaurant built on at the left side behind the carpark.

 

Food is up to about a fixer for a starter, and about a tenner for a main course. Portions are large, and the food is surprisingly good for a pub family restaurant.

 

Map at http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G...=176750&A=Y&Z=1

(but please ignore the arrow on the map) The hotel is the one markedf as Edwardian Int Hotel.

Edited November 1, 2005 by oldnick

[dufresne]

I think you can expect SM to have an educated guess as to which images will be more popular.

888866[/snapback]

 

Burt Reynolds at Wembey : LOADS of Smokey in his car, not as many from Cannonball Run !

 

Bruce Spence at C7 : Loads of SW, plenty of Matrix, a modest number of Mad Max pics.

 

It's not rocket science ..... it's BRAIN SURGERY !!

[Garry King]

just got back from the show, loads of things to clear up after the event, god how i hate spending 5 days + in airconditioning!

 

I have read many some of the comments alread posted, and would like to reply to them all, but time and space prevetn me from doing that. However i will try and answer a few of the comments posted so far.

 

Airconditioning. We did have a problem with this in 2 rooms, one was a failure of the system, and this had engineers on to the problem within 3 hours of it being reported, but it took some time to fix. The other was partly due to the fact that Ursula does not like cold rooms, and we had it turned up for her, not the customers! I spent some time in her bedroom! and she had an oil filled radiator in her room turned on full which she had borrowed from housekeeping! and it was not because the aircon was not working either!

 

'Food costs are extremely high (£15 for breakfast per person!)' Yes breakfast was £15 but was INCLUDED WITH YOUR ROOM! but was a very good, eat as much as you like breakfast, so i don't think you can really complain about that. And there was a Macdonalds next door anyway for the rest of the day. The hotel also offered some reasonabley priced alternatives in the atrium during the day.

 

The car park was £5 per day not £10, which again i don't think is expensive, and compares very favourably with Birmingham or indeed any other venue.

 

We ceratinly made some mistakes, but if you attended the Casino on Saturday evening, i think most would agree that we made up for a lot of them there.

 

Do please email me direct with any sugeestions you have for future events, always happy to hear your comments.

 

Lastly, i did thank some of you for the many hours you put in working with us over the weekend, but for those i never had the chance to speak to, thank you for all your efforts, they are apreciated, and i have recieved many positive comments from both Ursula and Buzz regarding your excellent work during the weekend, Buzz in particular said that you were the best crew by far that he had ever had the pleasure to work with, and looks foward to working with you again.

 

Thats all from me for now, bed is calling.

 

Garry King

Edited November 1, 2005 by Garry King

[Alx]

Gary,

 

I would like to thank-you personally for setting up the weekend, and I know I thanked you for letting me come down and help with SM but I really want to say thank-you again. I really enjoyed myself and I already miss the event. I know there was some problems, and myself, waterboy, stuart and kate were running around headlessly trying to sort your aircon problems. All in all, despite a few small problems it was a very successful event, and I just hope you will let me come back and help again in March..

 

Regards

 

Alex

[old bloke]

Very pleasant event, I only bought two autographs, neither of which was Mr Aldrin, so the gold ticket was a bit over the top, but enjoyed the social side, and like others got a non-flash pic with Ursula.

[GoldenGreen]

I was a bit miffed that the most popular images for some guests were in such short supply. The graveyard image for Harvey and the conch image (the one used on her autographica poster) for Ursula were both totally gone by the time I saw the guest early Saturday afternoon. The organisers must have realised some images would be much more popular than others, but didn't seem to accomadate for this. I know people will say "bring your own images" etc etc, but this isn't the point

888820[/snapback]

 

Bring your own images.

 

Presumably the organisers get an equal number of images of each photo, I don't think you can expect them to predict which image is going to be the most popular for each guest, as one persons taste is different from another. Some of the guests bring their own images anyway, so it is not down to the Convention organiser.

 

I don't know if it was the first show you have been to, so maybe it will be a lesson learnt, but I have learnt the hard way the only way of guaranteeing you get a good image you want, is to bring it yourself. O.K. it means I have to put a bit of effort in prior to the convention to get what I want, but boy it makes me a lot happier afterwards.

 

And I am afraid it is the point.

888856[/snapback]

 

 

This wasn't my first event by far!!! This was my ninth SM event.

I think you can expect SM to have an educated guess as to which images will be more popular. At previous events there have often been many more of the "popular" images available and fewer of the "niche" images. To me this makes a lot of sense. The classic image of ursula with the conch was the one they chose for the autographica poster, they will have known this would be popular with everyone. When I asked if it had been available to the crew member at the table, she said it had but, "predictably was the one everyone wanted so ran out very quickly". She even said she was surprised there weren't more of them. This was early Sat afternoon, they still had the rest of the day and all day Sunday to get through.

It wasn't a major problem. I said the weekend was fantastic. The images i got were decent enough. I was trying to offer some constructive feedback for future events. The organisers obviously want to provide a good selection of images to be signed on the day. They obviously don't expect everyone to bring their own. I am simply commenting on how they might improve their service further.

So saying "bring your own images" IS NOT the point!!!!

888866[/snapback]

 

I am even more staggered now to your expectations seeing as you have been to nine previous events.

 

By the time you spoke to the crew member she obviously knew that was the most popular image as she would have sold a lot, she might not necessarily said that on the Friday night when all the images were there.

 

At the end of the day the point is that you want to get a signature presumably on a photo that you like, you therefore have to do something about that. You can either choose to take it into your hands and bring your own image and go home completely happy or leave it to in the hands of the Gods.

 

Now , which is the sensible option ?

 

Apologies if I am coming across a bit hard on this one, but if you have attended nine events before and post regularly on this forum you will know that the issue of pictures comes up regularly and sometimes if you want to get something you have to do it yourself.

[dufresne]

I'll say this - a great venue, yes. Great deal on room with breakfast, yes. But they are just too far down that "robotic" scale of professionalism over friendliness. OH, for one of the staff to actually SOUND like the meant "enjoy your breakfast" or "thank you for choosing our hotel" etc !

[Mr Wiggly]

just got back from the show, loads of things to clear up after the event, god how i hate spending 5 days + in airconditioning!

 

I have read many some of the comments alread posted, and would like to reply to them all, but time and space prevetn me from doing that. However i will try and answer a few of the comments posted so far.

 

Airconditioning. We did have a problem with this in 2 rooms, one was a failure of the system, and this had engineers on to the problem within 3 hours of it being reported, but it took some time to fix. The other was partly due to the fact that Ursula does not like cold rooms, and we had it turned up for her, not the customers! I spent some time in her bedroom! and she had an oil filled radiator in her room turned on full which she had borrowed from housekeeping! and it was not because the aircon was not working either!

 

'Food costs are extremely high (£15 for breakfast per person!)' Yes breakfast was £15 but was INCLUDED WITH YOUR ROOM! but was a very good, eat as much as you like breakfast, so i don't think you can really complain about that. And there was a Macdonalds next door anyway for the rest of the day. The hotel also offered some reasonabley priced alternatives in the atrium during the day.

 

The car park was £5 per day not £10, which again i don't think is expensive, and compares very favourably with Birmingham or indeed any other venue. 

 

We ceratinly made some mistakes, but if you attended the Casino on Saturday evening, i think most would agree that we made up for a lot of them there.

 

Do please email me direct with any sugeestions you have for future events, always happy to hear your comments.

 

Lastly,  i did thank some of you for the many hours you put in working with us over the weekend, but for those i never had the chance to speak to, thank you for all your efforts, they are apreciated, and i have recieved many positive comments from both Ursula and Buzz regarding your excellent work during the weekend, Buzz in particular said that you were the best crew by far that he had ever had the pleasure to work with, and looks foward to working with you again.

 

Thats all from me for now, bed is calling.

 

Garry King

888894[/snapback]

 

Just to clarify parking was £10 per 24 HOURS and I have 2 x £10 receipts to prove it and breakfast was not included in with my room as the hotel was going to chrge me for it and I opted for the coffee instead which came to about £5, again I have the receipt to prove it!

 

Once again though no complaints about Autographica, it was excellent.

 

P.S. I didn't book the room through Autographica so perhaps the breakfast was a special deal in with that price, even so irrespective of that the hotel service and room was rather shabby for a 5* (staff having trouble understanding requests,leaky taps, stained bed clothes, yellowed curtains, cobwebs in grills).

Edited November 1, 2005 by Mr Wiggly

[Bohan]

So saying "bring your own images" IS NOT the point!!!!

 

I always bring my own photos to shows, I would not do it any other way.

[MSPG Autographs]

I'll say this - a great venue, yes. Great deal on room with breakfast, yes. But they are just too far down that "robotic" scale of professionalism over friendliness. OH, for one of the staff to actually SOUND like the meant "enjoy your breakfast" or "thank you for choosing our hotel" etc !

888916[/snapback]

 

You needed to talk to Smiffy on the front desk, he hadn't had his brain removed.

[Tiggs]

I was a bit miffed that the most popular images for some guests were in such short supply. The graveyard image for Harvey and the conch image (the one used on her autographica poster) for Ursula were both totally gone by the time I saw the guest early Saturday afternoon. The organisers must have realised some images would be much more popular than others, but didn't seem to accomadate for this. I know people will say "bring your own images" etc etc, but this isn't the point

888820[/snapback]

 

Bring your own images.

 

Presumably the organisers get an equal number of images of each photo, I don't think you can expect them to predict which image is going to be the most popular for each guest, as one persons taste is different from another. Some of the guests bring their own images anyway, so it is not down to the Convention organiser.

 

I don't know if it was the first show you have been to, so maybe it will be a lesson learnt, but I have learnt the hard way the only way of guaranteeing you get a good image you want, is to bring it yourself. O.K. it means I have to put a bit of effort in prior to the convention to get what I want, but boy it makes me a lot happier afterwards.

 

And I am afraid it is the point.

888856[/snapback]

 

 

This wasn't my first event by far!!! This was my ninth SM event.

I think you can expect SM to have an educated guess as to which images will be more popular. At previous events there have often been many more of the "popular" images available and fewer of the "niche" images. To me this makes a lot of sense. The classic image of ursula with the conch was the one they chose for the autographica poster, they will have known this would be popular with everyone. When I asked if it had been available to the crew member at the table, she said it had but, "predictably was the one everyone wanted so ran out very quickly". She even said she was surprised there weren't more of them. This was early Sat afternoon, they still had the rest of the day and all day Sunday to get through.

It wasn't a major problem. I said the weekend was fantastic. The images i got were decent enough. I was trying to offer some constructive feedback for future events. The organisers obviously want to provide a good selection of images to be signed on the day. They obviously don't expect everyone to bring their own. I am simply commenting on how they might improve their service further.

So saying "bring your own images" IS NOT the point!!!!

888866[/snapback]

 

I am even more staggered now to your expectations seeing as you have been to nine previous events.

 

By the time you spoke to the crew member she obviously knew that was the most popular image as she would have sold a lot, she might not necessarily said that on the Friday night when all the images were there.

 

At the end of the day the point is that you want to get a signature presumably on a photo that you like, you therefore have to do something about that. You can either choose to take it into your hands and bring your own image and go home completely happy or leave it to in the hands of the Gods.

 

Now , which is the sensible option ?

 

Apologies if I am coming across a bit hard on this one, but if you have attended nine events before and post regularly on this forum you will know that the issue of pictures comes up regularly and sometimes if you want to get something you have to do it yourself.

888908[/snapback]

 

 

I think you are missing the point of the comment.

It seems that Doc Bones is a seasoned eventist and he/she says was happy with the photos got. The comment, to my mind, is more related to the service provided by the organisers. For those who aren't forum members and who don't realise that taking your own photos is the only way to guarentee a happy outcome, showmasters need to provide a good selection of photos and try to provide sufficient of the more popular ones. This has been commented on before on the forum so is not a new issue.

The crew member with Ursula commented that she predicted this to be the most popular image so it seems did not just make this comment based on previous sales.

You were not being hard, what you said is true, but as I see it, the point is that more thought related to which images will be popular, would be appreciated by many.

[Banished_From_Rohan]

With regards to the car park.....

 

it WAS £5 per day IF you took your parking ticket to reception when you left and paid there instead of in the machine And I only knew this by chance because someone (I forget who) told me as I didn't stay in the hotel.

[TommyT]

Major Negatives

- Rediculously incovenient position within the city. The underground journey from Liverpool Street to Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3 was almost 2 hours,

888582[/snapback]

I assume there was some particular problem on the tube system at the time of your journey, as it doesn't normally take anything like that long - I've done the trip from Liverpool St to Heathrow on the tube on numerous occasions, at various times of the day, weekday and weekend; usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, never taken more than about 80 minutes. Must be a bummer to sit around for that time.

 

(You could also argue that it's a ridiculously convenient location for those coming towards London from the West, West Midlands, South etc, but I'll grant that it's the wrong side of London if you're coming from Norfolk )

[TommyT]

Autographica never fails to disappoint

888415[/snapback]

Given your generally glowing comments over the entirety of your extensive review, I think you mean the exact opposite, do you not? More like "Autographica never fails to delight", perhaps?

[Jedi_Tink]

Major Negatives

- Rediculously incovenient position within the city. The underground journey from Liverpool Street to Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3 was almost 2 hours,

888582[/snapback]

I assume there was some particular problem on the tube system at the time of your journey, as it doesn't normally take anything like that long - I've done the trip from Liverpool St to Heathrow on the tube on numerous occasions, at various times of the day, weekday and weekend; usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, never taken more than about 80 minutes. Must be a bummer to sit around for that time.

 

(You could also argue that it's a ridiculously convenient location for those coming towards London from the West, West Midlands, South etc, but I'll grant that it's the wrong side of London if you're coming from Norfolk )

889027[/snapback]

 

The only thing I found difficult during my whole journey was as soon as I stepped into Heathrow airport, trying to find the hotel hoppa bus stop was manic!!! I mean it isn't exactly the easiest thing to found, no signs or anything! lol!

 

~Tink

[Jedi_Tink]

I'll say this - a great venue, yes. Great deal on room with breakfast, yes. But they are just too far down that "robotic" scale of professionalism over friendliness. OH, for one of the staff to actually SOUND like the meant "enjoy your breakfast" or "thank you for choosing our hotel" etc !

888916[/snapback]

 

 

Some of the staff were ok, they were actually genuine in everything they said, but some could have done with a serious personality transplant!

[Alx]

I'll say this - a great venue, yes. Great deal on room with breakfast, yes. But they are just too far down that "robotic" scale of professionalism over friendliness. OH, for one of the staff to actually SOUND like the meant "enjoy your breakfast" or "thank you for choosing our hotel" etc !

888916[/snapback]

 

 

Some of the staff were ok, they were actually genuine in everything they said, but some could have done with a serious personality transplant!

889045[/snapback]

 

Somewhere fine, the only problem I had was trying to sort the issue of air conditioning. The hotel staff were really helpful as far as helping me sort out change. The other problem I had with the hotel staff was they didnt let us order room service whilst in the lobby at 4am.. Duno what their prblem was with that?

 

A