Crostini Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 How was it today guys How would you rate your experience at the Autographica 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prendy9160 Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 How was it today guys How would you rate your experience at the Autographica 2006 I felt that this was the worst show yet there was no atmosphere the crowds seemed very down on previous shows and the hotel seemed very big but the show seemed very small. The astros were great but aprt from them Norman wisdom seemed busy but the rest not busy at all. The astros most people have met with the expection of Rusty who was the most busy along with Alexi. I think that the show should rethink how it is run and that it should go back to basics. The show was better when it was held at the other venues it seemed more personal and people had a smile on there face, this show failed to do that . I know that Dave and Garry work hard to put the show on but i think it was better in a smaller venue and a more personal service this show the venue lacked any of the old shows please try and get back to the glory days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fulcrum Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Well, I went for Norman Wisdom and Millvena Dean but alas hen I got there I was greeted with a big board that read Millvena Dean cancelled due to illness, I know it is not the fault of the organisers but there was only Norman left, so I got his autograph and he rocks! There were hardly any people there and it was quite "dull", last year the autograph forgery contest was there and the guests were more varied. Sharpe reunion without Sharpe? Anyway, I took lunch at the brasserie which was very nice, met Norman then wandered around and then drove the two hours home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bohan Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 It was well worth it to meet Norman Wisdom, he is great! But I do agree with the comments about it being quite dull, it was very quiet all day and no guests were busy aside from Norman. I'll post my photos in a seperate thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indio Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 boring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mekon Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Well it was quiet today, but I used that to my advantage. I went primarily for the space guests; I met them all with very little queueing involved. What was good was that I had time, as did they, to have a chat and have a photograph taken. They were all really pleasant and very talkative. I've seen people say on this forum, that they wished they had more time to interact with the guests; todays show was great for that. By the way, my son wanted to get Michael Winner's autograph so I duely wobbled along. What a thoroughly nice guy he was and again his loquaciousness added to the day. I understand the criticims levelled by some; but you always have the choice whether to attend or not. There are several things I could say about how today's show may have fell short of past autographicas; but on balance I enjoyed it for what it was and it would be therefore somewhat churlish of me to crticise it now. cheers, Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quigon Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 We enjoyed the event and to finally meet 6 out of the 7 Chosen Men which was great and no rushing about like any other SM event, if you wanted you could of had a long chat with anyone apart from Norman, which is one of the things at some ppl complain about on this board and a photo with all the guests (which you do not get at all events I attend). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disurmston Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 (edited) Well we went today and it was deadly quiet and disjointed compared to previous events. No Virtual Tickets needed ! I really do think the location and mix needs to be changed...OK not back to Northampton or Coventry but Oxford, Edinburgh or Birmingham say The big room for the Bond signers was a bit overkill. It really must have been disheartening for some of them to see the queues for Ms Blackman and none for them. Smashing lady though. Its always good to see Mr Kiel in good health but surely he's a bit overexposed at these shows...he certainly did a Northampton and has done a Collectables or 2 The out of the way spot ( though charming ) for Sir Norman Wisdom and other film related signers was barely connected to the rest. Again the main star was excellent and warm and had queues...the others did not The Space room was good but the russians looked squashed into the corner and again only dribs and drabs of people ...which was good in a way as people like Charlie Duke and Scott Carpenter could give more of their time with people. Al Worden seemed intent on escaping and vanished a few times without telling his minder/helper what was happening The costumes for the Sharpe reunion were interesting but we skipped that room completely as that program is of no interest to us at all. The dealer room had little business - one said our purchase was the first he'ld made today ( Noon Sunday ! ) and that he longed for the LFCC to try and recoup losses and would not bother with Autographica again An interesting point is that the Hethrow Hoppa driver had heard there was a Bond convention at the hotel so somewhere the message is not getting through Edited June 4, 2006 by disurmston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyKirsty Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 It was very quiet, I took my daughter to meet Margaret Kerry on Sat, Kirstin enjoyed dancing and playing around and only got bored when I was looking around the dealer stalls though I did not buy anything. One guy was charging £6 for an empty, Dr Who easter egg box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dr jones Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I attended both Saturday and Sunday as i wanted to meet most of the Bond guests and for some reason it was put up quite late that some would only be attending saturday. Well anyway it was very quite but i enjoyed myself as it meant i didnt have to que for ages to meet anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGreen Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Having been to all bar one of the previous Autographica shows, I think I can say I have experienced a fair range of different experiences, whether at Northampton, Coventry or Heathrow. To be fair , this is one of my favourite shows and Garry and Dave certainly do put in a lot of effort. In a way, I think I am personally concerned for them, on this occassion, but because I would be very surprised if the numbers through the door covered their costs. Anyway, on to this show, well for me, first and foremost it brought a legend in Norman Wisdom, and as hoped he was a thoroughly brilliant guest, and I was certainly not disappointed. I met two of the Bond guests, Trina Parks and Blache Ravalec, both who were fine. I also met Alexi Leonov again to get my Two Sides of the Moon book signed, which co author and Apollo astronaut had signed on his book tour last year. Other than that, I only met Michael Winner, who was a thoroughtly pleasant chap, and some what surprisingly had no queue at all. Compared to the previous show at Heathrow, it seemed more spread out, and I'm not even sure I found everything, and a few more signs wouldn't have gone a miss round the venue. However, my overall feeling leaving the show was positive and I look forward with fingers crossed to more Autographica shows in the future, although I think they may need a re-think to increase foot fall on the days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionheart Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I had bad day to travel to Heathrow cos of tube problem (engineer works) so when I arrive and surprise there is not many people on Sunday. That was my short day. I am glad to get autograph from Honor Blackman which I have been waiting for age - for goldfinger poster. Few years ago - I have been to Northamton which is better place then heathrow. I hope you find other venue to make easy access. I hope you find more stars in future - please pick hammer horror stars Good keep work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5wolves Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I had bad day to travel to Heathrow cos of tube problem (engineer works) so when I arrive and surprise there is not many people on Sunday. That was my short day. I am glad to get autograph from Honor Blackman which I have been waiting for age - for goldfinger poster. Few years ago - I have been to Northamton which is better place then heathrow. I hope you find other venue to make easy access. I hope you find more stars in future - please pick hammer horror stars Good keep work!! Unfortunately this time round it was always doomed due to the type and indeed lack of guests. Thats why I didnt go. The venue is a long way for me to get to but id have made the effort if even 5 guests interested me. For me the guest is more important than the venue but having said that Birmingham would be a good idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen_Sindel Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 boring Oh, so you went after all? I recall pretty clearly that you said you wouldn't be going because the guest list was of no interest for you at all. And in the last poll you stated that you didn't were not getting any autographs. Anyway: yes, it was quiet. It was my first Autographica so I can't compare to previous ones. But I arrived from the airport at about 10 AM and had got all autographs I wanted (with one exception cause the guest was in a lecture) at about 12.30 PM. I liked the spread out line up, that was interesting with the different room. Made it really hard for disabled people though. I was on crutches and the ways were very long because the elevator to the area was quite a distance away. Even worse was the area for drinks reception and the casino because it was only accessible by stairs. It took me some minutes, but eventually I got up. I'm not sure if Richard Kiel ever managed, his wife approached me and asked how I made it up there. But besides that I had a fantastic week end. I came to meet the Sharpe boys and I have nothing but praise for them. All other guests were great as well. The dinner was wonderful. I only once attended a dinner held by another organiser, and that other one was a nightmare. This time you could even eat the food, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeper Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 boring Oh, so you went after all? I recall pretty clearly that you said you wouldn't be going because the guest list was of no interest for you at all. And in the last poll you stated that you didn't were not getting any autographs. Anyway: yes, it was quiet. It was my first Autographica so I can't compare to previous ones. But I arrived from the airport at about 10 AM and had got all autographs I wanted (with one exception cause the guest was in a lecture) at about 12.30 PM. I liked the spread out line up, that was interesting with the different room. Made it really hard for disabled people though. I was on crutches and the ways were very long because the elevator to the area was quite a distance away. Even worse was the area for drinks reception and the casino because it was only accessible by stairs. It took me some minutes, but eventually I got up. I'm not sure if Richard Kiel ever managed, his wife approached me and asked how I made it up there. But besides that I had a fantastic week end. I came to meet the Sharpe boys and I have nothing but praise for them. All other guests were great as well. The dinner was wonderful. I only once attended a dinner held by another organiser, and that other one was a nightmare. This time you could even eat the food, so... unfortunately his moan thread was deleted, bit of a pity, since it showed exactly what everyone thought of him for moaning about it being what he believed to be the worst event ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen_Sindel Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 unfortunately his moan thread was deleted, bit of a pity, since it showed exactly what everyone thought of him for moaning about it being what he believed to be the worst event ever! Damn, so I missed all the fun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeper Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 unfortunately his moan thread was deleted, bit of a pity, since it showed exactly what everyone thought of him for moaning about it being what he believed to be the worst event ever! Damn, so I missed all the fun? sadly, but i must say, i fully expect it to occur the next time he sees a bad lineup as well!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Pants Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 boring Oh, so you went after all? I recall pretty clearly that you said you wouldn't be going because the guest list was of no interest for you at all. And in the last poll you stated that you didn't were not getting any autographs. Anyway: yes, it was quiet. It was my first Autographica so I can't compare to previous ones. But I arrived from the airport at about 10 AM and had got all autographs I wanted (with one exception cause the guest was in a lecture) at about 12.30 PM. I liked the spread out line up, that was interesting with the different room. Made it really hard for disabled people though. I was on crutches and the ways were very long because the elevator to the area was quite a distance away. Even worse was the area for drinks reception and the casino because it was only accessible by stairs. It took me some minutes, but eventually I got up. I'm not sure if Richard Kiel ever managed, his wife approached me and asked how I made it up there. But besides that I had a fantastic week end. I came to meet the Sharpe boys and I have nothing but praise for them. All other guests were great as well. The dinner was wonderful. I only once attended a dinner held by another organiser, and that other one was a nightmare. This time you could even eat the food, so... I'm glad you enjoyed yourself it was great to see you again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kel Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 It was my first Autographica and whilst it was quiet, it was a great event. All the guests were lovely and as it was quieter than usual everyone got the chance to talk - something people often complain they cannot do at the larger events because there's long queues. Its a shame that public transport let everyone down, but everyone I saw was having a really good time anyway and that's the main thing. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen_Sindel Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'm glad you enjoyed yourself it was great to see you again Great to see you again, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alx Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I didnt go, but I wanted to go as a sharpe fan, though reasons beyond my control meant that I was unable to attend. I understand people had probelms with the line up but I would ask people to take a step back and think for a second. Events are an expensive business, and in someways I think that an Event like Autographica is probrabally more expensive than your CM or LFACC (If they were on scale). You have to bear in mind that this was a new date that was set by Dave and Gary after the falling through of the main guests for March's proposed show. After the new date had been set I spoke with Gary at another show and he said how the date was in no ways ideal. He did not like the idea of a June Show, because for him it was the wrong time of year....BUT he wanted the show to go ahead because he wanted to retain interest in he show. He obviously did not want a 17month gap between the shows, which is fully understandable. I think based on the knowledge that they put together that line up in just 3months they do need the credit. Its not easy trying to work between agents and guests, or even direct to guests. It takes alot of time, and I believe this is why there will have been a few repeat guests - because with a proven record it is easier to get someone a second time round, when they know they can trust you. I say that Dave, Gary and the SM team need to be given a break. They tried to put on a show in a relitivly small amount of time. For some people this worked, for others it did not.. thats down to personal preference. If you know your not going to like the line up then no one has forced you to attend... As for Sharpe without Sharpe... I know that they were trying very hard to get Sean. However having not spoken with them since C9 I cant say anymore on that matter. Yes it would have been great to get him, for all his various acting roles, but even without him the Sharpe line up was great. I still look forward to the next Autographica next year and hope that things go according to plan. With more time to plan the guests out hopefuly there will be more interest and more to cover everyones tastes. Keep faith in Dave and Gary, they dont want to disappoint, and I am sure they will try their hardest to put on a great show next year. A (wow essay - when should be revising for exams ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5wolves Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I didnt go, but I wanted to go as a sharpe fan, though reasons beyond my control meant that I was unable to attend. I understand people had probelms with the line up but I would ask people to take a step back and think for a second. Events are an expensive business, and in someways I think that an Event like Autographica is probrabally more expensive than your CM or LFACC (If they were on scale). You have to bear in mind that this was a new date that was set by Dave and Gary after the falling through of the main guests for March's proposed show. After the new date had been set I spoke with Gary at another show and he said how the date was in no ways ideal. He did not like the idea of a June Show, because for him it was the wrong time of year....BUT he wanted the show to go ahead because he wanted to retain interest in he show. He obviously did not want a 17month gap between the shows, which is fully understandable. I think based on the knowledge that they put together that line up in just 3months they do need the credit. Its not easy trying to work between agents and guests, or even direct to guests. It takes alot of time, and I believe this is why there will have been a few repeat guests - because with a proven record it is easier to get someone a second time round, when they know they can trust you. I say that Dave, Gary and the SM team need to be given a break. They tried to put on a show in a relitivly small amount of time. For some people this worked, for others it did not.. thats down to personal preference. If you know your not going to like the line up then no one has forced you to attend... As for Sharpe without Sharpe... I know that they were trying very hard to get Sean. However having not spoken with them since C9 I cant say anymore on that matter. Yes it would have been great to get him, for all his various acting roles, but even without him the Sharpe line up was great. I still look forward to the next Autographica next year and hope that things go according to plan. With more time to plan the guests out hopefuly there will be more interest and more to cover everyones tastes. Keep faith in Dave and Gary, they dont want to disappoint, and I am sure they will try their hardest to put on a great show next year. A (wow essay - when should be revising for exams ) Having seen the guest line up and the timing of the event, squashed between C9 and LFCC, I wouldnt have actually had this event at all. Im from the, if you do a job do it properly, school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alx Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I understand what your saying ther Rich, I am just saying that Dave and Gary wanted a show just to keep the name going. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5wolves Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 (edited) I understand what your saying ther Rich, I am just saying that Dave and Gary wanted a show just to keep the name going. A Normally id go but I had already forked out £175 on a Gold pass, £128 on a hotel for LFCC, and then autos on top as well as travel .........so £350 without an auto!! Had to pick one event and so picked the best line up. "IF YOU BOOK GUESTS, THEY WILL COME......" (ill get my coat) Edited June 6, 2006 by rich5wolves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alx Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thats fair enough mate, its expensive being a fan lol A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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