lisa2004 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I don't think CM has outgrown MK really, it is only stupidly busy when there is a big guest there... The last time it was manic was C7 with James Marsters first signing.... (oh and Shatner of course) The worst thing if def the stalls - you just could not get near them on the Sunday - I did all my shopping on the Sunday though..... Some years it has been very very quiet...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeatrixKiddo88 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) Wait wait wait...People look around normal shops while at CM?!?!?! This was my 12th MK event and this was the first time had actually gone more than 200 yards from any part of the con (Turkfox dragged me around to get food this time ) Obviously John was a factor this time, but I have noticed at the last few events that it is mainly the dealer area that gets the most crowded. And that is why I dont like the prams around the area, especially the people who have kids and are taking them to the event. You know how busy it is and you know how much of a hassel it is to get a pram round the event yet you STILL bring one! There are other ways of taking your kid around without having an awkward and wide wheeled object. I actually saw a father folding up his pram and saying to his kid 'come on, ill carry you, we keep hitting these nice people'. Thats consideration. Thank you very much to that man and his common sense. I think the solution is to remove some of the stalls. I have noticed many more stalls creeping in that dont sell any sort of memrobillia at all and just sell fantasy-esque jewlery and other 'general' stuff they think they can sell to the geeks lol. These stalls dont fit wth the overall feel of the event and are contributing to the lack of space at the event. Edited May 6, 2008 by BeatrixKiddo88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_mk Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I think the solution is to remove some of the stalls. I have noticed many more stalls creeping in that dont sell any sort of memrobillia at all and just sell fantasy-esque jewlery and other 'general' stuff they think they can sell to the geeks lol. These stalls dont fit wth the overall feel of the event and are contributing to the lack of space at the event. Most of the stalls are paid for in advance, this pays the advances for the guests. If you were to cut down on the number of stalls, this could have an adverse effect on the number/quality of guests. Also, the biggest guests are down the wings of John Lewis, so removing some stalls would not ease the congestion there. As for congestion in the aisles, well if you had less stalls, it wouldn't make much difference, you'd still have a lot of people mooching about in the same space, with less to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grazer Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 The congestion around Costa can get quite bad. Perhaps removing some of the stalls then compressing the dealers area to give a little more room might help. But you cant stop people being inquisitive, nosy and just generally standing in the most awkward places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARATZAT Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 There shouldnt even be a debate on here about children and prams it's a shopping centre for goodness sake! Altho i spose a mum or dad could use one those backpack style things to carry said child in, in which case there no way a buggy would run anyone over, but then the kid could get pushed still by impolite ppl, or hit when someone else carrying say a rucksack with a poster tube stuck out at an angle, then mum or dad would no doubt have to carry a bag with baby things in or their shopping, so in theory they may well take up as much room in the dealer area. Most ppl with buggy's are polite and move, or u could say excuse me please and they would move if they could. Sometimes maybe the person walking could move too! Just a thought!! NO i dont have a child, but i have friends who do, and myself have pushed a buggy in crowded areas. Yea there are lots of obstructions in busy places, buggy's wheelchairs, which cannot be helped, these are vital to that person, what about ppl with suitcases, or huge rucksacks? shall we have somewhere to leave all these too? Shopping Centres are always busy, MK more so at Collectormania's, isnt that part of the fun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_mk Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 NO i dont have a child, but i have friends who do, and myself have pushed a buggy in crowded areas. Yea there are lots of obstructions in busy places, buggy's wheelchairs, which cannot be helped, these are vital to that person, what about ppl with suitcases, or huge rucksacks? shall we have somewhere to leave all these too? Shopping Centres are always busy, MK more so at Collectormania's, isnt that part of the fun? To be honest, I don;t think it's buggys that are the problem.... it's the minority of parents, who push a buggy round with no consideration for anyone else (even their own little person IN the buggy!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARATZAT Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 NO i dont have a child, but i have friends who do, and myself have pushed a buggy in crowded areas. Yea there are lots of obstructions in busy places, buggy's wheelchairs, which cannot be helped, these are vital to that person, what about ppl with suitcases, or huge rucksacks? shall we have somewhere to leave all these too? Shopping Centres are always busy, MK more so at Collectormania's, isnt that part of the fun? To be honest, I don;t think it's buggys that are the problem.... it's the minority of parents, who push a buggy round with no consideration for anyone else (even their own little person IN the buggy!) Yea there is that as well! But my main point was not making parents with children in buggy's to blame for getting in the way of things. Or making a parent feel they shouldnt take a child to Collectormania or leave the child at a creche. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephyrbrett Posted May 6, 2008 Author Share Posted May 6, 2008 I hate all the bloody prams- it's like a regular traffic jam sometimes around the stalls. I HATE IT. Yeah why stop at prams, why not wheelchairs...........or fat people. Are you for real? God I agree, lets stop anyone who is blond. This is getting silly. As I said before if I can get a sitter I do, if not I bring my little girl and the big bad pram. I will not stop taking her when I have to. Its just a bit of give and take, how hard can that be. unless we have all got to the point where we can't enjoy the day while thinking of others! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therussells Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 MK has pro's & cons. There's no entry fee but get there early for free parking, there's things to do whilst waiting for photo's and autographs and its probably the best event for the dealers (lots of spur of the moment shoppers) but it can get crowded. John was enormously popular but it was better organised than when Elijah and Co turned up a few years back. And Carrie Fisher had queues round the block. We've been going since the start to MK and also make it to Manchester, LFCC and Midlands. Whilst the dedicated venues are far less fraught (Earls Court last year being the exception!!) MK is great and always has really good guests. Don't stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMC001 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I think Milton Keynes is perfect for this event, and if it wasn't there it would be too far for me to travel to places like Manchester, London etc. It certainly was a long drive to Autographica a couple of weeks ago, problem is what do you do when you are waiting for your ticket to come up? At least you have some shops to look around Was anyone questioned by people doing a survey at MK over the weekend? My wife and I were, basically asking how much money we were likely to be spending in the centre itself, so perhaps the centre are trying to decide what to do. It was very busy on Sunday because John was there, however the organisers should be congratulated for keeping the queue moving and making sure we were given our tickets as soon as possible. It was CERTAINLY better than other events, where there are NO virtual queues, and they make you queue up ALL DAY! As for pushchairs, my son has one, he's eight years old and suffers from severe learning disability, but meeting John, Eve and the three daleks really made his day! He can walk short distances, but had I left his pushchair at home he would have been walking into people, which would have made it worse. I can't believe the comments by some people on this thread. We certainly didn't ram anyone, we politely asked people to excuse us whilst moving around. The thing is we come from Swindon, and are used to queues, and all I can say is, if you don't like crowds, pushchairs, body odour or anything else, then go to a convention instead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael001 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I did one of those surveys too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin showmasters Posted May 6, 2008 Showmasters Admin Share Posted May 6, 2008 the only thing i have to say is Collectormanina MK is the best event in the world at this time for guests and people all over the world email us to ask if we will run an event like this in there country so i think we do a good job running the event and the venue suits us with all the pros and cons but all this has been said before i do think people that want to see the event stop for competition reasons and that is why threads like this keeps coming up after each event i just want to say for the odd 2 or 3 unhappy people there is another 10,000 people that say nothing as they are content with what they get from going to the show we deal with over 2 million fans a year now so we must be getting it right most of the time i hope you had a good time and see you at the next one yours jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Couldn't agree with you more Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) Sorry - 2 million fans per year!!!! Love to read a breakdown on how that figure is reached. Edited May 7, 2008 by Noddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darryl Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 i would like to say - no! it may be a bit busy, but its also free to get in! as many people have already said you have the shops around to distract you, if needed. keep collectormania at thecentre:mk darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandaa34 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I found it to be a great event and loved where it is situated, at least you could go for something to eat / drink or shop whilst waiting, best venue ever in my opinion as for kids well i was there with my 18 month old baby and 12 year old daughter, yes we had a pushchair and no we did not ram anyone, we have a lot of respect for others. what i didnt like is that when i took my son out of his pushchair i put reins on him, as he is like lightening when out of the pram and this lets him have a walk about and strech his legs, i would just like to say to the rude woman that thought it nessasery to tell my 12 year old daughter who was holding my son at the time, that it was discusting to be treating a baby like a dog on a string, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS ) at least he was not running around causing trouble, or getting in peoples way or more importantly not getting lost or abducted. and he enjoyed it all. and i shall be bringing him in september. amanda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidda1974 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I hated MK. They didnt have Grand Theft Auto IV in stock anywhere.....so dont do collectormania there again...... (just joking guys....apart from the ending up by the railway station ....it was sound!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swan Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I've been to a fair few Collectormanias from as far back as C3... but not anymore. The Mall can get really hot, and is far too overcrowded. The last time I went I couldn't even get near the stalls, it was insane. Unless there is someone I am desperate to meet I won't be returning to Milton Keynes, I far prefer the reasonable sanity of LFCC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SciFiMAD Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Been going since the very first Collectormania - C1. Yes there are pros and cons, but I would say the pros out way the cons by a mile. FREE Entry Cheap places to eat compared with a convention centre or hotel Car parking is cheap again compared with convention centre or hotel Easy trains and buses in for people that do not drive. Can go shopping or even see a film while you wait. A one event I picked up VQ watched a film walked out got my autographs and then walked out. Great guests, as Jason says best in the world. I still remember the C4 line up best yet if you ask me. Great Crew, again best in the world they talk to you like people If you think Collectormania is bad just try another event that runs in london that is bad. No real VQ system, crew that bitch at you if you ask them something. I would think the 2 million fans is over all there shows they run, well over one month now. SHOWMASTERS YOU ARE GREAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dureena Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 This was my first collectormania at milton keynes, i have been to loads at Manchester, what really bothered me about the set up was that the guests were all over the place, and when you first arrived we didnt see any signs, (they were only on the two end doors where to queue for JB & JM) we spent ten mins queing before we realised we were not in the JB queue. We had to go and re que again..thankfully we did eventually get to meet him. In Manchester the guests are along the same wall and you can easily stand around and wait or just hang around to look at the guests and get piccys, and there is plenty of space to browse around the stalls. Unfortunately i spent a lot of sunday running from one side to the other or sending my eldest daughter to see what numbers were on the JB Vt when i was in the queue for JM, also you couldnt get near the stalls in the middle, which was a shame... I loved meeting the guests but it was pretty packed and there were a number of places where bottlenecks were forming, i know it is free compared to other collectormania events but i would rather pay to attend an event where i can relax, walk round at my leisure and not fret about loosing my daughters hand in the crowd... Shame cause it was good to meet JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARATZAT Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I found it to be a great event and loved where it is situated, at least you could go for something to eat / drink or shop whilst waiting, best venue ever in my opinion as for kids well i was there with my 18 month old baby and 12 year old daughter, yes we had a pushchair and no we did not ram anyone, we have a lot of respect for others. what i didnt like is that when i took my son out of his pushchair i put reins on him, as he is like lightening when out of the pram and this lets him have a walk about and strech his legs, i would just like to say to the rude woman that thought it nessasery to tell my 12 year old daughter who was holding my son at the time, that it was discusting to be treating a baby like a dog on a string, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS ) at least he was not running around causing trouble, or getting in peoples way or more importantly not getting lost or abducted. and he enjoyed it all. and i shall be bringing him in september. amanda Clearly that rude women has no children. What she expect u to do? let him run off, i hope u gave her a peice of ur mind sis!! And u kept well out of the way of others, and was polite. Hope that u got back ok as well x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammo-coo Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'll add my 2p's worth into this.... Collectormania MK is my favourite event for the following reasons - * It's free too get in to * It's about a 45 min drive from where I live * Did I mention it's free entry? Yes, it does get very busy with it being in the shopping centre.... at the end of the day that's expected. The only thing that kinda gets on my nips is when you walk through the stalls, the distance you can walk between always seems very narrow IMO which then obviously builds up with hoards of people very quickly and can make it very difficult to look at the stalls (I like to walk around at least 4-5 times looking at what each stall has to offer so I can waste even more of my money!!) Would I prefer a place where I have to pay £10 to get into with less people of pay £0 to get into and be a bit busier.... obviously the free choice as it means more money towards autographs. Collectormania MK 9 (I think) was my first ever convention and have been to every single MK con since... I love it! The beauty of it IMO is that you can get your auto's, have a quick look round and then take a break and wander around the shopping centre for a while then return back to the con afterwards and look around the stalls. Also, did I mention it's free? Would I want to change from the MK centre? Oooooh no!! Keep it there and I will keep on going to them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandaa34 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 blimey sis didnt recognise ur name lol too right i did, how dare she. anyway had problems getting back due to no trains, had to go on a coach all the way back to london - 3hours with noah on my knee not good, he was really hot and i didnt have enough bottles for him and u know he dont keep still for 5 mins let alone 3 hours, got back at 10 pm woo hoo cant wait for c14 lol i had a great time sis, im def going in sept, i have booked mine and chelsea and noahs room at jurys inn already, i really like that hotel, the staff were really nice hopefully this time ill get to spend more time with u as i feel we didnt see each other much and i miss u lots love u sis amandaxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARATZAT Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 blimey sis didnt recognise ur name lol too right i did, how dare she. anyway had problems getting back due to no trains, had to go on a coach all the way back to london - 3hours with noah on my knee not good, he was really hot and i didnt have enough bottles for him and u know he dont keep still for 5 mins let alone 3 hours, got back at 10 pm woo hoo cant wait for c14 lol i had a great time sis, im def going in sept, i have booked mine and chelsea and noahs room at jurys inn already, i really like that hotel, the staff were really nice hopefully this time ill get to spend more time with u as i feel we didnt see each other much and i miss u lots love u sis amandaxx glad u told her lol glad u back eventually too so hard to keep track of everyone at these things, but we will spend time together in sept loe u 2 xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pez Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 last cm i did was hobit mania and this weekend was really good i had a great time. it was a good idea to have the bigger guests off down the sides and i think some more tenser barriers in place would be a bit of a clever idea and not putting the bigger minor guests on the same side as the organisers booth and costa would be a good idea....also more places with the v.t boards would have been a good idea i missed a lot of people on monday cause i couldnt find where they had been moved to. sunday was madness, i only got two photoshoots autographs were not an option....there was little point in the coulor coded tix but thats probably my only gripe.. as for the buggys and things they were fine but with being from up north i have never met so many ignorant people as the ones that walked about in the shopping center im not used to such compleat and utter rudeness. thats outside the cm area just walking around. im with lizzy i would hate to have done it when my knee was playing up....it would have been a nightmare. but generaly a load of people i met were really nice and a load of people went out of there way to be nice.... xxxpez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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