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A thank you from Showmasters


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  • Showmasters Admin

Thanks you to every one that came to Collectormania 14

 

Well that was a very interesting show for us to run with lots of challenges for us to overcome! :D

 

We lost the use of the wings either side of John Lewis as they are a art gallery from now on and we had to cut down the days of the guests to get them all in but we got though it

 

However we had a great weekend :crying:

 

this will have been the smallest Collectormania MK there will ever be

 

and next show it will have many more "A" list guests and more guests in total

 

so thank you for your support over the last 7 years and now we look forward to the next 7 were we can really show you all what we can do at the MK Dons Football Stadium

 

see you all there

 

jason :D

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Well done to you guys for running the show despite your obvious "challenges".

 

It was a much more relaxed show than usual and made a pleasant change.

 

I've really enjoyed all the MK shows over the last few years, and while I will miss the special atmosphere in the shopping centre I'm looking forward to the future.

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It has been an interesting experience, maybe at the new venue, you might have sorting out the farce of issuing tickets. You might be of the opnion that it adds tension to the whole experience of queuing for celebs. tickets, but personally, its a pain. Supermarket delis. have the right idea, turn up, take a ticket, then get out of peoples way. With someone to watch over the process to make sure only one or two tickets are taken, what is so difficult? At some events, its interesting to see to process unfurl - people have been queuing for James Marsters from 5.00am and even earlier. At 9.00am when people are finally allowed in and it turns into chaos, it just makes me smirk, when new arrivals just walk in from the other side and take tickets. (And don't whine all of you who say "but they should join the queue", cos you know yourselves its a stupid system.

 

I've always wanted to ask why it is done this way. My first experience was when Elijah Wood came, not only did I not know I was supposed to be in a queue, but no one I spoke to, knew which door to queue at! By the time I'd figured it out, I was No. 600 in the queue and "no, I can't have a ticket, come back tomorrow". I was NOT impressed.

 

No one is going to think any less of you or the experience, if they can turn up, get a ticket, then spend their money at the stalls. People who are there to get several autographs, spend a LOT of time going from one queue to another, which are totally disorganised anyway.

 

Will someone be daring and make the experience as painless as possible - I can dream can't I?

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Showmasters can't exactly forbid people to queue early. That's why "turn up and take a ticket" won't work. There will always someone who's in line early - just like the Elijah Wood queue that you mentioned. On Monday there were people in line who camped out the whole night to see Elijah.

 

I haven't been at C15, but the queue control has improved a lot since the Elijah Wood days. Since the first James madness the popular queues have always been walked in the centre. If someone then jumps the line, tell the crew and they will handle it.

 

The ticket system was implemented that you can be in a virtual queue for several guest at the same time.

I personally rather prefer to run around for 20 minutes in the morning collecting VQ tickets and then wait my turn than spending 2 hours or longer in line because there is no ticket system in place like at some other shows. Better busy for 20 minutes or half an hour than bored and standing around for a couple of hours.

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Um, you queue for a virtual ticket, when they are ready to be given out (i.e when the show opens) you get given one and you wander off. It was fine at C14, it was fine when they had both John Barrowman and James Marsters. Went pretty smoothly all things considered.

 

The problem is when people get a ticket then insist on standing in the way.

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Um, you queue for a virtual ticket, when they are ready to be given out (i.e when the show opens) you get given one and you wander off. It was fine at C14, it was fine when they had both John Barrowman and James Marsters. Went pretty smoothly all things considered.

 

The problem is when people get a ticket then insist on standing in the way.

 

Okay, keep the queuing system if you must for the minor celebs (it all reverts to chaos anyway). But for the really BIG queues that snake their way outside and along the building, why not hand the tickets out while they stand there queuing, instead of having the ritual "walk in", which is totally open to abuse and queue jumping. The only reason why John Barrowman and James Marsters worked okay (at C13), was because for the first time EVER, James Marsters queue was virtually zero, he had his nose put out of joint on that occasion, so really there was only ONE major queue - for John.

 

Personally, I take the whole thing at a more leisurely pace now and commit myself to being there the whole day (which some people can't do). So I turn up at 9.45, see where everyone will be, go get a coffee, then go get my tickets. Most minor celebs. are "open" anyway.

 

Last month's collection of "celebs" were very minor ones, so I knew there wouldn't be any problem with queueng and it was a more relaxed weekend. Even the parking was a doddle! At 9.30am the place was virtually deserted. But when you do go to the new venue, make sure there are signs to point people in the right direction to get their tickets, or at least make sure that all members of the crew know where they are going to be, I'm sure some members of the crew are there just to make up the numbers! I asked a crew member where the Cosplay table was, "er, the what!!" "Have you tried the other side of John Lewis?" Then can you tell me where Denise Crosby is signing? "Well, if its not down this side, she could be on the other side - or in the middle". I thought these people were there to help, its no wonder people get aggrevated. If there is going to be a major celeb, put a sign up to say it is their queue, it will make life SO much easier.

 

 

 

Okay, keep the queuing system if you must for the minor celebs (it all reverts to chaos anyway). But for the really BIG queues that snake their way outside and along the building, why not hand the tickets out while they stand there queuing, instead of having the ritual "walk in", which is totally open to abuse and queue jumping. The only reason why John Barrowman and James Marsters worked okay (at C13), was because for the first time EVER, James Marsters queue was virtually zero, he had his nose put out of joint on that occasion, so really there was only ONE major queue - for John.

 

Personally, I take the whole thing at a more leisurely pace now and commit myself to being there the whole day (which some people can't do). So I turn up at 9.45, see where everyone will be, go get a coffee, then go get my tickets. Most minor celebs. are "open" anyway.

 

Last month's collection of "celebs" were very minor ones, so I knew there wouldn't be any problem with queueng and it was a more relaxed weekend. Even the parking was a doddle! At 9.30am the place was virtually deserted. But when you do go to the new venue, make sure there are signs to point people in the right direction to get their tickets, or at least make sure that all members of the crew know where they are going to be, I'm sure some members of the crew are there just to make up the numbers! I asked a crew member where the Cosplay table was, "er, the what!!" "Have you tried the other side of John Lewis?" Then can you tell me where Denise Crosby is signing? "Well, if its not down this side, she could be on the other side - or in the middle". I thought these people were there to help, its no wonder people get aggrevated. If there is going to be a major celeb, put a sign up to say it is their queue, it will make life SO much easier.

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  • Showmasters Admin

fletcher763,

 

There are very good reasons why we do it the way we do. The list is a bit long for me to type again. This subject has been gone over a number of times before. If when you're at your next SM show please ask to speak to me, Too Tall. Ask at one of the pits or at the org booth. I will happily spend some time explaining why we have to do it the way we do and why it is the fairest way of doing it.

 

Stuart.

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and next show it will have many more "A" list guests and more guests in total

 

so thank you for your support over the last 7 years and now we look forward to the next 7 were we can really show you all what we can do at the MK Dons Football Stadium

 

see you all there

 

jason :whistling:

 

Are we to expect more "A" list guests at Midlands and Manchester as well ?

and please how about showing us what you really can do and HAVE done at GMEX and the Rioch again too .

Edited by vintageSW77
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Thanks for a great con. It was my first time attending a Collectormania event, and I thought it was organised very well. If I am ever back in the UK at the same time as another of your events, I would happily attend again.

 

Thanks to the Showmasters for all their hard work!

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