A List Guests - Are you prepared to pay more for the right ones?

[Bev]

It's just simpler anyway I think to just queue like everyone else, if people cant be arsed to wake up early then they obviously dont wanna go that badly and are just being spoilt brats.

 

I agree; that's why I was up at the crack of dawn for CM13 and was happy to queue like everyone else to get what I wanted. And I'd do it again.

 

But not if I'm then expected to shell out £100. That's taking the P. i. s. s., Nicky!

 

By the way, is there a black market in Photoshoot tickets (sent out in advance)?

Edited October 4, 2008 by Bev

[nicky]

By the way, is there a black market in Photoshoot tickets (sent out in advance)?

No cos no one is ever in a rush to get their pic taken but people are in a rush to get through the enterance in the morning - there's a stampede of fans running to get their VTs but never to get photo shoot tickets.

[Count Fooku]

It doesn't seem very often that Photoshoots sell out, in the case of someone like Barrowman when they did it seemed SM were able to secure a second photo shoot with him. On the other hand we have seen a few instances such as Christopher Lloyd, Heroes, Hobbits etc where people haven't been able to get signatures.

 

As for the top price limit thing I think it is a case by case thing. I'm no stranger to paying top prices for astronauts so maybe its not such a jump for me to consider paying around the £100 mark for a signature. That said I'd only really want to do it on an exceptional basis.

[Bev]

By the way, is there a black market in Photoshoot tickets (sent out in advance)?

No cos no one is ever in a rush to get their pic taken but people are in a rush to get through the enterance in the morning - there's a stampede of fans running to get their VTs but never to get photo shoot tickets.

 

Could it be that there isn't a rush for photoshoot tickets because the tickets are posted in advance of the event?

 

But that doesn't really answer my question about why there should be a black market for autograph tickets if they are released in advance, but why there isn't for the photoshoot tickets. Never mind.

Edited October 4, 2008 by Bev

[nicky]

As for the top price limit thing I think it is a case by case thing. I'm no stranger to paying top prices for astronauts so maybe its not such a jump for me to consider paying around the £100 mark for a signature. That said I'd only really want to do it on an exceptional basis.

How many guests at Autographica have been £100 at the same show? I think SM will anticpate that fans can only afford £100 sigs for probably only one guest - SM said they had room for 7 A' listers and I really doubt people are gonna buy £100 sigs from all of them. If there are any £100ers I dont expect it to be many of them.

 

Could it be that there isn't a rush for photoshoot tickets because the tickets are posted in advance of the event?

No, All attendees must get a ticket to enter the con but not everyone even wants a photoshoot. Photoshoots are not in as high demand as VT or enterance tickets cos photoshoots are optional. I and many others dont bother with photoshoots but we do with VTs and enterance tickets cos thats the only way we get in and meet the geusts.

[Bev]

OK, nicky, I don't think you've got my drift at all. Oh well.....

[nicky]

But that doesn't really answer my question about why there should be a black market for autograph tickets if they are released in advance, but why there isn't for the photoshoot tickets. Never mind.

Cos not everyone even wants to do a photoshoot but everyone MUST have a VT ticket to meets the guests. Photoshoots dont often run out. Enterance tickets are more in demand than photoshoots by far and they ensure a better place in the queue, earlier photoshoots tickets dont give you any advantage at all. To put it simply, having a lower photoshoot ticket no. doesnt mean have any advantages and it wont get you to meet the guest sooner whereas a lower VT will. Photoshoot tickets are not in huge demand like VTs or enterance tickets so there is no need for a black market for them. Think about it. I dont understand how it doesnt answer you rquestion or what's not to understand???

 

Did you even read that link?? It's all there:

 

Giving out VTs in advance of the show:

 

1: It's not fair to a lot of people. A lot of people come to the shows and have never seen the website let a lone the forum or the on-line shop. They just see the flyers and come along.

 

2: It would cause huge issues for the SM servers with the huge influx of traffic every time a big guests was announced, with everyone trying to get their VTs on-line.

 

3: People would request the lowest tickets they could, but not turn up until late. They'd get number 1 if they could but then knowing they have ticket number 1 they would then not bother to turn up until maybe 11am (getting in cheaper) knowing they have their VT and can join the queue as soon as they get there. If all the people that have tickets 1 to 200 do this, we'll have a guest sat there from 9am until 11am with next to no one seeing them or we put the numbers up to 300+ to get people in the queue but then suddenly at 11am instead of having 30-40 people in the real queue we'd have 200+.

 

4: People would order them and not use them. We could have 1000 tickets ordered on-line but we'd have no way of knowing how many of those people are actually at the show. OK it happens now were people take tickets and don't come back, but even at 4pm it's only 20% max that don't come back. If you could easily order them on-line people would order them "just in case" they were going. As I say we'd have no idea how many of the 1000 were actually going to come to the event. We do use the number of tickets gone out as a gadge as to how fast we need the guest to sign.

 

5: On-line there is no way of limiting it to one per person. How do you stop people getting more than one. Everyone has to get their own? What about children? A family of 4 has to have 4 different orders, one for each member of the family? How could we prove that it's not just someone coming up with a fake wife and 2 children's names? We have to have a limit of one per person or people would get 4, 8 or 12 tickets and then sell them.

 

6: It could start a whole black market in VTs. Even if we could limit it to one per person, you can't tell me that if someone has VTs 1 for let's say Orlando Bloom, that someone isn't going to pay a lot of money on eBay to get it. People would get to know this and we'd have people waiting on-line to get a low VT that have no intention of going to the event, they just want to try and get a low VT for a big guest to try and sell on. It's a no loss situation for them, the VTs are free so they loss nothing by trying but could get £5-£20+ for a VT. As I say someone would pay £20+ for a number 1 to 30 Orlando ticket.

 

Trust me giving out VTs in advance of the show would be a nightmare.

 

The whole point of the VTs is that it's your position in the queue on the day. It's first come first served on the day. Doing it before would screw up the queue management and start a black market in VTs. Not good for anyone.

Edited October 4, 2008 by nicky

[Count Fooku]

As for the top price limit thing I think it is a case by case thing. I'm no stranger to paying top prices for astronauts so maybe its not such a jump for me to consider paying around the £100 mark for a signature. That said I'd only really want to do it on an exceptional basis.

How many guests at Autographica have been £100 at the same show? I think SM will anticpate that fans can only afford £100 sigs for probably only one guest - SM said they had room for 7 A' listers and I really doubt people are gonna buy £100 sigs from all of them. If there are any £100ers I dont expect it to be many of them.

 

Its not unusual to have maybe two around the £100 park, at A10 for example Buzz Aldrin was £95 and Gene Cernan was £85, this time round they have Jim Lovell at £90 and Dave Scott at £95 (those are pre order prices though so might be changed at the show itself)

 

You are right though, from the TV and film guest world I can't imagine there would ever be more than one, if any, guest at that sort of price level at a SM event.

[Bev]

Nicky, you have misunderstood me. Nowhere did I say that VTs should be sent out in advance. That would be plain silly. What I said was that for an A-list guest, where the charge might be in the region of £100, SM might consider offering a premium package in advance, as they do with Golden Tickets.

 

As they already send out photoshoot tickets (which are not numbered) in advance, organising such a thing should not be beyond them. Whether they would WANT to do it is another matter entirely.

 

But SM have organised some great events, and I trust them to know what they are doing. I just wonder how many people would seriously be prepared to queue for some hours for a VT, then queue for some time until their number was called, and then hand over £100.

[tr1gger]

When Celebration Europe happened Mark Hamill was announced as a guest and it turned out at the last minute that he wanted £85 per autograph and it cost £25 to get in plus travel to London, so for one autograph it would have cost over £150. Then I thought it was totally unacceptable so didn't go.

 

Reflecting on this now I wish I'd gone as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. After all Mark Hamill played Luke Skywalker and was a massive part of my childhood and a big hero of mine. However on the day he, apparently, was happy to chat to fans and do posed photos.

 

My best experiences at Collectormania have been when the guests not just their 'names' have been good. Adam West and Brandon Routh were great but Carrie Fisher didn't even look up for a photo.

 

Collectormania obviously can, and has in the past, got the big names but if you charge £100 the experience has got to match this as well. You can't charge £100 and not allow posed photos and the queueing system needs to work better (the bit before you get the numbered ticket).

 

It's meeting the guest not just getting their autograph that's important.

[nicky]

I just wonder how many people would seriously be prepared to queue for some hours for a VT, then queue for some time until their number was called, and then hand over £100.

I just dont think they'll be that many people wanting to pay £100 for us to worry about us not meeting the guest anyway. I think the high price tag will filter out a large number of peopel.

[Bev]

Again, nicky, you have misunderstood what I said. I haven't expressed any concern about queuing and then not meeting a guest.

 

I maintain that it's unrealistic to expect people to queue to get into the venue for maybe 4+ hours for a big name, get a VT and have to wait for the number to come up, and then hand over £100 for a scrawl on a photo.

 

As tr1gger said, it's the experience that's important. For £100, the person handing over the cash might just expect a little special treatment. That could come in the form of a posed photo taken during the signing (and yes, it CAN be done in this digital age), or (as for the Photoshoots) in the form of an advance ticket (note: not an advance VT). SM manage it with the Golden passes, so I'm sure (if they wanted to) they could put together a premium package for paying customers wishing to meet a very special guest.

[Victoria]

I would pay £100 maybe even a little more for the right guest.... At the moment for me that would only be one of the following :

 

Johnny Depp

Jack Nicholson

Robert Downey Jr

 

I would also pay good money ~ thou maybe not quite that much for Drew Barrymore or Al Pacino.

 

For that sort of money I think it would be nice if the following could be made possible... :

 

A "holding" area near that artists signing area where you can sit & wait with a drink.

A FREE cloakroom near THAT artists signing area ... so you have somewhere to keep your stuff while you visit other signing tables or stalls (non of this we can't hold onto Collectables in case it goes missing ~ thou obv stuff will prob be left at your own risk... but if it's concealed as much as poss when you hand it over....surely it should be ok?)

 

2 autographs... one with the option of a dedication or quote & one just a quick signature.

 

I think the artist should be sat at a table with a spare seat for you to sit next to them while they sign & to get a prof photo taken while they are signing.

 

And I think the artists security should be made very aware they are there only for the guests safety & that it is not there job to move the queue along, that responsibility should lie with the SM staff

Edited October 5, 2008 by Victoria

[Crostini]

 

A "holding" area near that artists signing area where you can sit & wait with a drink.

Sounds like a good idea considering at MK Centre they have lots of restaurants etc where you can go unlike LFCC where there are one or two cafes open.

 

2 autographs... one with the option of a dedication or quote & one just a quick signature.

Personally, they should be dedicated to stop the dealers from making a quick profit. Obviously there will be the sense that it might take longer but it does make it that bit more personal.

 

I think the artist should be sat at a table with a spare seat for you to sit next to them while they sign & to get a prof photo taken while they are signing.

 

I have only ever seen this once and that was with Robert Englund and it did work. However, it did take that little bit longer but I am sure just a quick lean over the table like normal with the guest is enough. Thats what the Photo sessions are for

 

And I think the artists security should be made very aware they are there only for the guests safety & that it is not there job to move the queue along, that responsibility should lie with the SM staff

They should be there for everyones safety not just the guests. I understand they are looking out for the safety but always makes it that bit nicer when its the SM staff and not the security asking you to move on.

 

But some great suggestions there Victoria.

 

Jason and your SM staff I wish you all the best with your future venture and I shall no doubt be heading my way up the motorway to this finely built stadium. And Thank you for a great 5 years.

Edited October 5, 2008 by Crostini

[Count Fooku]

Michael Biehn had a set up where he was sat the punters side of the table with a chair next to him so you could sit with him while he signed the picture then you could have a picture with him. It was a pretty good way of doing it and for such a popular guest didn't seem to slow things down too much.

[Victoria]

I was at an event with Nicholas Brendon & you got your pic taken sitting beside him at his signing table & yeah... it worked.

I know it will take longer. but I think the artist should still be able to get through there queue. As has been said before not too many people will be prepared to pay so maybe not quite as many people will be in the queue.... So hopefuly everyone will get seen to.

 

[Bev]

Some very good suggestions form Victoria, very much along my lines of thinking.

[Victoria]

I think the artist should be sat at a table with a spare seat for you to sit next to them while they sign & to get a prof photo taken while they are signing.

 

I have only ever seen this once and that was with Robert Englund and it did work. However, it did take that little bit longer but I am sure just a quick lean over the table like normal with the guest is enough. Thats what the Photo sessions are for

 

My way of thinking behind that was if people are going to pay that much to see a guest, they will probably want a photo too... & in the long run doing it that way might be quicker than having a seperate photo shoot

Of course a seperate photo shoot could still be made available for say £30 or £40? for people that wanted to ses the guest & couldn't aford £100+

 

 

But some great suggestions there Victoria.

Aww Thank You

[Crostini]

No problem.

 

Too be honest and I think most will agree. If you are paying more for the right celebrity then surely a posed photo is inclusive.

If you are paying that little bit more it should be something else you can cherish as well.

[DavidB]

As much as I'd like to get more for my money, I also realise why they'd have to charge that amount in the first place, considering the amount of money they'd have to pay out to even get a guest that big to attend.

 

So really, it's not like they're charging loads more for profit - they actually need to cover their costs. So I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't offer anything 'extra'.

[Victoria]

No problem.

 

Too be honest and I think most will agree. If you are paying more for the right celebrity then surely a posed photo is inclusive.

If you are paying that little bit more it should be something else you can cherish as well.

 

Exactly

That's why I included the prof photo in with the price of £100

 

This is all very exciting.

 

Can't wait to hear what sort of A-List guests SM have in mind

[Raylenth]

 

Personally, they should be dedicated to stop the dealers from making a quick profit. Obviously there will be the sense that it might take longer but it does make it that bit more personal.

 

 

I do have an issue with forced dedication, it needs a certain amount of leeway. Whilst it is a good idea to weed out the dealers it can be a problem for those who don't intend to sell on. I always get an 8x10 dedicated which is not an issue, but I don't want dedications on my posters which I get all the shows actors to sign. If I've got 40 sigs on a big poster I really don't want my name on there 40 times as it just ruins it. I don't even want my name on the posters once.

[zebredy]

£25 is definitely my limit. To be honest I think if you can get the likes of John Hurt/Patrick Stewart charging no more than that, putting aside the Autographica crowd, anyone who thinks he's worth more than that is probably going to have a bit of an ego on him when you meet him (her?) anyway.

 

Totally agree, there has never been a guest that has charged more then £25 and there have already been some big named guests at the show, so why would others who were maybe just as big, be more, doesn't quite add up..

 

I'd also want much more then just a guest who just acknowledged I was there by looking up and smiling if I were to pay more then £25 to see them, though that is not likely to ever happen as most the stars I have ever wanted or want to meet are not massive A listers anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LLAP

Edited October 6, 2008 by zebredy

[freshjim]

I would pay up to £100 for the A lists but they would have to be proper A-list like ALBA or CRUISE but i would want to be able to have a photograph with them for that, and i wouldnt mind if it wasnt a proffesional one just a photograph with them,i collect autographs but i love the photograph more.

 

i met Mark Hamil, waited in the Q for 3 hours and paid £85 and i got a photo with him and a autograph and its my prize posession! and i felt well worth my £85, to be fair the guys my hero, i would of paid £200 for the autograph and photo! so someone A list if you that much of a fan £100 is worth it.

[MikeDonovan]

 

Personally, they should be dedicated to stop the dealers from making a quick profit. Obviously there will be the sense that it might take longer but it does make it that bit more personal.

 

 

I do have an issue with forced dedication, it needs a certain amount of leeway. Whilst it is a good idea to weed out the dealers it can be a problem for those who don't intend to sell on. I always get an 8x10 dedicated which is not an issue, but I don't want dedications on my posters which I get all the shows actors to sign. If I've got 40 sigs on a big poster I really don't want my name on there 40 times as it just ruins it. I don't even want my name on the posters once.

 

I can see both sides of this. Mandatory dedications will completely flummox the dealers, and that's a good thing really IMHO, but at the same time I find myself agreeing with Raylenth - for example on my Indiana Jones posters I don't want my name on them. It's not because I want to sell it on - absolutely not - but somehow I prefer it not to be personalized...