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[mjocovers]

Tina,

 

I think I remember seeing you and your mum on Sunday coming into the hall and by then it was too late for me to help. Please do come and see me at the HUB 3 and we'll look at getting you sat down early.

 

It annoys me that people give funny looks and that it then puts off genuine people like your mum asking.

 

I'm sure these looks are aimed at people that "don't look" like they need help. Trust me I'm sure no one will think twice why your mum needs to come in early, as I saw you helping her into the hall. So please do come and see me.

 

Stuart.

 

 

and people that 'don't look' like they need help can have a significant disability as well. I don't have so much as a limp but wouldn't wish my condition on anyone! Believe me I'd give anything if I DIDN'T have to make special arrangements for events! I'd happily queue for hours if it was possible.

 

I'm just glad that SM has someone like you Too Tall that actually takes on board issues. It makes me feel confident about coming to SM events.

 

 

 

We run a policy of "equal" access for disabled people, not preferential access...

 

 

That's all I ever wanted.

Edited March 18, 2009 by mjocovers

[Torchwood]

Never said i didn't like people taking my opinions apart...what i don't like is people taking my opinions apart and claiming they are unjust and wrong!!

 

Aside from the tshirt thing....many people don't voice their opinions online, i was talking about people we spoke to over the weekend.

 

Thirdly yes the adrift cocktail did taste just of pineapple juice which is why the barman gave me and my mate free reign over making out own TW cocktails on the sunday night.....the Ianto Jones and the PC Andy and both were heaven to drink.

 

Lastly my final complaint...it drove me and my mates nuts that we kept being asked to show our passes when we had been seated passes in the gold pass section........obviously this had to be due to people sneaking into seats they shouldn't have been in....how about SM make the gold passes a gold colour, the silver passes a silver colour and leave the standards white...that way in the sea of badges you can spot who should be where and who shouldn't...problem solved.

Edited March 18, 2009 by captainjackharkness

[Johhanneh]

I think Showmasters run a well organised event - kudos to them!

 

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

 

Just an idea. At the very least there have got to be a few more card machines around so the queue can go down quicker! I was still queuing when I was called for autographs. . .

 

Another little idea would be to mix up the talks and signings a bit. I know by the end of the morning I'm exhausted from the queueing and it may make it more enjoyable if there was like a signing/auto session in the morning, then some talks, then in afternoon more talks, then signing autos. But maybe this would be a pain for Showmasters having to prepare/load the hall twice rather than once. . .

 

But kudos for a fantastic weekend.

 

Jo

[bexy]

Tina,

 

I think I remember seeing you and your mum on Sunday coming into the hall and by then it was too late for me to help. Please do come and see me at the HUB 3 and we'll look at getting you sat down early.

 

It annoys me that people give funny looks and that it then puts off genuine people like your mum asking.

 

I'm sure these looks are aimed at people that "don't look" like they need help. Trust me I'm sure no one will think twice why your mum needs to come in early, as I saw you helping her into the hall. So please do come and see me.

 

Stuart.

 

 

and people that 'don't look' like they need help can have a significant disability as well. I don't have so much as a limp but wouldn't wish my condition on anyone! Believe me I'd give anything if I DIDN'T have to make special arrangements for events! I'd happily queue for hours if it was possible.

 

I'm just glad that SM has someone like you Too Tall that actually takes on board issues. It makes me feel confident about coming to SM events.

 

 

Agreed, but unfortunately it was the other attendees that were the problem with this and not the crew, until everyone becomes better educated there isn't a lot that can be done about it. I only asked for help on Sunday and then only because I had no other choice (other than going back to my room and missing the rest of the day of course) but there were definitely a few glares from people who probably felt we were jumping the queue. Didn't really help matters but at least the crew were fantastic and understanding.

[mjocovers]

I think Showmasters run a well organised event - kudos to them!

 

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

 

Just an idea. At the very least there have got to be a few more card machines around so the queue can go down quicker! I was still queuing when I was called for autographs. . .

 

Jo

 

er, as I know the person who has gold 1, I can say that as much as a loyalty bonus would be appreciated (and a few people jokingly suggested he should get one), I suspect any attempt to implement the system you suggest for an event as popular as the hub would probably cause a riot!

Edited March 18, 2009 by mjocovers

[spanielears]

 

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

 

So what you are saying is only people with gold should get 1st chance again at gold then if anyleft silver get chance to upgrade then if still any left the standards.

How is this fair.

I have been to both hubs now buying a standard ticket so therefore in your eyes I get a loyalty bonus. But only for another standard unless any gold or silver left

 

Everyone had same chance sunday and everyones choice when to get up to join the queue.

 

I do agree it would been quicker if more payment machines but not always feasible.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to afford to buy a gold ticket for next time but it shouldn't makes diff just because some people can afford to buy gold every time.

[owlpost1992]

I spoke to a couple of people who said that they got bitchy looks because they were let into ques and talks before some others because they had a disability. My mum as arthritis and does her best to que like other people she did find it a lot harder this time. At Hub 3 I told her that she shouldn't stand so much but after hearing about the reactions of some people to this couple my mum is a bit aprehensive about asking to be let into the hall for the talks before others.

 

If the bitchy looks were on the Sunday, then (as one of those with a disability myself), it may have been because some of the disabled were incorrectly shown to prime seats rather than being scattered according to their ticket number. This was no fault of the disabled, who were only going where they were told to go (and in some cases even when they queried the seating were told it was OK!). And it only happened on the Sunday, and Tall Tall was made aware of the situation shortly afterwards and has hopefully put a mechanism in place so that it doesn't happen again. I am sure nobody would begrudge someone with a disability going into the hall first, as long as they didn't sit closer to the stage than their ticket number warranted. Luckily at the Hub I had a high enough ticket number that no-one could complain about where I sat, but at other cons that won't necessarily be the case, and the last thing I want is resentment from others, I have enough on my plate coping with my disability as it is, all I want is to be able to enjoy the cons in comfort.

 

That is disgusting, if they've told crew they are disabled and hence should go in first who is anyone to complain. It said quite clearly that disabled people went in before everyone else.

[TommyT]

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

The downside of that is that it means that anybody who is in the first Gold group now get to be in the first Gold group for all subsequent cons, so long as they have the money and the desire to attend, all based on getting in early at one con at the beginning. That strikes me as unfair and indeed cliquey. It'd be like somebody who is first in the queue at Harrods' sale or Ikea's automatically being offered first place in all subsequent sale queues so long as they turned up a minute before the doors opened. I think that I prefer it when good things come to those who wait (in the queue)

 

Agreed, but unfortunately it was the other attendees that were the problem with this and not the crew, until everyone becomes better educated there isn't a lot that can be done about it. I only asked for help on Sunday and then only because I had no other choice (other than going back to my room and missing the rest of the day of course) but there were definitely a few glares from people who probably felt we were jumping the queue.

Between this and the reports of over-"protective" fans at the party giving out glares (and allegedly elbows in the ribs), it would unfortunately seem that a minority of folk need some attitude adjustments. In a fairer but more brutal world, somebody like Too Tall would be known as "The Mechanic" and he'd be empowered to adjust people's attitudes accordingly with an "attitude spanner" (or cattle prod as it's usually called).

Sorry - unnecessarily rude people bring out my unfluffy side!

[bexy]

In a fairer but more brutal world, somebody like Too Tall would be known as "The Mechanic" and he'd be empowered to adjust people's attitudes accordingly with an "attitude spanner" (or cattle prod as it's usually called).

 

Now THAT I'd like to see!

[cazbutler]

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

 

I dont like that system either- I could only afford silver for hub2 and now have gold for hub3. I think everyone knew the first would be queueing from 6am and the ones that really wanted low numbers got them. The queue didnt start getting silly till at least after 7am. I didnt hear of anyone that wanted gold on sunday not getting them and if there were it cant have been many.

 

I think that letting the attendees for this con being able to buy before they are on general sale is enough of a loyalty bonus in itself and I liked the peace of mind of knowing that if I queued I would definately get my ticket. Im glad I didnt have to book over the internet and not know my ticket number.

 

I think that now we all know that tickets going on sale on the sunday is likely to be the norm it gives us all a chance to save up.

[Cryssie]

Positive:

 

- the bag-system was great

- the big schedules on the walls - Too Tall

- raffling two seats at the intimate encounter - thank you for giving the chance to everyone! (And making me a happy bunny with winning one for Kai!)

- the weevil cocktails - they were really delicious!

- TW casino + the freak-show -- you guys were f*ckin awesome! the whole carnival deco was a pleasant surprise

- JB's unexpected vid-message

- the "Where are you from?" board - good fun

- all the stewards and crew were really helpful - special thanks to Giles, the photographer guy, for taking the time and trying to solve my memory-card problem

 

Negatives:

 

there were a particular group of conventioners who hogged certain guests ALL through Saturday night's party. Not cool. Did you not read your convention manuals? Other people have spent a lot of money to go to these things, and it was just downright embarassing watching the behaviour of some people. In future, just back off and let others have a chat with the guests, instead of crowding round them and basically pinning them to walls and stuff.

 

Agree. Everyone attending the con must have chance to chat with the guests, and "reserving" them for just some people, who glare at you if you even consider approaching the guests, is not fair at all. Plus following them all the time is pretty childish.

 

But at no point do I want the talks or guests to be toned down, I laughed SO hard during all the talks because of the OTT smut and naughtyness lol

Thats Torchwood! Sex and violence. Its what the show was advertised as having.

 

I wouldn't want the guests consider their words before saying them, making sure they are "audience-friendly", so I hope the child-issue won't lead to tone down the event/talks. I saw a lady covering her daughter's ears during the "c*ck-filled" talk on sat in order not to hear the inappropriate things - that makes me wonder if the talks and the whole event are appropriate for children. Don't take it as offense, but TW being an adult themed show, the adult spin-off of DW, I think that such a con is not for children - even if TW has a censored version for younger audience and has Capt Jack, the popular character from DW. Toddlers fortunately don't understand anything what's going on, while older children might. I'm okay with them being brought along as long as it doesn't lead to toning down the event.

 

On the subject of Kai's intimate encounter, I found the one on Saturday really nice, I did keep airing comments and talking and asking questions but tried to keep that to when it was getting quiet. He was yawning through that but I forgave him knowing how late he got to bed and how drunk he was, just diffused his yawns by yelling retcon.

 

It's true that Kai was not in top form due to the huge exhaustion, but he's just another human being after all, can't be an energizer bunny all the time. Who can?

 

Just one thing - would it be possible to have marked seating areas clearly stating gold,silver or standard . I had friends this time who were gold ticket holders who couldnt get seats if they were not there well before the talks and when they arrived a bit late there was no seat free. Surely gold and silver should have a guaranteed seat whether they go early or in the middle of a talk as this is part of their package. i've been to other events in the past where the sections were in blocks so you knew where to sit for your tickets this would be helpful for future events if possible.

The gold passes is the only one that is guaranteed a seating section.

 

That section did have signs on the end of the last row in the gold sections. Also there were enough seats for all of the gold pass holders in that area. I know this as A: I put the signs on the end of the rows, and took them off at the end. And I counted the chairs to make sure there were 150. So your friend should have had a seat in the gold area.

 

Sorry if you missed the signs they were A3 and on the end of the rows. In future if you find this to be an issue please do talk to the crew at the time and they will sort it out. But there were signs and enough seats so I'm not sure how it happened.

 

Silver do not have a priority area (On the website only Gold Passes are guaranteed any priority in talks), there is no mention of any priority or special section in talks for Silver Passes. Although we do call them into the hall before the standard ticket holders.

 

Well, it must have been me. Sorry, Too Tall, but I never saw any of those signs.

 

Just wondering, wouldn't be useful to reserve the rows for the certain ticket-holders - first row of 20 seats would have the sign G1-20, next one G21-40 etc so people could have their reserved seat in the appropriate row and ie G15 wouldn't end up in the 4th row instead of their 1st.

Also though Silver has no guaranteed seating section, I think it would be fair to create one - the difference between silver and standard ticket prices is high enough to get a guaranteed section and the two groups not getting mixed.

 

 

And one more thing - I was disappointed that nothing replaced Jack's office, which was a big hit last time. Please surprise us with something again next time! The Hub itself maybe? :lol: The Metropole will be big enough, won't it?

 

 

Anyway, I had a great time, it was a fantastic weekend again, so kudos to the organizers. Thank you for everything.

See you in October!

Edited March 18, 2009 by Cryssie

[owlpost1992]

On the subject of Kai's intimate encounter, I found the one on Saturday really nice, I did keep airing comments and talking and asking questions but tried to keep that to when it was getting quiet. He was yawning through that but I forgave him knowing how late he got to bed and how drunk he was, just diffused his yawns by yelling retcon.

 

It's true that Kai was not in top form due to the huge exhaustion, but he's just another human being after all, can't be an energizer bunny all the time. Who can?

 

I know that, that's why I forgave him

 

Well, it must have been me. Sorry, Too Tall, but I never saw any of those signs.

 

Just wondering, wouldn't be useful to reserve the rows for the certain ticket-holders - first row of 20 seats would have the sign G1-20, next one G21-40 etc so people could have their reserved seat in the appropriate row and ie G15 wouldn't end up in the 4th row instead of their 1st.

Also though Silver has no guaranteed seating section, I think it would be fair to create one - the difference between silver and standard ticket prices is high enough to get a guaranteed section and the two groups not getting mixed.

 

There was a crew member there to point out where the gold seating started.

 

I would hate for that to happen because people at the end of rows would have no chance of a better view.

 

 

And one more thing - I was disappointed that nothing replaced Jack's office, which was a big hit last time. Please surprise us with something again next time! The Hub itself maybe? The Metropole will be big enough, won't it?

 

I thought it got replaced by the scaletrix which wasn't half as fun as snooping through Jack's office.

[Tina]

Tina,

 

I think I remember seeing you and your mum on Sunday coming into the hall and by then it was too late for me to help. Please do come and see me at the HUB 3 and we'll look at getting you sat down early.

 

It annoys me that people give funny looks and that it then puts off genuine people like your mum asking.

 

I'm sure these looks are aimed at people that "don't look" like they need help. Trust me I'm sure no one will think twice why your mum needs to come in early, as I saw you helping her into the hall. So please do come and see me.

 

Stuart.

 

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[marvola]

Ok.

 

The good:

 

The crew. All very helpful and polite and did a good job of making sure that nobody hogged the guests during the autograph queues/photo shoots/drinks reception while remaining polite about it.

 

The guests. This kind of goes without saying. But sure, I'll say it anyway. I was impressed that every one of them (with possibly one exception) took their time to chat to the fans and genuinely engage with them. Burn had a smile and hug for everyone who had a photoshoot with him, for example.

 

The rounded corners on the gold pass!

 

The bigger timetables.

 

The questions during the guest talks. There was a nice mix of TW related questions with other random ones and I was especially happy that every question I submitted was read out.

 

The casino tables/the carnival stalls. It makes the parties much more interesting when there's something like this to do during them.

 

The selection of drinks at the drinks reception. I wasn't drinking alcohol this weekend and had resigned myself to drinking fruit juices at it. I was very pleased to have more options than I'd expected.

 

The timetable itself. It was nicely organised so that the things I had to do during the morning were quite spread out so I was kept busy without having to run from photoshoot to autograph queue. While I had less to do on the Sunday, it wasn't a case of standing there for hours with nothing to do. Much appreciated.

 

The photoshoots. I have to compliment your photographer as nearly every single picture came out extremely well. I've never looked so pretty!

 

 

The bad....

 

It probably couldn't be helped but it was disappointing that only Kai and Gareth were there for the drinks reception, especially as a lot of us had met them at the previous convention. I didn't know Siobhan had arrived until I read it here on the forum.

 

The guest hogging at the parties. I was surprised that SM hadn't made their 'Be Cool!' speech on the Friday night and am inclined to think it made a difference, as the hogging seemed worse this time around.

 

The timing of the guest talks. I know it's hard to organise, but it's disappointing when a talk starts a couple of minutes late yet has to end at a quarter to on the dot. Even a minute or two more would feel less like we were being short changed on time.

 

The fact that no clear rules were put in place over saving seats. Last time an announcement was made on the Friday about what would happen to seats if people left for guest encounters. This year, I came back from a guest encounter to find someone sitting in my seat and only got it back by kicking up a little bit of a fuss. I'm not a fan of confrontation and shouldn't have had to argue with someone to get my seat back.

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

[mjocovers]

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

 

 

That was my thought initially, but I quicky realized that the 'pygmies' were two people I've seen a lot of on various TV shows (I'm sure they they were in the Peter Kay Way to Amarillo video, and his recent x factor spoof show, amongst other things), so I expect they could have turned it down if they found it offensive. And I don't think anyone was there to make fun of them, but rather the other way round, with the pea shooters!

[owlpost1992]

The fact that no clear rules were put in place over saving seats. Last time an announcement was made on the Friday about what would happen to seats if people left for guest encounters. This year, I came back from a guest encounter to find someone sitting in my seat and only got it back by kicking up a little bit of a fuss. I'm not a fan of confrontation and shouldn't have had to argue with someone to get my seat back.

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

 

Yeah I got that too, I really didn't feel up to a confrontation so ended up at the back for Randy.

 

early 20th centuary dwarfs would have been seen as freaks and thus in the context of the period and situation seemed fine. hey they made fun of Too Tall by putting him in leopard skin

 

Oh and does anyone else know or recall whether we were meant to have a band on Friday night or not? I remember it being announced but then nothing

[mjocovers]

The fact that no clear rules were put in place over saving seats. Last time an announcement was made on the Friday about what would happen to seats if people left for guest encounters. This year, I came back from a guest encounter to find someone sitting in my seat and only got it back by kicking up a little bit of a fuss. I'm not a fan of confrontation and shouldn't have had to argue with someone to get my seat back.

 

 

Last time seat saving was allowed for everyone. It changed this time so that it was only allowed in certain circumstances

Edited March 18, 2009 by mjocovers

[Persephone1]

Lastly my final complaint...it drove me and my mates nuts that we kept being asked to show our passes when we had been seated passes in the gold pass section........obviously this had to be due to people sneaking into seats they shouldn't have been in....how about SM make the gold passes a gold colour, the silver passes a silver colour and leave the standards white...that way in the sea of badges you can spot who should be where and who shouldn't...problem solved.

 

As I fear this risks getting lost amongst your other complaints (which I confess I do find to be nit-picking) I should say that I think this is a brilliant idea.

 

I didn't have a gold ticket at this event but will at the next one. Judging from what I'm reading on here there was a real problem with chancers at the weekend jumping into empty seats in the gold section whenever they thought they could. If the gold, silver and standard passes are separate colours it instantly makes the crews job a 1000 times easier when it comes to determining where people should or shouldn't be.

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

 

The freak show may have been a tad un-pc but the actors playing the pygmies were very much in on the joke and would never have agreed to do it in a million years if they didn't think it was funny.

[marvola]

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

 

 

That was my thought initially, but I quicky realized that the 'pygmies' were two people I've seen a lot of on various TV shows (I'm sure they they were in the Peter Kay Way to Amarillo video, and his recent x factor spoof show, amongst other things), so I expect they could have turned it down if they found it offensive. And I don't think anyone was there to make fun of them, but rather the other way round, with the pea shooters!

 

I do understand that and I get that it's my hang up that makes me uncomfortable more than anything else. I guess I'm just wondering what would have happened had any of the attendees had the same condition as them... Seriously, I'm not trying to open a can of worms here or anything. I just want to express the fact that I was genuinely uncomfortable.

[Travels hopefully]

I do understand that and I get that it's my hang up that makes me uncomfortable more than anything else. I guess I'm just wondering what would have happened had any of the attendees had the same condition as them... Seriously, I'm not trying to open a can of worms here or anything. I just want to express the fact that I was genuinely uncomfortable.

 

I didn't go in, and in retrospect I was right, as I would also have been very uncomfortable with that.

[DLGR]

I was there on Saturday night w/ Matt..I felt kinda embarassed for him w/ the way girls ((two in particular)) were gettin' SO close to him that they knocked him into the bar over the swinging door...not once...or twice...but like three+ times. Eventually me and this other girl had him go to the other side...but they just followed. Ah well, like a lot of ya'all said, he seemed fine. ^^;!

 

Also when I asked him if we could take a silly photo, I was TOTALLY not expecting the girl I asked to take the photo to grab his hand and place it on my boob....seriously...WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT! @_O! aaahhhh!! I got really embarassed then...kinda wanted to crawl into a hole n' hide. ._. I felt kinda outta place there 'cause I don't drink, but I wanted to try to get some sort of conversation outta him, you know? heh

 

I did eventually get to chat w/ him a bit, bein' American n' all as well we had some stuff to talk about, but people kept draging him off to trade knickers and rubbing themselves all over him/etc. It was funny to see him in the leopard print, but still...aaahhh I dunno! heh!! But again he seemed all cool about it...so...I just stopped feeling embarassed for him n' just tried to enjoy my time bein' around him. ^^!

 

I actually gave him that green hat he wore on Sunday 'cause someone had taken his black beret Saturday night...it was a GAP Mens hat and we had discussed earlier that we actually both used to work for them, so I thought it was fitting. He seemed to like it enough. LOL!

 

 

Actually in regards to Matt, I thought a lot of the things he said were really cool. At the bar when he learned that his hat was taken he said "You know, I think it's healthy to lose something of importance every now and then" ((<- something like that)), and during the panel on Sunday where he said he was happy to have his Brokeback moment and that it was about damn time that gays were shown w/ such beautiful scenes like the one he participated in w/ John, it's true. That needs to become as second nature as a black person and a white person making out/etc is. **shrugs**

 

 

I had an absolute BLAST @ this con! Even w/out John I was very entertained by Matt and Tom and Kai and Gareth and Eve and and and...lol!! Please ask for them all back next time!! O_O! hahaha!

[Persephone1]

I actually gave him that green hat he wore on Sunday 'cause someone had taken his black beret Saturday night...it was a GAP Mens hat and we had discussed earlier that we actually both used to work for them, so I thought it was fitting. He seemed to like it enough. LOL!

 

Someone stole his hat? Oh for heaven's sake. What sort of a fan thieves from the actors? Not one that I would want at any convention I attend. It would be nice if the person in question could quietly get the item back to Massive Events.

 

I think it fair to say that if Matt does any future events he'll probably be a bit more wary of going to the parties on his own- drunken knicker swapping is funny...right up until the Monday morning when reality hits and all of a sudden it doesn't look quite so amusing.

[DLGR]

I actually gave him that green hat he wore on Sunday 'cause someone had taken his black beret Saturday night...it was a GAP Mens hat and we had discussed earlier that we actually both used to work for them, so I thought it was fitting. He seemed to like it enough. LOL!

 

Someone stole his hat? Oh for heaven's sake. What sort of a fan thieves from the actors? Not one that I would want at any convention I attend. It would be nice if the person in question could quietly get the item back to Massive Events.

 

I think it fair to say that if Matt does any future events he'll probably be a bit more wary of going to the parties on his own- drunken knicker swapping is funny...right up until the Monday morning when reality hits and all of a sudden it doesn't look quite so amusing.

 

I heard that he got it back from someone, but not from him directly, so I dunno if it's true or not. Hopefully he did, if not, hopefully he'll enjoy the Gap Hat. !

 

Yeah that's kinda why I was embarassed for him...I didn't want him to wake up on Monday back @ his home and be all "....f*ck...what did I just do"...especially since people were taking photos of it...and then get all fretty...everyone I'm sure can sympathize for having done something stupid/not all the way thought through/etc and regretted it. But again, yeah, I felt that I needed to concentrate more on his mood. He didn't seem angry or annoyed...or maybe he's just REALLY really good @ hiding it....I dunno. ^^;! heh!

 

Hopefully he had fun though! I hope he comes back!

Edited March 19, 2009 by DLGR

[mjocovers]

I actually gave him that green hat he wore on Sunday 'cause someone had taken his black beret Saturday night...it was a GAP Mens hat and we had discussed earlier that we actually both used to work for them, so I thought it was fitting. He seemed to like it enough. LOL!

 

Someone stole his hat? Oh for heaven's sake. What sort of a fan thieves from the actors? Not one that I would want at any convention I attend. It would be nice if the person in question could quietly get the item back to Massive Events.

 

.

 

I heard that he got it back from someone, but not from him directly, so I dunno if it's true or not. Hopefully he did, if not, hopefully he'll enjoy the Gap Hat. !

 

 

I was in the bar when I saw Matt's hat was jokingly swapped with another one. and he seemed fine about it at the time. Then a few hours later I was in the foyer when the person who'd swapped the hat came in in a panic saying she'd lost Matt's hat, and she was supposed to give it back to him in the morning, so a group of people went on a 'hat hunt'. I assume they found it eventually!

Edited March 19, 2009 by mjocovers

[Too Tall]

Tina,

 

I think I remember seeing you and your mum on Sunday coming into the hall and by then it was too late for me to help. Please do come and see me at the HUB 3 and we'll look at getting you sat down early.

 

It annoys me that people give funny looks and that it then puts off genuine people like your mum asking.

 

I'm sure these looks are aimed at people that "don't look" like they need help. Trust me I'm sure no one will think twice why your mum needs to come in early, as I saw you helping her into the hall. So please do come and see me.

 

Stuart.

 

 

and people that 'don't look' like they need help can have a significant disability as well. I don't have so much as a limp but wouldn't wish my condition on anyone! Believe me I'd give anything if I DIDN'T have to make special arrangements for events! I'd happily queue for hours if it was possible.

 

I'm just glad that SM has someone like you Too Tall that actually takes on board issues. It makes me feel confident about coming to SM events.

 

 

 

We run a policy of "equal" access for disabled people, not preferential access...

 

 

That's all I ever wanted.

Indeed it was yourself I was thinking about when I wrote that. People really need to understand that I don't just randomly pick people to go in early. Only people that have come to me and we've discussed their problems then come back and go in early.

 

I just try my best to make sure everyone has as good a time as they possibly can. But thank you.

 

I think the only thing I'd change is the way tickets were sold for hub 3. There has got to be a better system than queueing for almost two hours. . . at other conventions I've been to you are able to book your ticket number for the next con up until Sunday afternoon. That cuts out a lot of queueing and 'sleeping in the foyer' to get Gold 1. Sunday afternoons you are allowed then to upgrade if there are upgrades available - e.g if you are G60 and G1 hasn't booked you get the opportunity to get G1.

 

This reduces panic and queueing, and gives a little 'loyalty bonus' to people who go regularly who can work their way up to a prime seat.

The downside of that is that it means that anybody who is in the first Gold group now get to be in the first Gold group for all subsequent cons, so long as they have the money and the desire to attend, all based on getting in early at one con at the beginning. That strikes me as unfair and indeed cliquey. It'd be like somebody who is first in the queue at Harrods' sale or Ikea's automatically being offered first place in all subsequent sale queues so long as they turned up a minute before the doors opened. I think that I prefer it when good things come to those who wait (in the queue)

 

Agreed, but unfortunately it was the other attendees that were the problem with this and not the crew, until everyone becomes better educated there isn't a lot that can be done about it. I only asked for help on Sunday and then only because I had no other choice (other than going back to my room and missing the rest of the day of course) but there were definitely a few glares from people who probably felt we were jumping the queue.

Between this and the reports of over-"protective" fans at the party giving out glares (and allegedly elbows in the ribs), it would unfortunately seem that a minority of folk need some attitude adjustments. In a fairer but more brutal world, somebody like Too Tall would be known as "The Mechanic" and he'd be empowered to adjust people's attitudes accordingly with an "attitude spanner" (or cattle prod as it's usually called).

Sorry - unnecessarily rude people bring out my unfluffy side!

I have to agree I don't like the "save your ticket number" idea. Will have a think about how to make things quicker to register. We had the HUB 3 registation forms in the reg packs that helped speed things up a lot. We do think of things and do change. I think it's one of the things that really seperates us from other events. We do listen and do change if we feel something can work better.

 

I so would love a cattle prod at times.

 

Thank you. Much appreciated.

You're most welcome.

 

The freak show... Probably not a popular opinion, but on reflection, I was kind of uncomfortable about the 'pygmies'. Marketing them as part of a freak show felt a little exploitative.

I understand where you're coming from, but a part of it was that it was so un-pc. Rusty and his son were asked if they'd join in and were fully aware of what was involved. Rusty has an amazing sense of humour and thought it was a great laugh.

 

As someone else mentioned I was in there because of my "un-normal" appearance. Almost everyone that came in and saw me laughed, but I saw that as them laughing with me not at me. I didn't feel exploited, I saw it for what it was. A bit of theatre portrying the way things were and having funny with it at the same time.

 

I'm sorry it made you feel uncomfortable.

Edited March 19, 2009 by Too Tall