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what works and what did not work


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I went along on Sunday with my husband, we got there at about midday but I didn't find it cold at all, i'm to be honest quite perplexed about the comments saying it was freezing!?!

 

That's because the sun came out at Sunday dinnertime. Which was quite annoying when I was going HOME at Sunday dinnertime, having suffered through all of Friday, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning especially, being a drowned rat/icicle.

Edited by Psychosis
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Zeezack is a troll, end of. And I think the other organisers are pathetic and there is a reason I never attend their events. Ffs, you act like you're a 12 year old girl playing games to win the hot boy of the class- you're grown men running a "respectable" business- learn to act that way!!

 

 

this was always a temporary venue and we know it would not be finished till next year , but buy then we will be in a new massive Olympic hall located right next to photo ops "A" ,for the people in line in the photo ops over the weekend may have see as they looked down the stairs you could have seen the black marble wall going down stars, at the bottom is were the main doors for this new hall is, and its a massive 3000 meter Olympic hall,

 

 

I saw it and wondered where it led and if I would be told off for sneaking a look :D I have sniffles from the weather, but looking forward to seeing the new hall, which will be amazing! Is that why there's only 1 event this year as it won't be ready in time?

 

 

2 Road signage and directions

 

this did not get resolved before the event as we did hit some issues , we needed to get Permission to put up big banners and road signs pointing the way to the venue , we now know we needed to put in for Permission months before so there will be AA signs directing people to the show next time.

 

as to the signage at the vent its self we did need much more and much bigger it is only when you are there and working the event did we find out how big the place was and that the signage needed to be much more and bigger so this will be covered and fixed for the next event.

 

I saw the same sole sign as Nicky and got very confused. Asked for directions twice! Partly my fault as I hadn't updated TomTom :P

 

3 buses

 

these did work well on the day but they were very full all weekend, we needed more of them and more signage at the pick up points and times were they are and also times at the drop of points as well.

 

we will also run them for a bit longer as well , these did cost us quit a bit but we want to make it easy for you all so its well worth it so this service will be increased.

 

Can I add that at the Holiday Inn, a fair few people were asking for directions to the stops, and reception were stumped so I had to help... Perhaps it may be good to give the main hotels directions so they can assist in future?

 

I had a great time Jason, and the weather was just a good convo starter with the guests!

Edited by Lizzy
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I went to Ikea for lunch and it was fantastic value for money! Yeah the walk is a little further than ASDA but looking at the queue in there and the prices, Ikea was the better option.

Me and my mum both got a hotdog, portion of chips and refillable drinks for £1.80 each!!!

2 Doughnuts and a hot drink was only 90p.

It was a bargain and didnt taste half bad.

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Virtual Queuing for photo shoots?

The queues for the photo shoots (Nimoy in particular) was a shambles. One of the CM staff kept on shouting at people with the "wrong colour ticket" to go away, and didn't give much other information. There wasn't even a 'ribbon' to ensure that the snaking queue didn't clog up the place! Surely a stadium must have knowledge and equipment for setting up queues efficiently?

 

Why don't photo shoot tickets double up a a virtual queue ticket too? It'll encourage people to order on line if it gets them a lower number!!!

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Virtual Queuing for photo shoots?

The queues for the photo shoots (Nimoy in particular) was a shambles. One of the CM staff kept on shouting at people with the "wrong colour ticket" to go away, and didn't give much other information. There wasn't even a 'ribbon' to ensure that the snaking queue didn't clog up the place! Surely a stadium must have knowledge and equipment for setting up queues efficiently?

 

Why don't photo shoot tickets double up a a virtual queue ticket too? It'll encourage people to order on line if it gets them a lower number!!!

 

They did. The colour codes WERE the equivalent of a VT. People who ordered on line typically got a blue ticket which meant that they could go first.

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Huh? There were lots of signs up everywhere saying what order ticket colours were meant to be in. The queue was positioned in a zig zag. The guy kept shouting it out as there were people just waiting to pounce on the queue when they were called, and it was getting hectic. I don't see how it was a shambles :D

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There were signs up on the wall outside the photo area saying which order the tickets would be called in. I think it was Blue, Yellow, Red, Green...or something like that. The Crew managing the queue were calling people up by colour of ticket eg "If you have a blue ticket...please join the queue". It just meant there wasn't hundreds of people in the queue at the one time. The reason it was busy around that area and quite clogged up was people with all coloured tickets were in the area waiting to joining the queue. Well that was my experience for Saturday's Nathan photo shoot

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Yeah, it's always been a problem telling people "please come back in 15 minutes" or whatever wherever we've held an event - whether it's for photo shoots, or virtual queue ticketing etc.

 

A lot of people want to wait near the area because they believe they're going to miss out if they don't. So this then clogs up the area and becomes a bit problematic.

 

It was always worst in the centre when people wouldn't move away from the ends of the queues because they were 'allowed to stand wherever they wanted' etc. You can only do so much, and ask so politely ..

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I had fun at the show as always but have to say that the stadium is totally hideous, it is totally grey and black which just creates a rather depressing atmosphere. But then I guess that does ensure that it fits in with the general look of the whole Milton Keynes area :D Looking forward to the next one and to see improvements made.

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he particulary wanted to meet Sir Henry Cooper, and as we were ready to leave once obtaining his autograph we then had to wait an hour and a half to Mr Cooper to return, but with very few other football/sports guests to meet we and many others were very bored just hanging around waiting for him to return.

 

 

 

Hello :)

The people who were there with Sir Henry Cooper and taking care of him seemed concerned about him as it was extremely cold for him. For people wandering round it may not have felt so cold, but sitting there still and at 75 years old I'm sure he felt it much more than most others.

He was gone for around an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch and to warm up and in all honesty, he needed that time to warm up, I myself was even concerned about him.

I think it's just unfortunate timing that you were ready to leave when Sir Henry had a much needed break.

:)

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Just want to say thanks for a fantastic day yesterday.

Me and my sister absolutely loved it and thought it was well work the 5 hr round trip that we did. I've been wanting to meet Nathan Fillion for a long time so thanks again.

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Dear Jason,

 

Thank you very much for your honest and detailed explanatory post, I appreciate that.

 

From a person who wasn't going to come at first after a guest cancelled, I have to say I REALLY ENJOYED my day despite the teething troubles.

I was under no illusion that moving to a venue like this would throw up some problems and it seems there were some and I'm sorry for all those that had a negative experience, but I have to say I wasn't one of them; here is my (hopefully fair & honest) impression:

 

The signage around MK is rubbish but I think it always has been - I found the venue by myself with no problem after working out where it was on a postcode finder site and using and old-fashioned road map and coming from someone who gets lost going to my post office, I think this will remain a crowning achievement of the weekend, lol. (However, one of my friends did get lost for an hour in MK trying to find it)

I parked with no problem (though that was @ 8am on the Saturday)

I found Ben Browder's queue with no problem; I knew where Leonard Nimoy's queue was because one of your team came to tell my queue twice in case anyone was standing in the wrong place (which they were, so thanks to that staff member, hopefully they got good tickets).

Yes, it was cold & raining, but I don't think even SM can change the weather, lol. (Thanks to the Friday peeps that posted about that on the forum; I changed what I was going to wear and was fine with my scarf & gloves, lol)

We were let in at 9am as promised, walking along the concourse to the Virtual Ticket 'dispenser' was difficult for my friend who has back trouble but we still got reasonable auto tickets for Ben, which was super because I was getting something signed for a charity and was really hoping I would be lucky.

 

I then left my friend sitting on one those handy wee plastic tip up seats situated on the top of the main seating so she could rest and scampered along to the Leonard queue, never thinking that I would be lucky and that the VTQ would be closed... no! It wasn't! I got a ticket! WoooHooo!!

 

Some of my experiences based on your comments:

I always take my own food as I'm a veggie but got a nice cuppa tea from one of the kiosks from a polite young man (now THAT makes me sound old, lol) and didn't have to wait too long at all.

The SM staff, at least everyone that I came across, was knowledgeable, helpful yet friendly - THANK YOU SM staff, all of you.

The Cosplay peeps were FANTASTIC, and thanks to the peeps that brought the Stargate costumes.

Personally I didn't have an issue with Mr Nimoy's security; I see some others did, shame about that; I hope that Leonard felt safe enough in the UK to maybe come again.

 

Yes, the dealer's room was crowded but no worse than the shopping centre and at least it was warm, lol.

Shame about the talks but it really was far too cold to expect the guests to stand out in the open, darn the British weather - it was even raining *IN*side, lol.

The fun fair was cancelled due to the weather? Sorry to be selfish folks, but that didn't personally bother me in the slightest.

Photo pick-up - yes, we were was kept waiting for a while, but we tried to make light of it and I had no idea you guys had to run to Boots to get this done, what a pain for you - but maybe something in-house can be arranged for next year when you have better facilities? Boots should come to you! (BTW, none of us liked being 'ogled' when at by the next 'customers' in the photo queue, if you are looking for comments for next year & if you don't mind me saying)

 

Lastly, the guests; everyone I met was lovely, even Mr Nimoy who seemed tired (I mean to say, the gentlemen is a very senior citizen who deserves personal care and attention, IMHO) who didn't speak (again through tiredness I think) but gave me a lovely smile when he signed my poster (despite me babbling like an idiot as usual). I spent much more money than I ever have done (okay, some was for other people and charities, but also for me - YES) and I did have a super time.

 

From what you say, Jason, the event attendance was a success and I'm chuffed for you all and reading about what you say for next year's event "a massive 3000 meter Olympic hall + food outlets + hotel accommodation" at what will be a top class venue - WOW, BRING IT ON AND GOOD LUCK!

 

Heck, I didn't mean to waffle on like that lol, basically, it was FAB and I'll Be Back :smile:

*breathes*

 

Clara x

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Attended C15 and on the whole had a good time.

 

Got a little lost looking for venue but arrived safe and sound only to walk in right by Nathan Fillion who had just got back to signing and as no-one was there he asked to put 20 people through. Joy of joy grabbed my sister and friend and there we were having a pic signed, no waiting that has to be a first for us :D

 

The feel of the venue was ok but just didnt have the buzz that it did at the centre maybe because it was so spread out.

One of the comments from a guest who was signing was its like being in a shooting gallery!! the set up for the busy guest was good but the not so busy sat there down at the bottom of a tunnel all they saw were people walking pass all day.

 

Food we took our own.

 

Photo tickets - actually really dissapointed with what happened as i ordered my Nathan tickets 2 weeks before event, contacted yourselves by email only to find that all emails had been answered but not mine !!and if you did not received tickets to bring proof.

There was no problem getting the tickets but of course it was the pink paper tickets which meant that we were the last to go through for the photo I just wonder what colour i would have had if it was posted :D

 

What a professional (Leonard Nimoy) he signed over 1000 autographs in 1 day. i thought that it was going to be so rushed through but when i got there he shook my hand, made eye contact and made a nice comment about the canvas painting that i did which he signed for me, said it was nice to met me with more eye contact. It was a pleaure meeting him.

That was the high of meeting a guest the low was Philip Glenister so quick no eye contact, i put my hand out to say thanks for the auto and that was when he looked up.

 

The cos-play peeps were great especially spiderman which later on sunday we actually saw what he looked like without his costume :P

 

Also maybe for the next event we could have more of a varity of dealers, i think there may have been to many photographs stalls, would of loved more comic stalls please.

 

I know there is a few bad points but you all did a great job it must have been hard to organise it in a new venue but we really need to get the buzz back and for it to feel a little more relaxed. Iwas with my mates had a right giggle at times and we did enjoy but really looking forward to it being in the new place next year :smile:

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as from Nov there is going to be a MC D's , KFC and pizza hut right out side dour 4

 

Fabulous, that's breakfast, lunch and dinner sorted out right there!

 

Still cheaper to bring your own food, plus you also know whats in it, though they seem like better options then whats there at the moment, and I used to recall that at the MK shopping centre Pizza Hut was always really busy when an event was on, so sure there will be a lot of people really happy about this, especially a few of my friends who we met up with at the event.....

 

Then again I am trying to loose weight, for my own health more then anything, (maybe thats why I think pack lunches are better just MO)I have nearly lost a stone, may not seem much but its a lots for me. Plus my hubby who is diabetic and really OW is doing even better then me, and I'm really proud of him Glad we have such supportive friends, he was over the moon when he got under 18St for the first time in over 5 years and Im really really proud of him (like I said)

 

I jus object to going to these events that are held in stadiums and what not (like the show I saw at the O2) how can these companies justify there prices (thats right cause there always seems to be someone out there willing to pay those sorts of prices) Over £6 for hotdog and chips, what a rip off..

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

LLAP :dance:

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Thank you Jason for a very quick summary of the worked well/what did not about the event. Admittedly you seem to do a lot of these post events now but they are welcome none the less.

 

Thought you had a good variety guests although no doubt you were disappointed that you could not fulfil anywhere close to the “up to 7 A list guests†you intended. Could I suggest that making such claims only opens yourself up for comments such as these.

 

Thought the venue was an inspired choice and clearly worth a try. The narrowness of the concourse meant that crowding was a problem so that was a shame but lessons learnt. The dealers room was not crowded due to the attendee numbers but access issues (2 doors) compared to the multi entry and grid pattern layout of the shopping centre. Move more of the dealers out of the room. Be interesting to see how next year works and if it will still be free entrance.

 

Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

 

As for the issue of security I would confirm that I saw baldy bonce on one of his guest marches through the concourse and thought he was somewhat over zealous in his role. I put if down to the cold - he should have worn a hat.

 

It was a shame to leave the centre as that made Collectormania unique. This was probably as good as it could have been for a new venue and I think you plenty of positives to work with as long as the faults are addressed as well.

Edited by Noddy
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Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

 

I'd guess it was in relation to photo and autograph sales?

 

Can't agree with it being quieter. I'm a dealer and my takings were up nearly 300% on the last Collectormania that I did (C13) and that's despite the recession!!

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And how long does it take to eat brekkie anyway?!

 

LOL, that's funny. And why leave it until 10am to have it too?

 

Anyway, good to see Jason has taken on board all the issues that some of us were trying to raise in a constructive way on friday. Some of us have been going to these things for many years even if we don't post a huge amount here or know many of the regulars in person - we know your names at least.

 

A quick thanks to the freezing Roxy who was taking the money on Ben's queue late friday afternoon, for keeping us amused while waiting for him. You wouldn't know me but it helped ignore the cold and rain that started blowing in.

 

The last thing we want is to see CM fail as it's been by far the best event of it's type I've been to but there were genuine concerns some of us had, we weren't trying to put people off going.

 

I look forward to the next one and seeing the changes in place.

 

One final thing, finances and space allowing, for those who find they have to hang around for long periods of time waiting for their VT number to come up or whatever, without the shops to go look round etc, do think about putting in something to keep us occupied. I'm not into funfairs but maybe something like a gaming zone (challenge competitions??) or an area showing new movie trailers or something. You can only look round the stalls so many times and besides that there was nothing else to do, espcially on the friday.

 

The free talks would obviously help fill a bit of time and I welcome those (though I'm sure some will complain about it taking time away from signing sessions but I like them) but those usually happen on sat/sun. Something for those who like to go on fridays to avoid some of the crowds would be nice although there's usually less hanging around needed to be fair.

 

Thanks.

 

Oh and please try to get Amanda Tapping back asap. Was so disappointed when she had to cancel.

Edited by sugar_mouse
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Did I read in another post you said that Friday was 30% busier than previous years and that generally numbers are up? How do you arrive at that? It was certainly quieter than other events (SM and non SM).

 

I'd guess it was in relation to photo and autograph sales?

 

Can't agree with it being quieter. I'm a dealer and my takings were up nearly 300% on the last Collectormania that I did (C13) and that's despite the recession!!

 

300% well done! Be intresesting to see how other dealers found it compare to other events. C13 was not the busiest.

 

I should have said it felt quieter (can it feel quiet?)

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I personally found it a lot easier to look at the stalls, especially the ones outside the main room.

 

Only problem was wheelchair/pushchair access in the main dealer room.

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Thanks Jason for all the comments...it's so nice that you have taken on board what other people have suggested or had issue with in order not to make the same issues appear again...

 

I had a great time this weekend...I thought it was really well run and the guests were fab! It was a real shame about the talks, but that's the British weather for you! I just hope it didn't put the guests off coming back and that they understood.

 

I like the new venue...I hated the shopping centre it was sooo crowded and you really felt hemmed in...I know, once everything has been finished at the venue, there won't be any hassles!!

 

I thought it was a really shame to hear about the security guys...I didn't see any of the pushing over, but I have seen them at other events, and I have to say they have always been polite and professional and really friendly. I did see one of them dealing with someone at the Nimoy shoot and I was impressed at how he was handling it considering the abuse that was being thrown at him - very professional...I suppose hard for us to judge really what they were thinking or were worried about...

 

Driving around MK is ALWAYS trial and error...all those bloody roundabouts...grrrr...

 

As always, cant' wait for the next one...thanks again...

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By and large I enjoyed the event.

The cancellations on Saturday of Naoko and Darren Campbell meant it was largely a wasted journey for me and I could have saved the hotel bill and just done Sunday but otherwise it was as good as could be expected in the circumstances.

I did miss the ability to wander off to the shops for half an hour as there's only so many times you can wander round the stalls, particularly when you are on a tight budget and I lost count of the number of laps of the stadium I did, but that was (for me) the only down-side of it not being in the Centre.

The wait for the photo shoots pictures to come back on Saturday was a pain but it seemed to have improved on Sunday, oh and personally I didn't mind the open plan queue for the photo shoots as it meant you could see how to behave with the guest before your photo, I didn't even notice the people queueing whilst I was having my photo taken, I was just concentrating on trying not to pull a stupid face!

I do think it would be wise not to have the organisers booth right in front of the main entrance, it needs to be near obviously but when it's busy first thing in the morning it does tend to block the way (this applies to LFACC as well which had the same problem last year).

Highlights for me.. Some lovely guests, including but not limited to Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Burn Gorman, Liz May Brice ( :wub: ) and David Yip.

Some great Cosplayers (although I do wish people wouldn't stand in the middle of the walkway to take photos of them).

Walking behind Avery Brooks while he was walking to the Green Room and seeing him shoot one of the red bins with his banana :D

Following The Joker to Asda and seeing one little girl burst into tears and practically every customer do a double take.

 

Also I'd like to thank Showmasters for getting Candice Orwell and Megan Udall as guests. I didn't meet them but they made the laps of the stadium far more pleasant :dance:

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CM15 - Always a pleasure , Crew - Wonderfull, SM&ME great job. :WINCE::huh::YAHOO:

 

Recomendations - Bus Drop / Pickup point - tape off a area so that cars don't park right outside the main door - and block access to the drop/pick up point. :blush:

 

PS Giles - Step Ladders need to think Safety...... LOL - Give me a shout if your ladder man is missing again.... :chair::chair:

 

 

All in All - Great Job - with the resources at hand. Looking forward to LFCC - CM16 & Hub3.

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I'm probably going to regret replying to this but here goes...

 

What on earth has the design of the website got to do with anything? Ok, it hasn't changed much in years but maybe they can't afford a top class web designer and are doing as best they can. All the important info is on there, it gets updated pretty frequently and is easy to navigate.

 

It may be basic but is easier to get around than some others I wouldn't be allowed to mention on here.

 

Maybe the change in weather was too late to make it worthwhile, the food wsn't really down to SM and as has been said elsewhere many times, there were easy alternatives a few minutes walk away and there will be more by next year.

 

Schedules are always flexible and you have to be patient and work with it I'm afraid. It's impossible to say how long a photoshoot will take exactly or when a guest may need a break for all sorts of reasons. Flights get delayed, there could be traffic on the motorway, all kinds of reasons for delays/hold ups. They do the best they can to maximise the time the guests have signing but you try doing it for x hours a day without a break, you couldn't. And the people who have paid for photoshoots should get their opportunity too, you know it's going to happen so accept it, work with it and maybe you'll end up being a bit happier to even have the opportunity to meet some of these people.

 

The queue management has improved over the years but could still be better with the better use of radios/computer tracking etc though I've never had a major problem and have never missed a guest I wanted to see, even if it means hanging around until the end of the day. That's the game I'm afraid.

 

It sounds like you want a numbered ticket with a time on saying when you'll be able to stand in front of the guest and that everyone should get 30secs or 1min each with a timer going off to tell you to move on. Not going to happen. These are people too and you need to understand the way the system works.

Edited by Queen_Sindel
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