Your Event feedback

[talie]

I was creasing laughing at how like a salad was £13, at ET3 I will defo be venturing into town again for dinner!

[tinktwimum]

okay yeah that really exspensive thats bad lol x

[Flick]

I haven't read all the replys as yet but they pretty much say the same thing

 

there were food places over at the the NEC within walking distance for anyone going to ET3 if that helps they had weatherspoons and subways and of course i took the trustly pot noddle hehe

 

As for having photos with the guests at the prom i did feel that we weren't as lucky as london in having the guests hang out as much outside of the gold area and i dont think that was due to people asking for photos i just think it was because they were tierd and fair play to them but then again why should us stanard tickets miss out on having time to talk to them and have photos with them in our prom outfits if they didnt mind otherwise we would've ended up with no time with them as they were pretty much as far as i could tell in the vip area alot of the evening

so fair play to everyone who saw a chance to get thier moneys worth and get photo or have a chat i mean that's wot we all went for and paid for regardless of who had standard or gold tickets ( i asked charlie for a foto and he turned around to his guy and said he was gonna stay here for a while and he was lovely he was totally having a good time )

 

on the feedback side of things i agree about alot of time doing nothing on sunday Playing the film or even enticing people who hadnt been at ET to buy the dvd would have been a good idea

but my little group came up with something else that maybe could be done next time to fill an hr or so have a twilight treasure hunt obv. only using a certain part of the hotel but that would've been fun

 

and i just thought of this how about a costume room where we could get dressed up like the charactors and have like those sepia pictures taken or wotever or have your make up done

 

also wish the trade room had been better more official twilight merch and less photo traders :)

 

 

postive feedback i loved the way the autograph and photo sessions were organised i think they went really well and you weren't rushed and the guessed were soooo nice and acommidating to different poses

All the staff were amazing and helpful which i appricaited seens at it was my first event i was on my own to start with and had no clue how any of it worked :)

 

I had a blast met some new friends and can't wait till ET3

[naurarwen_fangorn]

I have to admit I got very arsey over the whole standards being let into the Gold area its not fair on the Standards and its not fair on the Golds either way you look at it I personally dont think it should happen. Other than that i dont really have much to complain about except the damn prices what the hell was that about but thats not SM fault i just wanted to moan about it

 

Can I just ask that the standards who made it into the VIP area not get bitched out? I was personally invited by Steve when I was no where near the VIP area and certainly had not tried to get in!

 

- Vicky

[dragonsanddaffodils]

I have to admit I got very arsey over the whole standards being let into the Gold area its not fair on the Standards and its not fair on the Golds either way you look at it I personally dont think it should happen. Other than that i dont really have much to complain about except the damn prices what the hell was that about but thats not SM fault i just wanted to moan about it

 

Can I just ask that the standards who made it into the VIP area not get bitched out? I was personally invited by Steve when I was no where near the VIP area and certainly had not tried to get in!

 

- Vicky

 

 

True, saw Steve ask Vicky. It was out of the blue.

I don't think Cheryl was aiming at any one person in particular though Vic

 

Never mind Cheryl, At least you got some great pics with them in the end, even if the one I took for you was a bit of a boob flash! Your Sunday ones were way better, can't believe that happened JUST after we had to go home! DOH!

 

I reckon that when the guests came back to the hotel, they were all happy and contented and full of pub grab and Charlie and Daniels best friends and family...........in other words, any brand of alcohol available!

Edited September 22, 2009 by Rhianydd

[Karly Cullen]

I happily leant my gold card to sum1 else so that they could go and see the guests and other friends in the VIP area i wud of done it for any1 that askd me, the way i see it is i wanted to share my gold experience with others i wasn't overly fussed where i was as i had friends on both sides.

 

I don't have any complaints as i had an awesome weekend although i will admit that i nearly went into shock wen i ordered a double vodka and coke and was told 'oh that will be £9.40' i swear my jaw hit the floor!!!

But all was good as i had a litre of vodka and bottles of coke in my room so i just kept going back for a top up lol xx

[rayray_x]

I thought this event was a really generous idea on ME's part, allowing those who didn't get the chance to nab a ticket to ET2 to have amazing experiences.

 

As a standard, I didn't enter the VIP area, but I didn't feel the need to as the guests were wandering about freely outside of it. I did go over when they were at the barrier though (& I think I knocked over a drink on the floor, so whoever that belonged to, I'm sorry!), and chatted and got photos and such.

 

I didn't mind about the free time on Sunday as I was nursing a hangover so I welcomed the chance to sit down and chat with everyone.

 

I liked how there wasn't just Twilight stuff being sold in the dealer's room, I got excited over one of those Doctor Who fat necklaces (:

 

The crew were lovely and informative, and I found everything to be organised well, though I do agree that the registration should have been moved to a room so as not to disturb the other guests.

 

I took my own food & alcohol, so I have no complaints about the Hilton menu lol >.<

[ClaireCullen]

about cost of hotel me and my husband stayed at a different hotel and we didnt miss anything so i think its unfair to conplain about price we also eat outside of the hotel and out other friends took food with them

In Brum there wasn't any other restaurant/food facilites within a 10 mile radius of the Hilton. It was literally in the middle of an industrial estate, which is why people found the price of the food in the Hilton to be difficult to stomach. It's all well and good taking food, but you can't really live on crisps and snacks for the weekend. A main evening meal does go down well generally - which unless you've got £18 to spend on a burger, then you're pretty stuffed.

 

There is a little pub nestled away within walking distance, called The little owl or something similar, the food was excellent and cheap, we paid £7 for a full Roast Dinner, it's worth remembering for ET3

 

Edit - I see Too Tall has already said this - sorry,

Edited September 23, 2009 by I drive like a Cullen

[ClaireCullen]

A couple of points I would like to make for future consideration for organisers and fans.

 

1) At the dance, I was lucky and won a dance with a guest on the raffle, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but the people that had paid hard earnt money in the auction got crowded on the dance floor by other guests. I would have been peeved at that, it was rude to join them. There was no way the crew could have stopped them because it happened so fast, nothing can be done at future events to stop this except consideration from other fans!

 

2) I have no qualms about the difference in Gold/Standard passes, I know one person that was upgraded to a Gold pass and they definitely deserved it, and no they didn't take full advantage, i don't think they even stepped into the VIP area, they didn't get the extra photo's or autographs, all they were upgraded to was entry to the VIP area, more as a thank you really, and truthfully, rather than feel resentment, i actually felt really pleased that a crew member had taken the time out to acknowledge the hard work she'd done.

 

3) I didn't speak to any of the guests at the actual prom, although we were fortunate that we met them in the lobby whilst talking to Wendy on Registration, we sat back and enjoyed the prom, chatting to other friends, meeting new people, so I can say with clarity that some in the VIP area were a little too forceful in trying to keep the guests attentions to themselves when they came into the standard area. For example, Charlie would go to the toilet, the same group of maybe 3 or 4 girls would follow him out, stop him, have their photos taken with him, wait for him to come out of the bathroom and grab him on the way back for yet another photo, even the seller in the merchadise area commented on these same group of girls.

Again there is very little crew to do to stop this, as the guests were far too professional to complain and seemed happy to do it, but respect and consideration for others goes a long long way.

 

4) If the crew could arrange name badges it would be a huge help in getting to know other fans, possibly even on our passes, with our ticket numbers and first names on them, or enough space that each guest could write their name or forum username on themselves.

 

5) I think there could be more interactive stuff for us to do at quieter times, maybe the film showing, design something in a craft area, more quizzes etc

[Shinodas_bint]

 

Can I just ask that the standards who made it into the VIP area not get bitched out? I was personally invited by Steve when I was no where near the VIP area and certainly had not tried to get in!

 

- Vicky

 

 

I know you meff you were stood with by us at the time you got taken and Rhi is right its not aimed at anyone why would it be? I have nothing against the people who went in at all its the guys that were HAND picking the standards to go in that i have the problem with. There was no need to do it and surely they realised that both gold and standards would get annoyed about it

[ClaireCullen]

 

but my little group came up with something else that maybe could be done next time to fill an hr or so have a twilight treasure hunt obv. only using a certain part of the hotel but that would've been fun

 

 

I absolutely love this idea, we could even have it in the grounds too, please please can we have a treasure hunt at the next one

[nickichicken]

OK, here are my constuctive comments on the weekend.

 

Overall I absolutely loved it, and thank you to all the organisers for pulling it off, I spoke to a lot of people over the course of the couple of days and the views were the same - we were all a bit gutted when Kellan pulled out, but in all honesty guests wise I wouldnt have changed a thing - all 3 of them were perfect guests and i feel privelidged to have met them and still find myself grinning at random times thinking back at it.

 

I did feel that the DJ on the Saturday night (London) was a poor show in comparison to the Friday night DJ who even joined in the dances with us!! On Saturday night he really seemed happier to play his own 'heavy' choices than party music. I do appreciate that he may not have had a lot of our requests available, but I felt that after a while we were getting a bit fed up with the lack of party music and ended up going up to the room a bit earlier than we would have done.

 

Also, can I point out that on Saturday after the guests left, a lot of us were left with a 'deserting the sinking ship' feeling which was really disappointing - i do appreciate that a lot of the staff left to go to B'ham - but they were in no way as sociable as they had been previously - there was nothing in the way of entertainment for us and though i know and understand that most things these days cost money, there is a heck of a lot of party games that maybe the staff could get involved in and help organise that dont cost any money at all? it would be so much fun to have been able to have a lark about but they sat round a table most of the night and didnt get involved in the slightest - we had to make our own fun in the end (I'm not sure if we did ever manage to spell Twilight with our bodies but it was hilarious trying!!?!)

 

I think what I'm trying to say is that if more of us put our heads together, I am totally confident that at 'quieter points' of future conventions, we can surely organise to play some free games that would bring us all together a bit more, staff and us? and it wouldnt cost any money, its just the time and the organisational part of it more than anything!

 

I've organised party games before and I'm sure theres lots of us with many talents that would be able to get together and pull off some really fun silly things to do to pass the time when perhaps theres gaps between schedules?

 

anyway I dont wanna go on too much as it's a minor thing really and not really a grumble, it's just something I've been pondering over since i got back and thought I would share as I had a great time with so many people over the weekend and I know that we can all pull together as a big twilight family to have even more fun (if thats possible!!!)

 

sorry if ive been going on a bit!!!

xxx

[dragonsanddaffodils]

I could do Twi Sugar crafty stuff for a bit if Showmasters want that, maybe a demonstration of modelling an Edward figurine , or a wolf model or something? It could be auctioned off on the Sunday then.

Edited September 23, 2009 by Rhianydd

[foreverbella]

I could do Twi Sugar crafty stuff for a bit if Showmasters want that, maybe a demonstration of modelling an Edward figurine , or a wolf model or something? It could be auctioned off on the Sunday then.

That sounds amazing Rhi! I like that idea very much =]

[foundmyedward]

Overall I have to say the weekend was fantastic and SM did a fantastic job. I almost didnt go because of the Kellan/Chaske issue but I was SO glad I did. The replacement guests were fantastic. I loved the relaxed atmosphere in the hotel too. The guests freely roamed around the lobby and nobody batted an eyelid. I didnt even notice Charlie I few times in the bar (and no I didnt see his brother and think it was him ) and in general felt that they were accessible and very very friendly.

 

Food was extremely expensive in the hotel but in fairness.. the special price we got included breakfast which was huge and varied. I stocked up then and was only hungry for a snack in the afternoon. Didnt have 'dinner' as such both days. And yes, too tall is right, there was a subway and a wetherspoons 5 min walk from the back of the hotel for anyone who didnt want to pay for the hotel grub.

 

Gold passes are completely worth it. Being able to mingle freely with the guests (despite the embarrassing fangirls in there who completely threw themselves at them and didnt let anyone else get a word in edgeways) was a great experience. I was also in the front row for the talk and got 2 lovely group pics :)

 

 

I do agree however that the 'downtime' could of been improved. A movie showing would of been glorious, as would some sort of other quiz/treasure hunt or something like that.

 

That's my only gripe.

 

Well done SM, can't wait for the next one. Waiting for Jola to email back Rayray's friend to see if I can take her extra ticket for ET2 which hasnt been allocated a name yet. Hope to hear very soon yet as I have to organise flights, costumes and accomodation with just 3 weeks to go!

[DavidB]

To those saying the crew didn't do enough during the parties, they don't actually tend to 'work' the parties, so they're not there to organise anything. We go along to enjoy them as the attendees do, so the responsibility for being 'entertaining' doesn't really fall on them. They choose to be sociable with whoever - it's often a chance for us to catch up with friends just like everyone else.

[foundmyedward]

To those saying the crew didn't do enough during the parties, they don't actually tend to 'work' the parties, so they're not there to organise anything. We go along to enjoy them as the attendees do, so the responsibility for being 'entertaining' doesn't really fall on them. They choose to be sociable with whoever - it's often a chance for us to catch up with friends just like everyone else.

 

 

Yeah I agree, I was under the impression the casino, dances, guests and dj were there to provide the entertainment.. not the crew! And since everytime I looked at Too Tall on saturday night in Brum, he was chatting to people and posing for pics... I dont think it's fair to accuse crew of not being sociable. They were so busy all weekend trying to make everything work smoothly and it paid off :)

 

Oh there was a crew member there who was awesome and I dont know his name.. he has brown hair and glasses and was really helpful. Well done him!

[dragonsanddaffodils]

To those saying the crew didn't do enough during the parties, they don't actually tend to 'work' the parties, so they're not there to organise anything. We go along to enjoy them as the attendees do, so the responsibility for being 'entertaining' doesn't really fall on them. They choose to be sociable with whoever - it's often a chance for us to catch up with friends just like everyone else.

 

Except for dancing all night on Sunday and making balloon snakes! The two of you know who you are!

Picture proof on my facebook

Edited September 23, 2009 by Rhianydd

[Mandelina]

ohhh the balloon snakes were awesome

[nickichicken]

I wasn't saying they weren't being sociable and they do a great job each and every one of them, im just saying that should a situation similar to that come around in the future, It couldnt hurt to have a group of people, whoever that may be, organise some sort of game or whatever, so that we can all enjoy it together, rather than everyone sitting around looking bored. it wasnt meant to be an attack!

[DavidB]

No one said it was an attack

 

I was just making it clear that it wasn't a case of anyone not doing what they were meant to or anything. I'm sure a lot of them would feel disappointed to read that some felt they were 'less sociable' or whatever. From the photos I've seen, a lot were very sociable, but of course they like to catch up with each other too

[popstar!!]

I thought the crew were great! Really friendly! Had some great conversations with some of them, they were so funny and did an amazing job!! Great job to do though!!

[tpepper4]

The weekend overall was amazing!

 

The who gold/standerd sharade, tbh if a gold pass member "allowed" a standared to borrow a pass then, "they" paid for the ticket so they can do with it what they will!

if a member of the staff "invited!" someone in, then that is fine because it's how they decide...if it wasnt for them you wouldn't be going to these amazing events that you are attending!

 

the set up was amazing! i loves the little gazebo! and i just think generally it was a success! they guests mingled, and they were happy to do whatever. no attendee's (not in brum anyway) over did anything that i saw of, and i just love the fact there was a little casino! it was ACTUALLY like the prom from twilight :)

 

i saw my friends, which was one of my main reasons to go, and EVERYONE i met was lovely! the staff and the guests! i found myself getting on with everyone i talked to, and everyones dresses/suits were amazing!

 

i just hope to dad (hah yes!) that i can go to ET3! :)

 

Thank you Showmasters, and to everyone there for making it a welcoming place to be!

[Shinodas_bint]

 

if a member of the staff "invited!" someone in, then that is fine because it's how they decide...if it wasnt for them you wouldn't be going to these amazing events that you are attending!

 

 

Thats not what you were saying on the night

[TommyT]

A movie showing would of been glorious

Just had a look into this at Filmbank ("Filmbank, a joint venture company owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing, represents many of the leading Hollywood and independent film studios in the area of film usage outside the cinema and home. This includes content provision and screening licences." - basically they can licence any film except The Sound Of Music and the 6 Star Wars films) and it makes for mildly interesting reading. Obviously you have to go through the legal formalities before indulging in a public showing (because otherwise the event organisers can be sued for breach of copyright, the venue may also cause them trouble, because they too could receive unwanted legal attention, and there's always the possibility that there could be repercussions with booking future guests or other folk from the industry - after all, if word gets round that you're not paying the film company (and possibly by extension, actors and directors and scriptwrites etc) their full due, those sort of people might not want to deal with you) and it's not necessarily easy or cheap.

First off, you can't show your domestic DVD copy. Read the tedious copyright notices, and you'll see that public performance of it is forbidden. You have to "hire" a special version from Filmbank. If it's for showing at a commercial event (which this would be, since you're charging people to attend, even if the film is not the main event) then there's a charge. For cases where the charged entry is explicit for the film, then it's basically 35% of the "box office" takings. For cases such as this where it's all part of a bigger event, then you have to contact Filmbank to discuss the pricing. But suppose they say that for a pretty recent and popular film like Twilight, they would assess the "charge" for the film as £4 per head, and they want 35% of that. OK, so if 200 people paid to attend the prom (even if only 50 were to actually watch the film), that's £800 they're assessing as the "box office", and they want 35% of that. £280. Plus the £14 freight charge for them to send and collect the film from you. Plus VAT. OK, now we're up to about £340. Plus any costs ME may incur in getting equipment to show a DVD, unless they already have that stuff there. Plus somebody has to check the film beforehand to make sure it's OK (Filmbank's website specifically mentions that - and after all, suppose ME turned up with a DVD that jumped or didn't work - wouldn't be popular). Add in the staff time/cost spent having to order it in advance, filling out the return and sending it back, dealing with the ensuing billing... you're probably talking £400 overall. OK, maybe people would be happy to pay an extra couple of quid in the overall ticket price, but at the moment, £400 extra expenditure on an event that didn't make money is probably not the most popular idea. Plus if they wanted to show it more than once you get charged for each showing. And if they wanted it at the second event then either they'd have to take it with them when the main party left, or arrange somebody to transfer it up the motorway later (at some presumed cost, if only their petrol) or hire two copies.

It's a nice idea in theory, but given the cost and the administrative hassle, I'd guess it wouldn't be ME's first choice of extra attraction. (And I mean, it's not like you folks haven't seen the movie or anything, is it? )