Feedback thread

[adriangill]

Out of all the previous Hubs, BTL, and Chevrons this was my favourite con so far. All four guests were excellent and appeared to be enjoying themselves even more than guests normally do. It was great to watch David Blue as he was experiencing this for the first time, and also Rainbow filming everything. I really enjoyed the sketch scenes at previous Chevrons and enjoyed the 'replacement' quiz just as much.

 

I did miss more talks. However this was my first experience of guests encounters, and they were great so thank you for whoever came up with that little treat for us. I will have to start going to more! Apologies to anyone in group one at David Blues first encounter. Afterwards I was informed by my brother that there was a chance my stomach was audible. Slightly embarrassing

 

The crew were great and appeared even more relaxed than normal.

 

I did thank them at the time but special thanks to Too Tall and the lady controlling Torris auto queue on Sunday (Simone I think I heard someone say). Along with my brother and a unknown lady, I was in the group of three waiting to get extra autos for Torri. We were (quite rightly) held back whilst first timers went through and there was a possibility that we would be able to join the queue due to the time. Simone (sorry if thats wrong!) was very polite and professional in dealing with us, and appeared very concerned that we may not get through. Thankfully we were allowed to join, so thanks to you both . Also to poor Torri, as three more stragglers meant less time for a break before being whisked of to her guest encounter!

 

I have to agree with JCB it would have been strange if she didn't come to the front for a little chat. Also a bit weird was the lack of Jason at the closing ceremony (I didn't see him all weekend). Poor Mark had to go solo.

 

Quote of the weekend for me was during the quiz on the announcement of the quick fire round. - Rainbow "Oh crap" (or similar)

 

Chevron 7.4....engage!

[Too Tall]

You are most welcome. We can only try our best and thankfully usually that means everyone gets what they came for. You are correct that the person running the autograph room on Sunday was Simone

 

Jason was around a bit in the evenings but he wasn't feeling great (got a con cold) so went home to sleep.

Edited November 9, 2009 by Too Tall

[rosie727]

i have to agree with the poster this was a great con- i orginally went cos of corin nemec, but all the guests were cool and were quite happy to chat. i am sure we all had unique things written on the pics by the guests.

the staff did seem much more relaxed and i was suprised how well the open autographs went.

so a big thanks SM's cant wait for the next one!!!!!!!!!!!

[jenab103]

Been to all 3 Chevron cons. This was the best. Okay, so meeting Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Jason Momoa, Joe Flanigan, etc was amazing, but this group of guests really seemed to gel. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. The guest encounters were such an added bonus - a fantastic idea. I know I hogged the karaoke a little on Friday (I'm the older half of Jen and Jenna!), but you do whatever makes you happy!

 

For those of you who heard/spread the rumours, it was my husband who stayed up all night to get 1st in line for Gold tickets for 7.4, but it wasn't for his son who's little and can't see over people's heads (as some people heard!) - it was for me, 'cos I'm little and can't see over people's heads! Well, that, and the fact that my camera's rubbish and gets too fuzzy when you zoom. Honestly, I didn't make him - he was perfectly happy to do it. And I did point out to him that ALL NIGHT was a bit excessive, and he should maybe set his alarm for, like, 5 am, but he insisted that he wanted Gold 2, 3 and 4. Bless him. At least he got free coffee and lots of conversation with the night managers.

 

Anyway, we enjoyed every second of 7.3 and can't wait till January - especially as we live a 20 minute drive away from the Hilton! Thanks to everyone for such a great weekend. xxx

Edited November 9, 2009 by jenab103

[jvd737]

I want to start with saying a big thank you to all the crew - they made everything run really smoothly and help us have so much fun! The guests were all fab - who didn't find David Blue absolutely brilliant - I could have listened to him for hours, he was so interesting and seemed to have lots to say. The guests worked so hard doing all those guest encounters - they must have been knackered, but you didn't get that sense at all - real professionals! Also thought the crew did really well with Rainbow's...errr...extensive autograph process...!! Have to agree that it was odd not having Jason around though...

 

The Friday drinks reception is usually a huge disappointment because it is so badly organised, in small, hot rooms, uneven groups, people following certain guests around, people crowding round the guests and people being left out whether it's because they are new and don't feel comfortable joining a group, or don't know what to do, or are very shy...I know it's meant to simulate a more relaxed informal atmosphere - but it so doesn't...having said that, this one did seem better - I think this was because there were more of the 'senior' members of the crew checking on which groups had seen who, and perhaps because there were less people there...so this was reassuring and I hope this trend continues...but is there not a better way of doing the reception? Could we be in specified groups or have them around tables or perhaps organise the room/groups before the guests arrive???????? Not that I'm saying there is any perfect solution for everybody...But this one was better, so thank you to those crew, who seemed to go above and beyond that night.

 

I was disappointed that there weren't more talks - personally they are the real highlight for me. I would rather them than the guest encounters which, depending on your group and guest, could be a little awkward (except David's ones obviously!!!). Paul must have a huge reserve bank of questions as I'm presuming he saves the generic questions from other cons as well as having specific questions from researching the actors, on top of the ones submitted by the attendees. I would have liked to hear more of these and the banter between the guests and them feeding off each other for laughs. I enjoyed the quiz - always good to try something new, although I'm sure we all missed Julie's play!! She is such a legend!!

 

I don't want all this to sound negative as I did have a great time and I have already bought my ticket for 7.4...it's just my opinion of the weekend...but once again thanks to all involved!

[Too Tall]

We are looking at the gold pass drinks reception. We do every event. This one went pretty well but we are looking at how to do it better with a full 150. So don't worry we are continually looking at improving these things.

 

We decided that we'd give everyone free GEs instead for lots of talks as at previous events the GEs have always gone down well and people have liked the more intimate nature of them, they feel as if they've really met the guests, rather than just having seen them on a stage.

 

It was a choice, sorry if it wasn't the one for you.

 

Stuart.

Edited November 9, 2009 by Too Tall

[Peter]

Whenever I have attended an event with Group Encounters, I have thoroughly enjoyed the intimacy they give people in the group to talk with the guest.

 

They are a way to meet the guest, rather than just see them.

[adriangill]

Been to all 3 Chevron cons. This was the best. Okay, so meeting Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Jason Momoa, Joe Flanigan, etc was amazing, but this group of guests really seemed to gel.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Exactly what my brother and I were discussing on the way home. Even though they were from different series and maybe didn't know each other very well they all appeared to bond exceptionally well

 

The only 'problem' I have with the GE's is that now I have experienced them and know how great they are, I am not looking forward to the more normal schedules that have lots of talks that take place at the same time as the bidding GE's. I can't decide which I enjoy more and will struggle on which to attend. A nice decision to have to make though. There is only one solution to having your cake and eating it. Expand the event into a full 3 days with more talks and GE's. Or 4 days . If only!

 

Poor Jason! I picked up a minor cold at the last Hub. Thankfully it had cleared up in time for me to enjoy Hallowhedon and Chevron

[Pooks]

 

 

For those of you who heard/spread the rumours, it was my husband who stayed up all night to get 1st in line for Gold tickets for 7.4, but it wasn't for his son who's little and can't see over people's heads (as some people heard!) - it was for me, 'cos I'm little and can't see over people's heads! Well, that, and the fact that my camera's rubbish and gets too fuzzy when you zoom. Honestly, I didn't make him - he was perfectly happy to do it. And I did point out to him that ALL NIGHT was a bit excessive, and he should maybe set his alarm for, like, 5 am, but he insisted that he wanted Gold 2, 3 and 4. Bless him. At least he got free coffee and lots of conversation with the night managers.

 

 

 

I think it was lovely of him to do so - and Kudos for you for picking a good'un!

Pooks/Kelly

x

[Avengers7]

Been to all 3 Chevron cons. This was the best. Okay, so meeting Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Jason Momoa, Joe Flanigan, etc was amazing, but this group of guests really seemed to gel. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. The guest encounters were such an added bonus - a fantastic idea. I know I hogged the karaoke a little on Friday (I'm the older half of Jen and Jenna!), but you do whatever makes you happy!

 

For those of you who heard/spread the rumours, it was my husband who stayed up all night to get 1st in line for Gold tickets for 7.4, but it wasn't for his son who's little and can't see over people's heads (as some people heard!) - it was for me, 'cos I'm little and can't see over people's heads! Well, that, and the fact that my camera's rubbish and gets too fuzzy when you zoom. Honestly, I didn't make him - he was perfectly happy to do it. And I did point out to him that ALL NIGHT was a bit excessive, and he should maybe set his alarm for, like, 5 am, but he insisted that he wanted Gold 2, 3 and 4. Bless him. At least he got free coffee and lots of conversation with the night managers.

 

Anyway, we enjoyed every second of 7.3 and can't wait till January - especially as we live a 20 minute drive away from the Hilton! Thanks to everyone for such a great weekend. xxx

 

 

Did Showmasters auction Gold Pass one? How much did it go for in the end?

[Christoff]

I think I'm going to agree that this was the best so far, or at least joint best with the original Chevron 7 (my first con too), it was definitely better than Chevron 7.2.

 

The guests were great both individually and together, all very nice, funny and interesting. Would be nice to see them again at some point in the future.

 

I've never been to a guest encounter before, they were pretty good but I don't think I'd pay to go one, although they had more people in them than normal I think which probably made it less 'intimate'.

 

It was rather disappointing that a lot of the talks on the sunday were cancelled and replaced with the quiz. While the quiz was entertaining I do really enjoy the talks, listening to the stories the guests tell and them interacting with each other. I don't understand why the closing of the convention was brought forward, could we not have had the planned talks (or at least some) and then the quiz, final talk and closing ceremony and finished at the time originally planned?

 

I'm also concerned and confused at the choice of date for the next Chevron 7, less than 3 months away, so soon after this one, so soon after Christmas, and apparently only a week after another Stargate convention. I do hope enough people turn up to ensure it's not a failure, I'd hate to see these conventions stop. I'll definitely be there though, would love to meet Hewlett and it's pretty local to me so I don't have to spend money on a hotel

[lo123]

i had such an amazing time!

Corin was so lovely to me whenever i saw him and gave me a big hug as i was leaving!!!

and David was AWESOME!!!!!!! i would love to meet him again - he's so funny and kind

 

my favourite of all the chevron's yet

 

THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Christoff]

Did Showmasters auction Gold Pass one? How much did it go for in the end?

 

They did, I think it sold for around £250.

 

Now, while we're on that subject, can anyone (preferably the people who have actually bid for G1 (at any event)) tell me what's so good about it that they'll pay £50+ on top of the already expensive ticket? I understand getting in the first 20 or so people would be good as you get front row seats, but you could just try and buy early

[selby]

I really enjoyed it was shame about not having as many talks BUT the GE and quiz sure than made up for it. I would LOVE for David to come back soon he was AMAZING guest.

 

I can't wait.

[jvd737]

We are looking at the gold pass drinks reception. We do every event. This one went pretty well but we are looking at how to do it better with a full 150. So don't worry we are continually looking at improving these things.

 

We decided that we'd give everyone free GEs instead for lots of talks as at previous events the GEs have always gone down well and people have liked the more intimate nature of them, they feel as if they've really met the guests, rather than just having seen them on a stage.

 

It was a choice, sorry if it wasn't the one for you.

 

Stuart.

 

Thanks for the reply...I know you guys are always trying to improve and that you do take on board our comments which is why I think people are happy to bring their concerns to you!!

 

I have to admit, it does surprise me to hear so many people liked the GE...I love the ones that are auctioned off when there are only 12 - but these bigger ones didn't, for me, have a real personal touch - but I get that I am in the minority (no change there then!!) and I think it's great that SM are willing to mix and match different activities at their events to try and see what works and what doesn't! Long may it continue!!

[adriangill]

Now, while we're on that subject, can anyone (preferably the people who have actually bid for G1 (at any event)) tell me what's so good about it that they'll pay £50+ on top of the already expensive ticket? I understand getting in the first 20 or so people would be good as you get front row seats, but you could just try and buy early

Baffles me as well. From an attendees point of view I would have thought £50 is a lot to pay for an extra hour or so of sleep

 

I have to admit, it does surprise me to hear so many people liked the GE...I love the ones that are auctioned off when there are only 12 - but these bigger ones didn't, for me, have a real personal touch - but I get that I am in the minority (no change there then!!)

For me and possibly many others it was the first time experiencing GE's. 'Sharing' a guest with just 20 others is a lot more personal than with a hall of 150-600+ others. I understand why only 12 people is even better

[Avengers7]

Did Showmasters auction Gold Pass one? How much did it go for in the end?

 

They did, I think it sold for around £250.

 

Now, while we're on that subject, can anyone (preferably the people who have actually bid for G1 (at any event)) tell me what's so good about it that they'll pay £50+ on top of the already expensive ticket? I understand getting in the first 20 or so people would be good as you get front row seats, but you could just try and buy early

 

 

I bid for Gold Pass 1 in The Hub Auction. It would save so many hours sleep and queing. Not sure if anything else is offered though.

[adriangill]

It was rather disappointing that a lot of the talks on the sunday were cancelled and replaced with the quiz. While the quiz was entertaining I do really enjoy the talks, listening to the stories the guests tell and them interacting with each other. I don't understand why the closing of the convention was brought forward, could we not have had the planned talks (or at least some) and then the quiz, final talk and closing ceremony and finished at the time originally planned?

 

I'm also concerned and confused at the choice of date for the next Chevron 7, less than 3 months away, so soon after this one, so soon after Christmas, and apparently only a week after another Stargate convention. I do hope enough people turn up to ensure it's not a failure, I'd hate to see these conventions stop.

I had forgotten the early-than-originally-planned finish. I hadn't considered the possible closeness to xmas/low funds issue as I was too excited about not having to wait long for 7.4. A valid concern.

[thefreckles]

First of all I am not saying I didn't have a good time, I did, it just wasn't a very good time and, tbh, the least enjoyable con I've ever been to over all the many years I've been to them.

 

Things I didn't think worked so well:

 

1) Was dismayed to see we were back in that pokey room we were in for Eclipse 1 for the cocktail party. Far too small and cramped! It just does not work and was such a shame we were moved back into there.

 

2) The moving round of guests in the cocktail party seemed to take forever to organise. By the time we were told by a crew member we could join a group with Rainbow we had all of 15 seconds before his PA told him he had to leave! He was very good and gave us about an extra minute or so of his time but that was still disappointing, especially as he was the main reason for me booking a ticket for the con! Still, I got a spontaneous hug so that made up for a lot.

 

3) I understand you were trying to give us something 'extra' but the guest encounters in such large groups just did not work for me on any level. I was in the largest group there (they kept on having to find more chairs for us all) and this meant that on a couple of occasions I couldn't actually see the guest at all! In Corin's encounter it was particularly bad and both Corin and myself had to do a form of gymnastics when I asked him a couple of questions in order to see each other. Don't have that problem with the talks! I didn't feel they were that intimate at all and far prefer actual talk from them, although I did appreciate the chance to ask personal questions of the guests rather than have it so rigidly controlled as it is in the hall. On a semi-side note, I certainly hope that '25-30 per group' rule at cocktails parties doesn't become a standard thing for all ME cons as that would truly ruin it for me! Far too large a group, IMHO. And too restrictive, especially if you have quite a few friends who go to these and you book your tickets at different times. Also the Torri and Rainbow encounters both together in the main hall at the same time meant I had problems hearing what they had to say quite often and really struggled with them both, which was such a shame.

 

4) The quiz also didn't work for me - too long by far. Parts of it were definitely fun but also knowing that we had guest talk time cancelled for this was extremely annoying to say the least!

 

5) Not getting a Rainbow and Torri talk - I was really upset about that. I love the guest talks, it's why I go to these events and to have had so few over the whole weekend just left me feeling really, really cheated.

 

6) Not getting a Corin talk - as above.

 

7) Having everything finish over an hour early We could have had those two talks we missed out on. I presume there was a reason and it would have been nice if it could have been communicated to us, we're usually an understanding bunch! Would have meant a few of us feeling less upset over missing out on, for us, some of the more enjoyable aspects of going to these.

 

8) Me - for taking my camera out of my bag on Saturday evening before I went down to the party so missed out on getting Gladiator pics ::hits self on head hard::

 

Things I think worked well

 

a - Fellow con-attendees! Really friendly, no pushing or shoving. Very polite behaviour as a rule at the cocktail party and no over-hogging of guests for the most part. I switched groups half way through as I wanted to initially catch up with some old friends and saw Torri with them, however when Torri came to my second group I discretely left as I had seen her before and I know one other person did the same in another group. Most people were really sensible, especially given the crowded space we were in. And queuing to go into the hall was very nicely done too! Far more pleasant memories this time than of certain other cons of late in this respect.

 

b- Crew members! Very friendly and helpful on the whole. Rather than the odd two or three who always leave me feeling a little put out or who are distinctly unhelpful, I only had one incidence when I had to approach someone and was left feeling less happy and as if I was a massive inconvenience. Other than that I have to say the crew were delightful and such fun! They helped make the weekend and an enormous thank you goes out to them for all their hard work and smiles no matter the hour

 

c - I truly, truly, truly appreciated the extra two or three minutes that we were given for flash photography this time. I think I truly love you all for that! A shame more people didn't self-regulate and had to be reminded but that extra minute or couple of minutes honestly made such an enormous difference to me and I wholeheartedly thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. The opportunity to get good photos is why I buy gold and that made me very happy indeed! Please can we be given the same length of time for Chevron 7.4? I'm only asking for an extra minute or so tops ::makes pleading eyes::

 

d - Big yay for the good lighting and the higher stage level again. Much, much appreciated too!

 

e - Having ginormous schedules all over the place!

 

f -The stellar work of Malcolm on the whole, especially for getting through us all in one morning! I got lovely photos that, overall, I am delighted with. Though being called 'Madam' makes me feel so old

 

g -The DJ - nice mix of music - thank you so much for making the parties such fun for me and my friends Despite the large age gap between us all, we all loved what was played and danced to quite a bit of it indeed!

 

h - Finally, the guests themselves! Such sports for playing at Gladiators, for hanging around on Saturday evening and for being so entertaining and accommodating and fun! Torri was as adorable as ever, Rainbow as fun and as charming (we did try to warn you in advance about his queues!), Corin really nice (and funny) and David...well, what can I say? I was going to give up on SGU but just won't be able to now. He was amazing and interesting and fun and funny and up there with the best guests I've ever had the pleasure and good luck to meet!

 

Apologies for the length! And despite it being my least favourite con, I did still have quite a good time and enjoyed a good part of it so thank you once again.

Edited November 10, 2009 by thefreckles

[fifi]

I did have a great time and thought the guest encounters were a great idea, although there were some people who tended to dominate ours which rather spoiled it for the quiet ones who might have asked questions otherwise. Not the fault of the organisers though - just some individuals.

 

David Blue was lovely and I could have listened to him for ages and ages. The four guests really seemed to gel and get on, relaxing as the weekend progressed.

 

And I am really looking forward to the next one. David Hewlett is the reason I'm going but do hope we get some more Atlantis guests. Would love to meet Paul or maybe Chris H??

 

Roll on January.

 

And I meant to add that the crew were fantastic. I had injured my shoulder and was in a lot of pain. They went out of their way to help, find me pain killers etc. So thanks to all who were so kind.

[Too Tall]

Free GEs:

 

With the number of attendees we had we felt it would be a nice change to give everyone free GEs. The groups are larger than the usual GEs but we felt it would still be a nice "closer" experience for the attendees. Again apologies to anyone who didn't like this. It was something we wanted to try.

 

Sunday being shorter and the cancelled talks:

 

We were requested to make the changes to Sunday afternoons schedule and so we did.

 

Sorry but for professional reasons this is all I can say on this.

 

Date of next show:

 

We are constrained by two facts. The SGU hiatus and the hotel having a free weekend.

 

For us to be in the SGU hiatus we needed for the show to be before the end of March I believe. We could not get a date at the Park Inn until mid April and the date the Hilton had free was this last weekend in Jan.

 

So for us to be able to have SGU guests the choice was made to go for this date. Again sorry if it's not good for you.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Too Tall

[rosie727]

when are the tickets on sale??

[phenix00princess]

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all the crew. You guys were amazing and made the whole weekend unforgeable!

 

I really enjoyed the guest encounters and thought the groups were just small enough for it to work. You guys also did a great job with the quiz which was hilarious and the extras at the parties like the gladiator thing made it that much more fun. Thank you!

 

And a big thank you to all who attended! It was brilliant meeting everyone. You guys rock!

[welcome_earthling]

A good weekend all round.

 

Bit disappointed by peoples attendence during the evenings but hey ho that's their choice :)

 

~~~

 

Loved the guest encounters, they were brill to be able to sit down and chat although certain individuals seemed to be more concerned with talking about themselves and dominating the guest rather than giving others a chance to ask questions.

 

I understand that these GE were mostly able to happen because of such small numbers but perhaps they could happen more often. For example when people register at the desk they could randomly be allocated a letter and that is the one and only guest talk they were to attend, it is the luck of the draw to which guest the get to see.

 

~~~

 

The auction had a nice mix of items. I like the auction but perhaps we could also have some sort of raffle as well so those of us who don't have a great deal of disposable income can at least have a single chance a winning an item. Watching several items go to the same person can be somewhat depressing, nothing against those people after all it's their money but it would be nice to feel as if I have a chance.

 

~~~

 

The game show/quiz I am in two minds about. While I loved certain elements others did not work and I found myself feeling very unincluded in certain segments and wondering why I was sat there.

 

The pictionary didn't work because we could barely see the drawings, the acting out the scenes worked well because we could see it clearly and make guesses ourselves, the quick fire round wasn't too bad because we could sort of join in as well.

 

I personally would love to have had a quiz that followed more along the lines of a pub quiz where we organise ourselves into teams of 3-5 people. The guest are the hosts of the quiz asking questions and even here the acting out of scenes and pictionary could sort of work with the guest doing a drawing. We then submit our answers on paper to a marker and the winning team wins something like the cheveron mugs or t-shirts.

 

~~~

 

Malcom was brill at getting all the photography done so quickly and well.

 

The crew were brill once again, you could always find someone if you needed them and the open queues were quick (with the exception of Rainbow!!!)

 

~~~

 

Looking forward to Cheveron 7.4 but like many people I am hugely concerned with how soon it is, really there should be at least 6 months between the similar cons to give us a chance to get money for tickets, travel and accom. I understand that perhaps it is also due to guest avaliability but really 2 1/2 months is just too soon particularly since it is being held at the Hilton and they are very expensive rooms as well as being just after the christmas period.

Edited November 10, 2009 by welcome_earthling

[lo123]

Free GEs:

 

With the number of attendees we had we felt it would be a nice change to give everyone free GEs. The groups are larger than the usual GEs but we felt it would still be a nice "closer" experience for the attendees. Again apologies to anyone who didn't like this. It was something we wanted to try.

 

Sunday being shorter and the cancelled talks:

 

We were requested to make the changes to Sunday afternoons schedule and so we did.

 

Sorry but for professional reasons this is all I can say on this.

 

Date of next show:

 

We are constrained by two facts. The SGU hiatus and the hotel having a free weekend.

 

For us to be in the SGU hiatus we needed for the show to be before the end of March I believe. We could not get a date at the Park Inn until mid April and the date the Hilton had free was this last weekend in Jan.

 

So for us to be able to have SGU guests the choice was made to go for this date. Again sorry if it's not good for you.

 

 

 

I know some people are complaining or aren't too happy about certain things so i wanted to let you that i had an AMAZING time!!!!!!!!!!

i thought everything was done brialliantly, the guests were great, the crew were VERY helpful and friendly especially as it got tricky at times with Rainbow's queues but i think they did a great job so thankyou very much!!!

 

I would like to let you know it was my favourite chevron event so far and yes the next one is soon but i think i can let you off seeing as so far we have david hewlett AND Brian J Smith lined up! (I love you SM!!!!!!!)

 

thankyou thankyou thankyou for an amazing weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!