Concerns

[jjthedq]

Hi,

 

The following is not a complaint. It is me being honest and bringing my thoughts forward. This is what we were told to do at the past two conventions, to use the forums to communicate with the planners, so here it is.

 

I'm getting very frustrated with the fact that it's just over one month until the convention, and we still only have three guests. In my very humble opinion, it's not a very strong group of guests either. We were promised "bigger and better", and I'm really just not getting that vibe. I'm regretting purchasing my tickets in the first place.

 

Also, it seems as if we're not getting enough communication from Showmasters about this situation. We all understand that you can't announce someone if they haven't signed a contract. It would be nice to hear that there are contracts in the works though, and it would make the situation slightly better if we were at least being assured that there was a reason it's been over two months since the last guest announcement.

 

I feel as if so much focus is being put on ET4, and ET3 hasn't even happened yet! People aren't saying it on here, but a lot of us talk outside the forums and most everyone I've talked to is seriously re-considering getting tickets for ET4 because of how things have been handled with ET3. Personally, I won't be getting tickets for the simple fact that I won't be living in the UK anymore. However, if I were still living here, I honestly can't say that I'd be making an effort to buy tickets for ET4.

 

Please understand that this is not a rant. This is not meant to do anything more than raise concerns that I know many people are having. Afterall, we did all pay a lot of money to come to this convention. Many of us have put a lot of money into past conventions, and it simply doesn't feel as if we're getting our money's worth at this point. With a month to go, that's a pretty big deal.

 

On a more personal note, I'd also like to raise an issue my friends and I have had. We booked a hotel room at the Hilton on the Sunday of ET2. We were not given our discount by the Hilton, who told us there was no discount for the convention. After booking the cheapest room we could over the phone, we returned home to find out there was a discount. Our booking was non-refundable and non-transferable, however, because we had booked over the phone. We spoke to several different staff members at the Hilton and were told they could not do anything about the situation without speaking to Showmasters. Right away, I contacted Showmasters about the situation. I was assured during my phone conversation that the situation would be dealt with over the next few days. As this was just after ET2, I waited a few weeks before phoning back. I spoke to somebody different this time who had no knowledge of my situation. He requested that I e-mail him all the information about the situation and that he'd take care of it. After composing an e-mail with all the details, I sent it off and never heard anything back. It's been several months and both myself and my two roommates haven't had the time continue to contact Showmasters to help us sort the situation out since. Frankly, I don't think we should have had to since we'd already done everything they asked. The handling of our situation has left us feeling as if we don't matter and the money we've put into the conventions means nothing. The three of us have put a lot of time and effort into the conventions, plugging it to our friends, attending conventions (Gold for two convention and Standard for this one), buying a lot of merchandise from the auctions and dealers rooms...all we asked was for some help to ensure we were given the discount everyone else was receiving because the Hilton had messed up our booking. Maybe raising this issue on the forums isn't the best approach, but it's the only way I can think of to get the attention of Showmasters to please help me and my friends. We've done everything else we can short of calling every day and harrassing staff members for updates. That definitely is the wrong approach, and we really don't have the time. Please can you help us?

 

Thank you for listening,

~Jen

[jazz5490]

I agree with this we do understand that you can't announce someone without contracts signed we really do but it's been a long time between announcements and with the 19th looming everyones concerns are growing. We know you're about to put ET4 tickets onsale and may be looking to announce a guest with that but we all know guests can cancel so really anyone who's not already booking a ticket is very unlikely to be swayed by a single guest announcement especially with rumours that Breaking Dawn may start shooting in the fall. We do understand you have other events to run and are busy but a little reassurance would really help. We do have confidence in you SM you's have put on some great events for us in the past they were just a little more together than this at this point. We know it's been Christmas and New Year and that guests are busier, more expensive and harder to get but just a little post saying we may be very close to having some contracts signed would stop us worrying slightly.

 

Thank you.

[bl00djunkie]

at et2 we got most announcements in the last couple of weeks. so i wouldn't worry to much there.

 

as for your room i think SM stated that you needed to wait for the booking code if you wanted the discount

[cills77]

Jen,

 

I think you have voiced what we are all frustrated about really well and thanks for raising the points.

 

I know a few of us have been discussing on the forum how it would seem ET3 has been on "pause" for a while now and that we are starting to get concerned about it.

 

Hopefully your points will get a response from SM, maybe it would have been better to send this direct to them?

[jjthedq]

I wasn't told anything about a booking code. I never heard back from SM either time I contacted them. I explained the situation thoroughly to both members of staff I spoke to and neither mentioned a booking code.

 

Nicola, my only reason for posting it on the forum is so that others would be free to agree with me or disagree. I know a lot of people wouldn't necessarily voice their opinion in private to SM or post it on here. If somebody else said it first, however, others may feel able to respectfully agree or disagree without having to be the one to start it. I hope nobody mistakes this for me having a rant or trying to cause problems. My only intention was to raise some issues I felt needed addressing and allowing for people to openly disagree or agree with me. It will give SM a better idea of what people are thinking than if I'd just sent something in myself. :)

Edited January 17, 2010 by xihearttwilightx

[Jemma]

Yes we all want a guest but i do think the guests we have are worth it

After ET2 where the guest were announced in the last few weeks we have learnt to trust SM cos we got the best guests at the last minute soo just wait SM will get amazing guests even if it does happen right before the con.

You wont regret buying your ticket when you are at the con cos SM make these events amazing Just be patient and SM will hopefully announce a guest soon

[jazz5490]

It's not that we need a guest announcement now but a little we're working on some really good guests might be nice.

[jjthedq]

I guess that's the thing for me and the people I've been talking to. I'm sure the guests we have will be lovely, but it's not feeling like what we were promised with the "bigger and better". It feels pretty mediocre right now.

 

As for ET2, I think Rachelle really carried that con, and she was a last minute replacement. Her contract literally came in at the last minute. They did come through with Rachelle, but I can't help but wonder why it took so long to book her. I wonder if they just got lucky, and what the chances are of that happening again.

 

At this moment, the only thing making me look forward to the con is the fact that my friends are going to be there and it's one of the last times I'm going to see them. I'm trying very hard to keep the faith in SM, but it's pretty difficult if I'm being honest.

[dragonsanddaffodils]

Ah, there you go

 

Mr B is here and answered it for you

 

I would still like to say email/ring showmasters about your room, perhaps it just slipped through the net with them being busy

Edited January 17, 2010 by Rhianydd

[DavidB]

I do think the whole 'bigger and better' thing has meant that people are a little more disappointed this time round because their hopes have been raised. I can understand that.

 

I do also know that sadly plans don't always work out the way an organiser hopes they will, so things can change over time. I guess you get used to not getting your hopes up too much.

 

I do feel for everyone, and you're all being as patient as you can be, so hopefully ME can come on and give you an update of sorts just to reassure you a little bit. I know we always say guests will be announced when they're finalised etc and that's still true, but I'm sure if ME see that there's a little worry then they'll try to keep you in the loop.

 

So try not to argue between yourselves about 'faith' or whatever .. we're all here for the same reason, and you can express yourselves if you so wish. Just keep it reasonable, and at some point I'm sure ME will address your concerns.

[talie]

I agree with this we do understand that you can't announce someone without contracts signed we really do but it's been a long time between announcements and with the 19th looming everyones concerns are growing. We know you're about to put ET4 tickets onsale and may be looking to announce a guest with that but we all know guests can cancel so really anyone who's not already booking a ticket is very unlikely to be swayed by a single guest announcement especially with rumours that Breaking Dawn may start shooting in the fall. We do understand you have other events to run and are busy but a little reassurance would really help. We do have confidence in you SM you's have put on some great events for us in the past they were just a little more together than this at this point. We know it's been Christmas and New Year and that guests are busier, more expensive and harder to get but just a little post saying we may be very close to having some contracts signed would stop us worrying slightly.

 

Thank you.

I agree with jazz completely, so far I have LOVED SM events, and to be frank I'm not worried about the calibre of guests, charlie bewley is my main interest and he has been announced so I'm sorted.

 

It would be nice just to have a wee bit of contact from SM though cus it's like we're meant to buying et4 tickets next week and we don't even know the full plans of et3

 

This isn't be saying SHOWMASTERS YOU'RE CRAP lol just please give us a wee update just so we know you're still alive and haven't forgotten about us? haha reassurance would be nice, you know what us twi-fans are like.

[dayna]

at et2 we got most announcements in the last couple of weeks. so i wouldn't worry to much there.

 

as for your room i think SM stated that you needed to wait for the booking code if you wanted the discount

 

I agree with you totally. We also saw with the proms that guests can pull out at any moment which makes me think SM/ME are holding out as long as they can to tell us who the final guests are. Which is understandable.

 

As for the discount code, you had to wait til it was announced on the site before going ahead and booking the room which is why The Hilton probably didn't know about it at the time.

 

I have to admit though, there seems to be a lot of focus on ET4 when the priority, at the moment, should be ET3.

Edited January 17, 2010 by twilight obsessive

[cills77]

I wasn't told anything about a booking code. I never heard back from SM either time I contacted them. I explained the situation thoroughly to both members of staff I spoke to and neither mentioned a booking code.

 

Nicola, my only reason for posting it on the forum is so that others would be free to agree with me or disagree. I know a lot of people wouldn't necessarily voice their opinion in private to SM or post it on here. If somebody else said it first, however, others may feel able to respectfully agree or disagree without having to be the one to start it. I hope nobody mistakes this for me having a rant or trying to cause problems. My only intention was to raise some issues I felt needed addressing and allowing for people to openly disagree or agree with me. It will give SM a better idea of what people are thinking than if I'd just sent something in myself. :)

 

 

I agree with you, I think it would be nice to know one way or the other just so we arent all panicking over it. I was just worried that there maybe some who disagree and having seen forum fall outs before that it may happen again and I didnt want it to make you feel more upset.

[jjthedq]

Well thank you then, I appreciate that. I was a bit nervous posting this, but I figure my intent wasn't to cause a problem but rather to solve one. So far it seems like there's a good dialogue going.

 

As for the room, the thread on the forum was up announcing there was a discount before the convention and when I spoke to someone on the phone at SM, they said the Hilton should have been aware of the discount. When we booked it, the staff member did a search for discounts and said they couldn't find anything, but clearly the discount had been set up in advance of our booking, so they should've been able to sort it out. Basically we just need for someone at SM to contact the Hilton and talk to them. We spoke to a woman at the Hilton who said they couldn't change the discount for us without speaking to SM. The three of us had hoped the situation would have been sorted out a few months ago, and we just feel a bit forgotten and under-appreciated. To quote my friend, we're "walking ATMs". If SM can't find 10 minutes to phone up the Hilton and speak to them on our behalf, I don't know how much I want to spend my money at the cons.

[dragonsanddaffodils]

I dont think there will be forum fallouts over this. Dont worry

 

Everybody is intereste who the guests are, as always.

 

But, I might have missed something cos everyone says that the focus is on ET4, but SM/ME have only ever posted 2 things on the ET4 site, unless there is someting I dont know about

 

All I knew was that the agents for the guests wanted a bit more advance information of numbers and stuff so they are putting the tickets on sale early. SM/ME even bowed to requests from attendees to delay this cos didnt they originally want them to go on sale before Christmas?

 

Dont know. I cant buy for ET4 for a while anyway, so its not relevant for me yet

 

It just seems pretty normal with timing at the moment, still a month to go..............LOADS can happen in a month

 

Well thank you then, I appreciate that. I was a bit nervous posting this, but I figure my intent wasn't to cause a problem but rather to solve one. So far it seems like there's a good dialogue going.

 

As for the room, the thread on the forum was up announcing there was a discount before the convention and when I spoke to someone on the phone at SM, they said the Hilton should have been aware of the discount. When we booked it, the staff member did a search for discounts and said they couldn't find anything, but clearly the discount had been set up in advance of our booking, so they should've been able to sort it out. Basically we just need for someone at SM to contact the Hilton and talk to them. We spoke to a woman at the Hilton who said they couldn't change the discount for us without speaking to SM. The three of us had hoped the situation would have been sorted out a few months ago, and we just feel a bit forgotten and under-appreciated. To quote my friend, we're "walking ATMs". If SM can't find 10 minutes to phone up the Hilton and speak to them on our behalf, I don't know how much I want to spend my money at the cons.

 

 

Seriously! Just give them a ring! (SM/ME I mean, not the hotel)

 

I run my own business and admit that there are a couple of times that I have completely forgotten to do something I have promised to do. Its really embarassing, but it happens. Perhaps thats all it is?

 

I hope you can get it sorted

Edited January 17, 2010 by Rhianydd

[DavidB]

Yeah, I must admit phoning them until you get them will be the best approach.

 

I'm not suggesting contact attempts haven't been made in the past, but things do get lost or not read on here, and in emails etc.

[dayna]

I saw that thread too sayin there was going to be a discount code.

 

Lol Rhi it's probably just me that gets the feeling the focus is on ET4. Nah you're right they've only posted a couple of times about it but it's just that with the tickets going on sale like next week it just gives me the impression that that's where the focus lies. As I say it's probably just me ha ha.

 

Yep they originally want the tickets to go on sale before xmas and I can totally understand why they wanted to do it but shame it was crappy timing.

Edited January 17, 2010 by twilight obsessive

[dragonsanddaffodils]

I dont know, I understand people want to know, I just thought I had missed something lol

 

I have started advertising cake courses to gauge interest before I put them on now, that way I dont waste any money if people cant attend a particular date. I have even got interested people to supply dates that they can attend to try and make them easier for more people.

 

I appreciate SM/ME cant do that, lol can you imagine!

but in this current climate, all businesses have to be careful where money is spent

 

Won't be long, you'll all have a fantastic time, and will forget you were ever worried, just like proms!!!! lol

[dayna]

Ha ha ha yes just like proms!

Ooooh Rhi that's a good idea asking people what dates they could attend your courses!

[Emelso]

Yeah I agree - I think whether we want to say or not we are all worried.

 

I know we'll have a great time no matter what but a little communication would be nice - even if it's "sorry for the hold up guys but we're still working on this con so don't worry" kinda thing... :/

 

But I still have faith so please don't let me down

[dragonsanddaffodils]

OMG! Remember the stress when we had the cancellations?

 

Nobody was coming, yadda yadda yadda

[phil9290]

 

 

Lol Rhi it's probably just me that gets the feeling the focus is on ET4. Nah you're right they've only posted a couple of times about it but it's just that with the tickets going on sale like next week it just gives me the impression that that's where the focus lies. As I say it's probably just me ha ha.

 

 

 

It's not just you, I also think that. However, I'm still optimistic that we'll get some good guests for this one.

[dayna]

OMG! Remember the stress when we had the cancellations?

 

Nobody was coming, yadda yadda yadda

 

 

OMG yes . I was gutted but knew it couldn't be helped as work comes first for the actors. Oh god and Karly wouldn't talk to me for days cos Kellan had cancelled ha ha!

[jjthedq]

I think that's how most people I've spoke to are feeling, like ET3 is being pushed to the back-burner and ET4 is the main priority with ticket sales beginning much earlier than they usually do. Paired with the impression we get that there are a lot of loose ends that need sorting out (or so it appears because we haven't heard anything differently), it just seems like ET3 is almost being abandoned for ET4. I know that it's not been abandoned, it just feels a bit that way when we haven't heard anything about ET3 in a while and ET4 tickets go on sale pretty quickly. So yeah, what everyone has been saying: communication, communication, communication.

[dayna]

 

 

Lol Rhi it's probably just me that gets the feeling the focus is on ET4. Nah you're right they've only posted a couple of times about it but it's just that with the tickets going on sale like next week it just gives me the impression that that's where the focus lies. As I say it's probably just me ha ha.

 

 

 

It's not just you, I also think that. However, I'm still optimistic that we'll get some good guests for this one.

 

Oh yes I thnk we will! I'm looking at it as a good sign that we haven't heard anything in a while lol.