Wristbands or Passes?

[adriangill]

PERSONALLY IF I SEE ANYONE 'CHEATING' I'LL BE REPORTING THEM TO ONE OF THE STAFF.

I hope everyone else will follow your example

 

sorry about the caps it's just that i'm typing on a netbook and the keys are so small i can't be bothered trying to do caps in the middle of a sentence, so no agression intended.

Just stay away from any words that contain 'q', 'a', or 'z' and you will be fine

[timelord81r]

personally Im not to bothered, but the neck pass I always take off and put in my pocket anyway and take out when needed.

 

problem with wrist bands would be they would end up in most photo shoots. and what about 2 day events, we would have to sleep and shower with them, go out in the evening with them on?

 

but TBH what ever makes the con better is good for me. but id prefer something that is specific ie silver 1 or my name, but something I could take off regardless of what it is.

[adriangill]

problem with wrist bands would be they would end up in most photo shoots.

Trust you to think of that! Actually so had I. There are a few factors to take into account, what wrist you have it on in relation to what side you stand by the guest, the actual pose itself, etc. Chances are that it will be on display in some of them. Which, I must admit would be slightly annoying.

[vampirellie]

 

problem with wrist bands would be they would end up in most photo shoots. and what about 2 day events, we would have to sleep and shower with them, go out in the evening with them on?

 

 

 

i'm with you on this point

[TommyT]

ALSO ME CHECK ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE ENTERING THE HALL WHETHER YOU SEEN THEM 2 MINUTES AGO OR NOT. IT'S UP TO YOU TO MAKE SURE THERE IS TIME TO DO THIS AND NOT HAVE A LAST MINUTE RUSH.

As somebody who has worked on "door entry control" (for want of a better phrase) at numerous different types of events over a number of years (but never for SM/ME, I should point out), I can assure you that asking everybody to check their pass every time they go in and out will not only slow proceedings down considerably, it will also get you abuse (or at least sharp comments) from people calling you a "little Hitler" or a "petty barsteward" etc, and I can guarantee that ill-feeling and complaints would almost certainly overflow onto here during or after the event. Whereas conversely you can see a particular-coloured wristband simply with no delay in most if not all cases. Obviously if people are going to abuse a pass system as to make checking everybody every time a necessity, then be prepared for it to take longer to get ready for a session, and for some people to start moaning about being treated like they're in a prison camp... It's a fine line for Mr TooTall and his crew to balance "security" (or at least fairness, in ensuring that people only get what they've paid for) with trying to be as relaxed and unobtrusive and easygoing with the level of checking for the good vibe of the event. After all, nobody wants to feel like they're subjected to airport security checks every time they come in the room. Well not unless you've got a strange fetish for that sort of thing

[dragonsanddaffodils]

I have worked the talks at ME cons, and to be honest, when someone is coming back into the room I have glanced at their passes to see where they go, BUT it is SO hard to see what it says in a dark room if they come back in the middle of the talk.

 

Just to hold their wrist out and have a different colour for each will be so much better

 

Unfortunately Timelord, ME dont want you to be able to take it off because that is where the problems come in.

 

Whynot have it on the wrist that you would hold behind the guest in the photo? All the passes I had to ask people to remove at Hub cos they were still wearing them, and you get a glare off the passes in the photos or even off the chain, we wont get that with the wristband

 

Yes, I can see the point with it in the evening with your outfit/costume, but if ME are tightening up anyway, that would mean you would have a visible pass with every outfit instead.

 

From my point of view, a wristband is a lovely reminder of having attended the con, and if I had my way, I wouldnt have taken mine off after Reading, but it is not hygienic making wedding cakes with the wristband still on

[adriangill]

Whynot have it on the wrist that you would hold behind the guest in the photo?

The problem with that is you don't know which side of the guest you are stood on until you go in, and then it varies from guest to guest.

[timelord81r]

I have worked the talks at ME cons, and to be honest, when someone is coming back into the room I have glanced at their passes to see where they go, BUT it is SO hard to see what it says in a dark room if they come back in the middle of the talk.

 

Just to hold their wrist out and have a different colour for each will be so much better

 

Unfortunately Timelord, ME dont want you to be able to take it off because that is where the problems come in.

 

Whynot have it on the wrist that you would hold behind the guest in the photo? All the passes I had to ask people to remove at Hub cos they were still wearing them, and you get a glare off the passes in the photos or even off the chain, we wont get that with the wristband

 

Yes, I can see the point with it in the evening with your outfit/costume, but if ME are tightening up anyway, that would mean you would have a visible pass with every outfit instead.

 

From my point of view, a wristband is a lovely reminder of having attended the con, and if I had my way, I wouldnt have taken mine off after Reading, but it is not hygienic making wedding cakes with the wristband still on

 

which wrist would depend on what side the guests are in the photo ;-) it varies from con to con

 

I mean how much corruption is there at these cons? do ppl really try and copy passes? surely its hard to copy the passes they had at the hub for example? not knowing what they would look like before hand. would take an inside job to copy them.

 

I could understand perhaps for a collectormania as so many are just entry tickets and its hard to control the ins and outs. but at a ME con there isnt that much traffic and the entry ticket comes with stuff.

 

I mean im not all against wrist bands but id prefer what ever it was for it not to be unremovable, for example at the hub i met up with an old mate the sat night and went out drinking, if I had a pink hub wrist band on id of looked a little silly ;-)

 

although id prefer what ever it is not to be permanent, i can understand a sealable wrist band being preferred by organizers at a CM in place of the stamp. but at a ME con, I wouldnt of thought it was necessary?

 

the more I think about it, personally I wouldnt want to be wearing a wrist band in a photo shoot or out and about after the con.

 

is it being tried out at ET then?

[Too Tall]

Whynot have it on the wrist that you would hold behind the guest in the photo?

The problem with that is you don't know which side of the guest you are stood on until you go in, and then it varies from guest to guest.

Two things here.

 

1: Most of the photos that I see from our photoshoots are head and shoulder only shots. So you can't see peoples hands anyway.

2: If you're that worried about it why not just wear long sleeves. Just a thought.

[dragonsanddaffodils]

Timelord, I dont know about copying of passes, I was more referring to the swapping of passes to get people into talks in better positions etc.

 

Yes, it is for ET4, not this con.

[Too Tall]

Timelord,

 

It's not about them being faked it's about people swapping them. To stop this they HAVE TO BE NON-REMOVABLE.

 

They are not going to be pink. I think you're now just coming up with reasons not to like it.

 

Yes we are trying them at ET4.

Edited October 19, 2010 by Too Tall

[timelord81r]

Whynot have it on the wrist that you would hold behind the guest in the photo?

The problem with that is you don't know which side of the guest you are stood on until you go in, and then it varies from guest to guest.

Two things here.

 

1: Most of the photos that I see from our photoshoots are head and shoulder only shots. So you can't see peoples hands anyway.

2: If you're that worried about it why not just wear long sleeves. Just a thought.

 

lol head and shoulder with you and me means not much guest lol, waist up from the guest is usually better for me, one of these days i must speak with malcolm about that, but I hate to bother him as he has so many shoots to do I cant really expect him to change for one person. but alas I digress. lol, I usually put my arm around the guest so a wrist band would normally show. but if thats how it needs to be then ok.

 

Timelord, I dont know about copying of passes, I was more referring to the swapping of passes to get people into talks in better positions etc.

 

Yes, it is for ET4, not this con.

 

oh I see, like a silver giving there pass to a friend for the talk and taking it back for the autos, but they would miss the talk? or at the least wouldnt mean anyone there who didnt pay, just some in different places. anyway sneaky buggers. that sort of thing never crossed my mind,

 

 

Timelord,

 

It's not about them being faked it's about people swapping them. To stop this they HAVE TO BE NON-REMOVABLE.

 

They are not going to be pink. I think you're now just coming up with reasons not to like it.

 

Yes we are trying them at ET4.

 

 

cool, didnt realize that problem existed, sorry.

 

lol pink was just an exaggerated example ;-)

 

 

 

 

TooTall, would they come into play for entertainment media and CM shows? I guess it might be a good control method for those but costly given the numbers.

Edited October 19, 2010 by timelord81r

[Too Tall]

No it's for ME events only.

 

With a possible 15000 people through the doors per day that would cost about £12000, I think that money would be better spent on guests And then there's the time to put them on. It just wouldn't be viable.

[adriangill]

Two things here.

 

1: Most of the photos that I see from our photoshoots are head and shoulder only shots. So you can't see peoples hands anyway.

2: If you're that worried about it why not just wear long sleeves. Just a thought.

Of course - doh! You are correct of course!

 

I just had a quick look at my 150'ish photoshoots. Only 5 have a wrist on view due to it being a portrait shot, or there being a handshake involved. With most of the female guests you can see my hand but even with the smallest guest there is still no wrist on view. Most of the male guests are bulkier and you can't even see my hand.

 

Long sleeves is a good suggestion which I would have done if your first point hadn't proved that it's not required .

 

Thanks

[owlpost1992]

I really don't like the idea of not being able to take off a wrist band, I have a T In The Park one and it gets everywhere, have almost set fire to myself cooking while wearing it and its taken me a right why to adjust and get use to it. Also, wrist bands act like a marker being gigs/concerts/festivals rather then cons (at least any good one).

 

Also, if I leave the con for any reason, it'd ruin my outfit and most likely crumble in the shower if its paper based.

[Purple_Vamp]

KEV!

 

Angie is misbehaving again!

 

Ya loves me really! :)

[Too Tall]

I really don't like the idea of not being able to take off a wrist band, I have a T In The Park one and it gets everywhere, have almost set fire to myself cooking while wearing it and its taken me a right why to adjust and get use to it. Also, wrist bands act like a marker being gigs/concerts/festivals rather then cons (at least any good one).

 

Also, if I leave the con for any reason, it'd ruin my outfit and most likely crumble in the shower if its paper based.

As has been said they are cloth based.

[kelspook]

Have to say that as a cosplayer I am solidly against this idea. I have, like quite a few other people, spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money on putting together screen accurate costumes. A non-removable wristband would totally wreck the look of the costumes.

 

At all the massive events I've gone to we've just showed our passes at the door. Why not simply make it clear that if you don't have your pass, you don't get in? Then people would have nobody to blame but themselves if they left thier pass in the room/upstairs etc.

 

TommyT- I haven't witnessed anyone getting called anything for asking to see passes.

 

Anyhow, as I said, totally, TOTALLY against the idea of having something stuck on my wrist that I can't take off for three days and that'll be seen in many of the photos we costumers do- we often recreate publicity shots etc when a group of us get togethr, and those aren't simply head and shoulders portraits.

[Queen_Sindel]

At all the massive events I've gone to we've just showed our passes at the door. Why not simply make it clear that if you don't have your pass, you don't get in? Then people would have nobody to blame but themselves if they left thier pass in the room/upstairs etc.

 

The losing or forgetting isn't as much of a problem as the swapping as it seems.

 

TommyT- I haven't witnessed anyone getting called anything for asking to see passes.

 

I've never witnessed anything at ME shows either, but yeah, there've been plenty of other occassions I've seen it happen.

[Purple]

My two-penn'orth:

Just from an aesthetic point of view, I much prefer a pass - it looks more substantial, more serious and has enough space to tie in with the imagery of the event, and looks really good hung up afterwards! A friend saw my Hub2 pass hanging on my door and it started a conversation about cons in general, which he didn't know about before. (Plus, the other end of the chain makes an excellent watch-chain for my stopwatch, although I could always use an old one if wristbands are brought in.)

 

My costume shirts are long-sleeved, but a band would have showed up on most of the photos I took last time. Like Kelspook said, if we do photos in costume then a band would be detrimental. I assume, please correct me if I'm wrong, that only way to get the wristbands off will be to cut them? Hope they're showerproof then...if bands are the way go then they are, but I do really prefer the passes that are currently used.

 

Sad that selfish behaviour by a small minority of what I would guess to be a different fandom has had this fallout.

 

Jay

[owlpost1992]

So the problem is person x with a gold pass swaps with person y with, say a silver, either to get certain autos/photos quicker or a better seat at the talks. Now this much I don't see as a problem, both have paid and if they swap at photos/autos no-one's losing out, as they long as they get the one auto/photo each and don't try and get a second for free, and either way the queue isn't increasing/decreasing by one. Is there not an auto/photo booklet to tick off for all cons or was it just the Hubs? (this is my first proper non Hub con)

 

As for talks, how about not letting anyone in without a pass no matter what, saves on having problems of seating issues and seeing as we now have designated gold/silver areas how about a member of crew at the edge of each one checking only those tickets can go to a certain area? I'm pretty certain I had my pass checked for gold seating every time I sat down at one of the previous Hubs, although I've also had my seat nicked with stuff on it.

 

Just saying, there are always ways around it.

[DavidB]

People have paid for the specific tickets, so of course it's a problem if they're abusing it to get stuff they shouldn't be.

 

"Both have paid" really isn't the right way to look at it at all.

[owlpost1992]

If person x and y know each other and decided to do it and NEITHER are profiting by getting anything extra except things done quickly, then how is is a problem HOW they do it, I mean with the exception of getting an extra auto/photo by blagging which in fairness can't be done because you need those little booklets its not really hurting anyone because you still have the same queue in front of you for auto/photos and just a quick pass check to be allowed into the halls.

 

OK, so what is the right way to look at it, from what I've seen, its only the hall talks that have been the major problem no-one has thus far mentioned photos/autos and getting extra but only quicker.

 

All I can see is a talk problem and a time lag problem if both parties get what they paid for.

[DavidB]

As has been stated by Too Tall, there are numerous ways that people are abusing the system, and to be honest I can't see why any attendee would want to support anyone doing it.

 

I've seen a number of people taking complete advantage of it, and personally I find it way out of line.

 

I don't think anyone should be saying it's ok.

[Too Tall]

As David has said there are quite a few ways in which we KNOW that people have miss used the badges. As I said before I'm not going to list them all as I'm not going to give everyone a list of ways to bypass the current system. Some of them no one on here has mentioned, so I'm not going to list them so extra people can start doing it. I hope that makes sense.

 

Just trust us that at a big event like ET it is a big enough issue for us to feel we need to stop it. It does not happen any where near as much at the smaller events because the advantages as much smaller.

 

At the end of the day, some people abuse the badge system. We are looking at solving that issue. You may not see the issues or feel the effects are any problem to you and that's fine. But we do see a problem and we are the ones that get the complaints from the rule abiding attendees that don't like it when people are abusing the systems put in place to make our shows fair for everyone.