Passes Idea....

[dayna]

I was reading though this thread, we could always get like a passport photo and stick it on the back off our passes.

 

I didnt antend the con btw, but I thought to say something in this thread.

I was thinking a similar thing. But what do you do when people turn up on the day and say....

My cat eat mine this morning.

It wouldn't surprise me if my cat ate mine lol!

Apologies if this has already been said buuut what about if we were to wear the type of wrist bands you wear in hospital (saying that, I've not been to hospital in a few years so maybe it's all changed now lol)/ to gigs? Orrr a temporarily water resistant stamp? Although an experiment might have to be done before hand lol.

[adriangill]

Just a thought but surely you can't have Gold with neck passes and Standard with a wrist pass. What is to stop a standard removing the wrist pass then just 'borrowing' a gold pass to get what they want, i.e. into a auto/photo queue earlier , of further forward in the talks ('ooo I left my pass on my seat' etc).

 

Everyone needs to have the same type of pass for it to work I would have thought.

 

Although thinking about it ironically it may work if Gold have a non removable wrist pass and standard a neck pass

[ghostlydreamer]

Just a thought but surely you can't have Gold with neck passes and Standard with a wrist pass. What is to stop a standard removing the wrist pass then just 'borrowing' a gold pass to get what they want, i.e. into a auto/photo queue earlier , of further forward in the talks ('ooo I left my pass on my seat' etc).

 

Everyone needs to have the same type of pass for it to work I would have thought.

 

Although thinking about it ironically it may work if Gold have a non removable wrist pass and standard a neck pass

 

If the standard removed their wristband they then wouldnt be able to do anything unless they borrowed someone elses pass. Unless a gold member was willing to give up all their time slots etc then I think cutting of a standard wristband would come back to haunt them later!

[xlorix]

People keep saying they miss the passes because they were good souvenirs, why not stick with the wristbands (which do their job alot better than passes would) and make the passes an "optional extra" to buy in the online shop beforehand in the same way the tshirts were available?

 

Some people might not be happy with the wristbands but they are hardly not going to come because of it, and if people have an actual reason why they cannot wear one they can be dealt with on the day in the same way they were this year?

 

Just my opinion

Edited October 27, 2010 by TheVampireGirl

[Too Tall]

Just a thought but surely you can't have Gold with neck passes and Standard with a wrist pass. What is to stop a standard removing the wrist pass then just 'borrowing' a gold pass to get what they want, i.e. into a auto/photo queue earlier , of further forward in the talks ('ooo I left my pass on my seat' etc).

 

Everyone needs to have the same type of pass for it to work I would have thought.

 

Although thinking about it ironically it may work if Gold have a non removable wrist pass and standard a neck pass

 

If the standard removed their wristband they then wouldnt be able to do anything unless they borrowed someone elses pass. Unless a gold member was willing to give up all their time slots etc then I think cutting of a standard wristband would come back to haunt them later!

They could just hide it up a sleeve though. We're not going to check the arms of every Gold Pass holder to see if they have a wristband on.

[adriangill]

What about having the seating seperated by those rope or metal barrier thingies? Like having the standard seating seperated from the gold/silver. They wouldnt take up much space and would only have to be managed but like 3 crew members throughout the talks, one each end and one in the middle... obviously when first loading the hall it would take more crew as it does now. But if you leave then the crew members would check your pass when you return to let you in. That way nobody who isnt entitled to sit in those sections could get in! Just an idea, not sure if it could work but maybe combining the two ideas of wristbands for standards etc with the barriers its worth a try

You would need crew sat at the by the Gold section as well, to stop any potential Silver moving forward. Otherwise the implication is that only Standard try and move forward which may or may not be the case.

 

I have seen crew 'guard' the sections when loading the hall but generally they vanish after a certain amount of time. I would guss to have a well deserved break!

 

Edit: Assuming everyone has neck passes you would need more than one crew member at each point. One to be there permanently. Another (or more) to go back with people, who have left their pass on their seat and check that.

Edited October 27, 2010 by 1of2

[Eleanor]

No pass system can be completely infallible and it would always require the vigilance of crew members and attendees to make it successful.

 

I didn't mind the wristbands in the end, I liked that the crew could do a quick 'arm raise' check between talks, though where the numbers were stitched into my band it did start to fray halfway through the weekend.

 

I also never knew there was an issue with the wristbands having to be on the left wrist, as I wear my watch on the right, so for me having them on my watch wearing wrist would have been much more annoying!

[dragonsanddaffodils]

The crew are probably around the edges of the hall somewhere when the hall is loaded.

 

 

Makes you so sleepy standing for about 3 hours in the dark watching out for people jumping places or people filming etc I have ended up stood leaning against the doors so I could still see accross the room (bit embarassing when someone opens the door though lol)

 

I am not sure the barriers would work as they could possibly obscure peoples view of the talks, and I wouldnt want to try to evacuate the hall in a hurry if there was a fire alarm if there were barriers everywhere.

 

Does make you appreciate Too Talls dedication to his job though

Edited October 27, 2010 by Rhianydd

[Manklin]

The crew are probably around the edges of the hall somewhere when the hall is loaded.

 

 

Makes you so sleepy standing for about 3 hours in the dark watching out for people jumping places or people filming etc I have ended up stood leaning against the doors so I could still see accross the room (bit embarassing when someone opens the door though lol)

 

I am not sure the barriers would work as they could possibly obscure peoples view of the talks, and I wouldnt want to try to evacuate the hall in a hurry if there was a fire alarm if there were barriers everywhere.

 

Does make you appreciate Too Talls dedication to his job though

 

Agreed Rhi, maybe the threat of, if you are found to be misusing the pass you are entitled to you will be ejected from the convention,you would only have to catch one person doing it and hopefully all others would see that it is just not worth it, bit harsh you may say, but it is the minority spoiling it for the majority

[Tracy Jane]

 

I have seen crew 'guard' the sections when loading the hall but generally they vanish after a certain amount of time. I would guss to have a well deserved break!

 

 

That's something that was definitely different this weekend. At least on the Sunday. There were members of crew in the hall at all times, checking anyone scurrying in or moving seats and doing wristband checks in between every talk. Wristbands made it quick and easy to do.

 

However, the checks would be far easier and quicker if there were 2 or 3 more crew in the hall.

[queen-of-hearts]

i loved the wristbands unfortunatly in my drunken state i apparently went for a shower and musta pulled the metal bit off cos i didint wanna get it wet (i dont remember going for a shower) felt awful cos i couldnt get it back on and had to go and speak to the reception! so now i have to tie it on!!!

[adriangill]

That's something that was definitely different this weekend. At least on the Sunday. There were members of crew in the hall at all times, checking anyone scurrying in or moving seats and doing wristband checks in between every talk. Wristbands made it quick and easy to do.

 

However, the checks would be far easier and quicker if there were 2 or 3 more crew in the hall.

Ah, I was basing it on previous ME events. I wasn't at this one. Edited October 27, 2010 by 1of2

[Tracy Jane]

Ah, I was basing it on previous ME events. I wasn't at this one.

 

I know, that's why I was saying :)

 

Speaking of other events, do I get the pleasure of meeting your good self at Chevron?

[adriangill]

I know, that's why I was saying :)

 

Speaking of other events, do I get the pleasure of meeting your good self at Chevron?

I will be at Chevron - Silver 2 (haven't missed on yet!). Also Hallowhedon - Gold 8. So if you spot me - please say hello. I will probably be wearing plain black t-shirts both days (standard issue photoshoot gear) similar to what can be spotted on most of my photoshoot images I have posted

[gemma85]

Overall we are 50/50 on the wristbands. They did work well if put on correctly (mine was so loose, a good fling of my arm and off it flew, had to tie the end's around my bracelet) Seemed to work well when getting photos, none of this having to hide the chain passes out the way for the pic or swapping the pass for friends to get in on a shoot they werent called for but I gotta say in the talks thats where we saw an issue.

Once the lights went off, people were moving up into empty seats because crew wouldnt have seen. Plus when the crew asked to hold our arms up, they were literally scanning. People could have been sunk down in chairs with no arm up and they wouldnt have nessacarily been seen because they were just looking at the wave of wrists flapping about. Unless they went up and checked everybody one by one, there is never going to be a way to fully stop cheeky people from pulling a fast one in the talks.

 

I think the proposal of gold/silver having a pass and standard's a wristband is a good idea but still not absolute in stopping these problems if for some reason the band isnt put on properly. I think ME are in a no win situation. We want to stop swapping and seat stealing but in this case the alternative solution to that is also as a whole, not popular, so what else can be done? Unless you physically have way more crew to manage every single row in the talks and repeatedly check them like every 10 minutes, I think we will be hard pressed to find a perfect solution.

 

What about having the seating seperated by those rope or metal barrier thingies? Like having the standard seating seperated from the gold/silver. They wouldnt take up much space and would only have to be managed but like 3 crew members throughout the talks, one each end and one in the middle... obviously when first loading the hall it would take more crew as it does now. But if you leave then the crew members would check your pass when you return to let you in. That way nobody who isnt entitled to sit in those sections could get in! Just an idea, not sure if it could work but maybe combining the two ideas of wristbands for standards etc with the barriers its worth a try

As far as people hiding from the check. That's where other attendees come in. If you see someone hiding during a check, point at them, let the crew know they are there.

 

Of course attendees should help out when they can, I did, on numerous occasions. But sometimes its not always easy for folk to get to a crew member, particularly if you in the middle of a row and the halls lights are off. , Plus some attendees might not have the confidence to "rat somebody out" as it were. I for one had no problem in telling people that seats were taken, asking them to move or notifying crew but not everybody would feel as comfortable with that unfortunately.

 

As far as I am concerned, I dont think there will ever be a perfect solution to these problems as I previously mentioned. Personally, I liked the wristbands and certainly dont oppose the use of them again. Didnt really have much of an issue with them in the first place...as I said the only prob I had was that it was on so loose that I could take it off, which i think was kinda deafeating the point

 

In the matter of rails or barriers, yeah I guess they could be an issue in case of a fire drill or emergency. Although I wouldnt have thought two rows in different places of the hall would cause that much obstruction but safety certainly isnt a subject to take lightly.

As for visually obstructing, i dont really see how they could block someones view as they arent THAT high. Regarding the number of crew it would take to manage them, it wouldnt have to be the same crew members for the whole afternoon of talks. Crew could switch for each talk, taking the standing around in the dark from like 3 hours to 45 mins.

Plus I never meant to insinuate it was ONLY standards causing these issues, but from what we heard during the course of the weekend, at Hallowhedon last year and Bitten too, it was suggested it was mostly standards that got seen doing it.

 

As I said in my original post, its a problem with no clear answer. People want these issues fixed but some oppose the new system for what ever reasons. I feel for ME in regards to this situation, because they will never win

 

I think the only way to fully stop anything like this happening again is to have alot more crew there which at the end of the day is not something that can fixed easily if at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I have seen crew 'guard' the sections when loading the hall but generally they vanish after a certain amount of time. I would guss to have a well deserved break!"

 

But there in lies another problem, if the crew go off for what would be most definately a well deserved break, then how can other attendees find them to notify of seat stealers & mover uppers?

 

There will always be someone on hand somewhere in the room, yes but if your the other side or the crew are behind further down the hall, you cant sit there waving your arms about to get their attention because folk would then moan that THAT attendee is getting in their way!

 

Its never gunna be an issue that can be fully eradicated.

Edited October 28, 2010 by gemma85

[rayray_x]

I'm thinking keep the wristbands and have the passes as an option to buy alongside the t shirts?

[Beechy08]

At first I wasn't happy with the thought of a wristband but came around to the idea.

 

Only 2 little things that bugged me about them:

1) The dangly bit that was left when they put the metal bit on - just got in the way all weekend but I didnt want to trim it because then the crests would be lost at either end.

2) Didnt really like the ribbon material, especially when getting out of the shower and it was stuck to my skin for a while. Proper cloth ones like Glasto would have been preferable.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Beechy

[Purple_Vamp]

I was definitely in the room all through the talks on the Saturday - the only problem being I didn't have a Crew t-shirt on at that particular time (didn't have a red one), so it wouldn't have been clear to anyone who didn't know that I was crew.