Hallowhedon 2 feedback thread

[peridot]

i) The people: Wow!!!! I met some really great people and they made it for me. The celebs were great but tbh it was a relief when we could kick back and relax after they had gone for the night. Sat up till 4am being loud and annoying because we didn't want it to end. (if you were one of those people get in touch as I don't have all the names, did you make it to breakfast?)

 

 

Nope didn't make it to breakfast at 6, the last ones went to bed at around 4:30 I think, but it was a very funny night we had.

 

Kim

[Elfriniel]

I found it a little bit irritating that they were being guided around by staff constantly, and followed by huge groups of people. Think they might have relaxed a little if they had been left to their own devices.

Safety of the guests is paramount, and I think it's a great idea to have them attend but feel a little more in control by having the staff with them.

 

 

Oh I totally agree on the safety part, but security were standing back a little, it was the event staff and fans that seemed to crowd the most.

The security guys are there just for that, the physical security of the guests.

 

The crew being there is to help the guests feel emotionally secure. The guests know the crew are there to handle any uncomfortable situations for them.

 

I was there too and at no point did any crew member stop an attendee talking to the guests. But they were there to help the guest if they were being swamped or someone was monopolising their time. If attendees are polite and fair and so come up and see the guest, ask a couple of questions and go, the fact that the crew are there will never effect them. The crew will only get involved if someone (or a group) starts being unfair and starts to swamp or try and monopolize the guests time.

 

It can be very uncomfortable for the guests if someone starts to monopolize them and they don't want to annoy or embarrass anyone. So if the crew see it happening they will step in and politely remove the guest from that situation.

 

The crew were there to help it be fair to everyone, not stop anyone. I hope that makes sense.

 

Stuart.

 

 

That makes perfect sense, and I don't think the crew were stopping the guests, just maybe cramped their style a little, and it was mostly certain attendees who wanted to monopolise the guests and just followed them everywhere. But again, its only a small moan, wonderful event :)

[chosen108]

My convention all in all very enjoyable i enjoyed all talks commentary fantastic ..the crew were friendly I loved Alan friday night he went round talking to guests and stephanie amazing on the wine reception shaking people hand and asking our names..

 

my point of view i wont be going to hallowhedon 3 next year i spent alot on gold ticket but now i wondering why apart from t-shirt and mug the reception was good but again overcrowded and hard hear but i think crew were good in making sure those who were at the front moved to the back so everyone got there turn.. the drinks were good also!!

 

i think my crtiscim was the security over guest i know you need protect guests thats fine but i went to the toilet and two separate occassions and for two separate time the crew guarding guest in toilet with security outside which was bit intimdating as they may you feel like you doing something wrong..on friday the guests were there for short time and were getting crowded which is shame for people who stay out way..

 

i didnt go sat party as costume didnt go plan so stayed away ..sunday i woulda like guests stay afterwards but soon as it was closing cemory they were rushed into cars and gone ..again didnt stand outside to crowd them

 

 

the quiz great think that team i was sitting team winning team shoulda got a prize!!!

 

I got angel poker chip as seen on tv from audition thou got it woulda like something to show its off the show..

 

I went with family member and from my own pov we didnt meet anyone new it seemed like everyone knew each other from last year so little dissapointed

 

i did enjoy it loads much to my comments and got to meet guests never met before

[ChrisR]

One other suggestion I'd like to make for future events - get some better backdrops for the photos. Those awful 60s tie-dye bedsheets have to go! Can we have something a bit more fitting for the event next time - maybe a graveyard, interior of Serenity or something similar? Or [if changing them over is too difficult] just a plain light-coloured background. Or is it only me - and my girlfriend - who dislikes the backdrops?

[fivebyfivefaith]

The live commentary was a great touch- as was the quiz.

 

Disappointed by lack of lanyard/delay in tags- this seems like a small thing, but was a real nuisance.

 

Huge difference from last year was the lack of drinks offers/clearly displayed prices at the bar. I think a lot of people held off from the parties due to the prices. Is there any way to negotiate some drinks offers with the hotel?

 

Friday night party was a little on the boring side- there was nothing outside the main hall to do. The karaoke/roulette tables last year were good. It's not really enough to just open the bar and say 'here you go, here's your party'- there needs to be more attractions hired in. I loved the attention to detail, and the decoration last year- I guess you set your standards pretty high!

 

Questions in talks were much better this year.

 

All in all, I can't wait till next year. I hated going home, and back to work! Thanks to all staff- you did a fantastic job.

[Sazzzy]

I also wasnt inpressed with the no layards but as mark apologised theres nothing else much that can be done so fair enough on that.

 

i thought the guests were amazing! absolutely hillarious! i didnt get to see most of the saturday party as we had an issue (which again the hotel staff were USELESS with) but i enjoyed the friday and it was fun to mooch around in my jammies on the sunday

 

i thought the talks and quiz went really well, i thoughjt photos n autos went well too.. i did have an issue in the alan photoshoot but i got it made up to me on the sat night so all is well :)

 

must say the commentry on band candy made my weekend, u HAVE to do that again, hillarious.

 

alll in all i had a wiked weekend.

[dragontattoo]

The guests were absolutely brilliant, so friendly and down to earth - they really made the weekend.

 

We went Silver this year as we were standard last year and felt like there wasn't much to do between autographs and whilst waiting for the talks.

We're glad we went Silver as the reserved seating area was good to get a better view (for the most part) of the talks, and the photos being included in the price was good to get an extra minute with each guest, a photo with them (nice keepsake from/of the event) and helped filled the day a bit more. The only slight issue was with scheduling, photo shoots at the same time as autographs which was a bit awkward but worked ok luckily - there were a few moments where we thought we weren't going to get a couple of autos, but we did.

 

It's good how the talks are filmed so if there's someone tall infront, or if you're far back in the hall, you can still see the guests on the TVs, however both this and last year, we found that who ever is in charge of the camera tends to focus on just one guest in a joint talk sometimes, so we miss the other guest's reaction or response, which is quite annoying - why not just keep the camera on both guests rather than moving from one to the other?

 

Like many other people, the silly 'non-questions' are a bit redundant. It's awkward when you feel bad for the guests when they look either annoyed or like they don't know how to answer the question.

 

I could be completely wrong but it sometimes seems like the man asking the questions over the microphone isn't completely interested in the guest's answers? It's kind of off putting, and I sometimes hoped that the guests wouldn't also think the same. (Nothing personal obviously - he seemed friendly enough, maybe he's just not a Whedon fan and he's just doing a job. Same as the other man who did the auction - both years (definitely last year) 'Josh' and 'Dollshouse' were mentioned more than once... just you'd think a bit company like ME/SM should know more about their 'product'...)

 

Anyway, my main issue is that whilst a handful of the crew were really friendly, helpful and informative, there were a lot who were really unapproachable - especially the woman (sorry I don't know names) who is at the registration desk. She is *so* completely and utterly miserable and unfriendly it's unbelievable. We spend a lot of money coming to these events, taking time off work, to go to an enjoyable event, and the first person we come across (both years) is in a constant bad mood. I have no idea what the issue is, but maybe it'd be a bit nicer to have a friendlier face as the first person you meet at the event, to get everyone off to go a happy start? It certainly puts a downer on the event to be honest.

 

Also, we wanted to buy one more autograph for Alan on the Sunday as we'd bought an awesome 10x8 in the dealer's room of him and Eliza together, and forgot to buy the extra autograph ticket to get it signed. We asked a crew member in the hall if we could go buy another ticket quickly, were told yes - dashed out to buy one, one crew member at the desk seemed to think we could, but that same cheery woman mentioned above grumped about having closed up and how it wasn't possible anymore. I don't see how difficult it would've been, but she was determined to not give us the autograph ticket. (You'd think a business would be happy to take more money) Anyway, we went back in the hall to join the open queue for Stephanie to ticket my photo with her signed as I didn't have chance the day before obviously, only to find the woman who denied us an extra Alan autograph, join Alan's queue with a massive handful of photos for him to sign - along with a bunch of other crew members, each with their own bundles of photos.

This is my biggest gripe about the event. Staff were coming and going, holding up the queues for attendees constantly with bundles of photos being signed (assuming either for ebay or next year's auctions, as I can't see why you'd need that many un-personalised autographs from the same guest). I understand crew get their own stuff signed, but *that* much - and especially after being told we couldn't buy *one* autograph? Just comes across as bad customer service.

 

Also I asked a crew member if Stephanie could write a quote (just 3 words) and was told 'no'. (There was no queue behind me - only a few people.) I asked another (friendly) crew member and she said she didn't know why this would be - she wasn't aware of not being able to.

 

Some of the crew just come across as very arrogant and 'privileged'. For example, I was walking from the main hall towards the dealer's room, and one crew member waved his hand at me (without saying a word) telling me to move over - I immediately did so, assuming I was in the way of someone in a wheelchair or something, only to find that no, it was another crew member, running back to the desk to get more photos to be signed. Oh and I didn't get an apology or a thank you. It was just rude.

 

Oh and it's probably not a Hallowhedon thing, more a Thistle thing, but there was no vegetarian food at the lunch. I mean yeah, the jacket potatoes served last year were stodgy and awful, but at least it was better than greasy burgers or chips which might not have even been veggie friendly.

 

Can't comment on the parties as we didn't go - we managed to total our car on the way down to Hallowhedon from Glasgow on the Friday morning, so we were pretty sore and tired from that, so stayed in the hotel once we were done with the day's events.

 

Oh one more thing - the auction is fun, but maybe the items could all be displayed before hand, or even given item numbers and photos of the items posted online or something - something a bit more like a proper auction. It's easier for us all to decide if we wanted to spend our money on something early on in the auction or save to spend on something different later in it. (Also you might get more money from it yourselves).

 

The screening with commentary was a brilliant idea btw - it worked really well and was something different. Definitely a great idea.

 

There were a few organisation issues such as the quiz - great idea, but maybe have it with just the guests next time? Also, organise the whole thing better, so the questions/answers are correct, and so everyone knows what they have to do rather than be confused...

 

Anyway sorry this was a long message, but I hope it makes sense. The event as a whole was really enjoyable, and we've got great memories from it, but just some of the things during the event made us wonder if we will bother coming back next year. The guests were absolutely brilliant, and we are really glad we came to Hallowhedon (minus losing our car) so thank you for a great weekend, but the negative bits put a bit of a downer on the whole thing. Thank goodness for the friendly guests. :)

 

 

 

Oh also, I don't know what happened with the lanyards - I see people have mentioned something was said in the opening ceremony, but we missed it and the woman at reception didn't explain anything, just said something about we're 'lucky we've even got the passes at this stage'.

It was annoying having to carry the card around along with everything else, and kept misplacing it, but from what I can see it was an accident, so obviously human nature - accidents happen.

 

One other query - with the crew bidding for things, was that for personal use or perhaps bidding the auctions up a bit? Possibly being a bit cynical (hopefully). Just curious. A lot of the stuff auctioned this year seemed to be repeats from last year? Oh also a bit more organisation with that would be good - we heard a lot of people saying that they 'didn't bid that much' etc - which is what happened to us last year - we won a signed 10x8 and got charged more than we had won the auction for, which kind of put us off bidding for anything this year.

[fivebyfivefaith]

One thing that did slightly concern me, was that the guests didn't seem entirely sure about the process/what was expected of them. The opening ceremony was a little odd (largely due to Romanov!) but guests perhaps needed more prompting.

 

Also, I loved the quiz, and appreciate that something this big was difficult to organise. But there was a lot of waiting time. I don't think the audience needed to contribute for every question. Robin and Jewel's reaction to the acting out part, and Alan's about the pictionary, made me a little uneasy. I know they took it in good humour, but I got the feeling they weren't entirely comfortable with what they had to do, or weren't sure about it. Might be just my interpretation though.

 

 

 

 

This is my biggest gripe about the event. Staff were coming and going, holding up the queues for attendees constantly with bundles of photos being signed (assuming either for ebay or next year's auctions, as I can't see why you'd need that many un-personalised autographs from the same guest). I understand crew get their own stuff signed, but *that* much - and especially after being told we couldn't buy *one* autograph? Just comes across as bad customer service.

 

 

 

I agree- We were really held up by staff with massive piles of photos/plates etc

Edited November 1, 2010 by fivebyfivefaith

[laurajones]

The convention was awesomeness, I had the time of my life! A few points, good and bad:

 

Lanyards - think that's been covered

 

Guests - they were all just amazing, Robin is my new smutlord and Stephanie is as mad as a box of frogs! Alan giving out gifts was a really lovely gesture, as a relative con virgin I didn't realise this was not the norm, a thoughtful touch.

 

Guest talks - all very entertaining, good questions and great MCing, pitched just at the right level.

 

Hotel - this was pretty dire, the staff really didn't want to make any effort. The rooms were tiny, if I hadn't been sharing with my sister I think I'd have felt pretty uncomfortable sleeping that close to someone! The bar shutting at midnight was terrible and effectively ended the parties, did nobody warn them a few drinkers were coming? But as it's moving next year I guess these are moot points.

 

Screening/commentary - a genius idea, I really enjoyed that and haven't laughed so hard in ages!

 

Quiz - thoroughly entertaining, I had thought we'd all just sit there with pieces of paper answering questions, so was a very pleasant surprise to see the guests taking part!

 

Guest encounters - the one I attended (Stephanie) was just a wonderful 45 mins, I really felt like I'd had a special experience and totally worth the money.

 

Giles - excellent photographer and totally approachable, I ended up buying 3 pics and they were great value!

 

DJ - again excellent, he played everything that was requested and loads of cheesey con songs, perfect!

 

Other attendees - everyone was so friendly, and nice, and fun! Think that's what made it for me, the only other con I've been to (not an ME one) people seemed a little elitist, this was the total opposite.

 

 

I came to the event thinking there weren't many guests and I might not come next year, left it determined to upgrade to gold for next year! So thank you guys, I really had a ball

[emmy141]

It's good how the talks are filmed so if there's someone tall infront, or if you're far back in the hall, you can still see the guests on the TVs, however both this and last year, we found that who ever is in charge of the camera tends to focus on just one guest in a joint talk sometimes, so we miss the other guest's reaction or response, which is quite annoying - why not just keep the camera on both guests rather than moving from one to the other?

 

This annoyed me too. The people sat in front of me on Saturday kept standing up and switching places, and then one of them leant on the chair back of the person next to her making it impossible for me to see anything on stage. So I went to look at the video feed but half the time it was only showing the one guest.

 

On a more positive note, the guests were amazing - so friendly and smiley, seemed really happy to meet everyone. Also loved the talks and the commentary was hilarious (don't suppose that was recorded?).

[Blackviolett]

The guests were absolutely brilliant, so friendly and down to earth - they really made the weekend.

 

Some of the crew just come across as very arrogant and 'privileged'. For example, I was walking from the main hall towards the dealer's room, and one crew member waved his hand at me (without saying a word) telling me to move over - I immediately did so, assuming I was in the way of someone in a wheelchair or something, only to find that no, it was another crew member, running back to the desk to get more photos to be signed. Oh and I didn't get an apology or a thank you. It was just rude.

 

Oh and it's probably not a Hallowhedon thing, more a Thistle thing, but there was no vegetarian food at the lunch. I mean yeah, the jacket potatoes served last year were stodgy and awful, but at least it was better than greasy burgers or chips which might not have even been veggie friendly

 

 

I agree about some of the stewards who made us feel at times like small children in a line at school and said patronising things which were blatantly obvious! I know theyre proud to steward and some have done it for years but its not a power trip, theyre just 'helpers'. However, the lady with the long blonde hair on the reg desk was amazing and so nice when I collected the pack for a friend who could not be there. She went out of her way to do her best with everything for us.

 

We also pointed out about the non veggie food and the fact that it was all greasy and luke warm. I also asked for cold water to add to my herbal tea and the staff at the Thistle looked at me like I was crazy! The Thistle have a lot to answer to especially compared to the Sheraton across the road which was amazing!!

[DavidB]

I'm sure none of the crew would want to come across as patronising, and if they were identified then they'd certainly feel bad about it and apologise.

 

Unfortunately for every person who thinks something is 'obvious' there's always another who is clearly oblivious of certain things. It's the same on here - even though some things are blatantly obvious, people still ask!

 

I don't mean that in a nasty way at all, but sometimes the obvious has to be stated. Obviously I don't know about your particular specifics, but I'm sure it was nothing personal and the crew were just trying to do their job.

[adriangill]

The only slight issue was with scheduling, photo shoots at the same time as autographs which was a bit awkward but worked ok luckily - there were a few moments where we thought we weren't going to get a couple of autos, but we did.

I'm curious - in what way? I usually go Silver and have never had that issue. Whilst you do have to go to a photo session before it ends, there is more leeway with the autographs. Just checking, are you aware that you can go for an auto anytime after your group was called up. For example if the schedule says 9.15-9.30 then it doesn't mean you can only get the autograph between those times 9.30. It can be anytime after that. Well until lunch anyway.

 

 

This is my biggest gripe about the event. Staff were coming and going, holding up the queues for attendees constantly with bundles of photos being signed (assuming either for ebay or next year's auctions, as I can't see why you'd need that many un-personalised autographs from the same guest). I understand crew get their own stuff signed, but *that* much - and especially after being told we couldn't buy *one* autograph? Just comes across as bad customer service.

Personally I don't have an issue with letting a crew member go in front of me in a queue as I assume that they only have a very limited amount of time to get their own stuff signed. I have noticed they tend to leave it as late as possible (I have never noticed any in a queue on the Saturday) so as not to get in 'our' way. Even when they do I don't think it would ever result in a attendee missing out because of it. As to the quantities, you are probably correct in that some of it is for auctions. Also possibly for people who can't attend the event and use the pre-order service

 

Oh one more thing - the auction is fun, but maybe the items could all be displayed before hand, or even given item numbers and photos of the items posted online or something - something a bit more like a proper auction. It's easier for us all to decide if we wanted to spend our money on something early on in the auction or save to spend on something different later in it. (Also you might get more money from it yourselves).

I like that idea a lot!

[Blackviolett]

I'm sure none of the crew would want to come across as patronising, and if they were identified then they'd certainly feel bad about it and apologise.

 

Unfortunately for every person who thinks something is 'obvious' there's always another who is clearly oblivious of certain things. It's the same on here - even though some things are blatantly obvious, people still ask!

 

I don't mean that in a nasty way at all, but sometimes the obvious has to be stated. Obviously I don't know about your particular specifics, but I'm sure it was nothing personal and the crew were just trying to do their job.

 

Thanks David. Im sure most of them dont mean to come across like that but I certainly know 1 or 2 that do.

I know what you mean about the obvious thing on here, to some it is and to some its just a matter of asking and asking until they get it. lol. I know youre not being nasty

[5phere]

The only slight issue was with scheduling, photo shoots at the same time as autographs which was a bit awkward but worked ok luckily - there were a few moments where we thought we weren't going to get a couple of autos, but we did.

I'm curious - in what way? I usually go Silver and have never had that issue. Whilst you do have to go to a photo session before it ends, there is more leeway with the autographs. Just checking, are you aware that you can go for an auto anytime after your group was called up. For example if the schedule says 9.15-9.30 then it doesn't mean you can only get the autograph between those times 9.30. It can be anytime after that. Well until lunch anyway.

 

 

This is my biggest gripe about the event. Staff were coming and going, holding up the queues for attendees constantly with bundles of photos being signed (assuming either for ebay or next year's auctions, as I can't see why you'd need that many un-personalised autographs from the same guest). I understand crew get their own stuff signed, but *that* much - and especially after being told we couldn't buy *one* autograph? Just comes across as bad customer service.

Personally I don't have an issue with letting a crew member go in front of me in a queue as I assume that they only have a very limited amount of time to get their own stuff signed. I have noticed they tend to leave it as late as possible (I have never noticed any in a queue on the Saturday) so as not to get in 'our' way. Even when they do I don't think it would ever result in a attendee missing out because of it. As to the quantities, you are probably correct in that some of it is for auctions. Also possibly for people who can't attend the event and use the pre-order service

 

Oh one more thing - the auction is fun, but maybe the items could all be displayed before hand, or even given item numbers and photos of the items posted online or something - something a bit more like a proper auction. It's easier for us all to decide if we wanted to spend our money on something early on in the auction or save to spend on something different later in it. (Also you might get more money from it yourselves).

I like that idea a lot!

 

i didnt notice the staff signing thing - though maybe a better idea would be to pile all the staff stuff up (labelled with their names) and ask the guests to sign them at a different time (away from the con). and as commented by alan - this could be combined with the sigining of the auction stuff?

i'd also agree with what was said about the quiz - the guests really seemed to have no idea what was going to happen, and seemed a bit "unsure" for a bit. let them know!

and i rekon next time (if you do a quiz again) stick the actors in the front and the con guys at the back - and perhaps make one of the guests thte "team leader" so he or she can commendere the microphone back from an over ambitious fan (like the man on steph and alans table..) he was really annoying in the end - totally hogged the mic and kinda shoved alan into a corner.... that annoyed me lots.

[Purple_Vamp]

One other query - with the crew bidding for things, was that for personal use or perhaps bidding the auctions up a bit? Possibly being a bit cynical (hopefully). Just curious. A lot of the stuff auctioned this year seemed to be repeats from last year?

 

I know for a fact that the crew member who did bid on an item genuinely wanted it.

 

I wanted to have a go at bidding on the Rocky Horror bits, but wasn't sure if we were allowed to (and by the time I got the 'yes' from someone the price had gone higher than I would have been able to afford.

[dragontattoo]

The only slight issue was with scheduling, photo shoots at the same time as autographs which was a bit awkward but worked ok luckily - there were a few moments where we thought we weren't going to get a couple of autos, but we did.

I'm curious - in what way? I usually go Silver and have never had that issue. Whilst you do have to go to a photo session before it ends, there is more leeway with the autographs. Just checking, are you aware that you can go for an auto anytime after your group was called up. For example if the schedule says 9.15-9.30 then it doesn't mean you can only get the autograph between those times 9.30. It can be anytime after that. Well until lunch anyway.

 

Apologies if the HTML - bit hasn't been done right, wasn't sure how to do the 'quote' bit correctly. (I'm just going to bold your quote incase it didn't work right.) There was one instance - Anthony Head obviously had loads of auto's to get through, so his queue was delayed (really good how he still personalised despite the queues) so we joined the queue once our group had been called - got half way through the queue to hear final calls for our photo shoot with another guest, and when we got back to Anthony's auto queue, we were told to come back tomorrow as the queue had closed for the day. So we were concerned about that, but found that it was easy enough the next day, so that was fine.

 

Our group for Alan was last to be called, and he had already gone past his time according to the schedule for signing, so we were concerned about that, but the crew-man (name unknown, sorry) at his queue was lovely and let us in the queue as we were waiting patiently.

 

There was another instance in which we went to the wrong room (not catching on that photos were in 2 different rooms) - the crew member signed out photo shoot thing and we then realised our group hadn't been called for that shoot, and that the one we had been called to on the other side of the building was about to finish. We asked the crew member what to do and she didn't really seem to know. We stayed where we were, assuming we'd be let into the other photo shoot on the Sunday, but managed to make it to that one on time anyway.

 

Our signing and photo shoot for Jewel/Anthony were scheduled at the same time, but luckily the photo queues went really quickly and smoothly - I was impressed by that (I was assuming they'd take some time, so I was impressed with the great organisation of the photo shoots.)

 

It all worked out ok, it was just being unsure of exactly how things would work and seeing schedule conflicts and that amount of people that need to get through all the autos/photos can kind of make you a bit concerned (as a relative con newbie).

 

 

This is my biggest gripe about the event. Staff were coming and going, holding up the queues for attendees constantly with bundles of photos being signed (assuming either for ebay or next year's auctions, as I can't see why you'd need that many un-personalised autographs from the same guest). I understand crew get their own stuff signed, but *that* much - and especially after being told we couldn't buy *one* autograph? Just comes across as bad customer service.

Personally I don't have an issue with letting a crew member go in front of me in a queue as I assume that they only have a very limited amount of time to get their own stuff signed. I have noticed they tend to leave it as late as possible (I have never noticed any in a queue on the Saturday) so as not to get in 'our' way. Even when they do I don't think it would ever result in a attendee missing out because of it. As to the quantities, you are probably correct in that some of it is for auctions. Also possibly for people who can't attend the event and use the pre-order service

 

I know what you mean about them having less time to get it all done, it was just I saw the same few crew members going up quite a few times to the tables, with large handfuls of photos to be signed, it was quite annoying - especially when we weren't allowed *one* extra autograph when other staff got to queue after where we would have been in the queue - for their dozens, each.

 

I see your point about the pre-orders, but maybe they could be done behind the scenes?

 

Oh one more thing - the auction is fun, but maybe the items could all be displayed before hand, or even given item numbers and photos of the items posted online or something - something a bit more like a proper auction. It's easier for us all to decide if we wanted to spend our money on something early on in the auction or save to spend on something different later in it. (Also you might get more money from it yourselves).

I like that idea a lot!

 

Thanks :)

 

 

and i rekon next time (if you do a quiz again) stick the actors in the front and the con guys at the back - and perhaps make one of the guests thte "team leader" so he or she can commendere the microphone back from an over ambitious fan (like the man on steph and alans table..) he was really annoying in the end - totally hogged the mic and kinda shoved alan into a corner.... that annoyed me lots.

 

Yeah this is what I thought as well - nothing personal to the guy, but I paid to see the guests, not another attendee, and I couldn't even see Alan on stage. I think at one point, said attendee asked the audience for help with a question related to Alan's work, saying they didn't know the answer - when in fact Alan had already written it down? Thought I'm happy for the attendees who took part, they're very lucky and they looked like they had fun, I'm just thinking that maybe if the focus were on the guests, it would be better for those of us who don't know who the attendees are that're taking part in it...

 

I think letting the guests know what they need to do so they're not feeling awkward would definitely be a better idea, and I like the idea of a team leader type thing. *Maybe* even just put the guests against each other, with real buzzers (and not making up bonus points-or-not rules along the way) would be quite fun.

It might be too difficult, but something like in 'A Question Of Sport' where they show clips or jumbled up pictures on the big tv screens and they need to guess the episode, or show a clip and they need to buzz in with what happened next... I don't know, just ideas. Anyway, the quiz as a whole was a good idea and certainly split the day up, changed things up a bit. It was good fun.

 

One other query - with the crew bidding for things, was that for personal use or perhaps bidding the auctions up a bit? Possibly being a bit cynical (hopefully). Just curious. A lot of the stuff auctioned this year seemed to be repeats from last year?

 

I know for a fact that the crew member who did bid on an item genuinely wanted it.

 

I wanted to have a go at bidding on the Rocky Horror bits, but wasn't sure if we were allowed to (and by the time I got the 'yes' from someone the price had gone higher than I would have been able to afford.

 

I completely believe that some of the crew may have genuinely wanted some of the items, (in fact was it not a crew member who won the Rocky Horror stuff?) I was just curious, as some of it seemed a bit random. I know there aren't reserve prices on the items, so I was wondering if some items got bidded up to make sure it went for more than it was going for. Hopefully I'm just being cynical.

[Nixster]

Had a Brilliant time!

One of the best so far.

Commentary is a must have for the future it was blooming Hilarious!

Great lot of attendees, some of the nicest I've met. Don't think i came across the mandatory pushing into Qs, snearing, person that always seem to find they way to these things. lol. You were all perfect.

Also you couldn't really ask for a nicer lot of guests.

 

Now I'm going to go an crash! lol

[dragontattoo]

The guests were absolutely brilliant, so friendly and down to earth - they really made the weekend.

 

Some of the crew just come across as very arrogant and 'privileged'. For example, I was walking from the main hall towards the dealer's room, and one crew member waved his hand at me (without saying a word) telling me to move over - I immediately did so, assuming I was in the way of someone in a wheelchair or something, only to find that no, it was another crew member, running back to the desk to get more photos to be signed. Oh and I didn't get an apology or a thank you. It was just rude.

 

Oh and it's probably not a Hallowhedon thing, more a Thistle thing, but there was no vegetarian food at the lunch. I mean yeah, the jacket potatoes served last year were stodgy and awful, but at least it was better than greasy burgers or chips which might not have even been veggie friendly

 

 

I agree about some of the stewards who made us feel at times like small children in a line at school and said patronising things which were blatantly obvious! I know theyre proud to steward and some have done it for years but its not a power trip, theyre just 'helpers'. However, the lady with the long blonde hair on the reg desk was amazing and so nice when I collected the pack for a friend who could not be there. She went out of her way to do her best with everything for us.

 

We also pointed out about the non veggie food and the fact that it was all greasy and luke warm. I also asked for cold water to add to my herbal tea and the staff at the Thistle looked at me like I was crazy! The Thistle have a lot to answer to especially compared to the Sheraton across the road which was amazing!!

 

Ah I think you may have been in front of me in the queue for tea, I remember someone asking for cold water and the staff being totally confused. I personally didn't understand what was hard to get, but I think there may have been general communication issues there, having to ask for a cup of tea numerous times etc.

 

The woman at the registration desk I'm meaning didn't have long blonde hair (though there was a lady on the right hand side of the desk with long wavy (I think) hair with a great big smile who was absolutely lovely and helpful- I wonder if that's the same person?)

[Elfriniel]

I have to agree with both sets of comments about the event staff. The blonde welsh lady who checked us in was absolutely lovely, friendly and helpful, while the lady on the other gold/silver desk was less friendly but I assumed that was because we were lowly standard ticket holders lol.

I agree that the friendliest people should be put on reception, while those with less people skills could be put in background jobs.

Also compared to other cons, the staff were not as openly friendly and helpful, but no complaints. I attended all my autographs at 9 or 9:30 and had no problems with queues. The longest was 5-10 mins for Anthony because he was just so nice and kept chatting to everyone, which I was not about to complain about. :)

Thanks to all the staff who were not in the public eye and who worked their butts off to make this fun. I am sure that it was only 1 or 2 who were unpleasant to people and the rest were working hard.

[Purple_Vamp]

I completely believe that some of the crew may have genuinely wanted some of the items, (in fact was it not a crew member who won the Rocky Horror stuff?) I was just curious, as some of it seemed a bit random. I know there aren't reserve prices on the items, so I was wondering if some items got bidded up to make sure it went for more than it was going for. Hopefully I'm just being cynical.

 

No, it wasn't a crew member who won the Rocky Horror stuff, it was an Gold ticket holder in the front row who I kept telling all weekend I was dead jealous of her.

 

I can understand why you think that it was being done to make the price go higher, but I'm fairly confident that was not what was happening.

[mrsclairecarter]

Crew only bid if they want an item, never to bump up the price.

Edited November 1, 2010 by mrsclairecarter

[adriangill]

Apologies if the HTML - bit hasn't been done right, wasn't sure how to do the 'quote' bit correctly. (I'm just going to bold your quote incase it didn't work right.)

not a problem.

There was one instance - Anthony Head obviously had loads of auto's to get through, so his queue was delayed (really good how he still personalised despite the queues) so we joined the queue once our group had been called - got half way through the queue to hear final calls for our photo shoot with another guest, and when we got back to Anthony's auto queue, we were told to come back tomorrow as the queue had closed for the day. So we were concerned about that, but found that it was easy enough the next day, so that was fine.

All you ever really need to do is prioritise the photoshoots. You can alway come back for the autos. Like you found out you can also do the photoshoot on Sunday if you miss Saturday (unless it is a one day only guest) but it may be a one day guest, or you may miss the one on the Sunday as well.

Our group for Alan was last to be called, and he had already gone past his time according to the schedule for signing, so we were concerned about that, but the crew-man (name unknown, sorry) at his queue was lovely and let us in the queue as we were waiting patiently.

Luckily that doesn't happen often. The other soltuion is that sometimes the guest then has an additonal signing session during the afternoon to get through any people that were missed. The worst case scenario was with John Barrowman who had to leave earlier than expected to catch a flight. From what I recall everyone's names/addresses were taken down. John signed everything at his home at a later date and posted it out at his own expense. Not the same as meeting him but everyone got their auto.

There was another instance in which we went to the wrong room (not catching on that photos were in 2 different rooms) - the crew member signed out photo shoot thing and we then realised our group hadn't been called for that shoot, and that the one we had been called to on the other side of the building was about to finish. We asked the crew member what to do and she didn't really seem to know. We stayed where we were, assuming we'd be let into the other photo shoot on the Sunday, but managed to make it to that one on time anyway.

Usually the various rooms are sign posted but I don't think they were this time.

Our signing and photo shoot for Jewel/Anthony were scheduled at the same time, but luckily the photo queues went really quickly and smoothly - I was impressed by that (I was assuming they'd take some time, so I was impressed with the great organisation of the photo shoots.)

 

It all worked out ok, it was just being unsure of exactly how things would work and seeing schedule conflicts and that amount of people that need to get through all the autos/photos can kind of make you a bit concerned (as a relative con newbie).

Yep, it can be daunting if you are not used how the sysems work but it works very well, they get through a lot of people in a short amount of time . In cases this may also lead to people thinking that the crew are being abrupt etc but they are just trying to ensure that everything runs a smoothly as possible so that everyone gets everything they want. A thankless task!

I see your point about the pre-orders, but maybe they could be done behind the scenes?

I often wonder that as well. I would guess that when the guests aren't on view (signing/phoot/talk/etc) then they are probably taking a well deserved break.

[dragontattoo]

Purple_Vamp & mrsclairecarter - Ok that's good to know - just we noticed some smiles between crew members bidding and the 2 men doing the auctions, so were a bit concerned that it may have been bidding up, but glad that has been cleared up. (Although the crew member who was holding the item to the audience at the time who bid on the same item, obviously wanted the item - I've no qualms with that, it was just another incident or 2 I'm referring to).

(Especially after it slightly put us off bidding on items.)

Anyway, moving on!

 

Elfriniel - that's the person I'm referring to, and the attitude was the same with us as standard ticket holders last year as it was with us being silver this year. It's not very welcoming at all, especially when I'm assuming the attendees are all excited to be there, and the first person you speak to manages to put you in downer!

[chimmykins]

My mum & I had a fantastic time at the event. All the crew we found were very helpful. I had a problem with a missing photo shoot voucher and the lady on the reg desk (I think Ally/Annie is her name? She was handling gold/silver registrations) sorted it for us as well as another problem we had later on about being overcharged for something. Rhi (blonde welsh lady on the reg desk) was chatty & smiley as always.

 

Likes.

The commentary! Please have this next year!

 

Quiz.

Found it very fun even though we lost.

 

Guests.

Alan was very generous to give out goodies & his jokey arguement with Jewel when she gave me multiple stapled pages of a script instead of one page had me giggling after.

Stephanie was nuts in a great way.

Robin was very friendly & funny - embarassed me in his photo shoot on Sat when he wouldn't let me go after our hug pic.

Jewel is a sweet heart, had a fantastic ge with her on Sun & won her chair

Tony is so down to earth. Think my crush on Giles has come back.

 

Giles photography - bought 3 & love them :) Such a great way to get another momento of the event.

 

Dislikes.

The thistle - but venue change next year so moot point.

 

Having to wait a year for Hallowhedon 3...

I don't really have any complaints & already have next years ticket (silver no. 2)