jcangel Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I think Showmasters are right, this event does need a big name to sell tickets. As it is covering 3 shows the chances are that we'll only get 2 guests from each at the most. If people are only attending for 1 or 2 of the shows being covered then I would think that 2 smaller guests wouldn't necessarily encourage them to buy tickets at this late stage, but IF the big name does encourage more sales then that is more money into the event pot that can be used on other guests. Sales mean guests, the more sales the more guests. So I am all in favour of it, even if it turns out that the big name isn't from one of the 2 shows I am going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adriangill Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Also, we find that it is a little condescending to be told time and time again to not buy a ticket for ANY event on the basis of one guest yet its acceptable to base the runnning of an ENTIRE event on one guest. The same principal applies to this situation.Some guests have very dedicated fan that will follow them around no matter where they go. The perfect example of why this advice is given out is The Hub 3 event. John Barrowman was announced and fans of him, not of Torchwood, purchased tickets based purely on his appearance. Unfortunately he cancelled and those same fans were left with non-refundable tickets to an event about a show that they had absolutely no interest in. It is a warning to aimed more at those people because things like that can and do happen. If you are a fan of the show as well then it shouldn't really be an issue if your favourite guests cancels. Disappointing yes, but you would still have the rest of the event to enjoy if you are a fan of the show. The same advice applies to the Collectormania/LFCC/etc signing events. If you attend based purely on the attendance of one guest then you run the same risk of that guest cancelling. If there are other guests attending that you like then again it's not such a huge issue. I hope that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Ragamuffin Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 thanks for the update i love all 3 shows so very excited to see who the guest is! I hope its not cancelled i'd be happy to have it postponed as long it it meant we'd still get a great con in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallyEnchanting_ Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks for the update SM. I'm really hoping it's not cancelled or postponed as I can't get anymore time off work until after August, and even then it's touch and go cos I've got so much other stuff on. Hopefully it'll stay this weekend though, I'll be gutted if I can't make it cos of a date change. Xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bandcat Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I'm still in 2 minds over booking for this one think I'll now wait for confirmation on the date before getting a ticket now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin Too Tall Posted January 24, 2011 Showmasters Admin Share Posted January 24, 2011 There will always be the hardcore attendees that will buy tickets based on no guests being announced or those that will be happy with 5-6 good guests. We love you for it, but there are just not enough of you to make an event profitable. For a show to not lose money it needs 400+ attendees, and very few events have that many hardcore attendees. And before anyone says anything, I'm not saying the hardcore attendees are any better or anymore of a fan than anyone else, you'll see I've said "Hardcore attendee" NOT "Hardcore fan". I will be 100% truthful, back when I was an attendee I only went to events for the guests. I’m a HUGE Firefly fan, but if a show didn’t have guests I wanted to see I didn’t go, so please don’t think I’m putting the people that wait for guests down, I’m one of them. We have seen time and time again, that to have an event with 400+ attendees you need a big guest, someone that makes the waiters think “I have to go now!â€. Good guests just don’t do that, it has to be a BIG guest. It’s not my place to go into specifics but I know that the office have been working their ar$es off to get a BIG guest for this event and I can fully understand them not wanting to run an event they know will lose money if they can’t secure a big guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Ragamuffin Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 well said too tall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicAvatar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hear, hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lams9999 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 There will always be the hardcore attendees that will buy tickets based on no guests being announced or those that will be happy with 5-6 good guests. We love you for it, but there are just not enough of you to make an event profitable. For a show to not lose money it needs 400+ attendees, and very few events have that many hardcore attendees. And before anyone says anything, I'm not saying the hardcore attendees are any better or anymore of a fan than anyone else, you'll see I've said "Hardcore attendee" NOT "Hardcore fan". I will be 100% truthful, back when I was an attendee I only went to events for the guests. I’m a HUGE Firefly fan, but if a show didn’t have guests I wanted to see I didn’t go, so please don’t think I’m putting the people that wait for guests down, I’m one of them. We have seen time and time again, that to have an event with 400+ attendees you need a big guest, someone that makes the waiters think “I have to go now!â€. Good guests just don’t do that, it has to be a BIG guest. It’s not my place to go into specifics but I know that the office have been working their ar$es off to get a BIG guest for this event and I can fully understand them not wanting to run an event they know will lose money if they can’t secure a big guest. Ok Too Tall, I can understand the logic behind this. But then it would be wiser to not announce an event until they're sure to be able to secure a big guest and then sell tickets. Otherwise that's the hardcore attendees that suffer from this because they might loose flights, trains and sometimes hotels if the event is postponed or cancelled. I don't think that there are that many people willing to buy tickets without any guest announced. One or two guests announced early at the same time of the event announcement might help though. With no guests, people are afraid to buy tickets, especially since this is not the first event that might be cancelled or postponed. Just some random thoughts here as I didn't buy a ticket yet but I've been following this con since the beginning hoping for some guests that would motivate me to attend and being a fan of the 3 shows, I wouldn't have been difficult for this one. Now with 6-7 weeks to go, it would probably be too late for me to secure trains at a reasonable price + take days off etc... It might still be possible but really I'm hoping that the event will be postponed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismk Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 There will always be the hardcore attendees that will buy tickets based on no guests being announced or those that will be happy with 5-6 good guests. We love you for it, but there are just not enough of you to make an event profitable. For a show to not lose money it needs 400+ attendees, and very few events have that many hardcore attendees. And before anyone says anything, I'm not saying the hardcore attendees are any better or anymore of a fan than anyone else, you'll see I've said "Hardcore attendee" NOT "Hardcore fan". I will be 100% truthful, back when I was an attendee I only went to events for the guests. I’m a HUGE Firefly fan, but if a show didn’t have guests I wanted to see I didn’t go, so please don’t think I’m putting the people that wait for guests down, I’m one of them. We have seen time and time again, that to have an event with 400+ attendees you need a big guest, someone that makes the waiters think “I have to go now!â€. Good guests just don’t do that, it has to be a BIG guest. It’s not my place to go into specifics but I know that the office have been working their ar$es off to get a BIG guest for this event and I can fully understand them not wanting to run an event they know will lose money if they can’t secure a big guest. I 100% agree with this and I know it's sometimes difficult for people running events to figure out who those guests are. That said, even if it's a headliner guest, I fear that any announcement will be too late for a significant number of the 'waiters' to actually organise attending. I wonder if in this case, if they do secure this headline guest, that the format of the event be shifted to more of a day event, with cheaper tickets? Ok Too Tall, I can understand the logic behind this. But then it would be wiser to not announce an event until they're sure to be able to secure a big guest and then sell tickets. Otherwise that's the hardcore attendees that suffer from this because they might loose flights, trains and sometimes hotels if the event is postponed or cancelled. I don't think that there are that many people willing to buy tickets without any guest announced. One or two guests announced early at the same time of the event announcement might help though. With no guests, people are afraid to buy tickets, especially since this is not the first event that might be cancelled or postponed. Just some random thoughts here as I didn't buy a ticket yet but I've been following this con since the beginning hoping for some guests that would motivate me to attend and being a fan of the 3 shows, I wouldn't have been difficult for this one. Now with 6-7 weeks to go, it would probably be too late for me to secure trains at a reasonable price + take days off etc... It might still be possible but really I'm hoping that the event will be postponed. Also totally agree with this (except it was worded much better than my response!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin Too Tall Posted January 24, 2011 Showmasters Admin Share Posted January 24, 2011 There will always be the hardcore attendees that will buy tickets based on no guests being announced or those that will be happy with 5-6 good guests. We love you for it, but there are just not enough of you to make an event profitable. For a show to not lose money it needs 400+ attendees, and very few events have that many hardcore attendees. And before anyone says anything, I'm not saying the hardcore attendees are any better or anymore of a fan than anyone else, you'll see I've said "Hardcore attendee" NOT "Hardcore fan". I will be 100% truthful, back when I was an attendee I only went to events for the guests. I’m a HUGE Firefly fan, but if a show didn’t have guests I wanted to see I didn’t go, so please don’t think I’m putting the people that wait for guests down, I’m one of them. We have seen time and time again, that to have an event with 400+ attendees you need a big guest, someone that makes the waiters think “I have to go now!â€. Good guests just don’t do that, it has to be a BIG guest. It’s not my place to go into specifics but I know that the office have been working their ar$es off to get a BIG guest for this event and I can fully understand them not wanting to run an event they know will lose money if they can’t secure a big guest. Ok Too Tall, I can understand the logic behind this. But then it would be wiser to not announce an event until they're sure to be able to secure a big guest and then sell tickets. Otherwise that's the hardcore attendees that suffer from this because they might loose flights, trains and sometimes hotels if the event is postponed or cancelled. I don't think that there are that many people willing to buy tickets without any guest announced. One or two guests announced early at the same time of the event announcement might help though. With no guests, people are afraid to buy tickets, especially since this is not the first event that might be cancelled or postponed. Just some random thoughts here as I didn't buy a ticket yet but I've been following this con since the beginning hoping for some guests that would motivate me to attend and being a fan of the 3 shows, I wouldn't have been difficult for this one. Now with 6-7 weeks to go, it would probably be too late for me to secure trains at a reasonable price + take days off etc... It might still be possible but really I'm hoping that the event will be postponed. Lams, please don't get me wrong I also understand the frustration. Trust me the guys in the office would love nothing more than to be able to book a BIG guest 6+ months out and so all events are a hit, but then there's always the issue of a big guest cancelling if booked that far ahead. Also if guests are currently working they can have issues with current contracts and (like one ME are trying to get for ET5) can't confirm at all until 3-4 weeks before the show due to other contracts. It is difficult but ME are still working on trying to make this event work. They're just being honest that if this current deal doesn't happen they may have to look at a postponement as none of the BIG guests can make this show, trust me that ME wouldn't look at postponing an event unless they totally felt it's nessasary. Hey at least ME refund people when they postpone an event Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bezzie Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) In all honesty, I fear the timing of the event might be difficult to secure 'big' names for at least 2 of the shows (SN and VD), as they will most likely, still be filming at the time of the con. If the guys really are aiming high, I'm thinking of 6 possible guests it could be (3 from SN, 3 from VD), all of which would be unlikely to be able to take time out (esp 2 from SN) as they tend to be the main focus of the series. I'm a 'waiter'. I was at the first Roadhouse, but when they announced the next one was a joint con, I automatically counted myself out. I only watched SN so had no interest in a con where 60%ish of the guests were of no real interest to me. Since then, I had a crash course in the VD so would now consider attending. I have been coming on everyday hoping for an anouncement, but I fear it is now too late for me to arrange to swap days off at work and to get things in place to attend. I do hope for the sake of those who can, and are attending, that this big guest works out, and that it's full steam ahead. Edited January 24, 2011 by bezzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lams9999 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hey at least ME refund people when they postpone an event Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glowingwings Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) That's good to know :) as some cons don't do that. I was just about to ask that question Edited January 24, 2011 by Glowingwings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismk Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Lams, please don't get me wrong I also understand the frustration. Trust me the guys in the office would love nothing more than to be able to book a BIG guest 6+ months out and so all events are a hit, but then there's always the issue of a big guest cancelling if booked that far ahead. Also if guests are currently working they can have issues with current contracts and (like one ME are trying to get for ET5) can't confirm at all until 3-4 weeks before the show due to other contracts. It is difficult but ME are still working on trying to make this event work. They're just being honest that if this current deal doesn't happen they may have to look at a postponement as none of the BIG guests can make this show, trust me that ME wouldn't look at postponing an event unless they totally felt it's nessasary. Hey at least ME refund people when they postpone an event If you can't get big guests for events prior to 3-4 weeks notice, then perhaps that spells the end for events such as these? How many people can commit to something at that short notice? Yes, to their credit, SM/ME always provide prompt and full refunds if events get cancelled, but that's no help to people who have made non refundable travel arrangements (to get an affortable price). To be honest, I think they should cancel/postpone the event now, before anyone else purchases non refundable travel, because even if they CAN get the guest, I can't see them selling anywhere near enough tickets at short notice to make the event viable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glowingwings Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I think it depends on the guest really, if they get Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki or Ian Somerhalder, it will probably sell out quite quickly. One of the other cons got Jensen Ackles and it sold out in like 2 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismk Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I think it depends on the guest really, if they get Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki or Ian Somerhalder, it will probably sell out quite quickly. Pssssttt... you can't menion other events! Yes, in theory, tickets would sell quickly, but if the event was in 6 weeks, you'd immediately reduce the potential number of attendees, because some could not physically make it. Also, you make the marketting harder, as you can only really advertise on teh website/forum and by word of mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glowingwings Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 True Damn I completly forgot about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted January 24, 2011 Moderators Share Posted January 24, 2011 It's unfortunate as there's clearly no perfect way to organise things. I've seen cons with a 'big guest' not sell many tickets because people were holding out for more than just one big one. I've seen other cons sell very well based on a fairly mediocre lineup but filled with a good amount of guests. Obviously this situation isn't ideal, and even if a big guest is obtained it will be tricky for a lot of people, but ME can only try. Different fanbases will buy tickets for different reasons I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlorix Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 and (like one ME are trying to get for ET5) can't confirm at all until 3-4 weeks before the show due to other contracts. Ok wrong show but this made me a little lol really hope they can come! And on the RH2 front, I am absolutely desperate to go and just hope that if it's postponed it's not when I am on night shifts as thats the only time I can't get off but will have to wait and see I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmasters Admin Too Tall Posted January 24, 2011 Showmasters Admin Share Posted January 24, 2011 Lams, please don't get me wrong I also understand the frustration. Trust me the guys in the office would love nothing more than to be able to book a BIG guest 6+ months out and so all events are a hit, but then there's always the issue of a big guest cancelling if booked that far ahead. Also if guests are currently working they can have issues with current contracts and (like one ME are trying to get for ET5) can't confirm at all until 3-4 weeks before the show due to other contracts. It is difficult but ME are still working on trying to make this event work. They're just being honest that if this current deal doesn't happen they may have to look at a postponement as none of the BIG guests can make this show, trust me that ME wouldn't look at postponing an event unless they totally felt it's nessasary. Hey at least ME refund people when they postpone an event If you can't get big guests for events prior to 3-4 weeks notice, then perhaps that spells the end for events such as these? How many people can commit to something at that short notice? Yes, to their credit, SM/ME always provide prompt and full refunds if events get cancelled, but that's no help to people who have made non refundable travel arrangements (to get an affortable price). To be honest, I think they should cancel/postpone the event now, before anyone else purchases non refundable travel, because even if they CAN get the guest, I can't see them selling anywhere near enough tickets at short notice to make the event viable. Chris, the 3-4 week thing is not exactly the norm, but can happen with some guests that are currently working. Their current work will not confirm they can be released until 3-4 weeks out. I don't see the odd guest this will effect being the down fall of these events. It's one of the reasons why we get bigger guests to CM and LFCC events on the 3-4 week run up to the event. Also I was only giving it as an example as to why booking the BIG guests 6+ months in advance isn't always possible. As others have said, I don't agree. If we got one any of the Brothers from either SN or VD I beleive we'd sell well past the 400-500 mark in the next 6 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismk Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Chris, the 3-4 week thing is not exactly the norm, but can happen with some guests that are currently working. Their current work will not confirm they can be released until 3-4 weeks out. I don't see the odd guest this will effect being the down fall of these events. It's one of the reasons why we get bigger guests to CM and LFCC events on the 3-4 week run up to the event. Also I was only giving it as an example as to why booking the BIG guests 6+ months in advance isn't always possible. As others have said, I don't agree. If we got one any of the Brothers from either SN or VD I beleive we'd sell well past the 400-500 mark in the next 6 weeks. Maybe it's becoming more common, or maybe SM/ME are targetting more 'current' actors/actresses? Either way, it seems to be a trend. Hollywood seems more stable than it was a few years ago, with the various strikes and it seems like the guests are more in demand and perhaps more picky about how they spend their time. With LFCC/CM it's different, because there are other guests to get people excited and talking and there is also often less costs for attendees, as fewer of them book hotels. I think that even with one of those guests, you'd struggle to sell that many tickets in that space of time. I know a lot of people who attend events and most have said that they couldn't do this one now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adriangill Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I’m a HUGE Firefly fan Trust me the guys in the office would love nothing more than to be able to book a BIG guest 6+ months out and so all events are a hit, but then there's always the issue of a big guest cancelling if booked that far ahead.An 'issue' I constantly face when any guest I want to see is announced months in advance of the event. It results in excitement mixed with a touch of concern. The months leading up to the event after such an announcement are fun times .....I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Ragamuffin Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hey at least ME refund people when they postpone an event haha ME have never let me down like mentioning no ames others have! I have good hope in them getting us some great guests and putting on an awesome weekend i will buying a ticket either way as i love all 3 shows and I'm a 'hardcore' ME attender! the way I see it the closer to the event we get guests signed up the less likely they are to cancel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcangel Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) haha ME have never let me down like mentioning no ames others have! I have good hope in them getting us some great guests and putting on an awesome weekend i will buying a ticket either way as i love all 3 shows and I'm a 'hardcore' ME attender! the way I see it the closer to the event we get guests signed up the less likely they are to cancel! I hope so, although (mentioning no names) that has happened in the past too.... Edited January 25, 2011 by jcAngel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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