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Christoff
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I've just got back from EMS and personally I didn't enjoy this event as much as other Showmasters events. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't that great.

 

I think the venue layout was pretty bad and hope we stick to Earls Court 2 or Olympia for future London events. It wasn't that easy to find things, I often lost track of where certain dealers were.

 

There was a good range of talks but from the middle backwards (seating) it wasn't always easy to hear what was being said, in many cases it was actually impossible. The speakers really need to be louder and/or an extra speaker at the back (I think they were just at the front and middle?).

 

I only met a couple of guests, Jennifer Lien and Armin Shimerman. Jennifer was a bit of a disappointment really, she didn't seem like she wanted to be there and the most I got out of her at the autograph table was "Thank you" in a very quiet mousy voice. Armin was great though, very friendly and chatty.

 

As I said it wasn't a bad event but it was a little disappointing. The main problems which can hopefully be fixed in future are the venue and the talks being too quiet.

 

What did everyone else think?

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To be honest I didn't have any problems at all finding where things were. Some of the lines for the guests got a bit unwieldy and spread into the dealers area and it wasn't always obvious which queue was for which person but not hard to figure out.

 

It was just the heat. The air con was turned on but only really effective in certain areas. Overall prefer the LFCC venue but then this was a noticeably smaller event than that abd I though it was generally fine.

 

Will be interesting to see how busy it is for Mr Tennant tomorrow.

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I think the whole day wasn't as hot or as busy as I was dreading. Got there at 9.30 so managed to miss any major confusion on the front doors, but still had trouble as there was a group of people on the steps all chatting that were blocking the signs (cue me wondering around aimlessly for a few mins :YAHOO: ).

 

Once inside, easy to find VTs, and the stages etc. Place felt a bit gloomy inside though, like being a carpark.

 

Think the queuing system for the talks failed a bit at times. Not much incentive to queue in an orderly line when other people are walking straight up to the front and being let in. Plus this was the first ever photo shoot (and I've been to a few) where I got completly lost in the queue and no-one seemed to know where anyone should be. Still, on the positive side, I did get to visit the people at the back, in the middle and at the front of the queue all in the space of a couple of mins :dance:

 

Biggest request of all? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE can someone ask the guy who was handing the mic around during the talks to crouch down instead of just standing there in the middle looking a bit lost? He did a wonderful job of blocking the view for people behind him - thanks!!

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I had a great time at the convention and I felt that it was definitely better organised than London Film and Comic Con, where I noticed today that the guests with no photos were labelled clearly on the wall.

 

I met Edward Furlong who I thought was nice in person and he posed for a photograph with me, which was a bonus.

 

The John Hurt Q and A was also pretty interesting as well. It was hilarious when John took the pink teddy bear and made great jokes, e.g. is he going to ask a question. lol.

 

Awesome day.

Edited by adamthehorrorfan
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hi there guys and gals, just got back from the show and where do i start ,firstly we were there pretty early and we were told to stand in a queue which we did the towards opening time we were told we were in the wrong queue so we were placed in amongst fellow queuers who werent very impressed with us and to say the least made us feel very uncomfortable ,then when we got into the event we headed for the area where we expected the big guest to be signing ,no crew member mentioned that we were in the wrong place and when we did ask staff they agreed that we were in the right place only after one of the mass that had stuck with us and others went for a wonder, that he came back a told us that all guest were seated and signing over the other side of the venue so from being about the 50th person threw the door i had vt number 302 for Dame Diana Rigg i wasnt amused.Also i thought the lighting could have been a bit better too, sorry to say a let down but heres hoping again that showmasters can learn from mistakes..... fingers crossed ,sorry for punctuation but i do try so points for effort x x

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Think the queuing system for the talks failed a bit at times. Not much incentive to queue in an orderly line when other people are walking straight up to the front and being let in.

 

Some of us are allowed to go straight in because we have paid for Gold Passes.

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It was a amaller event as I was surprised with some guests not being that busy.

The guests I met were all lovely, crew was helpful.

 

I agree with some people for the dealers, not easy to find our way.

 

The only thing that really bothered me was the Harry Potter talk: a man in the gold pass gave a teddy bear to Evann and asker her to pose in the middle of the talk when crew were moving around for people to ask questions. Nobody stopped the man, doens't seem fair to the rest of us.

And a little biy had his hand up the whole talk (even Evanna saw him) but didn't have a chance to ask his question.

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hi there guys and gals, just got back from the show and where do i start ,firstly we were there pretty early and we were told to stand in a queue which we did the towards opening time we were told we were in the wrong queue so we were placed in amongst fellow queuers who werent very impressed with us and to say the least made us feel very uncomfortable ,then when we got into the event we headed for the area where we expected the big guest to be signing ,no crew member mentioned that we were in the wrong place and when we did ask staff they agreed that we were in the right place only after one of the mass that had stuck with us and others went for a wonder, that he came back a told us that all guest were seated and signing over the other side of the venue so from being about the 50th person threw the door i had vt number 302 for Dame Diana Rigg i wasnt amused.Also i thought the lighting could have been a bit better too, sorry to say a let down but heres hoping again that showmasters can learn from mistakes..... fingers crossed ,sorry for punctuation but i do try so points for effort x x

 

The entry problem was apparently caused by a massive misunderstanding with Earls Court staff and I can only apologize. I got hold of crew at the event and they confirmed this won't happen again tomorrow.

 

Sorry, it does look like you missed the announcement that the big guest area wasn't going to be used today. That was posted last night. I'm sorry to hear the crew member gave you wrong info when you asked. Maybe this wasn't mentioned in the general crew meeting and you asked someone from another area who unfortunately didn't know.

 

The lighting is a venue thing I'm afraid and not much Showmasters can do about it unless there were large areas where the lights were switched off or something like that.

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This was my first big event and I was very impressed (even after the disappointment of not seeing Alex Kingston) I couldn't thank the crew enough - especially those around Diana Rigg who were marvelous! (I panicked about the photo but everyone there was so incredibly lovely) Thank you so much!

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hi there guys and gals, just got back from the show and where do i start ,firstly we were there pretty early and we were told to stand in a queue which we did the towards opening time we were told we were in the wrong queue so we were placed in amongst fellow queuers who werent very impressed with us and to say the least made us feel very uncomfortable ,then when we got into the event we headed for the area where we expected the big guest to be signing ,no crew member mentioned that we were in the wrong place and when we did ask staff they agreed that we were in the right place only after one of the mass that had stuck with us and others went for a wonder, that he came back a told us that all guest were seated and signing over the other side of the venue so from being about the 50th person threw the door i had vt number 302 for Dame Diana Rigg i wasnt amused.Also i thought the lighting could have been a bit better too, sorry to say a let down but heres hoping again that showmasters can learn from mistakes..... fingers crossed ,sorry for punctuation but i do try so points for effort x x

 

The entry problem was apparently caused by a massive misunderstanding with Earls Court staff and I can only apologize. I got hold of crew at the event and they confirmed this won't happen again tomorrow.

 

Sorry, it does look like you missed the announcement that the big guest area wasn't going to be used today. That was posted last night. I'm sorry to hear the crew member gave you wrong info when you asked. Maybe this wasn't mentioned in the general crew meeting and you asked someone from another area who unfortunately didn't know.

 

The lighting is a venue thing I'm afraid and not much Showmasters can do about it unless there were large areas where the lights were switched off or something like that.

thank you for the apologizies it means alot to me x x

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hi there guys and gals, just got back from the show and where do i start ,firstly we were there pretty early and we were told to stand in a queue which we did the towards opening time we were told we were in the wrong queue so we were placed in amongst fellow queuers who werent very impressed with us and to say the least made us feel very uncomfortable ,then when we got into the event we headed for the area where we expected the big guest to be signing ,no crew member mentioned that we were in the wrong place and when we did ask staff they agreed that we were in the right place only after one of the mass that had stuck with us and others went for a wonder, that he came back a told us that all guest were seated and signing over the other side of the venue so from being about the 50th person threw the door i had vt number 302 for Dame Diana Rigg i wasnt amused.Also i thought the lighting could have been a bit better too, sorry to say a let down but heres hoping again that showmasters can learn from mistakes..... fingers crossed ,sorry for punctuation but i do try so points for effort x x

 

The entry problem was apparently caused by a massive misunderstanding with Earls Court staff and I can only apologize. I got hold of crew at the event and they confirmed this won't happen again tomorrow.

 

Sorry, it does look like you missed the announcement that the big guest area wasn't going to be used today. That was posted last night. I'm sorry to hear the crew member gave you wrong info when you asked. Maybe this wasn't mentioned in the general crew meeting and you asked someone from another area who unfortunately didn't know.

 

The lighting is a venue thing I'm afraid and not much Showmasters can do about it unless there were large areas where the lights were switched off or something like that.

 

Speaking of entry problems, I got there at about 10:40 I think and wanted to buy an early entry ticket so I didn't have to queue and get in after 11. An Earls Court woman on the door said I couldn't get one this late and had to queue up outside. I knew she was talking nonsense and found my way to the ticket booth and managed to get an early ticket, but non-regular event attendees would have just listened to her and wasted their time. The Earls Court staff really need to be a bit more in the loop of how things work in future.

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I enjoyed myself today probably moreso because it wasn't the bedlam I have seen at previous comparable events like LFCC.

 

The problems with the lifts and escalators was an absolute joke but the actual hall seemed much more spacious than Earls Court 2. Sure everything seemed a bit all over the place but I found it much easier to meander around the place without feeling like a sardine.

 

The show seemed much more quiet than LFCC as well (although I expect Tennant will ramp up attendance on Sunday) but maybe this second show so soon after LFCC is a bit of the old 'market saturation'?

 

Guest-wise, I only came to see 2: Diana Rigg and John Hurt, both of whom seemed pleasant and couteous. I will add though that I was very dissapointed that Rigg was not personalising. For £35, you expect a little bit more.

If a rare signer like Ursula Andress can personalise and add love hearts, and all the rest of it, then why can't Rigg put "To _____" and leave it at that? I've heard the, "those extra seconds add up to time taken away from allowing other fans to see a guest" a million times, but given the conveyor belt experience of seeing Rigg today, I think she could have kept things going pretty briskly when the fans' name could be written on the ticket handed over to the crew member.

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This was my first big event and I was very impressed (even after the disappointment of not seeing Alex Kingston) I couldn't thank the crew enough - especially those around Diana Rigg who were marvelous! (I panicked about the photo but everyone there was so incredibly lovely) Thank you so much!

 

T'was a pleasure Lizzy! Glad you were ok:)

( I was the one sitting next to Diana!) Hi to your other half as well!

Pooks x

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I will add though that I was very dissapointed that Rigg was not personalising.

 

She was personalising at the start of the day - my autograph is personalised. Showmasters must have taken the decision to stop allowing personalistations in order to ensure that everybody who wanted to meet her got to do so.

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We had a good day but wasn't so 'up' for it as past events this year, but the kids had a brilliant day.

 

Photoshoots were well organised and collection, can't fault, staff very helpfull all round (apart from one crew member who was particualy harsh but didn't spoil our day)

 

Quite hot in the 'main area' but when you move outwards wasn't to bad, like usual SEATING would be great!!.

 

Very well organised!

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Can I just make an observation, when bringing the guests into the talk area, is it necessary to use the same entrance? I nearly barged past Ian and Albert but recognised them just in time so had to detour through the chairs to get round them. Then I very nearly bumped into Eve M. as she was coming in as I had photos booked and was about to leave.

I am lucky I didn't or I think I would have been lynched by the mob of Torchwood fans.;)

 

When we arrived at half past 10, it was relatively quiet, in the foyer it looked like no-one was there but it did get alot busier after 12. We just walked straight in.

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My feedback is mostly positive:-

 

1. VTs were handled well, I was in the door at 10 past 9 and got an early JH VT which was great :YAHOO:

 

2. Photo collection was much better organised BUT names were ticked on the list as "out" when not all pics were out, causing unnecessary confusion and worry as to where some peoples photos were. Loved the gloves, the way the pics were laid out and the signage (especially the "no touching"!) :thumbup:

 

3. Seemed to be more room in the talks (which means I got to see three!), but sound at the back was terrible. :huh:

 

4. It was much, much, much less crowded that LFCC11, which was good as more room to browse the dealers and generally move about (plus no queue for the loo!)

 

5. Everyone I chatted to or bumped in to, or asked for photos with were lovely and polite… as always (yes that’s YOU I am talking about) :D

 

BUT on the negative side:-

 

1. Aircon was not on to start, it only got turned on when the heat really started to effect people (and the fanboy funk!)... there were times that my mum (dressed in just skirt and blouse) felt like she was gonna pass out! :blink:

 

2. The selection (and price!) of available food in the two cafes was ATROCIOUS! Sausage or Bacon rolls in the morning, Steak Pasty or Hot Dog (at over £4!) in the afternoon... ahem vegetarians? ;)

 

3. Hall itself seemed rather...errr… scummy and tatty... no carpet, dirty concrete floor, awful chipped paint garage type door at the guest signing area... really not conducive to prestigious guest signing!! :o

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I'd never been to anything like EMS before yesterday so I don't really have anything to compare it too. The main problem I found was like others have said, was the entry. We wanted to upgrade our tickets to earlybird but kept being sent to different people to ask and them where to queue and none of them seem to know exactly what was going on. Eventually we finally found where we had to be but it would've been nice to have just asked one member of staff gone straight to queue. Other than this i thought the whole thing was good.

 

I'd been abit worried about collecting photos after reading stories on here about previous events but the system they had going seemed to be working well and staff were more than happy to help us find our photos.

 

Guest wise I met Evanna Lynch, Arthur Darvill and Caitlin Blackwood. All were lovely and friendly! Evanna in particular was great she spent a good while talking to every person, personalised autographs and even was allowing photos with her over the table!

 

I had a fantastic day though so thank you Showmasters!

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a lot more well put together than lfcc this year. the area where you waited for the photos turned into a free for all and people were complaining constantly, but if they'd listened to the crew then they would have got the message that there were delays.

 

the crew were all helpful and lovely, which was great; as were all the guests I met. Also a special thanks to the crew and guest (not naming who) for putting up with my incredibly rude companion. (if you know about this incident, i'd rather you didn't say anything. already almost cried yesterday about it! :/)

 

highlights: guests like evanna lynch and eye myles. REALLY LOVELY PEOPLE!

 

lowlights: the backdrop as to where they were signing. really SM?

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The crew guy running Dame Dianas queue could have done with taking charge a little more as it was a bit of a shambles early on. The lady guest assisting her was brilliant, don't know her name but have seen her at loads of of SM events and she's great.

 

The venue was dingy & way too hot, but I'm guessing its cheap (ish) to hire.

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