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Christoff
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We are British, we love to have a good moan.

 

A good event as SM pretty much always seems to do, always a few things one could gripe about and god knows I love a good moan myself, but frankly given the majority of people organising and running these events are giving up their own time to do so on a voluntary basis, i have no gripes I will air. Congrats and thanks to you all.

 

For the folks complaining about seating - i never failed to get a seat in the cafe area any time i went there to do so - and if you have a legitimate medical reason why seating would be of benefit to you...I am fairly sure the general upstanding, generous nature of us fun loving enertainment and media fans would us put aside our rotund derrier for your own.

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Well, I had a really good weekend, ended up with everything I wanted and had no issues with any crew whatsoever.

 

I'll just leave a few comments:

 

1) People getting lost? I honestly don't understand that. There were maps all over the place, and it really wasn't that huge. If someone spent an hour trying to find the big guest area, would they not ask a crew member? It was exactly where it said it was on the map, so I find that very weird. I walked around once and then pretty much remembered where everything was, but if I was that confused I would have quite happily asked someone!

 

2) Whoever made the decision to allow photos in the David Tennant signing area, I applaud you for that decision. It didn't hold up the signing time, and really allowed people to get a nice souvenir of the time. We all appreciated that, so thank you for allowing it :D

 

3) Yes, the venue was hot and uncomfortable at times, but we just went outside and sat in the shade for a while and then went back in. It wasn't that difficult really. I know it's not ideal, but it was manageable.

 

We brought our own food and drink which worked great. We were very organised, did everything we wanted, and everything went 99% smoothly. So much of the time it's genuinely down to people not listening and just being after what they want. I know no event is perfect but believe me, I've witnessed how hard the general public can make it sometimes.

 

Thanks to Jason and the crew for doing a stellar job.

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I had a really good time, this was my 3rd signing event this year, so I've now got the hang of everything.

 

Only a couple of things to mention:

 

The VT for Evanna Lynch today was dreadful I had a low ticket number and missed the first auto session so I came back in the afternoon, it said it was Open Queue so I joined the queue and was about to hand over my ticket when the guy working that part of the autograph section said to come back in 10 mins to let the queue go down. So I did and had a quick look at one of the stalls near by, turned back round and there were people queueing but they weren't being turned away. So I joined the queue again, only to be told to come back in 5 mins. Luckily my mum came back and I told her about the situation and she complained and they sorted out the queue back to a VT only queue, supposedly it was a mistake to change it.

 

That is my only gripe, but other wise a fanatastic day. As my brother had 'low' photoshoot ticket for David Tennant he had his photo within an hour or two of arriving. Very impressed there.

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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.

 

 

I was lucky enough to have my Dian Rigg auto personalized.

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Positives

 

Guests were brilliant.

 

Most queues were well organized.

 

Photo shoot A was very well organized.

 

Most staff were also great.

 

 

Negatives

 

The heat was unbearable at times - I was told that the air conditioning was on but it didn't feel like it.

 

I do wish that crew members would hurry some attendees along. Both with Clare Higgins on Sat and Evanna on Sun, there were attendees pin front of me practically giving their life stories to these guests. They both spent at least 20 minutes with each guest - not fair on people who were waiting.

 

No VQ tickets at the start of the days fro Armin, Paul and Miranda - queues were massive and standing in front of stalls that people were trying to buy things off.

 

Fiasco at Photo shoot B as Joe was late so Paul McGann photoshoot was delayed, then attendees with tickets for Ian as well as Paul were asked to queue in the front before Gold Passes, then crewmember tried to get Gold Pass queue behind.....

 

Finally, photo collecting was much better, however, I still ended up with someone elses finger prints on one of my photos, also the people waiting for Tennat photos was 5 people deep and still no one was moving (not sure how to improve this though).

Edited by reddragon
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Basically all pros from me:

 

Photo collection much improved. See they DO listen on here :P Thanks guys!

 

Organisation of Tennant's VQs and such in the morning were very good. Regimental in a good way. No running, shoving, crowding or pushing. Very good on both the crew and attendee sides.

 

General Tennant-ness. Everything just seemed to work.

 

BUT, brings me to my only real con that I'll mention, as my others are all things SM cant change/have no control over and so dotn need mentioning here.

 

And this one they cant either but it bears people hearing:

 

The general public suck. Seriously. SM made all those wonderful improvments to the photo collection area and it still ends up a bit too crowded and noisey and shovey.

 

Why? Because as always the general populace JUST. DONT. LISTEN. Time and again I heard the poor crew shouting that not all the shoots were back and to come back in 15/30 mins and check then to keep the area clear. Did people listen and go? Did they hell.

 

Basically SM upheld their end of the 'make the photo collection better' deal, and a sadly high number of attendees didnt hold up thiers and just made it appear to be a shambles.

 

Shame on you! :lol:

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The general public suck. Seriously. SM made all those wonderful improvments to the photo collection area and it still ends up a bit too crowded and noisey and shovey.

 

Why? Because as always the general populace JUST. DONT. LISTEN. Time and again I heard the poor crew shouting that not all the shoots were back and to come back in 15/30 mins and check then to keep the area clear. Did people listen and go? Did they hell.

 

Basically SM upheld their end of the 'make the photo collection better' deal, and a sadly high number of attendees didnt hold up thiers and just made it appear to be a shambles.

 

Shame on you! :lol:

Hate to say this but I heartily agree...if you can't see your shoot then move on and let others have a look, don't just stand there crowding it up grrrr

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The general public suck. Seriously. SM made all those wonderful improvments to the photo collection area and it still ends up a bit too crowded and noisey and shovey.

 

Why? Because as always the general populace JUST. DONT. LISTEN. Time and again I heard the poor crew shouting that not all the shoots were back and to come back in 15/30 mins and check then to keep the area clear. Did people listen and go? Did they hell.

 

Basically SM upheld their end of the 'make the photo collection better' deal, and a sadly high number of attendees didnt hold up thiers and just made it appear to be a shambles.

 

Shame on you! :lol:

Hate to say this but I heartily agree...if you can't see your shoot then move on and let others have a look, don't just stand there crowding it up grrrr

 

 

I agree - if people in general listened to instructions and read signs, this area would be a better place.

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Same goes for the bigger shoots too. As always, this time was witness to exchanges that went:

 

'What numbers are you doing?'

 

'1-150'

 

'I have 160, is that ok?' *facepalm*

 

And the same as above, except:

 

'Ah I have 600+ :/'

 

'Come back in 30 mins'

 

'Ok......*stands 3 feet away and waits crowding the area*'

 

 

 

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! ARRGH! :lol:

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Generally everythingg went very smoothly for us over the weekend, got all the autographs and photos we wanted with no problems.

As always the photo collection was the only annoying part. I agree that people should move if they cant see their photo but i think the mess up with all the morning tennant shoot being re- printed is what caused the crowds at the table today. All the people there at 4.30 were waiting for the second shoot photos so when all the first ones got put out again obviously there was no movement. This wasnt communicated very well. Thats my only complaint.

Edited by Jedi Kayben
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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

 

Hello! (from both of us!)

I just wanted to say a huge thank you again - you were amazing and it meant so much to me, I don't think I would have got through I otherwise!

Take care

Lizzy

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My two complaints are the fact that the venue's car park wasn't open until after 8 o' clock today, Sunday, and as I had arrived early I had to park on the street some distance away.

My biggest complaint is the fact that my Son and I had pre-booked tickets, we arrived at the event two hours before opening and had about 80 people in front of us. I was really annoyed that when the gates opened people who were paying on the day got into the venue before quite a few of those of us who'd been queuing for a long time. What's the point of buying in advance if you don't get into the venue any earlier. I have been to other events where the pre-paid entrants go in first and those who are buying on the day join the back of the queue.

We overheard a number of people voicing the same complaint and I hope that SM sort out this problem before the next event.

On a positive note all guests were exceptional, with David Tennant the highlight. Being allowed to take a few photographs while in the waiting area was a brilliant idea and seemed to improve the already positive atmosphere in the zone.

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The pay in advance tickets have never guaranteed you get in before everyone on the day. It's likely the queue moves faster, but they're not sold as such.

 

People just need to be aware of what they're buying.

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The general public suck. Seriously. SM made all those wonderful improvments to the photo collection area and it still ends up a bit too crowded and noisey and shovey.

 

Why? Because as always the general populace JUST. DONT. LISTEN. Time and again I heard the poor crew shouting that not all the shoots were back and to come back in 15/30 mins and check then to keep the area clear. Did people listen and go? Did they hell.

 

Basically SM upheld their end of the 'make the photo collection better' deal, and a sadly high number of attendees didnt hold up thiers and just made it appear to be a shambles.

 

Shame on you! :chair:

Hate to say this but I heartily agree...if you can't see your shoot then move on and let others have a look, don't just stand there crowding it up grrrr

 

 

I agree - if people in general listened to instructions and read signs, this area would be a better place.

 

We said the same thing tonight, everyone just standing around the table, hoping for the photos to magically appear, walk away and come back, give the poor souls at the back a chance to look!

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I agree - if people in general listened to instructions and read signs, this area would be a better place.

 

I have to agree on this one. Anyway my feedback.

 

Day 1

Job Assigned: Evanna Lynch - Cash Assistant

Guests Met: Arthur Darvil

Overview: This was my second time as a Cash Assistant and being one of the more popular characters it didn't surprise me that she had such a large turnout. To start off it was Open Queue which soon turned to a Virtual Queue due to the sheer mass of her fans. At several points Evanna did have to leave and comeback but those who came to see her where actually very understanding and came back at the appropriate times. Despite not having spoken to her she seemed to do an amazing job. Early on in the morning I saw Arthur Darvill for a Photoshoot and said it was very nice to meet him before he offered me a handshake which I didn't get the chance to return due to turning to leave and missing my chance. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to apologise for that. Still all in all a wonderful day largely thanks to the people who came to see Evanna.

 

Day 2

Job Assigned: Eve Myles/Jennifer Lien (Queue Ticketer)

Guests Met: Georgia Moffet, David Tennant, Caitlin Blackwood, Frances Barber, Jennifer Lien and Eve Miles.

Overview: This time I was assigned as Queue Ticketer which was a first for me. Eve proved to be immensely popular to so many reaching a very high number of VQ Tickets in a short space of time. The Queue grew very large very quickly. Early on I was allowed to have my Photo Shoot taken with Gorgia Moffet whom I congratulated on her engagement to which she thanked me, turned red and laughed followed by a shoot with David who was very nice. I returned and managed Eve's VQ tickets up until a huge interval in which she had a Talk, Photo Shoot and 20 Minute Break during which I decided to say hello to Caitlin and how I loved the idea that at 11 Years old she's taking names and she was absolutely adorable then I said Hello to Maisee Williams who was also very sweet and friendly then I managed to get the chance to say hello to the unbelievably friendly Frances Barber who was an absolute joy to speak before Eve Returned I wanted to be polite so I went to talk to Jennifer who really nice albeit a little shy. After this the Queue for Eve had reached an enormous size which thanks to my two awesome Pit Bosses. Just before she left Eve blew me a huge kiss which absolutely made my day. One thing I did notice is Eve is one of many people who always try make people feel that little special. After that I said goodbye to little Caitlin and Her Mum.

 

Large thanks have to go to the Crew for constantly working hard throughout a busy event, The Pit Bosses for assisting the Crew despite having to deal with many issue's throughout the weekend, The Guests for being so friendly, The Fans for being so upbeat and energised and Jason and Too Tall for executing yet another awesome event.

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I really liked the venue. There was much more space to move around and wider aisles so it didn't feel so crowded. The only problem was the lack of seating and cafe space though.

 

David Tennant was much better organised than previous 'big' guests too. No hanging around until 6pm to get an autograph!

 

A few small grumbles. The crew member on Armin Shimmerman's autograph line on Saturday was rude and uncooperative, which is not normally the case with your lovely crew. And, not the organisers fault, but the photo people made the end of the day more stressful than it need have been with some photoshoots very late. Having said that, I did end up with 2 David Tennant photos...the same, but one can now go proudly on my work desk.

 

However, a great weekend and I'll be back again. Thanks everyone. :chair:

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Thanks for a brilliant time! I went on my own so enjoyed wandering around the dealers and trying to remember where my fave ones were, and when I was tired I sat in on some of the talks/Q&A's that I might not have bothered with and really enjoyed them. I got a brilliant photo with David Tennent and even though I was one of the last few to go through he was still happy to pose and made my day.

 

And clean loos with no queues for two days with thousands of guests is quite an achievement!!

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Had a grand weekend, met everyone I wanted to meet. Have to say that some of the guests were really great to chat to: Debbie Carrington, Joe Flanigan, Shirley Henderson, Bronagh Gallagher, Dan Shor.

 

Was very impressed with David T who took the time to say hello (unlike some Starship captains) and engage just a little bit. I have a funny feeling he will be back again soon in the same way Alex was. Arthur D seemed a bit shell-shocked (and Rory-like) at all the attention but he did personalise which was great (might be down to me being a Rory as well).

Even though I haven't watched the show yet, Eve seemed very nice.

 

I love the talks (Joe, John, Edward, Ian & Alfred etc) but I feel they need a little bit more organisation especially when the guests are having to tell the guys where to go with the mics. (I realise they are volunteers and the talks are "free" but still).

 

The crew were amazing as always especially Jackie, Carrie and Debbie who always remember me which I still find a little disconcerting.

 

Heat!!!

 

Anyone know what was up with Jennifer Lien ....she seemed kinda out of it (was possibly my worst guest encounter with someone who wasn't crazy busy) and I regretted getting a photoshoot with her.

 

I know I'll get shouted down for this but I was soooo happy to hear about "The Ultimate Dr. Who Con" next year hopefully this means that the general signing events (while still having Dr. Who guests) will be a bit less who-centric.

 

Overall a very well run and fun event with great crew and lovely guests.

Edited by Farqhuarbeedlebum
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The crew member on Armin Shimmerman's autograph line on Saturday was rude and uncooperative, which is not normally the case with your lovely crew.

 

Surprised about this though obviously I don't know your specific circumstances but I met Armin quite early on saturday and the crew member seemed lovely. I was all keen and ready to pay as I generally try to help keep things moving but was politely told there was no rush as he was taking his time with everyone and thought that was very proactive and helpful.

 

I'm sorry if your experience was different. Never really had any issue with crew although some do shout incredibly loudly which can be a bit of a shock when it's right next to you :)

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loved the show soo much wasnt really happy when i was waiting for a eve and people infront of me numbers havnt even came up yet they was just standing there in the que and me thinking like an idiot apparently people standing in the que arnt going in yet didnt much help the ticket man wasnt much for shouting out just a quiet tone came out but other then that great show loved it!

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I flew in from Sweden on Sunday morning and spent a total of six hours in the con before having to take the flight home. I had a gold pass, and only really used it to get access to David Tennant. Seemed like a bit of an overprice at 175£. I liked the autographs in the pack, but the "normal" ones were mostly from UK TV and I have no idea who they are. Either way, could have been a bit cheaper but I understand.

 

The first guest I met was Sean Patrick Flanery. What an amazing guest. Not only was he welcoming and kind, he was chatty and even spoke to me in Swedish (a line he had in the London episode from YIJ). When I asked him for a quote on my VHS cover, he wrote down a lengthy one in Spanish (!). Absolutely amazing guy and my favourite guest.

 

Paul Blake was very chatty and happy, and we had a nice conversation about the heat and the difference between Sweden and England with the weather conditions. Great man and took his time to thank me for coming over.

 

Philip Rham was very happy as well, and we spoke briefly about his role in Band of Brothers (got his picture signed from there) as well as his role as Johann in the IT Crowd. Great guy.

 

Caitlin Blackwood was very nice and quiet though. I didn't get a bad impression, she almost seemed a bit shy but she was kind.

 

David Tennant, what a guy! Met him twice, once in the photoshoot and during the signing. He took his time to greet people, to thank them for coming and to shake their hands. He was very nice and kind towards me, always with a smile and with an interest.

 

Georgia Moffet greeted me with a big smile and was very happy to sign a picture for me. I didn't really get a bad impression from anyone, and Georgia was no exception on this.

 

Scarlett Byrne was a great guest. Didn't have that much time to talk to her, but she was very happy to see each and every one who approached her for an autograph and posed for photos with everyone. The same thing applies to Evanna Lynch, despite the long queues at time, she always took her time to talk to everyone and to take photos. She wished me a safe journey home, something most guests wished me after I told them about my journey there.

 

All in all, a great event despite the tremendous heat! I was happy with the organization, the people at the organisers booth were very helpful and were always there to help me. Nothing I can complain about. :)

Edited by Railok
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The heat was far too much

Still no proper queuing for ANYTHING, whats wrong with barriers for queues? ppl line up all over the place creating confusion

 

The photo pickup point for David Tennant was an absolute farce. Surely someone may of thought to either, print AND DISPLAY them out in batches, even if its say 1-200 200-400 500+ etc.. it wouldve helped. Having such a tiny area for over 1000 pictures was asking for trouble. Especially when half the table was empty, idiots still stood around that part of the table, not moving when the staff asked them to move along or go away.

 

This just caused the people who actually were trying to look for their photo an almost iimpossible task since crew were asking people to keep moving, walkin anti-clockwise and GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY if you dont see your photo. amazed how many people just stood there like gormless zombies camped 4 people deep stopping anyone else from looking for their photos. It was clear when the tennant photos started to fill up the table there were going to be LOTS of people unable to get a look. Someone needed to:

 

* SHOUT for EVERYBODY to clear the table, using a crew to walk everybody at least 6ft away from the table, then pick 2 random ppl to start a moving queue around the table, in an anti clockwise direction WITH THE CREW MEMBER ushing folks into the queue. This wouldve been the only logical way of helping things along in this awful situation of a free for all of photos on a tiny area with 500 people all trying to get there at the same time.

 

Surely the camera saves the images in file numbers, and when printed in that order the pics can be put in ROUGHLY the right area such as in batches of 200 and seperated from other batches! I know sometimes more than one shot would be taken and ppls pic may end up in an earlier or later batch but at least it wouldve allowed a majority of people to get their photos much quicker

 

Oh yeh the light is still apalling in EC1

 

Defo never going to an EC1 show again

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The general public suck. Seriously. SM made all those wonderful improvments to the photo collection area and it still ends up a bit too crowded and noisey and shovey.

 

Why? Because as always the general populace JUST. DONT. LISTEN. Time and again I heard the poor crew shouting that not all the shoots were back and to come back in 15/30 mins and check then to keep the area clear. Did people listen and go? Did they hell.

 

Basically SM upheld their end of the 'make the photo collection better' deal, and a sadly high number of attendees didnt hold up thiers and just made it appear to be a shambles.

 

Shame on you! :chair:

Hate to say this but I heartily agree...if you can't see your shoot then move on and let others have a look, don't just stand there crowding it up grrrr

 

Seconded. Personally, we had no problems but we glanced over when passing at various times and it did at times seem to be an imobile mass. But as the OP says, Showmasters listened and did what we asked.....not their fault at all

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