All things considered not bad

[Acsel]

I've seen a lot of posts saying about how there were problems all over the place. I for one was not too disappointed with the day.

 

Me and my girlfriend arrived at the venue a few minutes before 9 with Early Bird entry tickets (having got up at 6am to arrive in London for entry). We joined the queue (this could have been signposted better, at one point I was going purely on common sense that we needed the left most entrance so we'd join the left most queue) although within a few minutes it had snaked back around the main entrances. Got into the venue at just after 10am (which did involve walking along the front and side of the building before snaking around the back, down the side again and entering) which is fair enough really. Turning up at 9am and still getting in by 10 even with all the people in front was somewhat impressive. I attended another Comic Con event (won't mention which one) and had a similar type of early priority entry. Nothing special, just entry before normal entry at 11. That event had no queue system and was pretty much a free for all to get through the people checking tickets and that one took us over an hour to get through with similar numbers of people waiting. So in that respect SM did a decent job of keeping the queue moving and getting everyone in as soon as possible. However as others have mentioned a few more staff outside or some sort of organised barrier system would have been useful. Not knowing where to go wasn't helpful and while I didn't see any queue jumping it would have been very easy to do so. Just a few more staff would have helped. And while SM aren't at fault for my other qualm, it was somewhat dodgy to have so many vehicles driving through those crowds. Granted there is no other space to queue in but the venue doesn't seem to facilitate large queues and vehicles.

 

When we did get inside it was already pretty packed but we were able to get around. We checked our photoshoot times again to make sure they were fine and decided to immediately head off in search of virtual tickets for some autographs. In the end we only got one autograph there (Adam Brown, who had the time for a little chat and a posed photo; later when we went back there were "no posed photos" signs). Didn't even need a VT and the queue was practically non-existent at the time. So that meant we'd got everything specific we wanted from the venue and it was only 10:20. We'd have had plenty of time for some more autos with guests but wanted to save money for stalls. But overall I'd say that getting in autos with the guests and the odd posed photo quickly is a decent enough reason to buy the EB tickets and made it worthwhile, even if we didn't take full advantage of it at the time. I'd recommend it for anyone that wants to get in and see their minor guests in good time and with more chance of a chat and photo with them. So this was very nice.

 

Just after 11am things started to get much busier. By this time we'd walked round a bunch of the stalls. Luckily being in early meant it was packed but not too packed that we couldn't look. We managed to look round most of the stalls we wanted to before general entry and even after general entry still looked round a bunch of stalls with no real hassle. After general entry it did become more packed but nothing that I didn't already expect (and it didn't feel any busier than my previous con I'd attended). By this time we were starting to get a bit hungry, thirsty and warm so we went and sat in one of the unused photo shoot queue areas. Unfortunately had to move as it was required but found some space along the side walls for a sit down. I'd honestly say if I went again I'd consider taking a small collapsible camping chair though. There was a distinct lack of somewhere to just sit down and chill out (at that time most of the tables were being used, the empty central area was full of people and not really suitable to sit and have a break so the only free areas were the sides of the venue). Now of course we can't expect seating for large amounts of people but a few more dedicated areas, particularly on a day like this would have been useful as going outside to chill off isn't exactly an option.

 

The venue itself started to get pretty warm after 12 (or maybe that was just us). People were still steadily streaming in and things were getting more hectic. I don't want to say there was no air con but anything that was there certainly couldn't cope with the venue size and capacity. A small hand held fan would have been very useful. Options for food were somewhat varied butt he queues were very long. Luckily we had our own food and drink but it would have ruined my appetite if we'd needed to queue for lunch. I'd highly recommend SM set up their own stall (maybe in the big open area) and sell bottles of (ideally) cold water and hand held fans to help keep everyone cool. Unfortunately nothing seemed to be done about keeping people from overheating (although realistically nothing could be done besides opening the doors and hoping a breeze blows in).

 

After we'd had a break we had a look round but by 1pm we'd given up. We had looked at all the stalls we wanted to see, been back to a few important ones and were too hot to do much but we still had to wait for our afternoon photo shoots (Lena and Stan). In the end we found a corner and sat down for a good hour and a half since there was very little else to do. This is where I feel the SM was a bit of a let down. At the other Con I attended we got in slightly later but spent longer looking round everything. We also had decent options for lunch and after coming back in still had time to look around. Here we looked at what we wanted and grabbed everything we needed to buy within a good hour. Maybe that's partly down to the layout at LFCC being pretty linear and easy to navigate and partly because we knew what we wanted. But it didn't feel like there were enough stalls to keep us entertained all day, unlike the other Con. However I understand that the LFCC has a large focus on guests. So if we'd had a few more photo shoots or queued for a few more autos we'd have been fine. Or even attended some of the talks. We never did actually leave the second hall to look in Earls Court One. So perhaps if we had we'd have had more to do. Notably at one point I did leave my girlfriend and go for a wander round the stalls again (I hadn't spent any money as everything I might have been tempted to buy wasn't unique to the event and I could already find stuff like DVD's and Manga online anyway. I wanted something special). I managed to navigate the stalls pretty well by myself and at a pretty good pace, despite the crowds. There was definitely enough room to meander around at this point, even if it was a bit crowded in places. I wouldn't have been able to have a detailed look at every stall but that isn't what we wanted anyway. So really in a way my issues with some lack of variety (even though variety of merchandise was good, just not all of it interested me) is really down to my own personal tastes. I knew what I was looking for and sadly found none of it. Nothing caught my eye although my girlfriend got some unique items so it really was down to my tastes. But some more stalls would always be nice.

 

Finally at 2:45 the first photo shoot was ready to begin. I stayed with our bags in the corner while my girlfriend went to queue for Lena. She said that it started a bit late but was still back in good time and we were in no rush anyway. By 3:30 we were bored and had another little walk around, a few more snacks and generally looked to waste some time really. At 3:45 we headed to Stan Lee's photo shoot to see what was going on. A large crowd had already formed prior to our arrival yet the shoot didn't start until 4:15. Stan was late turning up (but that's completely forgivable) and before he arrived the crew had already organised the first lot of queues (Gold/Silver tickets and up to about 650 iirc, which should be everyone that missed their morning shoot). We were ticket numbers 1480 and 1500, I believe the highest was 1599 so that was likely the cutoff as it was sold out. We waited as the staff called out more numbers and got everyone in the queue and were even fortunate enough to be within touching distance of Stan when he arrived. After a quick trial run the queue started moving quickly. It was about 4:45 before the first photos were being taken.

 

The queue moved along, more numbers were called and the crowd slowly dimmed. We were hopping to catch a train at 5:58 and knew it'd be a close call but didn't bother the staff. It wasn't a big issue if we missed it and they were busy dealing with the queue. Hats off the to the guy (sorry, no idea on name) who was writing on the board for Stan's shoot. You clearly had a sense of humour even with everything going on, putting up somewhat random numbers and even a joking half number at one point. Well done to both guys managing this queue. A good 800+ people must've been moved through by merely these 2 guys and it was kept flowing pretty well, also partly due to the staff inside. Eventually we were called and joined the queue. We moved through and got our photos, just getting out at 6pm. The shoot was meant to finish at 5:40 and started about half an hour late so well done for everyone involved in managing to deal with it all and get everyone through in decent time. We managed to make it back down to the station where our train was delayed and had perfect connections getting home for around 7:30. A long day with a lot of waiting around but worth it in my opinion.

 

So realistically my recommendation is this. If you want to go, plan early. If we had planned earlier (we booked all our tickets 2 weeks before the event. That's 2 EB entry, 2 Stan and 1 Lean photo shoots) we wouldn't have been waiting around for so long. I highly recommend LFCC to people that are more interested in guests (autos, photos and talks) as without them you run out of things to do fast. If we had not been waiting for our shoots we could in theory have left at 11am and missed nothing, since we saw and bought everything in the first hour easily. Likewise though if you want to see lots of guests be prepared for planning properly to make sure you get there early, get in and see everyone and everything you want to see. If you are just interested in cosplayers (or which there weren't as many as I expected, compared to my last event) and stalls then I wouldn't rush to get in. I don't honestly know how bad the queuing was after we went in but we could have done everything we needed even if we'd got in at 5. But getting in early was nice for a quieter, cooler, calmer atmosphere.

 

I can't compare this to other SM events but it seems this was the first time they had a big guests like Stan Lee (from what I've heard). As such I'm more lenient with my expectations. I knew it'd be busy and from what I saw everyone did what they could to get people in and through as much as possible. Hopefully this serves to improve future events and accommodate large guests better. As previously mentioned I'd recommend LFCC to anyone that wants to see the guests and make the most of the talks and other guest related activities. If you aren't interested in guests then a less guest filled con would be more appropriate. Without our photo shoots and autos this would have felt like a bit of a wasted day (but then compared to other cons I've seen more emphasis is placed on guests, with the huge numbers of guests attending so this is to be expected). Please SM in the future though sort out the queuing a bit better. Even if it is just signposted barriers to organise people. And more options to buy drinks in particular without massive queues would be appreciated. Beyond that thank you for all the hard work that went into this, without which I would have been unable to meet and get a photo with Stan Lee, a once in a lifetime opportunity. I appreciate how much work goes into these events and it might not have been perfect but it sees everyone tried their best.

[Acsel]

And I can honestly say I had more gripes with the other people there. Randomly posing for photos in door ways, barging past people, general hygiene, etc all bothered me substantially more than the couple of boring hours doing nothing.

[C.Parkers-Girl]

A good constructive review :)

[Banished_From_Rohan]

Ascel said:

"The queue moved along, more numbers were called and the crowd slowly dimmed. We were hopping to catch a train at 5:58 and knew it'd be a close call but didn't bother the staff. It wasn't a big issue if we missed it and they were busy dealing with the queue. Hats off the to the guy (sorry, no idea on name) who was writing on the board for Stan's shoot. You clearly had a sense of humour even with everything going on, putting up somewhat random numbers and even a joking half number at one point. Well done to both guys managing this queue. A good 800+ people must've been moved through by merely these 2 guys and it was kept flowing pretty well, also partly due to the staff inside. Eventually we were called and joined the queue. We moved through and got our photos, just getting out at 6pm. The shoot was meant to finish at 5:40 and started about half an hour late so well done for everyone involved in managing to deal with it all and get everyone through in decent time. We managed to make it back down to the station where our train was delayed and had perfect connections getting home for around 7:30. A long day with a lot of waiting around but worth it in my opinion."

That'd be me then. Sorry you all had to wait around so long - we did our best and you're right, it was close to 800 in each session. Think next time I do a half number I might produce a chainsaw or something as well :) Glad you got home on time and sorry about my completely inept quoting in this post..

Edited July 12, 2014 by Banished_From_Rohan

[Dannycarroll2007]

And I can honestly say I had more gripes with the other people there. Randomly posing for photos in door ways, barging past people, general hygiene, etc all bothered me substantially more than the couple of boring hours doing nothing.

At LFCC 2015 I'm bring cans of lynx to hand out. Just because it's 48 hour deodorant it still means you have to shower everyday.

[Acsel]

 

Ascel said:

"The queue moved along, more numbers were called and the crowd slowly dimmed. We were hopping to catch a train at 5:58 and knew it'd be a close call but didn't bother the staff. It wasn't a big issue if we missed it and they were busy dealing with the queue. Hats off the to the guy (sorry, no idea on name) who was writing on the board for Stan's shoot. You clearly had a sense of humour even with everything going on, putting up somewhat random numbers and even a joking half number at one point. Well done to both guys managing this queue. A good 800+ people must've been moved through by merely these 2 guys and it was kept flowing pretty well, also partly due to the staff inside. Eventually we were called and joined the queue. We moved through and got our photos, just getting out at 6pm. The shoot was meant to finish at 5:40 and started about half an hour late so well done for everyone involved in managing to deal with it all and get everyone through in decent time. We managed to make it back down to the station where our train was delayed and had perfect connections getting home for around 7:30. A long day with a lot of waiting around but worth it in my opinion."

That'd be me then. Sorry you all had to wait around so long - we did our best and you're right, it was close to 800 in each session. Think next time I do a half number I might produce a chainsaw or something as well :) Glad you got home on time and sorry about my completely inept quoting in this post..

 

 

No apology necessary. You did a great job of getting everyone through. If Stan had arrived on time (not a dig at Stan at all, it's perfectly understandable that things weren't going to go absolutely perfect on the day) then everything would have been on time. And with our tickets being at 1480 and 1500 I was well aware we'd be waiting until the end. Nothing you could have done. If there had been space it might have been easier to keep everyone back further from the queues though. There was a lot of pushing to get in and a lot of asking people to move off the white lines. Perhaps some sort of barrier or something to mark the outside of the queue area.

 

I think a chainsaw would be a brilliant idea. Would have definitely helped ease the queue. And getting home on time was partly down to you as well. You called 1499 (knew you would ) but I think you let my girlfriend join the end with 1500. We didn't rush out, knowing our train would have already left but luckily it was delayed. Had we been waiting any longer we would have missed it. So thanks again for that. And go job to you and all the crew I saw for keeping their cool despite everything going on.

[Acsel]

 

And I can honestly say I had more gripes with the other people there. Randomly posing for photos in door ways, barging past people, general hygiene, etc all bothered me substantially more than the couple of boring hours doing nothing.

At LFCC 2015 I'm bring cans of lynx to hand out. Just because it's 48 hour deodorant it still means you have to shower everyday.

 

 

As much as I understand what you're getting at, that'd realistically cause more problems than it'd solve. And tbh there were only a few people who's hygiene really bothered me. Even showering in the morning before going to the event we both started to look and feel a bit worse for wear by the end of the day. So too some extent it was understandable. I expect some people to just have poor hygiene and there's nothing that can be done about that. It's as much part of the event as buying your tickets or meeting your guests. It happens.

 

 

Another gripe I had that was never mentioned. Saw a lot of people with very small children/babies going round. Now I'm no parent but that just seems like bad parenting. Going around with a new born baby, even toddlers seems like it'd be bad for them. If a lot of people couldn't withstand the heat I'm sure the little ones definitely couldn't. And it's not like they can enjoy it. Some people would disagree but I'd seriously consider putting a lower end age restriction because taking a baby to that venue is bad for the child and makes more work for the parent.