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Troubles at London Film and Comic Con- an open letter:


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So, here is my experience.

Brought an early bird ticket for Sat and Sun, photo shoots and talks online before the event. All tickets arrived in good time.

 

Got to LFCC at 8:30am on Saturday and joined the long queue. I was in the venue at 9:50. I attended the Jenna talk on the super stage and it was really disappointing. Couldn't hear a thing! Also I thought the seating was supposed to be in number order. There were no signs at the end of the rows to indicate where to sit, like there had been last year. Also, the guy on stage doing the interviewing was rude and insulting to some people in the audience.

 

I think the biggest shock was on returning from the Jenna talk was seeing loads of people outside the venue, and being told I wasn't allowed back in as there was too many people in the building and they didn't know when I could re-enter. I was concerned that I would miss the photo shoots that I had already paid for! Luckily, after about 20 mins I was allowed in and got my photos.

 

Some photo shoots were done in number order, some were not. Typically, the two shoots that I had low numbers for, weren't done in number order! The person in control of the queue needs to be loud and confident, so that people listen and do as they are told. All shoots need to be in number order, otherwise it is just not fair.

 

The venue was packed and hot on Saturday. I have been coming for many years and have never seen it that busy. Sunday was so much quieter. Arrived later than Saturday, but got in 10 mins earlier! Went to a couple of free talks, learnt that if you sat right next to a speaker, you could hear fine! Why were the free talks only 25 mins? Not long enough to ask questions. Had no trouble re-entering the venue.

 

Overall, I got the photos and autos that I wanted. Disappointed with the paid talk, the length of the free talks and it being so hot and crowded. Will I go again? Yes, if there are people I want to meet, then I will go.

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Someone should answer the question why the fire exits were chained up. Pretty sure that's illegal as it has a massive health and safety risk

That is down to the venue not event organisers.

That is the most stupidest thing I have read in this thread. Just because the venue had the fire exits chained up then SM take no responsibility? They were hiring the damn venue, fire escapes and health & safety should have been their NUMBER 1 priority. So if we want to ask SM why the fire escapes were chained up then we should be able to ask them and they SHOULD be able to answer because they SHOULD have asked the same damn questions to the venue managers.

 

As I said, the most stupidest thing said in this thread so far.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was merely saying that any locking of fire doors would have be done by Earls Court and not SM.
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To play devils advocate here, in the case with the football club I assume during the night there was nothing else going on so the organisers had time to do nice things like order pizza. While LFCC was taking place and while there were lots of issues to deal with inside, there was never going to be time for SM to deal with those queing outside and organising things like water etc at the last minute when their priority had to be dealing with the many issues inside the venue, surely everyone must realise that?

 

If you have planned and organised an event correctly,once it has started the management team should have nothing to do except deal any unexpected problems that arise, that's how event management work. You don't sleep for days before but if you have done things right once it starts it's runs itself except for the unexpected.

 

Unexpected numbers should have been considered and there should have been a plan in place to deal with it, that's what your disaster recovery planning is for, to put in place plans for the unexpected so you aren't caught out, not dealing with things on a wing and a prayer and "oh we will deal with it, if it happens"

 

I left the event at 12:30 on Saturday and I saw no-one managing the queue,or even dealing with the mess of people at the doors, it was chaos, inexperienced people in blue t-shirts trying to cope.

 

Plus if you are experienced in event management you have suppliers of things like water and other stuff already on speed dial.

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To play devils advocate here, in the case with the football club I assume during the night there was nothing else going on so the organisers had time to do nice things like order pizza. While LFCC was taking place and while there were lots of issues to deal with inside, there was never going to be time for SM to deal with those queing outside and organising things like water etc at the last minute when their priority had to be dealing with the many issues inside the venue, surely everyone must realise that?

 

If you have planned and organised an event correctly,once it has started the management team should have nothing to do except deal any unexpected problems that arise, that's how event management work. You don't sleep for days before but if you have done things right once it starts it's runs itself except for the unexpected.

 

Unexpected numbers should have been considered and there should have been a plan in place to deal with it, that's what your disaster recovery planning is for, to put in place plans for the unexpected so you aren't caught out, not dealing with things on a wing and a prayer and "oh we will deal with it, if it happens"

 

I left the event at 12:30 on Saturday and I saw no-one managing the queue,or even dealing with the mess of people at the doors, it was chaos, inexperienced people in blue t-shirts trying to cope.

 

Plus if you are experienced in event management you have suppliers of things like water and other stuff already on speed dial.

 

 

Then I know other Event Management teams who are completely awful! I have queued for hours after things ranging from concerts and red carpet events and at each one, it was expected that would be many people waiting around for a long time! At one event I went to, the person at the front of the line arrived over 24hrs before the event and no one offered her anything! Never have I been offered water or other things to help me cope with the wait! It was down to me and only me to do that, no matter how long a wait I am in for! If you choose to turn up and queue for ages, then it is common sense to bring water or whatever you need!

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To play devils advocate here, in the case with the football club I assume during the night there was nothing else going on so the organisers had time to do nice things like order pizza. While LFCC was taking place and while there were lots of issues to deal with inside, there was never going to be time for SM to deal with those queing outside and organising things like water etc at the last minute when their priority had to be dealing with the many issues inside the venue, surely everyone must realise that?

 

If you have planned and organised an event correctly,once it has started the management team should have nothing to do except deal any unexpected problems that arise, that's how event management work. You don't sleep for days before but if you have done things right once it starts it's runs itself except for the unexpected.

 

Unexpected numbers should have been considered and there should have been a plan in place to deal with it, that's what your disaster recovery planning is for, to put in place plans for the unexpected so you aren't caught out, not dealing with things on a wing and a prayer and "oh we will deal with it, if it happens"

 

I left the event at 12:30 on Saturday and I saw no-one managing the queue,or even dealing with the mess of people at the doors, it was chaos, inexperienced people in blue t-shirts trying to cope.

 

Plus if you are experienced in event management you have suppliers of things like water and other stuff already on speed dial.

 

 

Then I know other Event Management teams who are completely awful! I have queued for hours after things ranging from concerts and red carpet events and at each one, it was expected that would be many people waiting around for a long time! At one event I went to, the person at the front of the line arrived over 24hrs before the event and no one offered her anything! Never have I been offered water or other things to help me cope with the wait! It was down to me and only me to do that, no matter how long a wait I am in for! If you choose to turn up and queue for ages, then it is common sense to bring water or whatever you need!

 

I'm sorry but I really don't subscribe to the view that just because you have seen other events that are worse, that this makes something acceptable. People should aim to be the best in what they do, not say "well so and so were worse" as an excuse.

 

Whatever customers did or didn't do, it doesn't mitigate the fact that the Event Organisers got caught out by events which they should have planned for.

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To play devils advocate here, in the case with the football club I assume during the night there was nothing else going on so the organisers had time to do nice things like order pizza. While LFCC was taking place and while there were lots of issues to deal with inside, there was never going to be time for SM to deal with those queing outside and organising things like water etc at the last minute when their priority had to be dealing with the many issues inside the venue, surely everyone must realise that?

 

If you have planned and organised an event correctly,once it has started the management team should have nothing to do except deal any unexpected problems that arise, that's how event management work. You don't sleep for days before but if you have done things right once it starts it's runs itself except for the unexpected.

 

Unexpected numbers should have been considered and there should have been a plan in place to deal with it, that's what your disaster recovery planning is for, to put in place plans for the unexpected so you aren't caught out, not dealing with things on a wing and a prayer and "oh we will deal with it, if it happens"

 

I left the event at 12:30 on Saturday and I saw no-one managing the queue,or even dealing with the mess of people at the doors, it was chaos, inexperienced people in blue t-shirts trying to cope.

 

Plus if you are experienced in event management you have suppliers of things like water and other stuff already on speed dial.

 

 

Then I know other Event Management teams who are completely awful! I have queued for hours after things ranging from concerts and red carpet events and at each one, it was expected that would be many people waiting around for a long time! At one event I went to, the person at the front of the line arrived over 24hrs before the event and no one offered her anything! Never have I been offered water or other things to help me cope with the wait! It was down to me and only me to do that, no matter how long a wait I am in for! If you choose to turn up and queue for ages, then it is common sense to bring water or whatever you need!

 

I'm sorry but I really don't subscribe to the view that just because you have seen other events that are worse, that this makes something acceptable. People should aim to be the best in what they do, not say "well so and so were worse" as an excuse.

 

Whatever customers did or didn't do, it doesn't mitigate the fact that the Event Organisers got caught out by events which they should have planned for.

 

 

I never said they were worse than SM, though quite honestly it is not the worse queue I have seen and it is not the first time I have seen a queue not been given no information about what is going on! Simple fact, it happens and most of the time, it is completely unexpected no matter how well they plan for it. What I said, based on my experience, event organisers, even when do know how busy it will be, will not provide drinks etc to those in the queue because it is not their job to do so!

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What you seem to be glossing over, MrsEllacot, is that if you are going to a huge convention in a huge venue, possibly for the first time, and have been told there are "plenty of tickets available", is that you are not expecting a long wait. Half an hour, maybe an hour tops, and then you'd be surprised. Not everybody is a convention regular, and we would be a poorer community if we expected everybody new to know all the ropes and then sneered at them if they didn't anticipate everything. I don't pack for an expedition when I go out if I know there are food outlets, loos, etc, where I am going.

 

And in any case, the main complaints that I have seen here pertain to the lack of accurate information, not the lack of drinks/sunscreen/whatever.

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You appear to be calling me to task for something I never said, where did I say that they should have provided free water. I have suppliers on speed dial who would have been delighted to get a call to come down and sell stuff to the crowd which would have made life easier. There were even stall holder inside selling drinks who would have been delighted with the extra opportunity.

 

No what I said was they should have had a plan in place to deal with what happens if too many people turn up and they clearly didn't. They should know down to single figures exactly how many people can come in, footfall and had plans in place to deal with turning people away or at least explaining what was happening so customers could make an informed choice.

 

.

Edited by Green Cat
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What you seem to be glossing over, MrsEllacot, is that if you are going to a huge convention in a huge venue, possibly for the first time, and have been told there are "plenty of tickets available", is that you are not expecting a long wait. Half an hour, maybe an hour tops, and then you'd be surprised. Not everybody is a convention regular, and we would be a poorer community if we expected everybody new to know all the ropes and then sneered at them if they didn't anticipate everything. I don't pack for an expedition when I go out if I know there are food outlets, loos, etc, where I am going.

 

And in any case, the main complaints that I have seen here pertain to the lack of accurate information, not the lack of drinks/sunscreen/whatever.

 

Yes perhaps. But even when I attend events for the first time, I make sure to research it to figure whether I should expect to queue and if so, where do I need to go etc. Everyone has some kind of access to internet these days and the information may not have been on the main website but it was on twitter, facebook and the forum! So no I am not glossing over it, because while I am regular con-goer, everyone starts out as a first timer and we live in a world where information is easily available. Not going to bother trying to get my point across any more! I know how I deal with long queues so whether other people know how to is not my problem.

Edited by MrsEllacott
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Someone should answer the question why the fire exits were chained up. Pretty sure that's illegal as it has a massive health and safety risk

That is down to the venue not event organisers.

That is the most stupidest thing I have read in this thread. Just because the venue had the fire exits chained up then SM take no responsibility? They were hiring the damn venue, fire escapes and health & safety should have been their NUMBER 1 priority. So if we want to ask SM why the fire escapes were chained up then we should be able to ask them and they SHOULD be able to answer because they SHOULD have asked the same damn questions to the venue managers.

 

As I said, the most stupidest thing said in this thread so far.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was merely saying that any locking of fire doors would have be done by Earls Court and not SM.

 

 

I understand that, but did SM request them open, and if so why did Earl's Court not open them. It's still a legit question that SM can answer, unless of course they did not request them to be unlocked.

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Someone should answer the question why the fire exits were chained up. Pretty sure that's illegal as it has a massive health and safety risk

 

That is down to the venue not event organisers.

That is the most stupidest thing I have read in this thread. Just because the venue had the fire exits chained up then SM take no responsibility? They were hiring the damn venue, fire escapes and health & safety should have been their NUMBER 1 priority. So if we want to ask SM why the fire escapes were chained up then we should be able to ask them and they SHOULD be able to answer because they SHOULD have asked the same damn questions to the venue managers.

 

As I said, the most stupidest thing said in this thread so far.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was merely saying that any locking of fire doors would have be done by Earls Court and not SM.

I understand that, but did SM request them open, and if so why did Earl's Court not open them. It's still a legit question that SM can answer, unless of course they did not request them to be unlocked.

Showmasters posted this in another thread:

http://showmastersonline.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85464&p=1878191

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Showmasters do say online when the shop will be closed so you are told when ticket sales finish. Don't think you can blame showmasters for a broken air con that is the venues fault and people selling drinks outside for high price that is the normal for any event in this country.

But I can blame them. They are the events organisers and I know what that means. It means you are responsible for the running of the event and the attendee experience. If they had been visible and monitoring the queue the touts wouldn't have been able to do that. If they had recced the venue appropriately they would have had a back up plan. Like. I said- I do their job.

Additionally I'm criticising their whole ticketing system which is outdated and clearly doesn't work. People don't know months in advance if they will be free that weekend in this day and age - weirdly people work Saturdays a lot now.

Yep I work all weekends except when I book this off as holiday aproximately six months in advance, I'm not stupid. I purchased my tickets three weeks prior to the event, usually I get standard but they had stopped selling them. Realising that meant capacity had been reached if I hadn't managed to get earlybird tickets I wouldn't have bothered turning up on the day. But then I use common sense such as bring my own bottled water that has been in the freezer all night so it defrosts throughout the day and makes an excellent cold compress when you are stuck in a queue.

 

Showmasters warned us time and again that this was going to be big but demand obviously overtook all expectation and results in people accusing the Showmaster team of being all about sucking money out of customers and then moaning that Showmaster's didn't take your money for autographs or photos, ie they didn't deliver what you wanted. They also get accused of not training crew enough, my answer to that is for you to go work for showmasters if you think things need changing. The crew is primarily people who used to be customers like you, and at least you get into the event for sure then.

 

Yes I am being cheeky but really you should email and volunteer to crew. You sound like the type of person that Showmasters needs.

I am glad that you are able to book time off that far in advance. However in my lime of work and I am sure in others, we could be required to change days off last minute due to events coming that need experienced staff to be on site- and we know that, I also have other commitments in life that aren't up for discussion but mean every weekend isn't my own and that again is a situation many find themselves in.

 

Be cheeky, that's fine to do, I could do it better, by the sounds of the people here most of you guys could do it better too- however- I can't- because of the above. I'd love to- really- and if my company was allowed to help them run this event I would do it like a shot- but showmasters would rather run off free volunteers than a paid members of staff. (And I'm sure a lot of them are more than capable too! I didn't see any but others have mentioned them and showmasters lucked out with such good free support- I commend them!)That's their business decision and I'm sure it's a nice thing for volunteers to put on their CV. However there comes a time when corners shouldn't get cut like this-morally if not legally- if they aren't briefed, if they don't know what they should be doing, or what the crowd should be doing- then not only are they the face of showmasters bringing it into disrepute with bad behaviour, but they are a danger in an emergency situation. How half this stuff passed risk assessments I don't know- I fill those damn forms out all the time and it would be on me- the event organiser- if something was overlooked and people got hurt.

 

I'm not lucky, its one thing that the bloodsucking company I work for can't take away from me. I too have to put up with not knowing what shift I am doing till the day before and twice I've only had one hours notice that someone has changed the rota and put me down to work without asking or even notifying me so yeah that's how lucky I am. Conventions are one thing that are so important to me that I will not budge on. I book time off in advance and if they ring up to say I'm working then tough titty cause I'm at the event. So yes I know what having a crappy and demanding job is like and I'm on minimum wage to boot.

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Hey everyone,

I, too, went to the show as a comic silver pass holder and was utterly disappointed and disgusted. I also happen to write for a comic book section on a geek website and so I'm in the process of writing a thorough and brutally honest review.

Would any of you be up for being quoted in the review? I can make the quotes anonymous if you'd prefer. If you're happy to be quoted/want to say something about the show then please e-mail me at g.cox@anythinggeekyreviewed.co.uk

Thanks :)

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