Volunteers

[Laurenafenete]

I would like to say a big thank you all the volunteers who were there at LFCC. Especially the two guys at photo C who helped me navigate to photo D and were generally loverly to talk to. Also to the lady who was handing out the VTs for Colin Baker's autograph who was very helpful.

[jael001]

I've crewed in the past and I have no idea who many of the guests are as I dont watch every tv show or see every film and I've no interest in sports. However ask me something about the shows/films I am interested in and I'm completely on the ball. The only reason I don't crew these events is because I want to meet too many guests and you're very limited in what you can do when you are a crew member as far as photos and autographs.

Edited July 14, 2014 by jael001

[Knitty Fred]

There was someone in front of me in one queue yesterday who had never seen Star Wars at all!! I and the people behind me were "like what???!!!!". Quite bizarrely though he only lives a few miles away from me.

[Spectrum]

 

 

The girl doing the Stan Lee preview signing Friday morning is probably the most enthusiastic crew member I've ever met. Think her name was Rachael.

Thank you very much to you two as well, reading things like this really does make it all feel worthwhile!

If there was a crew school you'd definitely be top of the class.

 

 

I have a new favourite attendee, thank you again!

[Indestructible]

I was in the queue waiting for my Stan photo and it was 0-200 and was praying that 200-400 wasn't announced and a big bundle would ensue. Thankfully it then went up 200-230 and so on, nice one Mr Blue shirt guy.

[Murph]

I have a new favourite attendee, thank you again!

Haha, maybe at LFCCW you'll now be doing your own auto's and photo's

[SirGeeksalot]

There was someone in front of me in one queue yesterday who had never seen Star Wars at all!! I and the people behind me were "like what???!!!!". Quite bizarrely though he only lives a few miles away from me.

Did the whole hall suddenly fall silent and everyone turned around, looked at them and then pointed saying "not one of usssss!!!" ? ;-)

 

- G

[Zonky]

az-ophi - I'll put a couple of things here since you asked.

Background? I have a day job that involves dealing with classes of up to 30 teenagers at a time. I was one of the Gamersmakers for the 2012 Olympics and I've been a volunteer for SM in MK and London for nearly 10 years now. I'm not exactly small (height or width!) and I'm not exactly quiet either! The good days - they're the busy days when you don't really have time to sit around and not do a lot, when you're always doing something, no matter how little, and when you actually make a difference for someone. You'll usually find me in a photoshoot area on at least one of the days during a weekend and actually it's a job I quite like doing... most of the time. Yes, even on Saturday in photoshoot A!

Speaking of which...

Axel - if you're talking about today (Sunday) that would probably have been Phil (though he'll kill me for referring to him as "older") and if it was Saturday it would have been me. You'll be glad to know we both got through the weekend largely intact

 

Ahhh I tried to speak to you on Sat during the 2nd Stan Lee shoot but was carried away in the crowd, I really just wanted to say you did a terrific job but genuinely looked like you were about to keel over at any moment! Good to see you're still alive!

[Banished_From_Rohan]

 

az-ophi - I'll put a couple of things here since you asked.

Background? I have a day job that involves dealing with classes of up to 30 teenagers at a time. I was one of the Gamersmakers for the 2012 Olympics and I've been a volunteer for SM in MK and London for nearly 10 years now. I'm not exactly small (height or width!) and I'm not exactly quiet either! The good days - they're the busy days when you don't really have time to sit around and not do a lot, when you're always doing something, no matter how little, and when you actually make a difference for someone. You'll usually find me in a photoshoot area on at least one of the days during a weekend and actually it's a job I quite like doing... most of the time. Yes, even on Saturday in photoshoot A!

Speaking of which...

Axel - if you're talking about today (Sunday) that would probably have been Phil (though he'll kill me for referring to him as "older") and if it was Saturday it would have been me. You'll be glad to know we both got through the weekend largely intact

 

Ahhh I tried to speak to you on Sat during the 2nd Stan Lee shoot but was carried away in the crowd, I really just wanted to say you did a terrific job but genuinely looked like you were about to keel over at any moment! Good to see you're still alive!

 

Cheers Zonky, have to admit I was a little tired after that lot! Hope you had a good day and got all you wanted

[Zonky]

I had next to no sleep, was starving and a complete sweaty mess...

 

Best weekend of my life ever :)

[Spectrum]

 

I have a new favourite attendee, thank you again!

Haha, maybe at LFCCW you'll now be doing your own auto's and photo's

 

 

I usually have at least half a dozen sharpies on me at a show, and I'll sign for 50p and a biscuit.

 

Seriously though, I'm at pretty much all the events except Glasgow, come say hi next time!

[sophstar007]

The lady giving out VT's for Bernard Cribbins was lovely and very helpful. She listened to me rabbled on about how excited I was. She had been up since 3am and still managed to be smiling and chatty. I don't know her name but she really made the experience

[az_ophi]

Wow.....I started this thread to understand more about what being a volunteer entails and what drives someone to go from "customer" to "crew" and also to get some balance towards my grumpiness of Saturday's experience (!) but I have to say I have happily sat back and watched this thread turn into a "love-in" for some of the really well deserved crew members get a public thank you and pat on the back....

 

It's been great to see some really engaging and positive stuff come out and helped to wipe away some of my bad memories from Saturday. I still feel desperately sorry for the red shirted lady at Summer Glau's queue who burst into tears with the pressure of it all and I really wanted to give her a hug but luckily she knew someone else in the queue who acted quickly and helped her regain her composure.

 

To all those lovely wonderful crew who did help us out - thanks and this thread is for you!

[Murph]

I usually have at least half a dozen sharpies on me at a show, and I'll sign for 50p and a biscuit.

 

Seriously though, I'm at pretty much all the events except Glasgow, come say hi next time!

 

What's your favourite biscuits then? haha

[JBIps]

A big well done and thanks to all the guys n gals on the crew, on a weekend that must have been very difficult at times. the chap (Rob i think ) doing the VT's for Milo Ventimiglia on Sunday thanks for being chatty and enthusiastic.

[The_Wookie69]

...especially the tall guy with the ginger beard who was doing a good job under the circumstances and losing his voice in the process!

Thanks Diabolik. My voice had taken bigger beatings than that! It's a tricky situation we were all in and tried to give everyone all the information we could.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Wookie

[Zahariel]

 

There was someone in front of me in one queue yesterday who had never seen Star Wars at all!! I and the people behind me were "like what???!!!!". Quite bizarrely though he only lives a few miles away from me.

Did the whole hall suddenly fall silent and everyone turned around, looked at them and then pointed saying "not one of usssss!!!" ? ;-)

 

- G

 

 

Nice

[Pod0509]

Firstly a massive well done to all the Crew members who did an amazing job over the 3 days at LFCC. I cannot begin to imagine how tired and warn out they must all be feeling right now!! I had to get back up early for work this morning and I felt like I had been hit by a sledge hammer, so goodness knows how they must of felt!

 

All in all, we had very little communication with any of the Crew members over the 2 days, but when we did it was all good as far as I'm concerned, about for one memorable experience which I feel I have to mention!

 

It was getting close to 3pm, so me and hubbie decided to make our was over to Brompton hall in prep for the audience with Stan Lee.

 

My feet were in so much pain and once we got over there, all I wanted to do was sit down. As there is no real seating areas, I decided to sit on the cold floor up against a wall which I had done many a time over the weekend with no problems. I need to mention now, that there was a crew member standing about a metre away from me before I sat down. As I reached the floor and started to get comfortable, the crew member THEN decided to tell me that I couldn't sit there as he needed to keep the area clear. That's fine I thought, but why did you quite happily watch me sit my bottom down on the floor and then proceed to tell me that I couldn't sit there which me and my husband quite clearly stated to him that he could have told me BEFORE I had sat down!!!!!!!!!!

 

In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that"

[CurlyKirsty]

bandwagon much

 

I don't need to read a crew page as I am not crew, I am commenting about my experience as a paying customer in reply to the comments here " This way the crew are all fans like everyone else and therefore are more likely to be able to help you " being not exactly the case

 

and your reply goes to show my reply to be accurate as of crew can be placed anywhere , even with a guest they have no knowledge of such as you with a wrestler ...... need I say more

 

I think you are under the misaprehension that we are there in another capacity, we are there to do a job. It doesn't matter if we are a fan of the person we are GA (guest assist) or not, I have had a lovely time with Sports guests and the fact that I am more empathetic with people who feel excited about meeting their hero/heroine or favourite actor/actress/sportsperson/celebrity is the thing that connects us as fans. I may not be in the same fandom but I relate to how attendee's feel and aim to make it as easy and pleasant as possible.

 

Just because crew are made up of mainly volunteers doesn't mean we are not professional or take our role very seriously. I have to say it is not easy, you can't just swan off to the loo whenever you want, most times you don't get to meet the celebs as you are working elsewhere, often I leave autos at their desk before it opens with money to be able to get my autos, we don't always get them back signed and in one case one is still missing. That is reality, it doesn't give you unlimited access, in fact you have to damp down excitement and focus on what you are doing when the celebrity that you most admire is walking past you. Very hard to do but necessary if you ever want to crew again.

 

We get assigned different roles to make us better crew, the more rounded you are as a crew member the better you perform. Don't any of your friends crew for Showmasters? Can't say I am surprised as you used the phrase that you were a "paying customer" so of course you would see it as them and us. For the record I paid entrance on Saturday too, but my experience was probably better because I see a blue shirt and automatically treat them like a friend now, at one point I went up and fanned one to cool down as she looked like she needed it, I also picked up some rubbish from the floor and put it in the bin. The crew are not inhuman clones serving Jason or automatons and we are not walking encyclopeadia either so don't treat us that way.

 

I got into crewing after several of my friends suggested it as they crewed, I finally jumped in when i was made redundant and it was the only way to get an auto that I wanted for my daughter. I have since got a job and am still crewing. I had a terrible first day as I felt really rough with a cold and my voice gave out at one point but came back because I felt like I made a difference.

 

I hope that this post gives people a clearer idea of what it is about, it's not about hob nobbing with celebrities, its seriously hard work on Sunday night having to carry chairs and pile them on pallets ready to remove at the end. You ache all over, you're exhausted to the point of tears, you still got to pick up all the rubbish and yet you are still smiling cause someone just cracked an awful joke. That's what being Showmaster crew is all about, we don't get to go until everything is cleared and the hall is empty.

 

I hope this helps you understand what being crew entails. We were just trying to entice you to try it just once rather than criticize without understanding what crewing is about. It would be nice if more people crewed as you could go to conventions and enjoy it but working at them is very rewarding. (I'm not talking money or autograph value)

[Diabolik]

I'd really like to thank the young lady in the red shirt who found Steve Cole for me on Saturday afternoon in the Book Zone. This volunteer is a credit to SM, going out of her way to find him and arrange a meet with him, after none of the volunteers I'd previously asked could locate him. Thank you so much, for your help!

[Sheppy dreamer]

I love it but its very hard work. You can be put on any job and chances are you won't get to see all the people you want.

[C.Parkers-Girl]

I had to take a sick day today after the weekend. I feel so sick!!! The money/tickets we handle and germs that spread in the heat plus the exhaustion. Def have con-flu! We don't often get chance to wash our hands so rely on antibacterial hand wash lol if we remember to pack some.

 

Sure this thread is not encouraging people to crew :-p but it's def worth doing at least once. You can even do a half day to test the water!

[talie]

In regards to the comments about getting in professionals, heck some of the crew are students etc... but we are ALL briefed prior to the event and in person. I quit crewing for a year and came back much to the confusion of some of the people outside the crewing world because I have a "qualified" job, I have a degree in Events Management same as Elaine above ^ we actually ended up at the same uni on the same course! However, crewing is often harder than my real "qualified job"

 

I can't say I've been ever called a "stupid C-word here" whilst at work lol The crew do it for the love of it, even if it does mean sickness! Like Elaine I'm at work full of strepsil's and going through lots of toilet roll blowing my nose haha!

[Nightcrawler]

 

 

bandwagon much

 

I don't need to read a crew page as I am not crew, I am commenting about my experience as a paying customer in reply to the comments here " This way the crew are all fans like everyone else and therefore are more likely to be able to help you " being not exactly the case

 

and your reply goes to show my reply to be accurate as of crew can be placed anywhere , even with a guest they have no knowledge of such as you with a wrestler ...... need I say more

I think you are under the misaprehension that we are there in another capacity, we are there to do a job. It doesn't matter if we are a fan of the person we are GA (guest assist) or not, I have had a lovely time with Sports guests and the fact that I am more empathetic with people who feel excited about meeting their hero/heroine or favourite actor/actress/sportsperson/celebrity is the thing that connects us as fans. I may not be in the same fandom but I relate to how attendee's feel and aim to make it as easy and pleasant as possible.

 

Just because crew are made up of mainly volunteers doesn't mean we are not professional or take our role very seriously. I have to say it is not easy, you can't just swan off to the loo whenever you want, most times you don't get to meet the celebs as you are working elsewhere, often I leave autos at their desk before it opens with money to be able to get my autos, we don't always get them back signed and in one case one is still missing. That is reality, it doesn't give you unlimited access, in fact you have to damp down excitement and focus on what you are doing when the celebrity that you most admire is walking past you. Very hard to do but necessary if you ever want to crew again.

 

We get assigned different roles to make us better crew, the more rounded you are as a crew member the better you perform. Don't any of your friends crew for Showmasters? Can't say I am surprised as you used the phrase that you were a "paying customer" so of course you would see it as them and us. For the record I paid entrance on Saturday too, but my experience was probably better because I see a blue shirt and automatically treat them like a friend now, at one point I went up and fanned one to cool down as she looked like she needed it, I also picked up some rubbish from the floor and put it in the bin. The crew are not inhuman clones serving Jason or automatons and we are not walking encyclopeadia either so don't treat us that way.

 

I got into crewing after several of my friends suggested it as they crewed, I finally jumped in when i was made redundant and it was the only way to get an auto that I wanted for my daughter. I have since got a job and am still crewing. I had a terrible first day as I felt really rough with a cold and my voice gave out at one point but came back because I felt like I made a difference.

 

I hope that this post gives people a clearer idea of what it is about, it's not about hob nobbing with celebrities, its seriously hard work on Sunday night having to carry chairs and pile them on pallets ready to remove at the end. You ache all over, you're exhausted to the point of tears, you still got to pick up all the rubbish and yet you are still smiling cause someone just cracked an awful joke. That's what being Showmaster crew is all about, we don't get to go until everything is cleared and the hall is empty.

 

I hope this helps you understand what being crew entails. We were just trying to entice you to try it just once rather than criticize without understanding what crewing is about. It would be nice if more people crewed as you could go to conventions and enjoy it but working at them is very rewarding. (I'm not talking money or autograph value)

Hi I will keep this as short as poss - I cannot talk for all crew as according to the official SM reply about the event there approx 380 " For this years event we did expect bigger crowds so we took on more crew, we went from 250 trained crew to 350 and for the first time ever we also took on volunteers that helped with things like holding doors open and running, etc, so the total was around 380 "

 

I am very confused about the trained crew vs volunteers as you indicate most are volunteers but anyway .. of those crew I did interact with a couple were lovely & helpful , my main issue about the 'encyclopaedia' of knowledge is that the Main Organisers Booth should be ... that's it's role surely ? as I have mentioned already I asked them a question about the raffle prizes etc and not one of them knew the answer - I just don't comprehend how that is possible

 

I think it's great people like you volunteer , I think most likely the majority are lovely , but looking at those figures in the official reply why didn't a single person I approached at all the main / official desks & ticket office know the answer since so many were trained staff ?

 

This is not a personal attack on you or any crew I just think it's for SM to ensure the official areas are staffed by people who have all the answers otherwise what's the point

 

and yes it is a you & us situation as this is not a family run get together it's a business operating a service with paying customers - whether you are a volunteer or a paid member of SM staff you represent the event / the company / the brand and I am the customer .. it's just that simple

 

I absolutely love comic cons etc and if it wasn't for companies like SM we would not get the chance to browse all the geeky stuff for sale or meet celebs , my posts in this thread are really just about how I was bemused how little information was known by the approx 12 people I asked ( not one knew the answer )

 

Sorry to go on but I wanted to try answer best I could

[Skyggebjerg]

I just want to give a shout-out the guy managing Summer Glaus que at the end of saturday (think his name was Robbie?). Seemed like good people.