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Thoughts about show after our debrief & how to move forward


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One thing if I may bring it up, the Hammersmith flyover is closed until at least late summer of 2015

Careful, it's not permanently closed. Granted they are coming to the ened of ten weekends of closure whilst they have been waterproofing the structure, and yes, there is work to be done for the next year, but I don't think that in any sense it will be permanently closed for the next 12 months, and I have no idea how much closure the future work will require. So I wouldn't consider it a major factor in planning next year's dates. (and it's not like it's the only way into West London; there are options other than queueing all the way round Hammersmith Broadway).
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I've bee reading all the comments for days now but after reading this post, I thought i should say something.I've been going to the LFCC for years and each year you kinda feel it's getting bigger and bigger but I could have never imagined, it was going to be as it was. You keep saying you didn't anticipate all those people coming with no prepaid tickets..true but I guess it has never been a problem so they thought it wouldn't be this year either.i never bought prepaid until now and never had issues.Anyway, I got pre paid early bird tickets.i arrived at 8:30 and I couldn't belive my eyes. Didn't even know which one was the right queue. I asked a member of your staff and their answer was non existent. Literally. They ignored me.so I found the queue and I got in near 11.By that time, the venue was already overcrowded. It took me 30min to be able to pass by the vendors stalls to the guest signing area....and there were still hundreds of early bird attendees still to enter..so the only explanation I can find is that tickets were oversold.Unless you thought we are all the size of a pea and we would have enough space to move. Also..I'm surprised no one mentioned the moment when , after fighting my way out to breath in some air, I was not allowed to get back in.i had a photoshoot scheduled (same as many more people standing with me at the door) and they are telling us we cannot go back in for security reasons? Not cool . obviously we all got angry and somehow I got pushed by a huge crowd and we made our way in.not nice but that's how it happened. Even though I got what I paid for, I couldn't enjoy it. Spent more times queuing and trying to move than anything else. When I was outside, I witness people getting sick, fainting and getting hit by cars...horrible. of course we can all learned from this but I don't think we can onky blame those hundreds of people with no tickets...the problem was already there...what I dont understand is how you were still selling tickets when the venue was already at full capacity and if you were not..did someone bother to inform those hundreds of people that they wouldn't get in??? At 4 the queu was still there...but of course, you could check in the website and the sentence "plenty of tickets available" could be misleading. I am still thankful for the event and I'm lucky I got my one autograph and photo shoot but a backpain for days and the stress of that Saturday..kinda destroys what it should have been an amazing experience. Thanks for reading.

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How i think things could be improved for next year----

1 VT= 1 autographs and no-one should be allowed more than 5 VT's no matter if they have early bird, silver, gold tickets or are dealers if they want more than 5 autos from someone they need to get a 2nd lot of VT's and join the back of the queue or wait till the queue has dies down to get more.

Terrible suggestion, I'm afraid. Not only does it mean giving out more VTs (think of the trees!), more realistically it means that everyone will grab 5VTs, whether they want one autograph or five, and then those with all the early numbered ones will be able to pass on the spares to their friends or even sell them on the sly. One VT per person, up to 5 autos per VT, as at the moment, works fine when it's operated properly.

I do pretty much agree with your other suggestions though.

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And one more thing.......maybe we couldn't feel the air con cause of the amount of people in there but I really didn't even think there was any air at all there.....

Edited by MJF82
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How i think things could be improved for next year----

1 VT= 1 autographs and no-one should be allowed more than 5 VT's no matter if they have early bird, silver, gold tickets or are dealers if they want more than 5 autos from someone they need to get a 2nd lot of VT's and join the back of the queue or wait till the queue has dies down to get more.

Terrible suggestion, I'm afraid. Not only does it mean giving out more VTs (think of the trees!), more realistically it means that everyone will grab 5VTs, whether they want one autograph or five, and then those with all the early numbered ones will be able to pass on the spares to their friends or even sell them on the sly. One VT per person, up to 5 autos per VT, as at the moment, works fine when it's operated properly.

I do pretty much agree with your other suggestions though.

 

tommy i did say when people got to the front of the queue their TV's should be taken from them so that they CANT hand them to other people. the 1vt =1auto was just a suguestion but 1vt could be up to 5 autos. either way if people are made to HAND IN their vt's then noone can pass them on to other people.

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Maybe they could get some of the bigger guests there a day early (or earlier on the preview day like they did with Stan Lee) just for say gold pass holders and stall holders to get their autographs, (I add dealers in here as they do pay a lot for their stalls and some of them can not easily get away from their stalls to get autos, plus the ones who want 5+ items signed would not be holding up the queue for all the other attendees)

 

One other thing I was thinking, to help with the queuing, get the gold pass holders in an hour earlier, after all the do pay extra for the gold passes so would make them even more valuable to have

Getting guests to turn up a day earlier adds to the expense (an extra day's "pay" plus hotel and food costs, extra costs in getting staff there and venue even semi-open. Does that also impact on set-up meaning they have to hire the venue an extra day earlier? Similarly, letting gold pass holders in an hour early means that you need to have more staff there earlier, and negotiate with at least some guests to attend earlier (all of which adds to the costs) or otherwise you just have a load of gold pass holders in a venue devoid of guests with virtually nothing to do.

I'm not saying it necessarily makes these bad ideas, but I suspect they would rather ideas that didn't engender too much extra expense.

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I'm sure we can only imagine the huge volume of emails SM have received during/since the event, so please be patient :) thank you :)

Was this related to me? I only asked because I'm using a hotmail address which I know has had issues for people emailing in the past.

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I personally would like to thank you for what you have managed to do here. I managed to get my Iron man issue 1 signed by Stan Lee, and I never thought i'd see the day. I travelled all the way from Newcastle to see him and many other guests. It was my first London event i've been too and I can say for sure it won't be my last. Although it was busy, I think that's what I call the 'buzz' of the event. Being tired after the week, being jam packed, travelling for hours, I love it all, it makes the event, atleast once it's over you can look back and say "I survived that!" I loved it, I will be back again, without a doubt! Keep up the good work! and hope to see many A-List guests too come!

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We attended on Saturday.

The fact that the Book Zone only rates a line or two in this statement underlines the feeling that we had about the event. YALC was treated like the poor relations at the wedding, shoved into a small space at the back.

We felt that the organisers woefully underestimated how many people would attend the event for the authors. There were no virtual queue tickets for the authors, and no space allowed for queuing to meet them.

I believe the numbers of book fans attending prove that YALC has enough support to be an event in its own right next year. If not, then please have the sense not to put Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman within 10 yards of the queue for an A lister like Stan Lee. And have virtual queuing. One of the volunteers tried to move us on because we were blocking the area next to Stan Lee's queue and people couldn't walk through the area. He was incredulous when we explained we were queuing for Derek Landy. Authors have fans too, mate!

We have attended LFCC for 5 years - it is always on the weekend near my birthday so my children take me as a birthday treat. We've never felt as disappointed as this year. We thought it would be doubly enjoyable since we wanted to meet both stars and authors. Instead, we couldn't get near the stalls for crowds, and only got to see half the people we wanted to meet - both stars and authors. My daughter carried a heavy backpack full of books for 8 hours hoping to get signatures, and left with only half signed. I was given ticket 857 for Summer Glau at 10.15am, and she was only on 570ish at 5pm so I didn't get to meet her. We spent exhausting hours doing nothing but lining up for something like 15 minutes total between us with those we wanted to meet, and no chance to browse the stalls.

We appreciate the difficulties experienced and know most staff were doing their best, but outside we and the other Early birds who got off the train with us were given conflicting instructions and moved several times, meaning we ended up further back in the queue than we should have been, while others who were behind us were put in a supplementary queue that ended up going in well ahead of us. We were eventually bundled in so fast our tickets were taken as a whole rather than torn [we usually keep the stubs as souveniers] and our hands weren't stamped meaning we couldn't step out for air during the day even if we could make our way through the crowds.

At one point we tried to take a toilet break from the Book Zone only to find that the toilets down that end were blocked off 'no access to toilets' by photo booths and stalls and we had to fight our way down to the toilets at the other end, where there was a long queue. A ridiculous reduction when so many extra people were present.

We applaud the 'pre-booked' ticket only suggestion - the dates are fixed and regular, so those serious about attending have all year to book leave from work or make whatever arrangements needed, and to save up for ticket and spending money.

Could we also suggest a minimum age for attendees?

We understand that some people need to attend in wheelchairs, and that is fine. Everyone is understanding about making room for them. But babies in pushchairs just add to the chaos, and those under 2 yrs old are unlikely to gain much from the experience. They just get even more hot and fractious than the adults. Again, it is no secret when the event takes place. Attendees have plenty of time to arrange babysitters. My daughter and I had our toes run over several times by baby buggies - and by luggage trollies! Seriously folks, have some consideration in a crowded area, leave the wheels at home. [As I said, my daughter carried a backpack full of books. She would have been more comfortable pulling them along in a trolley, but had more consideration for other attendees].

For five years, LFCC has been the absolute highlight of my year, but after Saturday it will take someone really special to get me to go back next year. I'll probably stick to MK Collectormania in future.

 

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Some people on here are nuts....simply nuts - why argue with each other over something you will not decide upon and have neither the experience nor industry knowledge to say who is right or wrong.

We are all fans and the last thing we should do is turn on each other.

FYI - American cons are far - FAR more expensive....I should know I attend at least 5 a year in the states. We are lucky at the prices we get here....very lucky.

VIP individual guest passes work....simple as that and they always sell out in the states so clearly there are enough people willing to pay to guarantee the experience they want - as with everything in life / you get what you pay for. No one is entitled to see the guests for free etc or to still pay cheap prices. The only way you control numbers is simply price people out of the market - seems harsh but I think it's at least a way of not giving false hope and people will know where they stand.

I feel for anyone who can't get everything they want in life - but there are plenty of things I can't get and I never ever begrudge people who can.

As far as cons go I have a large budget and would be able to finance more expensive experiences so I am in favour of restricted ticket packages with auto/photo/meet and greet.

Please don't think I'm being a smug fellow here I am just being honest.

 

Us fans shouldn't turn on each other but you think that SM should price some of us out? Nice, real nice!

Just to be clear only on the most prestigious guests such as Stan Lee or other A/B list actors......there is only a limited amount of time and if say 5000 people want to meet person 'X' and there will only be enough time for 1000 to do so - then I simply would put the price of 'X' higher to limit the amount .....its called supply and demand. In effect this is exactly what happened with Stan Lee, Dealers, Gold Pass and Silver who pay a premium to be there got all they needed. So that's what was done for this event it just wasn't taken on board by attendees (despite SM warnings that the higher passes would give you the chance). Then at least people would know if you turn up on the day you would have virtually no chance of getting guest 'X'

 

So not putting the entry price up, not putting the regular guest price up.....just the top few guests. This has been done at many events.....I paid £250 auto and £255 photo for Stallone.....many more wanted it, but there was not enough time, so higher price takes one section of the queue out of the mix.

 

This isn't a new idea....think airplane seats, 14 First, 72 Business, 40 Premium, 300 economy.........THIS IS HOW THE WORLD WORKS.......I'm just being a realist.

 

'so higher price takes one section of the queue out of the mix.'

 

 

Yeh people on low incomes who save through the year to go to an event like this and have as much right as anyone else to meet guests. People with families trying to get by. Students who struggle on part time jobs. People with disabilities who rely on saving part of their benefits month after month to come, people living off national pensions, people who have to consider what they are going to have to give up for a little while in order to come to comic con. People just like some of the people on this forum who have to budget and save and scrimp. People who are just as much a fan as you are.

 

I cannot believe that anyone would openly suggest that this is the right idea moving forward. At the end of the day if you cannot afford to fly first or business class you can still buy an economy seat which is a guarantee that you will be on that flight.

 

Out charging a majority of people who come to your event DOESN'T make business sense.

 

The answer here is better organisation. NOT taking away the chance for people poorer than you to meet the people they love and admire.

 

This is an experience that should be open to all NOT just the privileged few.

 

I think you missed my point - I'm saying a Stan Lee type guest would be first class and you can still get you economy £15 guests as per normal.

 

Plus airlines oversell as a policy so no a ticket does not guarantee you a seat!!!

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My suggestion is mainly around the autograph area.

 

1) The autograph area needs to be 100% shut off from the stalls and other parts of the show. When I say shut off, I mean barriers of some kind going from one wall to the next with an entry point in the middle.

 

2) At the start of the day staff can be there to hand out the various VQ Tickets.

 

3) When people don't have a VQ Ticket that is within the allotted VQ Number then they should be forced to withdraw from the area and mingle within the rest of the event and come back when their VQ Ticket is within the allotted number.

 

4) Sufficient announcements/notification should be made of what VQ Ticket number ranges are called for each guest.

 

5) When someone's VQ Ticket number range has been called they make their way to the autograph area and show their ticket to the staff who check the status (i.e. VQ called range) of that guest and then let them through.

 

6) When someone has got their autograph they vacate the autograph area unless they have another VQ ticket (in called range) for another guest.

 

7) If a guest has an open queue then people are allowed through but should be requested to vacate afterwards and not congregate in the autograph area.

 

 

The reason I feel the autograph area needs to be 100% shut off is because at every event (not just the recent one) people gather in the autograph area and wait for their number to be called. They take up unnecessary space, some don't care if they are in people's way, they block access to view the "small" notification of what VQ tickets have been called for each guest, and they generally add to the confusion of where the queue is, who's in the queue, what numbers have been called etc.

 

So basically the autograph area should only contain those with valid called VQ number ranges at any given time (with exception of open queues)!

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i agree stan needed a rest i was dispointed we couldnt take a pic of him on our fones whilest signing but understand needed to get thru as many ppl as possible and he did soldier on he was really nice even on sunday towards the end when his manager let me give him a pic and shook his hands but the quing system outside nobody new where to go wat que to be i think signs for what entrance or que to join will be a gd idea so ppl know where they need to be ty for the great experience as this was my 1st comicon event i wish photoshoots were available on the day aswell although there were alot of ppl

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I was really quite disappointed with LFCC this year. Previous years have been perfect. Each year I book earlybird for Saturday and Sunday. This was the first time I booked to go to the preview show. This was the best part of the weekend. Being able to look at all the fully stocked stalls was really great.

Saturday really threw me off. After seeing the queue size of Friday, we decided to leave our hotel and queue outside for 8. Already, we were really quite far from the front of the building. We managed to get into the building by 10. This was 2hrs of queue time and our tickets were taken from us and thrown onto the ground. I know this may sound extremely picky, but, I have kept all of my tickets for events like this and have now been left with a gap. Previous years, we have managed to get into the queue just past 9 and have nearly been granted immediate access. I know Stan Lee attracted plenty of new people but I felt like I paid extra money for nothing. There was no need to get an early bird entry.

The hall was stuffy and claustrophobic. I received scratches on my arms (nothing major) from people in cosplay. Normally, I like to look around at peoples' costumes but this year, I really wished they would wear normal clothes just to make some extra space. There was plenty of shoving and pulling on the stalls and after a few hours I left. Not only was I starting to get frustrated through spending 10 minutes just trying to walk down one aisle. But, my asthma was really playing up. So much so, that we decided to go home.

I bought tickets for the whole weekend but on the Saturday I gave up after a few hours and only came back for the Stan Lee photo shoot. However, this was really well organized. Although he arrived late (which I completely understand), there was little queue time, I had a ticket near the 900 but once the queue had started moving, I was seen within the hour.

This was the only year where I haven't been dragging my boyfriend in with me to look at more cool things. This year we both left disappointed and aggravated. This was the only year where I felt I had wasted my money.

I do think it is a good idea to limit the amount of tickets bought- the type. There should be fewer earlybird entry tickets even if it means raising the cost (a little). People in that queue should feel special. Yet, we only had 1hr of extra time before standard entry tickets were coming in. The number of people being able to attend should be lower. I think it is a great idea to make Saturday pre paid tickets only although, I believe that this should happen for all days. There is no negative action to buying your ticket online. In fact, it is quicker.

If you were to have the two halls again, I think you need to put stalls in one and everything else in the other. There was a LOT of wasted space. It seems like only half of both the halls were used. The stalls could have been more spread out.

 

  • Restrict the amount of people who can come
  • Use the space more wisely in the halls
  • Wasn't sure of the layout of either, seemed like it was mismatch. There was an anime zone at the back of Earl's Court 2 which was an empty stall and all the anime stalls were in with the others
  • Maybe have an announcer- get some speakers and announce events e.g. "Stan Lee Photo Shoot Session 1 will be starting in 15 minutes
  • For the volunteers and employees- make sure they know what is going on. One of them told someone to come at 6 for the earlybird entry. He said they would be let in.
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We attended on Saturday.

The fact that the Book Zone only rates a line or two in this statement underlines the feeling that we had about the event. YALC was treated like the poor relations at the wedding, shoved into a small space at the back.

We felt that the organisers woefully underestimated how many people would attend the event for the authors. There were no virtual queue tickets for the authors, and no space allowed for queuing to meet them.

I believe the numbers of book fans attending prove that YALC has enough support to be an event in its own right next year. If not, then please have the sense not to put Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman within 10 yards of the queue for an A lister like Stan Lee. And have virtual queuing. One of the volunteers tried to move us on because we were blocking the area next to Stan Lee's queue and people couldn't walk through the area. He was incredulous when we explained we were queuing for Derek Landy. Authors have fans too, mate!

We have attended LFCC for 5 years - it is always on the weekend near my birthday so my children take me as a birthday treat. We've never felt as disappointed as this year. We thought it would be doubly enjoyable since we wanted to meet both stars and authors. Instead, we couldn't get near the stalls for crowds, and only got to see half the people we wanted to meet - both stars and authors. My daughter carried a heavy backpack full of books for 8 hours hoping to get signatures, and left with only half signed. I was given ticket 857 for Summer Glau at 10.15am, and she was only on 570ish at 5pm so I didn't get to meet her. We spent exhausting hours doing nothing but lining up for something like 15 minutes total between us with those we wanted to meet, and no chance to browse the stalls.

We appreciate the difficulties experienced and know most staff were doing their best, but outside we and the other Early birds who got off the train with us were given conflicting instructions and moved several times, meaning we ended up further back in the queue than we should have been, while others who were behind us were put in a supplementary queue that ended up going in well ahead of us. We were eventually bundled in so fast our tickets were taken as a whole rather than torn [we usually keep the stubs as souveniers] and our hands weren't stamped meaning we couldn't step out for air during the day even if we could make our way through the crowds.

At one point we tried to take a toilet break from the Book Zone only to find that the toilets down that end were blocked off 'no access to toilets' by photo booths and stalls and we had to fight our way down to the toilets at the other end, where there was a long queue. A ridiculous reduction when so many extra people were present.

We applaud the 'pre-booked' ticket only suggestion - the dates are fixed and regular, so those serious about attending have all year to book leave from work or make whatever arrangements needed, and to save up for ticket and spending money.

Could we also suggest a minimum age for attendees?

We understand that some people need to attend in wheelchairs, and that is fine. Everyone is understanding about making room for them. But babies in pushchairs just add to the chaos, and those under 2 yrs old are unlikely to gain much from the experience. They just get even more hot and fractious than the adults. Again, it is no secret when the event takes place. Attendees have plenty of time to arrange babysitters. My daughter and I had our toes run over several times by baby buggies - and by luggage trollies! Seriously folks, have some consideration in a crowded area, leave the wheels at home. [As I said, my daughter carried a backpack full of books. She would have been more comfortable pulling them along in a trolley, but had more consideration for other attendees].

For five years, LFCC has been the absolute highlight of my year, but after Saturday it will take someone really special to get me to go back next year. I'll probably stick to MK Collectormania in future.

 

 

I just wanted to say that some people with luggage had no other choice. I had to check out of my hotel on Sunday morning because I couldn't afford to stay another night so all my luggage for the weekend had to come with me. I got into the venue at 9:20 and queued for about 7mins for luggage storage. The woman at the counter told me that they were about to close because they couldn't take any more items. So pretty much everyone behind me had no choice but to take their stuff around with them all day.

 

This is a EC problem not a SM one so it is hard to fix.

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How has the "Make it more expensive so the poor people aren't in my way in the queue" post managed to stay on here?

Not what I said was it....

I didn't even go for Stan Lee as I had already met him, but limiting by price doesn't stop 'poor people' as YOU labelled them. As somebody pointed out you can save up :-)

 

Plus who actually thinks it's acceptable for people on benefits to be spending money on this sort of stuff.... I sure don't! That's not where OUR taxes should be going is it.

 

Nobody was in my way - I had no issues over the whole weekend, got everything done, it was too hot in there though!

 

I was offering a suggestion on a control method - once again to be CLEAR I have and had no problems with entry, photo ops, autographs and I had a fantastic time.

Edited by phillycheesesteak
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I would wager that for many on the forums and at the event "money" is not the biggest driving factor beyond whether they have enough spare to go or not.

What I mean is sci fi / fantasy is one of the few genres where fans are of all ages. I can talk Star Wars and Dr Who with my 8 year old nephew.

 

My favourite memory of LFCC is from a year or two ago as I watched Matt Smith stop, greet and engage with every youngster during his busy signing on Saturday. Every kid got a warm welcome and a beaming smile.

 

My favourite memory from this year is watching Summer Glau, Juliet Landeau and Terry Farrell greet almost everyone warmly. Having queued for all 3 I spent a bit of time in the area.

 

My problem with the "supply and demand" argument is that I'm fortunate enough that I could buy gold passes if I wanted. I accept the arguments on the forums about people prone to stress or trying to co-ordinate a very busy day, but I wonder if Matt Smith and Stan Lee would rather sign 20 autos for a dealer, one for a middle aged bloke like me who's fairly friendly and can afford shiny tickets, or one for a kid in costume. I get the feeling they're fans too.

 

So, lets have the changes resulting from this years problems keep the fans in mind please, Let's remember the event is there to be enjoyed and not reinvent Animal Farm.

 

Craig

Edited by Wiskel
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How has the "Make it more expensive so the poor people aren't in my way in the queue" post managed to stay on here?

Not what I said was it....

I didn't even go for Stan Lee as I had already met him, but limiting by price doesn't stop 'poor people' as YOU labelled them. As somebody pointed out you can save up :-)

 

Plus who actually thinks it's acceptable for people on benefits to be spending money on this sort of stuff.... I sure don't! That's not where OUR taxes should be going is it.

 

Nobody was in my way - I had no issues over the whole weekend, got everything done, it was too hot in there though!

 

I was offering a suggestion on a control method - once again to be CLEAR I have and had no problems with entry, photo ops, autographs and I had a fantastic time.

 

Did you have a pass of any sort? Or just standard ticket?

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We attended on Saturday.

The fact that the Book Zone only rates a line or two in this statement underlines the feeling that we had about the event. YALC was treated like the poor relations at the wedding, shoved into a small space at the back.

We felt that the organisers woefully underestimated how many people would attend the event for the authors. There were no virtual queue tickets for the authors, and no space allowed for queuing to meet them.

I believe the numbers of book fans attending prove that YALC has enough support to be an event in its own right next year. If not, then please have the sense not to put Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman within 10 yards of the queue for an A lister like Stan Lee. And have virtual queuing. One of the volunteers tried to move us on because we were blocking the area next to Stan Lee's queue and people couldn't walk through the area. He was incredulous when we explained we were queuing for Derek Landy. Authors have fans too, mate!

We have attended LFCC for 5 years - it is always on the weekend near my birthday so my children take me as a birthday treat. We've never felt as disappointed as this year. We thought it would be doubly enjoyable since we wanted to meet both stars and authors. Instead, we couldn't get near the stalls for crowds, and only got to see half the people we wanted to meet - both stars and authors. My daughter carried a heavy backpack full of books for 8 hours hoping to get signatures, and left with only half signed. I was given ticket 857 for Summer Glau at 10.15am, and she was only on 570ish at 5pm so I didn't get to meet her. We spent exhausting hours doing nothing but lining up for something like 15 minutes total between us with those we wanted to meet, and no chance to browse the stalls.

We appreciate the difficulties experienced and know most staff were doing their best, but outside we and the other Early birds who got off the train with us were given conflicting instructions and moved several times, meaning we ended up further back in the queue than we should have been, while others who were behind us were put in a supplementary queue that ended up going in well ahead of us. We were eventually bundled in so fast our tickets were taken as a whole rather than torn [we usually keep the stubs as souveniers] and our hands weren't stamped meaning we couldn't step out for air during the day even if we could make our way through the crowds.

At one point we tried to take a toilet break from the Book Zone only to find that the toilets down that end were blocked off 'no access to toilets' by photo booths and stalls and we had to fight our way down to the toilets at the other end, where there was a long queue. A ridiculous reduction when so many extra people were present.

We applaud the 'pre-booked' ticket only suggestion - the dates are fixed and regular, so those serious about attending have all year to book leave from work or make whatever arrangements needed, and to save up for ticket and spending money.

Could we also suggest a minimum age for attendees?

We understand that some people need to attend in wheelchairs, and that is fine. Everyone is understanding about making room for them. But babies in pushchairs just add to the chaos, and those under 2 yrs old are unlikely to gain much from the experience. They just get even more hot and fractious than the adults. Again, it is no secret when the event takes place. Attendees have plenty of time to arrange babysitters. My daughter and I had our toes run over several times by baby buggies - and by luggage trollies! Seriously folks, have some consideration in a crowded area, leave the wheels at home. [As I said, my daughter carried a backpack full of books. She would have been more comfortable pulling them along in a trolley, but had more consideration for other attendees].

For five years, LFCC has been the absolute highlight of my year, but after Saturday it will take someone really special to get me to go back next year. I'll probably stick to MK Collectormania in future.

 

 

I just wanted to say that some people with luggage had no other choice. I had to check out of my hotel on Sunday morning because I couldn't afford to stay another night so all my luggage for the weekend had to come with me. I got into the venue at 9:20 and queued for about 7mins for luggage storage. The woman at the counter told me that they were about to close because they couldn't take any more items. So pretty much everyone behind me had no choice but to take their stuff around with them all day.

 

This is a EC problem not a SM one so it is hard to fix.

 

Luggage storage is not a problem for SM or Earls court.What venue opens up to the public for an event and is expecting to store luggage for heavens sake, coats maybe and the odd bag but luggage ? surely your Hotel had an all day 'hold' area for those who check out but need to stay around for a late airport departure or attend an event.

Edited by loveamyadams
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Hi all, I don't know if this has been said. But I feel that I need to say something about my experience of this years LFCC, don't get me wrong this not having ago at Shomasters them self's this more to earls court staff. As I feel that even thought that there was some of showmasters staff that were a little hot headed with some of the people that want to attend the event where turned away dew to overcrowding. As well as some that where mad at people trying to get to photo shoots. But my main plight is with the fact that there was little to no air conditioning. That I know of and being a first aider for stadium I found the conditions, where right for disaster and thankfully I didn't see any one get heat exhaustion. But have attempted to act if such a think happen. In saying that my mind thought if there is a implementation for such things ?

 

Is there an action plan if such a thing or something similar in place ? As well as this we all know about the over crowding and there need to rethink how the event is done next time as there clearly a health and safety issue there. With that being said the day went reasonable well. :)

 

Ow here something that could help with photo shoot number as such why not use a screen with the numbers and who and what photo shoot is going on. This could reduce frustration for the staff that where having to hold up sings for what number was next. As well if there a big guest like Stan Lee would one be able to set a different date for film and tv peolpe and comic the other days ?

 

(Sorry if this has been answered I have only just been able to post this here and hope that this would acted upon for the next LFCC :) )

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