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As it was my first Con I have nothing to compare it to. I had a great time and although there were obvious teething problems, I was aware it had moved venue, I didn't come across anything that made the weekend less enjoyable. By this time next year I would imagine these will have been discussed and sorted by the organisers and we can all look forward to an improved experience next time. And if they bag Rick Baker then I don't care how long the queues are or how hot it is, I'll be there. :smile:

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Overall, the event was great. The amount of traders was so fitting for a venue that size. The quality of guests was incredible. Only a few things that put a downer on it for me.

 

1. Some of the staff weren't very helpful at all. I was in a rush on the Saturday due to arriving late and I only had 10 minutes to find the MJF photo shoot. I asked a crew member by the door where photo shoot A was and they replied with 'Dunno, look at the floor plan'.

 

2. The queues for guests. Most of this isn't Showmaster's fault. They implemented the ticket system for the more high profile guests, which both helped and didn't help. I ended up missing out on Christopher Lloyd because I was told that there was no point in me queuing because I didn't have a ticket and I had 0 chance of meeting him.

Also, the queue for the Michael Gambon photo shoot wasn't a queue, but more of a mob. There was no organisation to it and the crew members didn't know what the guy organising it was trying to do.

 

They weren't enough to ruin the event though and I'm definitely pushing to get my firends to come in November/next year.

Thank you for a great weekend in London.

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Thanks for the Info Jason!

 

My only points would be with the extra space (if possible) dedicate the majority of one of the halls to the photo shoots with Batch 1, Batch 2 queues etc so everyone knows where to go, it's controlled and should cut the lingering (which I did myself for a couple of them I'm afraid). Also if something breaks, like the flash at JDF photo on Friday, it's not a 10 min run for a volunteer to go and get a part, they could just nip next door to another photo area.

 

Also I know it has been mentioned and probably in one of the 11 pages here but - time slots for the Gold passes at photo shoots or charge more for the gold pass and sell fewer - probably impossible but I hope, it's just they don't seem very exclusive and VQ tickets for some guests weren't really worth getting.

 

With the grand hall, most issues will go away I am sure.

 

Cheers

JA

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A rest area that does not require a Gold pass should be a must! I am pregnant and conditions on the first floor were overcoming many people, without carrying an extra load. Being misdirected to up/down staircases more than once did not help either.

A big thankyou to the young lady assisting Gary Kurtz on Sunday who allowed me to sit on a chair and offered me water as she could clearly see I was feeling unwell. If only all event staff were so helpful!

I have been coming to Showmasters events for years but never felt so uncomfortable as this weekend. There was a distinct undercurrent of stress all round.

 

My gut feeling is don't go bigger next year, keep it the same size, iron out the kinks and just do it better.

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Hi,

 

All in all had a good time thx.

 

Don't get rid of the Gold Passes - went gold myself for first time and was invaluable. Goody bags a bit naff - gave mine away. Was still worth it for other privileges so plse keep, we needed them. Hopefully chill out zone (absolutely essential)

 

Call the Diamond passes something different......reading this thread it seems that the actual use was perhaps 'open to interpretation'...'Star Guest' pass?

 

The App sounds good. But please don't underestimate the power of signage, signage, sound, sound, and signage. There were occasions on Sat I would not have been able to reach my phone to check up on an app. I would suggest not everyone who attends reads the forum, or the website, or would know about an app.....need to cater for all punters somehow.

 

More crew in photo booths. Unfortunately, required for people who queue from the beginning of a shoot even tho the forum etc. has given approx timings for tickets being called....thus some of us little-uns with panic disorders can't get anywhere near to see what is being called (ref: Signage & Sound again)

 

room to sit for a min for all not just golds

 

I was interested Jason to read your notes on Photo shoot areas never all going to be in the same room. I'm surprised by that.....although I take the point of having to move the Guests..........but I guess us punters have to move too and that wasn't as easy as you might think.

 

Looking forward to next year tho.

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been reading through this thread and there have been some AMAZING points made. figured I would weigh in on a few things.

 

 

1. overcrowding.

I get the feeling that on paper the building wasn't overcrowded and that the max capacity of the venue was not exceeded, HOWEVER, (I may be wrong about this) but aren't capacities worked out using an empty room? i.e. no vendors/guest tables etc. the floorspace used up by the guest tables, photoshoot areas and vendor's stands dramatically reduced the overall floor space available to the punters, which I think is why it seemed even more crowded than usual.

 

2. outside queuing.

I actually think this was handled well on the Saturday and that the zig-zag layout around the side of the building up past pizza express worked well. Sunday's queue was worse for me, as it was a large rabble inside the grand hall which then filtered out through a single double doorway and down the side of the building. im not sure why they didn't just do the same routine as the Saturday.

my only other gripe with the queuing was people smoking while in line. as a non-smoker that wasn't a pleasant experience, although that isn't really within showmasters ability to control.

 

3. air conditioning.

the air con was DEFINITELY working when I attended on the Saturday and sunday, HOWEVER with so many doors being open all the cold air just escaped. level 3 (where the GoT guests were) wasn't too bad, but the other floors had pretty much no cool air running through them. keeping the doors shut would have greatly improved the effect the air con had.

 

4. layout

this was my biggest gripe about the weekend. guests in 3 or 4 different places, photoshoots all over the shop and vendors smack in the middle made it very difficult to move around the venue. if you have more space next year please keep things simple. guests in one place. photoshoot areas in another etc etc.

the downstairs shoot areas were so close to stalls at the end of the rows it was almost impossible to get through because the queues for shoots were mixing in with the crowds and blocking things off. add to that the difficulty of going up or down to different levels and it became a near impossible task to navigate between places.

 

5. signing.

relating to the layout I do believe that there needs to be better signage for where things are at the con. the "You are here" ideas that others mentioned is a stroke of genius and should be implemented ASAP

 

6. Diamond Passes

diamond passes are an EXCELLENT idea, however I do believe that there should be a "full experience", which includes autographs, photoshoots, talks etc for those who want the full package, but also a smaller one for those who just want an autograph and maybe one photo. I wasn't particularly interested in the diamond guests this year (not to say im not a fan, but I just didn't want to meet them) but if there were a diamond guest who I considered a must have I wouldn't be too interested in the different photoshoots and talks and stuff, however i'd LOVE to have an auto and a quick snap with the guest. maybe a "diamond pass 1 and 2" system could be implemented.

 

7. SOME (not all) Blueshirts.

PLEASE dedicate more time into explaining where things are at your next event to the volunteers who help out. its excellent that people are willing to give up their time to help out with LFCC, but some seemed to have no idea where things were, or how things were organised. at one point on the sunday I got bounced around 3 or 4 different blueshirts trying to find where a photoshoot was.

 

8. Seating

up on the balcony there was a lot of spare wall space. would it be possible to have chairs along walls that aren't being used to allow people to sit down easily without having to go into the super stage or YALC areas etc. go from standing to the floor and then standing back up takes its toll, especially on those with mobility issues.

 

 

despite getting far too hot I REALLY enjoyed my days at the con and my friend (LFCC was her first con) enjoyed it as well.

its great that the event is getting bigger however I do feel that the issues people have mentioned in this thread NEED to be addressed as soon as possible.

 

 

 

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I honestly cannot believe what I have read. I went to MJF Photoshoot on the Sunday and was very much shoved by this woman. I'm pregnant and visibly so, it caused me to leap forward. I wouldn't have minded if it was a tap but this wasn't. I'm an adult and can understand simple instructions. The one in front barely made it out of shot before I was pushed in.

 

Funny someone mentioned assault. She is lucky no one did report her!

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  • Moderators

Having read through this topic, can I please just suggest that no one gets at each other for having positive or negative opinions on the show? No one's crazy for thinking it was brilliant or for thinking it was terrible. Of course people had completely different experiences. Everyone should be allowed to express them though. Thank you.

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Having read through this topic, can I please just suggest that no one gets at each other for having positive or negative opinions on the show? No one's crazy for thinking it was brilliant or for thinking it was terrible. Of course people had completely different experiences. Everyone should be allowed to express them though. Thank you.

I agree, everyone has their own opinions, people shouldn't use personal comments to express their views.

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Had a great time at the con!

 

But obviously nothing is perfect and there are a few things I had issues with (constructive criticism) -

 

1. Photoshoot layout, getting from B to A to E within 15 minutes of each other was interesting, but someone told me that had to go A then to F on the top floor!

 

2. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and although it wasn't hot, it wasn't cool either, so felt uncomfortable at some points.

 

3. Photoshoot locations, B,C and A just seemed to be in places where there was a lot of traffic, and it seemed to be there were used for the big guests as well who have, hundreds of people lining up which just causes pile ups.

 

4. I got into the que at 9:05 on Saturday but didn't get in until 10:20.

 

5. The staff at photoshoots need megaphones!

 

But overall positives outweigh the negatives!

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I think you will always get people that will pick at anything, but for me I think the event was very well organised!

Yes it got VERY busy and in some places it was just impossible to move, but that would be hard to avoid with an event this popular!

 

It took time to get used to where everything was as the venue is so much bigger than Earls Court but once you got your bearings it was fine!

 

The stalls were fantastic! The staff on the whole were very helpful, especially the guy (I think his name was Alan) who was at Zone A.

 

I don't see how people can complain about the diamond passes being given priority when they paid a lot of money to get the privilege!

 

So I have to say well done to Showmasters - and I can't wait for next year already

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Reading through posts (not picking out anyone in particular but in general), its beginning to feel very us and them... almost Upper Class (Diamond and gold) & the very lowly lower class of standard entrance. I completely agree that DP &GP pay for everything they get & deserve priority, have no issue with this at all but standard attendees also pay alot of money & deserve to get what they paid for too & enjoy the event too.

 

It's not okay to miss out on photoshoot that you have paid for just because you couldn't also afford GP to get you through quicker. There seems to be some insinuation in some posts (not SM) that if you were a real fan you would get DP or GP. I am a real fan of MJF, I brought a photoshoot and was delighted with that. It doesn't mean I am less of a fan than people that brought a DP, just that I have a different budget!

 

As I said, I have absolutely no issue with DP & GP & what they get....but I do have an issue with being marginalised or looked down on for being standard entry. I paid more for this con than any other I have ever attended & we help make it all happen too & deserve to enjoy it as much as anyone else!

 

Just thoughts...

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I can also conform crew member in mj fox delorean shoot put both hands on my shoulders and gave me a hefty shove! Also was done to man in front of me. Didn't happen to my husband only cos he made a point of standing sideways whilst waiting for his turn.

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where did jason write that photoshoots wont all be kept together? think i missed that part, if thats true that just shows they dont listen to all the feedback they get. ive lost count of the amount of people whos main issue was the photshoots being dotted around all over the place. you cant honestly say all that space you have and you cant dedicate 1 large area to all the photoshoots ?

 

 

Hi,

 

All in all had a good time thx.

 

Don't get rid of the Gold Passes - went gold myself for first time and was invaluable. Goody bags a bit naff - gave mine away. Was still worth it for other privileges so plse keep, we needed them. Hopefully chill out zone (absolutely essential)

 

Call the Diamond passes something different......reading this thread it seems that the actual use was perhaps 'open to interpretation'...'Star Guest' pass?

 

The App sounds good. But please don't underestimate the power of signage, signage, sound, sound, and signage. There were occasions on Sat I would not have been able to reach my phone to check up on an app. I would suggest not everyone who attends reads the forum, or the website, or would know about an app.....need to cater for all punters somehow.

 

More crew in photo booths. Unfortunately, required for people who queue from the beginning of a shoot even tho the forum etc. has given approx timings for tickets being called....thus some of us little-uns with panic disorders can't get anywhere near to see what is being called (ref: Signage & Sound again)

 

room to sit for a min for all not just golds

 

I was interested Jason to read your notes on Photo shoot areas never all going to be in the same room. I'm surprised by that.....although I take the point of having to move the Guests..........but I guess us punters have to move too and that wasn't as easy as you might think.

 

Looking forward to next year tho.

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One thing that hasn't been mentioned is if you close the doors to enable the air con to work better it's easier to spot people entering. Then the staff at the doors can check tickets/hand stamps, some people walked straight in ahead of me on the Sunday and nobody challenged them or looked at the hand stamp. But as I work in event security myself I do understand people that maybe have been in & out several times are recognised by the staff, even still if you have a stamp it doesn't hurt to show it :)

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I think certain things CAN be avoided if certain things were laid out better, even with an event as busy as this, if layouts were better there wouldnt be as many issues. they just seem to want to get bigger and bigger but without fixing or taking note of the issues, some of which are minor things that can be changed or moved. Id rather see an event smaller that runs so well then a massive event thats just chaos and alot of ppl i spoke to sadly experienced a far different opinion to yours.

 

 

I think you will always get people that will pick at anything, but for me I think the event was very well organised!
Yes it got VERY busy and in some places it was just impossible to move, but that would be hard to avoid with an event this popular!

It took time to get used to where everything was as the venue is so much bigger than Earls Court but once you got your bearings it was fine!

The stalls were fantastic! The staff on the whole were very helpful, especially the guy (I think his name was Alan) who was at Zone A.

I don't see how people can complain about the diamond passes being given priority when they paid a lot of money to get the privilege!

So I have to say well done to Showmasters - and I can't wait for next year already

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I wish you'd stop calling it a comic con, it's gone from having a load of comic guests and colmic orientated to just tv and film with a few comic guests shoved in with the stalls :(

Did you visit level 2?

 

yes.. but that was mainly books and authors, not comic book artists and guests and writers etc.

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Diamond passes git you through a que quicker? For any body? Why was we not told. Like some one had said, jump que on any one?

I missed a few people because I was not aware about people on other levels. They would have seen more people if they were all on one level

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