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Do Diamond Passes guarantee personalised autographs?


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Hi SM,

I am looking atthe guest list this year and there a number of Diamond Pass guests that i am interested in purchasing he Diamond Packages for. However, my question before i purhase them is... Will Diamond Guests be offering personalisations to the Diamond Pass holders?

I ask this as in most cases the cost of the diamond pass is an extra £40+ for each guests and for me personally, the value would not be there if the guest werent guaranteeing personalisations if requested. I know some attendendees prefer not to get a personalisation and i understand that, but for me, personalisation is everything.

Thanks SM

 

 

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The answer I’m afraid is no if previous years are anything to go by 

a diamond pass does not guarantee personalisations 

What you are paying for is the guaranteed autograph 

some diamond guests only manage to get through signing for the diamond pass holders and no more 

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What Dreamweaver said.  You can ask for one unless the crew tell you otherwise, if it's a Diamond guest who is there for more than 1 day if you get your auto on the quieter day then chances will be better but you should assume you won't get it and then if you do it's good but you won't be expecting it.  If it's a big name who's only there for 1 day there's even less chance.

But yeah, it's not guaranteed and the bigger (and therefore busier) the guest is the less chance you'll have.

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9 hours ago, Raylenth said:

What Dreamweaver said.  You can ask for one unless the crew tell you otherwise, if it's a Diamond guest who is there for more than 1 day if you get your auto on the quieter day then chances will be better but you should assume you won't get it and then if you do it's good but you won't be expecting it.  If it's a big name who's only there for 1 day there's even less chance.

But yeah, it's not guaranteed and the bigger (and therefore busier) the guest is the less chance you'll have.

If it's no personalisations there normally are signs up as well.

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I wasn't sure.  I couldn't recall if I had seen them before but thought it was mostly just crew telling us.  I've got a tiny question about if they had a sign up on the wall outside Cumberbatch's booth last year but I really can't remember.

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4 minutes ago, Raylenth said:

 I've got a tiny question about if they had a sign up on the wall outside Cumberbatch's booth last year but I really can't remember.

I didn’t see any but I didn’t meet him so I don’t know if there were any signs in his booth.

I only saw a No Personalisations sign once for one guest at a past Collectormania.

However, when meeting one guest at last year’s LFCC, the crew told me the guest would only sign my name and the name of the character they played.

I also heard stories about how some asked guests for lengthy personalisations that resulted in holding up the queues.

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2 minutes ago, Chris1970 said:

A suggestion..even for those who do personalisations..have a premade card with you with your name, that speed up things pretty good and add more time for the guest to put something extra. Something I have noticed.

Something I always advise, have your name printed in capitals on a post it you can safely attach to your item.

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9 minutes ago, Raylenth said:

Something I always advise, have your name printed in capitals on a post it you can safely attach to your item.

Gonna update mine..had it with me for some time and abit worn. We have a new lamination machine at work I will use.

Edited by Chris1970
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13 hours ago, Raylenth said:

What Dreamweaver said.  You can ask for one unless the crew tell you otherwise, if it's a Diamond guest who is there for more than 1 day if you get your auto on the quieter day then chances will be better but you should assume you won't get it and then if you do it's good but you won't be expecting it.  If it's a big name who's only there for 1 day there's even less chance.

But yeah, it's not guaranteed and the bigger (and therefore busier) the guest is the less chance you'll have.

It definitely varies - if it is helpful/informative at all, last year I had 3 diamond passes, Alan Tudyk wrote a quote of his choosing to sign my dvd ("college kids!" for Tucker and Dale vs Evil) along with his signature, Richard Dean Anderson wrote his character name plus a heart with his, Christopher Lloyd wrote his signature only (he was really pressed for time and that was my fault as it was pretty close to last thing sunday!).

Edited by Broo
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Thanks for your input folks. I had a really horrendous experience at the Bill Paxton signing at LFCC a couple of years ago(nothing to do with the guest, it was all to do with the crew) and im very hesitant now on purchasing diamond passes. Ive calculated that its going to cost me an extra £240 just to guarantee signatures but to be perfectly honest, im struggling to find the value in this if im not guaranteed a personalisation. Im not asking for much, just my name eg "To Phil, Best Wishes etc" but with the bigger name guests not personalising, i think the extra amoint of the diamond pass is little more than "tipping" to SM.

Im not just counting the guests that you get a limited edition photoprint or "gift/mug" with, as these alone arent really worth anthing to me. Im also talking about the standard daiamond pass of autograph and photo op.... In the vast majority of cases, its SM that are stipulating "No Personalisations" which to be frank, is more than just a little annoying considering that you can purchse the same autograph from one of the registered vendors for a considerably cheaper price.

I have attended a number of comic/film/tv cons over the years and found that only in rare circumstances has the guest stipulated "no personalistions"...some have asked for an additional price which includes personalistion and a quote (the additional prce where from non SM Cons).

 

 

 

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Hi Phil, whilst I understand your reasoning the diamonds have never included or stipulated that personalization is guaranteed.  As you say if you have mostly managed to get personalisations only you can decide but they do have to pay attention to how many people are waiting which is why they can't specifically include the wording.  If the guest is slow or running behind they may not be able to allow it to ensure every one who has a diamond gets their auto's.

Many guests you can get without the diamond, but there are some when it is certainly worth it to ensure getting them.  Many people like to actually meet the guests so just ordering the auto through pre orders wouldn't be an option for them.

Only you can decide if the possibility of not getting the personalization out ways the cost of the diamond but I totally understand why it can't be guaranteed.

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On 4/8/2018 at 5:29 PM, Raylenth said:

I wasn't sure.  I couldn't recall if I had seen them before but thought it was mostly just crew telling us.  I've got a tiny question about if they had a sign up on the wall outside Cumberbatch's booth last year but I really can't remember.

 

On 4/8/2018 at 5:36 PM, Sebster118 said:

I didn’t see any but I didn’t meet him so I don’t know if there were any signs in his booth.

I only saw a No Personalisations sign once for one guest at a past Collectormania.

However, when meeting one guest at last year’s LFCC, the crew told me the guest would only sign my name and the name of the character they played.

I also heard stories about how some asked guests for lengthy personalisations that resulted in holding up the queues.

Cumberbatch wasn't doing personalisations last year, he'd never have had the time to do so.

On the plus side it at least meant I could say to him "it's probably just as well you are not doing personalisations, especially with a surname like mine" in the queue. After he asked why and I told him, the rest (as they say) is now LFCC folklore...:lol:

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You're not tipping SM. The extra is covering the guarantee to get your autograph.

Other than that Raylenth has already summed things up perfectly.

Pre-orders will not guarantee you the personalisation either, you will be refunded the fee if no personalisation is in place. A lot of collectors want to see their item signed in front of them, like Raylenth has said. You normally get some interaction then, and to some it is worth money/effort. I pretty much spent the whole night in front of Earls Court when Patrick Stewart appeared for the first time. I knew people would start running and I am not that fast. I did manage to get a decent number, got in line fast (partly yes, because he wasn't personalising) and had all but 30 seconds with him. But I still came out of line beaming "Patrick Stewart talked to me." 

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2 hours ago, Queen_Sindel said:

had all but 30 seconds with him. But I still came out of line beaming "Patrick Stewart talked to me." 

you can't put a price on that feeling, just like the first time I met Kate Mulgrew, Terry Farrell and Jeri Ryan...:wub:

Edited by robmoriarty
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15 minutes ago, Queen_Sindel said:

You're not tipping SM. The extra is covering the guarantee to get your autograph.

Other than that Raylenth has already summed things up perfectly.

Pre-orders will not guarantee you the personalisation either, you will be refunded the fee if no personalisation is in place. A lot of collectors want to see their item signed in front of them, like Raylenth has said. You normally get some interaction then, and to some it is worth money/effort. I pretty much spent the whole night in front of Earls Court when Patrick Stewart appeared for the first time. I knew people would start running and I am not that fast. I did manage to get a decent number, got in line fast (partly yes, because he wasn't personalising) and had all but 30 seconds with him. But I still came out of line beaming "Patrick Stewart talked to me." 

Those 30 seconds are magic, a treasure for life. I had a similar experience when I met Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (the same day) and it took a good time after to land. "Hello Christian, it is a pleasure to meet you" and a steady handshake from Mark. Carrie gave me a hug and told me it is so lovely to meet and hope she lived up to my 40 years of waiting..told her more than enough. My photo with Carrie is probably my most cherished treasure. She is so missed...

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2 hours ago, phil_wilce said:

im very hesitant now on purchasing diamond passes. Ive calculated that its going to cost me an extra £240 just to guarantee signatures but to be perfectly honest, im struggling to find the value in this if im not guaranteed a personalisation. Im not asking for much, just my name eg "To Phil, Best Wishes etc" but with the bigger name guests not personalising, i think the extra amoint of the diamond pass is little more than "tipping" to SM.

Im not just counting the guests that you get a limited edition photoprint or "gift/mug" with, as these alone arent really worth anthing to me. Im also talking about the standard daiamond pass of autograph and photo op....

 

11 minutes ago, Queen_Sindel said:

You're not tipping SM. The extra is covering the guarantee to get your autograph.

Plus Diamond Passes also include priority in autograph and photo op queues, and/or front seats in panels, so that’s what you’re also paying an extra price for. All conventions charge extra for priority, you shouldn’t consider Diamond Passes just like a combo package of autos and photos, they’re basically VIP tickets tailored to a specific guest. You’re obviously able to buy regular photos and autos without DP priority but the waiting time will be longer, which might affect your schedule, and if there’s too many people wanting to meet a guest you’re not guaranteed getting an autograph in time.

Also for many people, me included, the best part of getting an autograph is meeting a guest in person, maybe snap a few pictures, and cherish the memories forever, which no pre-ordered/resold autograph can replace for me. I doubt anyone books Diamond Passes for the limited prints and mugs only, that’s just a nice extra gift :P

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10 hours ago, tenaciouspirit said:

Ooo I don't know, that suprise gift for Mark Strong has me tempted :P

It could be the same as what Alan Tudyk was doing last year during his panel. He was giving out a random stuff to anyone who asked a question, I believe. :lol:

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2 hours ago, wjbleming said:

It could be the same as what Alan Tudyk was doing last year during his panel. He was giving out a random stuff to anyone who asked a question, I believe. :lol:

That was a great panel, Alan and his random bag of stuff he took from his hotel. He did sign the items like a matchbook or stickers, but he also gave out 1 or 2 copys of Firefly.

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46 minutes ago, Law-dono said:

That was a great panel, Alan and his random bag of stuff he took from his hotel. He did sign the items like a matchbook or stickers, but he also gave out 1 or 2 copys of Firefly.

I recall him signing and giving out some Buffy and Stargate sg1 dvd sets too :)

Some of the "crap" he was giving out was pretty cool actually... okay thinking on it, *one* of the items was pretty cool lol his backstage passes to sdcc the previous week

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On 4/10/2018 at 1:33 PM, Broo said:

I recall him signing and giving out some Buffy and Stargate sg1 dvd sets too :)

Some of the "crap" he was giving out was pretty cool actually... okay thinking on it, *one* of the items was pretty cool lol his backstage passes to sdcc the previous week

I think they provided a pile of DVD's for him to give out, also some VERY awesome Firefly sticker sheets, the remainder of which he signed and chucked at the crowd at the end, very pleased to say I have one of them!

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