Registered: Oct 2001
Location: sydney australia
Posts: 76

what can we do to improve bobw and other cons?

Hello there now that the dust has started to settle
its time to get serious
really I've seen people post about this issue who normally dont complain
so what can we do to stop future problems ?
perhaps we can start by listing and tallying up what the major complaints were and then sending the results to adele ?

I know what my list would be but I want to cross check?

so please short terse sentences or statements
what do you want to see changed or improved next time?

come on people let's see some collective social protest

thats has a result - we've had our say - what action should we take ???

neith

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: in a seat next to my computer
Posts: 3388

i would like there to be transport for those who have the money but cant get there because there only 14!!!!!!!! and im not kiddin!

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: England Elvenname: Ainari?l Telr?nya
Posts: 6157

I think *everyone* should get to meet the stars, not only those who pay the most money.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2928

venus - what do you mean by that? Everyone has the chance to meet the stars at BOBW conventions. The level of interaction is pure chance, however....

one thing that could be changed is the speed in which the tickets/registration are done at the beginning of each day. it's VERY slow, and wastes valuable time. One way to fix this is having more volunteers working the registration in the morning, but that has to do with space and numbers of volunteers. Also, for those who are attending both days, how about a 'two day pass' so they dont have to wait in line again.

neith - considering you started this thread, how about putting forward your ideas/complaints?

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: City of Angels
Posts: 1953

I don't know about BOBW or Wolf, but we have similar "conventions" run by Creation. The problems there are:

a. the people who pay more money do get better access to the stars, closer seats, etc. Problem is that the "closer" seats are sometimes only closer by 5 feet but the cost is 2x greater - then if the higher priced seats don't fill up, they let anyone sit there, cheating the people who did pony up the extra ducats. The cons are run to make money for the people throwing the cons, and they charge for everything separately - even each day is a separate admission.

b. fans are treated like cattle - go here, sit here, shut up. There's not much opportunity for fans to hang with each other except in the hallways during events. Only one event per hour.
No real support for 'fannish' activities.

Conventions that are run by fans for fans unfortunately don't have the studio support and don't draw as many folk from the show,and almost never actors, but are a hell of a lot more fun. They run 16 - 20hours a day, different things happening all the time, and cost about half. It's a trade off.

I resent, too, paying beaucoup bucks to go to one of these Creation cons or whatever, then having to pay extra money to get an autograph. Saw Peter Woodward from Crusade, after the show was cancelled, and he was charging $15 per autograph. I said thanks but no thanks dummy.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: England Elvenname: Ainari?l Telr?nya
Posts: 6157

I didn't have any secret meaning Jaffa K, I just meant that sometimes when reading reports, some people's photos are taken from the back of the room, and it seems that they never got to meet the stars, or only briefly when signing autographs or s/thing, and that it was hurried or disorganised. (That's not my impression of the whole con, just the minority of people, don't get offended, I know it can be great for most people) *meaningful look* Also, it might just be that they spent more time with their friends, whom they hadn't seen for years. Shiloh kinda gives my point.

Neith, I'm interested in your thoughts too.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2928

venus - ahhh, i gets ya now
yeah, the paying for autographs thing is a beyach, but *shrug* you gotta do that at all the cons unfortunatly. cant change that

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: ..?..
Posts: 2619

quote:

---

b. fans are treated like cattle - go here, sit here, shut up. There's not much opportunity for fans to hang with each other except in the hallways during events. Only one event per hour.
No real support for 'fannish' activities.

---

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: England Elvenname: Ainari?l Telr?nya
Posts: 6157

What makes you think that? There are fans of every actor there... JR Bourne, MS, AT, not only Teryl Rothery...

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2928

i think he was using that as an example.. like the recent BOBW one, where MS was the only person to have anything to do with Stargate Sg-1..

yeah Goa'uld, kinda.. but it still had that 'stargte' feel to it.. i dont know how/why, maybe because it was the fans that made it that way... stargate or themed merch, the music, the videos, people getting dressed, talking about the show that kinda stuff... *shrug* i know over seas they actually design the audotorium sets and stuff with stargate themes - either having a stargate there, or similar set pieces and stuffs.

It's what you make it, i guess

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: England Elvenname: Ainari?l Telr?nya
Posts: 6157

Life's what you make it.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: ..?..
Posts: 2619

the con is not life.
the con is what the organisers make it.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: sydney australia
Posts: 76

I couldnt access Gaters on the weekend or Monday - got tech difficulties messages every time I tried!


okay what do I think would help?

in case anyone wondering - not Im not going to discuss the guest speakers thing again since i have a personal concern there

but one thing that gets complaints at every con I've attended or heard about is security and access -I understand the volunteers deserve a little extra but if the rumor is true and those volunteers are paid staff or people who paid for tickets well either give more people a chance to volunteer their skills ( I offered a free talk - oops bad girl I wasnt going to talk about that )
or have shorter shifts for security so people dont get stressed out or at banquets please ask the guest to do at least one round of the tables for the benefit of those too shy to approach the main table???

Also it needs to be made clear which guests are touch friendly and which are not - if fans accidently crowd an actor get the security to politely or jokingly remind people to give the person / guest more breathing space NOT treat them like they're potential stalkers !!!

I also really think adele needs to either increase her paid staff or rotate them with shorter shifts - offer people with organisational skills a discount on their tickets maybe?

and why are we still having reg problems -

larger reg tables and separate lines for prepaid and optional event pickups maybe?

other ideas anyone?

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Delta Quadrant
Posts: 38

I only have one thing to say.

Con's are appopriately named.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: ..?..
Posts: 2619

when I first heard people talking about "the con" I thought exactly that.

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