From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V7 #37 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Thursday, March 15 2007 Volume 07 : Number 037 Today's Subjects: ----------------- RE: [chakram-refugees] Creations ["Xena Torres" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:26:32 -0700 From: "Xena Torres" Subject: RE: [chakram-refugees] Creations > 2004 - Both on stage together. I think this was the year that Sharon had > prepared questions, but fans started asking questions down in the front and > Lucy and Renee answered them. And if my memory is wrong, then.... Ah, but just because the front row is close enough to be heard does not mean they 'took questions' - I mean, there's a mic on either side of the stage and fans line up and ask questions - I will admit, there is the draw back of the fans who ask the SAME BORING QUESTIONS or the "Can I have a hug?" people, or if you were at the 2001 con, "I am from Brazil....", but, overall, the POINT of a convention, to me, is to INTERACT with the guests. If I am just going to watch them, I might as well just buy the DVD and save myself a crapload of money (though, honestly, I can't even be bothered to buy the DVDs lately). > 2005 - Was the year they decidedly answered questions from the audience. And I will admit to not knowing that and I will say - about damned time. ;) >I have a hard time seeing Creation and Sharon as the performance Nazis and 'making' them > restrict what they want to do. Sadly, you are wrong there. Try to ask for a personalized auto at a big con. Creation Nazis will cut you off, and some guests reply, "I'm not allowed to." Yes, I HAVE had that said to me - even at a small Seattle convention. Robert Duncan McNeil said he wasn't allowed and would not. The other Voyager guests - Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips and Robert Picardo all replied, "We're not supposed to..." then looked around to see if anyone was looking at did it anyway. So, yeah, they are TOLD what they can and can't do. And bless the ones who say "Screw it!" Hudson Leick SO rocks for that. ;) But, often, you don't even have the CHANCE to ask it to be personalized, because you hand your photo to a volunteer (yeah, that whole 'Creation paying employees thing - not so much - many 'employees' are volunteers - and they don't even get discounts - I know, I did it for the first Seattle convention with Ted Raimi) when you are 3-5 fans away from the guest. The photo is then handed to the guest FOR you, again, while you are still several people back. You walk by, say, "Hi", but your photo is already signed and in the hands of yet anothe volunteer who then hands it to you. Like, um, I PAID for THAT!? :S > If it's cheaper that you want to go, It's not a matter of a 'cheap' con - but I damned well expect to get what I paid for. ie - if I pay for gold seats and autos - yeah, I expect more than 4 seconds in the line to say "Hello. Thank you for your work. Could you please make that out to Julie?" Again, Seattle conventions, I HAVE gotten my money's worth (GENERALLY), as the groups are smaller and the nazis aren't breathing down your neck. Security? Who needs security? Anyone puts them at risk and the rest of us will maul them. :D But, I can compare the 2001 Pasadena autograph line to that of the 2005 Seattle convention line, and, gotta say, are you sure these events are run by the same people? Fans were having long conversations at the auto table. I got to ask Steven for an interview (which he granted me), we took pictures with Adrienne, and had her sign autos, my shirt and an auto for a new fan of hers who couldn't make it, yadda, yadda, yadda. >if they were to combine the conventions into one single con, with > multiple television shows attracting multiple shows' fans, it would likely > be more cost effective. That isn't likely to happen. They do. Seattle 2003 was a ST/Buffy event. >Since you believe you are not getting the proper bang for your buck, then by all means, stay away. I do. I won't touch a con out of Seattle. Not worth the dinars. Why? Because I don't make $100,000 a year. I am a 'starving artist' as the saying goes. I WANT to be able to afford these events, but, I can't. And, sadly, really only the Xenites who make a lot of money can really afford to attend all these events. Creation could be more fair to lower income fans at NO COST to them. How? Pull 20 gen admin seat #s out of a hat and grant them autographs. Costs them NOTHING to do that. Hell - they'd MAKE money, cause those lucky 20 would buy photos to get signed! If Creation did something as simple as that, I may actually regain a shred of respect for them. Julie "XT" Ruffell www.bitchofrome.com "I don't do this to die. I do this to live." - Laura "Seconds" ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:44:45 -0500 From: "bookdaft" Subject: RE: [chakram-refugees] Creations << I've gone through the line for friends who didn't buy gold or preferred tickets. One of the times I did was for Vicky Pratt and she personalized everyone's photo. I have no personal expectations about interacting with the celebrities, so it bothers me not. <<>> It can happen with anyone. Michael Hurst sat at our table during the dessert party and announced we could take his picture, despite the rule that the fans weren't supposed to. He just said, "That's what we're here for." >if they were to combine the conventions into one single con, with > multiple television shows attracting multiple shows' fans, it would likely > be more cost effective. That isn't likely to happen. <<>> That's not what I meant. The con that runs track programming will run the track every day of the con. Fans can choose which track they want to attend on any day. Or they can hit individual panels within a track if they have a particular interest. The cost of the membership is spread across the entire con, because there is no designation where the membership ticket is directed. An attendee can go anywhere and do anything, unless there is separate, special pricing of the membership ticket and that is rare. That's what I mean by cost effectiveness in pricing. The kind of programming I'm talking about requires more creativity for track runners (ask Missy Good), and it can be a scheduling nightmare, especially for the programmers. If the Seattle con you mention is the same as the Creation con in the Detroit area in 2001, Saturday was dedicated to Xena and Sunday to Trek. It's much easier to skip one day or the other if a fan's interest doesn't lie in a particular fandom. I seriously considered not attending the Trek side because I've long been past my Trek obsession, although in the end I went. I know there is a lot of crossover interest, but I think there is an equal amount, if not more, of non-crossover. And if that is true, then it remains easy for Creation to keep the prices high because the numbers of people paying to attend are not large enough to drive down the break-even point. I don't see Creation cons as true science fiction conventions, anyway. SF cons have a hucksters room, where many dealers can sell their items, not where there is a single or primary seller, i.e., Creation selling Creation wares. I do have to commend them, though, for opening it up to more dealers, especially some of the lesbian/fan-related publishers. For what I want to get out of conventions, however, I'll go to Worldcons, SF fancons, even DragonCon, although the size drives me nutty. I don't expect you to agree, nor should you. There always needs to be some prickly, principled people out there willing to maintain a different point of view and to act on it. More power to you. bd ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V7 #37 *************************************