Thanked Posts

1

Volunteering at Gatecon / Re: Thursday Schedule

« on: September 07, 2018, 10:47:12 PM »

Thanks Honor for a job well done.

I’ll also be around for most of registration manning the photo ops payment desk so will be on hand if there are any problems. Food bribes gratefully accepted to sit with favourite guests for the autos

Except that *I*'m gonna sit w/ all the guests! muahahahahahaha =)

2

Volunteering at Gatecon / Re: Volunteeeeeers!

« on: July 18, 2018, 07:25:46 PM »

Make sure that you submitted the volunteer form! (Seems like one of those no-brainer things, but sometimes folks forget. *g*)

3

Our Guest List / Re: Guest Chat

« on: June 16, 2018, 01:14:51 PM »

Just wondering if there will be any Photo Op pre-sale this year?

I *think* Richard said they were doing pre-sale on photo ops. I would guess this would drop next month or so once they get a better idea of who's going to be where when.

4

Off The Grid / Re: Other online forums to visit

« on: May 15, 2018, 09:46:13 PM »

I'm going to guess you have to hit a certain number of posts before you're allowed to post external links. It's a spam-prevention measure. I don't know what the number is, but lower than my current post count b/c I can post links.

 yeah weird, because the last time I was here I could post the links. They may have changed it since then???

It's also possibly a wonky software glitch. I know sometime back ppl reported not being able to post links and Richard tinkered with things. But I dunno if that was software gremlins or a setting change.

5

Off The Grid / Re: Other online forums to visit

« on: May 14, 2018, 07:42:48 PM »

Oh,guys, can you recommend some proven forum, or other source of information, media, etc., on hard sci-fi - I mean, actually scientifically accurate fiction - so theory-based, but a little out of the line??

much thanks if there is a person who can say sth about a place like that

 Hi Aikon,

 You could check out Lost Worlds, we have a wide range of stuff there worth looking into and if it ain't there now we can create it.  apparently we're not allowed to post external links? But I can PM you if you like.

I'm going to guess you have to hit a certain number of posts before you're allowed to post external links. It's a spam-prevention measure. I don't know what the number is, but lower than my current post count b/c I can post links.

6

Our Guest List / Re: Guest Chat

« on: September 24, 2017, 07:20:07 PM »

I'm hoping for Tom McBeath and Carmen Argenziano.

Both lovely gentlemen. =)

7

Our Guest List / Re: Guest Chat

« on: September 12, 2017, 01:36:32 PM »

Yup I thought we'd try something different this time - more guests than attendees, with the attendees sitting behind tables and the guests line up to sign things.
Actually..... 😜

What a Concept!  I'm game.  Just as long as I don't have to do any panels.

You haven't heard? The guests are gonna sit in the audience and ask YOU questions! =)

8

Our Guest List / Re: Guest Chat

« on: September 07, 2017, 02:29:06 PM »

Okay, don't get your panties in a bunch...

This right here is not an appropriate response in a conversation. It's considered a personal attack and can get you banned. This is just an FYI.


And since it appears that you're only here to run your personal convention agenda, I'll invite you to create your own convention to show us how you would do it better.

9

The Invasion 2018 / Re: Gatecon Ticket Types & Prices 2018

« on: September 05, 2017, 01:27:48 PM »

Would love to be able to go to this, would having. The regular tickets which are 199$ limit your chance at autographs and seeing the actor/actresses? Or would it just be seating and entry being a longer wait? Sorry never been to a convention before. Thanks for any help!

While your panel seat will be nearer to the back of the auditorium, you'll be able to see and hear the guests on stage.

For autographs - only the Platinum tier has the super-special extra 15-ish minutes into the room, after that it's all aboard! The autograph room is usually a little hectic, but moves pretty quickly, since the guests are spread out around the room. So if the line is long for the guest you want, hop over to a different one to snag their autograph first, then check the line for the first guest. Or, wait in the line for the first one - the lines usually move pretty quickly since Gatecon typically limits folks to 2 items per trip through the line. (this keeps folks from hogging the guest with 15 items at a time.)

Outside of that, some of the guests just wander around the hotel as they please and, if they're not motoring somewhere (like an audition or the restroom), they're usually happy to stop and chat for minute. (If you think they're on a mission somewhere, just let 'em roll by and maybe catch 'em on the way back or a little later.)

While Gatecon tries to get everyone through the photo sessions, it isn't always feasible, so Copper tickets *may* not get in. (Don't fret too much over this, since the team is still working out all of the photo session logistics and things are always changing.)

Feel free to ask any other questions you have! =)

10

The Invasion 2018 / Re: Gatecon Ticket Types & Prices 2018

« on: August 11, 2017, 10:57:52 PM »

Hey Richard,
As there are different ticket tiers, i think this needs to be a liile clearer for lining up at a guest table for autographs. Is there queing per tier or not? I would think not, but not all would. I know Platinum have the 15min advantage, but not all will do that especially if they think they can queue jump any time from table to table.

I'm pretty sure once the 15-min private section is up, everyone stands in line first come, first served.

(From a volunteer perspective, trying to figure out multiple lines or line-hopping once everyone can line-up is a logistical nightmare.)

11

Our Guest List / Re: Guest Chat

« on: July 21, 2017, 01:50:51 PM »

Putting on my fan hat for a moment here...

What are you talking about? (your post is v long and reads like an agenda.)

Gatecon 2008 was essentially RDA's first foray back into conventions since the 80's. This is not a 'small' deal. He was also at the 2016 Gatecon - is he not 'big name' enough for you? Was Gatecon supposed to get Kurt Russell and James Spader? (If so, there wouldn't have been any other guests b/c those two would've taken all of the money.)

RDA isn't 'throwing' the party. Gatecon is run by fans. If RDA is asked and he accepts, then he'll attend, but there isn't a guarantee on any of the guests until the convention actually begins and they show up.

The reason Gatecon tends to attract the 'same old guests' over and over is because those folks live in Vancouver. They're already in town, so it's much easier for them to swing by the convention, even if they can't commit to the full weekend. Alex Zahara has done this - he was working one year, but he stopped by anyway just to say 'hi'.  A lot of the 'regular' guests love coming to Gatecon to talk with fans they've seen before and meet new ones. Sure, these five or six guests have been every year, but not every fan can attend every year, so there are always new fans in attendance who haven't seen/met/gotten a photo with certain guests who would like to. If Gatecon doesn't invite those guests, those fans might not get that opportunity.

You don't speak for all fans. Whether or not you liked SGU or the tie-in novels, there are fans who did. Skipping those guests is doing a disservice to the people who worked on those properties, and also to the fans who did enjoy them who may want to meet some of these folks. There's no reason to skip them, since many of them did other things that people might have also enjoyed.

Bottom line - Gatecon isn't Creation. Creation paid for the 'official' Stargate convention lic (and it ain't cheap), so Creation gets 'first dibs' on pretty much everything. This is also why Gatecon didn't have some of the principal actors - Tapping, Shanks, etc - during some years, b/c they *couldn't*. Creation has rules about when those lic'd under a property can attend conventions that aren't Creation events, which makes it difficult for other cons, especially smaller, fan-run ones, to invite those guests. Creation Entertainment is a business. Running conventions and other events is the ONLY thing they do. Gatecon is a business, but it's a side-gig for the folks who put it together. It's not their only job, so it's smaller.

With that said: Is there a limit to the number of guests? Technically 'no', aside from how much money is available. However, also, technically 'yes', because Gatecon had 52 guests last year and it was too many. It was great, but it was also a burden. Trying to coordinate that many high-profile people at the same time is a logistical pain in the mikta. (Full disclosure, I'm also a Gatecon volunteer and worked the 2016 con.) While it's awesome to have a huge line-up of guests, it also makes the convention more difficult to coordinate and run, which means far more things have to overlap and the volunteer need starts to multiply. So, a smaller guest list is actually better for the convention overall.

To your suggestion about running multiple panels at the same time: No. As a fan, at Gatecon, I wouldn't want that. I like that the panels are one-at-a-time. I also like it better when panels don't overlap other things like photograph or autograph sessions. Single panels means that, as a fan, you don't have to decide which panel you have to skip when two of your faves are up at the same time on different panels. That's a horrible decision to have to make and I'm glad Gatecon doesn't make the fans do that.

TL;DR: Gatecon is a smaller, fan-run convention that has no intention of matching 'the big guys' and the fans of the con itself like it that way. New guests are always welcome and encouraged, but the Gatecon family also likes to see old friends as well. XD

12

Suggestions / Re: Possibilities for the Next Gatecon ?

« on: September 18, 2016, 01:51:32 PM »

I think they're still sorting out the dates, but, if they stick with typical Gatecon scheduling - it'll be in September, around the same time as this year. 

This is totally wild guessing/ballparking.  They could come back with something entirely different. =)   

13

Suggestions / Re: Possibilities for the Next Gatecon ?

« on: September 14, 2016, 07:51:27 PM »

Speaking to some of the things you mentioned, I'll try to explain a bit of what went on this weekend.   I was running the photo sessions, so I saw ALL of the things.

This is the first time Gatecon has done photo sessions at the same time as panels.  We don't typically do it that way, but we had SO many guests that this seemed the better approach.  However, you are correct, that there were some communication breakdowns.   There were also several instances of actors not being on-site when we thought they would be, thus them not being at the photo sessions when we had them scheduled.

Gatecon hasn't typically had 4 different photo rooms.  And having spoken to the C4 (the organizer committee), the decision has already been made to have 1 room for photo sessions (it works much better), with possibly a separate room for 'headliner' guests.  The multiple rooms meant that I needed 3x's the volunteers as I normally would and filled the hallway with far more lines than I would have preferred.  It also meant that I spent my entire day running from room to room making sure people had shown up or checking on my volunteers or answering questions.  (I can literally count the number of times I sat down during Friday and Saturday and it's less than 10.)

The 'mugshots' are an absolute necessity.  We've had issues in the past with photos walking off with the wrong people and such, so having each attendee sign-off on the pick-up of their photos is critical.  The mugshots also made the printing process MUCH faster.  Though I have a few modifications I want to make with those to improve clarity based on some feedback I've already received.

Photo printing - we had some technical difficulties with computer-printer compatibility and such, which slowed down the printing.  I and one of my volunteers skipped the auction on Saturday and printed photos until 0245 to make sure they were all ready to be in the Dealer's room the next morning so people could pick them up for the autograph sessions.  I believe we're planning to make some changes here too.

The formal autograph session is always on Sunday after closing ceremonies at Gatecon.  The guests are welcome to set-up a table to sign elsewhere (typically in the Dealer's room) when they have time - like Dan and Alex did in the hallway.   Autograph sessions are subject to the same 'change at any time' disclaimer as the rest of the convention.  Sometimes things come up for the guests that we're not aware of ahead of time and there's little we can do at that point.

I'll throw in one caveat, that this is the first Gatecon we've done in 6 years (2010 was the previous one), it was bigger than 2010 and possibly 2008 (in attendees), and we had less than 100 volunteers. 

We tried some new things - some worked, some didn't.  The team is very likely going to take a bit of a break, then they'll gear up to start all over again, taking the lessons from this adventure to make the next one better. =)

14

Itinerary & Activities / Re: Welcome Party and The Vangroovy Banquet

« on: September 06, 2016, 12:15:07 AM »

Due to a lack of planning on my part (actually I lost track of time and kept telling myself I had plenty of time), the only vangroovy outfit I was able to come up with on time was a tie dye shirt, bell bottom jeans (sort of), and a headband, but I forgot sandals/60s footwear. Is there any place within walking distance or short taxi ride from the hotel where I could get some 60s looking footwear and 60s accessories?

Thanks.

There's a shopping mall literally down the street from the hotel.  I don't know that they have 60's specific footwear, but you can give it a shot.

15

Itinerary & Activities / Re: The Itinerary

« on: September 06, 2016, 12:13:09 AM »

Hello all, I'm very excited that the time has finally arrived. My question is since I'm attending both Gatecon and going to Chicago to meet Michael Shanks two weeks later I had to cut my Vancouver trip short. I won't arrive until Saturday afternoon. Will I have a problem collecting my registration packet and my Sunday Mediatation class ticket?

Thanks,

Tabitha

Registration will be open in the morning in the usual location.  (Wherever 'usual' is this year.)  Then it'll likely move to the Dealers' room once panels begin.  So - yes, you should be able to get all of your goodies.