Thanked Posts

16

Off The Grid / Does it say 'Colonel' anywhere on my uniform?

« on: September 02, 2016, 08:04:00 PM »

I'm only posting this b/c I just saw that I hit 'Colonel' level of posting here.  Muahahahahahahaha.

I have no idea why this amuses me so much.  Carry on. XD

17

The Homecoming 8th-12th September 2016 / Re: Tickets

« on: September 01, 2016, 07:17:11 PM »

I, along with many other people, will be angry if the main ticket is offered onsite. We had to prepay for our main ticket via Paypal. I don't like Paypal. According to the FB announcement, main ticket sales have been shut down.


* the quote button doesn't work

In the past, Gatecon has had what they call 'day passes' which are only available on the days of the convention 'at the door'.  They're not available in a pre-sale format b/c it's not practical.  But they sometimes have them available at the door for walk-ins and in the event the regular tickets have sold out.  They also don't come with any of the 'extras' available to full ticket holders.  Things like the banquet and cruise are not available to 'day pass' holders.  Only the panels and sometimes the auction.  Day pass holders also don't have access to photo or auto sessions.

If there are extra 'full' tickets available, Gatecon may decide to sell those as well 'at the door'.

The benefit to pre-ordering a ticket is better seating and first dibs on the extras.  Buying 'at the door' doesn't guarantee you any of the extras, and, in most cases, keeps you from even knowing about them.

There is no reason to be 'upset' that tickets would be available at the door on the weekend of the convention, because they would only be straight tickets with no extras included.  But they would allow other fans to join the convention if they wanted and they would help pay some of the operating costs for the convention.

18

The Homecoming 8th-12th September 2016 / Re: Probie/Newbie questions

« on: August 31, 2016, 08:23:32 PM »

The cruise is also sold out.

There's a Starbucks and at least one restaurant in the hotel.  There should be several food places around the hotel as well.

And what was mentioned before about having US, as well as Canadian, currency on hand. =)

19

The Homecoming 8th-12th September 2016 / Re: Gifts and Weapons

« on: August 29, 2016, 01:12:32 PM »

Are zats okay? Never had a problem elsewhere with those.

Clear it with convention security staff and you should be good.  That is - find Jane or Jay and check with them.  They'll probably be around registration in the early mornings and wandering about. 

20

The Homecoming 8th-12th September 2016 / Re: Volunteers

« on: August 22, 2016, 10:26:00 PM »

About Volunteering at Gatecon...

Volunteering at Gatecon is awesome.  It can also be hard work, depending on what job you get.  (Building and striking sets requires some lifting and hammering and painting, so is a bit more strenuous than some other jobs.)  But here's the thing - Gatecon won't work without the volunteers.  Everything in this post is based on my own personal experiences at Gatecon.

From the registration table to the merch table in the dealer's room to the room roamers in the ballroom and everyone in between, all of the jobs are important. 

I've done a lot of volunteer jobs at Gatecon, so let me run down a few of them for you:

Registration: You are responsible for making sure everyone gets their packets, which includes their badges and any goodies that come with it.  You may also get questions about the convention.  But - you also get to see TONS of people as they collect their tickets and goodies.  You're probably the first view of Gatecon a lot of the folks will have.  That's important!  Also - you never know who will walk up to the registration table - it's sort of like a hospitality booth and information desk.  People will come to you with anything!

Merch table:  This is in the Dealer's Room.  These are typically things like Gatecon merch that people are picking up and sometimes other things.  The time I worked the table, we were set up next to a nifty dealer who had interesting jewelry.  So you can see some really fun stuff.  And you can see more people here too - because they're picking up goodies like at registration. 

Stagecrew:  Setting up chairs and putting out water bottles for the stage guests.  Making sure the mics are on and that the soundboard knows which guest has which mic.  Helping out Allan with whatever he might need for his next trip out on stage as MC.  Generally just being polite and helpful backstage.  And quiet if you're near the stage area, because the folks out front *can* hear you.

Main Auditorium:  This is the mic runners and room roamers and door guards.  Mic runners, well, they run the mics around the room so the audience can ask questions.  They kneel a lot.  This is not the job for you if you have bad knees.  Room Roamers help people find seats in the beginning of the panels and keep watch for people using flash after the first 5 minutes of the panel and keep a lookout for people videotaping during the panels (videotaping is a no-no).  Door guards direct folks to use the correct exits during the panels so the light levels stay as normalized as possible for the official convention video.  These are the folks that help the panels themselves run smoothly in the audience area.

Auction: There's cataloging of all the items that come in for the auction - this is pretty cool, b/c we get some really neat stuff!  Then there's keeping track of all of the items as they're sold during the auction itself.  (If you think this sounds like an easy task, you have never been to a Gatecon auction!)

Those are the jobs I've done directly.  Now, here are a few that I haven't done, but I've been to enough Gatecons to know most of the basics.

Photo Sessions:  Taking money and printing receipts for attendees when they purchase photo ops is one of the primary functions.  (There can be technology issues, but we power through!)  There's also usually one or two folks around to guide attendees and guests to their 'marks' for getting their photos.  (I've been through this enough that I know it can be like herding cats - sometimes the guests like to play hide and seek :/ )

Autograph Sessions:  Typically this involves sitting quietly at the guest's table taking payment and making change for the autographs and photos they have for sale so the guest can focus their time on signing the autographs and sometimes chatting with the attendees. 

Guest Services:  These people are designated to move the guests through the convention so they can arrive on time for their panels and other events.  They're sometimes also 'gophers' for the guests, so the guests don't have to leave what they're doing to go get a water or something.  They also keep an eye on the general goings-on of the convention.  Very, very rarely is this a gig one gets on their first volunteer assignment.  These volunteers are vetted by the Gatecon organizers, most of them long-time Gatecon volunteers.  Long way of saying, if this isn't the assignment you were given, don't be upset, most people don't get this assignment. 


I think that's pretty much everything that isn't one of the more specialized roles like running the cameras or the soundboard.  If you have any specific questions about any of the jobs, feel free to ask and I'll answer what I can based on previous Gatecon experiences.

21

Itinerary & Activities / Re: The Vangroovy Harbour Cruise

« on: August 22, 2016, 01:47:27 PM »

PLEASE remember to bring your sunblock, sunglasses and possibly a hat on the cruise. Between the sunshine and the water reflection, you'll be burnt in no time if you aren't protected! And no one wants to go through the rest of the weekend feeling like a lobster! Also, recall you'll be on a boat with narrow walkways between floors and slippery decks. Don't wear heels or slick-soled shoes. Water sandals or sneakers are your best bet!

Look at you being all practical and stuff.... =)

22

Off The Grid / Re: not sure who to address this to

« on: August 15, 2016, 07:53:43 PM »

There may be pre-designated poses to keep the shoot moving along (we probably don't have unlimited time at the cabin).  And a lot of it will probably be up to RDA and what he can/is willing to accommodate. 

23

Itinerary & Activities / Re: The Vangroovy Harbour Cruise

« on: August 11, 2016, 06:20:17 PM »

Richard has also now posted the preliminary (subject to change b/c that's how we roll) itinerary here: http://www.gatecon.com/forum/index.php?topic=353.0

Registration opens at 8am on Thursday.  The buses for the cruise leave around 11am. 

It will be set up for the cruise-going folks to register first, or all in one line (there will be several lines most likely) to get them through as quickly as possible.

However, it is very likely the buses will leave on time, so you will want to get down to the registration tables early enough to get registered and whatever else you may need to do before the buses leave.

24

The Sheraton Vancouver Airport / Re: Sheraton Location, Room Rates & Reservations

« on: August 11, 2016, 02:54:09 PM »

Might be a dumb question, but wanted to make sure. If we are looking for the shuttle from the airport to the hotel during normal hours, do we go to the designated pick-up area in the arrivals area and look for one with Sheraton emblazoned on it? Do they do runs continuously back and forth throughout the day?

Outside the arrivals area/baggage claim, there will be shuttles and cabs pulling up.  The one for the con hotel should be Sheraton Richmond.  And you can ask the driver to make sure you're going where you need to go - they're pretty friendly. =)

25

Itinerary & Activities / Re: The Vangroovy Harbour Cruise

« on: August 10, 2016, 02:56:08 PM »

HI ALL, I AM ON THE HARBOUR CRUISE BUT REGISTRATION IS ON THE SAME DAY AND DON'T WANT TO MISS GETTING MY GOODY BAG AND BADGE ETC.  AM I RIGHT IN THINKING THERE IS A LINE JUST FOR THE CRUISE PEOPLE AS I DO'T WANT TO MISS OUT?

WHAT TIME IS THE CRUISE AS WELL AND CAN I REGISTER BEFORE IT STARTS?

THANKS

JANET

There will be a separate registration line for cruise-goers.  Since you have to have a Gatecon pass to go on the cruise.

(also, please keep in mind standard web etiquette that 'all caps' is seen as shouting and people may think you are yelling at them.)

26

The Homecoming 8th-12th September 2016 / Re: Photograph Sessions

« on: July 30, 2016, 01:49:18 PM »

Do we know yet who is going to be included in the System Lords group photo op? I couldn't find that information anywhere...

Thanks--looking forward to it!

 - The FSD

It's not necessarily a set photo-op.  What that means is, you, as the con-goer, buys the photo op tickets for each of the System Lords you want in your photo (ie: Cliff Simon, Peter Williams, etc etc), and we'll arrange all of those folks to be in the photo with you.

So, the 'System Lord photo op' is 'whichever System Lord guests are available during the photo sessions'.

I lied... there's apparently gonna be 7 System Lords for the photo sessions, based on the guests slated to attend the con.  However - keep in mind that who is available may change at any point between right now and the day of the photo sessions.

27

Itinerary & Activities / Re: Exclusive extra photo shoot with Richard Dean Anderson

« on: July 26, 2016, 01:24:48 PM »

I do 😃

You do realize this doesn't make you sound any *less* evil, right?

28

Itinerary & Activities / Re: Costume Competitions

« on: July 06, 2016, 08:09:22 PM »

What are your thoughts on dressing up as a lesser known character (say one appearance in the show) vs. a main or recurring character? How obscure within the show do you think you should go when dressing up for something like this? (Don't want to give away too much, but I want to make sure people know who I am dressing up as  )

People will know... even if you have to tell them the character and the episode, as long as it's not something like 'Jaffa #3' w/ no speaking parts, you're probably good. =)

29

Itinerary & Activities / Re: Writing Competition

« on: July 05, 2016, 09:08:01 PM »

There are lots of places.  The two biggest archives for stories written by fans are: http://archiveofourown.org and http://fanfiction.net  (AO3 is much easier to navigate, though I haven't been to FFN in a dog's age.)

If you want to talk to other Stargate fans about the show itself, you can hop over to http://sffchronicles.com - Stargate and pretty much any other SFF thing you can think of. =)

I wanted to let you know that I've been checking out these sites - pretty neat. One thing I would like to mention to anyone that's interested is that if a warning pops up that the story *may* contain adult material, it *will* contain adult material. If you're not expecting it, it can be quite a shock. 

On AO3 - the ratings system is there for a reason... if it's in the higher end of the ratings, it will have adult content.  Also - all the tags are a good indication of what you'll find in there.  The tagging system on AO3 is pretty extensive and some ppl are very thorough with their tags. =)

30

Itinerary & Activities / Re: glyph hunt

« on: July 03, 2016, 01:38:49 PM »

I havent got a clue where to start looking, can someone help me please,
thank u.

The glyph hunt game hasn't started yet.  There isn't anything to look for at this time.  Richard or Allan will announce when the game has begun and how it works once they have it ready to go.