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Post by kasarr on Jun 17, 2010 14:10:41 GMT -5
Having only found out about this con yesterday and only exploring the forum today, I must say how disappointed I am by the admin's reaction to the previous topic. I'm rather surprised by the choice of ending the topic because they didn't like the questions they were being asked. It seemed rather rude and abrupt. Over the course of time as word gets out about this event, more ppl are going to have more questions but are now being given a bad first impression. That is not conducive to attracting co-operation from volunteers nor customers. Anyone in fandom involved in cons would advise "don't bite the hand that pays your bills". As in any industry, customer service and politeness will get you much further to your success.
The reaction of the admin would suggest their inexperience with customer service and thereby with fans, and conventions in general. No one putting on an event such as this 'intends' to burn anyone, but the unfortunate reality is that it does happen. This is a legitimate concern for Starry Night's first time customers. You can post a refund policy all you want, but that's not a guarantee in the least as many have discovered, it only means that the event can be sued.
Since posting a link to this event on FB when I found it yesterday, I'm hearing from alot of fellow fen about the concerns they have about this con. It's all well and good that the organizers have attended cons, but if they've never worked one, that means bubcus. It's not easy to organize and pull off such an event as this, especially if you're hoping to have 100's if not 1000's of members. I would also disagree with the suggestion that there are not or have not been, specific cons for specific genres in the area, or the country for that matter. This also shows a lack of research on the planner's side.
I sincerely hope the best for everyone involved, I just hope they are prepared for the reality they are facing. For a first time con, many ppl won't pre-reg. They will take a 'wait & see' attitude. It's unfortunate that the organizers have taken such a public disrespectful approach to ppl already. I fear it won't bode well. They may not know it yet, but they are going to need help from fans experienced in conventions.
Good luck.
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Post by StarryNightEvents on Jun 17, 2010 23:07:27 GMT -5
Hello Kasarr,
Sorry if you saw that as rude, the question had been answered so we wanted to move on. We have had the opportunity to co-operate with many fans, whether it was through e-mail or face to face. We have taken all suggestions in and done our best to incorporate them into the convention. For instance, some were concerned about not having a one day ticket, so we were more than happy we to offer Saturday and Sunday tickets for the convention. Many didn't feel comfortable with PayPal, so we expanded our payment options to include VISA/Mastercard, cheque and money order in our new store.
We understand the concern with refunds, however, in order to become a merchant to offer VISA/Mastercard you must be checked thoroughly with the credit bureau in order to qualify. We still and will always stand behind the refund policy, but nobody is being forced to buy a ticket. We are very greatful for everyone's support.
This convention is designed for 700 ticketholders, and our varying experiences in business are used to run this event. Our business based with our own resources, and no venue/actor/etc. would be reserved without substantial deposits.
We know that there have been specific genre cons in the past and currently, but there hasn't been anything for Whedon fans in the past while for this area. We are putting together an event here so that people don't have to travel to the US or UK for a Whedon-related convention.
We here at Starry Night Events have been very involved with the fans since the beginning of this convention listening to suggestions and responding to them. There are many that have trusted us and bought tickets, even before the actors were announced. We are open and have nothing to hide with this convention. Our goal is to allow Whedon fans in the area to go to a convention, meet some of their favourite stars and have a great time.
We welcome suggestions as always to our email, info@starrynightevents.com
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Post by redeem147 on Jun 18, 2010 8:37:38 GMT -5
A number of those people who have been talking to Evelina worked on or attended Sunnydale Central. And yes, the last one was six years ago, so that's awhile.
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Post by bworiginals on Jun 18, 2010 9:33:34 GMT -5
Speaking as one who has attended conventions for 22+ years I am thrilled to see a Whedon Fest give it a try in the Toronto area! Heck I flew across to L.A. to attend a Firefly/Serenity convention in November 2009 - I am really hoping this is successful! You just have to understand there have been a few conventions fail in the past year (some trying for their first convention) and some people lost money and a re "jumpy" about buying in advance again. My wife and I would love to attend this show and are "planning" to do so (Silver Tickets look good to us!) but are just waiting until closer to the date as we had to fight to get refunds from 2 failed (cancelled/out of business) conventions in the recent past. Nick and Amy are 2 amazing guests and kudos for signing them!! Once you have announced all 4 of your guests I am sure it will be even more exciting! I would like to make a comment on something kasarr above said "Having only found out about this con yesterday" - as the convention is only about 4+ months away I was also surprised I had heard nothing of it either before a couple of days ago. Is there advertising going on and I just had not seen it? My fingers and toes are crossed that this is a successful event and plan to attend (just holding off buying for a bit) !
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Post by StarryNightEvents on Jun 18, 2010 23:05:40 GMT -5
Hi bworiginals,
We understand that some people are a bit jumpy. Unfortunately we are being compared with other conventions that have had problems with refunds. We are standing behind our refund policy and we understand it may be hard for some people to believe it, but that is why we got the merchant account which required our credability to be scrutinized. We are trying to offer a really great experience for fans and think it's about time Toronto has a convention based on Joss Whedon!
Thanks, we are very happy to have Nick and Amy as they are two really awesome guests! We are also very lucky to have Amy be a part of Whedon Fest as this is her first Canadian appearance.
We have done a lot of advertising, with flyers and posters throughout almost every comic store in Toronto, Burlington, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, and so on. We also have numerous advertising and mentions of our convention on websites, forums, blogs, twitter, facebook, yahoo groups, convention lists, etc. Flyers have also been handed out at the fan appreciation event in Toronto, at Bread N Honey festival in Mississauga, and we are planning on being at the Can't Stop the Serenity Event next weekend and Polaris in July, with other events in the works. This is a very intimate convention so we didn't believe that advertising through major newspapers would be the right approach for now.
Thanks for your interest in Whedon Fest and we hope to see you there!
-Evelina
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Post by bworiginals on Jun 19, 2010 8:48:04 GMT -5
Evelina,
Thanks for replying! I appreciate that!!
I am so pulling for you guys - my wife and I are big Whedon fans and loved Buffy, Dollhouse and Firefly/Serenity and want your event to be successful!
We are very much hoping to see you in October, glad to hear you will be advertising your show at Polaris - that should help spread the word. Actually I have been attending Polaris since Toronto Trek IV but we are skipping it this year and attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta instead in September.
If I am allowed to "wish" for a guest or two at Whedon Fest - how about Tehmoh Penniket from Dollhouse and/or Iyari Limon from Buffy.
If all looks good with your event my wife and I will definitely buy Silver Tickets in September as we want to support a Whedon Event in Toronto!!
Best Wishes!
bworiginals
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Post by graemejg on Jun 21, 2010 0:07:38 GMT -5
Iyari Limon really? I mean I actually liked her as Kennedy...but as a convention guest? Meh...
Tehmoh Penniket would be ok I guess...but I would prefer Nate for sure. Plus nice to have a Canadian there...
I say someone else who has been on multiple shows would be ideal....or ASH.
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Post by redeem147 on Jun 21, 2010 7:06:23 GMT -5
<i>Tehmoh Penniket would be ok I guess...but I would prefer Nate for sure. Plus nice to have a Canadian there...</i> You know that Tahmoh's Canadian, right? It would be nice to have someone from Firefly and someone from Dr. Horrible, since the other shows are covered now. So I'm also big on Nathan.
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Post by graemejg on Jun 21, 2010 10:40:16 GMT -5
Actually I had no idea...I never have paid much attention to him. But that is cool that he is a Canuk.
Nathan, Summer, Alan, ASH and Eliza, those are my top choices.
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Post by bworiginals on Jun 21, 2010 11:54:36 GMT -5
Excellent list there!
I was trying to "request" guests that I believe a "first time" convention can afford/can get.
I think it is great they already have Nick Brendon and Amy Acker (and trust me I would LOVE to see Summer Glau at this convention - I would buy tickets today if that was announced!!) but getting "4 headliners" will be a daunting task and some of the "not Level A headliners" make amazing and fan-friendly guests at conventions!
I have met Amber Benson, Adam Busch, Adam Baldwin, Charisma Carpenter, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, etc and they are all wonderful with the fans!
Of all the "Whedon" guests I have met James Marsters ("Spike"), Alan Tudyk ("Wash"), Mark Sheppard ("Badger") and Christina Hendricks ("Mrs. Reynolds") were simply generous to their fans and I can see again and again!
If I can "dream" then bring on Summer Glau or Gina Torres or Nathan Fillion or Seth Green!!
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Post by bworiginals on Jun 24, 2010 9:32:01 GMT -5
We decided today we are going to purchase 3 Silver Tickets for this show - will do this via Visa Card later today.
We want to support another Toronto convention and hope this works out!
We will also book a hotel room at the Sheraton later today to ensure we have one for that weekend too!
Looking forward to this!
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Post by evelinastarrynight on Jun 28, 2010 11:49:37 GMT -5
Awesome bworiginals!
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Post by bworiginals on Jul 9, 2010 19:09:51 GMT -5
Awesome bworiginals! Alright we were a little slow but my wife purchased 3 Silver Tickets and 2 photo ops today!! My wife, her best friend and I will be there for Whedon Fest I. Looking forward to it and figured Silver Admission Tickets would do us just fine as we get 4 autographs each (Amy Acker and Nick Brendon as 2 of them is awesome!!). We will see who the other two guests will be!! Already have our hotel room booked too! We are prepared!!
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Post by pk7136 on Jul 19, 2010 22:31:45 GMT -5
kasarr, lets not be too critical of Starrynight so soon. A con has to start somewhere, so lets not bury it before it kicks off. This could be the start of something good. At Polaris the other day, I had a chance to meet the organizer of this con (Evilina) and one of the organizers of the Fan Expo. The Fan Expo guy had years of experience and has put a con that hosted over 50000 people. I tried to raise some of my concerns with regards to the size of the venue and he was fairly dismissive. In fact, they are moving to a venue with a smaller common area than last year, even though they had to close their doors on the saturday of their con because of overcrowding. Here is a good example of a successful con not catering to the needs of it clientelle.
I also spent 10 minutes speaking with Evelina. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in her enthusiasm for the con. Here is someone that I am absolutely convinced will kill herself to make this con work. Will there be mistakes? Absolutley. I expect there to be a lot of them, but that is expected for the first run.
I think the best that everyone can do is get behind this and live through the growing pains. It's the Whedonfest 1 and it will get better from here on.
Cheers
Peter
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Post by bworiginals on Jul 20, 2010 10:58:59 GMT -5
kasarr, lets not be too critical of Starrynight so soon. A con has to start somewhere, so lets not bury it before it kicks off. This could be the start of something good. At Polaris the other day, I had a chance to meet the organizer of this con (Evilina) and one of the organizers of the Fan Expo. The Fan Expo guy had years of experience and has put a con that hosted over 50000 people. I tried to raise some of my concerns with regards to the size of the venue and he was fairly dismissive. In fact, they are moving to a venue with a smaller common area than last year, even though they had to close their doors on the saturday of their con because of overcrowding. Here is a good example of a successful con not catering to the needs of it clientelle. I also spent 10 minutes speaking with Evelina. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in her enthusiasm for the con. Here is someone that I am absolutely convinced will kill herself to make this con work. Will there be mistakes? Absolutley. I expect there to be a lot of them, but that is expected for the first run. I think the best that everyone can do is get behind this and live through the growing pains. It's the Whedonfest 1 and it will get better from here on. Cheers Peter This can be a good thread as long as we all stay friendly. My wife and I are "putting our money where our mouth is" and are supporting Whedon Fest I - we bought passes and photo ops aready!! We are confident Evelina and her team will put on this convention! I will "caveat this" with I am personal friends with both gentlemen that own/run Fan Expo. Fan Expo is not a fan-run convention it is a for-profit Expo and have different goals than a fan-run con! They want to turn a hefty profit!! They are estimating an attendance of 60,000 for the Fan Expo weekend and anyone with experience can see this is "headed" the San Diego comic con route where in the next few years they will only sell weekend passes and it will sell out! It will cut-off the people who walk up and want to attend 1-day only. Unfortunately Toronto does not have a big enough Convention Centre (North or South)/other venue big enough for Fan Expo. They may have to either rent the whole Convention Centre or change their style to a Dragon*Con style where they use multiple venues/hotels in the downtown Toronto core. I have attended every one of the Fan Expos and 20 of the last 21 Polaris/Toronto Treks along with about 50 other conventions all over North America (I have seen some great conventions, badly run ones and everything in between). We did buy passes for the ill-fated JumpCons but were able to get our money back from our cc company - I know lots of people out thousands on that fiasco though. It may be "totally unfair" of people to question Whedon Fest as it is there first convention but that is the "environment" these other failed conventions caused. WE have confidence this will fly but others who have been "burned" are still waiting to see "the proof in the pudding". Plus Evelina admits she has not "run" a convention yet so she is learning too! Sure mistakes will happen but as long as Customer Service is priority #1 (even at the con when things go sideways - and something will) you have to keep your guests happy to the best of Whedon Fest ability. In my professional life (Operations and Customer Service Manager) ok i am "old" it is always the way "Customer Service is Priority #1" and 1 unhappy customer is 1 too many. I am looking forward to meeting Whedon Fest attendees in October!! btw: My wife and I will be at Fan Expo in August on Friday and Saturday (need my football equipment for Saturday to get throught the volume of people) So I am happy to say hi to anyone else going! btw: Hopefully we will see the 2 other media guests added to the Whedon Fest line-up soon! We are pulling for you Evelina!
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