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Post by redeem147 on Jul 21, 2010 9:20:30 GMT -5
<q>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.
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That wasn't their choice. The Convention Centre rented out the other building so they had no choice but to go back to the north one.
I have fun at Fan Expo and Polaris, and I expect to have a great time at Whedon Fest - no reason to tear one down to build up another.
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Post by evelinastarrynight on Jul 27, 2010 19:08:36 GMT -5
Thanks for your comments and support! The team at WhedonFest would do anything to make this convention a success! From day one our approach is to keep all the fans happy, which sometimes is very hard to do, but we are doing everything to make this event a great one! Customer service has and always will be our priority.
Thanks again for your support and we will see you in October!
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Post by mergedloki on Jul 29, 2010 4:25:48 GMT -5
I'm glad to of heard about this. As (I believe has been stated), there hasn't been alot of cons set up in toronto (at least not specific to whedon fans).
As to the price, yes it's steeper than some other cons but keep in mind those ones have THOUSANDS of people so the odds of an individual seeing the performer/artist/whoever they want are MUCH slimmer than at a con that is... 700 I believe this one is?
My only concern is advertising, I'm out in oshawa (about 45. min from toronto) and i read about this on a BTVS forum. If not for that post I wouldn't have a clue this was going on.
Although I (and a few friends) are planning on getting tickets (sadly all depends on work, can't plan till I know my schedule) so hopefully some'll be left in a few weeks.
Alright i've rambled enough. Thanks (in advance) for organizing this.
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Post by evelinastarrynight on Jul 29, 2010 9:58:20 GMT -5
Hey Mergedloki,
Thanks for your comments! Yes we are 700 maximum people at our location, so it is a much more intimate experience! That means more interaction with guests and less lines!
We made sure prices are very competitive with similar conventions that are held in the UK and USA. Please consider that our prices include autographs. We also have one day admission only tickets available for Saturday/Sunday. We are planning lots of surprises so it's going to be an awesome event!
Thanks for your concern. Aside from online advertising (forums, facebook, twitter, websites, etc.) we have flyers in over 50 comic stores across Ontario and promote at events like Polaris. We appreciate all the fans who have been posting and spreading the word, as word of mouth is also a great advertiser, especially among Whedon fans!
Thanks for your message, as always we are here to read any suggestions you guys have!
Hope to see you in October for a Whedon-ful weekend! lol
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Post by bworiginals on Jul 30, 2010 21:30:18 GMT -5
The prices absolutely are $225 for a Gold Ticket (we did not buy these ourselves but) and up-front seating, 4 autographs (Acker, Kane, Brendon plus one more) plus an 8x10 is a great deal!
The Silver Tickets at $160 (We BOUGHT these already) for next-best seating, 4 autographs (Acker, Brendon, Kane plus 1 more) and all the other accesses is VERY competitive (or better) to Creation Conventions, etc where you can pay $299 for Gold and no 8x10 is included.
The Bronze Tickets at $85 for a guaranteed seat and 1 autograph is a good deal too. You have to be a little patient in the autograph line but with a maximum of 700 people it should not be too bad a wait.
Even the photo op prices are VERY competitive and additional autograph tickets are right in line!
Nothing but kudos from us on this front!
Just waiting for the 4th guest to be announced and then the anticipation really kicks in!!
Keep up the good work!!
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Post by michaelcalyb on Aug 30, 2010 8:53:17 GMT -5
Just jumping in here in defence of Evelina & the Starrynight team. I can certainly understand some of the negativity from those burned by other failed -- and not so failed -- cons, but before you burn down Evelina & the team, given them a chance! As a long time con goer -- and volunteer -- I have seen my fair share of failed cons. I've found that there are generally two reasons a con fails: poor organization and greed. Having gotten to know Evelina over the last few months, I can honestly say that she and her team have the organization down to an art without visions of grandeur. They know what their targets are and they are staying true to their course.
Evelina & her team are tailoring WheedonFest to the fan. Yes, there is a profit magin that must be met. It takes money to stage this sort of thing. However, Starrynight hasn't lost sight of the reason for the event -- for like-minded people to gather and celebrate a truly creative genius in the person of Joss Wheddon. Starrynight isn't looking to cattle patrons in. Thus the reason for the 700 person cap. The cap has been placed to respect fire code as well as to ensure that if you've paid your ticket, you'll get in. Was the same cap put into place for this weekend's past FanExpo? Just ask any of the would-be patrons who were subjected to 4-6 hour line-ups just to get into the venue. Does anyone think that the organizers for FanExpo were concerned that their customers -- who had already paid for their tickets -- were waiting in line for such ridiculous lengths of time. FanExpo made their money and that was that.
At the very least, Starrynight appears to be attemtping to ensure that this doesn't happen at Wheddon Fest. Many have asked the credentials of the Starrynight team. First and foremost, they are fans of the genre. Unlike other organizers who are first and foremost fans of the profit. What Evelina and the the team may lack in experience they more than make up for in enthusiasm. Besides, being a fan-run con, this means that it isn't just up to Starrynight to make this work. It's up to all attendees to build upon the platform that Starrynight has provided.
Good luck to you Evelina and the Starrynight team and I look forward to seeing you all in October!
Cheers,
Mike
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