Convention Etiquette: Discussion and Advice on Do's and Don'ts

[Skydiver]

i know. fen are usually kept beyond arm's length from the actors. Which i do understand from a real and practical security standpoint. But, from the pov of a fan, it often leaves you feeling like some unwanted piece of drek....just leave your pocketbook behind you can go now

but i do understand the need to protect the actors. and it's not from your average fan. It's from those that can't/won't behave apprpriately.

[BlueJello]

Now if the one to the tower broke, and Cliff was in it, well, they could definitely take their sweet time fixing it.

LOL. Exactly my point! The only time I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken elevator. But if only I was that lucky . . . sigh . . .

[Chelle DB]

If you're thinking about giving an actor a gift, think about this: he/she has to bring it home.

Never do that. I've seen it done, more times than I care to remember, and the actor usually feels they must accept it, and it takes out time from a valuable question that yes, all those people standing in line off to the side, might have wanted answered. Gifts are for the autograph, where the actor and/or rep can stick it behind the table. Not to rant, no, wait, I am ranting.
Most cons have rules spelled out very clearly about this, but some folks still do it. Sigh...

I really must come back and read more in this thread...very interesting thoughts!
I would just like to tell you what happens at conventions down here and what I did at a convention earlier this year...you can tell me if I was wrong or did the right thing...I won't be offended!!
Firstly...there is a group of girls down here who present the stars with Vegemite on stage at the conventions...the con organizers are aware of it and are happy for them to do it and apparently the guests are made aware of the girls intentions to present the Vegemite to them at the end of the Q&A...I have to say that 9/10 times, it's been a hit with the stars...they are courageous enough to try it and give their honest opinion of the black stuff.
The only guests I know that have refused to eat it have been Connor Trinneer and Don S Davis...but you know that's cool because not everyone wants to try it...or they already have and they know it's not nice or they've heard enough about it from others to be wary of it!! Personally...I love it!!
For me, when I met Don S Davis and Carmen Argenziano at a con in April this year, I bought them both a cd of some Australian ballads...I gave it to them over dinner...or rather at the end of dinner...(we have the most wonderful con experiences here where we get the chance to have dinner with the guests...not that you think I'm hassling them while they have dinner privately or something!!!)...anyway...I also had a question that I wanted to put forth to Carmen regarding his character and his on screen daughter...it was a shippy question so I discreetly asked him if I could ask a question regarding Sam and Jack and something that his character had said and I told him that I understood that he may be uncomfortable with this and that I don't mind if he says no and if I could tell him what it was now and not at the Q&A, would that be alright??? He said yeah sure...so I asked the question...which I had written in my little note book and he said that he would get back to me about it...well the next day at the Q&A, he pointed at me and said "I know what you want to ask honey, so go ahead and ask me again"...to which I repeated the question and got a few grumbles from the back row...he was so gracious and answered the question, BUT...I must admit, I did have to remind him of what it was his character had actually said...then he re thought his answer and well...it was squee-worthy!!...I honestly don't think I pressured him into giving me an answer that I wanted to hear but rather he did seem to think that what I had said made sense...but he still put forth his opinion on it!!...I honestly feel that if there is a question that you really would like to ask them but feel that it may be a little awkward for others, then sometimes it pays to politely ask the guest if you can ask them a question regarding a certain event...that way they can say..."I don't like to talk ship or blah blah blah..."but that way you are also not confronting them with it in front of an audience and it makes it easier for everyone involved!
It also helps if you ask your fellow GW'ers for any questions they may like to have asked on their behalf...and go prepared...I take a note book with the questions written down and room to jot down the answers...you'd be surprised what the guests think about that too...Connor certainly thought it was cool...as did his minder!!! They both tried to decipher my messy writing but got the basic gist of the questions I was asking...and they were very accommodating to it!! I got all my questions and more answered!!

So...has anyone started that thread off about who met who????

[Arctic Goddess]

I really must come back and read more in this thread...very interesting thoughts!
I would just like to tell you what happens at conventions down here and what I did at a convention earlier this year...you can tell me if I was wrong or did the right thing...I won't be offended!!
Firstly...there is a group of girls down here who present the stars with Vegemite on stage at the conventions...the con organizers are aware of it and are happy for them to do it and apparently the guests are made aware of the girls intentions to present the Vegemite to them at the end of the Q&A...I have to say that 9/10 times, it's been a hit with the stars...they are courageous enough to try it and give their honest opinion of the black stuff.
The only guests I know that have refused to eat it have been Connor Trinneer and Don S Davis...but you know that's cool because not everyone wants to try it...or they already have and they know it's not nice or they've heard enough about it from others to be wary of it!! Personally...I love it!!
For me, when I met Don S Davis and Carmen Argenziano at a con in April this year, I bought them both a cd of some Australian ballads...I gave it to them over dinner...or rather at the end of dinner...(we have the most wonderful con experiences here where we get the chance to have dinner with the guests...not that you think I'm hassling them while they have dinner privately or something!!!)...anyway...I also had a question that I wanted to put forth to Carmen regarding his character and his on screen daughter...it was a shippy question so I discreetly asked him if I could ask a question regarding Sam and Jack and something that his character had said and I told him that I understood that he may be uncomfortable with this and that I don't mind if he says no and if I could tell him what it was now and not at the Q&A, would that be alright??? He said yeah sure...so I asked the question...which I had written in my little note book and he said that he would get back to me about it...well the next day at the Q&A, he pointed at me and said "I know what you want to ask honey, so go ahead and ask me again"...to which I repeated the question and got a few grumbles from the back row...he was so gracious and answered the question, BUT...I must admit, I did have to remind him of what it was his character had actually said...then he re thought his answer and well...it was squee-worthy!!...I honestly don't think I pressured him into giving me an answer that I wanted to hear but rather he did seem to think that what I had said made sense...but he still put forth his opinion on it!!...I honestly feel that if there is a question that you really would like to ask them but feel that it may be a little awkward for others, then sometimes it pays to politely ask the guest if you can ask them a question regarding a certain event...that way they can say..."I don't like to talk ship or blah blah blah..."but that way you are also not confronting them with it in front of an audience and it makes it easier for everyone involved!
It also helps if you ask your fellow GW'ers for any questions they may like to have asked on their behalf...and go prepared...I take a note book with the questions written down and room to jot down the answers...you'd be surprised what the guests think about that too...Connor certainly thought it was cool...as did his minder!!! They both tried to decipher my messy writing but got the basic gist of the questions I was asking...and they were very accommodating to it!! I got all my questions and more answered!!

So...has anyone started that thread off about who met who????

Check out: http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=48259

[BruTak]

I've spoken before about the Violent Crimes Reduction Bill, which recently became law here in the UK. Basically, one is not permitted to own a realistic airsoft imitation firearm (a replica P-90 for example) unless one is a member of a registered airsoft team, and registered at a known airsoft skirmish site.

However, I have it on good authority from a serving member of the Police service that you may carry replica weapons at a convention as long as you clear it first with the con organisers, and do not take said weapons outwith the convention area (I.E. don't wave them about in public).

Technically speaking, conventions are classed as private functions to which members of the general public are not allowed.

[Alipeeps]

I've always found that asking a guest a question about some other part of their career is a big plus. Or ask about an appearance in another show that they may have filmed recently.

For example, when I met Andrew Robinson (Garak, DS9) I asked him about his appearance in an ep of Ironside. He was quite pleased that I'd recognised him in the ep (which was nearly 30yrs old), and told me that it had been one of his first professional acting jobs.

Yeah, I think it's nice for the guests to be asked about something other than just the same old things... and for fans to show an awareness of their existence career outside of Stargate etc.

At P2 I asked David Nykl a question about his role in an episode of Jake 2.0 and he seemed genuinely surprised and pleased to have a fan know about and ask about some of his other work.

i know. fen are usually kept beyond arm's length from the actors. Which i do understand from a real and practical security standpoint. But, from the pov of a fan, it often leaves you feeling like some unwanted piece of drek....just leave your pocketbook behind you can go now

but i do understand the need to protect the actors. and it's not from your average fan. It's from those that can't/won't behave apprpriately.

That's what I like about the UK cons I've been to so far... that although obviously security is an issue and the guests have liasons with them etc, there still seems to be a more relaxed atmosphere and there is chance to chat and it feels less like a "give us your money, thanks, goodbye" production line and you do feel you've had chance to actually meet the guests. This was true of meeting Joe Flanigan at London Expo - where he was happy to chat to fans during the signing (and the con organisers/liasons didn't try to tell him not to etc) and during the photo ops.. and he really made the fans feel welcome and not just another fan, remembering people's names and where they were from etc. - and also at P2 where again the actors were happy - and were allowed to - chat during autograph signing and many of the guests came and hung out in the bar during the evenings and chatted to fans and posed for photos.

[Frostfox]

I've spoken before about the Violent Crimes Reduction Bill, which recently became law here in the UK. Basically, one is not permitted to own a realistic airsoft imitation firearm (a replica P-90 for example) unless one is a member of a registered airsoft team, and registered at a known airsoft skirmish site.

However, I have it on good authority from a serving member of the Police service that you may carry replica weapons at a convention as long as you clear it first with the con organisers, and do not take said weapons outwith the convention area (I.E. don't wave them about in public).

Technically speaking, conventions are classed as private functions to which members of the general public are not allowed.

At SF cons in the UK, we discourage weapons, even for floor costumes. City center police can be touchy, even though a con is technically private. There are strict rules for the masquerade but there we are a bit more flexible.
Gone are the days when the 52nd Squadron ambled around with full weaponry and the games of laser tag/water pistols in the halls of the hotel.

I came back from breakfast at an Albacon in Glasgow in the 1980's to find that the room maid had not only rolled up the sleeping bags of the 7 vikings who were kipping on my floor, but had hung all our swords, axes and shields from the light fittings on the wall.

FF off to Novacon in an hour or two

[prion]

I really must come back and read more in this thread...very interesting thoughts!
I would just like to tell you what happens at conventions down here and what I did at a convention earlier this year...you can tell me if I was wrong or did the right thing...I won't be offended!!
Firstly...there is a group of girls down here who present the stars with Vegemite on stage at the conventions...the con organizers are aware of it and are happy for them to do it and apparently the guests are made aware of the girls intentions to present the Vegemite to them at the end of the Q&A...I have to say that 9/10 times, it's been a hit with the stars...they are courageous enough to try it and give their honest opinion of the black stuff.
The only guests I know that have refused to eat it have been Connor Trinneer and Don S Davis...but you know that's cool because not everyone wants to try it...or they already have and they know it's not nice or they've heard enough about it from others to be wary of it!! Personally...I love it!!
For me, when I met Don S Davis and Carmen Argenziano at a con in April this year, I bought them both a cd of some Australian ballads...I gave it to them over dinner...or rather at the end of dinner...(we have the most wonderful con experiences here where we get the chance to have dinner with the guests...not that you think I'm hassling them while they have dinner privately or something!!!)...anyway...I also had a question that I wanted to put forth to Carmen regarding his character and his on screen daughter...it was a shippy question so I discreetly asked him if I could ask a question regarding Sam and Jack and something that his character had said and I told him that I understood that he may be uncomfortable with this and that I don't mind if he says no and if I could tell him what it was now and not at the Q&A, would that be alright??? He said yeah sure...so I asked the question...which I had written in my little note book and he said that he would get back to me about it...well the next day at the Q&A, he pointed at me and said "I know what you want to ask honey, so go ahead and ask me again"...to which I repeated the question and got a few grumbles from the back row...he was so gracious and answered the question, BUT...I must admit, I did have to remind him of what it was his character had actually said...then he re thought his answer and well...it was squee-worthy!!...I honestly don't think I pressured him into giving me an answer that I wanted to hear but rather he did seem to think that what I had said made sense...but he still put forth his opinion on it!!...I honestly feel that if there is a question that you really would like to ask them but feel that it may be a little awkward for others, then sometimes it pays to politely ask the guest if you can ask them a question regarding a certain event...that way they can say..."I don't like to talk ship or blah blah blah..."but that way you are also not confronting them with it in front of an audience and it makes it easier for everyone involved!
It also helps if you ask your fellow GW'ers for any questions they may like to have asked on their behalf...and go prepared...I take a note book with the questions written down and room to jot down the answers...you'd be surprised what the guests think about that too...Connor certainly thought it was cool...as did his minder!!! They both tried to decipher my messy writing but got the basic gist of the questions I was asking...and they were very accommodating to it!! I got all my questions and more answered!!

So...has anyone started that thread off about who met who????

The vegemite thing was planned, and at the end, and gawd, Joe was so brave to try that stuff. Yeah, i tried it once and it was like 'eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuu.' A lot depends on the con - how much time the actor gets to talk (creation's like 45 minutes)

Heh, I take a steno pad to take notes. Nobody can read what I write as nobody knows Gregg....

[BruTak]

[QUOTE=Frostfox;7287744]Gone are the days when the 52nd Squadron ambled around with full weaponry and the games of laser tag/water pistols in the halls of the hotel.[/QUOTE ]

Frankly this annoys the hell out of me. Why should Imperial Stormtroopers or Colonial Marines be allowed to carry their weapons, as was the case during the Glasgow Collectormania fair back in August - but a fan based SG team cannot?

Stormtrooper blasters are based on modified Sterling SMGs. Colonial Marine pulse rifles are based on modified Thompson machine pistols.

IMO a P-90 look a helluva lot more "Sci-Fi" than either of them.

I came back from breakfast at an Albacon in Glasgow in the 1980's to find that the room maid had not only rolled up the sleeping bags of the 7 vikings who were kipping on my floor, but had hung all our swords, axes and shields from the light fittings on the wall.

That's the thing though, hotel staff are used to all the crazy people who descend upon them for one weekend of the year. It's the non-fans you have to be concerned about.

[Frostfox]

Gone are the days when the 52nd Squadron ambled around with full weaponry and the games of laser tag/water pistols in the halls of the hotel.

Frankly this annoys the hell out of me. Why should Imperial Stormtroopers or Colonial Marines be allowed to carry their weapons, as was the case during the Glasgow Collectormania fair back in August - but a fan based SG team cannot?

Stormtrooper blasters are based on modified Sterling SMGs. Colonial Marine pulse rifles are based on modified Thompson machine pistols.

IMO a P-90 look a helluva lot more "Sci-Fi" than either of them.



That's the thing though, hotel staff are used to all the crazy people who descend upon them for one weekend of the year. It's the non-fans you have to be concerned about.

I agree, but we do it for the congoers own safety, not to be mean. It would only take one phone call from a concerned member of the public to cause trouble. And we are alway far more concerned with sword and axes and the like, far more chance of someone getting hurt.
At a Trek con at The Dragonara, we had three cops turn up on Saturday night because a concerned mundane had called them because of the weirdos overrunning the hotel. To be fair, they got to the top of the stairs and saw what fun we were having and hung around for an hour or two as we were clearly having a ball and it was cold and wet out. They had their photos taken arresting The Joker.

Eh, in my day we wandered round Brighton with our broadswords and down the pub with them after our practice sessions. The cops were cool with it; they knew we only hit each other (and the occasional skinhead/footie yob).

Poor non-fans. I remember the shock on the faces of two blue rinse old biddies in a Leeds hotel for afternoon tea when Pete Morwood did a shoulder roll round the corner and shot them both during an energetic game of laser tag. He also managed to shoot himself in one of the floor length mirrors, IIR.

FF

[BruTak]

I've long held the belief that the members of the local constabulary are briefed about cons and so on a few days beforehand.

"There's gonna be all these loonies at a sci-fi convention at [Inset name of hotel] this weekend. They're mostly harmless."

[Arctic Goddess]

I've long held the belief that the members of the local constabulary are briefed about cons and so on a few days beforehand.

"There's gonna be all these loonies at a sci-fi convention at [Inset name of hotel] this weekend. They're mostly harmless."

Not gonna happen in Canada. We get the same number of loonies as any other country, but we are pretty laid back about bazaar behavior here. Canadians tolerate "uniqueness" in people. So, as long as you are not breaking the law, we tend to accept crazy people as easily as the 'normals'.

Must be the pot smokers here.

[prion]

I've long held the belief that the members of the local constabulary are briefed about cons and so on a few days beforehand.

"There's gonna be all these loonies at a sci-fi convention at [Inset name of hotel] this weekend. They're mostly harmless."

I think that scifi fans are actually the most harmless of con -goers. Get together a bunch of businessmen and they drink to excess and worse, although from snatches of conversations I overheard at the NJ con, a lot of fans seem to drink quite a bit....

/Frankly this annoys the hell out of me. Why should Imperial Stormtroopers or Colonial Marines be allowed to carry their weapons, as was the case during the Glasgow Collectormania fair back in August - but a fan based SG team cannot?/

Probably because a stormtrooper is soo recognizable as a film character, while toss someone in BDUs with a gun and they look real military and with the all the terrorism stuff, you might freak people. Just a thought.

[Frostfox]

I think that scifi fans are actually the most harmless of con -goers. Get together a bunch of businessmen and they drink to excess and worse, although from snatches of conversations I overheard at the NJ con, a lot of fans seem to drink quite a bit....

We are messy - con fliers, fanzines, posters, adverts. But it's dry mess, easy to clean up.

We dress strange or scruffy - costumes or corsets or jeans and t-shirts. But we are IT professionals or graduates and have dosh to spend in the hotel. Some snooty hotels really don't get this, we don't tend to go back there.

We eat vast amounts of breakfast - it's part of the room rate, we've paid for it. But we are polite and patient with the staff.

We sleep in late - which makes housekeeping difficult. But we don't wreak rooms. In ye olden days it was very common to have 10 people sleeping on your floor. Less common these days, and hotels are much less forgiving as health and safety regs are much stricter.

We stay in the bar until 4am - which annoys the bar staff wanting to go off duty. But pleases the banqueting manager no end as we drink like fish. We've not only drunk the bar out of real ale at more cons than I can possibly remember, but we famously drank the brewery dry at the 2005 Worldcon, and that was just the fan bar, not the hotels or conference centre. We drank two weeks production in five days. But I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of drunken incidents I've seen in fandom in the past 25 years.

I was apologizing to a hotel manager for the number of paper planes in trees of the hotel atrium. He was quite relaxed about it; paper planes don't cause damage, they had a rugby club xmas do at the hotel and one of the party guests had climbed up one of the trees and broken it. Fans just don't cause that sort of damage.
However, I have seen every potted plant in the hotel moved into a lift for the evening; it was like going up to the fourth floor in a rain forest.

FF

[Skydiver]

the staff at the 'old' gatecon hotel actually got used to us and started to look forward to it. the bar would come up with themes and the like and they just got used to the wacky fans taking over for a long weekend

as for housekeeping, most folks were perfectly content if the maid simply emptied the trash and left extra towels