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

[Arctic Goddess]

Mama gets slagged by fans (emails sent to Creation) all the time!

I was a VIP and 'insert name here' was playing guitar in the hallway... for EVERYONE, now Im not gonna go for my meet and greet, cause its not special, then Im gonna email and complain about everything Mama did, and wore for the event and threaten never to attend another con she is working

ooooor...

The actors hug Mama, and I dont like the level of friendly relationship she has with them, so Im gonna whine that its inappropriate

yeah, don't think thats a joke, it isn't

I know that it is a tough job to be the Mama. I'm amazed that she comes back year after year. I'm sure that the perks don't outweigh some of the crap she has to put up with. Please tell her I appreciate everything she does.

[Madeleine]

Mama gets slagged by fans (emails sent to Creation) all the time!

Now that's just churlish. I imagine it must be hurtful.

That's one of the reasons that everyone else should say thank you. So that the organisers know not everyone is a tactless ingrate.

[Dr,jackson]

not to jump in and offend everyone , but I think it's good the way mama is she has too , I mean there are a lot of wacko's out there and I think she does her job perfectly , I mean yea she's hard sometimes but she has a lot of responsiblilty and that's what you become if if you have that , so I think we should respect her.

[BruTak]

I couldn't agree more.

The last major Stargate con I was at, SG-10, me and the guys went and found con-runner Bryan Cooney on the Monday after the con had finished, and we thanked him in person.

[Switch42]

I know that it is a tough job to be the Mama. I'm amazed that she comes back year after year. I'm sure that the perks don't outweigh some of the crap she has to put up with. Please tell her I appreciate everything she does.

not to jump in and offend everyone , but I think it's good the way mama is she has too , I mean there are a lot of wacko's out there and I think she does her job perfectly , I mean yea she's hard sometimes but she has a lot of responsiblilty and that's what you become if if you have that , so I think we should respect her.

Here here! Three cheers for Mama and all the volunteers. Without them, things would really suck! LOL

[Suebsg9]

Here here! Three cheers for Mama and all the volunteers. Without them, things would really suck! LOL

I would like to give a resounding 4 cheers for mama; she does a great job and she is very nice and very sociable to everyone!! She does her job and she does it well!! I look forward to seeing her at cons and the rest of the creation volunteers and staff!

THREE CHEERS FOR MAMA!!

[Sa'Hut_IH']

You guys are awesome and Mama appreciates this, really, it can be hurtful when someone says negative things for personal reasons, but this just gave a huge emotional bandaid

*hugs to all*

[ScifigirlSG]

I must say that I haven't had problems with Mama or her underlings. I've asked questions and received nice answers.

[Krisz]

Mama gets slagged by fans (emails sent to Creation) all the time!

I was a VIP and 'insert name here' was playing guitar in the hallway... for EVERYONE, now Im not gonna go for my meet and greet, cause its not special, then Im gonna email and complain about everything Mama did, and wore for the event and threaten never to attend another con she is working

ooooor...

The actors hug Mama, and I dont like the level of friendly relationship she has with them, so Im gonna whine that its inappropriate

yeah, don't think thats a joke, it isn't

I don't usually comment on things of this nature but I had to say I cannot for one second understand what people are thinking when they actually write to Creation to slag Mama! She is a breath of fresh air! She does her job well, she takes it seriously and has a great 'fun' streak to go with it. For me it wouldn't be the same if she wasn't there!

Whilst there may be issues with volunteers and their manner for some people, even I've been irritated by one, they don't deserve to be slagged off! A clash of perspective in con crowd control or level of problem resolution should never be an issue in my opinion, it happens, just move on!

We don't always stop to remember that Mama and the other volunteers are taking time out of their own attendence and enjoyment of the con to help things move smoothly to enable everyone to have as fun a con as possible. My thanks to her and all the others for volunteering. I will be sending Creation an email after the con to tell them this!

[Jersey13]

Some people are just oblivious to the sheer amount of work you do to try to keep people happy, Mama. I totally respect the kind of chutzpah it must take for you to keep taking on that kind of responsibility year after year! So add my cheers to the pile. But in all fairness, I think a lot of people seem to be under the impression that just because you're the con org, you necessarily have complete control over convention policies, scheduling, pricing, etc. I'm not sure I've ever been to one of your cons, so perhaps I should ask - which cons do you run, and exactly how much influence or control do you usually have over those sorts of things? I hope your management knows that customers will still get angry at you, even when it's not your fault, when they feel it should be your responsibility.

[slamaina]

Some people are just oblivious to the sheer amount of work you do to try to keep people happy, Mama. I totally respect the kind of chutzpah it must take for you to keep taking on that kind of responsibility year after year! So add my cheers to the pile. But in all fairness, I think a lot of people seem to be under the impression that just because you're the con org, you necessarily have complete control over convention policies, scheduling, pricing, etc. I'm not sure I've ever been to one of your cons, so perhaps I should ask - which cons do you run, and exactly how much influence or control do you usually have over those sorts of things? I hope your management knows that customers will still get angry at you, even when it's not your fault, when they feel it should be your responsibility.

I hope I am not stepping Mama’s toes by jumping in here… Mama is not the Con Organizer.

It is my understanding that Mama is the Volunteer Coordinator for all Creation Cons east of Las Vegas plus Vancouver. She herself is a volunteer.

She is not involved in who the guests are, what activities the guest does, when activities happen, or how much they cost.

Slam

[Jersey13]

I hope I am not stepping Mama’s toes by jumping in here… Mama is not the Con Organizer.

It is my understanding that Mama is the Volunteer Coordinator for all Creation Cons east of Las Vegas plus Vancouver. She herself is a volunteer.

She is not involved in who the guests are, what activities the guest does, when activities happen, or how much they cost.

Well, I wasn't positive what role she plays, but what's the point of complaining about her if she's just a volunteer? She's not being paid to be mean and make people jealous. I've volunteered at cons before, and there's no excuse for complaining just because a volunteer who works hard gets a few more privileges than the regular customer, if any, or complain about stuff she can't do anything about.

[Frostfox]

A truly appalling list of poor con behaviour from a single recent convention (Lunacon).

http://rm.livejournal.com/1596235.html

FF

[veryangrystargatefan]

I just wanted to add my agreement to all of the positive things that people have said about Mama! I had the privilege of meeting her at a con last year and she was VERY nice and supportive! I can't think of one negative thing to say about her. If I were to meet up with her again at another con, it would be a wonderful blessing. I actually think we need more con helpers like Mama! Keep up the good work gal!

Rachel (veryangrystargatefan)

[Sa'Hut_IH']

As Slam said, Mama is a volunteer, she organizes other volunteers and works closely with the guests as their escort/security.
While she works with Creation more then any other, she also does several 'fan run' conventions, and has been known to work security directly for Managers and Actors.

but as for the last second changes, line cutoffs, delays, scheduling conflicts and outrageous mayhem that comes about... well thats on people higher up the food chain, Mama just gets to share in the heat.

Mama describes her job to alot of people as
"someone has to stand between the insanity and the Volunteers and talent, and that someone seems to be me"

and to be honest, she loves 99% of the fans, thats why she will walk the 4 hour lines joking, talking and telling stories. If she didn't want you all to have the best time ever, she would stay hidden in the green room, and let the volunteers do all the walking.