Originally posted by discodiva
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No Gatecon for me -
Unfortunately, I haven't been too impressed with the execution of Gatecon from what I have experienced, especially after having experienced Creation conventions. Say what you will about Creation blatantly being for profit and the various complaints about their policies, they have a schedule set before the con and make it widely available, as well as being a stable barring any unforeseen circumstances.
I think the sheer volume of guests also hurt the con as it requires them all to come out in mostly random panels, many of which are repeated in the afternoon so people can get photo ops and not miss anything, except the totally haphazard way the photo ops were pulled off really defeated the purpose. coupled with all of the technical failures as most of my photo ops from Friday were not available for pick up by the end of today.
Being able to see Richard Dean Anderson is worth the price of admission, but the whole package sadly leaves much to be desired. Perhaps that, and the technical issues, was partly because of the five year layoff and may be ironed out in future cons. However, unless they get Richard Dean Anderson to return or they get someone I really want to see (and, most importantly, it returns to Vancouver) as well as actually have a coherent schedule, I cannot see me going to another Gatecon.Comment
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I was wondering if someone would make any comments about the convention. When GC said that day passes were available just a week before the con, I thought WTH? They won't bring a convention into the US because of the taxes. Huh? The use of Paypal has got to go. No one has let me know if someone else is sitting in my seat with a day pass.Originally posted by Dr. Carson Beckett View PostComment
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I would think the day passes would only be valid for seats which haven't been paid for, as every pre-purchased seat came with a badge with your name and seat number on it. There were several seats beside me which remained empty all weekend, so I think it's safe to say they weren't making additional money on seats which were paid for but unoccupied.Originally posted by ScifigirlSG View Post
The only time we actually changed our seats was when most of the people were still away at lunch and Steve Bacic insisted everybody move closer.
My final thoughts on the con is that despite the myriad of technical issues and general chaos, it was en enjoyable weekend as the guests themselves were fantastic as always. I really appreciate that Richard Dean Anderson isn't like many other big names who just want to get through the thing so they can catch the quickest flight out of there and, even though he couldn't sign autographs, stayed to actually talk with people The Stargate bunch are a special breed and even with the lack of efficiency with which I had been spoiled with Creation cons, I do not regret buying a ticket and going to the event. I certainly respect all of the work which the organizers put in to it and I only hope that this year was an aberration and future events don't feature a vague "this is when we hope things will take place" and actually has a schedule they can adhere to and provide to the attendees.
I told Cliff Simon that conventions were missing out on a golden photo op with a group shot of all the Ba'als. He got a good laugh and said they were out there doing all the conventions. Peter Williams was great as well, after I mentioned how most of the autographs I had were of Goa'uld, he said nothing wrong with the bad guys as they're cheaper, to which I responded with "in more ways than one," which got a good laugh. It's a shame that these guys won't get as many con opportunities in North America with Creation doing away with Stargate cons, so I really do hope Gatecon can take the chaos of this con and learn from it to make future cons a better overall experience.
I think if they didn't try to get a ridiculous amount of guests again, things would be able to run so much smoother. They teased a 2017 con with a theme about an "invasion" with what I think were Replicator sound effects. I can't exactly say I'm chomping at the bit to get a ticket to the next Gatecon, but if it features another appearance by Richard Dean Anderson and, maybe, manage to get Amanda Tapping and Michael Shanks, I will be more inclined to part with my money.Comment
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Just out of curiosity, how much were the day passes?Comment
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Today was much better organised and I enjoyed myself...met some good friends old and new, got an extremely good 5 mins with Tom McBeath, a hug, chat, signed photo all for the princely sum of $10...I felt relaxed and comfortable in the hotel, helped by the fact I didn't attend any of the extras and came home to a peaceful Downtown Apartment each evening...my hubby and I got to say hi to many of the actors who seemed relaxed and comfortable...I didn't see too much over-enthusiasm from fans, although the odd show-off appeared now and again...
It was pretty much how I expected it to be....I won't be going to Chicon as I'm still on vacation in Canada but having attended many Creations in the past I'm not too bothered...
It was ok for me, especially today....it got better as time went on imho....glad I went in the main...
Deeds xxComment
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Yeah, I think it was partly because they didn't have the photo ops running which helped the organization of the day. I think it would really serve them well if they took a page from Creation's book and had scheduled times for the actors doing photo ops. That way, you don't go up to the room and find that the person you want a photo with has left for whatever reason and hope when you go back later that they are there. They could even mirror the way they did the panels, repeating the photo op schedule in the afternoon so people who missed the morning session as they were attending a panel would have another chance.
I'm not sure how I feel about the "mugshot" and photo collection, it just adds another line which may end up being a waste of time if they don't have your photos ready. On the other hand, it does provide them a way to confirm whether someone claimed their photos or whether their photos didn't turn out. Unfortunately, my System Lords photo was affected by the camera failure but I had no way of knowing that as the only photo I had received was with Richard Dean Anderson and I had two other singles which were still unaccounted for. So, I didn't know that I needed to do the reshoot. I will ultimately be refunded the price of the photo op, but it's still disappointing.
I've always enjoyed Maybourne so I was very happy to be able to see Tom McBeath and with autographs being a primary source of covering the guests' appearance, with Tom only charging $10 and only having two photos, I decided to get one of each.
It's always great to see guests who aren't at many of the cons, especially the Creation ones.Comment
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Even hearing some of the disappointing things about GateCon, I do really hope they (or someone!) pull something together for 2017. Makes so much sense to have a 20th anniversary celebration to me, and maybe that will get Amanda and Michael and some other bigger names back. Although, for what's its worth, I had an incredible time with the "smaller" people at DragonCon this year. Getting to spend real time and have real connections with them because their lines aren't 100 bodies deep was REALLY NICE. Meeting Amanda and having a photo with her would be an absolute dream come true, but I'll tell you what ... hanging out with Suanne and Peter and Jac has been the highlight of my year (life?) so far!! LOLComment
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Yeah, I am pretty sure there will be a Gatecon in 2016, exactly where and when I don't know as the only tease they gave was to "prepare for the invasion" and "Gatecon 2017." It was pretty sneaky, as at the end of the closing ceremony they decided to play the entrance video again so the guests could see it and as the video faded out, the Gatecon logo appeared with what I believe was the sound of the replicators.
It must be that intangible feeling, but there is always something different with Stargate cons compared to Star Trek cons. If I'm lucky, I may be able to check out next year's Once Upon a Time con, but I have always enjoyed the Stargate cons more. Maybe it's because Star Trek doesn't have the amazing duo of Dan Payne and Alex Zahara. However, at the last Trek con I was at, after all the autographing had been done and JG Hertzler was just signing some random stuff, he would also chat with anybody around. Unless it's a scheduled meet and greet, I'm always a bit wary of just chatting with the guests as I don't want to hold up any of the lines, but I did enjoy being able to talk to Richard Dean Anderson for a few minutes at the end of Gatecon. When I saw William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in 2010, by comparison, all I got when I got the autographs was a smile and a nod so when you come across guests who not only enjoy actually talking to the fans but joking around with them as well, it adds more to the experience.
I am convinced that the disappointing aspects of Gatecon can be addressed and cleared up for future conventions, but one of the most important things would be to have a schedule to adhere to and a more efficient system for handling photo ops. When Creation runs cons in Canada, they rush the photo ops to a local business to print them out and, at the con I attended in Chicago, they had at least three photo printers working on printing them out. I'm not sure how many Gatecon had, but they were having problems with it along with almost every piece of technology, it seems.
It would also make for a better experience if they didn't try to cram as many chairs into each row as possible. I'm sure everybody is keenly aware that the human body is not the exact size as a chair, which makes for a potential "sardine" situation should the room be packed. Now, I don't know if the seating layout is determined by the convention organizers or the hotel staff, as it was the hotel staff stacking the seats following the final panel and setting up for the crew party.Comment
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