Worst fan event EVER!

[cowgrrl]

The short version: secret_willow and I traveled a good distance and paid way too much money for a crappy event in which the actor we came to see wasn't even there despite email I got from one of the organizers a week earlier stating clearly that he was scheduled to be there.

We arrive to find very limited merchandise (photos of only a few cast members, plus packets of 10 photos wrapped in cellophane so you can only see the top photo!) and lots of stuff being raffled off at a dollar per ticket. That was the only way I could get anything Michael-Easton related (a photo, a photo of the Port Charles cast, a Shirt He Actually Wore, oooh)-- I had to play the game. So, we both played, putting our raffle tickets in the properly marked bins.

Lunch was supposed to be from 11:30-12:30 but at 11:10 we noticed food was already on tables and people had started eating so we went in. A pretty meager lunch for the exorbitant amount we'd paid but I found enough on my plate I could eat (skipping the mystery meat). They had coffee but didn't offer decaf, which was annoying. And we were lucky to get the chocolate desserts--I got the last one at our table. However, by noon the wait staff started taking all the food away, including from one poor woman who had just arrived and didn't get to eat anything at all. They took away everything, even my glass of water! Whoever heard of a hotel taking away water?!

Next up was the announcing of the raffle tickets. Which went on for a really long time, was really boring and most of the time we didn't even know which item was being raffled. One lady at a table near us won four items. Meanwhile, two people at my table, including secret_willow "won" items for which they had not bid. He got a size small t-shirt (too small for me!) in white (ugh), pertaining to some character no longer on the show who we'd never heard of. I think he should see if he can get anything for it on ebay.

Then they started introducing the "stars" and the actors came on one by one, with much excitement in the crowd, and we waited and waited and waited and waited for Michael Easton to be announced. It never happened. And then all the actors attending for the day were there, and they started the next phase of the programming. No mention of Michael Easton. I'm convinced we have some weird NY karma happening: our last trip we missed the first half of the play which had been the reason for our trip. Now we were at a stupid soap opera event, and the actor we'd come to see wasn't even there. Did the organizers say anything about his absence? Not a word. The next bit of programming consisted of "awards" to the actors, and in fact they gave Michael Easton an award, which someone else accepted for him. I took a few photos of the folks on stage (from a distance and with crappy lighting). And then we left. Sure there were other actors there that we liked but we had no desire to spend two hours on an autograph line for the privilege of watching any of them scribble their names on a piece of paper for us.

It was worse than a "Creation Con" (only media fans will know what I'm talking about here.) We left the hotel at about 1:30, with the idea that we'd try to salvage our day. It was raining again, so going to Central Park was out. Maybe a play?! We fought our way through Time Square crowd, and yes, if we'd acted instantly we could have gone to a 2pm matinee of something, but we both felt like we couldn't switch gears that quickly. We both needed a cooling off period, at least an hour to process what had just happened. We decided to cut our losses and go home.

We spent the bus ride home complaining about how badly the event had been run, about how stupid the raffle event was, about other conventions we'd been to in which, if an actor cannot show up, the organizers have the decency to let the audience know. (And our guy isn't a minor character--his has been at center stage on this show for about a year!) And then we started talking about another convention we might want to go to -- obviously needing a good experience, or the thought of a possible good experience, after this dreadful one.

Comments

[logisticslad.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry to hear that you had a disappointing time while trying to do something fun. Isn't it bizarre that SF cons have set the standard for fan conventions? Perhaps the soap fans don't know what it is they were missing.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Soap fans haven't a clue, apparently. This club has been running these lame, overpriced events for 14 years now!

We're looking into going to a fan-run media con in our area in November. Mira Furlan is scheduled to be there. I've seen her already, of course, but I don't mind seeing her again. And it will have panels, a masquerade, a dance, all that stuff...

[light-journey.livejournal.com]

Oh that's just terrible to spend money on an event that sorry
I wonder if you could get your money back?

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Not a chance. It was made quite clear that tickets are nonrefundable. :(

I feel really bad for the woman who didn't even get to eat her meal! And their lame excuse for taking the food away was "the kitchen is closing." What hotel would close their kitchen at noon?!

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I actually have some good memories from Creation cons. Back when Dee and i went, they cost $20, and the advertised stars actually showed up, and we got to see Jonathan Frakes, Majel Roddenberry, and John de Lancie that way. They were kinda chintzy compared to 'real' cons, but i had no real complaints.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I've seen some good people at Creation cons too. As long as you know what to expect it's fine. And yes, the guests do show up, probably because they're paid well.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

Do Creation cons still exist? I remember that, when I lived in the Boston area in the mid-to-late 1980s, true Fen spoke of them with loads of derision.

The only time I ever went to one (at least I *think* it was a Creation con), I was helping a dealer friend at a con somewhere in Manhattan, and I got to see Isaac Asimov, who certainly isn't around any longer.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

There was a creation con here in the Boston area recently. I think it was all "Stargate" and I know people who went.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Creation is still around running cons - they usually due one in Thanksgiving in the NY area.

Issac Asimov actually visited my alma matter.
And Gene Rodenberry.

This was in the early 1980's.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I'd write a letter of complaint. You may not be able to change the programming part, but the hotel was outright rude and could lose future customers (conventions and/or guests) this way.

PS: Check out www.chillertheatre.com

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

My guess is the convention is probably to blame, not the hotel. I can't imagine any hotel shutting their kitchen at noon! The convention probably only paid for wait staff through 12:30pm, or something lame like that. I learned my lesson: if an event looks like it's charging too much money, it is charging too much money and isn't worth it.

Oh dear, I'd best not let secret_willow find out about that chiller con! He'll want to go! He knows some of those Dark Shadows people and is very active in that fandom (which means he'll find out about it soon enough anyway. :) )

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

If he's a Dark Shadows fan, I'm surprised he doesn't know about the convention. It's been running for many years and usually has at least 1 Dark Shadows guest.

The advantage for us is that it is 15 minutes away. So we can go, do stuff and leave. That is if Alan cooperates!