[ Fandom ] Advice for future OzComicCon events

It's easier if I do this in point form, rather than large blog form:

• If your website is down repeatedly - make announcements on other social networking. I tried to buy a platinum ticket, and tried emailing, and phoning. To no avail. Only to finally get through and be quite rudely told that I didn't try any contact, and that I'd virtually just have to suck it up. Great first impression with your company.  

• If you are going to do tickets pre-sale, perhaps they should gain access to the venue before others that buy tickets on the day and get to walk straight in.  

• VIP and Platinum Tickets should definitely be allowed in first. In all aspects. Whether it be panels, queues, photos, autographs - everything. That's why they pay the big bucks!

• Tokens for autographs and photographs should be available online. So many other conventions in the world do this, so we know that it's a system that can definitely work. This will save you having to give refunds when fans queue for hours and then ultimately miss their session. 

• If you are going to have a queue for tokens at the venue, perhaps consider having this outside the venue - rather than having a rediculous snake queue that takes up the WHOLE venue. That way you'll get people into the venue in an orderly fashion - rather than having tens of thousands of pissed off geeks about 10 minutes into your convention opening.

• Maybe if you haven't run a large scale convention, and are unsure on how it's going to go - maybe you should consider not bringing in one of the biggest geek draw-cards in the world. Stan Lee. Just you know, food for thought.

• Work out what your venue capacity is. Sell that number of tickets. No more. No less.  That way you won't have to keep opening and closing the venue. You'll avoid the huge number of pissed off geeks that are standing outside with pre-paid tickets, unable to get into the venue.

• If you are going to hold dinner events, perhaps you should check and acknowledge with the guests who are purchasing tickets to said dinners if they have any food requirements or allergies. I sent three to four emails about my requirements. Did not receive replies, and then was told that there were no special requirements for my table. Really?

• If you have members of the general public coming to the office to ask you questions and potentially give you more money for objects - it doesn't take much to be professional to your staff in front of us. Maybe don't scream at them while we are standing there waiting to talk to you - it's a little awkward. 

• Have your photos printed on premise. That way if there are problems with printing they can be fixed up on site. You won't have attendees pissed off that they have to wait hours for their photos. Armageddon Expo does this REALLY well.

• In regards to professional photographers - make sure that their equipment is ready to take professional photos. This means having clean camera lenses. Lots of the photos on the Mitch Pileggi booth had dust specks all over them which is really really disappointing. 

I could go on with more - but this is just a few observations that I had. I'm not sure that I'll attend another Hub Productions Event after this one. I got everything I wanted out of this event, and more. But I had to work damned hard to get it.