For Expo attendees

[granny_gertrude]

I want to spread the word on this. Expo have made a statement based on what the Excel Centre have sent out. Please go register your photoshoots!
From  http://www.mcmexpogroup.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=282&t=14222&start=25

"THIS IS THE WORDING THAT YOU WILL NOW FIND ON THE MESSAGE BOARD WITH REGARDS TO EXCEL AND IT'S ESTATE WHICH HAS

Comments

[xaerael]

i'm getting pretty sick of the people bawwwing on the MCM forum that they don't want to pay for the event, and just hang around outside. it's not like it's a bank breaking sum of money to pay, and it's people PAYING for the event which allows it to return every year.

[granny_gertrude]

Absolutely- but the way it was initially handled was not ideal. There's also the fact that numbers are driven up by people who know they can hang around, and a proportion of those will buy tickets, or decide to come along and buy tickets as they're aware others will be there (who may not buy tickets).

Definitely a step that needed to be taken, but more notice from the ExCel would have been good too.

[xaerael]

yeah, i have to admit, i raised an eyebrow with them making this announce two weeks before expo. i think the admins have been falling for more than a bit of trollish behaviour too.

the general chat forum for this expo has been dire. it's had such a high count of cry/challenge/f- the system threads. i've had to stop myself a number of times from doing a slapdown post or two. so i can totally see why these "rules" are being introduced. i'm just not so sure how they can enforce them with how spontaneous things outside the expo hall are.

if it achieves anything, hopefully it will push the mongs and jerks away.

[granny_gertrude]

I was having a discussion with Ilpala about this when we knew it was coming, and we discussed how it would be flames on the forums even if it was okay on the day.

PArt of the problem online is that it is very rare for both sides of the argument to get represented- the irate people then feel everyone agrees with them as most people who roll their eyes at their posts aren't motivated enough to post replies. Which I understand as the drama isn't worth it.

[crystal_neko]

This is so much clearer - now how come they couldn't just wait for this confirmation from ExCeL before letting the public know? :P

I'm not planning on actually organizing any shoots of my own though, I often just grab random people and drag them off somewhere (if they don't mind that is!)... So how on Earth would I go about registering this sort of activity? :S

[granny_gertrude]

I wouldn't worry about adhoc photograph opportunities.

I assume they were dropping partial information over the last month (initially on the Cosplay Olympics thread) so that people had warning and were able to prepare. This would have been quite the bombshell if it had appeared from no where!

[crystal_neko]

Oh okay, glad to know it!

Oh yeah, that's very true. I suppose that no matter how the Admin team breaks the news they will surely get some kind of flame from the forumners... Doesn't seem like they can win! O_o

[granny_gertrude]

In fairness I reckon the Admins were quite happy in principal about this stance from Excel, but they probably wanted more notice and certainly could have handled the announcement better. Still, by October it should be fine.

[nert]

That's written about as clear as mud XD I get the idea but jeez that's likely to confuse more people than it will clarify anything. Depending on how you read it, it sounds like you need tickets for the gatherings themselves as well as expo ;) People who don't quite understand how wristbands works are muppets but the wording isn't helping with interchanging wristband and ticket all the time -_-;

Sadly it's kinda obvious this policy isn't going to change but wristbands are going to pretty much wreck all photos for cosplayers T_T You can't hide them like a con badge, or even take them off for the masquerade..

I'm all for thinning out the unpaying hoardes who left an utter crapton of litter on the grass last time, and I'll agree the handstamps-on-exit plan was never a brilliant idea, but wristbands.. T_T

[granny_gertrude]

I know I know... I really wish they'd have given me the brief and told me to write something. First step would have been to bounce it off a trusted portion of the intended audience for clarity!

What it will actually boil down to is a few Excel staff checking cosplayers / obvious anime fans for wristbands and asking them to leave if they don't have one; and keeping an eye out for games that worry their insurers.

I *will* get permission for people in the Masquerade to remove them before they go on.

[nert]

Mm, I mean I'm not at all concerned for the reasons most people are kicking off.. it's an event, it doesn't break the bank to pay (though the queues are hellish), and in general wristbands are a perfectly valid method. In fact every complaint I've seen so far has basically been "I don't want to pay" XD

I am upset it'll spoil every single costume T_T but that's all.

The gatherings thing is a real pain, but not the end of the world.. I've got a coachload of my soc going, 40-50+ people, and having to email ahead to say they'll be privately meeting back up to eat lunch as a picnic seems a little extreme XD oh well.

Yeah, I guess Masq may work out then, especially since it's the last thing of the day anyway, lacking a wristband can't get them kicked out any faster XD

[granny_gertrude]

Many costumes will avoid it with sleeves. gloves, etc or imaginative posing but yeah, not ideal for photographers.

The gathering system... they're really aiming at thing like the Cosplay Olympics rather than people having lunch, but I think they're not going to refine things until after their trial run.