I haven't done any blogging in about a month now, I know.. smack my hand.. but here's a lil sneak peak of something I went to last weekend... and help if you fancy going yourself!!
Yeah? I thought you may be, and like so many others I quickly started becoming a V D junkie, well it had been on for 3 years prior so I had a hell of a lot of catching up to do.
So when I came across an event that happens once a year in the UK, I became slightly more intrigued. I read on and at this event the actors from the show rock up, take pictures with you, sign autographs and host stage talks where you can pretty much ask them whatever you like (within reason of cause!!)
Booked.
I didn't know what to expect, me and my sis were heading into the unknown, having no clue of what lies ahead and not knowing anyone else there... Until I tweeted I was heading there and my friend Amy tweeted back within about 10 seconds saying she was going too.
It was a huge relief to know someone else who was heading there plus she had been the previous year so she filled me in with all the inside goss. Sorta like what I'm about to do with you, It was a huge help for me, so here it goes.
Make sure you book your tickets in advance. They come on sale around the same time as the previous event and don't be alarmed if you email the company and they don't reply. We sent a few emails and within a week we still had no reply, panic stricken we wondered what to do next, unfortunately we didn't realise they not only have 900+ attendees to this particular event ( & 2000 last year!!) but they host many other events with other tv show guests appearing. They do always reply, so just be patient.
Book ALL your photo ops, extra autographs and coffee lounges in ADVANCE. This takes a huge stress out of the day so you can relax, listen to the Q & A's and mosey around seeing the actors mill around the halls. Plus if you're less inclined to act like a crazy person when you see them they're quite happy to have a minute to chat. I know it's exciting meeting them but try not to freak out, they're only human (well Matt Donnavon is!)
Book your hotel room asap! The Hilton tends to get pretty rammed with everyone who's there, plus it's right next to the N.E.C so if people are staying for any events it is the best one around. We actually stayed at The Holiday Inn, its around a 15/20 minute walk away or a couple of minutes in the car. Honestly we enjoyed the brisk morning walk after breakfast and you do get to leave the mayhem behind for a couple of hours.
They have special rates at The Hilton which work out around the same price as The Holiday Inn so it just really depends on what you're looking for. There is also a lovely pub called Little Owl on the side of the Inn, the food is great and really reasonably priced, as the Hilton seemed a little expensive, 2 sarnies chips and 2 lemonades come to the grand total of £30!!
Always try to stick to your numbers/ times you are given to check in or else there's a lot of hanging around.
Make sure you print everything off before you go and TAKE YOUR I.D. That was something I never even thought about taking, being 20 *cough cough* something!. But you do need it to prove it's you that's bought the tickets. Once you've registered make the most of those precious few hours you have before the first party as it's a bloomin' tiring weekend.
Over the weekend photo ops, autographs and coffee lounges are available to buy at certain times, but as I have said previously it's so much easier to buy on-line. It saves you missing out on talks or potentially queuing for quite some time.. I'm sure at some point there was a sort of mosh pit happening to buy Paul Wesley's autograph or photo op! Crazy stuff!!
PLAN PLAN PLAN .... get your timetable out and highlight everything you want to do, make sure nothing clashes and if it does try to sort it first thing on Saturday morning.
Mingle around, chat to people and ask questions. We found on the first night everyone was in there groups of people they already knew, it did feel a little Mean Girls "You can't sit with us!" at first, but I'm a chatty person so I just got on with it. Maybe it was me just feeling like the new girl but on the Saturday people became a lot more chatty, I mean after all we all have one common interest! Lets chat about it!
Take snacks (not rustly ones!) and water with you so if you get peckish during the talks you don't have to leave whilst someone's talking. Plus it cuts down on the major lunchtime expense.
Pre event try to think of some interesting questions to ask the guests, I mean really I'm sure they have to answer the same questions over and over so go for something that will get them talking. Maybe get the scoop on what there interests are before you go? A few times over the weekend the same person got up and asked each guest the same question.. by the end of the day we were bored of hearing her ask it so I'm sure they were thinking the same.
Overall just enjoy the experience. There were guests there I wasn't bothered about seeing and I'm sure you'll be thinking the same but they turned out to either be really interesting in the Q & A's or really funny. It was a pleasant surprise.
Definitely head over to www.rogueevents.com to check out there convention tips, but sometimes it's just nice hearing it from someone experiencing it rather than someone who works for the company.
Becky x
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