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Mostly cons aren't a con, but then this does depend very much on the INITIAL entry fee.
by MonSTeR
Or do you think you get good value for money?
Most conventions are £60 to £75 for 3 days entry (average £20-£25 a day) You have to break that down into what you get for your money.
Obviously you get 1 autograph per guest (again with MOST weekend entries - it does depend on the event) on your own merchandise, providing it is something the actor doesn't mind signing (ie not a big naked foldout
) At most signing events a signature would cost in the region of £10-20 PER actor. So if you are a signature collector only THREE guests would realistically cover your entrance fee.On top of that you get the guest talks which only really occur at events like these and are much funnier than watching extras on a dvd. It gives you a chance to see that there's a personality to the actor - the person behind a character
. Then you get 3 nights of disco generally running for 5 or 6 hours a night depending on the hotel extension. I'm sure that entry to a club must cost a few pennies. Mostly it's a great atmosphere to either party/dance, watch other people making a fool of themselves, and drink loads. I imagine people spending money on dodgy island holidays probably do similar things if the reality shows are anything to go by
So where's the "con" in all that? If you didn't like the show then chances are you wouldn't be attending the event anyway.
Nobody forces people to dress up, and conventions are still as such that I doubt half the people attending actually wear any kind of fancy dress in the evenings (conventions aren't *that* geeky Teresa - it's just the ones that dress up happen to get photographed a lot because it's nice to see people having the guts to wear costumes
)In fact at the Alias convention, it has to be said that out of about 200 attendees I only actually saw Gerri/Taz in costume, plus the Jedi Chefs (but they aren't real costumes anymore) and a few guys wearing hideous glitter wigs. So about 10 people out of 200 ... not a big average really
Obviously it's the extras that hit home, but if people treat convention going as a hobby and manage to do the full works of staying in the hotel, drinking stack loads of hotelpriced alcohol (a rarity I'm sure
) and wanting to buy the photoshoot opportunities (although for £10 a shot you get your signature on those anyway as part of the expense) and 8x10's, then that's their choice.I managed to get 2 nights hotel and a steak meal each for the price it would have cost for ONE night's accommodation at the convention hotel for Alias recently. There are deals out there, but it depends if you want the comfort of the full works of falling out of bed into the talks or falling into bed after a night's party (or an alnighter
)The only downside is the sheer number of conventions popping up recently and having to make a decision on what you want to attend or how many you think you can afford. This off course is also having a knock-on effect with how popular certain events are over others. It has to be said that members on digests I have seen have become disillusioned with the way refunds are, or rather aren't sorted when an organiser has to cancel and are then reluctant to buy tickets for other events
Some organisers are reintroducing day tickets for events. I think this will be a big plus for those looking to keep the costs down who are purely interested in the guest talks and autographs. I met a girl who travelled from France on an Alias day ticket just for this and she was over the moon with the day
But for most mulling around and taking it easy, living on next to no food and partying with friends and new people makes the whole weekend experience.I just wish I had more money to attend a few more.
Posted: 23:39 Jul 20 2004 
