pwinklespi posted:I would have to say that if thee were a CV, it needs to be on a smaller scale. This Celebration was huge. You had to walk a mile from one end to the other just to see something. They could still do CV but in a smaller venue. Keep the same ideas with the store. More registers and more room. Autograph hall was fine , but the part where they had that life sized X wing was a waste of space. They could have crammed everything in that room into somewhere else.
ardavenport posted:Aaaaaaaaah, but if they wanted a smaller Celebration anyway then a lack of emphasis on celebrity guests would not be such a problem. Of course, the celebrity guests can be invited, but clearly GenCon has been unable to attract any of the more famous names that would really bring in the crowds to Celebration anyway. Perhaps it's GenCon, perhaps they don't invite guests before they're committed to other things, or perhaps the leading actors from the films are not available at any price. Performers have to be paid for performing, but are they bringing in the crowds to justify their price? But artists and writers and programmers have different day jobs; do they cost less as guests, but still attract enough people to the event the costs of bringing them? Authors and artists accept invitations to SF conventions all the time and are compensated with just a free membership and they take the travel costs off their taxes as a business expense since they're doing publicity for their work. But it is ridiculous to assume that the viability of a Celebration depends on the autograph and celebrity hounds bringing enough people to make a profit. There are many conventions around the country that operate in the black with a whole lot less sponsorship than what the SW Celebrations have had. But if the goal of Celebration really is profit, then why bother with them at all?
ardavenport posted:SW Celebrations are NOT fan conventions. They are run like TRADE SHOWS.