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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Now that C4 is over...lessons learned

Discussion in 'Star Wars Celebrations' started by Lufta Shif, Jun 5, 2007.

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  1. Mokitty

    Mokitty Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 8, 2002
    Thank GOD... it's hard enough to get around those convention halls with all the people stopping to take pictures... can you imagine if we drew the Catholic miracle-seekers as well?;)
     
  2. jedimelis

    jedimelis Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2002
    Suggestions from others that I learned before CIII:
    1. VOLUNTEER FOR OFFICIAL PIX, you get great perks, get to chat with signing guests and get to interact with great co-volunteers... just remember to sign up to volunteer in advance so you can get a T-shirt.
    2. Bring snacks

    Lessons learned at CIII and applied at CIV:

    1. Bring two pairs of tennis shoes
    2. Wear Dr. Scholls insert insert shells
    3. Bring deodorant in fanny pack/purse to convention to reapply
    4. Buy exclusive merchandise early

    Lessons learned at CIV and will apply at CV:

    1. Have business cards printed with contact info
    2. Figure out all the settings on my camera so I don't get discouraged
    3. Use calculator on phone to calculate Celebration Store purchases, they add up!
    4. Bring/Create new costume (Even if I don't have much free time with volunteering, I missed having the project and taking pics with people)
    5. Smuggle in water bottles
    6. Make a serious list of autographs needed after reviewing guest list
     
  3. Qui-Dawn

    Qui-Dawn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2000
    Oh my goodness, I certainly second that one about learning all the settings on one's camera beforehand, getting that all figured out well enough in advance; I borrowed my parents' digital camera o' course, and it probably wasn't until just before the first costume pageant started that I finally figured out how to take pictures without the blasted automatic flash. :) In fact, it was probably only because they kept reiterating "no flash photography" there that I was so desperately fiddling with the camera settings, trying my darndest to figure it out....definitely took some serious doing, believe you me, although once I did realize which tiny button took care of it I'll admit I felt a leetle bit foolish for not realizing it earlier. ;) But only a bit, mind you....besides, I just figured it afforded me decent enough reason an incentive to roam around some more, taking and re-taking pictures of things and folks, this time without the flash goin' off, because that can make a world of difference. :) Phew!


    Dawn.
     
  4. Armchair_Admiral

    Armchair_Admiral Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 31, 2005
    Probably the biggest lesson I learned is to not rely solely on rechargable batteries. I used them on Friday outside only for them to fizzle out within 30 minutes. I had to wander the convention center to purchase regular batteries, but at least they were there. It later turned out some of the rechargeables were corrupted, but those issues were solved. But for now on, I'll always have spare regular batteries on me to make sure such scares never happen again.
     
  5. Dark Lady Mara

    Dark Lady Mara Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 1999
    LOL, what? If this is true, I'd better move to Canada immediately. Does it matter which part of Canada, or is the entire country the same? I just hope it doesn't turn me into a naive little child, though. :(
     
  6. Lufta Shif

    Lufta Shif Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    May 31, 2000
    ROTSFan: In regards to ?Couldn't really find anything within walking distance?, I ate at La Bella Cucina a few times for lunch. It was in the same building as the Figueroa Hotel and kitty-corner to the Holiday Inn. Good, healthy food (great salads!), great prices, and relatively fast service for a sit-down place. Plus they were playing SW movies on their plasma TV each time we ate or walked by there. It was only a ten minute walk from the convention center. Nice way to have a relaxing lunch away from the crowds of the LACC food establishments. As for becoming a fan club member, yes ? definitely do it for next time. Thursday (our free fan club day) was a great time!

    Qui-Dawn: Theft was something that, unfortunately, was something that I guarded against the entire time at C4. (I tend to worry about a great many things...) Me and my SW buddy were in costume and whenever someone stopped us for pictures I was sure our tote bags were always in sight. Please do not let this experience taint your view towards SW fans, Celebrations, LA, or the USA. Lowbacca_1977 summed it up perfectly - that it is like someone stole from family. Yes, it must be especially painful to think a fellow SW stole from you. I again am so sorry this happened.

    Jedimelis: Yes, I took in an empty plastic water bottle and refilled them at the water fountains. Much cheaper than the three dollar can of Coke I got from the food court!

    Lufta Shif
     
  7. Qui-Dawn

    Qui-Dawn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2000
    Lufta Shif: aaahhhh, don't worry, even though it was a heckuva traumatic thing at the time and I really don't wish it on anyone, that sort of panic and full-fledged hysterical freak-out....still, though, all the same, I do feel like even that unfortunate experience could never be truly enough to unduly taint my experience, or make it overwhelmingly negative when of course 'twas only overwhelmingly *positive*, yes, even now-!....I still love my fandom o' course, and I love, absolutely and passionately *love* SW, natch....and I love my fellow fans....and, yes, I'm even quite fond of L.A. actually, especially now that I find myself *very* reluctantly back home again....and it's cool....and it's *raining*. ;) Aaaargh, I wish I was back there! *flees straightaways* The truth of it all, though, really is that....nothing, I think, not even what happened, could ever make me lose faith in my fandom, my fellow wonderful fans, or what I love....I still have that, and I always will....valiantly, stubbornly so. :D


    Dawn.
     
  8. hyperspace_police

    hyperspace_police Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 22, 2005
    Things I learned...

    Official Pix was great to volunteer for: but, remeber, you may not wind up sitting with a guest signing. There are many other positions filled by volunteers...

    Volunteering for the gen con people was not a bad experience either. But, remember you are expected to work. The first two days... folks with volunteer "crew" badges were lining up at the exhibit hall before the show opened... And they were not working those mornings... By Saturday, the convention people were not allowing as much of that.

    Drink lots of water and less alcohol...makes your con a more enjoyable daytime experience.

    Go to the 501st mixer... you never know what celebrity guest will show up there to let you take pics with them... And you can see the guy who is the model for Quinlan Voss up close with his corona...

    Whoever mentioned above that we are all a "family"... Remember this when you're trying to get into the Gentle Giant Line...It was worse than a Mos Eisley Bar Brawl... I actually saw people get knocked donw on Friday morning... They have got to work that differently for the next con...

    Enjoy yourself. Meet new people. Exchange addresses or emails. Buisness cards are good.

    Rebel Legion was enjoyalbe, but I agree with the whole 30 dollar mug... I honestly had more fun at the 501st one... More people and cheaper to boot...

    But, join the 501st, Join Rebel Legion and Jedi Assembly... If you can... They are full of great people and you can make friendships that will last a lifetime...

    Can't wait for C5

    And glad you got your purse back... Shame that they kept such odd things (other than the money...cause that's not odd at all...)
     
  9. Qui-Dawn

    Qui-Dawn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2000
    Well, I am already a member of the Rebel Legion, speakin' for meself here, but maybe it's another lesson I learned at CIV, another one which at least struck me solidly and in earnest whilst I was there....that I might as well go ahead and see about joining the 501st after all. :) Seems to me like they have a heckuva lot o' fun, anyway, and for sure and certain they've got the cred, you could say ;) - also, I quite like their mission statement too, it's always sounded neat to me. Admittedly, yes, I don't think I could do the whole armour thang, although I'll not rule anything out, because one never knows, right?....however, though, if it would afford me the chance to unleash my Dark Side after a fashion, to go even a bit, ahem, Sithly naughty....well, why not, right? ;) :D *tee hee* And oh, yep, slight aside here but I'll quite agree with you, it *was* seriously odd when it came to the other small things that were taken....I mean, used lipsticks?! *shakes head* Sometimes I think I fear for humanity. :)


    Dawn.
     
  10. GreyJedi

    GreyJedi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 16, 2002
    The Rebel Legion Mission Statement is almost exactly the same as the 501st.

    My abject apologies for the RL Mixer; I promise never to do another one. If it helps, I paid $1000 out of my own pocket for more food and I will refund anyone their money if they are upset about the circumstances.

    Regarding the 501st "street cred"; that is the reason they got a better party for less money. The Rebel Legion will always be second best and that is apparent from our treatment by the hotel. :(
     
  11. Dark Lady Mara

    Dark Lady Mara Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 1999
    Wait a minute, so there was a 501st party at C4? I thought I'd heard they weren't doing one this time.
     
  12. AaylaSecurOWNED

    AaylaSecurOWNED Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005
    They weren't inviting us this time. :p It's different.
     
  13. woppo

    woppo Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2004
    I think the reason the 501st did not have a party for everyone at c4 was because there were no rooms big enough and cheap enough and close enough...
     
  14. GreyJedi

    GreyJedi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 16, 2002
    No, they actually did not want any non-501st people at their party.

    As a member of all three organizations, I asked around about doing a multi-club party. The reaction I received on the 501st boards was "No thanks; we only want 501st."

    I don't mean to insult any of my fellow 501st members, but if you look back at the threads on the 501st boards you will see my topic of a multi-club party and the reaction of those who posted.
     
  15. lovelucas

    lovelucas Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 19, 2004
    That is really, really ..unfortunate. I think it would be wise for ALL Star Wars fan clubs, be it costumers, bad guys, good guys etc to recognize we all need each other, especially now. There will be no place in the future for non-inclusion. With no new films (TV is not going to have the same impact), with George not even bothering to attend C4 (he was NOT filming Indy 4, he was at the Monte Carlo race in Monaco) - well, I think it's a real mistake for anyone, be it George, Rick, Steve, the 501st, the RL - to think SW fandom will continue in the same way without all of us mutually cooperating and respecting each other.

    Yes, the 501st armor is cool but in my local area, they need us and we need them. All our charitable efforts need troopers and Jedi - the kids love all of Star Wars and we should too.
     
  16. ROTSFan

    ROTSFan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2006

    Wow. I didn't mean to stir anything up, I certainly didn't expect to be quoted this much! I hope the naive little child wasn't a slam against me..[face_worried] :_|

    Mokitty: Hey, hey....I wasn't trying to insult Canada-I wished I lived there! I hate my jaded view of life where I have to buy alarms, fear gangs and flick off fellow Californians in traffic. And Dawn is older than me-she's 31. I was trying to understand why she may have that viewpoint; that's all I've heard of Canada thus far (it's meant in a positive tone, though O:))
     
  17. ROTSFan

    ROTSFan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2006
    [face_laugh] Wish I would have seen that then...we thought we'd save money from room service and ended up going to a restaurant by a food pavilion. We dropped $115 on dinner that night. The first clue it may be costly was when the waiter approached our table in a tuxedo and asked what type of water we'd like (?). I consider myself middle-upper class, but that was a new one.
     
  18. woppo

    woppo Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2004
    Is that why there were lots of guests there, Im not talking the invited stars but people who came with 501st members?
     
  19. AaylaSecurOWNED

    AaylaSecurOWNED Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005
    Well, I think spouses and immediate guests is a different beast than opening it up to the entirety of other groups. There were 200 people at the RL mixer alone, and if they had opened it up to all of the groups the party could have easily gotten out of hand in terms of size and cost. I really don't blame them for trying to keep it 'in the family' because as I'm sure GreyJedi can attest, it's a logistical nightmare to organize a party like this, much less trying to sustain communication across several groups.
    Yeah, it's important to stick together as fans, but I don't think having an exclusive party for a club for one night of one convention is going to destroy the fandom.
     
  20. Mokitty

    Mokitty Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 8, 2002
    That's cool. :)

    It's just that what you said seems to be all a lot of people down there have heard of Canada so far. Over the years I've met several Americans (including a couple at CIV) who seemed to be under the impression once they found out I was Canadian that I came from some far-away, quaint, naive, backwards land of peace and happiness and rainbows and flowers where everyone holds hands and sings Kumbaya. I'm here to BUST DOWN THE MYTH!!

    Maybe I seem a little touchy (maybe I am), but that's not my intent... I have at least as much pride in my country as any American has in theirs, and I want people to see my land for what it is. If people are going to have preconceptions about my country without visiting, I'd like them to at least have accurate preconceptions. So I'll educate them! In this case, that is to say, Canada is almost painfully like the United States (so much so that it irritates us quite a bit at times), but the few differences we have (such as tougher gun laws, more progressive laws for certain crimes, and universal social security/health care) are the things that really set us apart. Our worldview tends towards "Let's co-operate" rather than "Let's all be the same" (which it seems down there is more often framed as "Let's do this the right way"); this is why we appear to have no definitive culture, because our culture is actually defined by the presence and ability of many other cultures to thrive here. Where America is the "melting-pot", Canada is the "mosaic". And aside from that, we're pretty much the same!

    I've met some Americans who roll their eyes at Canada because of their misconceptions and thinking we are so different. But we don't deserve it! I think most Americans would find themselves quite at home here, and really like our country!

    Okay, that was way too much pep for this early in the day. I'm gonna put down the pom-poms and get back to work. [face_beatup]
     
  21. JediJustin

    JediJustin Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2006
    One thing I will definitely do for C5 is figure out a method for attaching multiple badges to a single lanyard. With all the badges I had on (CIV admission badge, TF.N badge, RS badge, Force-Cast badge, and Amidala's custom Vader badge) and three different lanyards, things got quite messy around my neck. Plus, they would sway all over the place and kept facing backwards, which was an annoyance especially when I wanted a pic taken of me and some of the badges were backwards.

    I'd like to find a way to have multiple badges tiered on one lanyard. I didn't want to just attach more than one badge to the same lanyard ring, as they would then overlap each other and not display too well.

    That's my C5 (and C6) homework assignment.
     
  22. RebelGrrl

    RebelGrrl Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 13, 2006
    Craft store. Go to the jewelry-making section or to the kid's craft section. There are lanyard hooks on split rings for making keyrings. You should be able to work your lanyard through the split ring and attach multiple hooks in that fashion... and thus multiple badges.

    You might also find these at Wal-Mart, sometimes.
     
  23. JediJustin

    JediJustin Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2006
    Will do. Thanks for the heads-up, RebelGrrl. :)
     
  24. Lowbacca_1977

    Lowbacca_1977 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jun 28, 2006
    My two cents on it, from the "was there as a FF person that wasn't part of RL" was just that I'd expected the FF portion that would be there, esp given it seemed a moderate #, to be included in a bit more, rather than my own personal feel, which was more just that we had permission to observe RL's stuff. Realise it was initially just a RL event, so its just as much my interpretations and expections there.

    As for the catering issues... knowing that that was something paid for, personally I put the blame for that squarely on the hotel for my meal being just honeydew and potato chips
     
  25. ROTS_fanatic

    ROTS_fanatic Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 6, 2007
    Really?!?
     
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