TFcon 2014 Guest Request thread

[Dragon Knight]

I understand why TFCon needs to charge for autographs, and if it helps bring in the big name guests great.

Buuuut, at the same time I get where a lot of people are coming from in this argument too. It is a super bummer that we need to start factoring in autograph costs into our budget.

I still plan on attending this year's show because it's the only chance I'll get to hang out with some of my friends that I don't really get to see all that often.

But an autograph fee really does factor in to how much I value that person's work and if it's worth it to go out of my way and see that person.

It's not so much a problem for me, but it really does come down to the cost of the autograph and I do agree that this is something that we must know in advance.

[Knockout]

It will be interesting to see how it works out during the event, honestly. Then, not alot of guests have really been annouced yet.

[Dragon Knight]

Originally Posted by Knockout

It will be interesting to see how it works out during the event, honestly. Then, not alot of guests have really been annouced yet.

Having gone to fan expo last year where anime voice actors started charging too I can say that the time spent in line was pretty much non-existant.

[TMIIWonkoNemises]

Originally Posted by Knockout

Oh, well I already created a budget for TFCON back in Jan. I have to make a con season budget at the start of the year ( AN, NFCC, TFCON and Fanexpo. Now TFCON Chicago as well. But that's a big IF. That might be as costy as AN is. AN is a $1000+ weekend. TFCON is about a $800 or weekend + $200 for a commission pick up.) So yeah, got to be more choosey in VA guests because now their an added expense.

Or just skip a convention to save money.Is it necessary to go to all of them?

[Knockout]

Originally Posted by TMIIWonkoNemises

Or just skip a convention to save money.Is it necessary to go to all of them?

AN (This year is my 14th year!) and TFCON Toronto are my main cons though. And I ain't paying for NFCC. It's just going to be a hang out event. The only guests i'd want to see is the Sailor Moon guests, but they will be at AN for free the month before so, no need to pay to enter. Same with Fan Expo.

Regardless, we'll have to wait and see what guests come and what they charge. Who knows, their might not even be any VA's I'd be very interested in or have anything to sign for that matter. Like Susan Blu. I got nothing Arcee for her.

[TMIIWonkoNemises]

Originally Posted by Knockout

The only guests i'd want to see is the Sailor Moon guests, but they will be at AN for free the month before so, no need to pay to enter. Same with Fan Expo.

However,the Sailor Moon VAs are actually accessible in most Toronto Cons.I saw nearly all of the cast in Unplugged Expo last year.You don't need to go to Anime North to see them since a majority of them go to other Cons as well since 2012.

Originally Posted by Knockout

Regardless, we'll have to wait and see what guests come and what they charge. Who knows, their might not even be any VA's I'd be very interested in or have anything to sign for that matter.

Then I do not understand why there was such an uproar about it

[Metroplex79]

Compared to the celebs I get from Fan Expo, the actors/actresses I get are from their one (or 2 big roles)...Shatner, Nimoy, Eliza Dushku, Avery Brooks, Laura Vandervoort, Carrie Fisher, Richard Dean Anderson, Anthony Daniels etc etc etc etc etc (13 of the past 14 years worth of Sci-Fi celebs) many of them their lines were pretty long. Anyone recall Nathan Fillion's or Tricia Helfer's line? I never got a chance to even line up.

Now, with TFCon's old autograph structure, I had no problem getting 2 things signed, then going to the back of the line to repeat...I didn't care how long the line was.

For a few G1 VAs, they've played multiple characters, thus multiple items that can get signed. Let's look at Neil Ross. I got:

-Slag Milton Bradley card signed
-Hook Milton Bradley card signed
-Bonecrusher Milton Bradley card signed
-Slag sticker (for a sticker album) signed
-Hook sticker (for a sticker album) signed
-Bonecrusher sticker (for a sticker album) signed
-the TFCon program
-that photo he had brought along
-(*something* of Springer's, but I forget at the moment)

I didn't have mint Tech Specs (or at all) for the 4 characters, otherwise I would have had to signed as well.

Now, if he was charging $20 per auto, which do I sacrifice? Or do I cop out and buy a poster (or an 8x11) that has all his characters and then pay to that signed, and call it a day? (it would be in a similar situation to some Fan Expo celebs that are charging for their 8x10 photo, which blows)

I had forgot to bring my Visionaries' Leoric backing card to get signed, and luckily I'm not a GI Joe toy collector, otherwise I would have wanted to get his Shipwreck, Buzzer, Dusty, and Monkeywrench file cards (equivalent to G1's Tech Specs) signed. Same with the 80s Voltron series. I was a 90s Spider-Man fan too, and forgot his MOSC Green Goblin figure.

Now if TFCon brought in say BIG names, who has also done more than just Transformers...how many franchises (and TF characters) has Frank Welker had a hand in? Corey Burton?

I consider myself "middle-class", and I rarely go overboard in the dealer rooms (less than $300 at TFCon, less than $40 at Fan Expo on average), as I have access to a couple of message boards' BST section, ebay, and stores.

Even though photo ops are free, I'm not one of those photo chasers, thus I also don't hold up the autograph line. I don't think I'll be changing my habits from autos to photos.

The Q/A panels and especially the free autographs at TFCon were the best parts of my whole year (even better than Christmas and my birthday). But if I have to spend as much here as Fan Expo...

I know that was long, hopefully some of you understand me better.

[Dragon Knight]

What I would like to see is if we can pay the fee ONCE and then get the actor to sign however many items we want. That's a good compromise I think.

[CobraCommander]

To me signatures aren't that big of deal, except for select few. I personally would rather have a photograph taken with the guest. So with that, would the guests be charging for pictures now too?

[Shockwave 75]

Originally Posted by Dragon Knight

What I would like to see is if we can pay the fee ONCE and then get the actor to sign however many items we want. That's a good compromise I think.

I don't know about "however many item we want". Everybody is familiar with a dude who comes with his mom with at least two boxes full of stuff to get signed; do you really think it would be fair for you to pay $20 to get 1 thing signed and he pays the same and gets 10 things signed? I don't think so.

Like I said in an earlier post I think maybe paying once and getting 2 or 3 items signed is fair, and if you have more then you have to go back to the end of the line and pay again.