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The rip off prices at conventions =[

Lt.Cmdr.LaForge

Lt.Cmdr.LaForge

Lieutenant Commander
Red Shirt
Today i was Collector mania convention in Milton Keynes, England.

This was my first time at a convention and didn't realise they charged per signature. So i simply had to prioritize. I wasnt prepared to pay over £100 ($200) to meet a hand full of folk.

That means despite the fact Kate Mulgrew, Robert Duncan McNeil, Robert O'Reily and Jefery Combs amongst others were there, i settled on Tim Russ. He's a nice enough guy.

The website was a bit misleading. It told you that photo shoots with them were £15 each, but it never said anything about paying to meet and get auto graphs.

£15 PER AUTOGRAPH (£20 for Mulgrew) imo is extortionate. I was really excited at the prospect of meeting some of my idols, but today could have bankrupted me!

Are these the going rates at conventions?

p.s. how do you upload pics with your posts? Ill post the pic of me n Tim if i learn how.
moz-screenshot.png
 
Oh yeah, it's 70 dollars USD for a signature with Jeri Ryan, Nimoy, or Shatner at the Vegas Conn. That's just how it is. :shrug: Sucks.
 
There's going to be a convention in Chicago later this year (for the 1st time in years) w/ Leonard Nimoy. Since I think he announced this is the last year he's doing conventions (sob), I really want to go. But, to get a medium-good (not the best, mind you) ticket just to see him speak (anything else extra) will cost $70! Since Mr. Spock was always my favorite (before Voyager) I will have to do it, but that's a lot of money for me. Oh well, I guess you can't take it with you..... (But only for Leonard.) GS.
 
Galekarens said:
There's going to be a convention in Chicago later this year (for the 1st time in years) w/ Leonard Nimoy. Since I think he announced this is the last year he's doing conventions (sob), I really want to go. But, to get a medium-good (not the best, mind you) ticket just to see him speak (anything else extra) will cost $70! Since Mr. Spock was always my favorite (before Voyager) I will have to do it, but that's a lot of money for me. Oh well, I guess you can't take it with you..... (But only for Leonard.) GS.
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Whose convention is that? Heck I'd gladly pay $70 to see Nimoy. Instead I'll be paying $399 to see him at Creation Vegas.
 
It's a Creation Con- it's on the website - Oct 22-24 this year ($70 is a one-day ticket for a medium good seat, at least for Vegas the $119 is for 3 days, if gen. admission). And ack, I wouldn't pay $400 to see anyone, even Mr. Spock. GS.
 
To the OP - agree about "organised fandom" - they are largely money grabbing exercises these days. I recall the early "conventions" where meeting a star actually meant meeting them (even if for a short time) without making you go bankrupt. I have no problem with organisers etc recovering costs and returning a reasonable profit, but these days fans are receiving less and less for more and more money.
 
The cheapest 1 day price in Vegas this August is 35 dollars. Granted, you will be in the back of the room but all you need is a ticket to get in the door in order to be allowed to buy a photo or autograph ticket.

Photo ops are the most expensive, and believe it or not, Jeri Ryan's is the most costly at 100 dollars. To get one with BOTH Nimoy & Shatner it will cost 189 dollars, or 79 dollars with each individually. (Creation has a pro take the shots, and the 8X10 looks really good.)

Autograph ticket prices vary a lot, but you can get some really big names for 15-25 dollars (see page http://www.creationent.com/tickets.htm for Voyager guys like Picardo, Wang, Phillips,de Lancie, Hacket {Seska} and http://www.creationent.com/tickets.htm for a lot of great DS9ers like Visitor, Robinson, Alaimo, Auberjonois, Biggs)

Yes, for those 2 - 80 year old actors...Nimoy and Shatner's autograph costs the most at 79 followed closely by Ryan at 70 .00(I'm told she doesn't "do" many cons, so for people wanting to compete their sets its a "must" at Any price.) Brooks' cost 50 dollars as does Brent Spiners, but then prices drop.

Frakes Takei, Koenig all charge 40, then Bruce Greenwood (Who? Oh, the new version of Captain Pike!) charges 35. After that lofty price its all 15-20-25 dollars a pop which is pretty do-able if you want at least 5 names.

Yes, there are much more expensive prices avail too... and unfortunately there will always be people ready to pay them. The "gold weekend passes" are already sold out for this convention. http://www.creationent.com/cal/stlv.htm

I still remember the first con I went to when Voyager was still being filmed. They auctioned off set passes to Voyager during filming and they went for $4000 and $6000 a pair! (NO, I didn't buy them, nor did I scratch my nose during the bidding for fear someone thought I was buying them!)
 
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Yea they are really expensive. I just got back from there myself. I got Kate's autograph and wanted to get Patrick's but the wait was just too long and I wasn't even guaranteed to get it if I waited all day as I was number 900 in the que. I didnt mind paying for Kate's and Patrick's but I dont see the point in shelling out all that money to get the other's. I usually limit myself to 2 signings/photo's per convention.
 
I'm going to las vegas this year. I don't know if the money i pay for the tix is worth it yet because this is my first convention. I thought the price for Jeri Ryan's autograph and pic were outragious. It sux that you have to but tix for some of the other events like BINGO.
 
Im not sure how to post pictures in posts, can any1 tell me? If so ill put the pic up of me and tim that i took on friday.

Its my Display pic, but you cant really see it very well.

Hes a pretty sound guy. I was speaking to him mostly about his music, i got one of his albums signed. So the price of that CD just went up ten fold lol XD
 
I looked up the Collectomania at Milton Keynes, as you can pre book the autograph, but I wasnt sure if I had to attend or I could order it online. There was no way (due to illness) I could go.

Im afraid for autographs that isnt expensive. I used to frequent an autograph website, where that was very cheap, some sold can be in the hundreds.

It might be easier to go down the Fan Club route, which I did with Stephen Collins and got a personallised autographed picture back. I felt this was pretty good since Im in the Uk.
 
The on-line shop is closed now. I went on to see if I could buy Patrick's autograph as I never got to see him yesterday but it seems that you can't.
 
Creation entertainment does quite a few cons in the usa and it has an autograph shop (along with other things for sale).

http://creationent.com/star_trek/index.htm

The prices are similar to what is being asked for at the creation cons. (Avery Brooks $50.00 at the store and at the vegas con) I guess in 1 respect they are 6 dollars cheaper, since at the con you provide the photograph to be autographed.
 
JiNX-01 said:
Galekarens said:
There's going to be a convention in Chicago later this year (for the 1st time in years) w/ Leonard Nimoy. Since I think he announced this is the last year he's doing conventions (sob), I really want to go. But, to get a medium-good (not the best, mind you) ticket just to see him speak (anything else extra) will cost $70! Since Mr. Spock was always my favorite (before Voyager) I will have to do it, but that's a lot of money for me. Oh well, I guess you can't take it with you..... (But only for Leonard.) GS.
Click to expand...
Whose convention is that? Heck I'd gladly pay $70 to see Nimoy. Instead I'll be paying $399 to see him at Creation Vegas.
Click to expand...

I'm going to the one in Chicago and got the Gold pass, and in that pass I get autographs from every guest, and they are legion, and it's just the best bang for your buck value I've seen yet.
 
JiNX-01 said:
Whose convention is that? Heck I'd gladly pay $70 to see Nimoy. Instead I'll be paying $399 to see him at Creation Vegas.
Click to expand...

Wow, you can get yourself a full day at the spa or a very nice pair of shoes for that. I'm just saying...
 
Just curious, what exactly is the appeal here? I mean of paying this kind of money for a short meeting with a Trek celeb and a photo?

I'm not being down on people who are into this. I'm just genuinely curious.

I guess I just don't get it, I love Trek but have no interest in meeting any of these people. I'm interested in the characters, not the actors (except in the broadest way possible).
 
I would pool at Kate Mulgrew's feet if she'd let me.

But, I'm a fan, which is a derivative of fanatic. A fanatic is marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion to a person, place, or thing.

Basically, I think she's freakin' awesome, so I'll pony up big bucks (if I have it) to go breath the same air as her for 30 seconds while she signs a pic for me. The fact that I haven't done this yet is because I'm poor.

Now, I'm not stalker. I wouldn't go hunt her down, but she's there for people like me.

Some people are collectors. They like having sets of things... toy trains, autographs, spoons, whatever. They'll pay for the privilege of completing their collection.

Some people are both fanatics and collectors.

:shrug:

If this is a little incoherent, I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet this morning.
 
Pffft. You couldn't pool at her feet - I'd already be there, hogging up all the space! You'd have to settle for pooling about five feet away. :)
 
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