Guest Cancellations

If you have read earlier blog posts I have already touched on this subject, particularly in my write up about Hull Horror Fest and Newcastle Film and Comic Con so apologizes in advance if there is any crossover there...

People attend conventions for a variety of reasons - as in some people don't give much of a crap who the guests are, some go for the stalls or to Cosplay, some probably just go to socialise with like minded people, my Auntie and Uncle and their Grandson at a recent horror film where just mesmerized by the people in costumes and displays. So I am not going to pretend guests is the be all and end all for every attendee - but me for me it sort of is. I mean I have spent money at stalls, but I will likely not attend a convention if there is no guest that interests me.

Which brings me to the subject of the guest cancellation - quite possibly the most dreaded two words for me and many when they click on an event page or forum, particularly when it's somebody you really, really want to meet - now I know every convention company has a line that's very similar too - "all guests will appear subject to work commitments" and I totally get it, many of these people are working actors, and it's not a question whether the acting role will pay more it's just it comes first... it's just...

Now this part is totally on the company, I mean - I just think and this may sound selfish they have a duty to replace them with a guest of a similar pedigree. Hull Horror Fest was disappointing in that 2 guests cancelled and they had no replacement and it honestly left a guest line up that was 80% British filmmakers trying to build a name for their film - now there is nothing wrong with having these guests, it's just... they sold tickets on a line up that was promised and I know next year for sure I will likely not pre-book my tickets.

Also take the example of Newcastle Film and Comic Con recently for me - I spent £22 train ticket getting there plus £15 on an entry ticket - that is before getting there, it's extremely small fry amount of money to some people, but if I am willing to spend money before I get there you can't help but feel let down by these cancellations, hell it got to the point I just wanted them to announce anybody that would interest me and again it's put me off going to any of there smaller events but I still had a great time once I was there

So yeah call me selfish, but in theory if a guest cancels shouldn't that money now be "freed" up. So yeah, it's just my message to convention runners from my point of view and I totally understand a cancellation with 2 weeks or less to go is extremely difficult (but not always impossible to pull somebody out of the hat), so I expect a replacement might be forthcoming but if you've had what 2 months, 4 months to get a replacement in, what is your blooming excuse?