Author Topic: San Diego Comic Con 2007  (Read 7810 times)

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2007, 10:25 AM »
I couldn't believe how easy it was to get the Shadow Biker scout as opposed to the McQuarrie 2pack. I know Hasbrotoyshop had a lot of other items for sale, but they really made it difficult for people to physically get in line to buy the figures.

I guess that's why SWshop.com sold out of the R2KT and Hasbro didn't.
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Offline Darth Slothus

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #16 on: July 30, 2007, 12:43 PM »
I couldn't believe how easy it was to get the Shadow Biker scout as opposed to the McQuarrie 2pack. I know Hasbrotoyshop had a lot of other items for sale, but they really made it difficult for people to physically get in line to buy the figures.


I'll tell you what really happened....

At first I thought Hasbro 'blew it' too. Until I asked them and realized it was the SDCC staff's fault. Once I found out it was their fault I went after them and I'll tell you what they said.

First, I asked Hasbro about the stupid 'ticket' situation. I asked them why only a little amount of tickets at a time. Why so few times a day to receive a ticket(at least wed. thru friday tickets only released 2 times day). Keep in mind a ticket was only to get in line at the hasbro booth. So anyway they tell me that the SDCC staff didn't like their overflowing line(preview night) , the middle isles were getting clogged-causing fire hazard, so they forced/enacted a ticket plan on Hasbro to 'slow' things down.  All this did was guarantee a 3-4 layer thick wall of humans around the Hasbro booth waiting for a ticket to be released. Humorously, the SDCC 'event staff' tried in vain to tell folks to leave the walkways-that ' they will not get a ticket if they are blocking the isles' and that ' tickets will be handed out in the Con randomly'- yeah right-and of course nobody budged.

Anyways since the SDCC staff's solution was futile I decided to call them out on it. I asked them why they sucked so much, why their idea was causing more of a problem than Hasbro's initial method AND I told them what they could do to improve it. I told them they could/should have set-up a separate booth or meeting room upstairs where there's plenty of room to hand out tickets to purchase items at the Hasbro booth...since the ticket numbers already corresponded to times for folks to use them at the booth that part was already solved. As folks walked up to the booth looking to get in line you could easily refer/detour them to the remote ticket location to pick up a ticket for the line.

The SDCC staff replied with ignorant comment like 'I'll bring it up with my supervisor'. Then, other Staff members were saying for folks to 'spread out and keep moving around the Convention, that tickets would be handed out randomly'. Which I knew was BS and thank goodness I didn't believe it because I would have gone home after 3 days exclusiveless. I told those jokers that as soon as one guy handed out a ticket he would be swarmed by a mob and there would be no 'randomness' to it. As it were, Hasbro employees seemed to be held captive in their booth. They had to pass tickets out to hands in the crowd surrounding the booth since they couldn't get past the wall- even the back door was covered.

I DO BLAME THE SDCC STAFF for not coming up with a better thought out solution.

Is Hasbro totally without blame? No. I think next year they should stategically have less exclusive types or rent out space non-adjacent to their booth somewhere else in the CC for a ticketing distro system. In prior years their booth was more near a wall where folks could line up against the wall instead of take up space unorganized in the main isle walkway. This year only their Hasbro store was this way and they seemed to have succeeded where the other store was in middle and failed.

 DS

Offline Darth Gamboa

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #17 on: July 30, 2007, 05:56 PM »
So that was your idea DS!

This is what happened; We got to the Comic Con Saturday and immediately went to the Hasbro Toy Shop where they told us we needed a ticket from the registration area to get in line. So we went back to the registration level were there were 2 lines with ladies holding bags. We got in line and had to reach in a bag to get a ticket. A blue ticket got you a place in line, a gray ticket got you sent to the back of the bag line to try again. Well after doing this cakewalk a couple of times we got our blue tickets and headed back to the HTS.

When we got there we were told that we had the WRONG TICKETS. They didn't know what the tickets we had were for, but they weren't for HTS. So we went back to the registration area. The ladies were gone when we got there and no one else was there to hand out tickets. We went back to HTS where they told us that they would be back at 2:00. We were also shown a list of what ticket numbers they would be taking and at what times they would be taking them. I had only a one day pass so I asked them what if I didn't get a ticket with a number that corresponded on the list for that day, and I was told I would be out of luck.

At 1:30 we went back to the "ticket raffle" area fearing there would be tons of people there waiting for their chance to get a ticket. We were there by ourselves for 20 minutes when a crowd of a bout a hundred people who were following this "guy" aproached us and encircled us. The guy wasn't a celebrity, he was the "ticket guy". He had a good time treating us like kindergarteners. First he told us to make lines. Someone had put lines of tape on the floor so we naturally lined up on three of them them facing his direction. Then he tells us to face the other directon. so we all turn around. Then he tells us to form one line. We form one line, but we weren't fast enough so he started directing individuals where to stand. Then he pulled out like 5 people and made a second line which started to be filled up by latecomers.

Finally they started to move the lines and after doing the cakewalk again a couple of times we got our tickets and headed for the HTS downstairs. When we approached it we saw that people were radomly getting in line, some people going over the ropes to get in. Turns out HTS had just decided to ditch the ticket system. I told the Hasbro guy there that I had just spent an hour getting a ticket to get in line and his response was "They're still doing that?".

My experience with HTS was just lousy. I can't believe how much time and energy I spent just to get in a LINE, that proved in the end to be unnecessary. Thank God the Indy Girls showed up to brighten the day and turn it all around.
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Offline MetalJedi

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #18 on: July 30, 2007, 06:13 PM »
Sorry you guys had trouble at the HTS booth. I was lucky I guess I just walked up and purchased my Yoda/Obi Wan on Friday late afternoon. I even asked if I needed a ticket and the two people at the entrance said since the line was so short they were letting regular people in. It pays to wait I guess.
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Offline Darth Gamboa

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #19 on: July 30, 2007, 06:16 PM »
It pays to wait I guess.

Sometimes, but my buddy never had a chance to get a Gold Head PD Destro.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2007, 09:36 AM »
Thanks for trying to bring form to chaos Jon. It's also good to know who's really at fault.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #21 on: August 1, 2007, 09:30 AM »
I've been in the habit of buying extra exclusives in order to trade afterwards, but as always the case, there's never really a demand and the figure just sit. It figures that now that I decide to get only what I need that there's a greater demand. :P
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Offline jedi_master_sal

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #22 on: August 1, 2007, 11:35 AM »
The McQ Obi and Yoda are back up for sale as well as the Pink R2 on HTS!

Use this code to get $10 off of orders $50 or more: sptier07

McQuarrie Obi/Yoda
http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByCategory.htm?CD=121&ST=SO&ID=20333&PG=1

R2-KT
http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?BR=495&SBR=275&ID=20334

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Offline Darth Slothus

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #23 on: August 1, 2007, 12:03 PM »
It pays to wait I guess.

That's interesting as I got in line late Friday about 5 PM and I needed my ticket to do it.....

It pays to wait?.... I have to disagree in this/my experience at the Con at least. I value my time. I really wanted to get the exclusives preview night but of course could not get a 'ticket' or in line-I wanted this so I could enjoy the Con more. On my 3rd day at a Con I want to be walking around freely enjoying seminars, seeing cool costumes, taking photos, playing games not 'paying to wait' by waiting in a line or lurking around a booth. I certainly hope my exclusive toy finds are out of the way by the last day of my attendance, so I can relax, not worry and have fun.

DS

Offline MetalJedi

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #24 on: August 1, 2007, 12:20 PM »
I value my time as well and since Friday was the first day I was there I wanted to get all my exclusives out of the way (which I did). I just know I waited till later in the day to hit the Hasbro booth. Between that booth and GG I stood in line at the con maybe 45 minutes total.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: San Diego Comic Con 2007
« Reply #25 on: August 12, 2007, 12:23 AM »
For those wanting one last look at the Hasbro's 2007 San Diego Comic Con booth, Hasbro has posted a pile of podcasts that they recorded at the show.  The podcasts cover a range of upcoming Hasbro products, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
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