Star Wars Celebration III: Indianapolis

[bobafett14]

Didn't have too many long waits in line until the Lucas presentation, holy crap, only had a long sleeve shirt, freezing cold rain at 4:30 in the AM.

I feel like crap, but having a blast.  Everyone is in the room, kinda drunk right now putting all the vintage figures in obscene positions.  Me...I just want to go to bed.

[Vator]

Too many people! It's a shame I was never able to get in contact with Kevin though, that could have made the trip a lot funner.

Regardless, this has been quite pysically draining, eh? I think I'm just going to go to the dealers room and then leave today...rather tired.

[Shannon (Princess)]

We also got snow!  That is just wrong, very, very wrong...
My throat is killing me, think I'm getting sick because of this weather!
It was nice seeing all of you!  I had fun, maybe a little TOO much fun at times... but only grabbed maybe 3 butts... very low on the butt grabbing... and kissed only on cheeks
I sure hope you guys finished the cookies...

[jjks]

CNN says attendance was 30,000 for Celebration 3


Felt like more than that!

[Darth Broem]

It felt like 60,000. 

[JoshEEE]

I can't imagine what it was like out there on Saturday waiting in that line.  Friday was bad enough getting soaked but it was not 35 degrees and windy.  Ouch.  Crazy because last weekend it was near or above 80 and sunny.

Imagine being one of only four volunteers trying to control that line.  That was my job. I was out there from midnight until 8am when they let you guys in, freezing my ass off....praying to God I didn't get my ass kicked when I had to move the line for the 18th time.

After 50 people begged me, I went in and argued with Gen Con at about 2am to let you guys in the damn doors before we gave 12,000 people pneumonia standing out there. They had already been trying to figure out how to do it, but they didn't have the security to cover a line that big inside....or anywhere to put it outside of the halls. 

They decided people were going to the Hyatt (where it was warm) but the line quickly grew outside of that hotel....and so we had people standing in line outside over there plus people coming back to my line in front of the con every five minutes thinking they were in the Lucas line.  By about 4am I was the only volunteer left on the main side of the building (everyone else had migrated to the Hyatt) but we still had 2000 people or so and it kept growing.

That night was absolute hell....and it's a miracle that we made it through it without a riot.


I was one of the biggest complainers about how terrible C2 was organized, and I'm really going to be curious to see what you guys (and others) say about C3.  It felt like it was done better to me, but I think that's because I'm biased after I put in a few hours helping out.   Those guys were trying as hard as they could, but without the 501st.....I don't think it would have been possible.

We outnumbered their staff by 5 to 1 it seemed almost everywhere we went.  I hope someone out there (Gen Con, attendees or otherwise) will keep that in mind the next time they staff one of these things. They need more than Trooper and Jedi volunteers to run a convention of 30,000 folks. 

Breakfast time.  TTYL

[Darth Broem]

The only thing I had a problem with was the C3 store itself.  That's all.  I thought after the Jorg Sacul fiasco that they would have all the kinks ironed out three years later.  I just assumed they would made enough C3 figures to compensate for Ebayers, the crowd, etc.  I was told they only had a few people at the registers.  What the hell is that about?  Over 30,000 people are coming who all want at least one figure and they only brought a handful of people to man registers.  LOL!  Sorry, but what idiot was in charge of that outfit?  Not only that but they sold out of almost all of the merchandise like shirts, etc by noon on Friday?  What???  Poor managing there to say the very least. 

Everything else I was fine with.  The autographs went much better this time as well.  Lots of fun stuff to see and do and hear.  I had a good time overall.  You can't really do much about the weather.  Usually it is not THAT cold around here at the end of April.  End of March yes, but not April.  Like I said it was sunny and over 80 degree last weekend. 

Volunteers were fine with me.  There was one guy having trouble communicating at the Lucasfilm Archives line.  I guess there was some area there where people could not stand because of a fire code.  He kind of annoyed everyone but that was to be expected by the end of a long day.  Everyone was getting a tad tired and testy. 

[CloneF13Y35]

I   stood inline friday morning for about anhour to get in and pick up my 3 day passes, THEN I stood in line outside in the cold and rain for about two hours until doors opeend at 10 am

BUT once I got in, manywas it a blast. I as part of a large group from the Yahoo group 'The Star Wars Fan Club' and we had a blast all weekend long. We got up at 4am sat morning hoping that would be enough for the GL sessions but once that was nixed went to the fan club line for the store.
So counting for getting in line at 6am, we got into the store at 9am and I was finished by 10am and it took less than 10 minutes to get my stuff. 
got the vaders, program book and two t-shirts.

[Darth Kenobi]

I can't imagine what it was like out there on Saturday waiting in that line.  Friday was bad enough getting soaked but it was not 35 degrees and windy.  Ouch.  Crazy because last weekend it was near or above 80 and sunny.

Imagine being one of only four volunteers trying to control that line.  That was my job. I was out there from midnight until 8am when they let you guys in, freezing my ass off....praying to God I didn't get my ass kicked when I had to move the line for the 18th time.

After 50 people begged me, I went in and argued with Gen Con at about 2am to let you guys in the damn doors before we gave 12,000 people pneumonia standing out there. They had already been trying to figure out how to do it, but they didn't have the security to cover a line that big inside....or anywhere to put it outside of the halls. 

They decided people were going to the Hyatt (where it was warm) but the line quickly grew outside of that hotel....and so we had people standing in line outside over there plus people coming back to my line in front of the con every five minutes thinking they were in the Lucas line.  By about 4am I was the only volunteer left on the main side of the building (everyone else had migrated to the Hyatt) but we still had 2000 people or so and it kept growing.

That night was absolute hell....and it's a miracle that we made it through it without a riot.


I was one of the biggest complainers about how terrible C2 was organized, and I'm really going to be curious to see what you guys (and others) say about C3.  It felt like it was done better to me, but I think that's because I'm biased after I put in a few hours helping out.   Those guys were trying as hard as they could, but without the 501st.....I don't think it would have been possible.

We outnumbered their staff by 5 to 1 it seemed almost everywhere we went.  I hope someone out there (Gen Con, attendees or otherwise) will keep that in mind the next time they staff one of these things. They need more than Trooper and Jedi volunteers to run a convention of 30,000 folks. 

Breakfast time.  TTYL

As one of those first in line (about 2-300 people) I thank you and the other voulnatters trying to do something about us being let in early.  We were actually let in to the convention hall around 4 am or so, I guess to make up more room for those who were still standing outside.  There was one Biker Scout in line near me who they used a few times to help out controling the lines at the Hyatt since people were walking in from the parking garage and getting in line up front.  Once we were in the building we feel asleep only to be awaken by people either cussing us, the people in the building, or the voulteers and staff out, not sure which it was.

[JoshEEE]

The only thing I had a problem with was the C3 store itself.  That's all.  I thought after the Jorg Sacul fiasco that they would have all the kinks ironed out three years later.  I just assumed they would made enough C3 figures to compensate for Ebayers, the crowd, etc.  I was told they only had a few people at the registers.  What the hell is that about?  Over 30,000 people are coming who all want at least one figure and they only brought a handful of people to man registers.  LOL!  Sorry, but what idiot was in charge of that outfit?  Not only that but they sold out of almost all of the merchandise like shirts, etc by noon on Friday?  What???  Poor managing there to say the very least

If you went to C2, the store was in one huge row along the back wall and had lines feeding into it.  At C3, it was a big square, with about 8 registers on each side of it, and all the merch in the middle of the square.  Runners would grab what you ordered and bring it up to the cashier.

They may have been a little light on volunteers, but other than that...I'm not sure what they could have done better.  I personally think it took a long time because people didn't know what they wanted until they got up to the register and looked at stuff.  Hell, I had worked in the store, but when I finally shopped there on Sunday, it took me about 10 minutes to get my stuff and get out because I asked them to SEE the jacket, then SEE the t-shirt, etc, etc.

Had they had merch (and prices) prominently displayed in an area that the line passed.....I think they would have moved it along faster.

As one of those first in line (about 2-300 people) I thank you and the other voulnatters trying to do something about us being let in early.  We were actually let in to the convention hall around 4 am or so, I guess to make up more room for those who were still standing outside.  There was one Biker Scout in line near me who they used a few times to help out controling the lines at the Hyatt since people were walking in from the parking garage and getting in line up front.  Once we were in the building we feel asleep only to be awaken by people either cussing us, the people in the building, or the voulteers and staff out, not sure which it was.

But of course.  There was another 501st guy out there as well as two Gen Con people that were managing the other two blocks of the line, and they were the only reason I could run in to bug the management about moving the line inside.  The funniest thing about that whole thing is that they put it at the Hyatt (with no security) but couldn't put it into the con itself.  Go figure.   

[Darth Broem]

Apparently they needed the store to have more staff and merchandise, but maybe there were just too many people no matter what kind of staff they had. 

Maybe next time they can just give the figure away at the door or something like that.  Include the price in the ticket.  I don't know either way that part of the convention blew major.

[Jeff]

Had they had merch (and prices) prominently displayed in an area that the line passed.....I think they would have moved it along faster.

I saw display cases in the "non-volunteer" lines.  Big case with everything in it with prices and such.  I walked by it at least 2 times in line, but it STILL didn't help.   

I do agree that the longest time was spent waiting for people to make up their damn minds.  The line would burst into cheers when someone finally paid after taking up 20 minutes deciding. 

Plus, it would have went much faster with more registers and more runners to get product to the buyers.  And it would have gone even FASTER if one of the sides of the square was a CASH-only, FIGURE-only line.  It sucked that you still had to stand in the big giant line to get to the front before you could hit the speed lane for CASH/FIGURE-only.

Jeff

[JediMAC]

CNN says attendance was 30,000 for Celebration 3


Felt like more than that!

Yeah, that's the same number Mary Franklin gave us on Sunday afternoon as the convention was closing.  I said no way, but she specified that it meant 30,000 unique attendees throughout the 4 days, and not a total for all 4 days combined.  I still think that sounds pretty low though...

[Morgbug]

I didn't like the lines much either, but I probably have the least to complain about

[DSJ™]

What lines, I don't remember any lines!