Author Topic: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?  (Read 40877 times)

Offline marvelmorris

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A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« on: January 14, 2018, 07:41:02 AM »
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« Last Edit: July 02, 2018, 09:02:44 PM by Devorah »

Offline alyssa

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2018, 08:43:44 AM »
i keep having the feeling lines & wrist bands are a huge topic at cci -- It wouldn't surprise me if WB would be moving to an online format. [member=1060]DRWHO42[/member] thoughts?
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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #2 on: Today at 01:43:01 AM »

Offline Miclpea

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2018, 08:45:54 AM »
Wouldn’t make life easier for everyone?


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Offline PlasticManJr

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2018, 08:48:50 AM »
Personally, I hope it's true.

Offline DRWHO42

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2018, 09:07:26 AM »
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i keep having the feeling lines & wrist bands are a huge topic at cci -- It wouldn't surprise me if WB would be moving to an online format. [member=1060]DRWHO42[/member] thoughts?
First reaction - not a fan of online lotteries.

I will respond in more detail later because there is little to go on at this point.
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Offline DRWHO42

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2018, 10:25:12 AM »
Here is my take. May look like a rant but they are just thoughts at this point.

First I would like to know more about the setup before I can really formulate an opinion but my gut reaction is not a good one. The WB people probably want to get some sleep themselves but they could easily shift the drawing to 8 or 9am. Marvel IMO should move their draws to Sails because everyone knows the unaddressed issues at their booth.

Will the lottery be a portion of the tickets or 100% of the allocation? If it is the entire allocation this will potentially shut out a lot of people who are not lucky. Personally I do not like online draws and probably never will.

I have my issues with NYCC because their lottery pages are laced with ads and they did this for ad revenue & click-throughs. They are for profit so while they are a business I simply do not agree with it.

We all know the demand for the chance to meet your favorite actor or director. The reward is a great one if you are lucky. With that said online lotteries expands the playing field to everyone in attendance and takes away the reward for the effort and time one invests to wait in line. This could also create a resale or “black market” if the winner is allowed to transfer. As I have witnessed myself some people try to sell their wristband - which I would never condone. There is also the people who may not be interested but say “hey why not” - on the flip side this takes away a chance or opportunity for a fan. If you are invested on the line there is a high degree of probability you are not there for “giggles” you have an objective.

Lines have become overwhelming at SDCC and there is no singular method to solve this issue.

Online lotteries drastically decreases success odds because now you are going against the other 100k plus attendees and your destiny is based on an algorithm - not your hand in a bag. We all know the draw is done in the AM and one cannot be on line for Hall H, BR20, and the WB line at the same time. This splitting of the crowd forces one to make a decision to invest their time. Online lotteries will now shift the demand to these other areas and probably will not solve the problem.

The plus side is that the line for WB would not stretch out down to the marina. But I say that in jest. CCI has not been forceful enough to create a “no line-up” zone around the convention center. If they did we would not have the line issues of today.

My solution is simple - no overnight lines. Everyone shows up at 6am. No 2 day camping for panels in H.

If someone from WB is reading this I would suggest they offer a “super band” which will grant you access to several signings. Tie it in to a charity where a small contribution to a worthy cause benefits.

Rant over - I will weigh in as official details are revealed.


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Offline mlgagne

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2018, 02:35:45 PM »
I completely agree with you, [member=1060]DRWHO42[/member].

For one thing, I am not a fan of online lotteries, either. I always have more luck simply by investing my time waiting in line for the autograph drawings (or panels, etc) that I want to try for.

For another, I also feel that online lotteries will in no way help the line craziness; rather, they will just send everyone who may have otherwise been spending their time in the front line to another line instead. The only way that I could see them really solving the problem is by actually enforcing rules to the lines - i.e. no overnight camp outs, or perhaps making sure that the line area for the next day is completely clear until the same day's line has completely filtered through. There really is no reason to have more than one line per area going on at the same time (i.e. Hall H, front line, etc), so I think that would be a more helpful solution than an online lottery. If we add in extra line monitoring to make sure that there are fewer line cutters, etc, I think many of the problems would definitely be fixed.

Another idea I've had for a while now is that CCI should enforce a percentage policy when it comes to ADA - i.e. for every "x" number of general attendees who are let in to draw for autographs or for entry to a panel room (etc.), "x" number of ADA attendees are let in. It could be as simple as tracking all attendees in each of those lines using RFID. That way, the playing field would be fair for both the attendees who have waited overnight in line and for the ADA attendees who cannot wait in long lines. Again, I think that this would be much more helpful than switching to online lotteries because it would help to ensure that dedicated fans who are both ADA and who are non-ADA have a decent chance at being able to draw for autographs - and winning.

And finally, I think that all drawings should be moved to Sails. The congestion on the show floor becomes ridiculous (i.e. AMC booth) - not to mention the early access by vendors shutting a lot of others out (i.e. Marvel booth). Moving all the drawings to Sails - and perhaps scattering them at different times throughout the day - would, again, be another great alternative solution to evening the playing field.
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2018, 02:37:35 PM »
I can see the desire to eliminate the lines and issues that the autograph drawings cause. I have been leery of doing autograph lotteries at SDCC precisely because of the time commitment involved for a result that is not guaranteed. In comparison, lining up for Hall H, while a long process (for Friday and Saturday) is much closer to guaranteed. (I won't say 100% guaranteed, because we know what happened with the counterfeit wristbands last year.)

So I would be happy to have online lotteries, because they would give me a *chance* at the autograph drawings, where I had none before.

However, I can also see De Who's point about the crowds. If people aren't lining up for the Sails in the morning, they will probably be lining up for something else, and the other lines may all get significantly more crowded. If they do the same for exclusives, then the Sails line will be *really* short and again, those people will go somewhere else, making other lines longer.

Also, if they move to online lotteries for autographs, then will they do the same thing for Hall H? Hmmmm..... That's a whole 'nother can of worms.

At GenCon, every event is pre-ticketed (although people can line up for open spots at the con after the ticketed people go in). But there is a big lottery to process ticket requests in advance of the con. One bonus is that once you get your tickets, you KNOW what your schedule will be and there's no getting shut out of anything. But the negative is that you're not guaranteed to get tickets to the events you want if your place in the lottery is poor. I'm imagining having every big panel be pre-ticketed/lottery at SDCC and it isn't pretty. A LOT of people wouldn't get into any of the big panels and would be disappointed, and then instead of standing in lines, would be clogging other places (such as offsites?). And what kind of trading/black market system would crop up?

While this one thing doesn't bother me so much, I  can see it leading down a complicated path.

Offline TardisMom

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2018, 03:14:07 PM »
As [member=314]Transmute Jun[/member]  said, will they do the same thing for Hall H?  I wonder if this nugget of info is part of a much bigger plan?  After the fiasco last summer I have to think they are working on addressing the Hall H line issue(s).  Finally.

Offline DRWHO42

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2018, 05:43:13 PM »
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As [member=314]Transmute Jun[/member]  said, will they do the same thing for Hall H?  I wonder if this nugget of info is part of a much bigger plan?  After the fiasco last summer I have to think they are working on addressing the Hall H line issue(s).  Finally.
I do not touch or commit to Hall H b/c of my con objectives for autographs. I have come to terms with it and I never have an issue missing Hall H. If they employ a lottery for Hall H while I can certainly see the benefit in reducing the line commitment I can see many might not be as happy if that is their main focus and now they are faced with a lottery. Let’s say I enter into every drawing but I only really want one then that opportunity is taken away from someone else. That is my main problem.

I only go after the autographs I really want. I gave up any chance for WB last year on the Saturday so I could try for DC. While I did not win on my first attempt I got back on the end of the DC line to try again. My roommate wanted to WB that day for Ready Player One and won his draw. I was really happy for him. The example I am illustrating is that we had a target and worked for it.

Online lotteries takes the effort and desire away while at the same time it reduces the effort. Everyone eligible could and probably would put their chips in for everything.


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Offline cabler30

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2018, 07:32:59 PM »
If they do this new process, i wonder when they will send emails or post a notice about it before the con comes around in july? that way u can adjust plans any to make sure to try for any and know u not gotta waste time in line at the con and can focus on something else while u roaming around and still enjoy the con the days u able to go and all.

Offline stl_ben

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2018, 07:23:45 AM »
OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE make it an online lottery!
 Would make me a happy happy boy!

Offline cabler30

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2018, 10:27:05 AM »
Since i am one of many who volunteer as a way to get in and save at same time, i have learned from last year that i can make notes but know i not able to check panels i wanna do since not sure when i be doing job since gotta check in like a half before we lead to our job site or post at time so good to know they organized in that way. so wait in lines for me is one of those i dont know really till i try and think how bad i want something at time and all. i was lucky didnt have to wait in any or many depend on what i wanted at time. so i just be aware of any gems /swag i can get at time and by chance any left behind like last year cause i learn there is like so much swag given out inside and out of the con that u may not want all so u decide at time lol.

Offline Mel

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2018, 10:49:23 AM »
I will agree that all autograph lines need to move to Sails. The lines on the show floor are ridiculous. If they move to online lotteries for autographs, expect Hall H lines to be even worse. I definitely don't think CCI wants the Hall H situation to get any worse and I'd say they probably more focused on how to fix that line than the autograph line. They did a good job last year of addressing how to get that autograph line into Sails in a more orderly fashion and avoid the disastrous stampedes of 2015. I'm not so sure the autograph lines in Sails are the problem that needs the most attention right now. I definitely think we will see some changes to the Hall H procedure though. It's just honestly gotten way out of control and CCI can't seem to hire a team that shows any consistency in how to police and run it.
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Offline catvonawesome

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Re: A new auto signing procedure for the WB at SDCC?
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2018, 12:04:02 PM »
I'm in agreement with the general consensus here too. The autograph (and exclusives) lines are an issue, but moving them all to sails could alleviate a lot of it.

I'm all for solving the Hall H problem first (now I have "How do you solve a problem like Hall H?" in my head).  The wristbands were a move in the right direction. I hate the camping out aspect. I mean, I had some fun the two times I did it, but I hate paying $300 a night for a room so that I can sleep outside and be exhausted for a day. I'd be happy if they kept working to solve that issue. I liked the past few years of getting wristbands for Hall H, getting some sleep and being back in the morning. That said, Hall H is basically permanently off my to do list because it isn't where I want to invest my time.

I also agree with [member=1060]DRWHO42[/member] about putting the work in. You decide what is your priority and go for it. Put the work in. He's right, if autographs were an online lotto and lot more people will put in for it because why not? Plus then they can hit up other lines rather than be in that line. Heck, I might even try for a few and I have never done the autograph stuff with the exception of tiny booths that required no line at all.

But mostly, its that Hall H clustermess that needs addressing the most.
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