Some clarifications
Hey folks, new here and thought I'd pop in!
First off, I'm the friend that Angelus is talking about in the first post, but I didn't organize the whole thing, I'm just a member of con com helping to organize it all. I'm the person in charge of the Buffy/Angel tracks of programming, but I'm not responsible for James's appearance or anything like that. Just wanted to be sure the correct info was out there...(but thanks, Angelus, for thinking I'd arranged the whole thing...flatterer!😉 )
Anyway, just wanted to address a few things brought up here...
Toronto Trek is a purely fan-run convention and as such no one gets paid for the work they do at the con; all con com members work volunteer during the year and at the convention to make sure the con runs smoothly. There are no corporations donating money to the convention or anything of the sort, it is not a for-profit con but a non-profit fan-run convention.
Yes, $75 Cdn/$55 US is a lot of money for an event, but please keep in mind that this party is an EXTRA event to the convention itself, as the dinner is too. Ostensibly it comes down whether or not you choose to do extra events, and then which ones you feel are worth the money to do so. This is the cheapest meet & greet James is doing at any convention next year anywhere (most are between $60-$100 US) so there are those who feel this is something of a bargain, especially when combined with the very low weekend membership price for the convention itself.
We wanted an opportunity for more people to meet and spend time with James than the 15 or 20 that would at the dinner, while at the same time making it something special and unique; to the latter end there is going to be food provided at the party, which is not cheap at hotels, plus a free Polaroid to everyone who wants their photo taken with James (autographs will not be allowed during the M&G so there will be time for James to meet and get a photo with everyone; autographs will be available during the regular autograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and one free autograph is included with every weekend or single-day membership). We're also planning things for people to do while waiting to meet James, so the time will pass more quickly and people can get to know those sharing their tables.
Too, we wanted this to happen without making the price for EVERYone go up, so instead of adding to the price of a weekend membership, we made it an extra event that people could choose to go to or not, as they wished. Everyone with a weekend membership will still get to see James talk and get the opportunity to get an autograph, but we wanted to offer something a little extra for those who wished the opportunity.
I hope this explains more clearly why the price is what it is, and why we are approaching this event the way we are. If anyone has any more questions regarding the M&G, or anything to do with TT17, please don't hesitate to PM, email through the board, or put a post here and I'll answer it as soon as I can.
rockgoddes
