Celebration mission report

[TK4205]

I've heard positives and negatives. I regret that I was not there to meet you all and to represent the Detachment.

 

Please share your experience.

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Can't say that I had any negative experiences. Yes, I heard tons about the ridiculous lines, lack of con-official merchandise, high prices, poor performance by staff from all involved organizations (ReedPOP, Topps, OCCC, etc.) and all of that. But to be honest, I personally didn't experience any of that for the following reasons:

 

- I stayed at the Rosen Centre which is accessible to the OCCC by an elevated foot bridge - once I arrived on Tuesday night I parked my car in the hotel parking lot and didn't move it until I went to the beach on Sunday. Everywhere else I needed to go that wasn't within walking distance I used Lyft.

- I usually waited until free flow admission began (typically after 11am) before trying to get into the con - by then the lines were nonexistent

- I *always* entered via the Rosen Centre sky bridge - at most the line was only a few minutes long and that included the requisite security checks

- I wasn't in the hunt for exclusive merch so I didn't bother with the Celebration store and/or trying to be the first one on the main show floor - to be honest, I didn't spend a dime on merchandise of any sort

- Celebrity photos and paid autographs aren't really my thing

- This wasn't my first Celebration, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of the flow of people and events

- The only two panels I was actually interested in seeing live (40th Anniversary and The Last Jedi) I was also able to watch streaming in HD from the comfort of my laptop in my hotel room - no lines required!

- I took advantage of the other activities Central Florida had to offer - specifically Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, and Cocoa Beach

 

About the only regret I have is that I didn't set aside enough time to just casually stroll the entirety of the main show floor in street clothes, fully taking in all of the displays and browsing the merch vendors. That's something I normally would have done either on the first day of the con or the last day of the con, but for various reasons it simply didn't happen this time around.

 

Most importantly, I was primarily there to gawk at the costumes, displays, and to see and meet up with my fellow Legion members - many of which I had only previously met via the forums and social media.

 

In a nutshell, I had the time of my life and I have the photos to prove it. Mission accomplished.

[Shanester[TK]]

I must say, I have really heard a lot of complaints.  Seems maybe it was overbooked a bit.  I wanted to go, but kinda glad I didn't.  

[TK4205]

I have to agree with you, Brian. My only motive for such events is to meet up with legion members. When I went to Anaheim for C7 I didn't do any of the stuff that people go there for. Toys, autographs and exclusives aren't my bag.

 

I think perhaps we need to stop riding on coat tails and coordinate our own "Legion Celebration".

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

From a seasoned Celebration veteran (Brian) to an absolute Celebration rookie (me)...  

 

Before I went, I had very few targets:  40 years of SW Panel / TLJ Panel / Riz Ahmed photo op. of course issues with this stuff began before I arrived.  Photo op schedule wasn't done/posted until very late in the game.  Panels/activity schedules were done/posted even later.  I had agreed to be a judge for the troopathalon a few months ago, before anything was scheduled.

 

When they announced the photo ops schedule, of course, Riz Ahmed's photo op was scheduled during exactly the half hour leading up to the Troopathalon, which was the same time as the TLJ Panel.  No biggie... I agreed to be a judge, so I bypassed the panel and began working with Ken Heavenridge as to the juggling act necessary to finish my (paid for) photo op and get to the troopathalon to judge.  Since I had a 1030 photo op, I made sure that I was up and in the building early (9:15 when the show opened at 10).  Of course, I didn't get in the building until about 10:40.  Nobody did - aside from the people who were going to the TLJ panel.

So, I hustled across the floor, got my photo op (and for the record, the photo ops were really, really, really efficient in both of my experiences) and headed towards the troopathalon.  Of course, it was too late for me to judge, but Paul was the other scheduled judge, and he made sure the event was covered.

Outside of that Friday morning situation though, I had the time of my life.  Those were things I thought would be cool to experience live, and not doing so didn't ruin my SWCO experience.  I saw the TLJ panel live - on the SW Show stage - live...  I saw the 40 years panel live - in my hotel room like Brian did.  Loved it.  Loved both panels.

As you're aware, I had a great time at Celebration via Facebook, and sharing it with everyone as best as I could - even if I did manage to hurt some feelings along the way because I caused a bit of confusion here and there.  

What I really wanted out of SWCO was to collect the people, and make things awesome for others.  I did both.  I met so many Legion members in person whom I have known online for years.  I met so many others whom I had never met before, but are now friends for life.  I did get some exclusive Hasbro merch for some friends who were not able to attend, and others who had autograph line woes.  I received a bit of merch from people who did brave the store lines (which were pretty awful) and thought of me while they were there.

 

I didn't go to bed on any night before 2:30, and I never slept past eight.  I took pictures with kids, I helped people navigate the show floor.  

The FISD photo experience was phenomenal.  The Bash was insane.  The food was good for a convention, and the prices weren't bad all things considered.  The Staff Breakfast was a moment of peace and relaxation with good friends, in the middle of a hurricane of activity.  Scarif shoot was a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience, and I'll remember and cherish the new friends made there, the old friends met there, and what we did there forever.  

 

Time of my life.  I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I'd livestream the whole thing too, if my phone were able to do so.  LoL


 

[Daetrin[Admin]]

FWIW, I didn’t stand in any lines either. No panels, no waiting 3 hours for the store items (which just want on EBay in hours afterwards), or special trailers (which are all on YouTube now). I think my longest wait was to ship the space trooper pack home, which was about 5 minutes. Still thought it was a let down.

 

In C7 we had all those new costumes and a cool trailer to talk about, plus a lot of good new info in panels. In C6 (2012) we had the large sets and a killer bash, and Clone Wars was all the rage. C5 was epic with all the large sets and the bash was epic.

 

 

For C8 there was nothing new at all. Nothing that wasn’t already seen at a previous Celebration. And the artist section was small. In previous Celebrations there was always something new and exciting.

 

- The Bash was substandard. Totally not worth the $100. The music was too loud, there was no finger food, and so I ended up standing out in the lobby nearly the entire time.

 

The banquet was also staid, with the table gift not really much to write home about.

 

So in short if you had been to C7, there was no reason to go to C8 really. The sad part is that they should have really come in with great EP8 items, but failed.

 

For the FISD group photos, unfortunately there was the decision to do the ladies shot before the EI/Centurion, so by the time that was done most of the EI had left.

 

For C9 FISD group shot, we should tell people ahead of time what the sequence would be, and have some poster board or similar signs to hold up so people know which photo will be taken.

 

If you had gone to C7, then there is no reason to have gone to C8.

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

Meeting fellow 501st members whom you interact with online on forums is the biggest worthwhile experience for me at a Celebration. Over the years I've been fortunate to meet some great people at events from across the country and I look forward to seeing them at Celebrations. 

 

The swag trade was intense. So many patches, so many coins, stickers, lanyards, merch, etc.

 

You can pay $100+ dollars to take a picture with the likes of Ray Park, Daniel Logan, Jeremy Bulloch but why bother if you know you can bump into them at a hotel bar the night before Celebration 

 

My experience with the photo-ops was annoying. It was not organized. My understanding is that this was TOPPS first experience managing that process.

 

I did not bother with the official Celebration store. The line was ridiculous all days. 

 

I did not wait more than two minutes in line to enter the convention center. The long line at the north end of the convention center from what I was told was for people picking up badges or purchasing on site. Plus the lines for people who wanted to que up for the following days main events were out there also.

 

The Bash was ok. Like someone already commented, there were no finger foods, hors d'oeuvres, as how there was at Celebration Anaheim. The lines for drinks was long even with multiple bar stations. I was impressed by the props and decorations. The main DJ was good, IMO. 

 

I would have been great to get a chance to see screen used props at Celebration. Gino had several of his costumes on display at one end of the convention center. 

 

By the time Sunday came I was already done with Celebration. I did do a final walk through of the convention center. The line to the Celebration store was still too long for me. 

 

I personally do not like the current location of the 501st Legion photo at the OCCC, mainly because non 501st and regular convention attendees are seen lurking on the edges of the frame or going up and down the escalators.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

As Tim mentioned, I was mainly there to meet all the folks that I have been in touch with on the boards.  I think I actually spent a total of 30 minutes on the con floor in total, mostly with Andrew as my guide showing me all the cool places he had scoped out the day before.

The only bad experience I had was the line to get in on the first day.  At 10:00 I was told the wait would be 4 to 6 hours, as it stretched farther than the eye could see  (poor planning) so I headed home.  $65.00 down the drain, LOL.  I found out the next day that they opened more doors and just let everyone in at once.

The highlights for me were the Staff breakfast, the Attache lunch (even though it took two hours), the photo shoots, working the 501st booths but most of all getting together with all of you!

 

I was especially proud to be there for Tony and Andrew's "live" EIB submission and part of Paul's "pit-crew" for his Centurion submission.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I personally do not like the current location of the 501st Legion photo at the OCCC, mainly because non 501st and regular convention attendees are seen lurking on the edges of the frame or going up and down the escalators.

This was part of the reason the CE2016 photo was so early, to help keep on lookers to a minimum and mean the space was more under 501st control.

[Addertime[TK]]

I had a great time at the Celebration with the exception of having come down with a major head cold on Thursday and spending the whole event eating cold medicine like M&Ms.

 

My wife and I traveled from Germany to Florida for the event. We stayed at the Orlando Hilton, which was a bit of a hike to the con floor but the sky bridge made it easy to get in and out of the convention. The security people were lax and didn't really know what they were doing though they made a show at attempting to do so. They tried to rout us out of the sky bridge to the main entrance on photo day. Luckily, a guard came through from the convention center side and let us in with our armor boxes.

 

ReedPop, for having done countless ComicCons, etc. doesn't seem to have it together. Every ReedPoP event I've ever been to has felt chaotic and ill-conceived. Information is always scant up until the last moment and it's a wonder that anyone knows anything at all about the events happening at the cons and the wait times are often excessive. The line to the Celebration store was ridiculous. Fortunately, we grabbed "lightspeed passes" first thing Friday morning and bypassed the three hour line later in the day but once inside, it still took an hour wait for the t-shirt screenprinting and then another hour wait in the cashier line. They did the same thing for Celebration Europe last year. They created this artificial exclusivity on the show merchandise and didn't stock enough when really, they just want to make money. Why not have multiple show merchandise locations and kiosks scattered throughout the con? This exclusivity concept carried on to the panels as well. The SWC website and their people on site said that only the two main stages would require wristbands but we found, after waiting in queues to get in, that some of the smaller, afternoon panels required them also. That was frustrating.

 

Still, all that stuff aside, it was the people that made the Celebration fun. Everyone was so friendly and there was a very collegial feeling on the show floor, in the hotels, restaurants, elevators, starbucks, etc. Everyone felt like family. That was what really made the Celebration awesome and made me sad when it was over. I wish I had met more of my 501st brethren but my cold had me on the ropes the whole time and I felt a lot less social than usual.

 

The swag trade was awesome. I wasn't sure what to expect but, really, it was a major highlight. It was fun to see all the stuff and chat with so many people. Next time, I'll bring a lot more patches to trade.

 

The photo day was chaotic but fun. There was a lot of comradery and it was amazing to see such a vast turn out. 

The Hot Wheels sponsored Death Star Trench Run diorama build was far more fun that I would have thought. We built our tiles on Friday and it was cool to watch the Death Star surface fill in over the course of the weekend. Plus, we won some great prizes!

​I felt the Bash was a bit of a bust. It was ok and Weird Al was great but overall, the event failed to meet my expectations. Considering the hundred dollar ticket price (x4000 guests), I expected a lot more than a scant few scenic vignettes in a vast, dark hall. Long lines for drinks kept me from imbibing at all and I felt the balloon animals out front were a waste of money. On the up side, the twi'lek girls doing their routines while hanging from the ceiling were pretty cool.

​My wife and I also did the Galactic Nights thing at Disney, which was a fun experience and then we hit The Magic Kingdom for a day after the con ended.

 

Overall, it was worth all the money and time spent and I'd do it again tomorrow.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Addertime

[Parquette[TK]]

Twilek girls hanging from the ceiling doing routines? <br>

But good report. It was nice to read all the little details and such

Edited April 28, 2017 by Par_

[RLH2515[TK]]

My experience got hindered because the Rosen who I booked with 6 months in advance sold my room. So I had to go 10 miles up the road. Missed out on a lot due to not being in walking distance like I already had planned on. I'll never book at the Rosen center again.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Twilek girls hanging from the ceiling doing routines? <br>

But good report. It was nice to read all the little details and such

Yep.

 

[trooper1[TK]]

FWIW, I didn’t stand in any lines either. No panels, no waiting 3 hours for the store items (which just want on EBay in hours afterwards), or special trailers (which are all on YouTube now). I think my longest wait was to ship the space trooper pack home, which was about 5 minutes. Still thought it was a let down.In C7 we had all those new costumes and a cool trailer to talk about, plus a lot of good new info in panels. In C6 (2012) we had the large sets and a killer bash, and Clone Wars was all the rage. C5 was epic with all the large sets and the bash was epic.For C8 there was nothing new at all. Nothing that wasn’t already seen at a previous Celebration. And the artist section was small. In previous Celebrations there was always something new and exciting.- The Bash was substandard. Totally not worth the $100. The music was too loud, there was no finger food, and so I ended up standing out in the lobby nearly the entire time.The banquet was also staid, with the table gift not really much to write home about.So in short if you had been to C7, there was no reason to go to C8 really. The sad part is that they should have really come in with great EP8 items, but failed.For the FISD group photos, unfortunately there was the decision to do the ladies shot before the EI/Centurion, so by the time that was done most of the EI had left.For C9 FISD group shot, we should tell people ahead of time what the sequence would be, and have some poster board or similar signs to hold up so people know which photo will be taken.If you had gone to C7, then there is no reason to have gone to C8.

So much agree with Daetrin, i have attended 3 past and we're all 200% better than this one when I came to the legion activities such as the banquet and bash. The Reed Pop and other controlling factors were very poor as well especially the Thursday fiasco of entrance and the store that was sold out Thursday but still had people in line for 4 hrs to find nothing.

The banquet I had such high hopes for since the last ones had special guest who spoke, and the last one with the large Vader cake.

Even had a lot mor swag, that was paid for, not donated.

Even the ending was disappointing when no one knew. "is it over" had many text roaming the floor asking.

The bash, I won't speak about since I would not give $100 for an event in which nothing was provided. Drink tickets? Finger food?

I did stand outside like a lot of others and was great to see others.

Now one of the highlights was the swag trade. That was nice, and great to mingle, and I'm not a big trader!

It was great seeing so many other legion members though, and can't wait for the next one.

[TK4205]

Twilek girls hanging from the ceiling doing routines was my idea. 

[Parquette[TK]]

I know some will disagree with me, but I think it's important to bring this up. I'm not trying to push an agenda. I don't like the idea of having girls figures hanging from the ceiling doing routines for entertainment, because it too much resembles an exotic dancing club. It objectifies the women actresses and women in general as not human beings but as entertainment objects. Especially from the Legion, it kind of takes it away for me. No offense TK4205, I only bring this up for future bashes coming from the 501st. Especially since the Legion represents a family friendly community of Star Wars fans. I know the bash was more for adults, but even that should reflect the Legion and Star Wars too.

 

Again it takes away from the Legion for me, and possibly others. I want to represent a clean, respectful, and wonderful community of Star Wars fans that share in the same passion that I do. There are women in the Legion, and we should do our best to represent them and their dignity respectfully, without compromise.

 

I know I risk getting in trouble for this, but I felt that this had to be brought up for future representation. And TK4205, I assure you that I am not trying to embarrass you, I hope you understand.

 

Sorry for derailing the thread everyone.  

Edited April 29, 2017 by Par_

[TK4205]

I know some will disagree with me, but I think it's important to bring this up. I'm not trying to push an agenda. I don't like the idea of having girls figures hanging from the ceiling doing routines for entertainment, because it too much resembles an exotic dancing club. It objectifies the women actresses and women in general as not human beings but as entertainment objects. Especially from the Legion, it kind of takes it away for me. No offense TK4205, I only bring this up for future bashes coming from the 501st. Especially since the Legion represents a family friendly community of Star Wars fans. I know the bash was more for adults, but even that should reflect the Legion and Star Wars too.

 

Again it takes away from the Legion for me, and possibly others. I want to represent a clean, respectful, and wonderful community of Star Wars fans that share in the same passion that I do. There are women in the Legion, and we should do our best to represent them and their dignity respectfully, without compromise.

 

I know I risk getting in trouble for this, but I felt that this had to be brought up for future representation. And TK4205, I assure you that I am not trying to embarrass you, I hope you understand.

 

Sorry for derailing the thread everyone.  

 

 

LOL. You didn't embarrass me. And yes, I understand exactly where you're coming from.

[Addertime[TK]]

I know some will disagree with me, but I think it's important to bring this up. I'm not trying to push an agenda. I don't like the idea of having girls figures hanging from the ceiling doing routines for entertainment, because it too much resembles an exotic dancing club. It objectifies the women actresses and women in general as not human beings but as entertainment objects. Especially from the Legion, it kind of takes it away for me. No offense TK4205, I only bring this up for future bashes coming from the 501st. Especially since the Legion represents a family friendly community of Star Wars fans. I know the bash was more for adults, but even that should reflect the Legion and Star Wars too.

 

Again it takes away from the Legion for me, and possibly others. I want to represent a clean, respectful, and wonderful community of Star Wars fans that share in the same passion that I do. There are women in the Legion, and we should do our best to represent them and their dignity respectfully, without compromise.

 

I know I risk getting in trouble for this, but I felt that this had to be brought up for future representation. And TK4205, I assure you that I am not trying to embarrass you, I hope you understand.

 

Sorry for derailing the thread everyone.  

​

Dancers are no more objectified than actors, singers, waiters, bartenders, salesmen, teachers and a host of other professions who basically "perform" as a part of doing their job. The audience is there to benefit from the performance and by extension "objectify" them in their portrayed role. We all stood there and happily objectified Weird Al... we saw him as a performer and we expected to him entertain us and make us feel happy. We didn't care what he had for breakfast, whether or not his mother is sick, or really anything about him as a person... we only wanted to be entertained. We all do this every day with 90% of the people we encounter. Same thing, right?

 

I know several model/dancers. They dance in clubs as atmosphere; they work as "grid girls" at auto races, they do print and television ads, and product promos at malls, trade shows and such... and they perform at events like the Bash. The women I know who do this are trained professional dancers, make-up artists and personal trainers. They have university degrees. They are smart, talented, strong women who enjoy what they do for a living or they wouldn't do it... because it's hard work.

 

​The Bash sorely failed to deliver on the promise of the "streets of Mos Eisley / Cantina" vibe. The gymnastics performed by the twi'lek dancers while suspended 25' off the floor was one of the few shining moments of the Cantina "atmosphere". My wife, who tends to be pretty puritanical, thought the twi'lek dancers were outstanding. I commend the choice of adding them. They were unexpected and their impressive feats of strength and daring were a joy to watch as they brought a unique and memorable element to the event.

 

​

Edited May 2, 2017 by Addertime

[Parquette[TK]]

Not objection in the form of watching someone act. Im talking about the objectification of the body. Im not sure if the twilek dancers were just doing acrobatics, but if they were pulling an exotic dancing sort of thing, then it shouldn't have been there. I let a detachment staff know about it, and they agreed with me.

 

The main question isn't if the dancers enjoy their jobs or not (because any women who wants attention from a man can enjoy doing it), it's more, are we pleased by their moves they are making with their body? There's a difference between modeling for outfits and moving seductively just to mess with a man's reproductive system. And in that case, I wouldn't want to represent a group that promotes that.

 

The 501st, as mentioned, is for all ages. It isn't meant to promote this sort of act, more so should it. It is mainly a family friendly organization, and I know this was a private party for the members, but even it should reflect the 501st.

 

I'm just saddened by this (that is, if it is the seductive version of acrobatics), and frankly, for me it takes away from the Legion enough that it makes want to not represent.   

Edited May 2, 2017 by Par_

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Celebration? Had a blast. It was awesome to finally put faces to the names I've gotten to know so well, I guess my only negative was the Bash Strip Bar. Too loud to talk, nothing much to do other than drink, and the half naked girls on stilts didn't impress my wife. $200 for the two of us wasn't worth it IMHO.

[TK4205]

Not objection in the form of watching someone act. Im talking about the objectification of the body. Im not sure if the twilek dancers were just doing acrobatics, but if they were pulling an exotic dancing sort of thing, then it shouldn't have been there. I let a detachment staff know about it, and they agreed with me.

 

The main question isn't if the dancers enjoy their jobs or not (because any women who wants attention from a man can enjoy doing it), it's more, are we pleased by their moves they are making with their body? There's a difference between modeling for outfits and moving seductively just to mess with a man's reproductive system. And in that case, I wouldn't want to represent a group that promotes that.

 

The 501st, as mentioned, is for all ages. It isn't meant to promote this sort of act, more so should it. It is mainly a family friendly organization, and I know this was a private party for the members, but even it should reflect the 501st.

 

I'm just saddened by this (that is, if it is the seductive version of acrobatics), and frankly, for me it takes away from the Legion enough that it makes want to not represent.   

Sorry you missed the show. In another 4 years you'll be able to attend grownup events and judge for yourself. 

[TK4205]

Celebration? Had a blast. It was awesome to finally put faces to the names I've gotten to know so well, I guess my only negative was the Bash Strip Bar. Too loud to talk, nothing much to do other than drink, and the half naked girls on stilts didn't impress my wife. $200 for the two of us wasn't worth it IMHO.

I didn't know they stripped.

[Parquette[TK]]

Ukswrath just told you he disproved, along with another staff member. I'm the only one?
And that's not how a staff detachment member should respond to a thoughtful point. I disapprove the usage of a woman's body for sensuality, which the 501st is not meant for.<br><br>
Also, more than half a year before submition

Edited June 11, 2017 by Par_

[Daetrin[Admin]]

OK, knock it off. The conversation is starting to rat hole, so if there is nothing new to add, save it for a different thread.

[Sly11[Admin]]

This was my first, and I really hope not my last opportunity to meet the people I talk with on our forums.

Yes I wanted to see what a Celebration was all about, but I was not going to line up for any autographs, photos and C shop items as I was there for 2 days only.

Did i get what wanted, more than you could ever imagine. Both Tim and Joseph have summed it up nicely.

It was a collection of people and the memories of spending time with those people.

You were all truly more than I could have ever imagined or wished for when it comes to awesome, genuine and good hearted folks.

You are fantastic people in the flesh, and I honestly hope to see you all again someday.

Highlights were too many to mention, but I came away with a sense that new friendships were struck, and existing friendships firmly reinforced.

 

My accommodation was the Rosen Plaza, at the west end of the convention center. The sky bridge made it easy for access, and only on the Friday morning did I have to line up to get in.

 

All in all an exceptional experience