Robin, it's not that. It is a mighty big sandbox in a lot of ways.

It's just that because Creation is doing what they're doing, guaranteeing actors and producers, guaranteeing autographs and pics, it makes it monumentally difficult to do what I do.

I don't pay anyone to attend, and I don't make any money. So, I can't guarantee anything. With ABC in on the thing, it makes it impossible. We flew under ABC's radar, and that's how we got it done. That won't be the case anymore, and therefore sort of kills us.

I can't see how it would be good business for Creation to have fans come to my party for 100 bucks, have the actors show to my thing for nothing. If I were Creation, that would bug me, especially if I were partnering with the network.

Don't get me wrong, Maya will pick up a few bucks on hotel commission for the last thing, so it wasn't completely altruistic. She quit her job a few months back to do events full time, and I told her if there was anything left over, it was all hers, because I'm okay. There really wasnt anything left over, but in a few months she'll get some commission from the hotel for the room block.

I'm being an idiot about it, licking my wounded paws amongst friends.

There is a feeling of being the local mom n' pop fan party place and watching the WalMart grand opening across the street.

Sure, people love my customer service, but in the end, more of the stuff they need is readily available across the way.

I can't cry foul and back it up. I'm sure Creation has no idea who I am at all, it isn't personal.

But why won't the Lost folks do your event because it's a charity thing? Especially since they will have heard it was classy and fun fropm those folks who were there? They get to have fun and do good and that's an enticing combination. If it was a competing for-profit event, that would be different. But it isn't--it's a Lost-themed fundraiser, which is also a hell of a lot of fun.

I'm quitting fandom.

Good luck with that.

But, well, I'm not sure what you want to hear. I think Robin's right, in that in all fairness there's more room in this market than you seem to think there is -- particularly if you focus on the charity fundraiser aspect of it. You're providing a boutique service; let Creation be Wal-Mart.

You may find yourself specializing in smaller fandoms, which isn't necessarily a bad thing: didn't the Brockman event go off fairly well?

I hate to see you defeat yourself. You do a better job than the Creation people: let yourself do what you're good at.

I think Robin's right, in that in all fairness there's more room in this market than you seem to think there is -- particularly if you focus on the charity fundraiser aspect of it.

I agree. There are all types of conventions, just as there are all types of fans. There will always be fans whose main draw is the actors, but there will be plenty of others whose focus is interaction with other fans, with the meta and the production angle of it. At the first Nikita convention, we saw the two script supervisors, the costume designer, and an editor, and it was fascinating.

At the first Nikita convention, we saw the two script supervisors, the costume designer, and an editor, and it was fascinating.

Yup. The reason I went to the big Farscape convention at all was because Maayan had gone in 2001, when they put all the writers on a panel and did a rundown of the previous season as a whole. And then they put Ben, DK, the director, and Dave Elsey on the panel and talked about how they made "Green Eyed Monster", from start to finish. That is what I wanted from a con, not cheesy talent competitions and dealers' rooms selling me Star Trek merchandise.

I'm still bummed I missed the '01 con, because clearly it was the best.

Question: I have to go away for two weeks, so I"m setting the VCR. Is the finale a two hour episode?

Sure, people love my customer service, but in the end, more of the stuff they need is readily available across the way.

It depends. I went to two Creation Star Trek conventions back in the ST:TNG days and a Buffy one last year, and the main positives for me regarding those types of experiences are the chances to buy merchandise that may not be readily available if you walk into a store (although now with the internet, it's not as hard as it used to be) and cast Q&A type events. Yet, after forking over the admission fee and then adding on the sub-packages that permit you to be herded through a line for autographs or photos and spending additional money on merchandise and other crap, I always have a "Why did I even spend that much?" moment afterwards. The cost to enjoyment ratio always feels off to me.

Just looking at the "official" Lost con info, I'm soured by the no cameras in some events disclaimer and the friendly reminder that autographs are available for licensed merchandise, or in other words, the stuff they sell you.

I'm not totally against cons. If Joss & Co. turn up at Wizard World Philly, I'll be there, but that's inexpensive in comparison to some of these Creation events.

On the other hand, I've found the cost to enjoyment ratio to be great at your events, Allyson. Considering that the cons I've been to are just driving distance affairs, but your events have cost me plane fare plus hotel rooms and rental cars, etc., that says a lot. Are they directly comparable? Not quite because they're not exactly the same sort of event. But what would I rather spend my money on? The fan event, for sure.

Read HiddenSky's post many times.

Allyson, you're chronically selling yourself short, and not looking at fandom the way I look at fandom.

I know you can't, that you refuse to, do advance promising for your events. But I've skimmed the show boards after both W&H and D:LA and people seem to sincerely wish they'd gone.

I don't know from promotion of this sort of stuff, but you don't seem to be involved in shindigs that engender regret in the attendees. People like them, and like what you can offer, and a fair number of them cite the things you can't guarantee as gravy.

I don't know if more people saying this makes a difference -- that there can be people who want a D:LA and people who want a Lostie Con, and even people who want both. If you were doing Lost cons, then, yeah, this'd be stinky. But as far as I can tell, you were never in that business.

Done now.

I offically do not care if any Buffiista ever sees any Lost castmember in the flesh.

It is all about the writers, all the time.