The Def Guide to Zzap!64

[Professor Brian Strain]

I enjoyed the show a lot, although I was disappointed that Matthew Smith and Jeff Minter didn't turn up, and Retro Gamer pulled out... but that's always a risk with any event, and bear in mind that a lot of problems were caused by the cancelled link-up with the Game Stars Live event.

I enjoyed the two nights of socialising even more. Plenty of alcoholic beverages consumed, plenty of chatting on hundreds of different issues and some brilliant jokes/puns/hilarious statements.

However, I take issue with the "jumble sale" analogy and the harsh comment on high prices. Yes, the prices on some stands were high - for stuff that is in MINT condition and has been checked thoroughly. (I'm thinking here of Console Passion and Retro Passion, as well as Keith Ainsworth's stand). But there were some real bargains - Dreamcast games for a quid, stacks of tapes on the UKretro stand, unboxed SNES carts for LESS than a quid.

The seminars were probably not as good as last year, due to a lack of microphones.

Just bear in mind how much EFFORT went into getting all that stuff there, and consider how much more it could have cost in a bigger venue in London. £10 for a ticket is cheap.

[LeeT]

I think for this to truly succeed it needs some investment, possibly decent sponsorship to pay for a bit better organsation as it seems to be falling between being a professional event and being a fan one.

A lot of the criticisms I have read on various forums seem to come down to lack of organistaion, no timetable, guests not turning up and minor things like the group not having enough equipment and not enough plugs for the machines.

Obviously if Chris and his wife are running this on their own, then there are going to be more problems emerging as the event grows.

I would suggest (for the next event)

- Advertise for volunteers to be stewards for the event. As a 'reward' they could be allowed to peruse the various stalls shortly before opening and a five-minute chat with the special guests. The stewards could be spread about to give out information and help visitors.

- Organise a proper timetable and split the weekend into a 'socialising' day and a 'selling' day so that people can choose if they don't want to attend all of it. Have a back-up plan if someone fails to attend (ie get someone as a reserve speaker).

- Pay the special guests expenses in order to encourage them to turn up. I'm not sure what the current arrangement is, but I'm sure that if they were given a half decent hotel for the night and a few drinks, they would be more likely to turn up.

- A few weeks before the event contact the groups and different sellers and venue to see what extra equipment is needed. If there are only x amount of sockets, then an email could be sent to each stallholder to allocate them so many of these sockets.

Just my tuppenceworth - I would be interested in attending next year's event but I must admit that I would have been a bit disappointed if the guests hadn't turned up!
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[Professor Brian Strain]

From what I know, Chris Millard did pay expenses/accomodation costs for some guests... but the Amercians came over at THEIR OWN EXPENSE.

Bear in mind that the American equivalent has been running for some years and has more experience, but there's no denying that certain things could be improved. I've already suggested a "seminar and concert" day and a "playing/selling" day on the CGE forum.

It's also down to what you expect from the event - if you turn up and just walk around for a couple of hours, you're not going to get much out of it. If you play a few games, chat to the stallholders, go to the talks, then stay for the evening and socialise you will get a lot more out of it. (Mind you, two very late nights for me... nearly 2am both Friday and Saturday)

[Mayhem]

For the American event, all guests have accommodation and travel paid for. Though they don't travel from other countries
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