Diff Con - 19th to 21st August in Cardiff

[Bananas]

A new convention has been announced this week, it's being described as a sci-fi and general geekery convention. Their website isn't live yet (due to happen next Thursday) but here are the details that have been posted so far on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diff-Con/110976392314420) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/diffcon).

The event will take place between 19th and 21st August
It's being held at the Mercure Hotel

TW related guests announced so far;
- Eve Myles
- Kai Owen
- Katy Wix
- James Moran
- Ben Lloyd-Holmes
- Ray Holman (costume designer)
- John Jenner

Judging by James Moran's tweets it looks like GDL will be there as well but he hasn't been announced yet.

[Tristan]

Thanks Bananas. Might be worth adding to the forum calendar (http://www.torchwoodforum.com/calendar.php?month=8&year=2011&calendarid=1&s=) when we get more details...

[owlpost1992]

Where does the general geeky sci fi bit come in? I mean away from Torchwood. Also if Ray really is going then I'm going he does fantastic work with Doctor Who and Torchwood, will not forget Tosh's boobs escaping her red top *happy sigh*

[Chelle]

Hmm, I may go to this...

xxx

[Bananas]

Website is now live http://www.diffcon.co.uk (http://www.diffcon.co.uk/2011/04/the-new-home-for-diff-con/)

[nightowl]

Wow, that's pricey when I convert that to US. I've paid far less to see a lot more guests than that in other fandoms, so I hope they add more people for your sakes!

[Bananas]

Wow, that's pricey when I convert that to US. I've paid far less to see a lot more guests than that in other fandoms, so I hope they add more people for your sakes!
I'm guessing you've not looked at the Hub conventions, I'd say that this event is comparable, if not cheaper, in price. It looks like there's greater competition in the US which probably drives prices down - you're very lucky!

[owlpost1992]

I'm guessing you've not looked at the Hub conventions, I'd say that this event is comparable, if not cheaper, in price. It looks like there's greater competition in the US which probably drives prices down - you're very lucky!

Its actually far more expensive, just did a calculation, using £20 as a base for special guest auto and including photos with everyone, I got it to £300 including everything, oh and this was based on the cheapeast entry price. Hub is £197 tops so if they did a LARP and charge then that would only be £207 (That is if LARP is charged at the same price).

[Bananas]

Its actually far more expensive, just did a calculation, using £20 as a base for special guest auto and including photos with everyone, I got it to £300 including everything, oh and this was based on the cheapeast entry price. Hub is £197 tops so if they did a LARP and charge then that would only be £207 (That is if LARP is charged at the same price).
Think you may have included something more than once to get that price... but it possibly depends on what you put importance on, I don't do photos so not a problem for me.

[owlpost1992]

Think you may have included something more than once to get that price... but it possibly depends on what you put importance on, I don't do photos so not a problem for me.

Entry: £80
LARP: £10
T-shirt: £15
Q jumper: £15
Special guest auto (x3): £60
guest auto: £0
Special guest photo (x3): £60

Rest of pricing will done when the site works for me. again.

[Bananas]

Entry: £80
LARP: £10
T-shirt: £15
Q jumper: £15
Special guest auto (x3): £60
guest auto: £0
Special guest photo (x3): £60

Rest of pricing will done when the site works for me. again.
Oh, I see, I thought you were just comparing like for like with Hub.

According to the announcement they made earlier today the site will be back up at 7am tomorrow following maintenance.

[nightowl]

Okay, I did a comparison. Back in 1990, I paid (not including travel and hotel) $150 US for the 25th anniversary Star Trek convention in LA. Outrageous at the time, but the whole original cast and Gene Roddenberry were going to be there on stage, so we figured it was a once in a lifetime thing (it was, Roddenberry died the following year.) Calculating inflation, that same convention would be $265 or £161 today. And those were VIP tix at the time with guaranteed seats, though we didn't bother with the extras at the time.

I guess the question is, do you think it's worth that kind of exorbitant price? That seems so far out of the norm that I can't imagine many people can afford to go and pay that sort of price. Hope they update that site because for what they're advertising, I don't see its worth it.

[Bananas]

Okay, I did a comparison. Back in 1990, I paid (not including travel and hotel) $150 US for the 25th anniversary Star Trek convention in LA. Outrageous at the time, but the whole original cast and Gene Roddenberry were going to be there on stage, so we figured it was a once in a lifetime thing (it was, Roddenberry died the following year.) Calculating inflation, that same convention would be $265 or £161 today. And those were VIP tix at the time with guaranteed seats, though we didn't bother with the extras at the time.

I guess the question is, do you think it's worth that kind of exorbitant price? That seems so far out of the norm that I can't imagine many people can afford to go and pay that sort of price. Hope they update that site because for what they're advertising, I don't see its worth it.
You're comparing prices with a con that took place 21 years ago? I thought you were comparing with contempary cons. I'm sure the organisers don't mind your view on their event.

[owlpost1992]

Entry: £80
LARP: £10
T-shirt: £15
Q jumper: £15
Special guest auto (x3): £60
guest auto: £0
Special guest photo (x3): £60

Rest of pricing will done when the site works for me. again.

photos (£10/£15): £60/£90
Group photo: £75
Autos: £90 (special guests are charging same as normal so exclude price on list above)

Total cost at photo shoot at £10 = £390
Total cost at photo shoot at £15 = £420

Edit:
Oh, I see, I thought you were just comparing like for like with Hub.

According to the announcement they made earlier today the site will be back up at 7am tomorrow following maintenance.

Like for Like at £177 at the Hub (and for exact like for like its best to use Hub 1 because like Diffcon that was the first one) and I got everything bar the LARP and group shot which if using the same price as Diffcon then equates to the Hub costing £262. which is over £100 cheaper.

Edit 2:
I guess the question is, do you think it's worth that kind of exorbitant price? That seems so far out of the norm that I can't imagine many people can afford to go and pay that sort of price. Hope they update that site because for what they're advertising, I don't see its worth it.

The most exorbitant con price I've found was a Supernatural con in Rome where a photo with one of the main actors cost 65 euros (near enough £60) and a Group shot cost 135 euros, but I've heard many American actors/actresses are more expensive this side of the pond due to there travel demands.

[nightowl]

Hey, I factored in for inflation! :grin: But for that price you got a large number of guests and a three day con.

But true, we do have more cons here and an average price is more around £30 - United Fan Con here last year with GDL was there and they also had John de Lancie and Leonard Nimoy as guests as well. There was a lot of a la carte to that con which I guess is the norm for media conventions these days.

But true, flying people in and putting them up will always be more expensive and drive the price up.

[owlpost1992]

Hey, I factored in for inflation! :grin: But for that price you got a large number of guests and a three day con.

But true, we do have more cons here and an average price is more around £30 - United Fan Con here last year with GDL was there and they also had John de Lancie and Leonard Nimoy as guests as well. There was a lot of a la carte to that con which I guess is the norm for media conventions these days.

But true, flying people in and putting them up will always be more expensive and drive the price up.

I paid average between £10-£15 for Gareth's auto. Mostly I've been to Showmasters general con and the most expensive auto is £20-£25 even the bigger old school crowd of the original Star Trek crew, however at LFCC a photo with Christopher Lloyd and the BTTF Deloren will be £45!

[laura75]

Annette Badland has now been announced also for this convention!

And compared to Rogue Events and their supernatural conventions which I was at last weekend, this convention is way cheap. I paid £60 for a photo with J2 and £40 for an autograph with Jared.

I think Diff Con prices are fair and relate to what other convention organisers are charging.

[owlpost1992]

Annette Badland has now been announced also for this convention!

And compared to Rogue Events and their supernatural conventions which I was at last weekend, this convention is way cheap. I paid £60 for a photo with J2 and £40 for an autograph with Jared.

I think Diff Con prices are fair and relate to what other convention organisers are charging.

Was that with both the J's? If so that's very cheap, as for auto ticket prices I've heard current American stars demand higher costs when travelling over to the UK and what with needing first class travel and the best hotel room in the city I'm not surprised they charged that much even if Rouge Events did take most of the brunt of the costs themselves, its most likely the deciding factor for them to stop doing those cons now.

[laura75]

God no, it was £60 for a single or £120 for a double photo with J2!

[owlpost1992]

God no, it was £60 for a single or £120 for a double photo with J2!

There was a similar con in Rome as the SPN one you went to and it was charging something like 135 euros for both J's and when I was about to book, the euro crashed so badly that it cost neigh on close to £135! Still, pretty certain SPN is a bigger show so hence the extended shelf life and enormous pay packets to meet the guys but think of it this way, its a once in a lifetime opportunity!

[laura75]

Yes, SPN is a bigger show then DW and TW.

I did rob Peter to pay Paul to get my photo's with them. The dealers were selling lovely A3 black and white prints with all the guests on to get signed. That was £25 so that as well as £60 for Jared and Jensen and £40 for Jared's auto, was an expensive but well worth it weekend! :)

[owlpost1992]

I wouldn't say spn is bigger then who on this side of the pond but yeah it's bigger then tw hence the price difference also theres the fact you can get tw autos everywhere but spn only comes around once in a blue moon.

[Undead Medic]

Latest News, DiffCon event has been suspended due to difficulties securing a contract with the Hotel, plans are to reschedule the event.



IMPORTANT – DiffCon One Suspended and will be rescheduled

Categories: In the News, Website Update.



After extensive negotiations with Mercure Holland House Cardiff, we regret to inform you that we have failed to come to an agreement on the contract, and as a result we have had to postpone DiffCon One.
We are in negotiations with Mercure, and alternative conference venues within Cardiff as we speak, and we are expecting to announce revised dates for DiffCon One.
We at DiffCon and Cygnet Events Ltd sincerely apologize for an inconvenience caused however we would like to ensure our customers that we are committed to bringing DiffCon to Cardiff, and we are determined to announce new dates shortly. We are currently aiming for April 2012.

We understand that not all customers will wish to wait for the new dates, and we have enclosed details of the refund policy at the website address you can see below.
Any customer who chooses to keep their ticket for the new dates, and purchased their ticket on or before the 24th June 2011 will receive a free Q-Jumper Pass for use at the convention (or a refund of their Q-Jumper pass cost for those who have already purchased one)
For full information on how to proceed, please visit http://www.diffcon.co.uk/2011dates




Full info Here (http://www.diffcon.co.uk/2011/06/important-diffcon-one-suspended-and-will-be-rescheduled/)

[owlpost1992]

Am not impressed that they have a 10% charge if you cancel cos april is not doable, feels like it's my fault I bought tickets to a con thats been cancelled.

[nightowl]

And one would think they would have secured the contract prior to advertising the con. Even provisionally based on subscriptions. It seems a little less than organized.

[Undead Medic]

Am not impressed that they have a 10% charge if you cancel cos april is not doable, feels like it's my fault I bought tickets to a con thats been cancelled.

The organisers have today issued this statement:


Important Announcement
A statement from the owner of Cygnet Events Limited,
Laura Swan


Dear Customers,

Over the past few days we have had to make some very tough choices. These choices have resulted in a tremendous show of faith from some of our customers, and outcry from others.The decision to postpone DiffCon was not an easy one, not least because each of us have a personal vested interest in this, and we have each dedicated more time and money to this than we could ever have imagined. It’s ironic to think that given only a few more days we could have had this, unfortunately the terms of our initial contract stipulated things must be finalised by a certain date, and we simply couldn’t finalise everything.Prior to making the decision to cancel the event, we sought legal advice and put a plan in place to effectively deal with customer refund requests, whilst still doing our utmost to ensure that DiffCon does go ahead, albeit with revised dates. We understand that each and every one of you has an opinion about this, and whilst we cannot comment on the various opinions we have seen, we have been taking it all in and we have been carefully considering your feedback. Most of the outcry is regarding the 10% fee over ticket refunds. We chose to apply this fee based on a number of factors and whilst we have been given legal advice countless times confirming that this fee is indeed legal and well below the average charge, we have decided to waive it as a show of good faith.We realise a number of you are already unhappy, some of you may choose not to book with us in the future, but we hope that you will understand, and perhaps claw back some of that confidence that you may have lost.For the many of you who have shown faith and stuck with us already, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we also apologise to you and everyone else for letting you down.We are still very much committed to bringing you DiffCon, and we are committed not only to bringing you ‘just another convention’, but one of the best seen in recent years.We realise asking for your support right now to make DiffCon happen is a tall order but we can only ask, and hope that you will be a part of this.

Thank you

Laura Swan

Owner, Cygnet Events Limited

The statement can be viewed Here. (http://www.diffcon.co.uk/2011dates/)

[Longarm]

Thank you for posting that Tim, :good: Im sure many members will find it very helpful to know they can request their missing 10% :yes:

[rocksnake81]

this has been confirmed for 25th to 27th May at Park Inn Cardiff

http://www.diffcon.co.uk/

[Undead Medic]

It would appear that Diff Con has been cancelled indefinately. The following statement has been posted on their website (http://www.diffcon.co.uk/):


Dear Diff Con Guests
It is with deep sadness and due to poor ticket sales; we regret to inform you that we have had to make the decision to cancel our Diff Con event (25th – 27th May 2012) indefinitely.
We at Diff Con and Cygnet Events Ltd sincerely apologize for an inconvenience caused however we would like to ensure all our customers that they will be issued with a full refund on the cost of their ticket.

So that your refund can be processed, we will require that you send us an email to refundaction@diffcon.co.uk with the following information:
Name
Address
Date of purchase
Purchase reference number
Number of tickets
Cost of tickets

Your refund will then be processed by our team and sent to the address that you have given.
Please note that Cygnet Events will only response to emails sent to refundaction@diffcon.co.uk
With thanks
Diff Con Management, Cygnet Events

[Longarm]

Oh dear :sad: I do hope that people arnt too inconvienced by this and get their refunds promptly

[owlpost1992]

Hey, does anyone know how to contact the organisers still? I haven't had my refund =(

[Napster]

Are they not on twitter or anything now? That is terrible news :(