Hey everyone!
We just wanted to let you know that we are currently working on the blog and it will be under construction until further notice. You can keep up with the convention news via Twitter.
The Convention Diaries
¡Hola a tod@s!
Tan sólo queríamos comentaros que estamos trabajando en el blog y estará en construcción hasta próximo aviso. Podéis seguir las noticias de las convenciones vía Twitter.
The Convention Diaries
Fantasy Events are happy to count on the presence of Matt Davis at the ‘Love & Blood ItaCon 4Ever‘ which will be held from the 3rd to the 5th of June, 2016 in Rome, Italy.
Fantasy Events contará con la presencia de Matt Davis en la convención ‘Love & Blood ItaCon 4Ever‘ que se llevará a cabo del 3 al 5 de Junio del 2016 en Roma, Italia.
Fantasy Events has the pleasure of counting on Nathaniel Buzolic as a guest at the ‘Love & Blood ItaCon 4Ever‘ which will take place from the 3rd to the 5th of June, 2016 in Rome, Italy.
Fantasy Events tiene el placer de contar con la presencia de Nathaniel Buzolic en la ‘Love & Blood ItaCon 4Ever’ que se celebrará del 3 al 5 de Junio de 2016 en Roma, Italia.
My name is Patricia Lucia Locche though most people know me as Kyrsten, the reason behind my nickname is definitely too long but I have been using that name for 15 years now so it kind of became my real name. I’m the founder of FantasyEvents a no-profit Cultural association created to support the Fantasy genre culture through different kind of events, rumour has it we organise some hell of a Convention.
It actually started when I was going through a difficult time in my private life, so I took refuge in movies and books, what a better world when you don’t like the one you are living in? I became a Twilighter, went to Montepulciano to be an Extra in the New Moon movie, attended LCC, RingCon and Eternal Twilight Convention, then went to the Rome International Film Festival and everything was so different than abroad. The Rome Festival is an amazing event for people pertaining to the Industry but it didn’t allow the same kind of interaction with the talents I had the luck of experiencing abroad. I spoke English and had a job so could afford travelling abroad to attend Conventions, but it was not the same for the majority of the Italian fandom base, and back in 2009 there were no Conventions at all in Italy (if you don’t count the Star Trek ones), we didn’t even know what they were. So I decided to start contacting the managers I had got in touch over the years and using my previous work experience and a lifetime savings I started FantasyEvents and organized the first Twilight ItaCon in Rome back in 2010. It’s been tough because nobody knew what a Convention was, there was a lot of distrust but we proved everybody wrong and since then we have grown enough to be called the only reliable Convention Organizer in Italy apart the amazing JIB (they do Supernatural, they have all my deepest respect and admiration).
I have to admit I don’t watch any of the series I organise Conventions on. Apart from not having the time, it keeps me more objective and focused, I am interested in what the attendees want and like, it does not matter what I think.
I base my decisions first of all on the public request, then I check if there actually are enough people available to pay for a Pass in order to cover costs, we have done a few events where this did not happen but I was ready to face it and used my own savings to do it anyway, obviously this can happen only once in a while. Now we are lucky enough to have built a very loyal fanbase of our own that will attend any event no matter the subject, just to get together with each other, what a better feeling than that?
I think the difference is mainly the emotional impact and the involvement with our attendees. Attending one of our events is not only about the Convention and meeting the cast per say but also about the journey together over the year, about the free meet ups we do once in a while around Italy to allow them to know each other before the event, it is about socializing and creating real relationship, to allow the feeling of belonging to something special that will always stay with them also after the Convention has ended. That’s why they made up the name FEmily for us and gave us an award to thank us. They know we are there for them, be it for an issue regarding the event or a private one; they can rely on the support of the group, be it for a school exam, a divorce, a loss or simply not having enough money to book a Pass. It has happened more than once for girls to gather and put money together to book a Pass for somebody who could not afford it, and I think this is one of the sweetest things ever, when you create a group that believes in you and supports you no matter what.
We have people from Russia, Bulgaria, England, Spain, Brazil, France, Germany, at times we also got people from the States and Israel, we have about 27k regular followers worldwide.
Oh yes, nearly every year hahaha. Running these events is really exhausting and will never thank my staff enough for all their support, mainly in these last two years when I went through a lot; my father was diagnosed with cancer (he died a few months afterwards), left my main job, had to move like twice in a couple months, broke up with a very important person all at the same time, so I really had not much the strength or mind to carry on everything on my own, their help and support has been fundamental.
Organising a Convention takes nearly a year and sometimes more of constant work, with no day or time off, it mostly means that you can’t have a life of your own, it takes a heavy toll on you, but it definitely keeps you in good shape.
Every single time I see what we have become, the smiles and happiness on our girls and guys faces when they see their dream becoming true, realizing they are not alone but have so many friends all over the world. There is no better feeling than making someone happy, hearing how all this is important to them and helps them with their life, giving them hope that if they are persistent enough and really believe in their dream they can achieve anything they want in life, no matter where they come from.
I am sorry but you would have to ask my staff about any of them, as weird as it may seem, during the event I am always so busy around that I barely live any of it, have never seen a panel, I even barely come across the cast. For sure the best moments for me are the times when I get to talk to some of the attendees, and check that they are happy. To see what a big impact has had meeting Ian Somerhalder and the others in their life especially for people with a difficult background or disabilities, is touching.
A lot of projects both with FantasyEvents and FE Network a Consulting Company in the States. We have the Celtic Mystery Festival in Edinburgh from the 7th-8th August part of the Fringe Festival, a Charity event in Los Angeles in September, the Teen Wolf Convention Nemeton ItaCon Returns in Rome in December, the Love&Blood ItaCon 4Ever June 2016 plus we got to define dates for Outlander, Grey’s Anatomy and XFiles, we always have some other projects abroad so we are pretty busy for quite a few years but always open to requests.
El mes de septiembre, del 19 al 21, asistimos a la convención organizada por Zarata Events: Wolf Moon Con, en el Hotel Auditorium de Madrid, donde asistieron como invitados: Ian Bohen, JR Bourne, Max Carver y Tyler Hoechlin.
El evento empezó puntualmente recibiendo a los cuatro invitados en el opening al que llegaron muy sonrientes y amables, se presentaron, nos dieron la bienvenida y enseguida empezaron el Q&A, dando así el pistoletazo de salida, a un fin de semana fantástico para los fans de Teen Wolf.
Durante todo el evento, los chicos estuvieron muy cercanos a sus seguidores, haciendo bromas en el escenario, destacando a Max Carver y sus sorprendentes dotes para hablar español, ya que casi se podría decir que hizo el 75% de los paneles en nuestro idioma, de forma fluida. También podríamos destacar, que durante la segunda jornada, JR Bourne quiso complacer a los asistentes intentando hacer una (o varias) video conferencias con Brittany Snow, Daniel Sharman o Linden Ashby, con quien al final logró hablar.
Uno de los platos fuertes de la convención, fue la fiesta que tuvo lugar la noche del sábado, donde pudimos gozar de una deliciosa cena, con barra libre y como no, de la presencia de los cuatro invitados, quienes se pasaron mesa por mesa, a charlar con todo el mundo. Allí respondieron a las preguntas de los fans y contaron algunos de sus planes más próximos, como visitas a Barcelona, u otras convenciones.
En lo referente a la organización, todo el mundo fue muy amable,y atendieron todas nuestras dudas y necesidades tan rápidamente como les era posible. En general fue un buen fin de semana, que lo único que añadiríamos de cara a próximas ediciones (como la que habrá en Bilbao los días 27 y 28 de Junio de 2015) sería intentar mejorar el tema ambiental, poniendo música, unas pantallas en los paneles y algo de mejor iluminación, ya que de esta manera habría resultado algo más visual.
Dicho esto, permaneced atentos a nuestra web para no perderos detalle de las convenciones que tienen previstas para el año que viene, y visitad la nueva sección de “Mejores Momentos”.
The Convention Diaries
In the month of September, between the 19th and 21st, we attended the Wolf Moon Con oganized by Zarata Events at the Auditorium Hotel in Madrid, where the guests: Ian Bohen, JR Bourne, Max Carver and Tyler Hoechlin were in attendance.
The event began punctually, receiving the four guests for the opening in which they walked onto the stage as friendly as ever and with huge smiles on their faces. They then introduced themselves, welcomed us and the Q&A commenced, signalling the start to a fantastic weekend for the fans of Teen Wolf.
During the entire event the guys were very kind to their fans, joking a lot on stage, we could specifically mention Max Carver and his surprising Spanish speaking talent, as about 75% of his Q&A’s were spoken in Spanish, with fluidity. We could also mention that during the second day, JR Bourne wished to please the attendees by trying to make some video conference calls with Brittany Snow, or Linden Ashby, who answered the call.
One of the highlights of the convention was the Saturday night cocktail party where we had the chance to enjoy a delicious dinner, including an open bar, and of course the presence of the four guests, who went table by table giving converstion to everyone. They responded to the fans questions and spoke about some of their plans for the near future, such as visits to Barcelona or other conventions.
In reference to the organization and management, everyone was very kind and they resolved all our questions and our necessities as quickly as possible. In general, it was a good weekend, the only thing we would add to the next editions (like the one in Bilbao next year) would be to try to improve the ambiance by playing music, putting up some screens in the Q&A rooms and some better lighting, as it would have resulted in a more visual event.
This being said, keep an eye on our website so you don’t miss any information about the conventions planned for next year, and please feel free to visit our “Best Moments” section.
The Convention Diaries
Although the start to the convention, trying to purchase our supports for the autographs, seemed slightly disorganized, the rest of the weekend was a complete success. I have been to other conventions with other companies but I have to say that Guests Events is at the top of my list. This was my second convention with this team and I am planning to go to more. The Team Wolf Convention was an unforgettable experience.
Laetitia and Brigitte were welcoming, helpful and had smiles on their faces at all times as well as the rest of the staff members, which I believe to be important in order to make everyone feel comfortable and happy to be there.
The guests also seemed to be enjoying themselves which is something we all love to see. The 7 of them were incredibly sweet and attentive during the whole weekend.
In regards to the schedule, everything was on time and there were activities such as a quest, a magician and a singer to entertain the audience during the breaks and during our free periods.
The presentor/translator, Daniel, was charming as usual. It’s always great to watch him translate onstage alongside the actors as he has a fun and friendly personality.
The soirée cocktail on Saturday night was a unique experience. The room was decorated with balloons, music was playing and there was a buffet full of delicious food for us to choose from.
The actors came round each table for 7 minutes to have a chat and a laugh with everybody that was a nice change from the little time you get to spend with them during autographs and photos.
All in all, after everything I got to do and everyone I got to meet I would definitely, without a doubt, recommend Guests Events and I will surely be attending many more of the conventions in the future.
Lisa
Aunque el comienzo de la convención, intentando comprar los soportes para los autógrafos, parecía ligeramente mal organizado, el resto del fin de semana fue un éxito total. He estado en otras convenciones con otras empresas pero tengo que decir que Guests Events está en el puesto número 1 de mi lista. Este fue mi segunda convención con este equipo y ya estoy planeando ir a más. La Convención de Team Wolf fue una experiencia inovidable.
Laetitia y Brigitte nos dieron la bienvenida a todos con brazos abiertos, estaban para ayudar con cualquier cosa y estaban sonrientes en todo momento al igual que el resto del equipo, lo cual opino que es importante para hacer sentir cómodos a todos y felices de estar alli. Los invitados también parecían estar disfrutando que es algo que nos encanta ver. Los 7 actores fueron increíblemente simpáticos y atentos durante todo el fin de semana.
En cuanto al horario, todo se cumplió y además habían actividades como una misión, un mago y una cantante para entretener al público durante los descansos y los huecos libres.
El presentador/traductor Daniel fue un encanto como de costumbre. Es siempre interesante verle y escucharle traducir en el escenario con los actores al ser una persona tan divertida y agradable.
La fiesta del Sábado por la noche fue una experiencia única. La sala estaba decorada con globos, había música sonando y un buffet lleno de comida deliciosa para elegir. Los actores se pasaron por cada mesa durante 7 minutos para hablar y echarse unas risas con nosotros que fue genial en comparación con el poco rato que tenemos para pasar con ellos durante los autógrafos y las fotos.
Lisa
conventiondiaries.wordpress.com 