My Expo report
My day started so well got to the Excel Centre at 7amish, this time there was big signs to let you know were to go, spoke to a helpful steward (one of the only ones) and asked if they could sell the smilelys outside as they did last time. So about an half hour later they were back selling smilelys which was great and makes it alot easier for us collectors, after getting 15 I waited until 9am and low and behold the doors opened on time.
The event went downhill from then on, after getting in I went straight to the Heroes area and was told they would not start signing until 10am and come back then, so then over to the BSG area and was told the same. Also noticed Ben Barns wasn't signing until 11am, so over to get the talk tickets, picked up Demons, then tried to pick up Merlin and was told that they would be given out at 11am, the tried for Primeval and was told that they would be given out at 12 noon. Then saw someone with a raffle ticket low and behold they were giving out VTs for Heroes, so after asking the same steward what was going on he gave me a ticket and told me to go away, and then the BSG were also giving out VTs and the same thing happen again! At 10am went into the Heroes queue/mess and picked up all the autos I wanted, then over to queue for the Merlin tickets and at 11am I got that one, then back to the BSG guests, by the time I got there Michael had stopped signing because he had run out of single shots (great), more photos came and as I was 4 ppl away from meeting him he stood up and said “they have only run out of photos again” so he then came and spoke to us and then told us he was going for a little timeout while more photos were printed off. Before Michael came back a few of us met the lovely Susan and then went back into the queue, after about 15 mins Michael came back with a fair few photos, so I got the items I wanted signed. Then off to the Primeval queue and waited till 12noon for the tickets.
Then off to the Demons talk so I could finally sit down at the back listen to the talk and have something to eat and drink. We were then told they were doing a signing but the chap didn't say where, but I over heard a steward saying it was happening behind the Heroes signing area. After a 45 mins wait the guys turned up, and signed a very nice shot which was good. I then went outside for a chill out after getting being bumped into by ppl with no manners. Back in the hall for the Merlin talk again very good and at the end was told that the guys would be signing straight away, so back to the Heroes area, waited for about 10/15mins only to be told that they would not be signing until 4pm and was told that I would need a stamp for the Primeval talk which I couldn't go to because we were told Merlin would be signing after the talk. So over to get my rose stamp for the Primeval signing and the got back to were we were queuing only 5 mins before that the queue had moved and I had to go to the back (wonderful).
Just before the signing started a few of us at the back were then told we had to move for H&S, so I then moved into the Primeval queue, but after a couple of mins to move back because the Merlin guys had started to sign. After meeting 4 very nice guests then over to the Primeval signing, and the queue seemed to take so long, but at 5:20 I finally met them, then off to try and catch my bus at Victoria and made it with 5 mins to spare. So all in all I got everything I wanted, but it was a battle to get.
Pros
Got all the autos
Free autos
Signs at the front door
Let in on time
Smilely sold outside
Cons
Had to queue for everything
VTs given out and no boards up to say what number they were up to
Rude stewards for every 1 nice steward there was 10 rude ones
Stewards not knowing what were going on and therefore unhelpful
Guests not signing until 1 to 2 hours after the doors opening
Too many ppl making it very hard to get anywhere
Too noisy so couldn’t hear some of the talks
Isn't it the guest's decision to this? Or is it not at Expo? 
