Oops. Nevermind. I remember that Kodak Gold Max is
something like ASA 800. - JPG

Yes Yes, you want to go!  Tickets will be avaliable at the con. This is
nothing like a creation convention, were much better and bigger.  Just ask
all the fans when you get there.


Thanks,

Bob McLaughlin

We had Ben Bass last year and we tried to get Geraint but he could not make
it.  From the responce from fans like you we will try again next year.


Thanks,

Bob  

We sent a message to kompu-kombat about being here but have not heard back
yet.  Yes to the other games.



Bob

I occasionally send update requests to Yahoo and others, but apparently they fell on deaf ears over there. Haven't pre-registered yet? Yes, shame on you! Your Variety Show ticket number is slowly increasing every few days... soon, you'll have to sit in the nose-bleed section! Seriously, we hope you make it back along with Heather, but if not, I'm sure we'll be here next year. Re: badges, yes, they are back, and the arm bands are gone. I don't think we'll try that again any time soon. - JPG

Although we will add a link for any dealer, on our "links" page, you're right, we don't really have a listing of dealer contact information. Part of the reason is because not all the same dealers show up every year. I'll mention it to the folks who are responsible for the dealers rooms, and perhaps we can put something up closer to the convention. - JPG

Oops! Sorry about that. Rooms at the Hyatt (for Visions 97) are USD$80 per room, per night. Each room can have up to 4 people (the hotel can provide roll-a-way beds) for the $80 price. I've also placed this information on our web site at ~tardis/hr.html. - JPG

Privacy is very important to me personally, and I do my best to ensure the privacy of others, therefore I take your concern quite seriously. However, I'm having a difficult time understanding how individual privacy is being compromised in how our site is managed. The stats.html data is not only screened of individual IP addresses, it is also screened at the machine/host/client level. Information is only shown at the company/school/ISP level, and unless a particular company has only a couple of employees, it is impossible to correlate this data to anyone in particular, and by and large, it can't be narrowed down beyond 1 in thousands even if we had a list of names. We are actually quite proud to show that we get visitors from around the world and from an incredible cross section of America as well.

We also ask people who "register" at our site, if they want us to hold their name/address private, or if we can share that information with other convention organizers.

I'm also wondering if your comments are prompted by the notice that appears identifying you as being from CRL Network Services. Indeed, I can understand a chill that occurs, much the same as someone who answers the phone by using your name (because they have callerID). However, it is certainly not the intention of myself (as Visions Webweaver) or anyone else on our committee, to compromise the privacy of any of our visitors, attendees, or guests (or anyone, for that matter).

If you would like me to remove your company/school from my database so that you don't see the welcome, and quantity of visits will not be logged, I would be happy to do that.

Also, there are now companies that will offer "false IDs" for web browsing privacy. I don't know how they work, or what they do, but it's something to consider.

John Golkosky (JPG), tardis@xnet.com - Visions Webweaver

Yes, the mail is slow, but it's still the cheapest route. Unfortunately, VISA/MC etc... charges a fee to use them for charging you. Therefore, given the choice of increasing membership fees, or sticking with paper mail, we chose to stick with paper mail. The Hyatt should have information on our convention, but if they don't, try 1-800-822-0666 (a Travel Agency that should know) or the Hyatt at their local number (847) 696-1234. The hotel rate for Visions 97 is $80 per room per night. As far as volunteering goes, specific assignments are not defined until the weekend of the convention, therefore, timing of sign-up is not critical. - JPG

Indeed, Gary was a great guest, but he was just at Visions 96! Perhaps in another year or two. Make sure you vote for him on your Visions Vote form! - JPG

We have recently added Sheelagh Wells to our list of invited guests. She has given Make-up workshops in the past, and may do so again, although we haven't yet discussed this with her as of yet. - JPG

Registration packets can be picked up at any time Registration is open for business. Registration is located on the lower level near the lower end of the escalators. Hours of operation for 1997 are not yet finalized, however, it will probably be similar to past Visions: Thursday 6-9p, Friday 8a-5p,6p-9p, Saturday 8a-5p, and Sunday 9a-2p. - JPG

As of right now, we do not have any plans to invite any authors of New Who adventures to Visions 97, however, our guest list is still in a state of flux. Keep an eye on the guest status page for the latest status on invited/confirmed guests. - JPG

Barb: When I wrote you and said it was alphabatized it was because the pre-regestration slips were dropped and numbers were not on them. That will not happen next year. Numbers will be assigend as pre-regese is done. Concerning the variety show that is the best that I can do.

Bob

Thanks for your kind comments! We hope to see you there! - JPG

Just for your records, Jerry will be here only on Friday and Saturday.

Bob

[I have been told that Jerry will be doing "more of the autograph sessions" because of his shorter than usual visit. - JPG]

Unfortunately, the fan base of Forever Knight within Visions is not yet strong enough to sustain Forever Knight guests every year. As of right now we do not have any plans for inviting anyone associated with FK, but the year is still young! - JPG

We wish we could. Unfortunately, "the powers that be" are not currently interested in doing any additional new Doctor Who at this time. If you would like to write, here are some addresses. - JPG

Although Jeff Conaway did not show very well in our survey at Visions '96, that was before he was promoted to Head of Security. Perhaps if his popularity in our survey results improves... - JPG

At this time I have had to cut back on Blakes 7 and added Red Drawf which we did not have last year.

Bob

Some of our guests certainly seem to be in a better mood than others. Unfortunately, we can't always convince them to be a little more cheerful. It may be as simple as trying to readjust to the time shift, or perhaps a fan before you wore them a little thin. It's tough to tell. Also, some guests just look at this as a 'gig' to make some money, rather than as a chance to meet their fans.

With regards to the timing, we're eliminating the autograph ticket system. Will this help? We'll find out in a few months!

I too, would like to have Lis back for a visit (even being on committee does not guarantee a particular guest will be invited). - JPG

We apologize for the delay. Autographed program books were mailed out in February to all of you who paid a supporting membership. (Thanks for your support!)

Many of us who prepare for and work the convention lose a good portion of November and December due to the convention. We also lose the last half of December due to the holidays. Then in January, we're still catching up with our non-con lives. If you have not yet received yours, please let us know! - JPG

I'm sorry, but no additional information can be provided at this time. Should this situation change, we will certainly post such information at our web site and on our hotline. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. - JPG

Visions needs more nightlife.. As in something other than the variety show on saturday night and a dance on friday--though I did kind of enjoy the mst337 thingie on friday--I still think that there should be dance.. Maybe I am slightly more in favor of this as I go to bed rather late at most cons, but the atmosphere should be a little lighter. A lot of people seem to have little fun but a lot of hassle. Also, different subject, the autograph tickets are a very good idea--but maybe they should be given out with registration. My problem with them is simple-- you stand in line TWO hours before an autograph session just so that you are in line for when they are given out one hour before the session. My thought on this problem is this--if people are in line they are going to stay in line the whole time--so since they are the ones who will get the tickets why not hand them out early? (if there is a line).. Different subject, I really thought that Yee Jee Tso was an excellent guest as well as Michael Keating, Richard Biggs and Claudia Christain. Thank you for listening to me and see you next year.. - 12/19/96

We also saw a number of comments on our comment forms requesting more evening events. We'll be looking into what we can do to provide some additional entertainment in the evening.

The autograph ticket system is being scrapped for V'97. More information is forthcoming in your flyer (due out late March, early April).

We're glad you had a good time and enjoyed many of our guests! See you at Visions '97! - JPG

When will you post comments from the Visions 96 evaluation forms? - 2/18/97

Throughout the year I enjoyed being able to check in on the Visions web site, especially to read the comments and their responses.

What I'd really love to see is a sort of tally for the comment forms: in other words, what guests were most frequently named as suggestions for Visions 97? Don't worry about giving the public false expectations; it's more in the interest of showing us just where everyone else's interests lie! - 12/5/96, shill

Me too! (I'm the lucky one who gets to compile all the data this year.) All of the data and comments from the forms this year will be placed on our site in late April. - JPG (Ok, perhaps mid-May...)

Sorry. Our mistake! If you paid full price *during* the convention, please let us know and we'll be happy to send you a refund of the overpayment. We apologize for this oversight. - JPG

We have invited Chris Barrie to Visions '97. Stay tuned to our Web site and Hotline for the latest!

Unfortunately, the entire Visions staff lives in the Chicago area. For us to host a convention somewhere else would be a logistical nightmare. :-( - JPG

We are glad you finally made contact with your daughter (and we hope you'll both be able to make it back next year)! There are certainly a number of minor complaints about the Hyatt, however, overall, they do a pretty good job, and this is a good example of where the Hyatt went the extra mile. Thanks for letting us know! - JPG

Unfortunately, more than petitions, Fox and the BBC look more closely at cold hard facts/numbers. The less than anticipated ratings received during the airing of the new Fox Who tell the studios more than a petition signed during a convention dedicated to the show. :-(

We can only hope that influential people like Phil Segal and others like him, can continue to push for more productions in the future. - JPG

Yes, it seems apparent to us that Visions is turning into quite the event to bring people closer together! In fact rumor has it, there will be a couple (who met at Visions) spending their honeymoon at Visions '97! We are aware that quite a few marriages have been spawned (no pun intended) from Visions. We hope to have a page dedicated to them on our site in the future. - JPG

Yes, a supporting membership entitles you to a fully signed Visions Program Book. The cost of the supporting membership is $25 (Visions '96). The pre-registration form can be used to request such a membership.

There are a number of reasons we are at the Hyatt O'Hare. First is the need for space. With the hundreds of rooms needed each night, we need to be in an area where hotels are numerous, and large. Second, we want to be near a major airport. This allows our out of town attendees easy (free) access between the airport and the hotel. They already pay for airfare, so free transport to the hotel is quite welcome by them. It also makes it easier for getting so many of our international Guests to and from the airport.

With respect to local living attendees (about half of our attendance is from metropolitan Chicago) if we moved to any other location around Chicago, it would really only displace who is being inconvenienced more. The folks who live in Schaumburg or Mount Prospect would then complain why we couldn't locate it in the northern suburbs.

Personally, I drive 40 minutes to/from work every day. Since most of Chicago is less than an hour away from O'Hare (traffic congestion not withstanding), we feel it's a small inconvenience considering it allows you the option of sleeping at home to save on the cost of a hotel room.

Rest assured there is no restriction on what type of item you want to have signed (so long as it can be safely carried by you, and it's not a part of your anatomy that the guest doesn't wish to autograph). At the *impromptu* sessions, some of our guests may be offering only their autographed photos for sale. They may be presigned and then personalized at the time of sale, or they may simply be autographed at that time. It depends on the guest. However at the standard sessions they *WILL* autograph your personal items as in the past. There is, however, a limitation on ONE item per trip through the line. There are three autograph sessions (1 per day), and one guest signing at a rate of about 100-150 per hour means only about 400 or so autographs throughout the weekend. With 1500 attendees, you can see we really need to enforce such a limitation. - JPG, 11/8/96

1) We typically have around 1500 attendees. Not all of them are three day attendees, and at times, even I wonder where they all are, but they're there.

2) No (at least not that I'm aware of). The atmosphere at the Hyatt isn't really condusive to major party outbreaks.

3) The only parties endorsed by the convention are the Contributor's Party prior to the beginning of the convention (attended by the Guests of the convention as well), and the Volunteer's Party (aka the Dead Dog Party) also attended by the guests, after the convention ends.

There *are* room parties, but we don't track or endorse them. If they cause a problem for the hotel (like if they get loud or rowdy), then they cause a problem for us as well, but by and large, we don't mind. Room parties tend to be advertised either on the flip-chart thingy by Operations or in rec.arts.drwho. You may wish to toss out the idea on r.a.dw to see what interest level there is.

Visions is more known for bringing the guests and attendees together on a more personal level. We also typically have a dozen or more (one year we had 28, I think) Guests to keep you occupied as long as possible. Along with both parties, we have a Guest luncheon for Guest socializing, we have guest panels, auto, and photo sessions, and occasionally you can even catch them in the hotel bar.

- JPG, 9/30/96

We almost had Craig Charles on the hook this year, but due to a scheduling conflict, he was not able to make it. Because of our list of shows already at 5, and our interest in keeping our guest count more manageable, we decided rather than pursue another Red Dwarf guest, that we would give RD a rest this year. Survey results are the primary source of guest/show selection, so PLEASE take the time to fill them out. We REALLY want to invite the most popular guests, and the only way we know who they are is to ask you, the paying customers. - JPG, 9/30/96

Although I find myself defending the number of Who guests we have already this year, I also believe there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". We've had John with us three times of the last 5 years, so statistically speaking, it's possible he will be back again quite soon, but only time will tell. A strong showing in the surveys has the biggest impact on who we invite (hint, hint)! - JPG, 9/30/96

Currently, 10 of 13 of our guests this year are from, or are associated with British shows. As always, Doctor Who will always be the core of our convention. There will be years when (with the exception of Doctor Who) some shows may not be featured at our convention. There are various reasons for this including providing room to try a new show or theme, or because a show is fading in popularity (based on our surveys). There will always be diehard fans for certain shows, and there will be years where we regret we must disappoint quite a few fans of a particular show previously featured at our convention, but we try our best every year to provide the most enjoyable weekend for the most people possible. - JPG, 9/1/96

Since you last checked, we've been able to confirm many new guests at Visions this year. Here, take a look! An astronaut? It's been suggested that we consider a speaker from NASA including possibly an astronaut, or someone to discuss such fascinating topics as the Hubble Telescope or the possibility of life on Mars and similar Mars missions in the works. - JPG, 9/1/96

As a fan of both shows, I don't know how I could have messed up this bad, but it does provide interesting crossover potential ;-) Thanks for noticing and letting us know. - JPG 9/1/96

Thanks! We'll do our best to make sure this year is wonderful too! - JPG 7/25/96

We're sorry to hear that you are having trouble getting to the convention. Unforutnately, Chicago's public transportation system within the suburban area is far behind that of many other cities in the world and you appear to be one of those who is suffering because of it.

There are many factors which go into the decision of which hotel will be the site for a Visions convention. Some of these are proximity to the airport and other major avenues of travel into and out of Chicago, availability of other public transportation (such as it is), room price, number of sleeping rooms, amount of available meeting space within the hotel itself, security of the guest floor, free parking availability and willingness of the hotel to work with us. We have investigated exhaustively throughout the Chicagoland area (and continue to check up on our research each year) and have always come back to the Hyatt (except in 1992 when we tried the Ramada) as our hotel of choice. It is the *only* hotel we have ever found which comes closest to meeting all of our criteria.

As to your specific request that we try a hotel on the south side of Chicago, while we have looked into a few of them, the travel times to and from O'Hare airport alone would make it very difficult, if not impossible for us to use any of them. Not only would we spend a lot of time and effort getting our guests to and from the airport but the many fans who arrive at O'Hare (just under half of all Visions attendees fly into O'Hare) would be faced with this as well.

For the time being at least, we have no plans to change from the Hyatt as our site hotel. - DMS, 4/23/96

We're very glad to hear you've enjoyed the conventions you've attended. We have had some Who-related things available for viewing at some of the Visions conventions (for instance at Visions '90 there was a wonderful display by the Not The BBC Prop Department; however, many of these items were actually recreations of props), but since I'm not sure which three of the six you've been able to attend, it's possible that the years you attended have been the years when we didn't have anything on display. As far as actual props from the show, most of these are now in private hands all over the world and it would be difficult to assemble a large number of them together for a display in any one location.

For the last two years we have had a terrific display set up in our dealers room by Brian Biro. Brian's display does contain a few Doctor Who items as well as many fantastic items from TV and movie science fiction -- Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Flash Gordon, Indiana Jones and more too numerous to mention. We're pleased to say that Brian and his display will be back again at Visions '96, so be sure to visit the dealers room and have a look. You won't be disappointed.

As far as props from the New Who are concerned, we *will* have to wait and see on that, of course, since so many decisions regarding a potential new series have yet to be made and the disposition of many items will probably depend a lot on those decisions. We'll keep your comment in mind, though, and if it's possible for us to have any props from the new show on display, we'll do our best to accommodate. - DMS, 4/21/96

First off, thanks for writing to suggest ways to improve our autograph sessions. We are always looking for new ideas and we welcome your comments.

Unfortunately, the idea you had (for the monitors) is one we have already explored and had to reject. It is very costly and also rather difficult logistically. We would have to literally string cable from room to room to room all over the hotel and this would take a tremendous amount of work, money and materials. It would also mean a lot more wires for everyone to trip over! :-} However, we *are* exploring ways to minimize the amount of time you have to spend waiting in lines so that you can spend more time doing the things you want to do.

We'd also like to mention that the problem of needing to choose between a favorite autograph session, panel or photo session (or other activity) will always exist, no matter how much we fine tune things because Visions is multi-track convention and we try to offer something to interest everyone who attends. This means that sometimes you *must* choose to forego one thing in order to do another. We know this can be a hard choice, but we believe it's far better to offer you a variety of options rather than leave you with not enough to do. - DMS 4/16/96

Yes, unlike Disney World, our stars *are* allowed to talk! Seriously though, we can't arrange for roller coasters, lake based laser shows, and 70F degree temperatures, but we would if we could. We're glad you had a great time, and we're working hard towards that same goal this year! While it's true the hotel has limited services and higher than average prices, there are some restaraunts about a mile away (east) including Connie's Pizza and McDonalds. A brisk walk to be sure, that time of year, but worth considering. Connie's (great pizza in the author's opinion) also delivers, but the hotel (understandably) frowns upon that. Connie's will ask you to wait for them in the hotel lobby by the doors, but it's basically because the drivers can't really park there (the area is for loading and unloading of hotel guests). - JPG 4/6/96

Followup from "The Mad Poetess", 4/25/95 {editorial cleansing by Visions Staff}
A piece of meal-(and travel)related advice for fans: I've read a lot of complaints about the price of hotel food and a lot of fairly good advice concerning restaurants a mile away and pizza delivery...

Here's something perhaps neither the fans nor the Visions folks have thought of:

The Hyatt Regency provides free shuttle service to and from O'Hare Airport, leaving about every fifteen minutes. There are several restaurants and lounges at O'Hare, including a McDonald's and other fast food places for those of us too skint to spend our pennies at the Hyatt's good but {pricey} restaurant. We have done this for the last two cons, and find it a satisfactory way of supplementing the tons of junk food we stash in our luggage from home.

Also, for those commuting from anywhere near northern Indiana, and not wanting to drive in Chicago, (I won't), consider stashing your car (free parking) at The Tri-State Bus Station in Hammond, IN, which runs a bus to O'Hare for about 15$ each way. From there, you just take the aforementioned shuttle to the Hyatt, and you're home free!

See Y'all at Visions 96!

There have been some significant changes at O'Hare airport which should be considered before attempting to run over for a bite to eat. Hotel shuttles are currently no longer allowed to go direct to the terminals. From what we understand, they go to an area by the old "Terminal 4", "a 15 minute walk away from Terminal 1".

Also, the shuttle is really for the use of hotel guests for their initial arrival from and final departure to the airport.

Although I've personally never been challenged to show I'm a guest, if the hotel detects "unnecessary use" of the shuttles, they may start refusing rides without some kind of proof you are arriving or departing (like an airline/bus ticket stub).

At a minimum, you should be a registered guest (have a room key in your possession) if you use the shuttles. - JPG (Visions Staff)

The ONLY negative thing I can say about Visions 95 is that it just wasn't QUITE the same not having John Levene there. I hope things can be worked out to where he can return someday.

In the wish list department, I could only ask for FRASIER HINES and WENDY PADBURY together, and perhaps DAVID TROUGHTON. Oh, and maybe you could see about getting some more of the former producers ... BARRY LETTS and PHIL HINCHCLIFFE have such interesting stories to tell, and CHRIS BARRY continues to be associated with the show as well.

Honestly, you guys do a TREMENDOUS job that runs me RAGGED every year!" See you this November,
Chass" - The Guardians of Gallifrey, 4/1/96

"Thank you for posting this timely comment. As it happens, you'll be pleased to know that Paul Cornell has just recently agreed to make a return appearance at Visions '96. We are also in contact with other NA authors. Keep checking the page and our e-mail updates and we'll let you know as we confirm their attendance." - 3/31/96 DMS (Visions Staff)

"Thank you so much for helping me to make a more informative and
entertaining newsletters [by offering press conferences]." - CF95

"If I come back next year, it will because the *guests* respect their
audience. The convention planners clearly don't." - CF95

Comments like the above certainly concern us, but we really need to
know what gave you this impression as well as some suggestions as to
what we can do to address what went wrong. We're here to make sure you
have the best weekend possible; if there's a problem, PLEASE let anyone
wearing a "gold Visions Staff badge" know, as soon as possible.
- JPG (Visions Staff)


"This is the only time I have ever been disappointed by a convention!" - CF95

"The selection in the three video rooms was great." - CF95

"Invite Mark Ryan every year!" - CF95

"Frankly, we're found many people to be nice but many were rude and overly
strange; no fun! Try having a *variety* of activities, not just functions
in which the "little people" (and I've heard several people insinuate
that's how they feel they're being treated) get to see the "celebs." Also,
try having more co-star category actors and behind-the-scenes people as
guests. Seeing the actors in great (the B5 people are terrific folks) but
if you want to build the con, you're going to have to branch out. Those of
us who are not die-hard fans of TV *stars* were bored." - CF95

"The hotel prices are totally unbelievable even for Chicago." - CF95

"This is not a threat - but a simple declarative statement: If Visions
shifts to American Sci-Fi, I will stop coming. Visions is my only access to
British Sci-Fi, TV and comedy. I can get American *any time*. The Brits are
funny, good and generous guests, terribly flattered that we make such a
fuss over them and genuinely fun. The American actors tend to be expensive
and none of the above. If the Brits go, I do too. This is my fifth Visions
and I spend $1200 every year besides the hotel costs. *You* choose." - CF95

"Some of the guests didn't seem to be enjoying themselves and *that* is
something I don't want. The guests should also be able to be themselves."
 - CF95

"Much more pleasant than any Creation convention!" - CF95

"I came primarily to meet Sophie Aldred but was pleased to find all of the
guests I met so delightful and charming that I feel I made some good
friends in the entertainment industry. Brian Blessed, Paul Darrow, Gareth
Thomas, Anneke Wills, Michael Craze, Michael O'Hare, Gary Shoefield were
all so very charming in their own unique way that I couldn't help but
really like and admire all of them even if I hadn't seen much or some of
their bodies of work." - CF95

"By the way, overall I enjoyed the convention and it's the best one I go
to. I look forward to it every year. Keep up the good work, the good guests
and may next year be even better!!" - CF95

"Be proud of yourselves. Visions is the best convention series I've been to
in years. It is of superior quality. I hope to be coming to Chicago for
years to come and the Hyatt O'Hare is an excellent location." - CF95

"Organizing a convention must be a mind-bending chore, but obviously a
labor of love. Thanks so very much to all of you for your continuing
efforts. You make *my* weekend an event I look forward to *all year long*!
Thanks Visions. Live Long and Prosper!" - CF95

"Every year Visions gets better and better!" - CF95

"I'm impressed with how well-run everything was." - CF95

"Excellent con -- great guests -- good fun!" - CF95

"Brian Blessed - finally! He was GREAT! I am so glad you stuck with him and
didn't give up long ago! Wow, this was his first convention. Thank you for
all of your work in making these conventions possible. They are the
highlight of our year. We really appreciate everything you do each year to
make each convention as enjoyable as possible! It was a great idea to
invite New Adventures authors. Paul Cornell and Kate Orman were fun and
interesting." - CF95

"I'm sure you've heard many complaints but I hope you heard the compliments
too. You've created an atmosphere where the convention attendees feel free
to ask questions in the panels, selected guests who interact well with the
audience and do not seem to mind signing endless autographs or, in some
cases, the same question just asked differently time and again. Thanks to
your staff for making mee feel more like a "real" person even while
standing in line. Good luck for next year." - CF95

"I would just like to say that being it was my first year at Visions, I
have no past to compare it to. Yet I'm happy to say it ran smooth enough
for me to say I'll be back and happy to bring friends!!" - CF95

"I had a terrific time. I really appreciate all the effort that you all put
in to make this happen every year. Keep up the great work! It is really
appreciated." - CF95

"For all the business we bring to the hotel, you would think they would
bend over backwards to help us. We seem to be pre-empted for anything the
hotel wants to have." - CF95

"This is the best-run con I've ever attended. I've been here five of six
times and will continue to attend because I enjoy myself here and I'm
completely confident that you will provide a good time for all who attend;
the guests, the dealers and the fans." - CF95