Blizzcon ticket fiasco

[Eldorian]

So did everyone here get tickets that wanted them or did you spend the whole time getting the fail Murloc?

If anyone is going, is there any interest out there for a gathering? We have a few Stratics people going.

 

[Fojos]

I don't live anywhere near, so it's too expensive for me, sadly.

But I hope anyone going will enjoy it.

 

[Nok]

What a fiasco! Wasn't able to get a ticket. There are a lot of locals mad over this. And probably a lot of the tix that did get sold will go to brokers and scalpers.

The site works, then it doesn't, then it does, then it doesn't, then it does. And the sales were limited on top of that. What a joke. A location like the Anaheim Convention Center is so big they don't have to limit sales of tickets (I've worked many conventions there).

Someone at Blizzard dropped the planning ball. Disappointing.

 

[Nok]

At least it's good to see Mike Morhaime of Blizzard making a public apology, and Blizzard has offered an additional 3000 tickets in a lottery.

Hopefully next year Blizzard will pony up and move BlizzCon to the Los Angeles Convention Center (which is MUCH bigger and able to handle any number of attendees without limits & restrictions)... E3, E For All, the LA Auto Show (2nd only to Detroit's), and so on.

 

[Eldorian]

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure I'd enjoy a larger event.

I've been to E3 and 70,000 people - just too insane. I'm going to PAX in a couple weeks and I bet there will be 30-40,000 there. So we'll see what I think about that.

I've only been to one Blizzard event and that was this year in Paris. I think maybe 10k were there? I really liked the smaller event personally with less people, felt more intimate.

 

[Nok]

Hi Eldorian,

I don't mind the large events... I used to work big shows like CES, COMDEX, NAMM and the like. Nice thing about the size of those, is you don't have a crunch of people being mad and left out in the cold... and the companies get to press the flesh and pitch their wares to a larger audience.

Intimate settings... that's what conference rooms are for. Allow as many attendees as possible into the convention, then use the conference rooms to address specific audiences. The Star Wars Celebrations IV was a perfect example of this... one of the best shows I've ever attended.

Hopefully I'll see you and the Stratics crew at PAX. Isn't PASMountainDew, Ghost Writer, and *zigzag* going too?

 

[Eldorian]

Not sure about the first 2, but *zigzag* will be there.

I think there's about a dozen staffers going.

Chances are I'll have my regular pass on me and not my press pass (I don't plan on covering much of the event other than a video interview with Felicia Day and also trying to catch a demo of the WoW Miniature game).

So if you see me, introduce yourself. Name on my badge will be J. R. Cook

 

[Nok]

Ohhh! That will be a cool interview!

My badge will be really obvious... even if I have to wear on my forehead.

 

[Brekkee]

Two more weeks! I'm excited.. haven't had my "expo fix" for a couple years..

I hadn't heard that Ghost Writer would be there, but I think I heard that PASMountainDew will be.

Besides zigzag there's a few other well known names of Stratics that will be there. Den, Gallahan, Joshua Rowen, DevilHimself, Elm just to name a few. It's gonna be a fun time

 

[Eldorian]

Ohhh! That will be a cool interview!

My badge will be really obvious... even if I have to wear on my forehead.

Yeah.. I just need to find someone who's comfortable in front of a camera to interview her... cause I'm not

Then again I might go ahead and do it so you can all laugh at me. It'll be cool.

 

[Nok]

Woohoo! PAX is turning into StraticsFest 2008!

Looks like BlizzCon tix are already up on eBay. Looks like I'll need to change my plans for that weekend.

 

[Eldorian]

Woohoo! PAX is turning into StraticsFest 2008!

Looks like BlizzCon tix are already up on eBay. Looks like I'll need to change my plans for that weekend.

Be careful on buying tickets from people. You have to have the credit card you used to purchase them displayed at the event when you get your ticket.

Who's to say someone will try and sell their ticket, say, hey meet me at the convention center and then never show?

Personally I wouldn't give into these scalpers/scammers and pay for overpriced tickets. You're just contributing to them doing it again.

 

[Nok]

Exactly. Tix like this should never be bought off of eBay.

As I heard it, Blizzard will need to see the actual credit card that the tix were purchased with... and a goverment photo ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, etc.) with the name matching the credit card.

But you know there's going to be people that do it anyway, or buy forged tix... only to be turned away at the door. People just can't help themselves.

 

[Emuishere]

I'll see ya there!

 

[Eldorian]

http://inktank.com/archives/IT/index.cfm?nav=59

 

[Lag]

Be careful on buying tickets from people. You have to have the credit card you used to purchase them displayed at the event when you get your ticket.

Who's to say someone will try and sell their ticket, say, hey meet me at the convention center and then never show?

Personally I wouldn't give into these scalpers/scammers and pay for overpriced tickets. You're just contributing to them doing it again.

Oh you naysayer. I got a WWI ticket just waiting outside the general entrance (the EU staff are very friendly). Don't get people's hopes down, just don't get them up. You have a slim chance of finding a reasonably priced scalper. If you cant guarentee a ticket, don't plan an entire trip around it.


Then again, I would go (I could blow off 1 day of school) but the flight is $200-400 for roundtrip from Boston + hard to find a ticket. Hope you keep us updated tho, Eldorian!


EDIT: They really don't check. I'm a guy and my ticket was registered to an Iveena I believe. After picking up your ticket/entry badge, they really don't check that often. Also, hanging out with GMs=helps a lot.