Jus in Bello Convention
The convention experience that will likely be one of the more exciting venues in terms of city you've come across, so far, if you've only attended US/Canadian cons ...
There have been a number of Supernatural Conventions since the show first aired in September 2005. Popular ones in the US are Eyecon and Creation Con and past conventions overseas with fun venues have been Asylum, All Hell Breaks Loose and soon to be Jus in Bello.
I have attended a number of conventions over the years and not all of them have been the best of experiences when there were way too many attendees and lengthy amounts of time donated to wait for photo op's and autographs. Of course, the least favorite is the photo op experience where most of the time you're in what I like to call a "cattle call" you are herded in and one by one your picture is snapped with the actor/actress you paid for and it over so quickly you're not even sure it happened. It's nice to find a con that at least understands the fan experience and wants to attempt to reduce the herd effect. I've been to a couple cons that have made an attempt at this effort and they are far better than these jammed packed, long line cons. I've been to Supernatural and other conventions for different shows and by far the best kind are those that schedule the actors/actresses for more than one day and appear to know how to manage photo and autograph sessions with the fan experience in mind.
Of course, corporations aren't so inclined to worry about the fan experience but more so about 'how much can I charge' and 'how many seats can I cram into a line to maximize sales'. One example, is with Creation who has already raised photo op prices from the original sale price for Jared Padalecki pictures and I noticed this change in a fairly short amount of time when they went on sale for the 2010 con and I personally think this isn't right but hopefully Creation will sell less Op's so that it isn't so exhausting for the actors/actresses. Of course, funds need to me made in order to provide for the celebrities to attend and well, let's face it, they are working, on the job, so to speak when they are at the convention. Although, I think it's important they enjoy themselves and not feel 'burned out' at the end of it, but I digress.
It isn't often (for US con goers) that a conventions comes along that not only offers a con attendee the excitement of a spectacular venue city and a commited staff, not to say I haven't come across some simply awesome staff at other huge conventions, I have. This convention experience was originally conceived by European fans that wanted their own convention and I have to give them kudos for making it happen as other countries have done who wanted their own SPN con. This con will come into being in Rome, Italy, April 2-4, 2010.
Here is the current JIB Con promo video, Enjoy!
There was a petition and then plans were made. It was determined early on that an endeavor as large as this could not be solely run or organized by fans, so more help was sought. However, for one fan of Supernatural that had the experience to provide help with the con and to help make it happen was Daniela Chiusa, Head Organizer for the convention along with her fantastic and dedicated JIB staff. She was able to bring on board some sponsoring partners to help make the con a reality. The services to bring JIB were done pro bono (free of charge) which considering the amount of time and energy put into this project is mind boggling and the con is managed under the Jus in Bello Association, which is non-profit, yet, another surprising factor since most cons are managed by corporations that are more concerned with profit. Of course, other convention put in an equal amount of work but the pro bono aspect of JIB isn't very common, not to say it hasn't happened with other conventions but it is rare.
When I asked Daniela Chiusa about the choice of venue, the con and host hotel her reply was: "we decided Rome would be the best choice to set the event because it's easy to reach from everywhere. In Italy we have a proverb that says each street takes you to Rome, and it's one of the most famous and ancient city in the world adding to the convention appeal is its unique charm for people wishing to come and spend a few days holiday away from home. Then we were faced with two very different choices: getting a big impersonal hotel to gather as many people as possible to abate financial issues, or look for a luxury hotel that combines Italian love for art and "joie de vivre" even when that meant same costs to host fewer people. We've had no doubts for this, the latter option was the only one we were willing to consider."
She also replied, " If we were going to create an event to make fans enjoy themselves planning to have them herded from one activity to the next buried in endless lines among a huge crowd was not the best start. So we chose Hilton Rome Airport Hotel (it's usual for politicians and actors to stay there), which ensures high class international hotel services but added warmth and friendliness in Italian style. Opting for this solution we also decided JIB Con's distinctive trait should be familiarity. We hope everyone coming -from actors to fans- will feel comfortable and at home while in Rome."
Comments
Hi Dawn,
thank you for reviewing JIB Con. It was a pleasure talking with you.
daniela
there is no way this is going to be an 'intimate' event with 1000 people, it's just not possible unless the event takes place over an entire week. It's been tried, I've been to MANY conventions for different fandoms, and as much as these organizers may wish it to be, it's going to end up being just as chaotic as every other convention. And choosing Rome on Easter weekend seems like a very poor choice to me. There's no way I can attend that weekend, most people spend Easter with their families.
i'm not agree with showmance. Easter weekend is a good choice, many people will be free because it's holiday. In addition, participants will be much less than the usual number of other conventions. I'm Italian and i'll go to the convention and I'm sure that will be a success.
Less than the usual number at other conventions? I am only aware of one other convention anywhere that had more than 1000 people, most have less, far less in fact. But the fact remains that there is no way that 1000 people can be considered 'intimate', that's just spin and it's not true. And I'm sorry but I dont agree with you about Easter weekend, it's the most expensive weekend to travel to Rome, the hotel is extremely expensive, and myself and all my friends with families traditionally spend Easter weekend with our families, it's not considered acceptable to go off and do your own thing on that weekend.
I just wanted to add, I assume beejay doesn't have children. Anyone with children will find it very hard to be away for a holiday weekend like Easter, I dont think this was considered when choosing the date. Not all Supernatural fans are 18-25.
Hello everyone:
I thought it best to collectively address everyone at once. I too have been to a number of conventions over the years and based on how JIB plans to address photo ops and autograph sessions it will avoid the "cattle call" experience which I personally hate. The actors/actresses will have more than one day to speak to fans and the photo ops and autograph sessions will be broken up into smaller groupings as I understand it by talking to JIB. The Creation con I recently attended, some people waited over 3 hours before they were even ushered in for an autograph. The photo op experience with Creation once you were in the room was so fast you barely had the time to say hi before you were out the door asking yourself, 'did that happen?' This con set-up will allow more time for these sessions and will not "cattle call" you for photo op's you'll have your fan moment due to the fact the actor/actress will have the Op's on more than one day. I'll continue in another post ...
Part Two of Response:
In regard to the hotel, believe me I know expenses can add up and being from the US the Euro exchange is really bad for us, but the hotel is offering a decent discount better than I'd find through AAA and better than I found at Orbitz or Expedia. There are cheaper options not far but would invlove a taxi or car rental if you're from out of the local driving area. I have been to larger con's with a 1000 + people and there is the "cattle" way to do things and the "intimate" way. JIB's framework will allow for the more active/intimate fan experience rather than herd everyone to that one photo op in one day it will be broken up. It's an exciting venue for out of towner's and the hotel offers a shuttle into the city.
In terms of expense, there were some people that paid over a 1,000 for a front row seat at Vancon and some of those attendees flew in from the states. So, things are expensive all over.
Part Three of Response to follow: ....
Part Three:
The choice of Easter weekend, although generally a family weekend, does open it up to those that would otherwise, have to take off work, especially for those of us that do not fall in the 18-25 range, such as myself. No, I do not have children, but I have seen at many cons that families turn it into a family experience, well provided you don't have an infant which there was one at Van con this year.
So, I just want to clarify the use of "intimate" in terms of fan expereince with your fave actor/actress during photo op's and autographs. You will be provided time to have a "moment" unlike cons that cram events into one day like they have handled Jared or Jensen who appear one day only and do everything on that day.
For JIB Jared will be doing activities for the entire weekend and this includes photo's and autograph's. This will create a better fan experience that gets away from the cattle herd effect to a more enjoyable fan moment, i.e. intimate.
Have you looked into the other conventions that are run by other organizations that are NOT Creation? There have already been a number run in the UK that have actors there all weekend and not just for one day, so this concept is not exactly unique. There are also newly planned conventions happening in Germany and Spain and elsewhere which are all going to be run the same way, with all guests doing all days, rather than Creation-style where they only do one day. From my experience of this type of convention, doing it this way with 1000 people, does not significantly cut down on the amount of queuing for photos or autographs, it just means you're queuing on 2 or 3 days rather than just 1 day. Sorry to sound negative but you seem to be extremely naive by believing that this convention will be any less chaotic than any other, and the fact that this organization has never run an event of this type before does not instill any kind of confidence.
On the point of making the convention a 'family experience' that is very unrealistic. I have a 7 year old daughter. Not only would I have to pay for her travel but also her accommodation, which would mean I couldnt share the cost of the hotel room with another attendee which would make it doubly expensive. On top of that she would not enjoy an event like this, especially with that many attendees, would spend the entire day having to wait in queues or waiting for me, and would not get to spend any quality time on an important holiday weekend with her mother. Those that do bring their children to these events are selfish as far as I'm concerned, the kids just get bored and whiney which ruins things for those sitting around them in my experience. I think more people will simply not book because of the timing than anything else. I wont be going for that very reason.
Hi Showmance,
Yes, I linked the UK and Australian cons to the article. I was aware of the Spain con but hadn't read too much on it, although I am on their email update list. I have been to cons that range from 1000 + not all SPN down to cons of 500 that still had actors present. No, JIB is not unique in terms of the way it is being run but is unique in terms of US cons that I have attended in the past and as recently as August in Vancouver. This article is geared toward the US only con that has no other major con experience to go from. I'm sure there will be some chaos but based on other interview points I covered with the the organizer not covered in this article it seems that they as con goers themselves both overseas and US have a good grasp on how to make it run smoothly. Will there be glitches, yes, of course. I am not "extremely naive" in that area as I have been going to cons for a number of years and have seen even more chaos than Creation or others have brewed up.
Hi Showmance,
There are some families that can make this experience work but it is no more realistic than taking a young child to Disney World before they are at least 10, so that they can completely enjoy the experience, my nephew now 11, went when he was 7 and barely remembers a thing, other than the fact he was there and that was a waste of money for admission and hotel. He went again when he a little older and now he remembers the trip and has real solid memories. Personally, I agree, children should not be hulled to cons unless they happen to enjoy the subject of the con, too. I think cons are for those that have the time and money to attend and those that don't ... do what I do when you can't afford to go ... watch Youtube or read personal reports online. I agree that holiday timing is a little tough but it is what it is and I have no control over that. Even if I don't attend this one, I still think it'll be a good con to try for those that only have known US/Canadian cons.
just to add our two cents about the date.
Each date we could have picked would have been no good for someone, each person has engagement, commitment, obligation in their lives so someone is bound to be disappointed whatever we do, but i must admit, the 1st thing we considered as organizers was ACTORS SCHEDULES. As you can imagine creating a Supernatural convention without having Supernatural actors would have been a bit difficult!
Actors are bound by their works and we picked the date with the counsel and the approval of our present and future managers' guest. Two weeks prior and they would still be filming, two weeks later and they would not be available.
WE CHOSE 1 DATE and WE ARE STICKING TO IT SINCE THE ANNOUNCE ot the convention.
Also i'm not entering debates about other organizers work, it's not my right to do so and i think results and guests lists can speak for themselves.
Jus in Bello Staff:
Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it! I agree that considering the actors schedules is the main priority in order to have guests that could attend. I still think this will be a very successful convention. You know I support you!
showmance , I'm sorry but I think that you're climbing on mirrors. I honestly do not know what conv of SPN you are gone but I can tell you from fans who have been to conventions of SPN which usually involved some 1,500 people are on the minimum 1300 .... the Italian conv will be one of the smallest in terms of participants because they wanted to give more space for fans and guests, no hours and hours of queue .... all will be very simple and intimate ... at familiar level that does not mean that there will be families, but there will be an informal interaction with the guests. If the date chosen is that there is a reason ..... and at Easter in Italy is invaded by people from all over the world ... I do not think a big problem if you want to participate in the conv, if they can go to vacation they can go to conv. but nobody is obliged .... team of JIB, great professional, is doing a great job to give SPN fans and guests who will participate in an unforgettable event.
thanks so much Dawn Nyberg !! I love this article .....
If you read showmance first post:-
"there is no way this is going to be an 'intimate' event with 1000 people, it's just not possible unless the event takes place over an entire week. It's been tried, I've been to MANY conventions for different fandoms, and as much as these organizers may wish it to be"
She is actually talking about all conventions in Europe, and not just SPN. It has all been done before, and the only inmate con that I have been to in the past where there wasn't any queuing etc was a Buffy/Angel con that had a max of 250 people with a nice number of guests attending and it was for the whole weekend.
Yet all cons for fandoms in Europe you meet new people, have fun with guests in a relax environment if not too many people attending. A good example of a SPN con was Asylum 2 that was under 1000 people and they wasn't cattled herd through and it was really relax after the registration problems.
So what JIB is doing, isn't a new thing in Europe others have done
I have been to conventions with 1500 people, 800 people and 150 people, and various numbers in between, from a range of different fandoms, and all took place over a whole weekend and not the US style. Even with 800 people it's a cattle call. Trying to get all 800 people through autographs signings with everyone wanting to get a few minutes to talk to each guest, means that those at the beginning of the queue get time and those at the back get pushed through with little more than a glance and a "thank you", due to time restraints. Sadly I think Showmance is right, with 1000 people, its just never going to be an intimate convention, it's just simply too many people. The only intimate events I've ever been to had less than 300 people and only at those did I get to spend some time with the guests, otherwise they are always being rushed off for talks or signings or photos.
UKEventAttendee
you're talking about Asylum 2 and you're right, there was under 1000 people but I don't think it was a choice. There was no Jared or Jensen. On the contrary at Asylum 3 the number of persons was almost doubled. I was there and I know (one of my friends had a registration number over 1500)
To spngirl: Asylum 2 sold 1200 tickets and had around 800 people who actually attended after Jared had to cancel due to filming commitments. As for Asylum 3, your friend may well have had a number over 1500 but that's because when someone cancelled, instead of reallocating their number a new number was issued. A total number of 1400 tickets were sold, and of those, only around 1200 people actually attended the event. Just thought I'd clear that up. I wont comment on anything else to do with this article.
I have a question for the organizers since they are replying here. As this is the first convention for Supernatural to take place in a non-English-speaking country, how will you ensure that the actors, who speak no Italian, and the attendees, who will mostly speak little to no English, will be able to understand eachother and what is going on? I am interested to know how it will all work. Obviously I am an English speaker and speak absolutely zero Italian. I'd love to go to Rome but I am worried about going to an event in Italy as I am worried I wont understand anything (apart from the actors, which maybe is the only important bit lol).
Hi Celia,
nice to meet you (and Dawn sorry for invading your column again ^^) about your question, JIB Con is an international event and our staff will speak english (some of them will speak also french, german, spanish and japanese. while i'm not sure about portuguese or russian but we will see if we can manage) beside italian so you won't need to worry on this account. Also actors of course will speak english but there will be an interpreter on the stage all the time to mediate between them and those attendees who can't speak english when it's needed.
Anyway if you wish to receive more info please contact us by email here staff@jusinbello.it.
take care
d.
To Janine: I’m sorry but I think there was for sure more than 1200 people at Asylum 3. I’m not only remembering the unending queues (5-6 hours to get already paid tickets, hours to receive autographs and photo ops, and in the meanwhile you couldn’t have a reserved seat in the stage room! I missed a lot of panels or was in the last rows and needed binoculars even to see what was going on through the screens!). All of that could be due to a poor organization, but I’m considering the stage room capacity (counting rows and seats) and people I saw in it at the opening ceremony. I attended various Creation event with 1400-1500 people and there was no such a chaos, maybe Creation is a better organizer but a lot of people is a lot of people, no matter what.
honestly I'm wondering what is giving you such discomfort. because I really can not understand. will be a SPN italian convention but will be at international level, in Italy people speak English there, and in fact go to the convention of SPN in USA of Canada and the UK without any problems, you will speak English in Italy .... precisely because it will be an international convention. what bothers you to be called intimate, why? what problem you created? JIB's team is trying to do a convention of SPN giving fans the opportunity to have an interaction with the guests quiet ... I really do not understand all this fury against a convention, when our part there is the utmost respect for the work of several teams who right now are working with the other convention.
I thought, perhaps naively that SPN fans were more united and more convention there will be more the chance to meet the actors and to live on in the world of SPN and meet friends was one of the best things for fans ... and i
Hi... I'm here too!!! ^^
Ok... Comments...
First of all:
@Showmance: in Italy there's a saying that says: "Xmas with yours, Easter with U want". In Italy is not necessary to be with your family EVERY holiday... there are the other days to be with them!
I'm sad for you who can't attend at the Con, but... stay calm!! Thee's a lot of people who can (and not Italian only)!
uh... For the record: I've a child like most of the people I know who comes to the Con (with theyr children or not)!
@Dawn Nyberg: WOW.. This article rocks! XD
@For the remaining writers who talks about it: I'm sorry for those that with the other convention were scrubbed or have had some bad memories, But... We have 3 days with the cast of a fantastic show and we can have an intimate Con with them and the other fans, in the city with the most story in the world.... ROME....
Come and see.... U can have nice surprises!!!
Kisses and cuddles at all!
1,000 fans is a big convention no matter how many small groups they are split into. A 1,000 people is a crowd. If each of the 1,000 attendees want just one autograph from Jared, allowing only 15 seconds per autograph that is over 4 hours of signing. 15 seconds is enough time to say 'hi', it is not intimate it is a cattle call! Plus why sell 250 tickets with no seat in the main hall? Being excluded from the live action to watch a screen is not a memorable convention experience. Obviously the hall will not fit 1,000 people, so why not sell 750 tickets? Also, if this is a 'not for profit' convention why are the tickets so expensive? JIB prices are similar to Creation's. Creation is a profit based convention. The cheapest ticket at JIB with autographs and a seat inside the hall is 290 euro. I paid 100 euro for the same package at Asylum 3 with Jensen, Jared, Misha, etc. All JIB has done is increase the price of conventions for SPN fans in Europe so that many fans cannot afford to attend.
Hi J2fan,
Yes, it's a big convention as I have been to many cons in the past bigger and smaller, not all Supernatural conventions. However, some of the format set-ups that were discussed with me concerning JIB sound like some of the few cons I have been to where there are a 1000 + and the con experience isn't so 'cattle-call' despite there being tons of people. The non-profit, in terms of the employees setting things up are not getting paid and the contracts for the actors are expensive, as they aren't just paid to be on stage but rooms and flights, too. I haply provided links to other cons in the very first paragraph of this article as I am not biased toward any con. I simply wrote this article after hearing about the petition that European fans had started in an attempt to have their own con. Sadly, I doubt I'll be able to attend myself, although I'm still trying to see if I can gather the funds to attend. JIB is one con out of many that a fan can choose to attend US or overseas.
One additional Clarification:
The JIB employees: con organizer and staff are not receiving any pay for their work, I didn't make that entirely clear in my previous response. I said those 'setting it up' which meant: the con organizer and the entire staff associated with JIB.
Thank you.
hi I would like to add something
I attending A3, there were 2 many tickets sold ( I was number 1489) and there was 1500 tickets sold, as I sat in the hall waiting for our numnber to be called, we were last!
it was absolute chaos, but do ya know what, i have already got my tickets for A4 and A5, and i wouldnt miss it,it was fabulous! I am coming to the italian conv, and i think the prices are so high as the euro is so bad at the mo, i really hope its all its made up to be, as im looking forward to it!
Hi SPN Freak,
Yes, I too, have been at con's that I felt were way over sold and the chaos was horrible. I am hoping to attend JIB but you are right about euros, so we'll see if I can afford to go, because despite writing an SPN column I have to pay out of pocket to attend con's to report on. You have a great con attitude and I'm glad you have a "fabulous" time when you attend even when they are packed. Thanks for commenting :)
I've attended the Creation Supernatural Conventions and in fact they are considerably smaller than the European shows (which I have also been too) and a lot more organized. At Creation shows it is about 800 people, most coming all weekend. Everything runs smoothly and everyone gets what they are promised with the actors having a good time.
And their prices, considering what the actors charge for appearances, are quite reasonable. At some Creation shows general admission tickets are as low as $20 a day (Supernatural is a bit higher).
With so many American convention promoters going out of business and taking fans ticket money down I say Creation is the way to go. I had a friend who bought Twilight Convention tickets from another group and lost $500.
Also at Creation shows there is no worrying about seeing everything: all who pay get a seat in the theatre for ALL the guests and events. If you went to San Diego Comicon you know how important that is!
Righteousone
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