Showmasters is a company who run multiple Film and Comic Con events across the UK, with the goal of delivering the biggest guest lineup possible for fans. These events attract all ages, all fandoms and all cosplayers, as it’s a chance to celebrate being a fan or part of a fandom. At these events there is the opportunity to have professional photo ops with the guests, receive autographs from the guests, purchase lots of different merchandise, enter cosplay competitions or even a place where you might find new friends with similar interests.
One of their biggest events is LFCC (London Film and Comic Con). Which started back in 2004 and is still going strong thirteen years later. Over the years they have had some pretty big guests attending their events such as Carrie Fisher, Michael J. Fox, Sigourney Weaver and even Stan Lee. I have been attending these events for the last four years, and this year was definitely one of their biggest so far. To give you an idea of some of the big names attending this year, we had Benedict Cumberbatch, Natalie Dormer, Kevin Smith, Mads Mikkelsen, Steven Yeun, Pamela Anderson, John Cleese and that’s only naming a few of the big ones. This event had a guest list of at least ninety attending. That’s one of the great things about Showmasters events, is that they try to get a range of guests so that all fandoms can come together and meet someone they love from a show they love.
From personal experience and from someone who attends a lot of conventions and Showmasters events, I had an excellent time this year. Using Olympia Grand, National, Central and West meant that there was plenty of space, it was nicely spread out and not cramped. This is useful especially with the number of people attending as Saturday entry tickets were completely sold out. This also means there is a lot of merchandise stalls meaning you’ll end up coming home with lots of items you didn’t even realise you needed.
The guests also seemed to be enjoying themselves. As I was waiting for one of my photo ops, I saw Benedict Wong who plays Wong in Doctor Strange come out with music playing from a speaker and he was high-fiving everyone as he goes past with a big smile on his face. While lining up for my Kevin Smith photo-op I witnessed him taking pictures with cosplayers he thought looked great, he also greeted and hugged every person he was having a photo with. That’s something that really can make these events special. Seeing a guest who might be an idol to you or just a person you love from a show having just a much fun at these events as you are.
The organisation is the key to making these events run smoothly. As always that’s down to wonderful volunteers who sacrifice their personal time to make sure these events go well. So a big thank you goes to the crew and the helpers as without you guys helping Showmasters these events just wouldn’t work. Also, David Bedwell who runs Showmasters Twitter deserves a big thank you. As he volunteers to run the Twitter page for Showmasters and if you think it’s easy, think again. He puts up with the same questions day in, day out, also people being rude for no real reason and yet he still is one of the nicest guys around. He helps out with as much as he possibly can through Twitter by announcing guests and helping people with any questions they may have about the events. But most importantly he is a fan like the rest of us.
Events like these bring fans together. Showmasters put on events that celebrate being a fan. People from all over the world attend these events as it’s a place where everything can be forgotten because we are all there to enjoy ourselves. You will find at these type of events there is no judgment, there is no hate. We appreciate one another, whether it’s through praising someone for the hard work that’s gone into a cosplay or just being excited that someones found some amazing merchandise. Even while queuing up for guests you might end up in long conversations with people because you both are here to meet the same guests or enjoy the same shows. At the end of the day, everyone who attends these events is here to have a good time and create memories that will stick with them forever. I for one have achieved that at every event I have been too. So thank you Showmasters and keep up the good work.
If you’d like to know more about these events, check out this link – http://www.showmastersevents.com/
