Sunday, August 21, 2011

Lessons Unlearned...

Plan ahead, plan well you big dopes...





With the closing of the Mouse's second convention, I thought it was time to reflect...

On what went right and what went wrong. Mostly on the wrong part of that reflective question. Lets recap a little about the 2009 D23 Expo. First, it was over 4 days and in the end had over 20,000+ attend the show. Not bad for a first time event. Disney pulled it off pretty well, although there were some rough edges that you would think they would learn from and tweak the next time, right?

Not really, no.

This time to save money, (I mean, those numbers weren't a success for a first time event.) they decided to have the event over three days instead of four. And the attendance this year was more than last time, catching Disney off guard. close to 40,000 attended this year. A full 17,000 attended a sold out Saturday event alone. Do the math, almost twice as many people with one less day to do it in. Crowds far worse than last time. Less Cast Members were there to help out from the parks as well. Have to save those pennies you know. After all, no one will notice right? There were five security companies hired to handle this event as well and I talked to some of them as well as several people that worked for the Anaheim Convention Center and they all agreed that the Mouse botched it.

There were a lot of displays, but it did seem like there were less of them. I could be wrong about that, but the general perception was along those lines. The Walt Disney Parks & Resorts display was nice, but the open space between the displays made it feel like there were less models on view. Also, the announcement that there would be things on display from all parks wasn't accurate as well. Florida, with the Extreme Expansion at the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland was the big model this time. California with Buena Vista Street and Cars Land were represented. Shanghai was on display in a very intentionally vague model. Disney Cruise Line had a representation there as well with models of the Dream and a statue of Minnie from the Fantasy. Adventures by Disney, the Aulani and the Disney Vacation Club was represented as well. But Hong Kong from 09' wasn't represented, neither was Disneyland Paris and nothing from Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySEA (Mustn't embarrass the other parks by stunning Disney fans with pictures from this park, could they?).

But as I mentioned in my observations in the earlier post, the biggest mistake was the Arena area of the park. This was the place where the big stuff was to be held. This place holds 6,000+ people and during the first D23 Expo Disney rented out the entire place. Even then people still didn't get in. You would think with this demand, event planners would have prepared for this and did something to address the situation. They did. They made it worse. To make it more intimate (company phrasing to hide the unwillingness to fork over cash for the entire place) they decided to only rent out approximately 4,000 seats. Leaving almost a third of the place empty. Empty even though they could have filled up all the seats. Almost the whole upper balcony sat vacant while fans waited outside. Way to make it more intimate, guys. Real good PR move. While I got into the Parks & Resorts event, hundreds of people did not. This left many people that attended this expo who waited in line feeling frustrated and saddened at not being able to see the presentation. Now, what was shown was very entertaining, but it wasn't any big surprise. Tom Staggs continues to grow in his job and will hopefully be Iger's successor some day. Like I mentioned in my other article, Staggs would likely only give a small surprise, not a big one. Which is exactly what happened.

But the major screw up was the big event for Walt Disney Studios; the massive two and a half hour collection of previews of coming films, DVD's and teases of what's to come over the next two/three years. This event did offer some surprises and the fact that they didn't let you bring your camera was a clue to this. If they have a Parks & Resorts event at a future Expo where they don't allow cameras or cell phones then you will have a clue that something is going to be shown that you'll want to be there for. But even with all these wonderful surprises, there were thousands of people, yes thousands, that didn't get to see any of it. They had to wander around the panels and exhibits checking websites for updates. All while two thousand seats sat empty. But it was intimate right? I was one of the lucky ones with a connection, but most were not.

The really bad thing is those that got up, drove to this thing and waited for three or four hours ahead or more only to be told that the Arena was full. Now, if those other seats were available there still would have been people who didn't get in to see it, but there would have been far less. And to make matters worse, this event was not advertised as a D23 Member exclusive event. That's because it was open to the public... or so it was advertised. But the geniuses at planning didn't think this one through. See, if you are a D23 member then you get early admission to the Expo. Fair enough, but it also means that you can line up for the Arena queue up to an hour before anyone else can. Including those that have been there four hours before you. So by the time the attendees were let in, it was full.

No one that waited in this line got to see the show. If the other two thousand seats had been available, many would have got to see it. But Disney chose to only buy out two thirds of it and make the others that waited feel like they'd wasted a good deal of time. Unless you were someone in the media or a D23 member you were shut out. That's not how it was advertised and that is not how it was planned, but it is how events unfolded. And several of the media weren't too happy having their reporting materials confiscated. To make matters worse, Marvel live-blogging the announcements made many reporters upset that they were invited to cover an event only to be scooped by the host. And with the chaos that happened over these three days many in the media felt that Disney had been touting that they can hold an event as good as, or better than Comic-Con does. The reporters I talked to believe they clearly cannot.

I can tell you at least one vice president no longer has a job because of these screw ups and I can think of one or two more I wouldn't mind seeing let go. I think the planning should have been done to make sure everyone wanted to return for the next expo. I don't know if that will happen, because I talked to several people that were so frustrated they didn't know wether or not they were going to book it. I think many will wait for the schedule to see what is planned. And several of those will wait to see if the Arena is fully booked, because if they plan on leaving a third empty then many will just stay home. Because they'll know that the events they are being told they have a chance of seeing, they have no real chance of attending. The planners of the next event had better have at least the entire Arena available or there will be major complaints. At least? How can they have more? Well, there are several rooms that weren't rented out which the event planners could have put seats in and big screens at the front to broadcast the events. If they're worried about cameras and cell phones then they can ban them from this room like they did for the Studios keynote. But at least many more will get to see it. That would leave the guest happy to have been part of the magic they wanted to see. Imagine that, Disney?

There were several things that went well, but far too many screw ups were worse than the original Expo, which shouldn't have happened. I wonder how many who worked that last one were paying attention? I wonder if they really thought this through? It certainly didn't appear so this time. They had better examine the problems they had and address them before next time. I remember hearing the PR Suits saying that two years would help them plan for an even better expo. Really? Then next time play it safe.

Plan three, four or even five years in advance, please...

43 comments:

PL said...

I planned the trip to this year's D23 Expo from Eastern Canada a year in advence, and I was one of the people who waited in line for the Parks and Rosorts presentation and couldn't get in. I don't thik I will go again if there is a next time. I am better off just stay home reading the reports on the net.

Anonymous said...

I understand you were underwhelmed I got that from the Friday post, but those of us who could not make it wat to know what happened and about the presentations.

Anonymous said...

Honor, your devotion the WDC does you credit. However I, and many others, do not share your hope for a brighter disney tomorrow. Oh sure, they will acknowledge the errors of this year's event. They will say that they have learned their lesson. But, as you yourself pointed out about the 2009 expo, the PR department will tell everyone exactly what they want to hear.

Meanwhile, they will make a token effort and make a few improvements for the next expo and then they will tell everyone that they are making HUGE changes and everyone will be happy. They'll say that it will be worth the 30 to 40 bucks-guaranteed! But I am willing to guaranty that the next expo will be just as poorly planned and disappointing.

Event services hasn't done anything right (to my knowledge) in over a decade. Furthermore, the WDC are pro's at cutting every corner then campaigning vigorously to convince people otherwise; and they often succeed. People will wake up to the mouse's antics. It will take time. But it will happen.

Unknown said...

I attended both the 2009 and 2011 expo, and this years was really disappointing. Not as much to do, too crowded, and impossible to get in to the big panels. I saw Steven Clark walking around Saturday morning and I point blank told him they shouldn't do another one. If they do, I won't be going.

Anonymous said...

Disney isn't responsible for the prices of the food, that is up to the convention center. Blame the city of Anaheim, not Disney for this.

Anonymous said...

As much as I understand how much it sucked that Disney did not rent the whole place, I dont think some events would have mattered. The Studio event was full at 9:30, and they turned away tons of D23 members too. Also, being that it is the D23 expo, member should have first shots at getting in over non members. (I am not a member, but understand that is a perk for being one.) But I agree, how come they can video feed the events in other areas. I hope next year they will!

But there was a lot of good and fun too! Lots of people had a blast at the Expo as well. Where is the good in your update?

Anonymous said...

Steven Clark could be out of a job soon.

Expo was a fun weekend overall, I'd go again but honestly the whole schedule was pathetic.

I think they need to sell less tickets, open up the arena more, have an overflow area for each stage/arena show with TV screens, and use more of the convention floor. Stage 28 is tiny, and they put all the amazing WDI panels in there and Stage 23 which wasn't too much bigger.

They should have one giant WDI show in the arena. Have Parks/Resorts, Studios, Marvel, WDI and ESPN as the big arena shows.

I would rather they set up a huge area of the convention floor with a ton of big and small TVs with seating areas for showing live feeds of panels. I'd like to see some panels but don't want to stand in a 3 hour line up just to see it.

I laughed at the pathetic little animation "booth". LOL so sad. They could have had an animation archives pavilion as big as the parks/resorts.

Another thought I had was to make it just a parks and resorts expo. forget all the other crap, but that's just me. Maybe have a 6 day expo, days 1-2 are parks/resorts/WDI, days 3-4 studios, marvel and animation, days 4-5 archives and other random stuff and day 6 the radio disney teeny bopper stuff.

Looking forward to the changes to expo3.

Disney_IS_SPECIAL said...

Disney always seems to botch things up. I remember hearing the outcries about the Pirates and Haunted Mansion events. This is no different. I happend to think they always botch things up. That's why I don't bother to ever go and its too bad since Disney are always known for being the best in the business. Maybe they are, but few get to see it, thus their exclusiveness. You see, it is quite unique that Disney's specialness is based on how few actually experience it. LOL!!!

Abe Sapien said...

"As much as I understand how much it sucked that Disney did not rent the whole place, I dont think some events would have mattered. The Studio event was full at 9:30, and they turned away tons of D23 members too."

Yeah, but the only ones that got in were D23 members. It wasn't a D23 Exclusive event, which are labeled as such. If they're going to let them in they should have a section reserved, but not let them take up the entire event. It was billed as something that anyone who bought a ticket could go to. I could expect if someone showed up more than four hours ahead they could expect a seat. Disney should have thought of that beforehand. And next time two or three rooms with monitors broadcasting it would be a great way to sooth some ruffled feathers.

Anonymous said...

Honor, nice honest assessment of the event, one I did not attend. From all I have heard, though, your observations are quite accurate. But should it really surprise you?

I know you seem to have a soft spot for Tom Staggs (did you see him addressing the WDW fans disappointment with the event on the blog?) much the same way Al Lutz can't wrap his head around the fact Georgie K is just another Florida guy who has sold his soul to remain at the company, and is more than willing to take credit for all the work Invisible Ed Grier did before he arrived from Paris.

What you must understand is two things:

1.) Disney didn't/doesn't care about D23 attendees unless they have a website or blog or podcast and can turn around and tell all the 'folks back home' how magical the event was, how these poor saps only could wish they were in Anaheim at the ultimate geekfest, and how special they are because they have a lanyard around their necks. I could name names, but we all know the personalities and we know that 95% of them are going to be positive to absolutely giddy over Disney's event and all the individual presentations (many that other paying D23 members and day visitors couldn't get admission to DESPITE paying). Disney wants to control the fan community and they do this by controlling the fan sites. That has been and is a goal of D23 to begin with.

2.) Disney ALWAYS wows with something at the start, whether it's an event like D23 or a new attraction or show or restuarant, but as soon as the attention starts to wane, well, the quality drops. They make people pay more and get less. It's been that way since the 1990s and has only gotten MUCH worse since Bob Iger has taken over.

It's great that you are hopeful for the future, but many of us our realistic. We see things for what they are and not what they could be.

If there's an Expo in 2012, then rest assured it will be even more of what was wrong in 2011 ... plus some new added screw-ups.

They have no idea what they are doing, none.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I want to know more about this "didn't rent the whole arena" statement.

It would seem odd that you rent out seats. You either use the Arena or you don't. Once you rent it you then configure it in a way you think will best serve your event or events. They made a decision for some reason to make it more intimate or didn't think it would fill (Marvel and Disney Channel) so they chose a capacity to "average" them all.

Bad strategy or they should look to ways to make the space a bit more flexible.

Video feeds would be good for some though with the studios they would lose control over the No Video or pictures issue.

I had a great time; saw lots of friends and some great panels but I certainly see where it could be an even stronger event.

Maybe the solution is a much cheaper ticket just to get in and then there is a ticket book in various panels with tickets valued A to E........just saying.

olegc said...

for me - I stood in line for 8 events and got into 4. but those 4 events I missed cost me around 6 hours or more of time without seeing something else.

to me - their idea was to create exclusivity by limiting attendance and making it very hard to see what you wanted - no matter what you paid for it. If it seems like everyone wants in - then it must be so popular and next year can charge more.

and I bet if these presentation on Movie day were made at Comic-Con they may have not been well received.. not enough splash. Where was the Iron Man suit? where was the Marvel pavillion? just seems like they want so much control over the release and availability of entertainment. It's Eisner all over again.

Anonymous said...

The entire expo was a mess. It was so bad, Robert Iger didn't even show up. Disney can do great things, but when they screw up they do it BIG. Heads should roll over this. There is no excuse for this years expo being this bad. Everyone I spoke with were so angry they said they will not return. Everyone connected with D23 and the expo should be introduced to the unemployment line.

Anonymous said...

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, I'd give D23 Expo a 4.25.
The whole event seemed dull and there really wasn't much to see. The Park & Resort display was a real let down. The rest of it was pretty much a long winded Disney commercial. I don't think I'll go back. The first D23 was much better than this year's expo. Overall, it was a huge disappointment for me and my family.

Anonymous said...

Why didn't the talk about the fixes at Disneyland's Tomorrowland, like the Tron ride?

Anonymous said...

Disney in the last year or two have been cutting cost quite a bit. Outsourcing 2D cleanup animation to Canada. Making and designing the Little Mermaid ride cheaply. Making the Winnie the Poo movie for 30 million. Shutting down 2D animation once again! Moving Toon Disney Studios to India. Cutting the budget for the fourth Pirate movie, and it showed. Cut the budget for the Lone Ranger, where everyone walked! And this latest D23.

Here's other things. Forcing Pixar to make their sequels, and making the silly Planes movie outsourced to India (Toon Disney Studios). Pixar opening a studio in Canada to do all thier short cartoons. Shutting down Imagemovers.

Last years D23 had me so exited and this years I couldn't care less.

Anonymous said...

All you whiners are so funny. So many of you, including the main writer of this whinefest at the top, don't have your facts straight about the behind-the-scenes. I'm not saying the expo went perfectly without any challenges, but you people need to get over yourselves. Bob Iger didn't come because of scheduling conflicts. No VP's lost their jobs. The 4,000 vs 6,000 seats in the Arena had ZERO to do with money. When someone rents out the arena you don't rent it by number of seats or space. You either rent the ENTIRE arena or nothing at all. It had everything to do with comparing the last expo to what was expected this time so the stage was intentionally moved closer to make the Arena more intimate. Yes, in hindsight that was now a bad mistake given how many showed up this year, but basing on the 2009 expo it was hard to predict that this year was going to be totally the opposite with crowds.

The event team did the best job they could and were adjusting quickly once they realized that this year's expo would be very different than the 2009 expo with crowds. I can guarantee you that the 2013 expo will be much more buttoned up and prepared for the crowds.

But then again, I know you all are event experts and know how to put on large scale events like D23 Expo and all can armchair better how to manage the overall operation. Give me a break!

Insider Desider said...

Sorry Anonymous, but an Exec VP did loose his position for this at the studio. I don't know if he lost his job, but he was shall we say "reprimanded" for a situation involving VIPs that was handled very badly. All the folks in my office are talking about it.

One of the reasons things went badly this time is that the Parks handled the first EXPO in 09' and this time the Studio handled it. As much as I complained about the first one, this one was handled worse. And they had twice as much time to deal with it so there is no excuse.

As for the Arena issue. We're hearing the same thing here on the Lot about Disney buying out only partial space in the area. We do know that one of the reasons it went to three days instead of four was to save money so it makes sense if that's what it was done for. I don't buy the intimate thing either. Over at Disneyland or California Adventure you can rent out parts of the park for a night. You don't have to rent the whole place, so it seems the convention center could do the same.

But many I talked to still feel Disney isn't capable of running these type of events. It seems like two years would have been plenty of time to pull this together and tweak it from the first one. If they got the first one done in way less than a year, (which they did) why did they screw up so royally?

Anonymous said...

I am curious as to just who lost their position. When the DVC muck-up occurred, Disney had no problem assigning blame and handing out pink slips. So just who was it that lost their job?

Anonymous said...

The event team this time wasn't the same as last time.

Parks clearly did a much better job of handling the vent than the studio. Not that it was perfect, but it was badly done. I met so many people that were upset this time over last time.

As for Iger, I don't think Honor mentioned him and wasn't saying that he chose not to come.

As for the seating in the arena, some of the people I talked to in convention employees that were working the event mentioned the same thing about renting out part of it. I'd think working there they would know how it's handled. They work there not me.

I think people here are complaining because it was the second event, not the first. You learn from that one. If the second one is worse, what did you learn???

Horus Hollyweis said...

Ok Anonymous, if they were trying to make it more intimate and didn't expect this, did they not look at last time???

They filled all 6000 seats last time and still had many people waiting to get in. I know, I was in the nose bleed area of the arena for the Parks and Resorts in 2009. There were at least a thousand behind me that didn't get in. Disney thought that letting even more of these people not get in was a good thing??? How could they not see that coming?

You sound like one of the whiners at the studio that screwed up and are trying to make excuses for it.

Anonymous said...

"I'm not saying the expo went perfectly without any challenges"


Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe.

Looks like someone is trying to save his ass! Good luck with your job, buddy.

Shermann Way said...

Sorry, but the Anaheim Convention Center does rent out the Arena by section. THEY DO. I know because my school rented out a section of it for their graduation ceremony back in 2004. They were given the choice and seating layouts and they were divided by section and seating prices. You are wrong about this, Anonymous.

Unknown said...

I was at all 3 days, and made all the major Arena presentations (except Disney Channel, which I was not interested in). I do agree with some of what you said. However, I need to point out a couple of factual errors.

1) The arena capacity is 7,500, not 6,000. That is a sizeable difference.

2) At least for Parks & Resorts, "Almost the whole upper balcony sat vacant" was not true. I was in the upper balcony and it was almost full. There were seats blocked off in the extreme ends of the seating areas, but that was a few hundred eats at most, not 1/3. In all of the presentations I was in the upper balcony was at least 1/2 full. Should they have been filled? Yes. But that is not the same as "Almost the whole upper balcony sat vacant".

Anonymous said...

Robert Iger did not attend because it conflicted with his vacation, his words. He needed to be in attendance. His absence is inexcusable. The entire expo was a boring mess. Disney can do better.

Brian Bennett said...

You know, they could rent the arena and run the same presentations twice or even three times each.

tjkraz said...

Some won't be happy to read this but I can tell you for a fact that there were a couple hundred empty seats in the parks & resorts session.

We got in line right after Legends ended and were only about 75 people back. First group to be let into the area. We were first seated to the far right on the floor. Next to us in the section just right of center was a block of about 10-15 rows that was taped off. Press? VIPs? Package buyers? Don't really know who they were earmarked for. But about 10 minutes before the show began, occupants of that taped off section arrived and only filled about half. Organizers then told us we could move over. Many from our section jumped into those seats but there were groups of chairs that were never occupied. The chairs were so close together that many people were straddling two chairs, which may have given the appearance that it was fuller.

Also I could see clearly areas of the top level that were never filled.

Only explanation I can think of is that they did a poor job of judging the initial 4000, and then were extremely slow and disorganized when bringing people in from standby. They easily could have fit a few hundred more into that arena.

On Saturday, we were among those who missed the film session. Really upset at that one. Got in line shortly after 8am and didn't even come close. Must have been 2000 people in the standby line by the time we entered the building. Disney can only do so much to stifle demand but it's very disheartening to read that 2000 seats were cut from the arena compared to 2009.

I really don't care how empty the Disney Channel and Marvel sessions may have appeared. To hell with that politically correct garbage.

Honor Hunter said...

Hey Randy,

Thanks for the clarification. I did put that it was 6000 "plus" because I didn't know the exact number. Where I was you couldn't see all the seats in the back, but it appeared to be a good portion. Some of the people I talked to, both gave me figures that were 1/3rd approximately was left empty. The press events that I've seen said that about 4000 seats would be available. That's why I used the 6000 number in relation to 1/3rd being kept empty. I was referring mainly to the Studios event, not the Parks event btw.

Either way you look at it though, there were a lot of people that still could have gotten in. And there were plenty of rooms available for monitors so that fans could see the events that they didn't get in.

Looks like the Parks & Resorts guys should be put back in charge. The Studio guys dropped the ball. Perhaps it was the ones that scheduled "Winnie the Pooh" earlier this year?

Lets cross our fingers that they learn from this though. I hoped they learned from last time and they did worse, not better. If they do worse than this I really don't want them having these events. If that happens, just return to Comic-Con and let someone else handle it.

Anonymous said...

The event was an epic fail as far as I'm concerned. I'm a huge Disney fan and a D23 Charter Member. I did not get into the Studios presentation and was turned away from the Buena Vista presentation, Dick Van Dyke, Cars Land and many other desirable - this despite getting to the lines always more than an hour (at least - three hours for Studios!). I actually sneaked into a couple of the presentations (shouldn't have to do that!) only to find that there were ultimately MANY seats that remained unfilled for the presentations). Though the Cast member were almost all nice and friendly, there was seeminly NO communication among them. I would get conflicting information from staff standing at the same door! This Expo was incredibly disappointing. For a company that makets itself as the best at customer service, etc., this was just awful!

Unknown said...

I agree. Parks & Resorts has a lot of experiencing pulling off major events. They really know how to do these things and have much more experience at it than the Studios does.

BTW, I was on the 3rd level for the Studios also, and it was pretty full then, too. I was able to find the actual capacity on the Convention Center website, so it sounds like the press that was reporting 6,000 capacity and 2/3 full were misinformed.

Anonymous said...

maybe they should hold the expo at the arrowhead pond down the street, just host panels and large shows there, then on the bottom concourse have the collector's area. the "ice" building next to it can be used for parks/resorts display... might not be the best location but at least people can get in and wouldn't have to line up. you could buy a specific seat for the whole weekend.

Anonymous said...

you people are a bunch of Morons, the bottom line is that you went, and when Expo 2013 rolls around you will go to that one too.

first of all the Arena is round, and when you put a stage in one end it is naturally going to take away the available seats beind it. that also goes for the seats on the extreme sides near the stage as well. there is your 1/3.

people love to complain, if you aren't happy about it then don't go. I think that is is funny that all of you are commenting on how the first one was bad, and this one was worse! Well I think that you are the bigger IDIOT for going to something AGAIN if you didn't like it the first time.

you are probably all the same people who complain about how bad Disney is, but buy all the pins and Vinylmation you can get you chubby fingers on!

Anonymous said...

**and I bet if these presentation on Movie day were made at Comic-Con they may have not been well received.. not enough splash.**

Exactly. That's why Disney passed the Con by and focused on D23 - and this D23 was NOT a special treat for members and Disney fans, BTW, but a hype event, nothing more. Disney in particular is nervous about the new Muppet movie, so it made damn sure only fans of the franchise got to see that presentation. And even then, it didn't go over all THAT well; don't believe some of the hype you're reading from online nerd blogs. Overall, Disney wanted a controlled, Disney-centered event to present its slate in, and while it did get some positive ink, it pretty much crapped up everything else.

Anonymous said...

I went with my family and got into every event I got in line to see. There were three keys to this. 1.) plan ahead and get in line early. I got to the expo every morning at 7:30am to get in line. 2.) send portions of your group or partner to secure a place in line while the other(s) shop or get food for the rest. 3.) most important...BECOME A D23 MEMBER. sorry to all that disagree with me on this but we pay a membership fee for a reason. It was well advertised for a year that D23 members would get in an hour early before anyone else. That was key. I don't know why anyone would act surprised, like this was a surprise.

The bottom line is a lot of Disney fans have a false sense of entitlement. I pointed this out to my wife and family over and over at each occurrence is saw over the three day expo. The truth to the matter is you have no guarantee you are going to get into any panel or event on the schedule. You plan ahead and try your best and hope it all works out. Sorry folks but showing up a half hour before is not going to get you in.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Sincerely,

Membership has it's rewards

Anonymous said...

Wow, to read these self-appointed critics of criticism is hilarious. Newsflash folks: A lot of people were disappointed in the Expo. It was not organized well and the displays were lacking. If people were disappointed, that does not make them whiners. They went to the Expo because they are Disney fans. Disney isn't fool-proof. They can do better and many of us hope that is the case in the future. Expressing opinions is their right, even if they are critical.

Anonymous said...

"BECOME A D23 MEMBER. sorry to all that disagree with me on this but we pay a membership fee for a reason."

There were D23 Exclusive events there, but the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Walt Disney Studios events were not part of this. They were advertised for anyone that attended. It's wrong to ask some one to buy a ticket saying they can attend these events only to have them become nothing but a D23 exclusive event.

That's false advertising and it's wrong.

Anonymous said...

"" There were D23 Exclusive events there, but the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Walt Disney Studios events were not part of this. They were advertised for anyone that attended. It's wrong to ask some one to buy a ticket saying they can attend these events only to have them become nothing but a D23 exclusive event.

That's false advertising and it's wrong. ""

it isn't false advertising. Stop using words like you have any understanding of what they mean.

Disney sold tickets to the general public for the EXPO as a whole, that included the exhibits, booths, and the Presentations. They made no garuntee that you would be able to get into any of these events, Member or otherwise. The didn't market it to the public as buy a seat to this presentation.

I will say once again, if people didn't get in to see something that wanted to, then they didn't plan well enough. 4,000 people seemed to make it into the presentation. I wonder what they did that was show special.....hmmmmmm!

Anonymous said...

The blatant Disney moles in this comment section are sickening. Stick to your internal email threads if you can't stand criticism you trolls.

Animated Response said...

"it isn't false advertising. Stop using words like you have any understanding of what they mean.

Disney sold tickets to the general public for the EXPO as a whole, that included the exhibits, booths, and the Presentations. They made no garuntee that you would be able to get into any of these events, Member or otherwise. The didn't market it to the public as buy a seat to this presentation."

When you look at the guides they have events listed, with some being "D23 Member Exclusives" and many others that are not. When the only people that attend an event are D23 Members, it's a D23 Members Exclusive no matter if they call it that or not.

If they advertise an event everyone can get into and then they can't that is false advertising. I'm not saying it's intentional, I'm saying that it is simply what happened. Disney didn't think this through very well.

"I will say once again, if people didn't get in to see something that wanted to, then they didn't plan well enough. 4,000 people seemed to make it into the presentation."

So planning ahead and being there four hours ahead to wait in line wasn't enough? Even if you camped out you wouldn't have got in unless you were a D23 Member or had a press credential. That simply is wrong.

tjkraz said...

"I will say once again, if people didn't get in to see something that wanted to, then they didn't plan well enough. 4,000 people seemed to make it into the presentation. I wonder what they did that was show special.....hmmmmmm!"

Problem is that D23 members were admitted first and more than 4000 showed up for the Studios presentation. Wouldn't have mattered if a ticket-holding, non-D23 member had lined up at 2am the night before. Those in the D23 queue were admitted before non-members.

Sure everything is based upon demand and Disney knew they wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone. But I would have to agree that they mislead non-members if there was any suggestion that they had a chance to attend those early morning arena sessions.

Anonymous said...

""So planning ahead and being there four hours ahead to wait in line wasn't enough? Even if you camped out you wouldn't have got in unless you were a D23 Member or had a press credential. That simply is wrong.""

That you simply your fault for not becoming a member. For $35 you could have gotten into the show... like I said before 4,000+ other people that got in knew that.

Anonymous said...

I was in the arena for the Studio presentation, it could have fit many, many more people. In any case, look forward to the next "Disney Geek" video telling everyone what a success the Expo was... I have to agree people were sold general admission tickets with false implications of how many events they could expect to get into.

Anonymous said...

It's pretty cheap, by the way, to smack down the dissatisfied by saying they're not professional event planners so how DARE they complain. I don't have to be a chef to know if dinner tastes bad....