2009 Star Trek Convention Organization

Welcome to your first line of the convention! And this goes on to the other side of that opening at the far end there.

Just to help situate everyone a little bit, the 2009 Star Trek Convention took place at the Las Vegas Hilton - a grand hotel situated not too far off the main strip.

The convention center is a huge building linked to the hotel and from what I could see, there are two main auditoriums, the bigger one is the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre (the Barron Room) and the other one is the DeForest Kelley Theatre (in Pavilion 2 & 3). Photo-Ops were taken in pavilion 4 while the vendors had set up shop in the Conrad Room, adjacent to the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre, and where some of the actors were also signing autographs. There was also more convention rooms, ballrooms, and smaller rooms there. Believe me, it's huge. I wish I had a map to show you but I don't.

Most of the panels and autograph signings were taking place in the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre while other convention events such as auctions and special presentations took place in the DeForest Kelley Theatre. Celebrity breakfasts happened in other convention rooms. While everyday people would line up to buy daily tickets, most had picked up theirs on Wednesday night if you were a Gold or Captain's Chair Patron.

The majority of the time, one would wait, wait and wait again in line for everything. While Photo-Ops moved quickly (people were literally herded like cattle to have their pictures with a celebrity taken), autograph sessions could be painfully long. For the autographs included freely for the Gold ticket patrons, they would work row by row (there were hundreds of us) and then they would call the ticket holders. On the first day, Thursday, I had to wait 3 and a half hours to get my autographs and there were hundred more people waiting in line.

The whole thing is also about money. Pay for the autograph, pay for the picture you want autographed, pay for the photo-op, pay for this, pay for that. You cannot approach a celebrity happening to be standing there (and this never really happens as well) for a quick picture or autograph. They are all followed by handlers. Plus the actors are contracted so they can't write you an autograph or just take a picture if you happen to cross their path. You have to buy a ticket and do it when it's time. Unlike Comic-Con I was told.

So next year, to Comic-Con I may go.