Epic Con? Well, That's How Some Guests, Vendors And Attendees Seem To Describe It…. (UPDATE)

Since no one has information on the contracts between the clients and the promoter, no fan should be making accusations against Coolwaters, its client nor the promoter. Fans do NOT know the reasons behind the cancellations and their comments or statements stating that they are privy to contract points or demands is unfair and untrue.

The cancellations where due to circumstances beyond our control and it in now way should reflect the dealings or feelings of Coolwaters employees and its clients.We ask that the negative remarks stop immediately and that the show be allowed to continue with its business and its other guests. Coolwaters has not degraded the show in any way and feels that the comments made about us and our clients, by others, is unjustified and unwarranted.

Coolwaters and its clients hope that a future area event will bring them face to face with fans, but for now, this event is not possible for us. Thanks – Derek Maki; President of Coolwaters Productions LLC.

During the past several days, there has been adjustments to some of the line-up of advertised guests. Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest acknowledges this and regrets the dismay this may have caused to those guests and their fans. As a second year event there has been challenges, but that is to be expected. The intent was to create a platform, in this area, for people who have a love for comics, cosplay, cars, or wanting to meet authors, FX artists, independent filmmakers and up-and-coming talents. Look forward to seeing everyone have an exciting time in Dayton. Thank you.

But not everyone appreciated the spin. Missy Gordon Talent, Promoters, Fans and Vendors again,

Recently, it was brought to my attention that myself and my booking company – "The Scarlet Abbey" – has been accused of being one of the main reasons of the problems surrounding "Epic-Con" in Ohio. These accusations are false and have been issued by an individual with whom I have never met nor even know. This individual has tried on other occasions to discredit myself and my booking company. Due to these ignorant, vile attempts, it has caused me to have block him on facebook and other social media sites.

For the record, I had nothing to do with any of the issues facing "Epic-Con." There were contractual obligations that weren't met – for not only my clients, but other agents' clients as well. To that end, I still had three of my clients participate in this show – which will no doubt cause me financial loss. However, myself and my company will remain professional – even in the face of adversity. Our dedication to the fans remains strong – and we will do whatever is in our physical and financial means to ensure a wonderful opportunity for the fans to meet the talent we represent.

Blatant, unfounded and false information serves no one at this point. EVERYONE has suffered as a result of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the "Epic-Con" event. However, I would like to point out that myself and my company – "The Scarlet Abbey," will not simply "roll over and play dead" when lies are being disseminated in an attempt to smear our name. Perhaps if this individual was looking for someone to "blame," he need only to remind himself of his own failed convention in Maryland some years back. His heavy influence on "Epic-Con" is evident and documented. Our attention at this point will be to serve our clients, the fans, and the promoters with whom we work, and to grow a professional and well established agency for the benefit of all.

Of coure there were more problems. Such as an article in the Dayton Daily News just before the show featuring many guests who has cancelled previously.

Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest The interview for Dayton Daily News was conducted quickly to make it to print. It was explained to the reporter from the onset of the interview that there were guests that were removed due to various developments. The reporter drafted the article but when additional information wasn't supplied in a timely manner, the reporter went through alternate means so the article would run. Emails have been sent to get this corrected before it goes to print tomorrow, and a disclaimer should be imminent on the website.

Epic-Con Ohio: Geek FestUpdate: A story published in yesterday's Dayton City Paper referenced guests that are no longer participating at Epic-Con Ohio: Geekfest. The content was collected a while ago and the article was scheduled to run prior to the convention's start date. The Epic-Con article went to print on Monday, and while there is no way to revise or update what is on the stands, the staff is aware and will be running disclaimers on the Dayton City Paper website and across social media.

The update was indeed printed on the site, but it wasn't exactly in keeping with the reasons given by non-attending guests.

Neither Tony Todd from "Candyman;" Walter Koenig from "Star Trek; " Adrian Paul from the "Highlander: the Series;" nor David Warner from "Penny Dreadful," "The Omen," and "Tron" will appear as previously reported at Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest Convention and Custom Auto Show this weekend at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Organizers cited conflicting professional obligations and other overseen developments as reasons.

Awkward. But not as awkward as the comments and reviews that kept flooding in.

William A Fulmer A guest or two cancelled is normal due to illness or professional obligations.. Not the promoter cancelling or celebrities cancelling due to non payment or non transportation.. Again one or two guests.. Not 35

Justin Oso Williams Waiting for the class action law suit to bar these people from doing this ever again.

Jill Pancake Everyone keeps saying its normal to have guest cancellations. Yeah a few. Not this many. More than half the guests I wanted to see cancelled. I want to know the real reason.

Carol Henderson I read on a few of the guests FB pages that were to appear at this show that they had no confirmation of airfare or hotel accommodations as of yesterday. Sounds like the producers of this show are trying to pull something.

Robert Love HEY! you said the event schedule including panals were to be updated tonight. Thursday night, and photo op schedules and prces. This has NOT happened yet. How come?? youve had time to deleate posts but cant update schedules for the people who are going? btw, when it says TBA, thats not an update

Chris Kernaghan the problems are the tip of the ice berg.. Celebs are/were not paid what they were promised. (i know this for a fact). There was no green room or food for the celebs (again I know this for a fact). It took ME , the d2o girls, and some vendor to pool together to feed the celebs (it wasnt much but they were grateful someone cared) 3 celebs had special diets (vegan) that should had been addressed. you cant expect guests to sit ALL day without breaks or food.. I question is it ignorange, lack of knowledge, or sometihng else that cause this Con to really put a black eye on geekdom as a whole. Ive been to many cons and NEVER had seen such disrespect to those who were promised things and not given. I hope all the vendors and celebs KNEW that we the vendors appreciated them and was there to back them up. Reality is the people in charge were in WAY over their heads. Whatever the reson doesnt matter..they are ultimately responsible.. there was no program(ads were paid for and never printed), no structure and alot of hurt and hard feelings on both sides. I feel that the celebs are NOT at fault. the buck stops at the top.. and the top is Epic Con management. I hope that the Epic Con uses it as a learning experience andm oves on but I feel that the celebs will NEVER trust anything associated with the term Epic Con in dayton. Hopefully they dont hold it against other cons in general or the people who DID step up and try to help them.

Wayne Dansberry you might want to start deleting all the photos in the photo section on this page that is related to the show. you are still misleading the fans on who will be appearing at the show, misleading people on what this show is all about and still promoting on the likeness of celebrities that you could not afford to fly to the show. false advertising on your end so you might wanna clean it up instead of deleting post from celebrities. also if you want respect as a promoter you might wanna start finding time to reply to e-mails that have been sent as a vendor I'm at a loss because I signed up for one show and now its completely different because you can't financially back what you originally promoted. vendors, celebrities, artist, agents and film makers are talking a financial hit because you have no idea how to promote a show. please take some advice if you can't financially support a show from beginning to end go back to being a fan. this post will be marked and saved so deleting it is just a waste of time.

Okay so Epic Con Ohio Geek Fest was a waste of time and money and I wasn't selling anything my sister was.

— Meghan Batka (@BabyBatka) October 26, 2014

 

Paul Gabbard According to the their facebooks pages, several of the celebs cancelled due to breach of contract. Michael Berryman still didn't have a plane ticket or any commication yesterday so he cancelled. VIP ticket was money well spent, next year I will just go out and find a con-man and give it to him and save the internet back and forth. Epic-Con is a great name cause that is just what it is, an Epic-Con, bait and switch.

Heather Ream You know it will. I would be VERY surprised if the vendors were not still in the red after paying for a table ,and traveling to get there and lodging. Sucks to be them for sure. As well as the people who pre paid online for tickets. And this is why I never buy in advance. Unless it is a well known con that has been around for a few years.

Jeff Bruce Thank you heather. We vendors can only show up and do the best we can. We were expecting the bigger name guests and the crowds they would bring. Now, we are left holding a bag of bills for the show and hope people show up and spend money anyway.

Heather Ream There is a HUGE difference between a guest or celeb appearance being canceled for illness or something out of the "guest" control. Anyone who regularly goes to cons can expect this to happen. BUT when 35 people cancel because of a contract breach on Epic Cons end that is a whole different story.. Wouldn't you say? People were promised to have flights paid for and that never happened. Emails were sent and not responded to..I can't imagine anyone falling for this BS again next year.

Amanda Cross I understand that all the guests left yesterday at 3PM when they were advised that their money and flight would not be paid and there was no one there…. very sad that the guests and vendors and artists had to take such a huge bath on this.

Justin Roman Epic con is literally stealing from us. I understand a few cancellations, but most of the guests cancelling a few days before? We are being lied to and ripped off. Where is the money we paid for our tickets? Epic con doesn't have to pay for 35 guests now, so why can't we get a refund?

Wendy Painter Bell  I can say for myself that I wasn't notified that Walter Koenig had cancelled, I found out on my own. I'm wondering if those other 200.00 VIP ticket people are going to show up thinking they get a limo ride with Walter to dinner… Only to find out Walter did not even come.

Kimi Sue Stafford — 1 star The celebrities were sweethearts! But the people working at the Con were incredibly rude! The place was a joke. I've been to quite a few conventions, and I'm not normally cruel. Epic Con is a joke! They had more security in the building with only vendors…..but hardly ANY security (any that were paying attention) was in the building with the stars. There was a BOOTLEGGER in the corner of the room my gosh! There weren't enough volunteers to be in charge of every star! As for the wrestling show…..that should have been in a separate room. The loudness was disrespectful to the stars and the vendors. I won't mention the name of the star (out of respect) but the star looked as though they were going to cry. They BARELY checked the badges in the building where the stars were. When I first got there they didn't even HAVE badges ready. The con was a sloppy freaking mess!

Robert Love — 1 star Bought tickets based on who they advertised as coming. Most are not coming now due to a breach of contract on Epic cons side and a complete lack of any communication. The Dj and the bands had to be eliminated They continue to delete posts written by anyone upset at the continuing loss of guests, refusal to reimburse special VIP tickets, costing into the hundreds of dollars, and wont get back to anyone at all, including attendees, venders and guests of the show. Its complete theft and the authorities should be called and lawsuits should be made. I would give it no stars if the option was possible.

Justin Oso Williams — 1 starThis was ill handled as though it was a first time out of pocket event. Poor planning, poor management, and poor execution has led to a black-eye on the Dayton Con scene. If these people want to do another event I suggest a private party or event at Scene75 or Chuck E' Cheese, which seems to be more their speed. Haunters, Hunters, Talent, and Writers, if you see these people approach you for future gigs run!

Erica Kauffman — 1 star Epic cluster fuck. We are heading to Crypticon to salvage what is left of our weekend. Dozens of vendors and hundreds of fans have been shafted by this poorly run show. Shame on them.

Kenneth R Koepnick — 1 star By far the worst convention I have ever been involved in as an attendee or a dealer, which is saying a lot considering I've been to over 50 different conventions around the country so far.. The promoter may be a lovely lady personally & may even have great intentions, but conventions are a business & this is one of the worst run business organizations I've ever interacted with. The most disrespectful of it all is blaming people who are having horrible experiences by saying they somehow badmouthed the convention & that brought it to its knees instead of taking ownership like a business should. The only thing word of mouth can do is damage attendance. Everything else is managed by the promoter.

Per the convention announcement, dealer setup was from 4-9 Thursday night. Upon arrival at 515, there were tables stacked on carts, a handful of celebrity cars, & not a single person from the convention present. Multiple attempts to the promoter's cell phone were ignored, so I grabbed some dinner. Returning at 630, I found a group of similarly confused dealers and still no one from the convention. 2.5 hours into dealer setup for a 3 day convention.
Around that time, the promoter wandered in, saying she had issues with volunteers & that she hadn't slept or ate all day. A very nice artist rallied the dealers & began setting up tables & trying to make sense of them. When I asked the promoter for a list of dealer spaces needed or a floor plan of some kind… anything to help us organize her convention, she informed me that they were in her husband's car, though she had a different story for another dealer. When I asked her to call him & get the information, she did nothing. Upon realizing the level of disorganization, hearing about the various cancellations due to nonpayment, & seeing next to no staffing or leadership, I began asking about the overnight security situation on the dealer rooms. I received two different half answers on the subject which robbed what little confidence was left in the show.
Around 715, as we were still trying to figure out the layout, I turn to find her focused on getting the wrestling ring set up in the back of the room instead. Priorities. Shortly thereafter, she disappeared from the fairgrounds again, supposedly having an issue with guests to deal with… with the dealer room still not set up, with less than 2 hours left out of 5 hours of dealer setup. For the first time, we pulled out of a convention.
No badges, no signage on or around the fairgrounds, not even a list of who paid for what table spaces or what guests were actually still coming. On top of the mass exodus of guests like I've never seen before, the inability to meet the simplest of contractual obligations, the poor managing of the social media pages, and the online harassment suffered by critics from people I can only assume are family & friends (check the 5* reviews), & the hearsay issues from attendees & other dealers since the show actually started… it just appears that the people (person?) in charge were in over their heads from the start. Stick to other, better shows in the area. Decent idea with nice fliers, but stay away… things are not quite what they seem.Manda Dailey — 1 star Edited review to promote the con to the WORST ever, of all time. Also, if anybody wants to discuss ways of getting money back or pressing legal action, you can message me for admission for a group. It's open to vendors, artists, talent, and attendees. I will be vetting people to make sure they are NOT Sheri's friends or family.

And Sheri? I seriously regret letting you vent on Thursday night. Iregret knowing you. Your daughters were lovely and nice, but I hope if they go into management they don't follow your shitty example. I lost money and I only needed to make $75 to break even (yay for living 2 miles away, right?). Dayton is seriously a nice area, with really nice people (except the rich assholes from 2 suburbs), and a lot of nice, fun things to do. I hope that if there's ever a different con in the city, you guys will give Dayton another chance.

If it wasn't required to tap a star to rate it, I wouldn't. This is hands-down the WORST con ever, of all time. I could have spent my time building my online business, cuddling with cats, or watching paint dry: any of those would have been better uses of my time than this convention. We helped set up Thursday and it's just kept going downhill from there. Thanks to incredibly poor organization and financial management, none of the big ticket guests who would draw the crowds came (though the ones that came were awesome despite con managements shitty treatment of them and I don't blame them for leaving early). People were thrown out for incredibly shitty reasons, AND THE WRESTLING BULLSHIT WAS TOO LOUD. The guy who got thrown out for complaining where that rude "wrestler" could hear him? My hero! I'm heard of hearing, and I could barely make out what the few potential customers we did have were asking!

Barely any one is making money. We haven't even made back the cost of our table. We needed this to go well so we could at least make enough for electricity to not get turned off, but since people are leaving or not showing up thanks the the world's crappiest organization, that's not going to happen.

So hey, thanks for fucking us over. Thanks for fucking everyone over. I totally needed to be cold and have no way to cook or store food. Yeah, that's fucking fantastic. Anybody who lives in Dayton knows what it's like trying to get a job out here or get help with bills. I know y'all understand.

Catherine Batka — 1 star I really wanted to love this con. It's held a few blocks away from the hospital I was born at, and because I had family area, I didn't have to pay for a hotel. I thought it would be a perfect, small, relaxing con to vend at.