Sanctuary Event
A Sanctuary event that resulted in the return of the Evil Vegemite Girls, or at least a couple of us. As the saying goes, no rest for the wicked. Only a few days after Jen and I returned from our UK trip, there was a Melbourne event. This was a First Contact Conventions event called Gate to the Sanctuary 2. As always the First Contact team ran a great event and it was a lot of fun.
Although it was a great event, it was a very hot day. On top of the jetlag, I had not climatised back to the warmer weather yet. I was there wearing a daggy pair of shorts and the Sanctuary 4 Kids t-shirt I’d brought at the recent event in England.
Great Guests
The guests at this event were Ben Browder, Jennifer Spence and Jonathan Young. It was great seeing Ben at a convention again after last year. So Jen and I decided to give him crap about not driving us home from Adelaide the previous year. “We waited in the carpark for hours and you never showed up!”. Ben was amazing and it was great to already have a good rapport with him that we just continued.
I had not met either of the other two guests before, so it was also nice to meet new guests. They were both very lovely. I spent quite a bit of time talking with Jennifer Spence. We chatted a lot about her work on Continuum.
I wasn’t planning on purchasing anything at this event, I was a bit short of money after the UK trip. The guests were so amazing though that I couldn’t help myself. I decided to get a photo and autographs from all three guests. And Scotty was amazing and organised for me to pay them off over time, he knows I am good for it. The photo and autographs were totally worth it though, it was such a great day. These three guests were great and I love how Ben signed this photo.
Smaller Events
I love these smaller events with only a few guests, plus First Contact events are always a blast. And a lot of my friends are part of the event crew, which helps too. These events are just like having a great time with friends, and some actors thrown in the mix. The intimacy of the smaller events is what I love the most. You’re not there with thousands of people just a few hundred or so. It makes it so much more relaxed, fun and personal.
One big difference between the smaller events is that the panels are a huge part of them. Normally at larger expos you don’t have to attend as there’s other things to do, it’s not the same with smaller events. It’s not that I don’t like hearing the actors share their stories, I just get really restless. I get really fidgety sitting still for long periods which is why I prefer to sit or stand at the back. That way I don’t annoy people with my fidgeting. At this event I spent a lot of time standing outside the room and just listening in on the panels.
Vegemite Girls Return
At one point in the day Jonathan was on stage for his panel and I was standing outside with my mate Jodie. We were having a great chat with Jennifer Spence. Suddenly Scotty comes running out saying “Jonathan’s never tried Vegemite before!”. This comment was all it took for Jodie and I to take off down the street to buy some Vegemite. We then raced back to the event Vegemite in hand.
Upon our return, Scotty gets up on stage with Johnathan to finish up his panel. He then introduces us as the ‘Return of the Evil Vegemite Girls’. We get up on stage with them and hand over the Vegemite to Jonathan.
I love that our funny little tradition started back at the very beginning in 2005, is still remembered. We created a name for ourselves back then and it’s still something that people get a kick out of it. As we got up on stage everyone was cheering, it’s always entertaining watching guests try Vegemite for the first time.
Great Little Event
What a fantastic little event, and a great way to finish off the year. I’m so glad that I did attend this event, I got to see some of my amazing friends. As well as some of my awesome con family who I adore. There is nothing more enjoyable than being around people who understand you better than anyone. Even when you aren’t feeling the greatest or like yourself, you know those people are there for you. It was also really great to have our return of the Vegemite girls moment. I love that we made such an impact and that we are remembered so many years later.
COMPLETE GUEST LIST |
Jonathan Young, Jennifer Spence and Ben Browder |
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