With just over a week to go until Fanderson’s Special Assignment convention, here are some details to help you plan your weekend.
WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING, WHEN?
When you arrive at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead, check into your hotel room, and then head to our Registrations desk to collect your delegate package (see opening times below). As you enter the hotel, turn right before main reception and we’ll be in the Berkshire Suite. We’ll have packages ready for everyone who’s registered in advance, but it will help us identify you if you have your e-mail receipt or club membership card with you. Your package should tell you everything you need to know, but our team at the Registrations desk are also there to help you with any queries you may have.
Friday
We know that many will be travelling some distance and will start arriving at the Holiday Inn during Friday. For us, much of Friday will be setting up the convention areas, but we’re aiming to start the weekend by having Registrations and Fanderson Sales open from 15:00.
Note that the hotel will be hosting a coffee morning as part of Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (https://coffee.macmillan.org.uk/about/what/) and anyone arriving early is welcome to join in.
Registrations and Fanderson Sales will close at 18:00, to enable us to get ready to celebrate Captain Scarlet’s 50th!
We’ll have a glass of something bubbly (a non-alcoholic alternative will, of course, be available) at 20:00 for everyone who’s registered for the convention in advance, and then have a relaxed evening to celebrate Spectrum’s finest’s golden anniversary. Of course, once the official celebrations are over, hotel residents will be able to retire to the bar into the small hours.
Saturday
Registrations and Fanderson Sales will open at 8:30, and we’ll also start with a screening in our main room until the opening ceremony at 9:30. After that, all the other convention areas will open and you’re free to enjoy all that we have to offer throughout the day, until 18:00. At every Fanderson convention we aim to offer everyone something a little different, and this year will be no exception!
Our main room will re-open at 20:00 for a two-course buffet supper for everyone who’s registered a weekend ticket in advance. This will be followed by another relaxed evening’s entertainment – including a quiz!
Sunday
Registrations and Fanderson Sales will again open at 08:30, then we’ll have a short re-opening ceremony at 9:30. The day will continue in much the same vein as Saturday, albeit with different guests to meet, until our closing ceremony at 17:30. We’ll all be saying our goodbyes at about 18:00.
All times given are approximate and may change without notice.
FANDERSON SALES
Our team have been working tirelessly to bring you some special new items of merchandise (some of which will not be available after the convention), and we have other Anderson licensees (such as Robert Harrop and Signum Books) launching exclusive and new merchandise at our event, as well as others giving you a chance to buy some pre-loved items. So bring a walletful of cash (Fanderson Sales will take card payments too).
GUEST AUTOGRAPHS
Fanderson guests will happily autograph items, and they set the prices they’ll be charging. Many will also have photographs for sale, which they’ll autograph, and most will sign more personal items you may bring along with you too.
CHARITY FUNDRAISING
This year we’re supporting two very worthwhile charities – Orchid (www.orchid-cancer.org.uk) and the Cinema and Television benevolent Fund (www.ctbf.co.uk). We’ll be auctioning rare items, but will also have raffles to enable everyone to support the charities with just a modest outlay. We will, of course, gratefully accept donations into the charity buckets too.
If you’d like to donate anything to either the auction (for rare, one-off or money-can’t-buy items) or the raffle, please hand it over at the Registrations desk when you arrive.
HOTEL and PARKING
The Holiday Inn car park is free to residents, but you must give car registration details when you check-in or you may be charged for your stay. If you’re a visitor for the day we’ll be able to register your car at our Registrations desk.
Feedback from our previous events at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead have been extremely favourable. You can check out their full facilities at their website https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/maidenhead/mdnuk/hoteldetail
GOLDEN TICKETS
Finally, will you be one of the six people that finds a Golden Ticket in your delegate package? In a slightly Wonka-ish twist, we’ll be putting six Golden Tickets at random through our packages. If you find one just bring it along to Registrations to exchange it for a money-can’t-buy VIP treat!
If you have any further queries in advance of the weekend, please contact us at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com, but remember, the closer we are to the event the busier we’ll be, so you may to wait la little while for a response.
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