OIQFC Convention
UK FAN CLUB CONVENTION - Rescheduling
By Jacky
Jan 13, 2005, 10:00

Seems the world and his wife have an opinion on this one... let me give you my side of the story?

I have received today heaps of emails and phone calls about the rescheduling of the Fan Club Convention, and out of all of them not one person has bothered to think about how I might be feeling in all this. No, I'm not crying in my beer and feeling sorry for myself, but I DO object to personal attacks on me when you DON'T know the facts.

Do any of you HONESTLY think that I have any influence whatsoever on where and when Queen tour? Do you HONESTLY think that I was personally responsible for ensuring that Queen+Paul Rodgers booked UK tour dates over the weekend of the convention? Don't you think I made sure everyone was aware of the dates of the convention? Don't you think I didn't ASK them to play Prestatyn as part of the tour? Can you imagine one TENTH of the anger, disapointment, frustration and upset I felt when I was TOLD that the dates would clash? That there was nothing anyone could do to change them? I cried, screamed, yelled, argued and have had a endless sleepless nights over this ever since.

I love that weekend convention as much as any of you, why the hell would I bother to DO it otherwise, because believe me it doesn't bring in vast riches for the fan club. It's a fabulous weekend that we ALL look forward to all year. BUT - it can't compete with the chance of seeing Queen back on a live stage again - many of our conventioneers have NEVER had that chance. Between Keith Harris at Arena and myself and Val, we had to make a choice. Cancel entirely, or try and reschedule. We already knew that many people had booked, we already knew that flights and travel arrangements and holidays would have been arranged. But we realised that the majority of the fans who would want to attend the convention would have to make a choice - see Queen live, or attend the convention, not both as the dates might not allow that. We had to assume that 99% of those fans would choose to go to one or more concerts and would therefore not be AROUND for the convention, or would not be able to AFFORD both. So Keith worked incredibly hard and managed to find us an alternative date at the same venue.

We honestly felt that rescheduling was our only option. We COULD have waited a few weeks, watched the bookings dwindle, desperately tried to keep the event going - only to have to cancel completely in a couple of months because we didn't have enough bookings to make it viable, by which time rescheduling would NOT have been an option and anyone who had booked flights etc would not have been in time to change them or get refunds. As it is we hoped many of you might be able to change your arrangements at no extra costs to yourselves, and would at least feel pleased that there is going to BE a convention - a year without one would be unthinkable.

I apologise if our decision means you can't attend this year, I really AM sorry, not just meaningless words, as I know almost every "regular" conventioneer so well after so long and think of you all as friends. But it's something that really is totally out of my hands. I hope you understand.


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