2025- A con Review
This year i attended 13 conventions, a relatively quiet year for me, but a year that was filled with big names and many changes for me. Ill get into a lot of that as we go along.
This was the year where many things I have been working on for a while fell into place and plans are in motion for 2026, but again more on that later.
As with all my reviews, these are my own feelings from my own experiences. If you disagree and had a different experience at an event, that's fine. If you have positives to my negatives - great, I want people to enjoy events.
February
My con year started in February attending The Great Con-Junction, an event themed around the Dark Crystal. At the time of the event I hadn't seen the movie but I am a Muppets fan and they had a rare appearance of Dave Goelz the voice of Gonzo and as the event was local to me I popped along.
The event was a great start to the year, Not too busy, fan friendly with an easy to get around layout and great guests. This event really feels like the good old days and highly recommended. In recent years I have stepped back from collecting autographs at events, mainly due to autograph prices getting higher and higher. i made an exception and got both Dave and Steve Whitmire ( the voice of Kermit) to sign A Muppets Christmas Carol poster, which has become one of my favorite pieces.
Rating 9/10 - Great event with room to grow
Full review: The Great Con-Junction Review 2025
May
This was my first big event of the year and one of those big changes I mentioned earlier, Monopoly Events- Liverpool Comic-Con. On the Friday and Saturday night I was given the hosting role for two movie screenings. Friday night was Aliens with star Jenette Goldstein and Saturday Starship Troopers with Casper Van Dien. I was very excited to get back on stage, we all know I love an audience. These screenings consisted of us watching the movie with the guest and I commentating. The Aliens screening was harder as Jenettes character is not in the whole movie and it had a long run time. But it was an interesting discussion and was enjoyed by all in attendance. The Starship Troopers night went a lot more smoothly. partly because Casper is in almost every scene, he also has a very fun outgoing, self depreciative sense of humour. We clicked very well and i found my stride and was a very enjoyable evening. The event it self was a lot of fun. I started a poster of Starship Troopers as there was about 70% of the main cast signing. The Headliner guest were Ralph Macchio, Bryce Dallas Howard and Hayden Christensen. All the guest were lovely especially Bryce who recorded a video message for my Jurassic World obsessed son. There was a huge range of guests and the event is growing more and more each year. with many free panels, free props for photos its not hard to see why they are now the UKs leading events.
Rating 8/10 - there isn't a lot to improve on, but the autograph sessions can still be chaos and still needs some tidying up in that area.
( Full review to come )
MCM Expo was one of the first events i attended back in 2005 and the first event that i ever volunteered for. I used to attend both London events yearly. This stopped when the event was sold to Reed Pop. I went to their first one but I didn't like the changes to pricing and the way they let the guests change prices and over charge fans. But this year they had a couple of guest I wanted to meet so i came out of MCM retirement. The guests were lovely, but due to the schedule I spent more time waiting around for the guests to return that enjoying the event.
Rating 6/10 - The autograph areas needed better control and communication.
Full review: MCM Expo May 2025 A Review
June
Its always harder to review EM-Con as i crew for them, I try to still be impartial as possible. the guest line up for this years event were really great.
First convention appearances for James D'Arcy, Zahra Ahmadi who were both lovely.
I was lucky enough to run the mini meet and greets which were very well received. Both guests and attendees enjoyed and its nice to see the one to one interactions in person.
EM-Con doesn't get the recognition it deserves and they really should. They get good guest and keep prices as low as possible.
Rating 9/10
July
So ...this is one of the biggest parts for my con year...my banning from Showmasters events.
some back story; I have attended Showmasters since I was a teenager and going to local marts, until this year I had attended every summer event since they started doing London Film and Comic-Con and a good 80% of all their other events for over 20 years. The first issues arose with the organiser around 2014 following the Stan Lee event and complaints made about how it ran and other negative factors. That’s when the cracks in Showmasters started to appear online and negative posts started. The main issue started when I was admin on a Facebook group called the Con Network, another organiser made a negative comment on a post and the Showmasters organiser decided I should be banned due to it. the owner of the group sorted it out for me as I was just an admin and too this day, I don’t even know what it said as I was in the cinema when the post was made and deleted. That’s when the regular aggressive and threatening messages would appear on Facebook messenger. He then in 2019 sent more threatening messages and he arranged with the owner of the Con Network to have it closed down. The next day I created my own group and was sent threatening message to close it down. so, I did as I was not in the best head space. later I changed my mind, and I created my Con chronicles group. it was agreed that I wouldn’t be negative about his events publicly and stay out of his way. over the next few years, I would still get the occasional nasty messages but mainly ignored them as I wanted to attend the events.
cut to this year’s event. I was all booked up and ready to attend, 3 days before the event someone commented that Richard Dreyfus manager had told people he was no longer attending, I thought I would be positive and in an unofficial group I replied " I have heard the same rumours, but they have just confirmed his panel so let’s be positive" Later that day whilst I am at the superman premier I get all my tickets refunded, no confirmation, no emails etc. so I chase up with showmasters crew that I know and they didn’t know why. They confirmed they had seen my comment and agreed it was a positive message. as they premier began I started to receive messages from the owner. Accusing me of stuff that was not true, saying that because I had spoken negatively to friends in private that still counted. boasting that he had 22 Fake accounts watching me, a file on his laptop. reading things off of an active Facebook status in real time boasting he was watching me. This went on all night and I blocked him. I woke up the next morning to find he has located an old account of mine on Facebook and carried on contacting me there. boasting I don’t have friends and that I had found one of his 22 fake accounts. I ignored.
If he wants to use the excuse that private messages I have with "friends"
Then the weekend of collectomania, he believed I was in attendance, so he tried to call me through the old account and began threatening me. Telling me as he is a tenant of the shopping centre, I am banned from that building as well. I contacted MK centre security and sent them the messages etc. They confirmed that I am not banned from their shopping centre and I raised the complaint. Following advice from legal people a report was made to the Police for harassment and the case is now with them. it’s a shame it ended that way, but it is.
Due to my banning at Showmasters the organiser from Starfury reached out and invited me to Starfury Red Dragon their annual Hannibal event. I am usually a Starfury regular but this was my first this year. I love the Fanniabal fandom, they are always so loving and generous. The guest were lovely and i had a fun weekend. Starfury always put the fans first and although i didn't get any photo shoots it was still a great event for me
Rating 9/10
Back to normality with Monopoly Events Manchester Comic-Con. where i go to fangirl over Garrett Dillahunt - massive fan and he is such an underrated actor. His comedy timing is second to none and a genuinely lovely person. The guest list was solid and the event ran well. I even managed to attend the evening party - which wasn't bad but just too too hot in the venue.
a solid 9/10
Full Review Monopoly Events: Manchester Comic-Con 2025 Review
august
Im a massive Transformers fan and TF Nation never disappoints, Its fan and family friendly. Its the only event i take my children to due to the size, location and guests. There is a safe feeling when you're there and its such value for money. I cannot recommend this event enough for Transformers fans.
Rating 9/10
Full Review: TF Nation 2025 A review
The end of August brought us the massive Lord of the Rings reunion at Monopoly Events: For The Love Of Fantasy, With Sir Ian McKellan as the headline guest, His first event and he was lovely and enjoying every moment of it. I mainly went for the Robot Chicken guys, who were great. It was well laid out and they had learned to use the space better than last years event.
It would be good to see more Monopoly events in London - mainly to save me train costs.
Rating 9/10
( Full Review to come)
September
This was a last minute visit, after not having much faith in the event company. I was pleasantly surprised with the planning on the day itself. The guests were over priced and the event on they day I went was quiet and ran all on time.
I would attend again if they had the guests I wanted at a reasonable price but its not an event I would rush to attend.
Rating 8/10
Full review: Comic Con Connections 2025 Review
Monopoly Events returned to Telford for the Midlands Comic-Con, I've always been a fan of this venue, its location near hotels and shops, making it easily accessible. The guests were split into different decades and this gave a great selection. It was the 80s era that seemed the busiest section of all. With stand out meets , Linda Hamilton and Steve Guttenberg.
Rating 9/10
Full Review: Monopoly Events: Midlands 2025 Review
October
Finally Starfury did a Star Trek event; Warp 1, This was one of my favorite events of the year and was my 20th anniversary of attending Starfury. The guests were great, the vibe was brilliant. Really looking forward to Warp 2 in 2026 and more Trek representation in the UK.
You cant beat a Starfury event for a fan friendly event.
Rating 9/10
Although im not a Labyrinth fan...shh don't tell anyone, i know its frowned upon. But this event had Muppets legend Brian Hensen in attendance and my Christmas Carol Poster was screaming out for him to sign it.
Like their Dark Crystal event earlier in the year, this event was great value for money and some amazing props and panels.
Rating 8/10
Full Review: Labyrinth Masked Ball 2025 A Review
November
This was the big event of 2025 for me, finally getting back on stage working with some amazing guests. John Cena, Brie Larson and so many big names. each year Liverpool hits higher and higher and when you think they cant beat their last event boom they knock it out of the park.
Rating 9/10
final thoughts and things ahead
So what a year that was, so many changes and new opportunities, which i am hoping will continue to grow in 2026. I have also been asked to be the official send in service for autographs at The Oxford Card Show. Which should be a lot of fun. I have about 6 events planned so far and more to go. The levels of guests from 2025 will be hard to top but so far there have been several guest already announced that have got me excited. Hopefully I will see a lot of you next year at an event, If you see me please say hi.
For someone people say can be negative about events, most of my ratings have been 8/9 out of 10
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