Oh, bollocks News Posted by Ian Symes on 23rd April 2010, 15:24 Dimension Jump has been postponed until April next year. After much deliberation the Fan Club team has decided that Dimension Jump XVI will be postponed until April 8th, 9th and 10th 2011. Unfortunately the number of registrations we have received up until this point is too low for us to be able to go ahead with this year’s event. First of all, it’s important to emphasise that this is a postponement, not a cancellation. DJ is still going ahead, just not yet. I’d be very worried if a new date hadn’t been announced, but it seems like the Fan Club just needed to extend the time it took them to get the minimum number of bookings. After all, October 2009 to July 2010 is only nine months, and I’ve not known such a short space between two DJs. The eighteen months betwixt the last DJ and the new date is much more in keeping with past form. And sure, it’s extremely disappointing that there won’t be a DJ this year, but at least we know we’re getting one next year. But the important question to ask at this point – who’s to blame for this? You can’t blame the Fan Club for not wanting to run DJ at a loss; I know for a fact that some previous DJs have left individual Fan Club staff severely out of pocket, and that’s not fair. However, the question as to why registrations are so low still has to be raised. It’s partly due to the short time between the last DJ and the July date – announcing details of the following year’s DJ on the Sunday night was a good idea at the time, but in hindsight it looks to have been a little premature. Then there’s that other bloody convention taking customers away from DJ – had their shitty event not been completely cancelled, I’d be preparing the pitchforks and torches right now. There’s also the fact that many people who fully intended to go in July hadn’t yet registered – you can pay on the door at DJ, but it’s obviously handy for the Fan Club to have your money before the event. It’s impossible to blame for people for being either unwilling or unable to pay in advance for something in the middle of a recession, but it’s got to be a factor. But really, you’ve got to look at what the Club could have done to boost registrations. It took a very long time for any guests to be confirmed – from the announcement in October until February before even the Robert, Danny and Chris-shaped core were announced. Those of us who are DJ veterans won’t have been worried by that, but your more casual fans would have needed reassurances. Plus, what’s the biggest way for the Fan Club team to reach their members? The magazine. The fucking magazine. Given that the release pattern is supposed to be one every three months, there should have been two magazines with DJ details in by now, and there’s been none. While the quality of the mag itself is infinitely better since it was relaunched as Back To Reality, it seems that the Fan Club are still dogged by the old problem of not being able to publish it to anything approaching a reasonable schedule. Whatever’s causing this problem, it’s needs to be sorted. But still. Like I say, we do have new dates, and I’m sure that both the Fan Club team and the DJ attendees will most definitely not want this to happen again. And you can’t fault the way they’re dealing with the postponement – if you’ve registered, you’ve got three months to get a full refund, or you can choose to retain your registration for the new dates. All hotel rooms have been cancelled automatically, and you’re free to rebook for April. Personally, I’d advise you all to hang on for now, and not cancel your registration. After all, if we’re to avoid this situation repeating itself, the team need as many names on the list as possible. DJ is literally the best weekend of the year for me, and I’m gutted I’m not getting it this year. But I’d rather go back in time and rape myself as a baby than face the prospect of never having DJ again.
I wish more effort was made to reach outside the hardcore Dwarf fandom to make other people more aware of the convention.
It’s difficult when there’s been no word about the new eps. Assuming that they’re to be recorded later in the year then they may be broadcast before DJ, which should drum up some interest. But I agree that more could be done in terms of reaching the fans.
> Then there’s that other bloody convention taking customers away from DJ Last year’s DJ, the timing of the announcement of this year’s DJ and the short gap between the ’09 and ’10 event obviously all had much more impact than what certain people might think Better Than Life had on proceedings. Also there’s the fact that not enough people outside those who have ejaculated into a Flibble hand puppet (or, for the ladies out there, had a little play during the munchkin song) at least once in their lives know about DJ’s existence. On a more positive note regarding DJ’s rescheduling, hopefully it will be close to the launch of the new series. Easter is April 22nd-25th next year, so if the series starts then (that’s such a huge ‘if’ considering we know naff-all in that regard atm) DJ would be just a fortnight beforehand. Maybe a preview screening of the first episode??
Last year’s DJ, the timing of the announcement of this year’s DJ and the short gap between the ’09 and ’10 event obviously all had much more impact than what certain people might think Better Than Life had on proceedings. Yes, which is what I said in the article – I listed BTL as one of many, many factors, not anything approaching the main cause.
I was hoping to finally make it to DJ this time. It’s reassuring that DJ is unconventional enough that not now, doesn’t automatically mean never.
Hmmm…I may be able to manage it in April if I manage to find a job and save the money for the trip. I imagine more people would come from the US if they were just aware of things. With only two forums and virtually no advertising for it here, that’s a loss of a lot of fans that would come, and trust me, there are more than you think.
Clashing with Comic-Con prevented me from going (plus, y’know, the whole “waaah I’m broke” thing), but now I’m working again and now that the event has been pushed back, I should actually be able to go. Hell, I’ll take Helen, go out for two weeks, and call it a birthday present, or summink.
I have a job now too (just completed the first week. I say ‘completed’ being new I’m a bit slow and, well, rubbish, but I’m sure that’s to be expected) so the new schedule date will certainly work better for me. Assuming I get past the 3 month probationary period. For work. Not the convention. That brings to mind Quarantine. And then of course Mr Flibble. Which in turn brings to mind performingmonkey’s puppet porn. Not that I’m doing that mind. I love the amount of thought that went into the girls’ alternative. Snigger.
Good luck with 2011 convention, I’m sure it will be brilliant. In the meanwhile can we blame the volcano?
More Facebook advertising! According to a fan page, 124,646 people like this. people “like” it – now, I wouldn’t really want ALL of them turning up but… Personally, I REALLY want to be at the next DJ, but I’m in Japan until March and have to plan what I’m doing after that… and I’d feel quite bad if I planned my future around going to DJ for a weekend (although, well, I’m kinda considering it anyway)…
