Walker Stalker London: A Survival Guide to the Conpocalypse
(Source: Walker Stalker)
The Walking Dead is probably the biggest show on tv right now. With a swift discard of the critics, tens of thousands of us sit down every Monday night (Sunday for our American friends) to witness how our favourite characters will fare in their quest to survive the apocalypse.
If, like me, you get a little too emotionally attached to tv shows, you'll inevitably be sat there wishing there was a way in which you could meet the Walking Dead cast. Alas this is where I come in!
Three words for you: Walker Stalker Con. What is Walker Stalker Con, I hear you ask? Only one of the best weekends of your life!
In a nutshell, Walker Stalker is a weekend-long convention which originated in the US and offers the ultimate fan experience for your average Walking Dead enthusiast. It's a weekend where fans and actors alike gather in a large convention hall to interact with one another and meet their favourite members of the cast.
James Frazier is the brains behind the con and brought the Walker Stalker brand across the Atlantic for the first time in February 2016. It has since returned for the second year running (March 2017) and will be reappearing at the London Olympia for its third year March 10 & 11 2018.
Now many people believe a weekend like this costs an arm and a leg - and they're not wrong - however you can completely justify it with two things: budget and discipline.
So this brings me on to the topic of ticket prices.
Tickets
There are four levels of tickets available for the weekend. Each ticket covers admission but also have their own little perks. Tickets are sold in roughly 3 waves, with the first wave for 2018 going on sale Saturday 18th March 2017. Waves are typically spaced 3-4 months apart. Don't forget to look out for the BOGOF offers!
Standard General 1-Day Admission: this ticket covers admission into the convention for 1 of 2 days. At a price of £45 it is the most cost-effective ticket type with all the perks of a 2-Day GA ticket.
Standard General 2-Day Admission: this ticket costs £85 and covers admission into the convention for both days. The general admission ticket has its own unique pass and offers admission to all panels (unless stated otherwise) and vendor hall.
VIP 2-Day Pass: this ticket is 1 of 3 VIP type tickets that Walker Stalker offer and is also the cheapest of the three. A fee of £190 grants you EARLY admission to the vendor hall (9am) both days, dedicated VIP lines for both photo ops and autographs (priority over GA ticket holders), priority seating behind Platinum and Gold attendees at all panels as well as a unique pass and lanyard.
Gold VIP: this ticket is extremely limited but at a price of £660 will cover early admission for both days of the convention, give you 2 individual photo op vouchers to redeem for any guest of your choice, 2 autograph vouchers of your choice, a convention pin badge, dedicated Gold photo op/autograph lines. priority seating behind Platinum attendees at all panels and a unique pass with lanyard.
Platinum VIP: the most expensive ticket and therefore the most limited to get hold of - at a price of £1,320 this pass will grant you everything a Gold VIP ticket does but instead of 2 photo ops and 2 autographs, you get 4 photo ops and 4 autographs. You also get convention concierge services as well as lunch in the "Green Room".
The green room is where the celebrity guests go for a break from their day, whether it's to grab something to eat or to just get away from the crowds. It is however divided in half where the guests eat in privacy on one side and Platinum attendees eat on the other side. It's not an opportunity to get close and personal with the celebs as this is their down time, however don't be surprised if you see them hovering about in the Platinum side of the green room as that's where the food is!
Tickets for children under 10 cost just £16 - however parents who plan on purchasing a platinum pass must ensure that a platinum pass is purchased for their child, also.
Now that we have admission covered, let's move on to the average cost of photo ops and autographs once you get into the convention hall.
Photo Ops
The best way to prepare and budget for the photo ops you wish to buy when they go on sale is to research the prices of the previous year. Chances are the prices will go up again however if you use the previous year's prices as your estimate, you'll be pretty well prepared for saving.
Some rough pricing guidelines for 2017 online booking fee:
Norman Reedus: £89 Michael Cudlitz: £56
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: £89 Andrew Lincoln: £91
Lauren Cohan: £90 Chandler Riggs: £72
Josh McDermitt: £56
Photo op prices are however subject to change, with a particular example being Tom Payne (Jesus) whose prices started at around £50 and rose to somewhere around £70.
Photo ops last roughly around 30 seconds, there is no time to stand around and chat nor give the guests any gifts that you may have - this is best saved for when you meet them at their table!
Autographs
As a result, Norman's and Jeffrey's autographs were pre-sold in order to make sure they could see as many people as physically possible. Of course this was a let down to those attendees who weren't quick enough to grab a pre-sale auto, however I believe the concept worked really well on the day.
VIP guests were emailed a unique pre-sale code which they needed to enter on the website in order to purchase an autograph voucher. 75% of those autographs were given to VIP attendees, whilst the remaining 25% went on sale for general admission ticket holders. This may sound a little harsh, however it works at the same ratio as the lines would at the convention: 4 gold and 2 VIP ticket holders to every 1 general admission ticket holder.
I was lucky enough to bag myself a voucher for Jeffrey's autograph on the Sunday, however I missed out on Norman's - even though I had a VIP code. Luckily I stumbled across a lady who happened to be selling her Norman autograph voucher outside will call on the Friday so I purchased that from her. So don't be left feeling deflated if you don't happen to grab one quick enough - people will be selling them! Also take note that if you do buy a pre-sale autograph only the one person with the voucher can queue for the autograph BUT additional autographs can be purchased at the celebrity's table.
NB: Not all autographs are pre-sold, you will be able to queue for the majority of guests autographs on the days of the convention! Autographs bought at a celebrity's table are cash only.
Some rough pricing guidelines for autographs:
Norman Reedus: £70
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: £70
Chandler Riggs: Auto £60 / Selfie £60 / Combo £120
Lauren Cohan: Auto: £65
Josh McDermitt: Auto £50 / Selfie £50 / Combo £70
Michael Cudlitz: Auto £50 / Selfie £50 / Combo £70 / FREE M&G
Alanna Masterson: Auto £50 / Selfie £50 / Combo £70
David Morrissey: Auto £50 / Selfie £30 / Combo £70
Really you're looking anywhere between £40-£70 for an autograph, with many guests offering the opportunity to take selfies - something to bear in mind if you miss out on photo ops!
NB: Some guests offer FREE selfies with the purchase of an autograph! Austin Amelio, Steven Ogg and Tom Payne are a few who did this.
If you wish to bring gifts for the guests, the best time to give it to them is at their table - be sensible with what you buy them but note that alcohol is welcomed! I bought Jeffrey two bottles of ale and a packet of cigarettes!
Vendor Hall
Whilst you're not queuing for autographs or off to get your photo op with your favourite guests, there's plenty to do around the vendor hall. With lots of stalls selling a range of items from memorabilia to food to tattoos and art - there's so much to look at (and spend your money on).
Accommodation
With attendees travelling from all over the world it's crucial to find accommodation which is not only good value for money but easy to travel to the Olympia from. Here's a couple of options:
This is the host hotel for the convention, whilst it's not the fanciest of hotels it's definitely the closest you can get to the Olympia. I stayed here for Walker Stalker 2017 and it cost £412 for 2 people for 2 nights - breakfast not included. Prices do vary and rooms sell out extremely quickly so you'll definitely have to search around for a good deal. Note that there is not a great selection of restaurants or eating places around this area but there is a 24 hour Tesco store about a 15/20 minute walk away. Book Here
This is where I have booked to stay for Walker Stalker 2018. I grabbed 2 rooms for 4 people for £134 per person. It's roughly a 10 minute walk to the Olympia, however it is situated near a Tesco Metro and is also a 10 minute walk away from Kings Mall Shopping Centre. Book Here
Another firm favourite with many con goers, this hotel is located about an 18 minute walk away from the Olympia. Don't let the walk put you off though, this hotel is situated only a 3 minute walk away from Shepherd's Bush station which happens to be a 2 minute train journey from London Olympia. It is also located next to a shopping centre, McDonald's and Pizza Express. Book for £249 upfront or £262 payment at hotel with free cancellation. Book Here
Roughly a 22 minute walk from the London Olympia, the Premier Inn is situated in Kensington Earl's Court. Priced at just £239 for 2 nights (double room) it works out at £119 per person which is a seriously reasonable price - especially for those not wanting to cause too much damage to their bank account. If the walk puts you off, grab an Uber for around £5. Book Here
These are just a few local ideas but I suggest you really look around for the best deal - if you sign up to become an AccorHotels member you'll receive 10% off the booking price of many hotels including the ones listed above. Remember you can always look outside of central London if you're comfortable with making the journey via public transport!
So now that we've covered the things that are going to take up the bulk of your convention money, it's time to throw in a few little extras to help you stay up-to-date and well prepared for the best weekend of the year!
Ideally, you should buy your ticket in the first wave of ticket sales, that way you can use the rest of the year to save. Saving is KEY to making the most out of your weekend. Try buying one of those money boxes which you can't get into unless you either smash it or use a tin opener on it. Then try and put all of your big change in it - £5 notes, £2, £1 and 50p coins. Just note that the new £1 coin comes into circulation on the 28th of March meaning the current £1 coins will be phased out and deemed unusable by the time Walker Stalker comes around (same goes for old £5 notes). I'm sure these can be exchanged for the new versions at your local bank, however.
Make a list of all the celebrity guests you wish to meet - highlight the ones you want to prioritise! Put money aside for when photo ops and autographs go on sale - that way you won't have to worry about spending money on these at the con!
Look out for the Buy One Get One Free offers on GA tickets, especially around Christmas time! James and his team are always looking for ways to help out and give back to attendees - if you can save money - do it!
Follow @JamesAFrazier on Twitter. He works relentlessly to answer all kinds of questions regarding the convention - turn on notifications to receive alerts when he tweets! This is the best way to stay up-to-date with everything. Another ideal twitter account to follow is @WalkrStalkrCon
Join the groups and events on Facebook. There's plenty of groups created for people attending the convention, many of whom are incredibly kind and extremely helpful. You'll make some lifelong friends there! If you're planning on attending the con alone, these groups are the best place to go in order to not feel so lonely and panic driven on the days of the convention! Try searching for "Walker Stalker Con London".
Preparation is crucial for making the weekend a success and if done right, you will have one of the best weekends of your life.
Good luck!
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