Black Widow
04-06-2009, 08:19 PM
BOOKER T FANFEST
The Booker T Legends of Wrestling Fanfest was a rousing success financially as the event had grossed over $20,000 for the TNA star's Fight for Kids Foundation before the doors even opened on Friday afternoon. The first-ever event held by Booker's PWA promotion in Houston featured a number of stars, including Sting, Mick Foley and Kevin Nash, making signing appearances while donating their time to help raise money for the Foundation.
The event was held in the George R. Brown Convention Center, just a few floors below the first Ring of Honor event the same night. If you were seeking autographs or photos, it was a place to be as it was a very loose atmosphere and those who wanted to get quality time with the talents booked were easily able to. That casual atmosphere was a plus for fans paying upwards of $200 for an all inclusive package.
There seemed to be some disorganization early on, however, as the event opened a little late and the Convention Center made the incorrect call to have one woman manning the entire ticketing process at the box office. Beyond that long procedure to enter the venue, the largest complaint I heard centered around 8x10 photos being sold for $10 a pop by the PWA while other vendors were requested not to bring them, so if you didn't bring items to sign, you were trapped buying the photos. That said, it was a charity event, so one can see why they were doing their best to squeeze as much cash out of fans in attendance.
The convention drew in the 500-600 area.
It was interesting to see Jake Roberts showing up completely jovial and friendly to the fans in attendance. I've seen Roberts at other conventions where he has seemed like he'd want to be anywhere but signing for fans, but on Friday, he was extremely gracious and happy. He looked to be down some weight at one point, jogged across the Convention floor heading to a restroom. A few people noted to me how good he looked and how healthy he seemed to be moving, so all one can do is hope that he's in the midst of a positive run, not just a good day in public.
All the announced scheduled talent except for Matt "Spike Dudley" Hyson appeared, although he may have been prevented by the poor weather in the New England area on Friday.
Overall, a fun, low key event for a good cause. You can't ask for more than that.
PWI
The Booker T Legends of Wrestling Fanfest was a rousing success financially as the event had grossed over $20,000 for the TNA star's Fight for Kids Foundation before the doors even opened on Friday afternoon. The first-ever event held by Booker's PWA promotion in Houston featured a number of stars, including Sting, Mick Foley and Kevin Nash, making signing appearances while donating their time to help raise money for the Foundation.
The event was held in the George R. Brown Convention Center, just a few floors below the first Ring of Honor event the same night. If you were seeking autographs or photos, it was a place to be as it was a very loose atmosphere and those who wanted to get quality time with the talents booked were easily able to. That casual atmosphere was a plus for fans paying upwards of $200 for an all inclusive package.
There seemed to be some disorganization early on, however, as the event opened a little late and the Convention Center made the incorrect call to have one woman manning the entire ticketing process at the box office. Beyond that long procedure to enter the venue, the largest complaint I heard centered around 8x10 photos being sold for $10 a pop by the PWA while other vendors were requested not to bring them, so if you didn't bring items to sign, you were trapped buying the photos. That said, it was a charity event, so one can see why they were doing their best to squeeze as much cash out of fans in attendance.
The convention drew in the 500-600 area.
It was interesting to see Jake Roberts showing up completely jovial and friendly to the fans in attendance. I've seen Roberts at other conventions where he has seemed like he'd want to be anywhere but signing for fans, but on Friday, he was extremely gracious and happy. He looked to be down some weight at one point, jogged across the Convention floor heading to a restroom. A few people noted to me how good he looked and how healthy he seemed to be moving, so all one can do is hope that he's in the midst of a positive run, not just a good day in public.
All the announced scheduled talent except for Matt "Spike Dudley" Hyson appeared, although he may have been prevented by the poor weather in the New England area on Friday.
Overall, a fun, low key event for a good cause. You can't ask for more than that.
PWI