Ben Affleck – Fan Expo Dallas 2018

Ben Affleck was the other big headliner that was going to be there Saturday only.  In the days leading up to the show, I wondered what the lines would be like and if I could get both Jeff Goldblum and Ben Affleck in the same day. Because you don’t have enough info, your mind spins and creates some stress for yourself.

Surprisingly, the show did something I truly liked. They sold autograph tickets for the signing.  The signing was going to be at a specific time and location.  That was a location away from the expo floor. This signing was at the end of the day.  

One of the things that cause chaos with big names is the people that don’t want an autograph but want a peak at the celeb. They crowd the area and make it hard to get into line or hear instructions from the people managing the line.  Those fans are trying to take pictures which cause the volunteers to shout at them, telling them no photos are allowed. It’s a mess.  The area becomes charged with negative-ness.

Having the signing in a different room at the convention center made the event much more manageable.  Ben was seated in a room that was down a side corridor.  The only people allowed into that corridor were people that bought a ticket.  They had plenty of room to queue us. It was quieter so the instructions were not shouted. While we were not allowed to bring in backpacks or purses or bags, they did have a process for handling that.

Ben was seated and signing fairly quick. He did smile and say hi. The fan, a few people in front of me, slowed the line down.  So, much like Jeff Goldblum, there was a small stack of items to the right of Ben.  My item was signed and waiting for me before I was in front of Ben.  I said hello and welcome to Dallas.  He nodded and said thanks and my time was over.

The lady in front of me was with a friend and her 2 kids. As a group, they got a few things signed. My photo was just sitting there.  The lady's friend picked it up. Because the room was so quiet, my, ‘Excuse me Ma’am ‘ sounded much louder than I intended. Everyone whipped their heads around to look at me. I tried to soften the next sentence but I know it was uttered with some impatience; ‘That is my photo’. She looked confused. Her friend said it wasn’t part of their stack so the lady put it back the table.

I picked up my photo and the lady apologized again.  I accepted the apology. At the time I was thinking it was intentional but as I recall it now, I see it was an innocent mistake. It had been a long day and everyone was tired.

AH