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 Gary Barlow Fans Convention
98
Date: 15th March 1998
Location: Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester
Written by Julia Wharton and Jan & Helen Berrington
(For the Rogues Gallery please
follow this link!)
The First Ever Gary Barlow Fans Convention
was held on Sunday, 15th March 1998 in the Park Suite of the Jarvis
Piccadilly Hotel in M anchester.
Helen, Jan and Julia along with their assistants
arrived on the Saturday (14th) to begin preparations for the big
day. We all live so far apart that this was the first time we would
be able to do a proper run through of what we had been planning
for over 5 months
At 8am on the Convention day we found ourselves
back in the Park Suite nervously preparing the last details. Jackie,
our Hull co-ordinator arrived at about 11am along with a good luck
card for us, and a wonderful bottle of champers (thanks Jackie!).
Louise and her mum (our printers and Norfolk co-ordinator) arrived
shortly after with various fund-raising merchandise she had made
for us, to gether
with the newsletters, kindly donated by her printing company, Morton's
labels.
A quick run through with our DJ Dean followed,
whilst Jan and Julia rushed around in a blind panic, Helen was calm
as a cucumber as usual! Up until about 1.15pm we were still desperately
trying to fine-tune matters (bang goes the impression of us being
completely calm!) and go through the script with the DJ. Just moments
be fore,
everyone was due to arrive we grabbed the champagne bottle and wished
each other luck. For some reason the nervousness and panic lifted
completely....wonder if it was anything to do with the champagne??!
Our information table, merchandise table and Paul Wilde the cartoonist
were all set up and ready for action in Park Avenue, the area just
outside Park Suite.
The ticket desk was  by
the lifts, so people attending could see where to go as soon as
they arrived.
At 1.40pm most people were seated in the
main room. Jan gave a quick pep talk on where to find the fire exits
(doing her best Air Hostess impression)and toilets before hand over
to Helen for the introduction to our presentation.
 Helen
gave a brief rundown of what GB Fans is all about and what to expect
from the day. Everyone attending the Convention had been given an
envelope which contained their name badges, Agenda For The Day,
Personalised Bookmark, Jarvis Pen and a feedback form.
The story of Gary's life then began narrated
by Julia.  The
narration was in three parts throughout the afternoon and included
pictures, sound and video clips shown on our 6 foot screen provided
by the hotel.
In between Gary's story we ran two competitions
and gave out raffle prizes. Here are the results listed below:-
| THE
QUIZ |
|
Runners up received a GB Fans badge, the winner received
a 5 Foot Poster, 'So Help Me Girl' US Promo and a BMG
Canada Promo Card.
|
| Names |
Position |
| Beryl Hitchin
from Cheshire |
Runner Up |
| Ella Dixon
from Surrey |
Runner Up |
| Wendy Brierly
from Manchester |
Runner Up |
| Shelley Chadwick
from Folkstone |
Runner Up |
| Rachel Perival
from Stockport |
Winner! |
The raffle prizes were given out in two
stages of the afternoon. Below are the winners and what they received;
| The
Raffle Prizes |
The
Winners |
| GB Fans Newsletter
Subscription |
Debi
Hardie from Blackburn |
| 5 Foot Poster
of Gary |
Pauline
Johnson from Manchester |
| Caricature
of Gary By Paul Wilde |
Tracey
Riley from Cheltenham |
| Gary Promo
Jacket |
Jennifer
Williams from Cheshire |
| US Version
of Open Road (the album) |
Simone
Gourge-Weiss from Germany |
 To
end the day Gary's management company 'GloBe Artists' had kindly
sent us a promo video of the Open Book video due to be released
the very next day.
These extracts although shown at the concerts
have not been shown anywhere else on national TV. We had hoped for
a personal message from Gary but due to his hectic schedule it was
not to be, so they sent us the edited promo instead.
The last thing on the agenda was a bit of
a sing along before our presentation ended - at this point Jan and
Helen would like to apologise for almost deafening everyone!!
During the afternoon we also attracted attention
from the m edia
with Great Manchester Radio (GMR) and BBC Television coming along
to record the event. The Convention was also reported on BBC's Ceefax,
page 167.
Judging by the feedback we had on the day
and since the event we have great pleasure in saying that the Convention
was a complete  success
and fans can't wait for next year's!
Organising an event such as this takes a
very long time and all those involved worked extremely hard to make
it what it was on the day. Now we have completed our first ever
major event we can look back and reflect on how we can improve on
things, to make it bigger and better for next time. We certainly
ensure everyone that the air-conditioning will be switched on next
year!
Below we have listed the people that deserve
credit and thanks for their hard work and assistance they gave us,
a big GB Fans hug to you all!
| Everyone
that attended the convention |
The most important
people of all, we couldn't have done it without you! |
| Dean, The
DJ, Showman Extra-Ordinaire etc; |
For making
us laugh, feel relaxed and ensuring the day was more-or-less
as we planned...see you next time! |
| Jarvis
Piccadilly Hotel |
Especially,
Barbara, Helen and Nick, for their understanding, patience
and support. |
| Louise
Parker from Morton Labels |
Her contributions
to make the day what it was are endless. We couldn't have
done it without you! |
| Jackie
our Hull co-ordinator |
For the champagne,
the good luck card, her assistance, support and her wonderful
ideas. |
| Paul
Wilde |
For the great
stall he provided and the kind donations. |
| Michelle
and Helen (ticket desk attendants!) |
They did
a wonderful job, well done! |
| Alf and
Andrew |
For their
patience in our hours of need. |
| Sue (video
person!) |
Great video
skills Sue, thanks! |
| Kelly
Howe/Arista |
For the US
promo's of So Help Me Girl |
| Jennifer
Grant |
For the Canadian
Promo Cards |
| David
Weir |
For his background
knowledge on Gary. |
| BBC Television |
For reporting
the event |
| GMR |
For reporting
the event |
| Capital
Radio |
For reporting
the event |
| Radio
City 96.7FM |
For your
sponsorship and help. |
| Smash
Hits |
For your
donations. |
| TV Hits |
For your
donations. |
| J17 |
For your
donations |
| GloBe
Artists |
For their
great contribution and help. |
| Mike
at the Official Gary Barlow Fanclub |
Thank you
Mike for your help and support, and also for putting up with
our madness! |
Gary
Barlow Press Office
(RCA MARKETING) |
For their
donations |
| Gary
Barlow |
Because without
him, none of this would ever have happened! |
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