We’re just under three weeks until Gallifrey One’s Miracle on 34th Street and there is so much happening behind the scenes, as we get ready to move into the Marriott in February.  Read on!

Convention Schedule Updates

Today we’ve updated the Gallifrey One Schedule of Events to add all the remaining items that weren’t on the first edition, including: all photo ops currently scheduled; the autograph sessions with guests sponsored by Showmasters Events; our remaining optional add-on events (including the TARDIS Tag meet & greets and the two remaining script readings); and the schedule for our children’s programming.  These join the rest of our program schedule, gaming schedule, additional autographs and much more, which have already been available on the online schedule.  (Video room programming is not posted online and can be found in your souvenir program book, given to you at badge pickup.)

We’ve also added several new meet-up events happening at the convention in recent days, including many suggested by our attendees.  Be sure to filter the online schedule by Social Events & Meet-Ups to see the wide range of events happening at this year’s convention… including even more Ribbon Exchange events that begin as early as Wednesday evening (February 14)!  Meet-ups at Gallifrey One usually take place in one of four areas: our Program E room on the convention floor, the hotel’s convention center patio (outside the glass doors on the convention level), in the Marriott’s hotel lobby, or in the hotel pool deck.  The pool area, as well as our Children’s Programming room, can be accessed from the first floor via elevators, or by stairs down from the hotel lobby level (next to the gift shop.)  

Click Here: Gallifrey One 2024 Schedule of Events

We’d also like to share that our Autograph Alley has been moved back into the Dealers Room, and can once again be found (like in previous years) at the back of the room.  Meanwhile, our fan exhibitor tables have been moved back out into the hallway across from the Art Show and the exit to the Photo Studio, and our Cosplay Repair Shop further back in the same hallway opposite the Video Room (this is where both were located prior to the pandemic.)  You can find an updated version of our floor map on the Gallifrey One Attendee Guide.

We know many new attendees have asked about autograph sessions; a complete guide to autographs can be found later in this news post, as well as on the Attendee Guide.  Speaking of which…

Attendee Guide Fully Updated

The Gallifrey One Attendee Guide is a great resource here on our website that should be able to answer most, if not all, of your questions about the convention, especially for first-time attendees.  Items that you can find on the Attendee Guide include what you need to bring with you and what to do when you get here, how to find everything, and so much more.  Everything we post here is usually posted on the Attendee Guide (or links are provided to same).  You can also access the Attendee Guide via the handy link at the top of the page, just below the convention logo.

Ticket Sales Deadline… and On-Site Sales!

Tickets to the 2024 Gallifrey One convention will remain on sale this year until Tuesday, February 13 at 12:00pm Pacific Time (3:00pm Eastern / 8:00pm UK) while supplies last.  While we’ve sold the vast majority of our tickets for this year, we do have some still left for purchase at our regular rates: $125 for adults, $75 for teens (12-16), $35 for children (3-11).  We do not sell single-day tickets.

Click Here: Purchase Gallifrey One 2024 Tickets

At this time, we expect to get close to, but not quite reach, a sellout (although we are currently at 95% of the way to our sales cap).  If tickets are still available — and we will make an announcement if we expect there to be — we will reopen ticket sales at the door for the first time in many years.  Prices at the door, however, will be $15 per ticket higher than in advance ($140 for adults, $90 for teens, $50 for children.)  If you are planning to attend the convention but haven’t yet purchased your ticket, we encourage you to do so sooner rather than later; we can’t promise we’ll have any still available at the door.

If you aren’t sure if you have purchased a ticket, we encourage you to please search through your email for “Member Solutions“.  Member Solutions is our current ticket provider; WE DO NOT USE EVENTBRITE for convention ticket sales!!   We are (well, our program director is) currently getting inundated with emails from attendees wanting to check on their ticket status, and we think most of you are searching for EventBrite mentions.  Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, we will also have a limited number of convention T-shirts and tote bags available for sale at the Gallifrey One Merchandise tables in the back of the Dealers Room, while supplies last; this is also where you can pick up your pre-ordered shirts and totes during regular Dealers Room hours.  Additionally, you will still be able to purchase photo ops, autographs for Showmasters-sponsored guests (see autograph section below) and admission to any of the receptions or VIP events if space is still available, all at the Showmasters table in the convention center foyer on Thursday late afternoon (same area as badge pickuip), or just outside the Dealers Room during the convention.

Gallifrey One Health Policy

As we rapidly approach the launch of the convention, many people have been asking us about our health policy, specifically as it pertains to COVID-19 and our requirements during the past two years.  While this information has been available on the Attendee Guide and our Convention Policies page for months, we’d like to make sure everyone sees it here:

COVID-19 vaccination documentation is not required at Convention Registration to receive your badge, only photo identification.  We will not require the use of face masks at this time, though again, we highly encourage everyone to do so.  (All COVID-19 mandates enacted by the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and the state of California during the COVID-19 pandemic have ended.)  For more details, see the “Current Health Policy” section of the Attendee Guide.

Guest Updates

As we get much closer to the convention, we have some additional people joining us this year.  First, long-time Gallifrey One guest and supporter Gigi Edgley (Chiana on the sci-fi series Farscape) will be signing in our Dealers Room at her own table; she’ll also be part of the Evening Guest Receptions, and will be joining us on Sunday for the “In Conversation With…” panel on the main stage.

Showmasters Events has confirmed Eric & Eliza Roberts to join us on Saturday this year.  Eric is, of course, known to Doctor Who fans as the Master from the 1996 TV Movie; Eliza, his wife, also appeared in that film.  They both will participate in the evening receptions, and will be doing photo ops (including a Derek Jacobi/Eric Roberts photo op together.)

Finally, Showmasters will also have some local guests stopping by for autographs during the day on Friday and Saturday.  On Friday, Rory Ross, Warren Proulx and Christine & Brad Galey, who are background artists who portrayed various roles in Star Wars shows including The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, will be signing autographs, while Sandra Gimpel, a long-time performer with many Star Trek credits to her name, and previous convention guest Susanna Malak (The Mandalorian) will be doing the same on Saturday.  Convention Photo Shoots will have a special pass for photos and meet & greets with these guests (the “Sci-Fi Tag”) on sale this week.

Children’s Programming

We are happy to welcome back Gallifrey One’s Children’s Programming Room this year.  Children’s Programming, for ages 6-12, will be open Friday 12pm to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm, and is located on the first floor of the hotel (just above the convention center), accessible via elevator, or the stairs down from the hotel lobby level (next to the gift shop).  The items taking place at this year’s convention, listed below, are now listed on our Schedule of Events.

  • Friday: Decorate your own convention bag; create your own covention shirt; design your own sonic screwdrivers; create your own arachnid web; and Lego/coloring time!
  • Saturday: Create your own Dalek, Mars Rover, K9 or Weeping Angel; Blink Don’t Blink; and Lego/coloring time!
  • Sunday: Create your own Doctor Who scarf or bow tie, Cyber mask or Cyber bug, sonic screwdriver or sonic lipstick, or even an Adipose; plus our Children’s Charity Auction.

Kaffeeklatsch Online Sign Up Event Reminder

This is a friendly reminder that we will be doing online sign-ups for our Kaffeeklatsches program on Saturday February 3 at 12:00pm Pacific Time (3:00pm Eastern / 8:00pm UK).  The kaffeeklatsch events are very popular and fun small-group sessions with one or two guests and up to 12 attendees, for a chance to chat about our guests’ work directly (and you’re encouraged to bring your own beverage).  We also take a group photo at the end of each session.

Kaffeeklatsch signups are managed on February 3 through filling out a Google form (linked on the day) with up to three of your preferred events, in order.  They’re assigned via a preferential lottery system: everyone who signs up for a session in the first ten minutes are run through a lottery to fill available slots; if you’re not given your first choice, we do everything we can to give you your second or third choice.  We traditionally give one session per attendee.  After that, all remaining slots are filled first-come first-served when the Kaffeeklatsches Desk opens at the convention on Friday morning, February 16.  The Kaffeeklatsches desk is located next to Member Services; they are the two kiosks next to the elevators on the convention level.

Charity Auction Updates

We’re thrilled to be supporting The Trevor Project at this year’s Bob May Memorial Charity Auction.  We hope everyone will come out and join us on Sunday at noon in the Program B room to bid on some great merchandise, all donated by our attendees, guests and staff.  

Speaking of donations, WE NEED YOU!  As always, we’re looking for donations of science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror or genre related material, most especially Doctor Who and its spinoffs, but also many other genres that appeal to the people at our convention, as well as anything related to science fiction film and television, SF/fantasy literature, comic books, or collectibles. Anything that has a tangential relationship to the SF/fantasy/horror genre which is in at least very good condition. Autographed photos, commemorative items, one-time prints, illustrations, etc. are also welcome. If you find it to be a valuable collectible, chances are good that others will, too. (Just be sure: this is not a disposal service for items you wish to throw away!)

Gallifrey One’s Charity Auction Donation Room is located at the very back of the panel hallway (where Program B, C, D and E are located), and is open during convention hours on Friday and Saturday.  Bring your donations, or come and browse all the wonderful stuff being made available this year for auction.  We’ve also got a few special things happening: we’ll be doing Magic Carpet Selfies for $1 in the Auction Donation room, and we’re even going to hold a mini Children’s Auction on Sunday as part of our children’s programming.

Also, we’re happy to announce that we will be doing another silent auction at this year’s convention, taking place from Friday opening through Saturday at 5:00pm, on a select number of items made available for bid.  Silent auction bids on items must meet the minimum bidding increment requirement (or risk disqualification), and all items are able to be bid on multiple times by the same attendee; the winners will be posted in our Charity Auction room.  Winners of the silent auction will need to be available and pay by 5:30pm on Saturday, or the item will instead go to the live auction on Sunday.  

Help Wanted!

Gallifrey One is looking for able-bodied individuals who can help with setup on Thursday, and also for people interested in helping us keep the convention safe and secure by monitoring our doors and lines.  If you’d like to volunteer for either Thursday setup or to help us throughout the weekend, please send us email to contactus@gallifreyone.com and let us know; we’d love to have you.  (Weekend staffing is a great way to get involved in the convention!)

A Guide to Gallifrey One Autographs

Gallifrey One provides three different types of autograph opportunities at our events, which we know can be confusing (especially to the newer attendees).  We believe in scheduling autograph sessions appropriately to the guest, not imposing on all of our guests’ times, while still providing as much autograph opportunity and flexibility in case we need to make last minute changes; meanwhile, many of our sponsored guests have autograph commitments in their contracts. 

ALL of our autographing this year takes place in the Gallifrey One Dealers Room; the only differences between each type is how autographs are delivered to you.  Here is a quick and easy to understand guide to getting your most coveted autographs at this year’s convention:

Autograph Alley

Gallifrey One’s Autograph Alley is our general autograph session area, located in the very back of our Dealers Room.  Nearly every guest we invite ourselves directly signs here, with rare exceptions (sponsored guests and guests with their own tables sign elsewhere, see below).   Each guest involved in an Autograph Alley event will begin signing at the start of the session, usually for a one-hour or, in some cases, two-hour block… but we permit the guest’s session to end when there is no expectation of additional autograph collectors wanting signatures.  In other words, we don’t require guests to remain for the entire time; you should show up as close to the start of the session as possible, as it’s their choice to stick around or not.

Participants in this year’s Autograph Alley include: Segun Akinola; Ray Holman; Sally Knyvette; Jan Chappell; Brian Croucher; Kevin Jon Davies; Stephen Cole; Mark Morris; James Goss; Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson; John Dorney; Gary Russell; Lisa McMullin; Tony Lee; Jody Houser; Paul Cornell; Peter Anghelides; Simon Guerrier; Lizbeth Myles; Alfie Shaw; Barbara Hambly, Christopher Jones, Larry Nemecek. 

Additionally, there will be a dedicated signing on Friday in the Autograph Alley for contributing writers of the “History of Studying Doctor Who” book.

Sponsored Guests

Autograph sessions with our “sponsored guests” are set entirely by the sponsors, for a time and duration of their choosing, at their tables in our Dealers Room.  You will pay the sponsor directly at their table for autographs (credit cards OK for Showmasters & Alien Entertainment, otherwise cash-only).  The sponsored guests usually sign for longer periods during the day and often have multiple autograph sessions each day, though some only appear one or two days, so check the schedule.

Sponsored guests signing at Showmasters Events include: Sir Derek Jacobi; Billie Piper; Alex Kingston; Matthew Waterhouse; Camille Coduri; Jacqueline King; Shaun Dingwall; Eric Roberts; Eliza Roberts; Christine & Bradley Galey; Rory Ross; Warren Proulx; Sandra Gimpel.  Showmasters Events manages their own autograph lines, which start at the front door of the Dealers Room and run out onto the patio.

Sponsored guests signing at Alien Entertainment/Big Finish include: Jonathon Carley; Jaye Griffiths. 

Additionally, Rachel Talalay will be signing at the Alien Entertainment booth this year.  Alien Entertainment have also graciously lent us their autographing space to accommodate a special signing of the “Companions of Doctor Who” book on Saturday morning.

Fixed Location Guests

Some of our guests — including sponsored guests appearing on only one day — have their own tables in our Dealers Room.  These guests will be signing throughout the day, on the day(s) they are in attendance; we do not post autograph times for them since they will set their own hours and are usually available any time they are not doing programming or photo ops. 

Guests who have their own tables in the Dealers Room (and therefore do not have set times for autographs) include: Frazer Hines; Kevin McNally; Annette Badland; Brian Herring; Gigi Edgley; Dominic Glynn; Robert Strange; Keith Barnfather (Reeltime Pictures); Gareth Kavanagh & Ian Winterton (Cutaway Comics). Additionally, copies of “The Companions of Doctor Who” will be signed by contributors at the Fayetteville Mafia Press table after their panel on Saturday morning.

Additional Important Autographs Information

All guests are free to set their own costs for autographs (usually in the case of actors) or sign for free, as well as sell their own photos or other merchandise if they choose to; Gallifrey One does not require any concessions on potential autograph costs and takes no cut.

Gallifrey One does not pre-sell autographs at any time; you will need to speak to the guest, or their sponsoring organization, at the time for any rates.

It is highly recommended you bring ample cash with you for autographs; don’t plan on using a local ATM (especially the one in the Marriott, which tends to run out of cash quickly). Autographs from guests who charge for signing can run anywhere from $10-30 or higher.

Please respect our guests’ rights to charge for autographs at the costs they deem appropriate; our guests are here on their own time and frequently part of their recompense is in the sales of autographs.

In order to provide our attendees with a positive experience while waiting for an autograph from guests in our Autograph Alley or Dealers Room, we will not permit saving places for friends in any autograph lines, or allow jumping ahead in line to join a friend/relative (exception: those with jump-the-line passes as part of their ticket packages through Convention Photo Shoots, such as TARDIS Tag or Diamond Pass holders.)

Due to time constraints and our wish to allow everyone possible a chance for an autograph, we are not able to permit attendees to take photos with guests during autographs, except with the full consent of the guest; this is limited to guests who have their own tables in the Dealers Room only.  Our sponsored guests, and our guests participating in the Autograph Alley, may choose to allow the taking of personal photos at other times, and attendees are welcome to have their photo taken during our professionally-run photo sessions in the Photo Studio throughout the weekend.

Gallifrey One reserves the right to alter these policies or alter the category of each guest at any time.

More updates soon!