Hayley at Henley Festival 2008

[Martin]

roger said:

gra7890 said:

Life would be so much easier if and when we know a definite list of events for 2008.

Phew, you're telling me, Graham. Unfortunately, we are never likely to get a complete schedule for any particular year as events are being considered, discussed and (hopefully) confirmed all the time. It is therefore impossible for Bedlam to do more than to send me confirmation of one or two events at a time.

This situation is perfectly normal but I accept it isn't easy when details are known, tickets are on sale but no confirmation has been received. I know some of our members book tickets in the knowledge that the event is not confirmed and hope for the best. Nine times out of ten, they would probably be safe.

As a general rule, if you book tickets and then the main artist doesn't appear, you should be entitled to a refund (possibly less a handling charge or booking fee). If that artist was only making a guest appearance or one of several and they didn't appear, you would not be entitled to a refund if the event as a whole went ahead. At the end of the day everyone must decide for themselves whether they are prepared to take that chance or not.

Roger

Hi Everyone
To add to Roger's reply I would say that Bedlam would only confirm a concert once the contract is signed. Some venues do sell tickets before this happens but I suspect only to improve their cash flow!

Martin

[Steve H]

grant said:

Looks a bit pricy and I was planning to go to Orwell Park, so may give Henley a miss, but we shall have to see.

Grant

Hello Martin and Grant,

I think I will stay with Orwell Park, it's local and All Angels will be there too!

Steve H

[Martin]

Based on last year's prices it looks like Lawn seating pricing will be around £70 plus £10 for car parking. Wow! You could go to two Hayley concerts for that.

Martin

[James]

stevehome said:

I think I will stay with Orwell Park, it's local and All Angels will be there too!

I'm with you there Steve - Henley looks prohibitively expensive (and a tad formal) whereas Orwell (if it goes ahead) looks like being half the price and double the entertainment!

gra7890 said:

As this is my first year in this situation I am interested if this is usual, or how does this year compare to others

Hi Graham,

I'm in a similar situation to you - it's also my first year in this situation. I first saw Hayley towards the end of last summer and went to all the conerts I could after that, which was easy as they were all within a couple of hours drive and at suitable times and days.

This year is tricky, it's tempting to want to go to them all but obviously not feasible. My decisions are now based on:

1) Location
2) Day of the week - obviously I can travel much further for a Saturday concert, even if an overnight stay is required. Other nights are more tricky.
3) Support - is it a "Hayley" concert or is she a guest performer? I'd be more willing to pay more and travel if she is the main performer.
4) Price
5) Ticket availability - again, the better the seats available when the concert is confirmed, the more likely I am to book. However, sometimes the best seats go to "members" of the venue or to get a good seat you have to book before Bedlam confirm the show.

It also seems to me that, for whatever reason, some shows take on a life of their own on this forum and the more members of HWI that make it the merrier, which in turn inspires even more to attend!

Still, it's a nice problem to have and I'd rather have to decide than be in the situation of our poor members in countries where Hayley doesn't regularly visit.

Regards,

James

[gra7890]

Thanks Martin,
I suppose if a venue that is very convenient, start selling tickets before official confirmation, it is sensible that you 'take a gamble'. If it is not ideal or you are not certain you wait until confirmation.

Best Wishes, Graham

[gra7890]

Hi Roger,
could I make a suggestion for your consideration.
After Henley was flagged up yesterday members were expressing an interest in going. It was after my post about Orwell Park the next day that others remembered this and re considered Henley.
On the Concert Noticeboard for 2008 in the UK at present is ,
Buxton, Llandudno (to be confirmed), Jersey Opera House x2, and Aberglasney Gardens,
Now we have heard of, Orwell Park, Belfast, Henley, and now Shrewsbury ( and others I may have forgotten ). None of these are on the list because of lack of confirmation. (Llandudno ??)

My suggestion, so members know where to look, rather than having to remember, is to have THREE categories on this list.
1) Provisional. i.e HWI have been alerted of a POSSIBLE venue; Orwell, Henley etc
2) Bedlam acknowledgment that it is under discussion but not definite..
3) Confirmed, i.e contracts exchanged and therefore definite.

If members know exactly what the categories mean, and this could be in large type alongside, we would know exactly where we were, and where to look.
It would also help if a brief description of the event was there. e.g A Hayley solo concert, part of a evening performance including, X, Y , Z etc.
Do other members feel there is any value in this idea

Graham

[roger]

Hi Graham,

The "three category" suggestion is exactly what I have been doing on my own personal spreadsheet for several years but to introduce that method to the Schedules board could be even more misleading. As an example, if an event had been confirmed but Bedlam hadn't told us, we would show it as unconfirmed which would be incorrect. As a general rule, we therefore only include events on the Schedule when we have received absolute confirmation. Llandudno is the only current exception because, although I was last told it was not quite confirmed, Bedlam indicated that it was almost certain to go ahead. To look at that another way, if it is not on the Schedules board, it means we have not received confirmation.

We experimented with additional information on the Schedule when we first designed the board and found it was impossible to have any additional columns without causing the text to wrap around to the next line. That made it very difficult to read. Also, Bedlam Management would not tell us details of other artists and so we would only be guided by what is seen online. As we know from bitter experience, that is not always totally reliable and we would have no way of confirming it. Sometimes even the venues are unaware of the support artists until they arrive on the night.

If any other information is know, it will appear on the thread for that event but we would not incorporate it into the Schedule.


Roger

[gra7890]

roger said:

Hi Graham,

The "three category" suggestion is exactly what I have been doing on my own personal spreadsheet for several years

Hi Roger,
If you find something similar useful then surely other members would as well
If not on the present board then somewhere else.
i.e What I feel would be useful is to have all the information about concerts at various stages of organisation in one place together, rather than all spread about in different places

Graham

[roger]

Hi Graham,

I find it usemful merely to keep track of the information that is outstanding from Bedlam Management. I would not post it to the forum in that format unless I could absolutely guarantee that it was fully up to date at all times. Regretably, that is not possible. The HWI Team have therefore agreed that (with rare exceptions) only confirmed events shall be included on the Schedules board.

Roger

[gra7890]

Hi Roger,
It looks like I will have to keep my own spreadsheet to keep track of what is likely to happen. I just feel others would benefit as well

Graham

[roger]

Confirmed

This event has now been confirmed by Bedlam Management.

Roger

[Karsten]

stephany said:

Hello Grant,

Ticket prices are not available yet but you can have an idea by looking at last year's Festival prices HERE

Lots of love
Stephany

Hi Stephany,

ticket prices are available now...the site is updated: Grandstand A with GBP 88 + 10 parking fee. Really a little bit pricy.

Cheers, Karsten

[dollybird]

I know the tickets are pricy and it is an individuals choice to go.

But it is an amazing night, Hayley will more than likely turn up in a open top car and will sing on a floating stage.


You get the chance to dress up, it is an amazing night.

I will be going 3 nights.


Maryxx

[dazza]

Hi Everyone,

I started reading this thread yesterday and got all excited, then I realized that I will be attending another concert elsewhere on the same day, it's a shame as to be honest, I'd rather go to Henley, despite the prices it sounds like a fantastic event, I can't pull out of the other concert though as I am going with a friend and we already have everything booked, along with going to Orwell Park on the Sunday.

Dazza

[grant]

dollybird said:

Hayley will more than likely turn up in a open top car

Hello Mary

I hope someone warns Ray, Hayley's driver, I somehow don't think he'd appreciate having the roof cut off his Chrysler Grand Voyager!

Best wishes
Grant