Frequently Asked Questions

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Q1. What happens on Friday?

Scheduled to run from early afternoon until late, Friday at TFNation is a whole day of panels and entertainment, before our Trader Hall opens on Saturday morning.

Traditionally Friday has hosted elements such as the fan-favourite Matrix Test Quiz; officially-licensed movie viewings; rarity panels and special guest entertainment segments.

Q2. Why is the Trader Hall not open on Friday?

It takes an entire day to build our massive Trader hall, Forge fan art area, and Guest signings area. At the same time, we run our Friday entertainment in another part of the venue, to keep you entertained whilst our construct-a-cons are busy working away.

Q1. What does a Saturday ticket include?

Saturday tickets grant you access to our highly anticipated Trader Hall (typically from 10:45am), and to all of Saturday’s daytime panels.

With the exception of special attraction-type tickets (such as Legend Passes) there are no additional charges for autographs once you’ve entered the event (up to two autographs per guest included unless otherwise stated); this is different to many conventions where you are charged extra after entry.

Keep an eye on our event schedule page, to see our exact panel offerings as they are announced.

Q2. Is early access included?

No. If you wish to enter the Trader Hall one hour earlier than regular entry (typically from 9:45am) you will need to purchase the Early Access add-on ticket.

Please note, the Early Access ticket includes your Saturday admission; so you don't need to buy both.

Q3. Is Clubcon included?

No. If you wish to enter the Clubcon evening entertainment event, you will need to purchase the Clubcon add-on ticket.

Q1. Why is it just for Saturday?

Saturday morning is the busiest time at the convention and the first opportunity for attendees to enter the Trader hall.

Early Access tickets help the crew to safely control the flow of attendees into the halls during our busiest period.

Q2. How early is early access?

Early Access to the Trader hall will be from approximately 9:45am on the Saturday morning, with regular access following at 10:45am.

Q3. Will you offer Early Access tickets for other event days?

That's not in our plans right now, but as ever, we’ll keep an eye on attendee feedback to see whether there is any demand for this.

Q4. Is there a charge for Young Adults? (16-17 year olds)

Yes. The Early Access upgrade is offered at a set price to everybody aged 16 and over; however, your general admission will be at a reduced rate compared to an adult ticket, so the overall price you pay will be reduced.

Q5. Is there a charge for Children (Under 16s)

No. As with general admission tickets, children can enter during Early Access provided they are accompanied by a person holding an appropriate adult ticket. (Though please note, the Early Access period is expected to be very busy, so please keep this in mind when deciding whether it will be appropriate for any children in your party)

Q6. If I buy a Saturday ticket can I upgrade to early access later?

Yes you can, subject to availability.

Once you have purchased a Saturday ticket you can upgrade it to include Early Access by visiting the Order History page, selecting the ticket you wish to upgrade and then clicking the new "Purchase Upgrades" button.

Q1. What is Clubcon?

Clubcon is TFNation's annual Saturday evening entertainment segment. Past Clubcons have included advertised and surprise segments including quizzes, live script readings, a comedy improvisation show, and our fan-favourite presentation of Transformers Animated Season 4: Trial of Megatron.

Clubcon is also home to TFNation's annual Pretenders Cosplay Parade.

Q2. Do I need to have a Saturday ticket to purchase a Clubcon ticket?

Yes. Clubcon is a Saturday evening upgrade, so you must hold a Saturday ticket to purchase a Clubcon ticket.

Q3. Will I be able to purchase toys during Clubcon?

No. Whilst there may be some convention-exclusive merchandise available for purchase, the Trader Hall does not form part of the Clubcon evening entertainment event.

Q4. Is a Clubcon ticket optional?

Yes! Clubcon takes place on the Saturday evening. Whilst we hope many attendees will enjoy the event, we also appreciate some attendees may not wish to attend. For this reason, the Clubcon ticket is an optional add-on.

Q5. Is there a charge for Young Adults? (16-17 year olds)

Yes. Clubcon tickets are offered at a set price to everybody aged 16 and over.

Q6. Is there a charge for Children (Under 16s)

No. As with general admission tickets, children can enter Clubcon provided they are accompanied by a person holding an appropriate adult ticket. (Though please note, as an evening event Clubcon may from time to time include adult-themed humour).

Q1. What does a Sunday ticket include?

Sunday tickets grant you access to our Trader hall (typically from 10:00am) and access to all of Sunday’s panels, including our emotional Closing Ceremony.

With the exception of special attraction-type tickets (such as Legend Passes) there are no additional charges for autographs once you’ve entered the event (up to two autographs per guest included unless otherwise stated); this is different to many conventions where you are charged extra after entry.

Keep an eye on our event schedule page, to see our exact panel offerings as they are announced.

Q2. Is early access included?

No. There is no Sunday Early Access option at this time.

Q3. Is Clubcon included?

No. Clubcon is a Saturday evening add-on event.

We offer complimentary Essential Companion tickets to those attendees who require additional support in the form of a carer in order to enjoy our events.

In order to offer this we need to first verify attendees suitability by asking that they provide some evidence of their need for substantial, significant or frequent support.

Q1. How do I apply for an Essential Companion Pass?

To apply for an essential companion pass you must contact us at info@tfnation.com with details of why the additional support is required, and evidence to support your application, for us to verify.

Once we receive the evidence the team can make a decision regarding your application. If approved, the attendee will need to purchase their ticket(s) for the event and then email us with their booking reference and the full name and date of birth of the essential companion they wish for us to add to the booking. We will then update the booking with the additional ticket and send you an email confirming this has been done. The extra ticket will appear under your order history, where it can also be downloaded at any time.

Q2. What forms of evidence do you accept?

The evidence we accept includes:

  1. A copy of any Nimbus / Access Card for us to verify.
  2. A copy of the PIP decision letter showing the first page with the full name/address and headed paper clearly visible; the assessment page which is usually the second to last page; and the mobility scores which are normally on the last page. If you are not within the UK, then we ask for a copy of the equivalent documentation from your country of residence.
  3. A copy of any benefit entitlement (optional).

Q1. When can I buy my tickets?

All TFNation 2023 tickets, including the optional Legend Pass, will go on sale at 12:00 Midday (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December 2022 at tfnation.com

Q2. Is there a bedroom discount this year?

Yes. We are pleased to confirm we have been able to negotiate an attendee-exclusive discount rate, compared to public rates. 

A link to the Hilton microsite which contains our discounted bedrooms will be available to you from your account screen, once you have purchased your TFNation tickets.

Q3. When can I book my hotel room?

We intend to have the rooms ready for sale by Saturday 4th March 2023, to give attendees plenty of time to plan their visit, and to enjoy their holiday season robot spend.

Q4. Can I request a VAT receipt?

If you are a VAT-registered individual or business and would like to request a VAT receipt for your recent TFNation purchase, please send a request by email to info@tfnation.com and we'll be happy to assist. Please use the subject line VAT Receipt so we can ask the correct team member to get back to you as soon as possible.

Q5. Do I have to use the name printed on my passport, when buying tickets?

At TFNation, we support every attendee's right to be known by the name they feel most comfortable with; this can sometimes be different to the name displayed on their official identification documents (such as passports) for a variety of reasons, so we have included this section to provide a little guidance and explanation of our position.

As an events company, TFNation is sometimes asked to write letters to schools, workplaces and passport offices, confirming that a person has bought a valid ticket for one of our events. For this reason, we ask that your legal name is entered when purchasing a ticket, so we can verify your attendance if requested.  This is particularly important for international attendees, as when entering the UK you may be asked to show tickets to our event, with the name displayed matching the name on your passport.

Where you usually use a different name to the one shown on your official documents, we would encourage you to let us know by using the "notes" button (visible just under the name fields, on the ticket purchase screen). This will then appear on the screen our staff see, alongside your legally-recognised name, when you are checking in to our convention.

Please also note: for a variety of reasons, TFNation does not print attendees’ names onto their convention wristbands.

We hope this explanation will go some way towards reassuring attendees until such time as international laws reach a consensus on the kindest way forward.

Q1. Why is it called the Legend Pass?

Honestly? You try fitting The TFNation 2023 Susan Blu Private Signing, Professional Photography and Limited-Edition Merchandise Experience on a wristband!

We also wanted to give the Legend Pass its own name, to make it very clear that it’s an additional, optional, offering. If we named it after the guest, people may become confused and think it was the only way to meet Susan which isn’t correct.

Q2. Do I need to buy the Legend Pass to meet Susan Blu?

Short Answer - No, but you might miss out.

Longer Answer - Susan will be taking part in normal signings on Saturday and Sunday and these will be included in your regular ticket price, as usual. (The only slight change we're making here is we will be limiting these to one autograph, to keep the queue moving swiftly and safely.) So you may be able to meet her without buying the Legend Pass.

However – and we’re going to speak very plainly here as we cannot stress this enough – Susan has consistently been one of our most requested guests since the very first TFNation. We expect extra attendees to come for a chance to meet her; we expect her queues to be very long; and we expect that we are probably going to have to cap her queues, to make sure she doesn’t miss panels, lunches, etc. No TFNation staffer, and no guests ever want to turn attendees away – but everybody has to eat (according to our Rota-Bots).

You keep asking for Susan Blu. You’ve asked a LOT over the years, and we’re thrilled to now be able to make it happen. This is how we’re going to make it work for you. So if meeting Susan is important to you, guaranteeing your slot by purchasing the Legend Pass is the way to avoid disappointment.

Q3. If I do want to buy the Legend Pass, how do I do it?

The Legend Pass will be on sale on 3rd December 2023, with all of our other tickets. Just add it, and anything else you like, to your basket. (Remember, you’ll need to add at least one day ticket too).

Q4. What days of the convention will the Legend Pass be available for?

Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (exact times TBA)

Q5. Wait, did you say Friday too?

We did! Placing some of the Legend Pass sessions on the Friday should relieve pressure on the other days. (It’ll also give you a chance to meet Susan, if you have to work the weekend).

Please remember though, Friday is a non-trading day. So whilst there will be lots of entertainment, the trader hall, guest and artists areas will not be open.

 

Q6. Will the private signings and photoshoots take place together?

Yes. Our plan is for you to get all elements of your Legend Pass in one room, at the same time. We’re planning this way so you only have to queue once, and can then spend the rest of your time enjoying the convention, rather than having to queue multiple times.

Q7. Will I have time to chat with Susan?

If you’ve been to any large comic-con type events, you’re probably familiar with very short signing sessions lasting just a few seconds.

We understand why this can be necessary sometimes, but we’re not fans of this approach. So while our sessions will still be relatively brief as will be required, we’re aiming to give everybody up to a couple of minutes each, so you don’t feel rushed.

Is it a bit strange to give attendees more time, rather than selling extra tickets? Probably, for most conventions. Do we care? Not for a microsecond. That’s how we roll.

Q8. When other events offer these sort of passes, they stop regular attendees from meeting the guests. Why aren't you doing that?

We don't want to. Neither does Susan. We’re all fans here.

There may come a point when some guests, through popularity, are simply unable to agree to this sort of access. We think everybody knows that. So this is our way of showing you we’ll only restrict access where absolutely necessary.

Q9. What if I'm not interested in meeting this guest?

It’s okay, sometimes everybody’s wrong.

In seriousness though, if you're happy to attend without purchasing the Legend Pass, that’s 100% cool with us. You can still queue to meet Susan during regular signing times if she’s available and you can still watch her panels during the event.

(Seriously though? It's Susan Blu!)

Q10. Are you planning any other Legend Passes (for other guests) in 2023?

No, we’re not. We’re always open to the opportunity of bringing incredible guests to TFNation, but we’re not keen on having multiple add-ons in the same year right now, though we will review that each year.

Q11. Would you consider more Legend Passes in the future?

There are lots of legends we’d like to meet, and we think you would too. But, let’s see how this first one goes before we make any decisions.

Q12. Would you ever bring back the Leader Pass, or something similar, like you offered before the 2020 convention was abandoned on safety grounds?

Being very honest with you; you keep asking, overwhelmingly, for us to try and bring some of the most popular Transformers personalities to TFNation. We've heard you loud and clear.

Operationally speaking, TFNation is still recovering after the pandemic, so offering a Leader style pass this year was not something we could do with confidence. The Legend Pass, however, is our bridge (or spacebridge, if you will) between our usual offerings, and the type you’ve asked for.

It's easy to forget because our volunteers are so incredible, but TFNation is a live entertainment event with no time for rehearsals. This year's Legend Pass will help us to make sure our systems are Decepticon-proof, before we start looking into future guest options.