THE ORGANISERS of Southampton Comic Con have issued an apology after guest speakers complained they had not been paid.
Organised by Wayne Streak and Jessica Hambley of HTF Events Ltd and Hampshire Toy Fairs, the event welcomed well-known guests and avid fans to the Ageas Bowl over the weekend.
However, a furore broke out after the organisers left the event during the weekend - with some people saying they have not been paid. The organiser said it is processing payments.
'We will be leaving the event world behind'
Four days on from the highly anticipated event at the cricket ground Hampshire Toy Fairs released an official apology in light of complaints surrounding lack of payment and communication.
In a post on Facebook, Hampshire Toy Fairs said: “We would like to issue an apology to all those that were upset or affected by the events this weekend.
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“Things became a bit too much for us and we decided it was safer to leave.
“This may have been the wrong way to go about it, but we felt it was the safest option.
"We will certainly be leaving the event world far behind us.
“We were being intimidated and we were scared. We had already been moaned at by certain people."
It added: “We are very sorry and will try and fix as much as we can.”
Failed payments
Wayne and Jess have reported threatening social media posts to the police, but Hampshire police said that “upon review, (we) found that no crime had been committed so the incident was filed".
The organisers also said the Ageas Bowl kept piling on costs for the event. Ageas Bowl has disputed the organisers' statement.
Surprised not to see more on social media about the abysmal shambles that was #SouthamptonComicCon. Organisers who failed to pay guests need to be held to account and those due funds recompensed along with an explanation and apology for this shocking treatment. @dailyecho
— Angela Smith (@Angela_x) July 18, 2022
When asked about this statement, police confirmed they received a report from the cricket venue to say they had not received payment.
The force said that because payment is a civil matter it does not require their involvement.
In response, Ageas Bowl said: “The event organisers failed to meet their contractual obligations relating to this event and as a result we will be pursuing this matter through the appropriate channels.
“We do not wish to comment at length on the event organisers’ statement other than to say it is not accurate."
'Destroyed my trust'
Adam Bartlett was booked for the event thanks to his impressive ten-foot-tall Transformers cosplay.
The transport driver from Plymouth says of the £1,070 he is owed, only £570 has been paid by HTF Events Ltd.
The 34-year-old said: “It was a really terrible time. I have been doing my cosplay for over two years and it is amazing, but this event has completely destroyed my trust in organisers.
“I have four kids to support and they have taken a lot of money off people. It has been a horrible experience.
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“They have done this to too many people. We have all got families to support and bills to pay.
“We’re homeless at the moment and living in a hotel. I lost the chance of having a house to live in because of this.”
Grant Perkins, 42, was also booked for the Southampton Comic Con.
The writer and artist for Doctor Who Adventures attended with his wife Eva, 50, who said the organisers left during the second day of the event.
Eva said: “We both can’t believe an organiser would abandon the convention and run away.
“We are absolutely shocked. I am sad for all the big guests who came over from America for the event."
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