Fiona wrote:
But I do know a lot of very sane and intelligent people who will go to a con just cause they know Paul Darrow (Sally Knyvette, whomever) will be there.
Yes, but I also know sane and intelligent people who go to meet friends, and it was unclear whether your question was rhetorical or seeking information.
Meeting the actors matters less and less to me; I still turn out when Paul Darrow comes to the Fab Cafe, for instance, but I find I'm doing it more from a sense of duty than from any expectation of pleasure. One to one, I am certain that Mr Darrow is a very interesting person - in my only brief conversation with him, his charm hit me like a physical blast. But I'm unlikely ever to have a long-term one-to-one relationship with an actor; I do have such relationships with many people I have met here, and find them infinitely more rewarding than an hour listening to an actor doing his party piece.
Later this year, for instance, I'm planning to go to a Star Trek con. The guests sound moderately interesting (being baddies from DS9), but it would never have occurred to me to go if I hadn't found out that a list- friend whom I don't see very often is going to be there. Attending will enable me to spend a couple of days with her. Another friend, on hearing that we expected to go, immediately said "Oh, in that case...!"
None of this is to say that guest actors are a waste of time. Last year, I attended Nexus in order to see some friends, and was entranced by a very thoughtful talk/question-and-answer session with Walter Koenig. I would never have thought of going to a convention to see Walter Koenig, though I understood that he had been the chief draw for many of those there. That's fine by me. If other people are chiefly interested in seeing actors, bring on the actors. It enables me to pursue my own hobby of seeing fans, with the occasional actorly bonus.