While I’ve only been to AX three times, I have been to SDCC more times than I can count. Sprinkle in a few trips to the Chicago Comicon and a few smaller anime cons, and I can sadly say I’ve spent way more than my share at conventions. Here’s some advice for first time con goers.
The most important thing to pack up before you head off to the con – 10 pounds of patience. You are going to need this. If you want to attend any of the big events, you will be standing in line for a long time! Bring a Gameboy, or a book, or a friend to harass while you are being a sheep and waiting for something. I certainly never take enough patience.
Print out all of your travel confirmations and make sure your bring them with you! One year for Wizard World Chicago, I forgot the receipt showing that I had already paid for the first night at the Sofitel. This led to a huge headache when we arrived at 1 am!!
Print out the daily schedules and events list if you are planning on attending any of the panels. There is nothing quite so frustrating as discovering that you just missed an event that you really wanted to go to. When you get to the con, check every day to make sure the schedule hasn’t changed.
Pack a bottle of water! This is critical! It’s going to be hot and humid in the dealer room, and there is nothing worse that suffering from dehydration! Headache? Fatigue? Go drink some water!
Charge your batteries! If you are planning on taking pics of cos-players, or entertaining yourself in long lines with a PSP, make sure you charge your batteries the night before. Empty those memory cards and keep the chargers close at hand. It’s no fun seeing that photo op walk away because your camera is out of juice!
Pack a few snacks. Cons are hectic beehives of activity, and you need your energy. If you’re standing in line and you suddenly realize that you haven’t eaten all day, a granola bar can tide you over until you can eat a real meal. Breakfast is crucial, too! Make sure you start the morning off with a hearty meal, or you will run out of gas long before the day is done.
Decide on a meeting place. If you are attending with friends, and you decide to split up, make sure you have a designated time and place to meet back up. Your cell phone might not get reception in the dealer hall, or worse, you might lose it, so make sure you have a meeting place. It’s going to be really tough locating your buddies in that mass of otakuness!
Don’t rely on ATMs. The ATMs run out of cash, just like anime fans, so don’t depend on being able to refill your wallet from an ATM come Saturday afternoon! Hand in hand with this, make sure your cash is concealed! Keep it in as many different places on your person as possible! Be smart about flashing that hard earned cash!
Wear a comfy pair of shoes! You will be walking, and walking, and walking, and if you have blisters on your feet, you will be miserable! A nice pair of moisture wicking socks will go a long way, too!
Don’t drop your cash at the first dealer booth! Unless you have just located the perfect cel of ChuChu from Utena, walk through the entire dealer hall and check out prices before you start unloading your dough. This is especially true for manga and DVDs. The prices will be all over the board, and you need to comparison shop. Obviously, if it’s a rare or one of a kind item, snap it up! Also, if you’re making a bulk purchase, try haggling with the dealer. They might be willing to shave a couple more bucks from your total, more so at the end of the con. The last day is great for bargains, because nobody wants to lug all of that junk back home again!
Veteran con goers, can you add any tips? Please post them in the comments!
June 21, 2007 at 7:08 pm
So many exclamation marks! XD I’m glad I live close to the only con I go to, though I may have to follow these tips now that I’ve decided to go all 3 days X]
June 21, 2007 at 7:19 pm
It’s all the coffee! It’s making me type excitedly!
Seriously, though, the most important tip is to drink lots of fluids. Oh, and have lots of fun
June 21, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I’ve been going to SDCCI for years and I agree with every one of those tips! I have a couple of other ones, too: -If there’s a particularly popular panel that you want to attend, make sure to get in the room early– possibly during the prior panel. SDCCI is notoriously crowded on Saturdays and their film panels in Hall H get filled up easily and quickly, so I always end up in the prior panel in order to get a decent seat for my panel…- Also, check out food/restaurant options nearby (hopefully before you’re ravenous), as food in convention centers is ridiculously expensive.
June 21, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Well I never buy actual DVDs or manga at places unless they have a sale. Most of the time, the stuff is overpriced. Oh and don’t get too distracted by all the shops. That was my mistake last year. There are PLENTY of good activities going on.
June 22, 2007 at 12:25 pm
[...] Part Two goes to this woman, who has said nothing about me but has some danged fine advice for convention season. I especially like the part that goes “The most important thing to pack up before you head off to the con – 10 pounds of patience. You are going to need this.”. It’s quite true, having been to well over twenty cons myself. Linesitting is part of the process, and you can meet some really cool people on the way. [...]
June 23, 2007 at 7:39 am
[...] the Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie is gearing up for con season with advice for first-timers, a peek at DrMaster’s Anime Expo schedule, and a call to get together at [...]
June 23, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Great tips! Also, if you’re flying, make sure to leave some extra space in your luggage for any goodies you buy at the con. Shipping stuff back home can be expensive – and time-consuming.
June 23, 2007 at 1:07 pm
[...] the summer anime con season in full-swing, Manga Maniac has some great tips for con-goers. Here’s the number one tip: The most important thing to pack up before you head off to the [...]
June 23, 2007 at 3:56 pm
10 lbs. o’ patience…I knew I forgot something for ACen! The snack sitch might be problematic for fliers if they don’t want to pack food (I don’t) . Maybe googling nearby markets that could be traveled to easily on foot would be a good idea for picking up nourishment. I know I can’t afford to eat out 3 meals everyday for 4 days so we’re stocking up at local grocery stores and also investing in one of those cheapie Styrofoam coolers. Good tips!
June 23, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Febreze… definitely pack Febreze… even if you shower every day (which you should). This is especially important for cosplayers who might wear their costume on consecutive days or (since cons tend to be warm and humid) sweat in them a lot.Pack a power strip. Hotel rooms usually have only a couple of available outlets. If you have several people in the same room, each with some electronics to charge, you’ll need the power strip.Take breaks. Given the crush of people that occurs even at small cons, I find that I need to spend an hour or so away back at the hotel room, with almost no one else around, to recharge enough to face that many people again.Bring fun things. Since the last con I went to didn’t have much I wanted to see or do, and other events were overcrowded, canceled, or horrendously off schedule, it was a very good thing we had games (Apples to Apples and a Wii) in the room. We could just hang out and entertain ourselves.Get out for a bit. There’s no requirement that you stay at the con and hotel the entire time. You’re probably in a town that you are rarely, if ever, in, so there might be something unique to see or do. (For instance, while at ACEN, make sure to visit Mitsuwa Marketplace.)Sleep. Really. It’s necessary, no matter what anyone else tells you.
June 23, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Taking a break from another place where I have needed more patience than I brought along -
These are all great tips.
The food at the hotels is horrendously over-priced. LB has lots of cheap places to grab a meal, and they are only a short walk from the LBCC. Get out of the con hall, breathe the fresh air, and enjoy a good, cheaper meal than you’ll find at the hotels. Avoid eating in the LBCC. The food and beverages are so over-priced it’s ridiculous.
David, leaving room to pack your new goodies is an excellent suggestion. Shipping from the hotels is expensive, so save some room in your bags for your swag.
Rachel, the first thing we usually do is head out for the nearest Target and buy a flat of water and some munchies. This won’t work for me this time because we didn’t rent a car. We also eat a big breakfast, skip lunch, and eat a nice meal for dinner. We usually don’t have time to stop and eat lunch, so we eat cereal bars or granola bars to tide us over until dinner.
Erik! I’m in your neck of the woods this weekend for a horse show. I even hunted down the book store you mentioned a while ago, and was able to find an elusive copy of Shojo Beat. Your advice to take a time out in the hotel room, or even just taking a break in an empty seat is a great one. You’ll have more fun if you get out of the crush of people for a bit and recharge your batteries.
June 24, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I just wanted to thnka you so much I’m going to my first Anime convention this Aug and I didn’t know it would be this much trouble so just wanted to thank you so much for the great hints (^_^)