Convention Season 2013: A Few Tips to Keep You Sane

Since San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner (as in this Thursday!), I figured I would shed some light on the learning curve that occurs when you attend your first few comic cons. This past year I took my boyfriend to his first con ever and it reminded me how bewildering it can be; especially at larger venues. Since San Diego Comic Con is the biggest and one of the oldest comic cons (it’s been around since 1970) it can be very easy to get lost in the nerdy/geeky glory that is a comic con. Even though I’ve never personally attended SDCC I have dedicated a good amount of my time attending cons in the Midwest and hopefully after this article you’ll be a little more prepared for your trek into the madness.

I’ve been attending Wizard World Chicago, Motor City Comic Con, and Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) for the past four years with some other cons dispersed in between, but I was completely overwhelmed at the first con I ever attended. I would love to regularly attend SDCC, but between ticket prices, airfare, and hotel prices it’s out of my reach for the time being. But that doesn’t mean that local cons can’t be just as amazing, albeit smaller. Most cons will offer similar  experiences: celebrity appearances, previews of upcoming video games, big name comic book publishers like Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse booths, local comic book store booths, artists booths, and of course panels. That doesn’t even cover some of the smaller things that are specific to certain cons so you can already see why this may be a dizzying experience if you’re not properly prepared. Which brings me to my first of three tips to help ready you for your first con:

1. PLAN AHEAD

I cannot stress this point enough. Walking into a con without any plans whatsoever can lead to a very disappointing experience. There are a lot of cool things to see and panels to attend and if you’re not prepared you will miss a lot of good stuff. Luckily most con websites offer a comprehensive list of the events, panels, autograph signings, and appearances so that you can prepare your extended weekend ahead of time. Some cons offer mobile apps that allow you to schedule your trip by adding panels and reminders to your calendar, see an event map that helps you navigate your way through the booths, and shows a list of vendors and booth numbers so that they are easily found.

Trust me it is very easy to think that you won’t forget the panel you’ve been waiting all year for, but when you’re on the show floor time flies by in and in a blink of the eye it’s 9pm and the show floor is closing. Reminders and schedules are important because if you show up late to a panel you might not get in due to a large crowd, plus who wants to be the person walking in late? Another important part of scheduling is to make sure you not the signing times for the celebrities you care to see. Not all celebrities will be at the event every day and they usually have a limited amount of time set aside for signing autographs. I kicked myself for missing the signing times for all four Captains from Star Trek at C2E2 last year (D’oh!).

When you’re planning ahead make sure to also include either time to go sit down and eat, or pack a lunch for yourself the day before. I cannot express how important it is to stay hydrated and fed while standing on your feet all day and how jealous I am when I see people who packed a lunch ahead of time. Con food is expensive, just like any festival or amusement park, and not usually up to par on the tasty level.

2. Decide what is important to buy, and what really is not

This is also super important to consider because you will find a megaton of awesome things that you really really need, but costs an equal megaton of money. I set aside almost $600 of just purchasing money for C2E2 this year because I planned on buying an extensive amount of comic books to add to my collection. Luckily they didn’t have half of the series I actually wanted at any of the stands so I didn’t spend that much money, but that could have been VERY easy to do. Artist alleys are basically where my money disappears; I love buying original prints for my future woman cave, but it gets expensive very quickly. And rightfully so! I don’t feel bad about giving those artists my money, but it leaves less money for the other things: comic books, figures, t-shirts, celebrity autographs, etc. If you’re going to be attending comic con for all four days that the event is held I would suggest setting a budget for each day and staying very very strict with said budget. This will help you to actually legitimize buying certain items instead of buying just because.

This may seem trivial, but when you show up to your first con without enough money and there are things that you wanted but couldn’t afford or, on the flip side, show up with ALL THE MONEYZ and overspend to the point you can’t afford the trip home? You’ll be wishing you made a budget and stuck to it.

3. General tips

There are a few things that fall under some pretty miscellaneous categories, so I’ll just lump them all together:

1. If you want to take a picture with someone who is Cosplaying, ask permission first! Just because they dressed up does not mean they are there solely for your amusement. These are real people, too and it’s not very polite to just walk up and take a picture. There are articles written about this people, just ask a simple “May I?” and they will appreciate you all the more.
2. If you spend time looking through the hundreds of boxes of comic trades, don’t hog the box! There are other people just as anxious as you to get the best deal on their favorites series. Speed through those boxes and move on to the next. Even better, if you are planning on moseying your way through those boxes you can at least offer to look for the comic your neighbor is looking for to help them out!
3. DO NOT HARASS WOMEN. I mean c’mon, just because they’re at a con doesn’t mean they’re asking for it. It still blows my mind how disrespectful people can be to the women that attend cons. Clean up your acts people!

So there you are, tips for staying sane at cons, but the most important thing to remember is to have fun!