Long time no talk! Yesterday, Comic-Con released the first set of tips for convention-goers in preparation for the San Diego Comic-Con ( 29 days away!!!). I am SO happy to hear that so many of my friends attended / will be attending new conventions this year! And of course going to their tradition ones too.
This will be my 8th year going to Comic-Con and my 2nd year going to Anime Expo. My brothers and I have developed a lot of tips and a lot of advice for everyone when it comes to this stressful vacation adventure.
Every week, I'll release a set of tips that can help you prepare for your own convention (or Con) adventure to ensure the best convention experience possible for you!
- Shelter and Transportation - Know them!
Whether it be at a hotel or at a friend's place or even in your car, make sure you have a place to stay. And your shelter shouldn't just include where you are going to sleep, it also must include how you will partake in your hygiene rituals. And how will you get to your designated shelter? Not magic (although that would be REALLY awesome!). The great thing about most conventions is that they are located around centers of public transportation! Also check to see if you know anyone in the area who's willing to carpool or even let you crash their location. In the bask of excitement of going to a convention, it is super easy to overlook these two very important details. These two details should be the most important for you to finalize as soon as possible, as in right after you buy your tickets to your convention.
- Learn more about your battlefield
Don't go into a battlefield (in this case, a convention) completely blind! That will cause you to waste a great amount of time and to feel extremely overwhelmed, regardless of how experienced you are. Every convention has its own culture, atmosphere, and pace. So the best way to learn more is to do your research about the Con. What I mean by research is to go BEYOND the convention website - reddit, blogs, insider news, facebook, tumblr, twitter, and etc. You will find information about events, vendors, outside venues, great eateries, and other useful tips to help your experience be better than you imagined. You probably paid a GOOD amount of money for this convention so the best you can do to say thank you to your wallet (or someone else's) is to make sure you get your money's worth by having an idea as to what you're getting into.
- Game-planning for the week and the days
For almost ALL conventions, a schedule is released of the events that will be happening throughout the convention at specific timeslots. When people ask me what exactly is at Comic-con, Anime Expo, or even real-world professional conferences, it's more than just dressing up and getting freebies. It's a place to share ideas and to gain new experiences. Read up on EVERY event listed during your convention and start to make a list, or even better, start putting them onto a calendar / planner. I personally use Google Calendar so that I can input ALL of the workshops or panels that I am even SLIGHTLY interested in. Then start to prioritize which ones I want to attend. And Google Calendar makes it SUPER easy to share with my group of friends. This will help generate a gameplan for you to follow and eventually generate days filled with activities to keep you busy. And don't limit yourself to events JUST in the convention, look around the area to see if there is some awesome restaurant deals or exclusive events that only happen during the week of your convention! This is really where your research will be useful. You must prepare your attack thoroughly upon your convention.
Whether it be at a hotel or at a friend's place or even in your car, make sure you have a place to stay. And your shelter shouldn't just include where you are going to sleep, it also must include how you will partake in your hygiene rituals. And how will you get to your designated shelter? Not magic (although that would be REALLY awesome!). The great thing about most conventions is that they are located around centers of public transportation! Also check to see if you know anyone in the area who's willing to carpool or even let you crash their location. In the bask of excitement of going to a convention, it is super easy to overlook these two very important details. These two details should be the most important for you to finalize as soon as possible, as in right after you buy your tickets to your convention.
Don't go into a battlefield (in this case, a convention) completely blind! That will cause you to waste a great amount of time and to feel extremely overwhelmed, regardless of how experienced you are. Every convention has its own culture, atmosphere, and pace. So the best way to learn more is to do your research about the Con. What I mean by research is to go BEYOND the convention website - reddit, blogs, insider news, facebook, tumblr, twitter, and etc. You will find information about events, vendors, outside venues, great eateries, and other useful tips to help your experience be better than you imagined. You probably paid a GOOD amount of money for this convention so the best you can do to say thank you to your wallet (or someone else's) is to make sure you get your money's worth by having an idea as to what you're getting into.
For almost ALL conventions, a schedule is released of the events that will be happening throughout the convention at specific timeslots. When people ask me what exactly is at Comic-con, Anime Expo, or even real-world professional conferences, it's more than just dressing up and getting freebies. It's a place to share ideas and to gain new experiences. Read up on EVERY event listed during your convention and start to make a list, or even better, start putting them onto a calendar / planner. I personally use Google Calendar so that I can input ALL of the workshops or panels that I am even SLIGHTLY interested in. Then start to prioritize which ones I want to attend. And Google Calendar makes it SUPER easy to share with my group of friends. This will help generate a gameplan for you to follow and eventually generate days filled with activities to keep you busy. And don't limit yourself to events JUST in the convention, look around the area to see if there is some awesome restaurant deals or exclusive events that only happen during the week of your convention! This is really where your research will be useful. You must prepare your attack thoroughly upon your convention.
- How much can I abuse my wallet?
MONEY IS NOT LIMITLESS. No matter if you are going with a generous family member, or super splurging your paycheck. A wallet will cry either way. Pinpoint your EXACT budget and include every little thing POSSIBLE that you think you may even think of buying - convention tickets, hotel, gas, food, alcohol, exclusive items, gifts for co-workers, impulse activities, and etc. I've seen waaaay too many people overspend and blow their wallets over impulse buys, rage purchases (yes this is a thing), trips to the hotel poolside bar, and charming vendors. Start with having an idea of what you want to buy or what purpose would your purchase serve in your life after the convention. Even if you don't have an idea, you can still have an idea of what WOULD be cool to own. I set a base budget, and then an emergency budget. My base budget is a number that I am perfectly comfortable giving up - for me it's normally $200. Then the emergency budget is your emergency rations to tap into when you ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT ONE THING - my emergency rations is $50 more. You'll recognize that absolute item when you see it. The reason to set this budget is so that you have enough in your wallet to get you home and to resume normality.
Next time will be tidbits on what you should pack for your big adventure! Since Anime Expo is RIGHT around the corner and Comic-Con is on the horizon, I'll also do a tidbit about Cosplay
Until Next Time ~
MONEY IS NOT LIMITLESS. No matter if you are going with a generous family member, or super splurging your paycheck. A wallet will cry either way. Pinpoint your EXACT budget and include every little thing POSSIBLE that you think you may even think of buying - convention tickets, hotel, gas, food, alcohol, exclusive items, gifts for co-workers, impulse activities, and etc. I've seen waaaay too many people overspend and blow their wallets over impulse buys, rage purchases (yes this is a thing), trips to the hotel poolside bar, and charming vendors. Start with having an idea of what you want to buy or what purpose would your purchase serve in your life after the convention. Even if you don't have an idea, you can still have an idea of what WOULD be cool to own. I set a base budget, and then an emergency budget. My base budget is a number that I am perfectly comfortable giving up - for me it's normally $200. Then the emergency budget is your emergency rations to tap into when you ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT ONE THING - my emergency rations is $50 more. You'll recognize that absolute item when you see it. The reason to set this budget is so that you have enough in your wallet to get you home and to resume normality.
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