Convention Advice for the Noob… Part 2

May 13, 2009 on 7:09 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Continued from last week…

26 – Swag. One great thing about the bigger conventions is the Swag. Swag is the goodies that Exhibitors and Vendors give away for free! And it’s not just junk (though sometimes it is), many times it’s key chains, toys, t-shirts, hats, all sorts of goodies, and they give it all away for FREE! So be sure to bring an extra bag, or a backpack to haul it all away in. But please be considerate. Don’t be the guy who keeps getting back on the line again and again!

27 – And speaking of bags and backpacks… You’re at a Comic Book Convention, not on Safari in the Serengeti. You don’t need a gigantic rucksack! And if you do, please be careful when making sharp turns, you might knock over someone’s booth!

28 – You will meet a lot of people at the show. They will forget your name. You will forget their name. Don’t be embarrassed about it. It’s why they give out name-tags.

29 – Be careful where you decide to plop down for a break. Don’t be that guy that everyone has to step over when walking down the aisles!

30 – Most of the celebs will charge you for a signed pic of them (usually between $20 – $40). Many will charge to sign an item that you bring them ($5 – $20), and some will charge you to take a pic with them. Be sure to ask about the prices BEFORE you commit to anything!

31 – If you are at a party, or at the bar, and you catch a celeb being naughty, or getting a little too drunk, be discreet. Taking pics or egging them on is in poor taste, and it ensures that they will not be coming out to party in public again in the future. Call me over, so I can take pics and egg them on. I’m better at it than you.

32 – If it’s your first time at a con, it can be a bit overwhelming. A great way to get involved with the con, AND meet a lot of people is to volunteer to work at the convention. You’ll usually get a free or discounted pass, and get to have some power to boss around the con goers! I suggest working for the Registration area, or Security. That’s where I actually started out back in 2000, and it was a lot of fun!

33 – While accurate and detailed costumes are cool, I find that the most memorable costumes from the con are the variations on the theme ones. Like the guy in the Darth Vader helmet wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a guitar… Garth Vader. Or Darth Brooks. Your choice. But you get the point. The funny costumes get a lot of attention, and no one can claim it’s not accurate!

34 – At night, at the bar in the hotels, you can wear pretty much anything you want. Feel more comfortable in pajamas? Wear them! Why the hell not? You’ll often see me in the hotel lobby wearing slippers and a smoking jacket. It’s a con, so (just about) anything goes!

35 – Talk to everyone. People are here to meet people. Go for it! It’s not very often that you’ll be surrounded by thousands of people who are all into the same stuff you are!

36 – Hotel rooms can be expensive, especially if you don’t plan the trip out in advance, and end up booking late. Of course, I know a lot of people who have made it through a convention by just crashing on different people’s floors each night. It’s cheap, and it’s not really that tough to do. Just be friendly and invite yourself over to visit. The trick to being allowed to stay the night is to just not leave!

37 – A great, untapped resource of Conventions is the ConSuite. I’m sure a lot of the regulars don’t even know what that is. It’s a room in the Convention that the convention sets up as a 24 hour relief station for the con goers. They have FREE food, sodas, and coffee all day, every day. It’s not the best food, but it is free. Not all cons have them, so be sure to ask the staff when you get there.

38 – Lines. Get used to standing in line. There are lines for everything at conventions! Lines to get in; lines to get out; lines for the bathrooms; and even lines you have to wait on before you can get in line for something else!

39 – Exclusives. A lot of conventions have specially made Exclusive items for their shows. These are things that are not sold anywhere else, and are therefore, very rare. Generally, it’s a standard item (toy, comic, statue) that’s been re-painted, or re-packaged to be unique to that venue. THESE are the things that are worth waiting in line for.

40 – Footwear. You’re going to be on your feet A LOT. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes! And nothing open toed! I see flip flops on you, I’m stepping on your foot!

41 – Sleep. Sleep is good. You’ll honestly be only getting 5 or 6 hour of sleep most nights. If even that much. More than that and you’re missing the convention and may as well have stayed home! Unless of course, you’re not sleeping alone! For each person you’re sharing the bed with (in the biblical sense), add 1 hour to the amount of time you can spend in bed each day.

42 – Safety. Remember that you are still in a public place. There are people out there who want to steal your stuff! Keep an eye on your gear! Also, be careful where you go, especially at night, and with whom.

43 – The accuracy of your costume will be put under the microscope. It does not matter if you are wearing the original costume that was used in the actual film, AND you are the original actor, someone will find fault with it. You can sit and argue with these people until you are blue in the face, or just ignore them. That’s what I do.

44 – Tipping is customary in the US. The first time you order a drink and don’t leave the waitress a tip is the last time you will ever see that waitress. Better hope you don’t get thirsty again!

45 – The convention supplies you with a schedule book listing all the events at the con. Be sure to look through it and check out some of the panels that go on. Many of them are run by fans, and are very informative, and the celebrity Q & A’s can be hilarious!

46 – Many times, the hotels that we stay at are also hosting other conventions the same weekend that we are there wrecking the place. These other convention folk will be mingling in with the geeks of the Convention, and many will be very scared and look very lost. Be nice to them. Some notable Con Combos from the past are: The Salvation Army (we had a lot of fun asking them what movie their costumes were from); Baptists Ministers (they had issues with all our debauchery for some reason); and Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam. You’ll also see a lot of Flight Attendants, and sometimes they do look like they are in costumes. Asking them where they got their costume, or what movie they are from is in bad taste.

47 – Don’t do ANYTHING that you don’t want to have wind up on the internet (or the next Conventions Report Blog!).

48 – Get involved. While aimlessly wandering around the convention can be fun, being involved with the convention or a fan group can make it even more fun. Be sure to contact the groups in advance to see where to meet up, and what’s going on.

49 – That super hot girl that is all over you, and wants you to come with her someplace else is a stripper. She just wants your money.

50 – And finally, remember that you should never be ashamed of being a fan. Don’t be embarrassed to be going to a convention. Football fans paint themselves all sorts of strange colors and no one makes fun of them! Be yourself. Let your geek flag fly!

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

-JANE AUSTEN

And on a final note…

I’ll be heading to the Motor City Comic Con in Novi Michigan this weekend! Be sure to come find me wandering aimlessly. If you don’t know what I look like, just look for the guy who keeps getting beaten up by the celebs! Just like I am here, getting the “what-for” from Zach Galligan of Gremlins and Waxwork fame!