Con First Timers

June 5, 2009 on 6:45 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

I get asked this a lot from people I meet who have never been to a show, “What are Comic Comic Conventions really like? Will there be anything for me to do? Will I get bored?”

Really?

OF COURSE THERE ARE THINGS TO DO!! You have to try really hard to get bored at a convention.

But remember, the convention isn’t going to walk up to you and just hand you a list of things to do.

Oh wait, we actually DO hand you a list of things to do! It’s called a “Program Guide”! in there you’ll find a list of all the people there signing autographs, all the artists who’ll be around sketching for people and signing comics! It also has a list of special exclusives (that everyone else is going to buy and pop up on “The ‘Bay” that night) and… Programming!!

I’m always amazed at how many people who attend conventions spend all their time in the Autograph Area, Artist Alley and the Dealer’s Room, but never wander into the Panel Rooms!

Panels are an awesome way to learn about all sorts of cool stuff. You can ask questions of your favorite Comic and Media Celebs, learn how to draw, paint and sculpt like the pros, watch some cool movies, trailers, or premieres, and even check out some really cool contests!

We’ve spent a lot of hours putting together a huge set of panel rooms that cover a full range of topics from Media, to Kids, to Comics, to Toys and we even have something called, “The Wizard School”! Wizard School is where the biggies from the Comics industries come in and teach you how they do what they do! Do you have any idea what these guys could charge for a private painting or drawing lesson? And these panels are included with your admission! It’s FREE (after you pay to get in to the convention)!!

So why not take advantage of it?

And this year, our toy panels are being run and moderated by the staff of ToyFare magazine, and our comic panels are being run and moderated by the staff of Wizard magazine. So this is a great chance to meet in person the people whose articles you read each month in our magazines!

Be sure to head over to WizardWorld.com and click the Programming tab on the top of the page. All the awesome craziness that we have going on there will be listed as soon as we have it written up.

You’ll find all you need to know about movie screenings, parties, events and panels. Check it out and be sure to print out the Pocket Guide and make notes on it, set your alarm, and be sure to be at the panels on time!

Well, it’s about time for me to get out of here for the weekend.

This week I’ll be leaving you with a little story about the time I met John Schneider. I walked up and mentioned to him that I was a big fan of his. He thanked me and asked if I watched his show when I was a kid. I told him I did, and mentioned that “One Day at a Time” was my favorite show growing up, and that he did a lot to make Janitors seem cool.