rowan
Well-Known Member
Its getting to convention season! D'con is right around the corner, and many other cons are coming up. I put this guide together to help those who may thinking about, or soon attending their first convention. It has been put together from a few different sources, as well as my own experience at conventions. Enjoy!
What to bring:
The first, and probably most important thing when going to a convention is to know what to bring! Some recommended things are: Backpack, poster tubes, comfortable shoes, pens/markers, money(and credit card), food if you don't want to buy it, collectibles (if your planning on getting them signed).
The thing I personally think is most important to do before a convention is SHOWER. Please! personal hygiene might not be at the top of your list, but if the person behind you in the autograph line can smell you, your not going to make many friends. A little deodorant doesn't hurt either. Do it... or you will have well known comic artists writing things like this:
Bring a bag! Most stores at conventions don't have them, and if they do, they will run out early. If you want to buy anything make sure you have a bag, because going back to your room or car every time you buy something is not fun.
Moneyz:
Autographs at conventions are expensive, but remember, a lot of the celebrities are not being paid to be there, they make money off the signatures they sign. And also be polite to them, they could be spending there time working or with family (which is something a lot of movie and TV stars don't get much time to do).
Conventions are expensive. Simple as that. Everything costs money, lets face it, your ticket is going to be between $10 and $1000 depending on what and who is going to be there, and what kind of ticket you want to purchase.
Most cons have about 4 types of tickets:
The one day pass, as described. $10-$30.
The weekend pass, $30-60
The 'silver' ticket. Comes with extras, might pay for some autographs, line cuts, special treatment, and perhaps access to events others have a hard time getting in to. $100-$500
The 'gold' ticket or VIP. This is the works, line cuts, special access, most autographs paid for, special events held, the best seats, face time with the stars. But you pay a hefty price. $300-$1000.
Buy your tickets before hand, waiting in a line for a ticket will cut into your convention time and standing in a line for hours sucks. You will be doing enough of it in the convention.
Bring extra money. You may have calculated what you were wanting to spend, but if you try to do it on a budget, you will most likely go over the budget. Be prepared for this. Don't only bring large bills unless you plan on spending large amounts. Most stands will probably be struggling for small notes and change by the end of the day.
Don't try to haggle prices especially on autographs. This can make you look like a complete twat. If you want a good deal, some stalls may have reduced prices by the end of the day.
Hotels:
If the convention is being hosted at a hotel (9 out of 10 cons are) try to get a room in that hotel. They normally have convention specials and if you cant afford it all yourself, ask some friends if they want to stay in your room and split the bill. And don't leave it till the last week, even the last month. Book at least 3 months before hand, otherwise it WILL be booked out. The con hotel is always the best to stay at, every single other person in the hotel is there for the con, you have something in common with them all! And there are sometimes some pretty cool after hour events that spring up.
If you didn't book ahead and are still looking for a place to stay, try the local youth hostels and backpackers, there also great if your on a really tight budget.
other stuff:
Beware the slow drying silver and white markers! Don't let anything signed in silver smudge, let it dry for a few minutes before letting anything touch it.
Don't bring to much stuff in with you. If your lucky some friends of yours might have some floor space and a table, if you ask them nicely they might hold your backpack for a while. But this is not recommended.
And remember... SHOWER
What to bring:
The first, and probably most important thing when going to a convention is to know what to bring! Some recommended things are: Backpack, poster tubes, comfortable shoes, pens/markers, money(and credit card), food if you don't want to buy it, collectibles (if your planning on getting them signed).
The thing I personally think is most important to do before a convention is SHOWER. Please! personal hygiene might not be at the top of your list, but if the person behind you in the autograph line can smell you, your not going to make many friends. A little deodorant doesn't hurt either. Do it... or you will have well known comic artists writing things like this:
Bring a bag! Most stores at conventions don't have them, and if they do, they will run out early. If you want to buy anything make sure you have a bag, because going back to your room or car every time you buy something is not fun.
Moneyz:
Autographs at conventions are expensive, but remember, a lot of the celebrities are not being paid to be there, they make money off the signatures they sign. And also be polite to them, they could be spending there time working or with family (which is something a lot of movie and TV stars don't get much time to do).
Conventions are expensive. Simple as that. Everything costs money, lets face it, your ticket is going to be between $10 and $1000 depending on what and who is going to be there, and what kind of ticket you want to purchase.
Most cons have about 4 types of tickets:
The one day pass, as described. $10-$30.
The weekend pass, $30-60
The 'silver' ticket. Comes with extras, might pay for some autographs, line cuts, special treatment, and perhaps access to events others have a hard time getting in to. $100-$500
The 'gold' ticket or VIP. This is the works, line cuts, special access, most autographs paid for, special events held, the best seats, face time with the stars. But you pay a hefty price. $300-$1000.
Buy your tickets before hand, waiting in a line for a ticket will cut into your convention time and standing in a line for hours sucks. You will be doing enough of it in the convention.
Bring extra money. You may have calculated what you were wanting to spend, but if you try to do it on a budget, you will most likely go over the budget. Be prepared for this. Don't only bring large bills unless you plan on spending large amounts. Most stands will probably be struggling for small notes and change by the end of the day.
Don't try to haggle prices especially on autographs. This can make you look like a complete twat. If you want a good deal, some stalls may have reduced prices by the end of the day.
Hotels:
If the convention is being hosted at a hotel (9 out of 10 cons are) try to get a room in that hotel. They normally have convention specials and if you cant afford it all yourself, ask some friends if they want to stay in your room and split the bill. And don't leave it till the last week, even the last month. Book at least 3 months before hand, otherwise it WILL be booked out. The con hotel is always the best to stay at, every single other person in the hotel is there for the con, you have something in common with them all! And there are sometimes some pretty cool after hour events that spring up.
If you didn't book ahead and are still looking for a place to stay, try the local youth hostels and backpackers, there also great if your on a really tight budget.
other stuff:
Beware the slow drying silver and white markers! Don't let anything signed in silver smudge, let it dry for a few minutes before letting anything touch it.
Don't bring to much stuff in with you. If your lucky some friends of yours might have some floor space and a table, if you ask them nicely they might hold your backpack for a while. But this is not recommended.
And remember... SHOWER
P0rtalman's guide to cosplaying
BRING WATER, this cannot be stressed enough, if your in an enclosed costume it gets very hot, add this to the 1000's of other people all bunched up around the convention increasing the temperature and you will get dehydrated.
Have at least 3 poses worked out. If you rock up at the con, then someone asks you for a photo and you have no idea what to do... then you look like a twat.
Break your costume in first. If you have shoes that you only just got and haven't worn them yet, Don't think your going to be comfortable in them walking around the con floor for 5 hours. Make sure your comfortable in your costume before the con, that way you can make adjustments and not have a pieces of resin jabbing you in the side.
Respect other cosplayers. There are always many cosplayers at conventions, some with very cool costumes and some with pretty basic ones. Please don't criticize other people's work no matter how bad you think it is. They put a lot of hard work into it just like you did.
There may be some scantly clad women cosplayers, please respect them. Just because they're dressed up like a final fantasy character (very little clothing) or princess Leia in the golden bikini, doesn't mean they want people to come on to them. If you make snide or rude comments there not going to want to go to conventions any more.
If your in an enclosed costume, like mjolnir armor, Your communication with other people is going to be a little hindered. You might not be able to hear someone asking you a question and they might not hear you answer back. Try to have a friend to act as a wingman and answer peoples questions about your costume. He could even be in his own costume that doesn't cover his head. In the case of Halo costuming, have one marine to one spartan. Failing this, make yourself some business style cards with your name, Email and perhaps a little bit about your costume on the back.
Handling the crowd. If the convention your at is packed, then your going to have to do a lot of wading through crowds. Doing this in costume can be difficult. you can easily bump people, step on people, trip. So my advice with crowds is to try and avoid walking right through them. If its life and death, have your friend walk in front of you, he can part the crowd a little bit which helps you make it though in one piece.
Pictures. People are going to want to take a lot of pictures of you. Most cosplayers love this, and if you don't like getting your picture taken you really shouldn't be cosplaying. If someone points a camera at you, strike a pose and let them snap away. If you get caught in the middle of a bunch of people taking photos and need to be somewhere, just give a polite wave and walk away. If they follow and insist on another photo give them one more chance to take one, if they try to take more and your really in a hurry, just walk away. It may seem rude, but they will get another chance to photograph you, or you could hand them your card. If they seem really interested tell them you will come and find them later, them they can take a few more photos.
You are bound to face the destructive forces of small and hyperactive children at conventions. These unnatural beings seem to want only to touch and hit and yell at you. You don't want you costume damaged, so if you get ganked by these people, just walk away, if they follow you, go stand near one of the con's security guards. The children will soon back off. But remember, even though there loud and annoying, they probably really like your costume, they just don't have the social skills to ask questions in a normal voice.
A good overview of conventions:
Enjoy
Ill be adding more to this in the future. If anyone has any questions about conventions or anything to add to the guide please post it.
BRING WATER, this cannot be stressed enough, if your in an enclosed costume it gets very hot, add this to the 1000's of other people all bunched up around the convention increasing the temperature and you will get dehydrated.
Have at least 3 poses worked out. If you rock up at the con, then someone asks you for a photo and you have no idea what to do... then you look like a twat.
Break your costume in first. If you have shoes that you only just got and haven't worn them yet, Don't think your going to be comfortable in them walking around the con floor for 5 hours. Make sure your comfortable in your costume before the con, that way you can make adjustments and not have a pieces of resin jabbing you in the side.
Respect other cosplayers. There are always many cosplayers at conventions, some with very cool costumes and some with pretty basic ones. Please don't criticize other people's work no matter how bad you think it is. They put a lot of hard work into it just like you did.
There may be some scantly clad women cosplayers, please respect them. Just because they're dressed up like a final fantasy character (very little clothing) or princess Leia in the golden bikini, doesn't mean they want people to come on to them. If you make snide or rude comments there not going to want to go to conventions any more.
If your in an enclosed costume, like mjolnir armor, Your communication with other people is going to be a little hindered. You might not be able to hear someone asking you a question and they might not hear you answer back. Try to have a friend to act as a wingman and answer peoples questions about your costume. He could even be in his own costume that doesn't cover his head. In the case of Halo costuming, have one marine to one spartan. Failing this, make yourself some business style cards with your name, Email and perhaps a little bit about your costume on the back.
Handling the crowd. If the convention your at is packed, then your going to have to do a lot of wading through crowds. Doing this in costume can be difficult. you can easily bump people, step on people, trip. So my advice with crowds is to try and avoid walking right through them. If its life and death, have your friend walk in front of you, he can part the crowd a little bit which helps you make it though in one piece.
Pictures. People are going to want to take a lot of pictures of you. Most cosplayers love this, and if you don't like getting your picture taken you really shouldn't be cosplaying. If someone points a camera at you, strike a pose and let them snap away. If you get caught in the middle of a bunch of people taking photos and need to be somewhere, just give a polite wave and walk away. If they follow and insist on another photo give them one more chance to take one, if they try to take more and your really in a hurry, just walk away. It may seem rude, but they will get another chance to photograph you, or you could hand them your card. If they seem really interested tell them you will come and find them later, them they can take a few more photos.
You are bound to face the destructive forces of small and hyperactive children at conventions. These unnatural beings seem to want only to touch and hit and yell at you. You don't want you costume damaged, so if you get ganked by these people, just walk away, if they follow you, go stand near one of the con's security guards. The children will soon back off. But remember, even though there loud and annoying, they probably really like your costume, they just don't have the social skills to ask questions in a normal voice.
A good overview of conventions:
Enjoy
Ill be adding more to this in the future. If anyone has any questions about conventions or anything to add to the guide please post it.
See Also: Doc's "Rules Of Engagment At Any Con Or Event!"
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