Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hola. I've been attending the Convention for a few years, and I was bored enough to elaborate on some key points to help you survive your visit to the SDCC.

Yes, I know, entirely eye-catching.

• Food. Normally, I don't like hunting down good restaurants near the Convention, and, to put it simply, convention food is expensive and not entirely appetizing. The easiest thing to do is just pack your own lunch, and see if you can't save money on your Pocky fix by checking out your local Grocery store.

• If this is your first time in the Convention Center, learn the layout of the building. It's very easy to get lost there, and, to put it simply, things get unorganized fast. Keep that map in your program at a close range.

• Have friends! Events aren't nearly as fun if you don't have someone to wait in line with you. If you want to go with a large group, however, things can get slightly out of hand. People get lost fast, and it's difficult to navigate through hallways with large trains of people. See if you can break up the group for panels that appeal to different people.

• Big Panel? The earlier you go, the least likely you'll have to wait in line. If it's a HUGE panel, (Ex. Most anything in the H Hall on Saturday,) then try to show up for the first panel's for the day. Sit through a few, so you can stay in the room for the panel you want.

• Be prepared for anything and everything. Pay close attention to your surroundings. For all you know, the guy you just cut in the food court line is that Anime voice actor you saw on Thursday's panel!

• Have extra money on you. No matter how well planned out you are, if you just happen to be browsing the Exhibit Hall, you'll find something you'll adore. Preparation is the key.

• Don't get too caught up in planning. Sometimes, you just have to break from the panels and chill out on the Sails Pavillion. It's better to see what you want to see, while balancing out a nice afternoon in the Exhibit Hall with a few friends.

• Highlight everything you want to do before even leaving for the Convention. Everything is usually listed online.

• Meet people! It's always fun to look forward to seeing people you saw last year!

• Though many would argue with me, the most important part of any con experience are the FREEEBIES! Hunt them down! Not all lie upon the Freebie Table. (Tokyopop usually has something going on.)

• HAVE FUN. This is mandatory.

EDIT;;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
TODAY, I WILL PRESENT YOU WITH WHAT MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT INVENTION KNOWN TO MAN.
IT WILL GUIDE YOU,
LOVE YOU,
AND HELP YOU AND THE REST OF US GREATLY DURING YOUR TRIP DOWN TO SAN DIEGO.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GIVE YOU...
SOAP.


USE IT WELL.

The reason for this being there is usually a hellufalot of people who insist that hygene is not a top priority during their convention stay. This, however, is inacurate. We do not enjoy passing through crowds of smelly people, and therefore, soap is recommended.

That is all.

Also...Be careful with directions...if it includes a Starbucks...the user of those directions is royally screwed. xD

Keep Your Cell Phone Charged, and active, you never know when you may recieve an emergency call. Rest when you get the chance.

Be careful going through the Gaslamp area though...It's mostly fancy foriegn places, bars, and strip clubs....xD

It hasn't been posted quite yet. >3
Think around early July, perhaps even the week before. It's really up to whoever is in charge.

What I usually do is check out movie and book websites of people I particularly want to see, and check out their website's calendar to see if they're attending.

@Meyvol - Amen to that.
What I usually do is go into the Starbucks and use false names, just to watch them scream out funny things. >3

@Hiro- There are payphones usually available by guest services, and if a particular voulenteer is well planned, (unlikely,) they'll have some sort of charger for cell phones.



OH MY GOD.
I'VE FORGOTTEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL.
TO THE EDITMOBILE.
DANANANANANANA.

Thanks for posting this. I agree with much of your wisdom, and wish to add my own two cents to some of your points.

-Food. As has been mentioned, there is a Ralph's grocery store not far from the convention center. It is a great place to stock up on things. Also remember to bring things that are portable, preferable non-perishable, and easy to prepare if you bring what you buy to con.

-Layout. It can be confusing, especially when you're weaving up and down aisles, and since the floor is so huge, sometimes you can't tell if the wall you're facing is the same one you were headed towards a minute ago or not. The mezzanine level in particular gave me trouble for a long time. And as a side note, it doesn't hurt to bring a writing utensil and a high lighter with you. When you see a booth you want to revisit, scribble down the booth number on a notepad, or highlight it on the map provided in your con-book. That way, when you're on your last run through and you have that nagging feeling there was another place you'd wanted to check, you can reference your notes and be on your way.

-Friends. When with a group, it's always a good idea to pre-determine a meeting point. Our group has found that a two-part method for this works: We determine a set point that does not change for if anyone gets lost or needs something that they can go and wait, and if we don't hear from them we check there. Then, each day when we break off into smaller groups to check out different things, we compare schedules and find times to meet up just to check in with each other. Usually every couple of hours, and at least for lunch, since we take turns being 'the guy stuck with the heavy bag of food'. That way everyone has some flexibility, but you're not stuck there all day if you feel like crap and want to go home, but don't have the keys.

-Big panels. What you said rings true. Consider the popularity of what you want to go see, and think about that MASS that is the sales floor. You don't want to be at the end of that line. And, since we're talking about lines, if you want to actually be in the room where the Masquerade is held, you will be in line very early. The ticket booth is located upstairs across from the sails pavilion if memory serves, so find out when tickets will be handed out, and be in line bright and early that day. This is another nice time to have friends, because if you need to pee, you want someone to hold your spot in line. Also, as far as sitting in on other panels before the one you want so you are guaranteed a spot, sometimes you actually get to sit in on some interesting stuff you might never have thought to check out. wink

-Be attentive. Not only do you not know who you'll run into, but please be wary of those around you. Comic Con is a very crowded event, and everybody is on their way somewhere and thinking about a lot of things, and there can be some... jostling... And people in costume especially can't always see or move out of the way very quickly and easily, so be courteous and give 'em so space.

-Monies. It goes fast. Really fast. There are ATMs located in the front part of the convention center, but the lines for those rival some panels, and the Starbucks that is almost always right next to it. Don't forget when budgeting to account for things like parking, snacks (because you will need sustanance), and maybe an autograph from someone you didn't know would be there.

-Planning. There is a difference between preparation and planning, and in all honesty, over-planning saps the fun and makes con go by even faster than usual. If you spend your whole time looking at your watch so you don't miss that next cool thing on your massive list of stuff you have to do, suddenly it's Sunday, and you're realizing it's done. It's tempting to see all the stuff and want to do it all, but the reality is that you really can't. So be prepared, know what'll be there, and make it a point to hit a few things that you really will kick yourself if you don't do. Then let it flow, and if you do more than you 'planned', great, and if not, hey, you did what you came to and saw stuff you'd have missed if you were running around making deadlines.

-Read ahead. As mentioned already, the events list is planned out before you arrive, so if you get the chance, read up. Last year I saved it all into a word program, shrunk it down, and printed it. Then, on the car ride out, I read it aloud and if someone heard something of interest, we wrote their initials next to the panel. When we got back to our hotel after Preview Night, everyone looked it over and made notes in their program guides, so we didn't have to sit up all night reading to make sure we didn't miss anything the next day. Also, the vendors and guest lists are up, so check them out too. Look up their websites, see if they have info on where they'll be. If they have a panel, odds are they will at least be appearing at a booth somewhere too. You might not have realized some artists or author you enjoy would be there until you look up some publisher's website. Do your homework.

-Meet people. It helps pass the time in line, if nothing else. Folks of all shapes and sizes come to Comic Con each year from all over the world. Talk to the guy behind you in line, see why he's there, how long he's been going. Sometimes a newbie needs some advice, and sometimes an old-timer has an insight or a neat story. And when you see someone carrying something cool, ask where they got it. Don't be shy! People happuly point you in the direction of the booth giving out cool things. A side note: when you want pictures of someone, ASK. Don't run up and glomp people you don't know, or snap pictures to post online without asking. Most people will gladly pose for you, but be polite and you'll get much better results.

-Directions. If you haven't been to San Diego, or downtown, or whatever the case may be, it might not hurt to check out a map before you go. It's laid out pretty logically once you figure it out, but there are a lot of one way streets that can make escape difficult in a car. Have several options for where to park too. Lots fill up fast, especially on busier days. And your hotel or the people at the info booths and Comic Con can usually point you in the direction of some non-con amusement or food. They are there everyday, and they see a lot of tourists. They know things.

-Communication. Most walkie-talkies don't work in the convention hall. And, similarly, phones don't necessarily get reception either. Don't make cell phones your only lines of communication, lest they fail you.

I think it was day 4 last year.

Waiting for the exhibition hall to open, people were all crammed in places, and i think like the 8 people around me, so nine including me. I was the ONLY one who showered i think.

Going around the convention in a GAINT Group is a no-no, you'll get pissy with the people your going with.
-keep it to groups of 2-3, that way you can travel faster through out the convention and not be angry when ur suppose to be having fun.

Another one is for cosplayers.
If another cosplayer rags on your costume, bite your thumb in their direction and keep posing for pictures. biggrin YOU put effort into the costume, So you better fing enjoy it!

Another (Cosplay) is if your taking photos, BE PATIENT!
-Many cosplayers tend to get very angry due to other people running up to take photos when only one person asked. -They arn't being rude, thier actually saving you time! Instead of posing for every single one, every single person, you can get about 5 done in one sitting.

Photographers: Have your cameras ready before asking. It just makes life easy for both you and the costumer. PLUS, they might be more willing to do things for you if you approach nicely and ready.

I just speak as a costumer and a person taking photos, i've gotten the benefit of being nice to cosplayers while taking photos, and the nasty end of some who are just crabby. biggrin

( i proably repeated someone here, but XD Im tired and wanted to get a spill in)