When Summer gets started, the conventions come out to play (and don't stop until Christmas). Whether you're gearing up for Comic Con, Dragon Con, PAX, Comikaze, E3, or any of the other hundreds of other cons, there are a few survival tips that can help maximize the fun.
It's worth mentioning that if you're traveling out of town to get to a con, you'll face a whole new set of problems. We won't focus too much on the travel aspect since we've covered many of these topics before, but be sure to check out our guide to traveling with a large group, book a vacation at the last minute, and how to hack your way to excellent airfare and hotel accommodations. As with any con, though, be sure you make your plans as early as possible. In some cases the end of last year's con may be your safest bet.
Much of this advice isn't limited to geek conventions, either. If you're heading to a music festival, tech convention, trade show, or any other type of gathering where tens of thousands of people gather, you can follow a lot of these same strategies.
Create a Schedule (But Don't Count on Sticking to It)
Any convention or festival worth its weight in badges and booze is probably going to have some kind of schedule of events so you can find when and where you need to be for all the stuff you like. Before you go to the event—preferably several days before, if not more—take a look at the schedule and find a few of the events that you want to hit up. Write down what you want to see and create your own personalized schedule. Factor in travel between locations where necessary. You can also create a shared Google Calendar so that everyone in your party can keep up with what's going on, and any changes to the plan.
Once you've created your own schedule for the con, do it a second time with the remaining events. You will not get to do everything you want to do at the con and, inevitably, you're going to find yourself outside of the building Nathan Fillion is in, seeing the line that wraps around the convention center, and giving up. In these moments, it helps to have a plan B so you're not wasting time wandering around.
Another thing you should do with your schedule is prioritize events by popularity. If your number one priority is hitting up the Buck Rogers panel, you'll probably be fine getting a seat. If all you want in the world is to meet Joss Whedon, you'll have about 10,000 other people to compete with. Weigh your events by popularity and budget your time accordingly. Chances are someone much more devoted than you got in line six hours early for the major events. Some cons will attempt to disperse crowds who line up too early, but unofficial lines can still form (with varying degrees of success). It's impossible to know for sure exactly when to show up because con rules will vary, but don't expect to simply show up an hour early and slide right in. Check, then double check.
Not all cons have their own apps available, but if you can find them, download them to your phone. These apps frequently include the full con schedule with updates announcing changes to events, important contact info, maps of the hotels or convention centers, and more. Here are some of the apps for just a few of the biggest cons:
Of course, you should always check again just before the con you're going to. Some cons re-release their apps every year, and you don't want to end up with an out-of-date app.
Charge Your Gadgets (and Bring Spares)
Even if you have the most recent Galaxy Note with an expanded, third-party battery, chances are it's going to run out of juice. Not only will you be away from a charger long time, but summer events can be particularly nasty for your battery's health. So bring a backup solution.
One of the more versatile solutions will be to build your own battery-powered go bag. You'll probably want to bring along a few other things anyway (which we'll get to), so having a bag that can charge your gadgets kills two birds with one stone. Of course, you can also just buy a battery pack like the Zendure Adam used in our go bag design and just toss it in the bag. This particular model is durable enough to take the kind of beating it might face at a con, though you're not without plenty of other options.
It may also be a good idea to bring a power strip. In the event that you find a power outlet (there are plenty around) someone may have already beaten you to it. In that situation you can whip out your strip so not only can you two share, but you're the hero who helped four more people get their fix. Way to go, you.
Pack the Essentials and Travel Light
You're going to need to carry a number of important items with you at a convention, but it's also important to travel as light as possible. Stick to the essentials and reduce your carry weight as much as possible. For example, don't bring a six pack of bottled water if you can bring a durable, refillable water bottle.
Here are some essentials that you should keep in your bag that stays on you at all times:
- A day's worth of cash. Don't carry your entire weekend's worth of cash around if you can avoid it. Take just enough to get through today and leave the rest at home or in the hotel.
- A photo ID: Not only will you probably need this to complete registration, but you'll need to provide ID if you want to enter any bar areas or buy alcohol.
- Easy snacks (preferably with plenty of protein): You will get hungry at the con. Protein bars and fruits can hold you over until you can find a proper meal that isn't obscenely overpriced (and it may be unhealthy, depending on where you go).
- Alternative shoes/clothes: Ideally, you'll wear your most comfortable clothes and shoes to the con to start with, as you'll need to be doing a lot of walking. If you have a costume or wear any fancy shoes, make sure you have a spare.
If you can keep anything in your hotel room, car, or nearby home (if you're lucky), do that. The more you load down your go bag, the quicker you'll exhaust yourself early. Not to mention raising the likelihood that you'll lose something valuable. Keep the important stuff and keep it light.
Know Where to Find Food and Drinks (and Bring Your Own)
Cons, like every other huge gathering of people, are ripe for ripping you off with expensive food. However, you can still keep your food costs low with a little savvy. We mentioned in the last section that you should keep some small snacks in your go bag, but that won't hold you over entirely.
Many cons feature a room called a consuite. These rooms feature free snacks and drinks for anyone with a con badge. They're not always the easiest to find, but usually you can find some information on your con's site with at least a location and open hours. If you've used up your last protein bar and you need to get your fix, find your local consuite.
When it comes to fluids, having your own water bottle on hand (as we mentioned in the last section) can be a literal life saver. If you need something a bit easier to carry—or to build into your costume, if you're cosplaying—many of the tricks for smuggling alcohol into an event work just as well for carrying water. Things like the CamelBak reservoirs keep you hydrated while staying out of the way.
Keep Track of Everyone in Your Party
Depending on the size of the festival you're at, you could be surrounded by anywhere from thousands to tens of thousands of other people. This is not an ideal situation to find the people you came in with. If you all have smartphones, though, make used of those magic space phones to keep up with each other.
As we've mentioned before, location sharing services are exceptionally good at letting your friends know where you are and vice versa. Don't count on someone being able to respond to a text message. They might not hear their phone or service might be more intermittent than usual due to the large crowds. Before you head out, make sure that everyone you need to keep up with has shared their location with each other.
It's also a good idea to have everyone join a group chat for everyone going on so even if someone doesn't respond at the moment, they can read up on any plan changes when they check their phone. There's roughly seven quintillion messaging apps out there and, frankly, for keeping up with your fellow con-goers, there's not really a wrong choice. WhatsApp, Hangouts, iMessage, or Facebook Messenger all work great so long as everyone is using the same app.
Photos by Stéphane Gallay and Matt Arnold.
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