Preparing to attend my first con next summer... Help!

[Fuu4U09]

^_^; Um, heya, everyone. I'm planning on attending the Otakon next August, and I just wanted to get the main gist of things. I haven't been able to make the past conventions. Help, please?

~*~Fuu~*~

[narcted]

What I have to say about going to cons would take to long to type. I would say, go with friends who have been before. They are your best resource for survival.

And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.

[dokool]

Quite frankly, I recommend you get at least 1-3 smaller conventions under your belt before Otakon. Otakon X was my second convention (after Anime Boston 2003), and the size and scope of it was, well, shocking. No amount of preparation will actually prepare you for a convention that goddamned big. I believe the attendence numbers are going to give us a number between 18-20 thousand, and that's up from 12 thousand last year. Who knows how many more will be there in 2004.

My suggestion? Get one or two cons under your belt *before* Otakon. They won't prepare you for size, but at least you'll know what kind of atmosphere to expect.

But as far as preparing for Otakon proper... you have a year, and you'll forget any at-con advice you recieve now, so ask this question again in the Otakon forums in May-June. As far as right now, start saving your money. Now. Save money for pre-registration, save money for hotel rooms, save money for the dealer's room, save money for comfortable shoes because you *will* be waiting in line. If you plan on splitting the room with friends, have backups. Have backups to those backups. And don't make plans with anyone who's likely to flake out on you because it sucks.

Seriously, though, go to a small con or two, there's a nice list at adequate.com. Losing your con-ginity to Otakon is a sure way to find yourself lying in a fetal position in the middle of the BCC, frightened by the hundreds of Vashs and Inu Yashas (and I say that with every bit of seriousness I can muster. If you were to count, there *were* literally hundreds of Vashs and Inu Yashas.)

-DOKool

[Fuu4U09]

Oh, thanks, narcted and DOKool. I appreciate the advice... I'll take it to heart. ^_^ I have to say I'm glad I asked about the Otakon. I had absolutely no idea about how many people attend every year. (Pathetic, ne?)

[Scintilla]

And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.

Wholeheartedly seconded.

And as for me, Otakon X was my FIRST con ever... so I didn't have a basis for comparison, so I wasn't blown away by how big it was. And I think the only time I had to stand in line was for registration, and then for MAT3K (which segued into the AMV contest screening).

But one thing I'll be sure to do next time I go is to bring more money for the dealers' room.

[Cyanna]

And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.

Wholeheartedly seconded.

And I third it.

And as for me, Otakon X was my FIRST con ever... so I didn't have a basis for comparison, so I wasn't blown away by how big it was.

I went with him. It was my first con ever as well.

I admit I was blown away on Friday. But once Saturday came around I felt much more comfortable. Even though I'm hardly the world biggest anime fan I had such a blast and I'd love to go back again.

[LantisEscudo]

Otakon X was my tenth con, and my roommate's 40th or so. From my experiences and the stories he's told me, here's a bit of advice:

Room:
Get it early, get it at the con hotel (if it is in a hotel), get the con rate. The earlier you can get it, the better. You won't be charged until you arrive, and if your plans to attend fall through you can always cancel it.

Get at least five people in the hotel room and split the costs. Never try to put more than seven in one room, it gets cramped and stuffy. Five is where it starts getting really inexpensive per person, and seven is where the benefit of lower costs are offset by the inconvenience of that many people.

Food:
Bring your own! Restaurants around cons are notorious for high prices. I bring ramen cups and use the coffee maker in the hotel room to boil water. It costs around $5, feeds me, and leaves me with a lot of money for the dealer's room.

Transportation:
Have this arranged well in advance. Most of the cons I went to were arranged through my college's anime club and were planned out months in advance. Every single time, when we were leaving, we saw people that had gotten stranded by miscommunications. Don't let it happen to you.

If the con is close enough, consider commuting, but I don't recommend this. I've done it twice (Otakon 9 and Katsu 8), and neither time was a pleasant experience.

Registration:
Get in line early! This is doubly true if you're only coming for one day. The lines for registration are always insane. Prereg if you can, it saves tons of time.

Planning:
Check the con's web site out in advance. If they publish a schedule, get it and check what events you want to go to. If not, when you get it after registration, take a few minutes and look it over. That way, you're sure to not miss events you want to make.

What to bring:
Clothes. No brainer. At least one change for each day you'll be there, and one extra change in case of an accident or emergency. Don't be the smelly fanboy/girl that people hate.

Money. Another no-brainer. You can spend a lot in the dealer's room in a hurry. Don't blow everything on Friday. Save some for later, in case you see something you didn't on your first pass, and always, always leave a little in case of emergencies.

Camera. You'll want some memories of your trip. Don't forget batteries and film/media for it, too.

Toiletries. The hotel provides some, but I've always taken the precaution of bringing my own, since with five to seven people in the room, the hotel-supplied stuff goes quick.

Towel. Again, the hotel provides some, but just in case.

Bedding. I always volunteer to take the floor at a con, since hotel beds always give me a backache. If there's more people than bed space, someone has to. In case it's you, be prepared. Two blankets and a pillow have served me well at the last few cons.

Reading material/Gameboy. This one's strictly optional. If you plan to go to any popular events, be prepared to get in line as many as two or three hours in advance. Have something to occupy yourself with in line, or strike up conversations with the people in line around you. I remember at Nekocon FLASH, the people next to me in the cosplay line brought a Twister board, and let me (in costume) join in. Definitely one of the best experiences I've had in a line.

It always helps to go to smaller cons before hitting a big one like Otakon or AX. Katsu is in February, and is a good medium-sized con. K6 was my first, and I've been back every year since.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your first con experience!

[LantisEscudo]

And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.

Wholeheartedly seconded.

And I third it.

Oh, and I'll also add my voice in recommending you see this.

[masTer_sTaTus]

was in 2003 in was Big Apple Animefest...since I live in NY i went with a friend and his girlfriend all 3 days. I had a blast the dealers room was great and they had special free mvoies playing in certain loews theaters, i saw Perfect Blue and Parasite Dolls. And i got in for free but i had to do some volunteer work. I did like 3 hours and i had the convention all to myself the rest of the weekend. LoL i got the job of watching the room they were watching naime in....a viewing room, so i basically sat and watch K.O. Beast and ate pizza. The voice acting contest and cosplay contests are very cool and next year im dressing up! I say do as much as you can to get the most out of the experience. That is why next year I am going to do the cosplay contest. Theres no real preparing just grab a good camera a big roll of cash and have a blast!
Well at leats thats what I did.....-_-!

[Farmboybob]

Otakon X was my tenth con, and my roommate's 40th or so. From my experiences and the stories he's told me, here's a bit of advice:

Room:
Get it early, get it at the con hotel (if it is in a hotel), get the con rate. The earlier you can get it, the better. You won't be charged until you arrive, and if your plans to attend fall through you can always cancel it.

Get at least five people in the hotel room and split the costs. Never try to put more than seven in one room, it gets cramped and stuffy. Five is where it starts getting really inexpensive per person, and seven is where the benefit of lower costs are offset by the inconvenience of that many people.

Food:
Bring your own! Restaurants around cons are notorious for high prices. I bring ramen cups and use the coffee maker in the hotel room to boil water. It costs around $5, feeds me, and leaves me with a lot of money for the dealer's room.

Transportation:
Have this arranged well in advance. Most of the cons I went to were arranged through my college's anime club and were planned out months in advance. Every single time, when we were leaving, we saw people that had gotten stranded by miscommunications. Don't let it happen to you.

If the con is close enough, consider commuting, but I don't recommend this. I've done it twice (Otakon 9 and Katsu 8), and neither time was a pleasant experience.

Registration:
Get in line early! This is doubly true if you're only coming for one day. The lines for registration are always insane. Prereg if you can, it saves tons of time.

Planning:
Check the con's web site out in advance. If they publish a schedule, get it and check what events you want to go to. If not, when you get it after registration, take a few minutes and look it over. That way, you're sure to not miss events you want to make.

What to bring:
Clothes. No brainer. At least one change for each day you'll be there, and one extra change in case of an accident or emergency. Don't be the smelly fanboy/girl that people hate.

Money. Another no-brainer. You can spend a lot in the dealer's room in a hurry. Don't blow everything on Friday. Save some for later, in case you see something you didn't on your first pass, and always, always leave a little in case of emergencies.

Camera. You'll want some memories of your trip. Don't forget batteries and film/media for it, too.

Toiletries. The hotel provides some, but I've always taken the precaution of bringing my own, since with five to seven people in the room, the hotel-supplied stuff goes quick.

Towel. Again, the hotel provides some, but just in case.

Bedding. I always volunteer to take the floor at a con, since hotel beds always give me a backache. If there's more people than bed space, someone has to. In case it's you, be prepared. Two blankets and a pillow have served me well at the last few cons.

Reading material/Gameboy. This one's strictly optional. If you plan to go to any popular events, be prepared to get in line as many as two or three hours in advance. Have something to occupy yourself with in line, or strike up conversations with the people in line around you. I remember at Nekocon FLASH, the people next to me in the cosplay line brought a Twister board, and let me (in costume) join in. Definitely one of the best experiences I've had in a line.

It always helps to go to smaller cons before hitting a big one like Otakon or AX. Katsu is in February, and is a good medium-sized con. K6 was my first, and I've been back every year since.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your first con experience!

That was so good I think I'll print it out and use it for future refrence. As for Otakon, it will be my 4th con and I am already preping for it because of the stories I've heard about it. It is just so damn big, rivaling Anime Expo (the biggest anime con). I hope I can take it, the only other cons I go to are Nekocon(small con of about 1600 people) and Animazement (medium con of about 3000 people). All I can say is good luck!

And remember, at any con you need at least 1 shower, 2 full meals, and 6 hours minimum of sleep or you will pass out. When I went to Animazement, I was there 3 days and only got about 4 hours of sleep total and let me tell you, that is not healthy.
I felt like crap after it was over and the next day I was sick and slept for 20 straight hours (my parents were starting to think I had fallen into a coms as i have never slept even half that long in my life).