Each year, my wife and I go to multiple horror and movie conventions in our area. A typical convention we go to may range in size from the small (one room) to the large (entire floor of a hotel or center). We have yet to hit any that are MASSIVE (Comic-con level), but there have been very few that we have not enjoyed.
Some of the motivators for going to these conventions include meeting a celebrity we admire, seeing and purchasing the creative things that vendors are selling, talking to other conventions go-ers who share our interests, and seeing some of the fantastic costumes that people show up in.
However, in recent years, there have been a few things that have made the experiences harder to enjoy and even made us eliminate some of our traditional conventions. It has led to my wife and I coming up with some guidelines to follow, some we look at before we even decide to head to an event. Here are some of the more important ones.
WHO IS GOING TO BE THERE
In reality, the first thing we do is look at what celebrities are going to be at an event. Is there someone there that we absolutely have to meet? How many people do we want to line up for and who are the most important ones to see? This helps us mentally prepare ourselves for the kind of day we are going to have (standing in a lot of lines or spending more time at the vendor tables). By ranking the celebrity’s importance, we also can know who we will feel ok with missing out on if there is a time issue.
We both walk the line between collectors and hoarders in our household, and any memorabilia that is special to us we love to get signed. This is an important thing for us and many of you, I am sure. I love walking in any vendor area to see what new thing is out there. Beyond the traditional stuff you see at conventions like Pop! Figures, movies (full release or bootleg), and posters, we love to see artists’ creations and small business tables mixed in the vendors’ area. If we have a special vendor that we follow, we always check to see if they will be showing up at a convention. When it comes to movie collecting, you may find some better deals by going to a convention than you would through an online store.
BUDGET
The cost of some of our favorite conventions has been creeping up to the point where they are beginning to price themselves out of our schedule each year. That is just talking about the fee to get into the event. A lot of celebrities have also begun to increase their prices to meet with fans. Just a few years ago, I could meet a fairly well-known celebrity, get an autograph and take a picture with them and that would cost $40 – $60. Today that same celebrity may be charging $40 – $50 each for the photo and the autograph. One celebrity could cost you $100 or more!
I am not trying to say that people don’t deserve to get paid what they believe they are worth, but the rising costs have definitely steered us away from some meets and events. And, for anyone who has said that you can go up and shake a hand or voice your love of their work without paying, I have done that once or twice and the level of awkwardness is always high. If I am going to meet someone, then I feel that I need to pay them for their time and for my place on their line. That may just be me, though. I have also seen people try to shake a hand and have their partner whip out their cell phone to score a free photo. That usually ends with a fight with their manager. Please don’t be that person. If you want the photo, pay the price.
The worst part of this is that a lot of conventions that we go to don’t know the celebrity’s prices ahead of time, so you have a hard time budgeting for them. I have noticed in the last year that this is starting to change and I think that the increased prices may be lowering the attendance at the tables. So maybe they are hoping this will help the situation? Or else a lot of people have been complaining about the lack of ability to plan.
One thing that I haven’t seen change much is the vendors’ costs. So you can still budget more accurately for goodies.
TIME
There are multiple levels to this. You have to figure out the timing of everything you do for these events. How early do you need to arrive? How long do you think a line will be? Do you have to get to any scheduled activity? How long are you going to be at the event? Time is everything at a convention.
You not only have to schedule the timing, but you have to allow for those surprise moments when a celebrity leaves their tables, it takes longer to get into the event, or a photo session gets rescheduled. Now you need to cancel a plan to meet someone or decide if you are going to wait in the line you are in a little longer or abandon it. You need to be flexible in planning your time or you may end up disappointed.
We have given up on a celebrity if we think or see that most of our day is going to be in their line. There is usually so much more to do that we don’t want to waste it on one thing. We have even not gone to events at a smaller venue because there is a big celebrity there. A lot of times the event becomes overrun by a single celebrity and it can lead to bad wait times just to get into the event.
LAYERS
This applies more in the winter than the summer, but my god people, dress in easily removed and stored layers. Instead of a giant winter coat that is hard to carry and causes you to overheat, wear a couple of long sleeve shirts for the walk from the car to the event entrance. Take them off when you get warm and tie them around your waist or neck to keep your hands free. Or better yet…
BRING A BACKPACK
You can store lots of things in a backpack or a shoulder bag and they are easier to lug around throughout the day than something like a canvas bag. Make sure whatever you are carrying is able to be zippered or sealed up. If you are still concerned about security, keep your money and cellphone on your person. You could even drape a cloth over your items in your backpack before closing it to make it difficult for someone to open it, reach in, and steal anything without you noticing. Backpacks keep your hands free and allow you to carry a lot of items. They are essential to me at conventions.
STAY HYDRATED
I have never been to a convention where it didn’t get hot. Air conditioners in event centers, hotels, malls, and any other places that conventions are held at are never able to keep up with the number of people that arrive. While dressing in layers helps, don’t forget to drink water. In fact, bring your own water. Remember the backpack? Remember budgeting? Bringing your own water uses both tips and helps keep you cool at a convention. My wife and I will fill up a couple of large water bottles and that can last us for most of the day. And we don’t need to spend money on the overpriced beverages at the conventions (unless we want to).
SMELLS
Here it is. The complaint most heard at conventions. The ones that smell. You know what? I will smell if I start to sweat at any time. It happens and I get embarrassed by it. Conventions are the worst for this and I hate it when I begin to sweat. It is uncomfortable for me and I am sure it is not a pleasant experience for the people I meet or am around. I have begun to carry deodorant that I either put in the backpack and apply in the bathroom or leave in my car if it is easy to access. If I can’t stop sweating, I will at least try to mask the smell. There are people out there that are not as courteous. Unfortunately, there is nothing I have thought of to help this. All I can do is take care of myself.
Another tip for this is to shower before you go to the convention. Not a quick rinse before you jump in your car and peel out of your driveway to beat the line. Take a good shower with lots of soap and whatnot. If you start to sweat and smell, at least it will not be on top of any body oils you already have on your skin. And speaking of showers…
HEALTH
This is actually a couple of tips slumped together for this list. You were just in a place with hundreds of people touching things, shaking hands, and bumping into each other. Want to join everyone and share that convention cold? No? Then remember to take care of yourself. If you are shaking hands with people, have some sanitizer nearby and use it. Try not to touch your mouth or eyes. It is great to shower beforehand, but shower after to rinse off whatever was floating in the air that you just walked through. I would even go so far as to suggest taking something like Cold-EEZE or Zinc to help fight off a cold. With the recent pandemic, masks have been required at events, but that will not be mandatory forever (hopefully). However, it may not be a bad idea to keep one on while standing in line or walking between tables. You don’t want to add an illness to the list of things you collected at your latest convention.
Most of these things seem like common sense, but I see so many people at conventions that are stressed, tired, broke, etc. There will always be an issue that arises and you’ll want to be in the best mind-frame to adapt to the new situation and not let it ruin your convention-going experience. Don’t forget the most important thing about conventions though is to have fun! I have a lot of fun at conventions and hope to be able to continue to go to them and introduce the experience to my new daughter as she gets older.
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