Tips for Comic-Con

Comic-Con International BannerSome suggestions for making the most of comic conventions, based on personal experience (mine and my wife’s). The list is focused on Comic-Con International in San Diego, but most tips also apply to other conventions and cities.

Planning

  • Buy your membership online as soon as you can. SDCC does sell out ahead of time.
  • Start checking deadlines early for masquerade, booths, tables, etc. They may be months before the con.
  • Take an extra day off after the con to recover (i.e. sleep), especially if you’re traveling.
  • If you have the time, take the whole week off and make it a vacation.

Where to Stay

  • Keep an eye on when the convention hotel block opens. SDCC hotels sell out in a matter of hours minutes.
  • Find roommates to share the cost of the hotel room (or suite).
  • Book directly through a hotel, or through a travel site like Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, or Hotwire – but do it early, and expect to spend more than the con rate.
  • When booking with a hotel chain, make absolutely certain you reserve at the right location! (It seems obvious, but at 1AM it’s an easy mistake if the chain has several hotels in the same city.)
  • Look into short-term condo rentals, but do so waaay ahead of time.
  • Stay with friends or relatives who live in the area.
  • Stay farther out and commute. If all you need is a place to sleep and shower, you don’t have to stay downtown.
  • If you can’t get a hotel, or want a closer one, check again in June when deposits are due. Some rooms always free up.
  • NEW: Ask your hotel about storing luggage if you check out before the con ends, or if you check in after it starts. (You may also be able to arrange early check-in.)

Right Before

  • Get cash at your local bank branch so you don’t have to stand in line for the lobby ATM.
  • Use your bank’s website to locate branches/ATMs near the con and your hotel before you leave.
  • Plan what you’re doing each day before you arrive, but don’t count on more than 3 big events a day.

Transportation

  • Parking downtown is scattered and expensive. Park once and take public transportation if you need to go somewhere.
  • Comic-Con has started offering pre-paid parking. Take them up on it!
  • Be sure your downtown map clearly marks the direction of one-way streets.
  • If driving, leave early to get a space.
  • Shuttles run to many downtown hotels and (starting in 2010) several in Mission Valley.
  • Locate your hotel shuttle stop and see which section of the convention center is closest.

Trolley System

  • Get a trolley pass to get around Downtown San Diego: sdcommute.com. They mail it, so allow shipping time.
  • Mission Valley and Old Town have trolley service straight to the con.
  • There are 2 trolley stops near the convention center: Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter.
  • Maps and schedules are on sdcommute.com and sdmts.com. Here’s a direct link to the trolley map.
  • Downtown trolleys run every 15 min/day, 30 min/evening, until around midnight (later on weekends)
  • Trolleys are crowded, especially on Fri and Sat, so plan for at least 30 min delay.
  • MTS has posted the special event trolley schedule for the 2010 con (via @SD_Comic_Con)

Packing

  • Plan to walk a lot. Wear comfortable shoes, even with costumes.
  • If you heavily use a power-hungry phone, carry a battery extender so you can recharge w/o a socket.
  • Bring a light jacket for the evening. Sometimes it cools off right by the ocean.
  • Bring a spare battery & memory card for your camera.
  • Bring at least one set of nice clothes in case you want to go out one evening.
  • Remember to pack chargers and data cables for all your electronics.

At the Con

  • You will feel overwhelmed your first day. You may get used to it by the end.
  • Arrange for meetups before heading to the con. Cell phones are hard to hear on the floor.
    • Followup from @batmansgirl: set your phone to vibrate and use texting.
  • Check your phone regularly for new messages. You won’t hear it ring on the floor, and you might not feel it vibrate.
  • Keep your camera easy to reach with a neck strap or in a front pocket. Or carry it—but use a wrist strap so you don’t drop it.
  • For exclusives, figure out exactly where the booth is and go straight there when the hall opens.
  • Pre-register for next year’s con to save money and peace of mind.
  • Find out specific autograph/giveaway procedures as early as possible.
  • Bring a backpack! But remember you’re wearing it when you turn around quickly.
  • Room security and Elite security are two different things.
  • If the room monitors ask you not to save seats, then don’t save seats. We’ll all thank you.
  • It really is easier to get seated at a busy panel if you don’t leave empty spaces in the middle of the row.
  • Visit the art show, but remember: no water bottles allowed.
  • Bring plenty of cash. Use a debit/credit card where you can so you don’t run out of cash for places you can’t.
  • Saturday is the most crowded on the main floor, but also the best day for spotting costumes.
  • If you wear a recognizable (or sexy) costume, expect to be stopped frequently for photos.
  • Tag your online photos by convention+year and topic. Examples: Comic-Con 2010, San Diego, cosplay, costumes, Star Wars
  • Stay healthy! Wash your hands, bring hand sanitizer & cover your mouth if you cough. Lots of people from different regions crowded together for a weekend is a recipe for the “con crud.”
  • NEW: If you buy something big or fragile that you don’t want to take home in your luggage, use the FedEx shipping center in the lobby.

Events and Panels

  • Pick one major event per day and don’t worry about trying to get to the others.
  • Allow 2.5 hours of lead time for the really big panels.
  • If you pass a restroom on the way to a long panel or line, use it while you have the chance.
  • The Quick Draw! panel is always fun. Cartoon improv w/ Sergio Aragones, Scott Shaw! & rotating 3rd artist.
  • Scott Shaw’s Oddball Comics presentation is also good.
  • The masquerade is free, but you need to get tickets Saturday afternoon.
  • If you ask a question at a panel, just ask the question. Don’t spend 5 minutes praising the show first.

Food

  • Buy a sandwich in the morning (Ralph’s, Subway, etc.) and put it in your backpack for lunch.
  • Consider bringing a small cooler along for your lunch.
  • Pack snacks and water so you can stand in event lines instead of snack lines.
  • There’s an additional food court on the mezzanine where some of the small fan booths are.
  • Have a nice dinner or a good lunch at a restaurant in the Gaslamp District.
  • Some good downtown restaurants: The Field, Dakota, Star of India, Chopahn, Dussini.
  • Visit the restaurant reservation desk near B2 in the convention center lobby for menus and prices.
  • Little Italy is another good area for restaurants.
  • When bringing in food from outside, bring a napkin too. Or at least grab a paper towel from the restroom first.

Take a Break

  • Tour historical ships at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
  • See a play or concert at a downtown theater like the Spreckels, Lyceum, Horton Grand, House of Blues etc.
  • Visit Old Town San Diego. Stop by the coffee house and buy some Highlander Grog.
  • If you have an extra day, visit the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, or Sea World.

Further Reading