r/comiccon • u/sarah_rose1901 • Mar 27 '23
Con Question - UK My first comic con
Hey everyone, I’m going to my first comic con next Sunday i was just wondering if y’all had any tips, advice etc to make the most of it, what to look out for, some cool stories!!
2
u/JonSpangler Mar 27 '23
Which convention are you going to? I know C2E2 in Chicago is next weekend and can give a few little tips for there if that is where you are headed.
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u/sarah_rose1901 Mar 27 '23
It’s just one in the UK!
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u/MsMargo Mar 30 '23
Which one? There are dozens of cons in the UK, all run by different companies. And I don't see a single one on April 9th.
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u/sarah_rose1901 Mar 31 '23
Gateshead
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u/MsMargo Apr 01 '23
Gateshead Comic Con is a very, very small local Con. You definitely will be able to see everything in 1 day. The whole con is just 6 hours. The tickets at the door are cash only, and they warn that many vendors only take cash - so bring cash. They have almost no information about the con, except for this Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqXV69mjaxB/?hl=en and this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GatesheadUnleashed Looks like they only have 2 Q&A sessions, and 4 guests doing autographs.
BTW, it's this Sunday, not next Sunday; sounds like you mixed up your dates.
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u/phosforesent Mar 29 '23
t list. These days conventions are like Disney, meaning you're going to spend the majority of your day standing in lines and not actually doing what you want. So if you want to get an autograph from Kevin smith, Jason mews, and Jason Lee, and Kevin Smith is the most important one to you, go straight to Kevin Smith. You might spend your whole day trying to get that one autograph, and not
I'm going to C2E2 for the first time Sunday and would appreciate some tips!
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u/JonSpangler Mar 29 '23
I think the first thing to know is that Sunday will probably be busier then usual. Some of the big panels (like Chris Evans) which would usually be a Saturday panel are on Sunday so plan accordingly make sure you plan ahead.
I personally like Lot C (off of Lake Shore Drive) for parking. It's cheaper and really not out of the way. There is a shuttle bus but it's less then a 5 minute walk. Also once you get to the entrance and take the stairs up you are directly at the C2E2 entrance.
Halfway up the stairs (if you take that entrance) is a McDonald's and Connie Pizza. The Connie's is much better then what you get on the con floor. They have good combos and specialty pizzas they will make fresh. So if you do have the downtime for lunch going there is a good option. Just know it's outside the C2E2 security bubble so you will need to go back through the scanners again.
To go back to Main Stage Panels. They do not clear out the rooms between panels (only VIP seating). So good advice (if are interested in the panels) is go to the one before the one your interested in. Find your spot then or of there is not a good one just take any spot and move up as people leave between panels.
I would not suggest it when you are just going for one day, especially Sunday when the hours or shorter (something to keep in mind as well, it show will close early), but C2E2 has pop up escape rooms run by a local company (they do other Chicago based cons as well). I have done 2 of 3 of them and they are pretty good. Worth the extra price but again a hour plus is a big time commitment for a Sunday. But something to keep in mind for other years or cons.
C2E2 has free water by the panel rooms. Always good and appreciated.
I do not think think Autograph lines are as bad as your quote implies (and I've been to Disney many times). Yes the Marvel Stars will have long lines but for most guests things will be reasonable waits. That depends who you want to see (if anyone).
If you have been to another Chicago Convention (Wizard, now known as Fan Expo) its not any different. It has a more professional shine and the venue and look elevate the convention and make it better but it still has booth full of Pop figures, cosplay everywhere, overpriced food, and the rest.
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u/phosforesent Mar 29 '23
Thanks so much for letting me know about the Chris Evans panel, I was hoping it'd be quieter Sunday but oh well!
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u/Coolbeans8798 Mar 27 '23
Basic stuff: Bring cash, a water bottle (or two), some comfy shoes, and a few snacks. Convention food is expensive, kinda like movie theater food, so try to bring your own if you can. If you like someone’s costume, ask for a photo. If they say no, don’t push it.
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u/Fuzzy-Butterscotch86 Mar 27 '23
Cash is King.
If you see a vendor selling handmade things you'd be interested in buying take their business card. A lot of the times people running booths charge more at conventions than they do on their own websites, specifically because they have to cover the booth rental fees, which can be ridiculous if it's a big enough convention. I couldn't begin to calculate how much money I've probably saved by buying things I wanted at conventions when I got home. Added bonus is you don't have to carry a bunch of crap around the convention.
Prioritize your goals. If you want specific autographs from celebrities make a list for yourself in order of importance and then follow that list. These days conventions are like Disney, meaning you're going to spend the majority of your day standing in lines and not actually doing what you want. So if you want to get an autograph from Kevin smith, Jason mews, and Jason Lee, and Kevin Smith is the most important one to you, go straight to Kevin Smith. You might spend your whole day trying to get that one autograph, and not get a single other thing because if he is the biggest name at the convention he's going to have the longest wait. The last convention I went to I spent 15 minutes getting Matthew Lillard's autograph. Somebody posted just yesterday that it took them 5 hours to get Matthew Lillard's autograph at a convention they went to over the weekend, and the only difference is that at the convention where I got him he was nowhere near the most famous person making an appearance. Kevin Smith was. And I had friends spend hours in Kevin Smith's line.
Food is super overpriced. If there's a wild Bill's drink booth and you're in a group of people that wouldn't mind sharing a cup, grab one of their limited edition convention mugs. They seem ridiculously overpriced at $35 for a souvenir cup, but they come with free refills for the day that you're there, so it's well worth it if you're willing to share with your friends because the other drinks are going to be 6 to 9 dollars for paper cup with no refills. Plus the tumblers that I have from conventions are some of the nicest cups that I own. The wild Bill cups are double walled so everything stays super cold. They're my go to cups for drinking beers.
If you're going for autographs bring something to store them in. A manila envelope works great, but a word of caution, give the ink a few minutes to dry before you put them away. There's nothing worse than paying $50 for an autograph and then smudging it because you didn't wait 30 seconds for the ink to dry.
If you're going with a group of people pick a tall focal point to meet back at if you get separated or go your separate ways. Something you can see from a distance throughout most of the convention hall, Central to the convention floor if you can. It can be really hard to hear your phone, and I've wasted way too much time trying to find my friends who didn't notice I was texting or calling lol.
If you get autographs absolutely get Beckett to certify them if they are there and they have a booth. They might be for your personal collection. You may swear to God you will never sell them. But someday somebody is going to end up inheriting your autographs, and when that day comes the certification you pay $10 for at a convention could mean the difference between the autograph being worth a few dollars or a few hundred dollars in the future.
And this is by far the best tip I can give, although it might already be too late. A lot of times when conventions open they have two different lines. They'll have a line for people that already have their tickets, and they'll have a line for people that still need to buy tickets. This may seem counterintuitive but I find the line for people that need to buy tickets is usually way faster to get in than the line for people that already bought their tickets. As a general rule most people show up with their tickets already purchased which means something like 75% of the people trying to get in are all trying to get through the same three metal detectors by the entrance. But if you have to buy a ticket usually you walk straight up to the box office and they'll have a separate set of metal detectors for those people. I've had friends be stuck outside trying to get in for 45 minutes at conventions where it took me less than 10 minutes to get in the door. If you get there and it turns out the line for people without tickets is slower, or longer, most of the time you can just buy tickets on your phone while you're standing in the line for people that already have them.
Good luck! Have fun!