As a lifelong nerd, my number one dream has always been to attend San Diego Comic-Con. I grew up in sunny Southern California, and every time I would make my way down to Downtown San Diego and pass by that beautiful convention center, I would dream about the day I would finally enter its halls and embrace all things geek. Well, by pure and unadulterated luck, this past weekend that dream finally came true.
I have to begin by explaining that this Comic-Con trip was planned extremely last minute. We only purchased our badges about two days before the con (BIG shoutout to my mom's friend, Dennis!), and by then, it felt impossible to adequately plan everything we wanted to do. I vividly remember excitedly pulling up the full Comic-Con program schedule, only to have my jaw drop at the pages and pages of scrolling I had to do only for one day of events! It was insane. Feeling a little discouraged, I (foolishly) decided to walk into the con totally blind, with no game plan whatsoever. The result was to be expected: chaotic, exciting, STRESSFUL, sometimes disappointing and extremely rewarding all at once. Here are some of the takeaways I walked away with as a first-timer.
1. Do not walk onto the Show Floor without some sort of game plan.
We arrived at the scene on the morning of Thursday, around 8:30 AM. Since we only had two one day passes, we were able to pick both of them up the morning of our first day. I have to say, I was super impressed by how smooth the entire process was. I pulled up my confirmation e-mail, showed my ID, was handed my badge, and boom! We were good to go. Afterwards, we headed downstairs, where we were lucky (luck is a big theme in my first comic-con experience) enough to bypass the giant hoard of people outside and walk straight into the Show Floor while it was totally empty.
Let me just say that those first five minutes, with no one on the Show Floor, was one of the highlights of the convention. We didn't even know how lucky we were! While we could've run straight for the big booths with crazy exclusives, instead we took a stroll around while we were handed free swag left and right. Well, it was nice while it lasted because it would be only about five minutes before we would be packed in between exhibitors and booths like a can of sardines. I still loved it, though. I thrive in chaos.
While those first five minutes were nice, retrospectively, I do wish we had taken a look at which booths would be on the show floor before heading out. This may seem like a given, but we truly didn't even consider how insane it would be out there. My number one tip would definitely be to prepare for INSANE crowds! Our initial plan was to walk the entire floor and decide what we wanted to come back and spend more time on, and that alone took about two hours. We quickly learned that the things we wanted to do were the things everyone else wanted to do, too. We were thwarted by capped lines, ridiculously long lines, and early merchandise registrations (I'm looking directly at you, Funko). I can't lie, it was pretty discouraging. But even so, we were still having a blast!
2. Don't get food inside of the convention center.
Now, this might be okay if you don't really mind the quality of your meal, you're running an extremely tight schedule, and don't have the luxury of time away from the con. However, if you can spare the extra hour, I would highly recommend heading across the street to the Gaslamp Quarter and finding a good meal. SDCC is the busiest time of year for these restaurants, so many of them have specially made Comic-Con menus readily available for ease of everyone involved! Also, they're most definitely playing to the crowd and many restaurants will have some of your favorite movies or TV shows playing. I sat down to have a glass of wine while Empire Strikes Back was playing at the bar. Can't get any better!
Or, even better and easier on your wallet, BRING YOUR OWN SNACKS AND WATER to the convention center! With everything going on, you will most likely be running back and forth on the show floor or in between panels, and it's vital for you to stay hydrated for your own health and safety. Some of these lines can be excruciatingly long, so it's also nice to have something to munch on during your wait! Gaslamp can end up extremely pricey, so I do wish we prepared a little better and went with this option instead.
3. DO prepare as much as you possibly can if you're hoping to get into Hall H for any big panels.
I will be completely honest and say that I was not expecting to get into Hall H whatsoever for my first time. We decided the night before we arrived that we wouldn't even try, simply because we knew that there were thousands of veterans likely waiting in line already, and we just didn't stand a chance! However, the day of the Game of Thrones panel (which was the Big One everyone in my group wanted to go to) word got out on Twitter that the standby line for Hall H was actually not too bad. On a complete whim, we decided to book it and take our chances with the line. Now, with this, it really just depends on the feel of the day, the panels inside of the hall, and again… pure luck. I will touch on exactly how we made it into the panel a bit later, but for now, let’s talk the Hall H Line.
Preparation is key! Be prepared to be in line for hours on end, especially if you’re trying to make it to one of the bigger panels like Marvel. People will wait in the Hall H line a whole day in advance, so the earlier, the better! Though I wasn’t there for the craziness that was the wristband line for Saturday’s panels, scrolling through Twitter I saw countless stories about line cutters, and people waiting over 12 hours only to not get a wristband for the day they waited for. That being said, (and I can’t believe this has to be said, but) don’t be that person to cut in line. Though people are technically allowed to save spots, try to have your entire party with you, especially as the wristband distribution time gets closer so you don’t give those behind you false hope.
6. Social media is a tool. Use it!
I mentioned earlier that we got word on the status of the Hall H line through Twitter. Twitter is an extremely useful tool during this and ANY convention. Use it to your best advantage. Regularly check up on common hashtags and start to follow others who will be attending the convention in advance so their updates pop right up on your timeline during the event. For us, @HallHLine was amazingly helpful during our wait. Many people tweet live updates both from inside Hall H and outside in the line. It’s the easiest way to get real-time information on what the Hall and the wait is looking like, and also to calculate your chances on getting into the panel you want.
Social media is also where you can find tons of great giveaways hosted by the studios on the exhibit floor. For example, my friend Kaila was able to win an exclusive Avengers: Endgame surprise box by entering a same-day sweepstakes through the Avengers twitter account! There are tons of these amazing opportunities to win free swag, you just have to keep your eye open for them online.
4. If it applies to you, utilize the ADA pass system.
My party had no idea the ADA system existed until the last few hours of our con experience. My brother has autism, so doing these types of events with him can be challenging at times, especially if long waits are involved. Luckily, this is a resource available to those with disabilities, and it’s ultimately how we made it into Hall H! As Kelsey and I waited in the regular Hall H line for about two hours, my dad took Den to explore the show floor since he was getting antsy in line. While they were out they discovered the ADA pass. Kelsey and I left line immediately and joined them in the ADA line, which was much shorter, and we made it into the hall within about twenty minutes. Again. Luck! Although, keep in mind that there were many people from the standby line who did make it into their desired panel.
This being said, DO NOT ABUSE THIS SYSTEM. If you don’t have a disability, or you are not traveling with someone who has a disability, DO NOT attempt to use this system. Nerds with disabilities deserve every opportunity as everyone else at the convention, and they deserve to experience these opportunities with whatever accommodations they require to make the process as smooth as possible. I’m only including this for folks like us, who may not know that this is an available resource, as a heads up for next time.
5. DO visit the offsites!
These hidden gems are something I wish I did more of during my time at SDCC. For those who may not know, since SDCC is such a huge event, many companies and studios will set up fun things to do outside of the convention center for those who may not have badges for the actual con. For instance, right across the street we only waited about 45 minutes to get into the Amazon Prime offsite and I was pretty impressed with what we found inside. A lot of it was a promotion for their upcoming show, Carnival Row. Upon entering we were handed a bag full of tokens, which we could exchange for free food around the offsite (hence the popsicles below!). There were also extra experiences for those willing to wait in line for them.
Many studios such as Amazon, Adult Swim, Fox, and more set up these experiences for con-goers and those without badges alike, and it’s definitely worth your while to check them out!
6. DO come into the con with an open mind and without any high expectations.
This sounds a little sad, but I’m just trying to keep it real here. The fact is, if you arrive without expectations, it’ll be harder to end up disappointed at the end of it all. For instance, I wasn’t expecting to make it into Hall H in any way shape or form. So, when I did make it in, even for the last 30 minutes of the panel I wanted, I was so ecstatic I literally almost cried tears of joy. Comic-Con is an enormous event, with tens of thousands of fans who just want to express their fandom, the same as everyone else. That makes it difficult to get into many events and programs, or to buy the exact merch that you want. There will absolutely be times when things don’t work out the way you want them to, and that’s okay! Relish in the fact that you’re one of the ones who made it there in the first place. So many people dream of attending this convention, and many would do anything for just a few hours on the show floor. Don’t take any moment of SDCC for granted.
7. There is something for everyone at Comic-Con.
Lastly, I understand SDCC can be extremely daunting. You can walk in feeling like you’re a pretty big Marvel or Star Wars or Game of Thrones fan, and will quickly discover a whole new level of fandom you might not have known existed. And that’s also okay! Whether you’re a casual fan or the biggest super fan there is, there is something for everyone at Comic-Con. You don’t need to be a certain ‘level’ of a fan or know a certain amount about a certain franchise to deserve to be at Comic-Con. If you love these things, and you love being a nerd, you deserve to be there. Don’t let gatekeepers make you feel like an imposter for participating in the things you love!
It may have only been two days, but I would conclude my first comic-con to be a resounding success and an incredible learning experience. I left remembering why I love being a nerd so much: the community. Being surrounded by people who love the same things as you just as much (if not more!) than you do is one of the greatest feelings ever. I think it's safe to say that I've officially been bitten by the convention bug, and I'm already planning my Comic-Con for next year!
But for now... I'll see you all at D23. One more month!
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