How to Survive San Diego Comic Con

            This will be my sixth San Diego Comic Con and I consider myself  a battle-hardened veteran. My first time going was made considerably easier thanks to a friends advice (twitter was very new then and it would have been nice to get all that advice people can now get!) so I figured I should do the same for other people. I had never even been to a convention at all so this was pretty overwhelming. Go big or go home I guess!

Now, there are some things I cannot give advice on and I’ll state those up front. But there are plenty of things I think I can give advice on that can make your Comic Con the best one it can be. If you are reading this post for attending this year, it is assuming you already have your badges and hotels (because if you don’t have them by now, you’re pretty screwed), but it can also be for people who are looking to go in the near future.

            The closer to SDCC we get, I may think of more things, so keep an eye out for any updates. And if anything is unclear, please let me know so I can provide more details!

First off, the things I cannot give advice on.

            1) Hotels- If I did not have family living so close to the convention center, I would not be able to attend this event so often.  I honestly tune out this Comic Con chatter on social media because it does not impact me even in the slightest. But there are plenty of people who can, such as Tony Kim, or a lot of other message boards/blog post. From what I understand, there is some sort of lottery system to get downtown hotels that is not running smoothly just yet.

            The one thing I can give advice on regarding hotels is the location you need. If you are not planning on driving to the convention center and want to be able to line up really, really early (like 5  or 4 am), then yes, you need to have a hotel walking distance. But if you are looking to get to the convention center more around 8/9 am or driving, then you do not need to be directly downtown. San Diego has a great trolley system that is heavily used during Comic Con. They even have a special route that runs from the convention center to the football stadium that is just for the event. When you are trying to book a hotel, call and ask if they are close to a trolley station. These are areas near mission valley and grossmont center. However, the trolley does start around 7 am if I remember correctly and the first trolley doesn’t get into the convention center until about 8 am. So it does not really work for people who need to get there at 4 am.

            2)Driving/Parking-Again, I tend to tune this conversation out.  My grandpa is the best and drives me to the convention center in the morning. They sell a limited amount of parking passes for the event but I’m not sure if there is a time the garage opens or if it is open 24/7. I would not recommend driving in from a further away hotel and trying to find parking. First, the private parking lots jack up the prices like no ones business. And when I pass by them, they look pretty crowded even early in the morning. But if you want to get more details about when they usually fill up, check around with someone who uses the lots during Comic Con.

            3) Hall H- I have yet to brave this wild and untamed beast. The biggest reason is you have to sleep outside overnight to get in and I need a good nights sleep or I’m very unpleasant.

What I can help on-

1)   Picking up your badges

Overall, it’s not that difficult of a process but may be a little overwhelming your first time. You pick up your badges at the Town and Country hotel, about a ten-minute drive from the convention center. The first year I went, it took about three hours to get the badges. They were actually selling food to us in line. After that year though, it has taken about twenty minutes to half an hour. What might actually take longer than picking up your badges is driving to the hotel. It’s located right off the free way so traffic tends to build up. Just be patient. In order to pick up your badge, you need your id and to physically be there. Comic Con tries to avoid ticket scalpers so they need you to be present. Once you get your badge you’ll start to exit the hotel where you are given a program and the signature giant bag. You can try to get the one you want right there (there are four to five different designs but they try to just get you out the door. You can try to trade outside. I usually don’t care about the designs and have traded my bag most years.

You can only pick up your badge on Wednesday if you have a four-day badge or a Thursday. Any other badges have to be picked up from the convention center.

2) Getting in line for panels

            This is probably the part I least understood when I first started coming to Comic Con. I naively told my veteran friend I was planning on getting in line an hour and a half early when she told me how wrong I was!

·      Where do I get in line?

You cannot actually get in line for a specific room until the convention center opens.  This excludes Hall H of course, which has a line that begins the previous day outside.  Until the convention center opens, you get in a big, general line to get inside. It will look insanely long but don’t get worried. Remember this is everyone who wants to get in at all, including people who are trying to get into the exhibition floor early to buy things. Just follow the crowd walking back towards the marina and try to find the end of the line. There will be plenty of employees directing you!

Starting a few years ago, Comic Con began using the Hilton next door for some panels. It has a large ballroom, the Indigo Ballroom, which is pretty helpful to use for popular panels. Keep an eye out of the description of your panel to see if it is in the Hilton, because you do not get in the regular convention center line for these rooms.

·      How early should I get in line?

I am someone who gets places very early naturally and get pretty anxious if I’m not, so I tend to get in line as early as I can. Usually my first panel of the day is in Ballroom 20 (this is one of the biggest rooms and holds popular panels such as OUAT, Grimm and Agents of Shield). If you want to get in this room at all and are not all that worried about getting a good seat, I would say plan for getting into line at 9 the latest. Usually the first panel in this room starts at 11:30 or noon. However, I like to get in line as early as I can and usually aim to be in line by 6:30 or 7am. I got there extra early last year for the Once Upon a Time panel last year because I really needed a close seat to the mic. I thought my best friend was actually going to kill me when I told her I wanted to leave the house at 5:45! Typically, this leads me to getting a pretty good seat, maybe 12 or 14 rows in.  If you want a front row seat, then aim for probably 5 or 5:30 am. However, if you are getting in line for a smaller panel (So not Ballroom 20, Hall H, or the Indigo Ballroom) you do not need to get there so early. If you really want to see a panel, I would recommend getting in the room one or two panels before your desired panel.

            However, keep an eye out for an exclusive panel.  An exclusive panel would be a panel for a show that is ending and this panel will be its last or a reunion panel. This will make the room a lot more popular. I got in line at 8am and barely got in the room for the Firefly reunion panel.

·      Saving spots

Saving spots is a little tricky. Flat out cutting to join a friend or family member is not allowed by Comic Con. For at least Ballroom 20, when you enter the line in the morning you will be given a card with a letter that tells you roughly which panel you should be able to get into. But this is never collected by anyone and you won’t get turned away at the panel door if you don’t have a card. (Again, Hall H is a whole different animal, so look up Hall H wristbands to understand this process). Once you’re in line, you can try to join someone ahead of you. Mostly it will be up to your fellow attendees if they call you out. I’ve never seen this happen before, but in theory they could tell an employee you cut. I seriously doubt anyone will if it’s just one person, but if you start bringing a dozen people in line, you’re pressing your luck.

·      Making friends

            Building up good karma never hurts. If you get out of line to get a snack or drink, ask anyone around you if they need anything. Even if no one needs anything they’ll appreciate you asked.

            Also, don’t be shy! Strike up conversations or bring a game for everyone to play. You’re going to be in line for a long time so games help to pass the time. I’ve played quite a few Cards Against Humanity games with complete strangers and it was awesome.

·      When to get out of line

Deciding to cut your losses and get out of a line is a tough one. If you’ve never been before, it’s very hard to look at a line and judge if you think you’ll get in. I would ask anyone else in line if they have been before and if they think you’ll get in. They’ll probably give you their best guess but you never know. I was certain I wasn’t going to get into the Firefly reunion panel but the panel before was Big Bang. After that panel, a lot of people left and I got in, so you never know. It’s especially hard to decide when the panel you want to go to is one of the last ones of the day. But making decisions and living with the consequences is a huge part of Comic Con. Personally, I have never missed a panel I wanted but it’s because I made decisions. Decisions like getting there insanely early and not jumping around room to room. I tend to like to stay in one room all day because then I know I’m probably going to see everything I want. You are risking something by getting in line for one panel, seeing the panel, and then trying to get into another room. And that’s fine if you want to try, but you can’t blame the Con if you don’t get into something.

3) How to pick what panels you’re going to each day

            I wanted to put this a little earlier, but I felt like you should understand how early you needed to line up for a room to understand this part.

            Along with the program you are provided with when you get your badges, there is now an online tool you can use to try to plan your days. This online tool is usually available about a week before the con.  Keep an eye out on the SDCC website because they do not release the entire cons schedule in one sitting. The daily schedules are released once a day. The online tool allows you to click on the panels you want to attend and then a personal schedule is made for you based off what you clicked. The schedule will tell you everything about the panel, from what time it starts to what room it is in. It also tells you how many others are planning on attending the panel. Once you have clicked everything you want to see, you can then decide what you can actually go to and what will have to be missed. This is always hard but ultimately it’s up to you. The online tool also allows you to post your schedule so you can see what other attendees have the same schedule and you can create a buddy system.

4) Asking questions at a panel- I need attention. I’m not really going to hid that fact and I like to ask questions at the panels. I’ve nearly gotten this down to an art.

·      Lining Up-Your first step is to get in line early so you get in the room at all (but of course you were already going to do that) and you can get a good seat. Now, what do I mean by good seat? First, you’re going to want an aisle seat. In Ballroom 20, the mic is always in the center (aka the aisle you will be walking through if you just enter straight through the doors) in the big gap between the first about ten rows and then the rest of the rows. You’re going to want a seat on the left or right of the mic. This gives you easy access to be able to line up once the panel moderator says you can line up for questions. (Some rooms still let you line up early, but the fire marshals don’t like having people partially blocking the path so this is getting less common). I often trade up a seat that is closer up but in the middle of a row for an aisle seat a little farther back so I can ask a question. If you’re in the middle of a fifty-row aisle, there will be fifty people in line before you get in line yourself. Once the moderator announces people can line up, powerwalk like an Olympian. Do not run or you will be yelled at. A lot. Typically, the panels start taking questions half an hour to forty-five minutes in but it all depends on the moderator.

·      Asking your question- It is very exciting to talk to people you greatly admire. It is even more fun when you are cosplaying a character from the show or movie and a panelist compliments it. When Lana Parilla told me well done on my young Regina cosplay, I died and went to heaven.  Here are some do’s and don’ts for asking a question.

Do’s-

1.     Do write your question down ahead of time. It’s a really good idea to plan your questions in advance. If you try to think of a question when you’re in line, you’re mind will either go blank or you’ll think of something really lame. You don’t want that, do you? I’ve found writing down my question helps me not completely blank when I get to the microphone or I end up rambling so my question does not come out as well as I would have wanted it to.

2.     Do come up with a back up question. There is an employee in most of the rooms that will screen your question before hand to make sure it’s appropriate or not just “how does it feel to be awesome” kind of thing. If you can’t some up with a back up question fast, they might ask you to get out of line.

3.     Do make friends with the employees screening questions. There is one in particular in Ballroom 20 that I think actually recognizes me at this point. Two years ago I told her she was my favorite Comic Con employee, so I think I left a lasting impression. The employees working in bigger rooms tend to be pretty experienced and do not take any crap. And I’ve seen a lot of them in the same room every year. Don’t piss them off.

Don’ts-

1.     Don’t start your question off with “I love you” or “I’m a big fan”. The panelist is very well aware what everyone goes through to get to Comic Con and get into a panel. They know you’ve slept on concrete or been there since 4am. They are excited to be there and know you are too. Saying a quick “I’m ___” is acceptable but anything else is just annoying and a waste of time. Speaking of time…

2.     Don’t just ramble for two minutes. This is one of the reasons I recommended writing down your question before hand. If you write it down, it should take twenty seconds to ask your question.  There are a lot of people in line and they all want to ask their questions. I know you just want to go on and on about how much you love an actor or show, but you’re being selfish. Typically, about ten questions get to be asked, depending on when the moderator starts the process. I would say 70% of these question’s times could have been cut down in half.  That is enough time for two or three people to ask a question. Don’t you want as many people to ask a question? It particularly made me mad when a few people did this at the Once Upon a Time panel last year. It was supposed to be a secret until the end, but a few minutes into the panel we realized everyone who asked a question got to the show’s autograph session. The employee who was screening the questions was pleading with people before hand to keep questions short so as many people could meet them as possible. Two more people could have probably been able to meet them if people would have been more considerate. Also, I’ve actually seen the moderator turn off a mic on someone when they just started going on and on and wouldn’t listen to my favorite employee. Again, they aren’t to be messed with.

3.     Don’t try to give something to the panel or ask for something. Please, it’s just awkward and frankly rude. You’re going to get whatever you offered ripped from your hands and confiscated (ugh, like the woman who asked Collin at the Once panel to sign her stuffed Captain Hook). The panelist will laugh it off but they know the rules and aren’t’ going to take anything from you. And then you’re on that moderators shit list.

5) Food

            Once again, I luck out here because of my grandparents who so graciously allow me to raid their fridge. I would recommend packing as many meals as you can. Not surprisingly, the Con food is expensive and not all that great. I also like to pack my meals because then I don’t have to worry about getting in and out of line or missing panels because I’m hungry. Some of my friends who park at the convention center leave a cooler of food in their cars and then send someone to the car periodically. Even if you don’t want to pack meals, at least pack snacks for being in line. You’ll probably be in line for four to five hours and you’ll get hungry.

            I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat at a nearby restaurant if you are still trying to see panels, but this is an okay idea if you’re done for the day. There are some really great downtown restaurants and some really get into it. There’s one restaurant that must have a contract with Comic Con or NBC because every year the restaurant is themed from a NBC show. One year it was Grimm and there were a ton of fake trees on the outside patio. The restaurants be busy do don’t expect instant service.

            But be respectful while eating during a panel. Try to only eat in-between panels because no one wants to hear you chomp on a carrot while their favorite actor speaks.

6) Bathroom passes

            I’m pretty sure it works this way for smaller rooms, but I know for certain in Ballroom 20, you are given a bathroom pass if you want to leave during a panel. It tells you that you have to be back by the time the current panel ends or you will not be let back in. Hall H has a bathroom so you can’t leave as far as I know. Feel free to use this time to stretch your legs, get food or avoid a panel you really don’t want to see. I used it once when the panel before the Ray Bradbury memorial was the Glee panel.

7) Phones

            Unless you’re a doctor on call or have a pregnant spouse, turn them off during panels. Don’t waste your battery on trying to upload pictures using the Cons Wi-Fi because a million other people are too. Batteries drain so quickly and you do not want to get stuck not being able to reach someone you need to. My battery died once and I hadn’t made a plan with my friend of which panel we are going to meet at and I basically had a panic attack.

            I would recommend buying a phone case that chargers your phone or one of those external battery chargers.  It is very hard to find a spot to charge your phone. The fire Marshalls don’t like people being lined to the walls in case of an evacuation so many of the places you could once could. If you are pretty done for the day or are only planning on going to smaller panel you don’t need to get in line for very early, I would recommend going over to the Hilton and seeing if there is a good place to charge your phone there. Since it’s not jam packed with people, no one is worried about you sitting against the wall to charge a phone. And if you do find a spot to charge your phone, whether it’s at the Hilton or at the convention center, try and charge only phones and not Ipads or Ipods. Another attendee probably is at 4% and really needs to charge their phone.

 I would also recommend writing down your friends phone numbers so you can call them from a pay phone or a strangers phone to let them know your phone is dead.

            Don’t try leaving your phone charged in a room and then watching the panel. They’ll grab your phone and make an announcement in between panels.

8) Exhibition Floor

            I get a little stressed out on the Exhibition floor, which means I can stay there for about half an hour at a time. It’s about three football lengths and is jammed packed with people for the entire Con.

·      Spending money-This is merchandise central, which means you should make a budget before you go. The first year I went, Square wasn’t around and vendors were only taking cash. Now you can use that card anywhere and that’s dangerous. Honestly think about how much money you can spend, take that cash out, and leave your credit card at home.

·      Autographs-There will we be autographs there often. Most of the time they are autographs you have to be selected for through a raffle earlier in the day. If you try to get into the raffle and get into a panel, you need to have someone hold your space in the panel line. The raffle is usually first thing when the exhibition floor opens and then the autographs are during the day. So even if you get into the signing you may have to miss a panel to get the autographs. Even if you get a bathroom pass, you can’t guarantee you’ll get back in time. Personally, I don’t have a lot of experience doing these exclusive autographs except for the time I got to do it because I had asked a question at the OUAT panel. You can also sometimes get autographs without going through a raffle. Keep a watch online and through twitter accounts to see who will be at booths giving autographs. I got to meet the writers of Haven at the Syfy booth last year after seeing a notice on their

twitter account.

9)Sails Pavilion

            This is a large space on the second level of the convention center used for various things, such as autographs and displaying art. Some autographs will be free and others will be charged for. Legally, they have to sign your program for free. Anything else, including a photo, can be charged for.

10) Don’t be a jerk

            Don’t ruin a panel for someone. What I love about Comic Con is that there is so many different things for different people. It’s a place for all kinds of different fans. Just because you don’t like a show or actor doesn’t mean someone else there feels the same way. They’ve waited a long time to see that panel and they don’t want you sitting there talking on your phone the entire time.

            Honestly, sometimes a panel crashes and burns. The White Collar panel was the most painful thing I have ever had to watch.  Panels can tank for lots of reasons such as the fact in Ballroom 20 and the Indigo Ballroom, the panelist have a really hard time hearing each other, a moderator can really suck or no one panelist takes charge of the panel and it’s just a bunch of awkward rambling. Even if a panel is sinking faster than the Titanic, shut your mouth. The fans of the show don’t care and you’re just making the whole thing worse.

            When people are filing into a room for the first panel of the day, it takes almost an hour. If it takes later, this cuts into the first panel, so try to be helpful! If you have open seats, try holding up fingers to show how many so people can fill in. They might assume the seat is taken or not notice it at all if you are in the middle of a row. Again, the faster the room is filled, the faster the panel starts.

            Try to be as considerate to the person next to you. Try not to have your legs spread out a mile apart and keep all your stuff from encroaching into their space.  It’s about being a decent person but also building up good karma. You may need them to watch your stuff while you go to the bathroom or get in line for a question. Or, in one kind souls case a few years ago, allow you to fall asleep on their shoulder while a pilot episode is being played.  I’m not kidding; I woke up with my face on the shoulder of a middle-aged man while the pilot of that robo copish show played once. You go Glenn Coco.

11) Taking pictures

            This kind of goes along with the common sense idea of not being a jerk. People who cosplay absolutely want you to take their picture! It’s especially fun to take pictures if you find a bunch of people cosplaying from the same show or universe. I also had one woman ask to take my picture while I was in my Peggy Carter cosplay charging my phone because she said she was taking pictures of people doing things the character wouldn’t have possibly been able to do. I though that was a really clever idea. But as always, please ask first! I’ve had people just take pictures of me before. I asked a question at the Bones panel in a Jeffersonian jacket and Emily Deschanel pointed it out. A few people jumped out of their seats to take my picture. That’s just weird. You wouldn’t just do that in everyway life.

12) Make an emergency plan

I recommend having a plan for if someone’s phone dies and you can’t reach him or her. I have gone with a friend for the last couple of years and we often split up and meet back together throughout the day. We have agreed that if we can’t reach each other throughout the day, to just attend the con as usual and meet at the trolley stop once we are done. There is no PA system for paging and walking around the convention center to find each other will be hell. Have a plan.

13) What to do outside of the convention center

            More and more things are happening outside of the convention center. A lot of people end up having badges for multiple days but not consecutive days, making them wonder that they can do on those off days. There will be plenty of information online (not on the SDCC website since none of these events are officially part of the con) about events happening downtown. Geek and Sundry (the YouTube channel partially created by Felicia Day) rents out a bar where you can meet Felicia and play tabletop games. I also met Aisha Tyler at a fan event she posted on her website.

14) Kids

            I can’t wait to take my children to Comic Con once I have them. I think it’s a great way to show kids that people have varying taste and they shouldn’t be ashamed of what they are fans of. My problem is when parents are selfish. You know your kids. Can they really sit through an entire panel? Are they having fun or do you constantly have to bark at them to sit down? Don’t be shocked when your kid gets crabby after you woke them up at five in the morning to go sit on concrete. Some kids, even little ones, love panels but others do no. Even if they like a show, they might not be interested in hearing a bunch of people talk for an hour. I have witnessed many parents yelling at their kids for just being kids. If you have younger children, try taking them to the panels that are meant for kids. These usually have less talking and more videos that keep kids interested.

            And if your baby starts crying, please get a bathroom pass and calm the baby down outside. You wouldn’t let the baby cry through a movie, would you?

15) You make your Comic Con what it is

            My final piece of advice is just to try to have fun. Some things are not going to go right and that’s just life. If you let every little thing that goes wrong become a disaster, then you are not going to have a good time. Go with the flow.