Open Reg is Saturday, 15 March

13 MARCH 2014


Be nerdy on the Ides of March, for that is when you will find out if you're going to Comic-Con or not. That's THIS Saturday, as you already know if you're eligible - because if you are, you got an email with your individual registration code and link.

I didn't see any special videos released to commemorate Open Reg 2014, but the Pre-reg video is worth viewing, just so you know what to expect from the system.

Once again, this is how it will go:


Part I: The Waiting Room

You'll log into the waiting room between 7 am -9 am PST. 

Do this on a laptop and not a mobile device. Use a Chrome, IE, Safari or Firefox browser, Javascript and cookies.

ETA: Regarding mobile devices, someone brought this to my attention: on the Toucan blog someone asked if they could use their ipad to buy a badge and the answer was "Yes! The EPIC registration waiting room has been tested on an iPad. However, please keep in mind that the registration system is not formatted for an iPad or other mobile devices." 
That answer is the reason I started this blog. Yes should mean yes, but the whole "waiting room tested but system not formatted" nonsense doesn't really bolster confidence, does it? Use a desktop or laptop.

Have a good credit card at the ready. (But if it fails, your registration will still be held for you while CCI contacts you and asks for a different card.)

Have your game plan mapped out with your friends - who's buying for who. If you're with a large group, and some of you are getting in at different times, you'll need to track shifting priorities. Have your friends' Member IDs and last names.

Part II: The Sale

At 9 am PST, over a 10-15 minute period, you'll all be randomly sorted into order - a secret order. You won't know where you place in line. I know, how maddening. You'll have to be as Zen as you possibly can about this. 

Do not refresh or go back, no matter what.

Once you're selected, you enter the number of people you're buying for (up to 3) and their last names and Member IDs. Again, you don't have to be one of them. 

Once you get in, you have 15 minutes to get the badges. It'll look like this:

Click Preview Night and every day is clicked for you. Otherwise click the days you want or can get. After paying, you'll get a confirmation page - if you're as paranoid as I am, go ahead and screenshot it. 

Having lived through this during Pre-reg, the only real advice I can give you is to not get rattled by the passing minutes. Also, CCI is sticking to their one-hour prediction; I say rubbish to that, but regardless, don't feel defeated if you fail to get picked right off. My friend got four day badges at the one-hour mark. Don't bounce just because some jackal on Twitter is claiming that everything's sold out. And if you wind up with a less than ideal combination - say Saturday is gone but you can get Friday, Thursday and Sunday - don't feel too deprived. The surrounding non-Con attractions are worth a day out of the convention center.

Once again, document any tech problems and let CCI know about them. If you get kicked out of the waiting room after 9 am, or your Internet cuts out, CCI says your registration code is "authorized for re-entry" and will get you back to your original place in line. Which I think is the most technologically sophisticated capability they've achieved yet.

Good luck. While I won't be participating in the sale, I will be on Twitter and taking updates from friends and I'll post whatever I find out. Let me know how it goes for you. 

Read more here.