Guess what happened to me today? My SDCC hotel room got cancelled. Allegedly it's been "reinstated" but I'm still waiting for confirmation of that and on the whole, it's been the exact kind of mess no one wants to deal with when we're under 2 days to Comic-Con.
In that spirit, I wanted to share a few last minute reminders.
Confirm your hotel. If anything even slightly dodgy has transpired with your reservation - a transfer, multiple reservations, etc. - be safe and confirm it now. If I hadn't confirmed my room (or tried to) today, I would have shown up Wednesday morning and found out I was homeless. You might want to double check just to be safe.
Keep checking for Conan and other event tickets. If you've resigned yourself to not going, keep in mind that people will cancel their plans and give away their tickets. Right now I guarantee that for every 25 people excited for their Conan taping, several will decide they're too tired or that another option looks better when the time comes. Don't be shy; ask if anyone has an extra ticket.
Build a Plan B and Plan C into your agenda. Veterans know this but first-timers probably don't. If you have a tightly plotted schedule, you might want to scan the programming again and pencil in backup plans. Things change so swiftly at Comic-Con. You decide to sleep in instead of making a 10:30 panel, which frees you up for a different noon panel you thought you couldn't make, etc. Be ready for your day to evolve in unexpected directions.
Look for ways to meet people. If you're new and don't know many (or any) people at Comic-Con, here's a suggestion - start Googling for meetups in your fandom. I know everyone always talks about how generous and friendly everyone is at SDCC and it's true - but other than talking to people in line, sometimes it's hard to actually strike up an acquaintance. Some first-timers tell me they move through the Con in a bubble, watching everyone around them socialize while they stay isolated. The good news is there are a ton of small happy hours and meetups for specific fandoms, so look for one that reflects your interests. It's a shame to spend every night of the Con in your room.
Exchange contact info with online friends. Make sure you have a number for everyone online who promised to get you an exclusive, meet you for drinks, etc. If someone vaguely promised to get you the details on some party but they won't know until Thursday, connect with them too. It's not always easy to stay in contact with people once you're there.
Abandon any half-assed cosplay plans. Maybe I know a lot of slackers, but every year someone goes into an 11th-hour cosplay panic where they want to be a certain character but haven't actually pulled something together. If you aren't at the finish line yet, forget it. Save it for another year. You won't look as convincing or finished as you want to, and it's just more unnecessary stress.
Keep your badge prominently noticeable. If you stashed it somewhere out of sight to protect it, retrieve it now and put it somewhere you can't miss it. I know, how obvious. But do it anyhow.
Hope your preparations are right on schedule.
OK, let have a good con everyone. Look for the slightly drunk new hope Luke on Thurs, increasingly drunk TESP Luke on Friday, completely drunk Steam Punk Batman on Sat, and hung over but drunk John Crichton of Farscape on Sun. All costumes packed and I fly out tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThat's an ambitious plan. Have fun!
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