San Diego Comic Con begins Thursday. There were 167,000 people in attendance last year, making it the biggest convention of its type in the world. As SDCC and other conventions are gaining popularity, more and more people are attending for the first time. If you are headed to SDCC, or a convention near you, for the first time, Forces of Geek has a primer that will help you prepare and know what to expect. The number one rule is plan ahead!
Don’t expect your pre-planning to be perfect, however. No plan survives first contact with the enemy, so they say, and you will have to be flexible your schedule. Sometimes you’ll find you’ve overextended yourself and need to skip something just to catch your breath. No worries. There’s always next year, or even next month at a different convention.
Also, when planning events, take time to consider how full a room is going to get or how long you may have to wait to get a seat. Want to get into that Neil Gaiman reading? Get in line early. Is Kevin Smith doing his Q&A thing? Get in line early. Really want to check out that panel on sea shanties in 19th century science fiction? Well, there probably won’t be a line so you’ll have time to also go see that panel discussion on bitter, underground comic artists.
There’s lots more to consider in their guide for first-time convention attendees. Oh, and don’t forget to have a good time!
(Image credit: Flickr user Ricky Brigante)