^_^; Um, heya, everyone. I'm planning on attending the Otakon next August, and I just wanted to get the main gist of things. I haven't been able to make the past conventions. Help, please?
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narcted wrote:And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.
Scintilla wrote:narcted wrote:And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.
Wholeheartedly seconded.
Scintilla wrote:And as for me, Otakon X was my FIRST con ever... so I didn't have a basis for comparison, so I wasn't blown away by how big it was.


Cyanna wrote:Scintilla wrote:narcted wrote:And watch This is Otakudom. It is a startingly accurate portrayal of what going to Otakon is like.
Wholeheartedly seconded.
And I third it.![]()
JHU Battousai wrote:Otakon X was my tenth con, and my roommate's 40th or so. From my experiences and the stories he's told me, here's a bit of advice:
Room:
Get it early, get it at the con hotel (if it is in a hotel), get the con rate. The earlier you can get it, the better. You won't be charged until you arrive, and if your plans to attend fall through you can always cancel it.
Get at least five people in the hotel room and split the costs. Never try to put more than seven in one room, it gets cramped and stuffy. Five is where it starts getting really inexpensive per person, and seven is where the benefit of lower costs are offset by the inconvenience of that many people.
Food:
Bring your own! Restaurants around cons are notorious for high prices. I bring ramen cups and use the coffee maker in the hotel room to boil water. It costs around $5, feeds me, and leaves me with a lot of money for the dealer's room.
Transportation:
Have this arranged well in advance. Most of the cons I went to were arranged through my college's anime club and were planned out months in advance. Every single time, when we were leaving, we saw people that had gotten stranded by miscommunications. Don't let it happen to you.
If the con is close enough, consider commuting, but I don't recommend this. I've done it twice (Otakon 9 and Katsu 8), and neither time was a pleasant experience.
Registration:
Get in line early! This is doubly true if you're only coming for one day. The lines for registration are always insane. Prereg if you can, it saves tons of time.
Planning:
Check the con's web site out in advance. If they publish a schedule, get it and check what events you want to go to. If not, when you get it after registration, take a few minutes and look it over. That way, you're sure to not miss events you want to make.
What to bring:
Clothes. No brainer. At least one change for each day you'll be there, and one extra change in case of an accident or emergency. Don't be the smelly fanboy/girl that people hate.
Money. Another no-brainer. You can spend a lot in the dealer's room in a hurry. Don't blow everything on Friday. Save some for later, in case you see something you didn't on your first pass, and always, always leave a little in case of emergencies.
Camera. You'll want some memories of your trip. Don't forget batteries and film/media for it, too.
Toiletries. The hotel provides some, but I've always taken the precaution of bringing my own, since with five to seven people in the room, the hotel-supplied stuff goes quick.
Towel. Again, the hotel provides some, but just in case.
Bedding. I always volunteer to take the floor at a con, since hotel beds always give me a backache. If there's more people than bed space, someone has to. In case it's you, be prepared. Two blankets and a pillow have served me well at the last few cons.
Reading material/Gameboy. This one's strictly optional. If you plan to go to any popular events, be prepared to get in line as many as two or three hours in advance. Have something to occupy yourself with in line, or strike up conversations with the people in line around you. I remember at Nekocon FLASH, the people next to me in the cosplay line brought a Twister board, and let me (in costume) join in. Definitely one of the best experiences I've had in a line.
It always helps to go to smaller cons before hitting a big one like Otakon or AX. Katsu is in February, and is a good medium-sized con. K6 was my first, and I've been back every year since.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your first con experience!
Scintilla wrote: And as for me, Otakon X was my FIRST con ever... so I didn't have a basis for comparison, so I wasn't blown away by how big it was. And I think the only time I had to stand in line was for registration, and then for MAT3K (which segued into the AMV contest screening)
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