how much is anime convention?

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how much is anime convention?

Postby DreamGazer89 » Fri Jan 02, 2004 8:49 pm

how much is anime convention?
i wanna know so i can save up money .
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Postby LantisEscudo » Fri Jan 02, 2004 10:09 pm

Food:
This can be anywhere from nothing (bring your own) to a lot of money, depending on where and how much you eat.

Lodging:
Again, this can be anywhere from nothing (commuting) to a lot, depending on the hotel you're staying at. Check with the hotel.

Entrance fees:
Cons have varying entrance rates. Most are in the range of $35-$50 for a three-day weekend pass. Single-day passes are cheaper, and vary depending on the day in question. Check with the con you're planning on attending for their rates.

Dealer's Room:
This is the big wild card. I've never spent less than $30 in a convention dealer's room (and only that little because it was all I had on me), and have dropped as much as $500. I know someone who dropped $6000 one weekend.

Emergency money:
Always a good idea, I like to keep at least $15 for emergencies. Never had to use it, but better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
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Postby SarahtheBoring » Fri Jan 02, 2004 11:17 pm

Good tips. I'd also add travel, which depends on how far away the con is from you. For gas, bus fare, airfare, whatever.
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Postby Machine » Sat Jan 03, 2004 12:24 am

Local Cons = about $150 total (includes food, booze, and dealer room)

AWA = $500 (plane ticket, booze, food, dealer room)

That sums it up :D
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Postby Mr Pilkington » Sat Jan 03, 2004 12:36 am

For me its totally dependant on the con. For example at Anime Express last year I think I totalled under $100 (before the dealer's room):

Transit:
$50 both dirrections. One tank down and back, plus half of one on saturday to cover side trips.

Food:
Aside from the traditional saturday sushi lunch, really we didnt' spend much at all.

Lodging:
Sitahtmai lived just down the road so we just stayed at his place at night. And even if worse came to worse we could just crash on the main anime room floor. Thank goodness they're down with freeloaders :P

Entrance fees:
$10 for 3 days :D

Dealer's Room:
Okay this I'll admit broke the bank. :oops: After countless Master grade gundams and eva models, not to mention possible source footage (who could pass up 2 DVDs for $15.)

Emergency money:
We luckily had no real emergencies this year! No one even locked thier keys in the car **cough cough** Trevor **cough cough**



But at AWA, which is just a few miles north of me, I grossed almost twice that. Meals cost and arm and a leg in the mall, and registration was $25, still not bad for a con, but its interesting that its was cheeper for me to go to 500 miles Daytona than AWA.
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Postby Vlad G Pohnert » Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:13 am

Must be nice... for me a con costs about $1000+ since most of the ones I go to are in the US....

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Postby Machine » Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:38 am

Vlad G Pohnert wrote:Must be nice... for me a con costs about $1000+ since most of the ones I go to are in the US....

Vlad


Canadian currency ain't what it used to be eh?
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Postby Declan_Vee » Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:25 am

While this is only a very riugh budget. It's looking to cost me about $3000 for next years AWA. Nothing is in stone yet, I'm keeping my oprions open in case something happens. Although I should be looking at booking the flight within a couple of months.
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Postby Vlad G Pohnert » Sat Jan 03, 2004 1:53 pm

Machine wrote:Canadian currency ain't what it used to be eh?


Not really... Actually against the american dollar, it the highest it's ever been in the last decade..

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Re: how much is anime convention?

Postby EarthCurrent » Sat Jan 03, 2004 2:43 pm

DreamGazer89 wrote:how much is anime convention?
i wanna know so i can save up money .


Just remember that more money spent does not always corelate to more fun had. I've had more fun at cons where I've mooched rooming, food, etc. Some people like tossing away money, though, so it will largely depend on how you view your finances.

What I do recommend is that if you have a budget for a con, be it rich or poor, stick to it.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, browse the dealer room but don't buy anything. Rarely have I found a better deal in a dealer room than I have online, but you really have to know prices before you go in if you want to comparison shop. Sometimes you can convince the dealer to negotiate some sort of special price for you if you are buying a lot from them. Also be aware that in a dealer room you'll have to pay state sales tax while online you don't, tax will add several dollars to your purchase unless the dealer has priced items to include tax already.
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Postby MAS PRODUCTIONS » Sun Jan 04, 2004 7:31 am

I usually end up spending alot of money on cons. Going to the actually con usually doesn't even touch how much money I spend on items. I've been to two cons and usually spend around 300-400 dollars. This year Im hoping to get a few people to tag along with me in order to make a few things cheaper. My money is usually spread out in this manner:

1. Gas Money - I only go to cons that are within driving distance of where I live which limits me to Arkansas, Oklahamo, Texas, Missouri and Louisiana. The con I have been to the most is Akon which takes place in Dallas. Dallas is a four hour drive so I spend alot of gas to get there. I would say that I spend about 80 dollars or so on gas on my total trip (includes: to Dallas, dricing in Dallas, and driving back home).

2. Membership fee - I have always bought the three day pass. Which cost me around 40 bux. If you get the pass early (like right after the last con ends) then it is cheaper.

3. Hotel Fee - The first time I went to Akon it cost me 100 bux a night. The next time I went, I sacrificed being at the con's host hotel and got a hotel for 70 bux a night.

4. Food - I brought some food with me, but I spent something like 40 bux on food for the entire weekend.

I usually spend about 200 dollars on anime related items during the con.

This year I plan on going to AnimeFest in Dallas. Im expecting to spend about the same amount this year as I have in previous ones. Which reminds me, Machine, this year Im gonna stick with you guys the entire time.
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Postby Machine » Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:20 pm

MAS PRODUCTIONS wrote:Which reminds me, Machine, this year Im gonna stick with you guys the entire time.


Your gonna be bored as hell with us :P
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Postby Otohiko » Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:10 pm

A nearby con I was usually able to do on a 200 Canadian, probably going up to 300 this year due to the fact I'll have to drag my friends there and share a room with them :/ However, I attribute my lower costs to my lack of booze budget and a low food budget :lol:
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Postby paizuri » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:19 pm

When making a con budget, keep in mind the things that won't change (like lodging or registration), the things that you absolutely need (like food), and the things that you could probably do without, but won't be able to resist (dealer room purchases).

In the case of the first set, that's pretty much cut and dry (although if you're staying at a hotel, tack on an extra 12.5% to your projected room rate for taxes and don't forget about possible parking fees). Or you could just ask the hotel people up front when you're making a reservation.

In the case of the second set, it's tough to say how much you'll spend on food, but set aside a reasonable amount and keep it separate from the third set of expenses, which is well, everything else. This is so you don't starve.

The third set of expenses is rather nebulous and undefined since it's just stuff you want. To avoid spending more than you want to, set a hard limit on your purchases so you don't blow your entire wad on the first day in the dealer room. Of course, this is mainly a point of willpower, but if you have credit cards, you don't want to be spending $6000 like that one guy someone mentioned unless you can afford to.
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