#con guide

What to bring: • Badge!!!!!! Please don’t forget!!  o They give you a free lanyard at the convention. So unless you have on you really, really like, don’t worry about bringing one. • Chargers/power supply • Comfortable walking shoes • Cash! More places are taking credit/debit cards now but it’s always safe to have cash just in case. And that way you know how much money you’re spending. • Pain meds/ band aids • Phone • Camera w/ storage space and charger • Snacks • Water bottle • Backpack/bag to carry things in • Music player/book/handheld games/distractions while waiting in line (I try to bring something that’s not my phone so I can maximize storage space and battery power) o Lots of people like bringing games for street passes because you get to street pass with a lot of people • Jacket • Things to get signed • Hand sanitizer/tissues to avoid the con plague Getting There: • Plan and budget accordingly for travel arrangements whether it be hotel, car, public transportation, airplane, etc. 

Make sure to map out your way to get there and get home/to your hotel. I recommend planning this a couple days ahead just so everyone’s comfortable. I also recommend having a couple back up options (ie train times or if your flight gets delayed) in case your plans change. 

If staying in a hotel, make sure to be respectful of the room, you’re roommates, and other people in the hotel. Don’t trash the place and be screaming in the early morning about spoilers or why you love a certain character. 

Before the Con: • If you are just using your phone to take pictures, make sure that you have plenty of storage space • Most conventions offer a mobile app to help you keep track of events and things you want to do. They also offer a map. While conventions will give you a paper guide when you get there, the app is the most up to date especially in case anything changes at the last minute. • Also, feel free to familiarize yourself with the convention’s website. The website will give you lots of news and info about events, panels, guests, directions, FAQs, etc. Sometimes they have pictures and maps of the convention center that are nice to check out. Some conventions have online forums too where people post pictures, ask for advice, and talk about convention related things. This is a nice way to talk to other con goers and prep yourself for the convention. • Make a list of stuff you know you would like to do/see. Then prioritize and make a loose schedule. What can you absolutely not miss? Be realistic because it’s impossible to see everything you want to see. • Try to budget. Your bank account will be less angry. • It’s fun to wear nerd gear if you have it. Some examples include fandom gear, cosplay, clothes, pins, bags, whatever you’d like and feel most comfortable and excited to wear for all day (please remember you’ll most likely be wearing it all day) • Sometimes it’s fun to check out tags for the convention on social media and see what’s going on/ whose there. Sometimes exhibitors or artists post things they will be selling and you can plan/budget ahead of time (see artist alley) At the Convention: • Prepare yourself for lines, especially for big panels with big time celebrities, the Masquerade, signings/photos, and badge pickups. This is when friends and distractions come most in handy. • Conventions are places for lots of walking on the convention floor and lots of sitting in the hallways to recharge both ourselves and our phones’ energies, especially if we’re taking a break from seeing panels or are waiting in a long line for panels. Make sure to have games, a book, or music player for something to do. During these times, it’s also fun to just people watch or even talk to the people next to you in line. • Every once in a while people will be offering free stuff or have fun activities at their booths or around the convention center, especially if they are trying to promote something.  Keep an eye out • Prepare yourself to see strange things and people or things that make you uncomfortable.  I suggest walking away really fast and avoid interaction. o Also, some people forget/don’t understand the concept of a shower. Prepare to hold your breath and walk quickly at times • One of the best parts of the conventions is the occasional random long lasting nerd conversations that strike up while waiting in line for something or just hanging out. Sometimes these go really well, and sometimes it’s just awkward. • Lots of conventions have different night life scenes such as raves, 18+ panels, parties, etc. Plan if you would like to attend these and work something out with your friends/ hotel roommates. • If you want time to yourself but don’t want to do nothing, lots of conventions have screenings of anime or shows. Sometimes they’re all day and sometimes they’re only at certain times. They will be listed in the guide • Staff are also a really helpful resource. They’re usually walking around or standing outside panels/rooms to keep an eye on things. Feel free to ask them if you need anything, but also keep in mind that many are volunteers and may not know /everything/

Cosplay: • Lots of people cosplay at conventions! There’s a wide variety ranging from video games, memes, comics (especially at comic cons), anime (more especially at anime conventions), movies, cartoons, and Disney characters! But don’t worry, cosplay is not required and no one cares if you choose not. It’s whatever makes you most comfortable • Don’t be afraid to ask someone if you can take their picture! Unless they look like they’re in a rush or eating, people love getting their pictures taken! If you want, you can take a picture with them or of them!!  Just make sure you don’t do anything to damage their cosplay • If possible, try not to take pictures of people in the middle of a really crowded aisle and accidentally end up blocking the aisle. It’ll make things a lot easier. See if you can step off to the side if possible. • Also don’t force anyone to do anything they’re uncomfortable with whether it’s a certain pose, acting with another character in a certain way, or you doing something towards them ie don’t sexually harass someone or *glomp* or touch someone without their permission Cosplay does not equal Consent 

Beware of body paint and people wearing it. If it’s not sealed, it will get on other things and ruin people’s clothes. If you’re wearing it, make sure to set/seal it. Please. • Masquerade/Cosplay Competitions: These are competitions where people are judged for their cosplay craftsmanship. Sometimes there are 2 categories: People who just walk out and show off their cosplay and others who perform skits. They’re cool and fun but they are at the end of the night and are usually very popular so you’d have to plan getting in line early. • Stay aware of your surroundings. Sometimes people have costumes with pieces sticking outside of their regular bubble space. It’ll save you and them some pain and awkwardness. • You’ll also see cosplayers in the bathroom in various stages of fixing their cosplay. There will be make up and wig hair and people frantically trying to adjust/fix their cosplay. Sometimes people who cross play (cosplay a character of the opposite sex). It’s fine. Try not to freak out

• Don’t talk bad about someone’s cosplay. They’re really excited about their costume their character. Don’t ruin it.

• Don’t freak out if you see someone wearing the same cosplay as you. You both look great. If anything, it just means you both have good taste in characters. It’s also a great way to strike up conversation.

Eating: • Set money aside for food. It’s very expensive. Some people like the ease of eating hot food at conventions and others plan/bring their own meals depending on the hotel. Plan accordingly • Eat breakfast or something beforehand and drink water all day. Don’t sacrifice your health for a convention or a cosplay. Your body is already going to be stressed out enough with walking all the time. Don’t make it worse • It’s not a bad idea to bring snacks too. • Prepare yourself for long coffee lines, especially in the mornings and on Sundays Artist Alley: • Comic book creators/ artist area. Also includes fan art. Here you can find some of your favorite comic book artists and get them to sign comic books or pieces of art. You can also usually buy posters and stuff, sometimes with their autograph on it. These are nice and there are usually a wide variety of art styles. • There are also fan artists here who have art pieces that are really cool to look at • Don’t talk bad about someone’s art work, especially right in front of them. • If you’d like, you can also get commissions done by artists. Prices and deals vary from artist to artist, but if you like their style and art subjects and they have a sign noting they take commissions, then you can work something out. Sometimes, they can get it done quickly, sometimes within a couple hours, and sometime you have to wait till the next day. Make sure to figure out which one works the best for both of you. • Sometimes with these artists, especially fan artists, you can only get their stuff at conventions or have to order from them online. Sometimes prices are cheaper at conventions, and sometimes they’re more expensive so keep an eye out. Dealer’s Room/ Exhibition Floor • One of my favorite parts and my wallet’s least favorite. This is where I buy most of my convention stuff. • You can buy anything nerd related you can imagine. Steampunk stuff, clothes (tons of nerd t-shirt/clothing stores), action figures, posters, comics, manga, movies, journals, corsets, dvds, etc.You never know what you’re going to find and it’s even fun to just walk around and see everything. o Keep an eye out for deals, some places like comic book stores have $1 comics or buy so many things get another one free. Keep an eye out but don’t go crazy o Sometimes you can get deals on stuff on Sundays because exhibitors are more willing to haggle/sell what they can on the last day. Use your judgement • Budget. Don’t hurt yourself. • Sometimes it pays off to compare prices. There’s usually a number of booths that sell the same/similar items. Sometimes the prices are the same, sometimes they’re not. • Have a navigation system/ attack plan to navigate the floor. I usually start at one end/corner, and weave through one at a time. • SOMETIMES THERE’S FREEBIES!!! PAY ATTENTION AND LOVE IT! Also you will get lots of promotional papers/cards too, but sometimes they’re interesting so it’s not all bad. • If you really like an exhibitors’ stuff but don’t have enough money to buy it at that time, most places have a card you can ask for to look them up online later. Or you can take a picture of their sign (never hurts to ask if you can take a picture of their sign/name. Sometimes people are cautious of people taking pictures of their booth because they’re worried about copy cats) Panels! • Another exciting part is going to panels! These vary, a lottttt. Cosplay, writing, fandom based, viewings, fanfiction, speed dating, music, sword fighting, discussion based, upcoming news updates, previews, music, philosophy, industry, video games, etc

Sometime panels ask for audience participation! Feel free to participate! Just try to avoid rude questions or make the panelists uncomfortable. Also don’t be unruly or try to hijack the panel. Basically don’t be a jackass. o They convention usually releases the schedule anywhere between a month and a couple days before the convention. I recommend noting which ones you’re interested in • Some panels are fan run and some of these are official.   • Depending on the types of panels and their subjects, some of these will fill up quickly and are worth getting in line for. A safe estimate for regular panels is 20 -30 minutes. For popular panels, like major industry/film news or popular topics, be prepared to get in line at least an hour before hand. (This is one reason why prioritization is important) o Conventions vary in how lines/queues for panels work. Some conventions do not empty out rooms between panels. So if people wanted to have a seat for a later panel, they could come to an early one and camp out in seats. This might be needed if you want to see bigger panels. Other conventions clear out rooms after every panel. Either way, follow what the convention staff says. Sometimes this info is provided online or you can ask the conventions veteran con goers • Some panels encourage participation! Feel free to participate as much or as little as you’d like! The important part is to have fun with it and geek out with other fans! If given the opportunity, feel free to ask questions to people/guests/celebrities at panels if you’d like.

End

“EAT REGULARLY!”  When everything’s in a blur and you have costumes to wear and panels to get to, it’s real easy to look at the time and realize, “Shit, it’s 3 pm and so far all I’ve had to eat today is a single Oreo.”  This happens. Don’t worry about it.  Unless you have a medical condition that requires structured nutritional intake (in which case, eating regularly WILL be important to you – set reminders on your phone to take meal breaks and don’t risk your health), just eat when you remember and when you have time.  One weekend of bad nutrition isn’t going to do much other than maybe make you feel kinda crappy.  But sometimes the problem isn’t time: it’s availability of (good) food. Not everybody wants to spend $10 on overpriced food court grease.  I always like to pack some relatively healthy snack foods (nuts, dried fruit, whole grain crackers) and meal replacement bars for when I can’t stomach the thought of another soggy hamburger.

“DRINK LOTS OF WATER!”  Now the common sense answer to this problem is to carry a big water bottle but I guarantee you that two hours into lugging around all the shit you’ll have with you on the con floor, that water bottle is going to seem like a very expendable, unnecessary weight.  Your best bets are to a) find free water somewhere around the con (lots of cons have free water stations), b) mooch off somebody else whose shoulders don’t hurt enough to have ditched their water bottle along with all other extraneous weight yet, c) just drink out of the bathroom sink like an animal, or d) suck it up and buy a bottle of water for $4.50 or whatever absurd price they’re charging.  Then maybe carry around the empty bottle to refill from the bathroom sink like an animal.

“WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!”  Anyone who cosplays is just going to laugh in the face of this one.  Comfortable footwear is great and all, but then there are times you just have to suck it up and wear six inch stiletto heels.  If possible, carry a pair of slippers with you (or have a friend carry em) so you can change when you get to the point of needing to take those damn heels off *right the hell now*.  If that’s not possible, try to sit as much as you can. If sitting’s not possible, try to lean. If leaning’s not possible, just pose in a majestic way and take comfort in the fact that even though your feet feel like they’re about to explode and you have blisters the size of ugly, burning prunes, at least you look fabulous.  Remind yourself that you won’t be wearing those shoes forever.  Only seven more hours.  You can make it, right?

Those are the basics everyone always talks about.  Now let’s get into a couple more specific items that people don’t always talk about.

TRAVEL LOGISTICS.  You’re going to need to plan your travel, whether this is taking a bus across town, driving to a different city, or flying to a different country.  Do you come home every night, do you stay with friends, or do you need a hotel?  Do you need to buy or borrow new suitcases to pack specific items?  If flying, will you need to check bags?  Will you need to take a taxi?  Will you need to pay for parking?  All this adds up.  Make sure you budget for every aspect of travel and estimate how much everything will cost ahead of time.  You don’t want to be the broke girl crying in the hotel because you didn’t realize the “Bonn” airport is actually in Köln and you just spent all your money on a very expensive taxi ride from the next city over.  (Wasn’t me, but true story.)

PACKING. One thing I like to do is make a packing list of EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN THING I need to bring to con with me, from necessities (underwear) to “in case I need it” (over the counter allergy tabs). To be honest one time I went to New Orleans and forgot to put ‘toothbrush’ on my list and guess what I forgot to pack. So.  Write down everything.  Toiletries. Clothing.  Costume pieces.  Contact lenses.  Jewelry. Medication.  Wallet.  Book to read on the train.  Camera. Extra batteries.  Typically my packing list has 200+ individual items, with things like ‘makeup’ and ‘socks’ counting as one item each.  I start it weeks ahead of time and write down things as they come to mind.  Some useful things to bring with you: first aid kit, sewing/repair kit, pain medication, ear plugs, paper copies of any vital information or itineraries (don’t rely on electronics).

ON THE CON FLOOR.  There are two main scenarios here.  Scenario one: the con is at a hotel and you’re staying onsite at that hotel or somewhere within very close walking distance.  In this case, chances are you won’t need to carry a lot with you during the day.  Just your phone, ID, money, room key, and maybe a camera.  You can get away with a small bag or pockets since you’ll be able to easily access your room during the day to change/get supplies.  Scenario two: you’re staying offsite and will have to carry everything you need for the day with you.  This scenario naturally poses more problems since you’ll need to bring a big bag with all your stuff, potentially including food and changes of clothing.  Buy anything in the vendor’s room?  Guess what: you’re carrying it around all day!  If you’re lucky you’ll have a car you can ditch everything in, but a lot of the time the parking spaces are too far away to make that a convenient option. If you’re not staying onsite, prepare yourself for a long day of lugging crap around and hating your costume after two hours.  Or you could wear muggle clothes and buy nothing to spare yourself the hassle, but that sounds lame.  I typically compromise and wear small, light costumes to offsite cons and buy only tiny or light things like earrings and art prints.  And then I still stash my bag at a friend’s exhibitor table because I kid you not even carrying a two pound tote starts to get real tiresome real fast.  This one time I wore my Gil-galad armor to CCEE because Mark Ferguson and it was probably the worst decision of my cosplay life.  My shoulders can only handle that weight for two hours tops before the pain starts to nope me hardcore, and I was there without hope of leaving or changing for five.

GETTING AROUND.  Cons are crowded.  A lot of the time they’re also big and spread out.  It takes time to get from one place to another, and even more time when ten thousand people are trying to get from that place to the other place.  Be patient and go with the flow of bodies. But also be considerate.  If somebody with a disability needs to get through, LET THEM.  However frustrating this slow-as-molasses foot traffic is for you, I guarantee it’s even worse for that person with a cane.  And unless you’re the world’s biggest douche, you should already know to give people with disabilities priority when it comes to getting on elevators, shuttle busses, or anywhere else where people push and squish. Finally, do not obstruct the walkways. Lemme repeat that because it’s a big one.  FUCKING DO NOT FUCKING OBSTRUCT THE FUCKING WALKWAYS.  Do not stop in the middle of a corridor.  Do not loiter in front of a doorway.  Do not sit on the floor where people are walking.  Do not stand in a big clump in the middle of a busy area, forcing everyone to shuffle around you.  ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TAKE PHOTOS OF COSPLAYERS, OR LET PEOPLE TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR COSPLAY, IN A WAY THAT IMPEDES FOOT TRAFFIC.  If you need to stop, loiter, sit, or clump for any reason, for butt’s sake do it off to the side and out of the way.  If you need to take/pose for a cosplay photo, make sure it’s ALONG A WALL so people can easily move on by you.  Many cons have rules against taking photos or even stopping in the corridors.  Obey these rules.

SCHEDULING.  If at all possible, try to find an online copy of the con schedule beforehand that you can print or download into your phone.  Look at what’s offered.  Decide what you want to try to see.  Sometimes you’ll have to make a hard call between two awesome-sounding panels running at the same time.  And sometimes there’s nothing but shit you have no interest in seeing.  (Use those times to visit the vendors or art show). I like to print a paper copy and highlight panels I want to see: green for those I have to go to because I’m on, yellow for those I really want to see, and orange for those I might hit up if nothing better is happening.  I do this every year despite never actually making a single panel that I’m not on.  I might as well save myself some time and highlight everything pink for ‘fully intend to check out but then get distracted by shenanigans’.  Anyway, plan out what you want to see.  Keep in mind that you’ll only make it to half of what you plan, but hey, might as well try?

LINE-CON.  Otherwise known as trying to attend panels.  Depending on the attendance of the con and the popularity of the panel, you may end up spending a lot of time in line.  A lot of time can mean either fifteen minutes or multiple hours.  If there’s something you really want to see that you think might fill up, especially panels with actors and other special guests, line up at least an hour beforehand.  Start lining up once the line for the panel before the one you want to go to begins to move into the room.  If you’re at San Diego Comic Con, start lining up last year.  Just line up ASAP.  Note: you will also stand in line for con badges, food, the ATM, the bathroom, the elevator, some vendor booths, autographs, celebrity photos, and even the door to outside.  Everything has a line.

MAKING FRIENDS.  What do you do if you attend con by yourself?  If you’re new on the scene and want to make some con friends, you’re in luck! Line-con is a great place to meet people.  If you’re standing in line for a panel that doesn’t start for another hour, why not chat up the people in front of or behind you?  You already know you have a common interest.  Another good strategy is to start talking to somebody about their costume or tshirt.  Cosplayers usually love to talk about what they’re wearing, and even people just wearing fandom shirts tend to be up for a conversation about where the shirt came from. The typical con dress code is literally a walking advertisement for what characters/shows/games people love.  Find somebody wearing something you like and start talking.  You might meet some awesome new friends.  Some of the people I talk to most on a daily basis are friends I made at con.

KEEP IN MIND, THOUGH: a lot of con folks are introverted or socially awkward. Hell, YOU might be introverted or socially awkward.  If you try talking to somebody who doesn’t seem 100% into the conversation, don’t take it personally.  They might just be shy or taken aback or nervous.  Or tired.  Or hungover. Cons also tend to be a time where groups of friends who don’t normally see each other (maybe they only meet up once a year at this con) have a few short days to hang out.  It’s really unlikely people will actively ignore you, but they might be accidentally distant or exclusive in their excitement to spend time with long-lost buddies.  Please give people the benefit of the doubt, and if you feel your attempts to make a new friend are going nowhere, move on and try somebody else. There are a lot of warm, welcoming people around, especially if you mention you’re there alone or it’s your first con.  And if you see somebody looking a little lost and confused?  Go ahead and introduce yourself.  You can be lost and confused together.  It’s way more fun that way.

QUIET TIME.  Some people need it.  Some people don’t.  But the loud, crowded, overexcited con atmosphere can be tiring, and sometimes you just want to step back and take some time for yourself.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, resist the urge to push through on the fear that you might miss something.  It’s better to find a quiet hallway for an hour or so to unwind while playing dumb jewel games on your phone than force yourself to participate in something you’re not totally into.  You can leave and come back later.  You can take time out.  If you want to spend every waking con moment out there partying, that’s great.  If you want to spend half your time chilling with friends in your hotel room, also great.  Do what makes you happy.  And chances are taking a small break when you need it will prevent a big burnout later on.

SHOWERING.  This one is non-negotiable.  Everyone at every con needs to shower or wash in some way.  Every day.  At least once.  Maybe twice. Cons are big, hot, smelly places. If you’re wearing a big, hot, smelly costume, there’s actually a very good chance you’ll need more than one shower per day.  Have a big main shower and then a quick one-minute rinse just to get the sweat off when you change.  Use deodorant.  More than once per day.  But avoid perfume and cologne.  The con already has enough interesting smells without additional voluntary contributions.

COMMUNICATION.  Cons can be bad for poor cell reception and zero wifi, and then you add in people traveling in from all over who may not want to risk roaming charges.  It’s also loud and you don’t hear alerts, or you’re just plain busy and forget to check your phone.  Whatever the case, you sometimes end up being forced to act like it’s 1990. Do not rely 100% on your electronics. Make plans with friends ahead of time so you can still find them even when they’re not getting your texts.  Plan to meet at 10 am by the main elevator, then for lunch at DQ at 12:30, then at the cryptography panel at 1:30.  With all the con craziness going on there’s a good chance your group will get separated at some point, but if you discuss your plans you’ll at least be able to meet up later even if your phone battery dies or you don’t get reception in the stupid underground vendor’s hall.

PERSONAL SAFETY.  Cons can often seem like a big happy family, and in a lot of ways they are.  But there can also be really sketchy people there. Use good judgment when going anywhere alone or at night, hanging out one on one with somebody you just met, or accepting food/drinks/drugs.  (I would say don’t do drugs, but like I mentioned above, I’m not your mom.  You can do what you want.  Just be smart about it.)  Tell somebody where you’re going if you decide to adventure off with a new group or hook up with some random dude.  Check in with your friends if you’re the one taking off, and check in with them if they take off to make sure they’re safe.  Take care of your drunk friends and your drunk self.  Get a buddy to walk you to your car, or ask con security.  Tell con security if somebody is acting inappropriately towards or harassing you or anyone else.  You don’t have to put up with some douchebag’s shitty behavior.  And watch out for your valuables.  Unfortunately, people get wallets, phones, and con badges stolen all the time.  I like to carry a purse or bag with a zipper to keep everything contained.  Finally, if you’re having a room party with people you don’t know, put everything important out of sight or in the safe.

It was nice to use this time to find the bathrooms and scope out places to plug in our phones.  We carried our chargers with us at all times and plugged in whenever we had the chance.  

 When it was time for the con to actually start, we were let into the main hall to find our seats.  Know that the volunteer monitoring the door will want to see both your pass AND your wristband every time you come in.  (The same holds true when you leave and come back to the con during the day and each morning.)  It's not a huge check-in process, but they will stop you if your pass and wristband aren't both easily visible.

 Our seats were in the second row of the silver section, which put us about 2/3 of the way back in the hall. Wide aisles running up and down the length of the hall broke the seating into four sections, with the two center sections being the gold and silver seats.  We got aisle seats on the very left side of the silver section because my daughter was worried about being able to see over tall people in front of her. There were large video screens on either side of the stage that projected the panels (definitely needed from where we were sitting).  Overall, we were quite pleased with our seats, although next time I might choose seats on the center aisle, but those sell out more quickly.  

 Note:  A wide aisle runs from the entrance and separates the room in half.  Originally I thought the gold section ended with the front section, but the first 6 rows of the second section were also gold.  I think it would be really annoying and distracting to sit in the front row of the second section because people are constantly walking in front of you to get to the main doors.

 There were plenty of empty seats on Friday, but the crowd was enthusiastic.  It turned out to be a good "practice day" for us as we got to figure out how things work.  My daughter even got brave enough to ask questions to Osric and to Lauren Tom.  If you want to ask a question, you simply walk down and join the line on either the left or right side of the hall.  When it gets close to being your turn, the volunteer with the mike will ask what your question is to pre-screen it.  Not everybody gets to ask their question due to time, but you get a great view of the stage while you wait, so it's a win-win.

 The doors are open the whole time and people are coming and going as needed.  Obviously everyone does their best to be quiet and respectful, but it was definitely looser than I thought it would be.  Being able to come and go easily was another advantage of being on the aisle.  And we were far enough back that we felt comfortable texting etc from our seats without feeling rude.  

 There are 5 to 10 minute breaks between panels where they show videos on the big screens. 

  PHOTO OPS

Here's the thing about photo ops.  ONE GUY (the amazing Chris Schmelke) takes EVERY SINGLE ONE of them.  He had his backdrop and two of those umbrella light thingies set up in what was basically a large conference room.   When your photo op time starts, you line up in the hallway where the volunteer tells you to and they scan your pdf or mark off your ticket.  Keep the ticket/pdf with you because you'll need it again to give to the volunteer at the front of the line right before your turn comes.  The line allows for maybe 25 people or so in the room at once, so you do get to spend a few minutes watching the celebrity take pictures while you wait for your turn. 

 Seeing them can either calm you down or freak you out, but either way that line is going to keep moving.  And fast.  Basically, it's step up, pose, click, and done.  But here's the thing.  You can TOTALLY chat with them so long as you keep it quick and keep things moving.  Chris is great and will make sure your picture is good--he'll have you redo it if your eyes were closed or he had to reposition us one time to be sure we fit in the frame--but there are a zillion photo ops to do and there are volunteers to keep things moving.

 FYI There are tables in the photo op room so when you get there you can take off your badge and put down your bag etc.  Volunteers will slide your things along the table so that when you're done with your op, you can grab your stuff right by the door and be on your way. 

 Some of the celebrities have more than one photo session, so keep that in mind.  For example, Osric had photos on both Friday and Saturday and we decided we wanted a pic with him not in cosplay, so we waited until Saturday. 

 For J2 and Misha ops, your ticket will have a number on it.  Check that number because for these, instead of just telling you to get in line, they will have you wait in the main hall and call groups of 50 to get in line.

 Your photo ops are ready a couple of hours after being taken and they are simply laid out on tables for you to pick up.  (Don't be a jerk and take somebody else's and don't use your phone to take pictures of other people's ops and post them online.  Just don't. )  As a result, if you are planning to have your photo autographed, know your photo may or may not be ready in time. 

  AUTOGRAPHS

The biggest mistake I made was assuming that autographs went faster than photo ops.  On Friday, the schedule said that Osric autographs started at 6:15 in the main hall, so we got there at 6:15. They call you to line up row by row, starting with row A.  Obviously, gold goes, then silver, then copper.  If you simply have a purchased autograph ticket (as opposed to one included with a pass) you get called to go after all of the passes.  We were in row R and we sat there for nearly 2 hours before it was our turn.  By then we were starving and now I know that we easily could've gone and grabbed a quick dinner and still been back in plenty of time.  I'd thought we'd have a break before Karaoke started, but we misjudged the autograph times so badly that we never got dinner Friday night until almost 9 PM and then we were scrambling to race back in time for karaoke to start at 9:45.

 Autographs move more slowly because there are definitely individual interactions happening there.  At BurCon, the celebrity was sitting at a table shielded from view by a curtained panel.  When you were about 10 people from the front, you were in past the curtain and could see them as the line moved forward. 

 For each autograph ticket you have, you can get one item signed. Sometimes they will allow personalization (we only had that happen with Osric) and if that's the case, a volunteer will come with a sticky note and get the spelling of your name while you are still in line.  If not, don't ask for it.  And don't ask for or try to take a picture while you're there.  They are pretty vigilant at making sure all phones are put away.  (I did see Misha allow one person to take a picture with him, but the volunteer's head about exploded and she turned to the rest of the line and said, "Don't get any ideas!")

 When it's your turn, be brave and say hello.  We had little conversations with everybody.  (When I told Jared it was our first con, he stopped and looked up at me and said so sincerely, "Welcome to the family." I know he says that a lot, but I actually had to stop and put a hand to my chest to collect myself before I could say thank you.  Oh, and when Jensen chatted with me, I got so flustered that I started to walk away without my daughter. *polishes mother of the year award*) 

   Things I Wish I'd Known

Some things that surprised me:  Everything is more casual than you'd think.  People come and go throughout the panels as necessary.  You can bring food/drinks into the hall.  You can also bring in bags.  I'd bought this canvas messenger bag  to have autographed and it was perfect for keeping snacks, my phone charger, and our photos in. 

 Because you're all in one venue, you'll start to have casual glimpses of people.  Richard and Osric walked right by us when we were sitting in the lobby.  Misha walked past us twice as we stood in line for a photo op.  There were two tables set up in the lobby and Tyler Johnston (Samandriel) and Britt Sheridan (Kate) were there most of the weekend.  You had to pay for their autographs, but you could totally just walk up and chat with them.

 These cons are marathons and you have to pace yourself.  Friday night, karaoke ran til 1:15 AM and then things started again at 9:20 Saturday morning.  Saturday night we left Cabaret at midnight while things were still going strong.  Since we didn't have gold passes, we didn't have the J2 Sunday morning panel.  We didn't bid on any of the meet and greets either, which meant that we had Sunday morning until 11:45 completely free.  That break turned out to be a godsend as we were exhausted by then.   

 J2 are only there on Sunday and that makes for a long day.  In one day they have to do individual meet and greets, single/duo/group photo ops, autographs, and two panels. (From what I gathered, they barely have time to eat and when somebody asked Jared how he was during autographs, apparently he said something to the effect of, "I have to go to the bathroom so bad.")  Knowing how long things take would've really helped me in my planning.  My daughter couldn't afford to miss another day of school but I definitely would've tried for a later flight home Sunday night if I'd had a good understanding of the schedule.  

 Creation staff are there to help.  The staff is there to help, so please feel free to ask them.  Just remember that many of them are volunteers and they may have to find the appropriate person to answer your question.  Be patient and calm and friendly and they will do their best to help you.  Because I didn't understand how things worked, we were in danger of missing our J2 autograph session Sunday night because we had a flight to catch.  I explained our problem to staff early in the day and was told to talk to the volunteer supervising the autograph line when the time came.  It took a couple of conversations with a couple of different people, but they then put us almost at the front of the line which was incredibly kind and helpful.  Just approach them with patience and respect and know that they will do their best to help you.  (Thanks to their help, we made our 8:45 PM flight Sunday night with a few minutes to spare, but when I checked the next day with the people who had been sitting near us, they told us they never got done with their J2 autographs until 9 PM.)

  Take Care of Yourself

 I knew the weekend was going to be fun and exhausting, but I was unprepared for how overwhelming it was at times and how the adrenaline messed with me.  I woke up Sunday morning nearly sick with anxiety (and I don't tend towards anxiety to begin with) due to worry about missing our j2 autograph session because of our flight, not being able to get checked in for our flight online, and honestly, knowing we were going to see J2 had a bigger effect on me than I anticipated.  (I thought I'd feel that way about Misha, but we had seen him in person in Seattle for the Gishwhes thing in August and having that experience under our belt made it easier.)  Knowing that the FIRST TIME we would lay eyes on J2 was in the actual photo op room was intimidating and, honestly, we weren't the only ones because the entire place seemed a bit amped up on Sunday. With that sort of thing in mind, you really have to take care of yourself.

 Eat:  You're allowed to have food in the hall, so bring snacks with you.  Granola bars, nuts, beef jerky, anything with some protein that will keep your fueled is good.  Try for a decent breakfast in the morning because you just never know when you'll have a chance to eat next.  

   Stay Hydrated:  This is key and the con helps by having a couple of water stations in the lobby.  Take advantage of them frequently.  I got dizzy and lightheaded at karaoke and had to sit down for a bit and I think it was all due to dehydration.  For the two evening events (karaoke and cabaret) they set up a temporary bar in the lobby and sold beer, wine, and cocktails.  I did have one glass of wine at cabaret, but that was it.  I thought I would drink more, but I was this weird combination of wired and exhausted and I can't imagine being hungover on top of everything else.

  Dress in what is comfy for you: I brought a bunch of clothes that I never wore because 1) we were rushing so much that there was no time to change before the evening events and 2) I just wanted to be warm and comfortable.  The hall felt cold to me and one of my adrenaline reactions is shivering so I was cold a lot.  Also, the photo op room is FREEZING cold.  Maybe that's to counteract the heat of the photo lights or just to keep the celebrities from being sweaty when they hug a billion people, I don't know.  But it's seriously cold in there.  

  People dress in anything and everything from jeans and tee shirts to cosplay to cocktail dresses.  Wear whatever you are comfortable and happy in. Don't worry about it, it's all good.

  Make friends with people around you!  You are all in this together and there is a lot of sitting around waiting for things, so be friendly and get to know your neighbors.  It was amazing to know that everyone there had a shared interest and it really does start to feel like a family.