CoastCon This Weekend!!!

Biloxi, MS

I am SUPER excited for this weekend!  I’m heading to Biloxi, MS for the weekend with a couple of friends to enjoy the wonder that is CoastCon!  It’s the oldest fan-run convention in the Gulf South and it’s also one of my favorite conventions to attend.  I haven’t been able to go for the last couple of years due to work and personal responsibilities, but this year the gods smiled down upon me and gave me a chance to reunite with one of the best conventions around.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to revisit an old list that I created over on a webpage called Lunch.com.  The page isn’t very active anymore, but the list that I compiled is still very relevant.  With only a slight bit of alteration, this list is the one list you’ll ever need to survive any convention, no matter what the size.  Take a look at this survival guide and let me know what you think.  I’ll be blogging about CoastCon as soon as it’s over and I get back home.

Here’s my personal survival guide of things that are necessary for you or any other person to survive a convention.  I hope you enjoy it!

MONEY–You’ll need lots of money if you plan on having a good time at most conventions.  Cash is best, but a lot of conventions and, more importantly, vendors selling goodies, are accepting debit and credit cards.  The primary problem with using credit or debit cards is that often the vendors and the convention itself must rely on the Wi-Fi available to them at the venue where the convention is taking place.  If the servers can’t handle the barrage of traffic or if the signal is just really, really bad, using cards can slow down the process for you and for the vendor.  Just be sure to hit an ATM before going to the convention and you should be fine.

FAN SHIRT–Almost as important as that cold, hard cash is a tee shirt that lets the world know that you’re a fan of something.  It doesn’t have to be a flamboyant or distracting shirt, just a little something that tells fellow con goers that you’re a Brony, a Browncoat, a Trekkie, a Marvel, a DC, a….well, you get the idea.  Wearing your favorite character on your shirt also opens up lines of communication.  It’s a lot easier to approach that cute girl or guy if they are wearing a Doctor Who shirt and ask them a question about their fandom than it is to pace back and forth wondering if he or she even knows who Adric is, right?

COMFORTABLE SHOES–Be prepared to do a lot of walking and standing in line…..a lot of it……TONS of it….especially if you’re at a larger convention.  You’ll want to keep your feet nice and comfy so that they aren’t trying to Shane you by the end of the day!

FOOD–Be sure to stock up on a few quick snacks before entering the convention.  Also be sure that the convention even allows outside food because some of them don’t.  I always try to bring one or two Clif Bars with me so that I’m not forced to pay fifteen bucks for a hot dog and a drink.  Convention food prices are usually very inflated, so be prepared to spend big bucks unless you prepare ahead of time.  I highly suggest eating a large breakfast or taking a break during the day and visiting a local restaurant.  Better yet, make sandwiches and bring them with you to eat either in your ride or back at the hotel.

WATER–Again, as with food, be sure that the convention allows outside beverages.  Most of them do not, but many of them also don’t check bags, so you might be able to bring one in with you.  Just be ready to cough up any contraband if you decide to bring in outside food or beverages.

A SHARPIE–A lot of veteran convention goers might be shaking their heads at this one, since most guests at conventions that autograph anything will have Sharpies or other pens handy.  I’m not suggesting that you bring your own Sharpie for these situations.  What I want you to have a Sharpie for is that moment when you may not necessarily be at the convention.  For instance, say you’re sitting at the hotel bar and you happen to strike up a conversation with a media guest.  You hit it off with this person and spend a couple of hours chatting about something.  At the end of the night when it’s time to say goodbye, you might want to ask for an autograph.  Now, whether or not the media guest actually agrees to an autograph (or photograph, for that matter) is entirely up to them and you should respect their choice, but if you have a Sharpie handy, you can get that autograph a lot more easily!

CAMERA–This one’s a no-brainer.  You’re going to take photos…..a lot of photos!  Whether it’s celebrities, cosplayers, really cool stuff like the Batmobile or the Mystery Machine, you’re going to want to take a photo or two for the memories and to post on Facebook to make all of you friends jealous.  Be sure to have a fresh memory card, too!

BODY SPRAY–This one is a tad bit controversial.  Why?  Because there are a lot of people out there that bathe in body spray and it’s so strong on them that it’s often hard for those around them to breathe.  However, if given the choice between smelling AXE Body Spray or Swamp Butt, I’ll take AXE every time.  If you’re walking a lot or if you’re wearing a costume, you’re going to be sweating a lot.  Just a couple of quick shots of body spray will hold the stench at bay for a little while.

PHONE–This one’s kind of obvious, but you really need to have a phone handy for the simple fact that you might need to get in touch with your friend who is on the other side of the convention hall.  You can also use it to instantly take pictures and video and post them to the web.  Also, a lot of conventions now offer their programs as a downloadable file.

A BACKPACK–I know you’re thinking, man, this is an excellent list, Kendall, but what am I going to carry all of this stuff in????  A backpack, of course!  Use it to haul around all of the above items that will fit in it and also use it to keep your hands free for high fives and hugs.  I personally like to decorate my backpack with nerdy buttons, but you can leave it plain Jane if you please.

COSTUME–Lastly, if you aren’t going to be wearing a fan tee of your favorite fandom, a costume is the way to go.  It isn’t a necessity, but it’s definitely very fun to dress up as your favorite character and interact with fans.  Also, don’t feel as if you have to have a screen accurate Iron Man suit or a cape just like Superman.  Buy and/or make whatever you can to the best of your abilities (and your cash flow) and have FUN!!!  If anybody makes fun of your costume, ignore them.  They are completely missing the point of cosplay if they believe that your costume has to look exactly like the one on the screen.

In summary, using all of the above items will help you successfully survive a comic/science fiction/pop culture convention.  The most important thing to remember is to have fun.  Make friends, share a few laughs, listen in on a few panels, and meet your favorite media guest.  HAVE FUN!!!!

As always, thanks for reading.