“Hold On To Your Butts!!!”
While preparing for CoastCon back in 2015, I blogged about essential items that every good geek and nerd would need in order to survive a weekend at a comic or pop culture convention. A few years and a few conventions later, I’ve decided to update that list. Sure, most of the items on here are the same as on my old list, but I’ve added a few more items and wanted folks to have a fresher list to seek out instead of my ancient post from 2015. I now have over fifteen years of experience in attending conventions of all sizes (except the big ones like San Diego Comic Con, which my introverted heart has no desire to attend), have made a few feeble attempts at cosplay, presented panels, been a featured guest, and even got suckered back into running events with a good friend of mine after a disastrous experience over a decade ago. I’m no expert, but I’ve got a decent amount of knowledge about the convention scene and I’m happy to share some of it here. I hope you enjoy this list!
1. Money
Yep, cold, hard cash is king at conventions. You’ll need a lot of it if you plan on buying anything from merchants (you really should), snagging awesome art from cool creators (again, you really should), getting autographs, buying food and drinks, or donating to charities at conventions. Most conventions allow you to purchase tickets, photo-ops, autographs, and other items online in advance these days. Many let you purchase things with a credit card on site, as do many vendors. The only problem with this is that some of the venues that host events have poor Wi-Fi and credit card machines just won’t work. That’s why I highly recommend bringing plenty of cash money in your pockets to events.
2. Comfortable Shoes
Be sure to bring a comfortable pair of walking shoes! You’ll be walking long distances and standing in long lines, so protect your feet. Even at smaller events, walking is a necessity and if you use a tracker to see how many steps you take or the distance you travel, you might be shocked by the results!
3. Backpack
Backpacks or messenger bags are essential to any convention survival kit. You can use them to carry all of the cool things that you’ll be purchasing and the free swag that you grab as well. As a rule, I always make sure that I have a backpack that can I can fit a binder in that will protect autographs and prints from damage. Since I’ve been doing presentations at events for a few years now, my pack also needs to be able to carry my laptop and a power supply as well. It’s also cool if it comes with a water bottle holder because the next thing that you need for a convention is…..
4. Water
Water is a necessity at any convention. With all of the walking, standing, talking, playing, goofing off, and general tomfoolery that you’ll be getting into, you’re gonna sweat…..a lot. If water isn’t your thing, be sure to bring some Gatorade, energy drinks, or something to hydrate your body. Most events do not allow outside drinks but will have them on hand for purchase. That said, if you bring a backpack, many checkpoint officers will ignore one bottle of water. Oh, and speaking of sweat…..
5. Personal Hygiene Products
It’s pretty sad that I even have to mention this, but folks need to wash their bodies the night before or the morning of an event. You should also toss some deodorant or body spray into your bag before heading out as well. Why? Because people are nasty! Every single event that I’ve attended has folks that arrive at the opening of the convention who smell like they’ve just completed the Boston marathon. That’s not cool! If you’re a cosplayer in a heavy suit, I expect you to be a tad funky, but if you’re just some random dude in jorts and a Dragon Ball Z tee shirt, you better smell decent. Some people aren’t fans of body spray but I’d much rather smell that than a heaping helping of swamp ass!
6. Camera
Since most folks already have a camera on their phone, this item might seem like a no-brainer and it really is. However, some folks like to take professional photos at events and they’ll be slugging around a camera, a camera bag, and most likely a tripod or something else to prop their camera with throughout the day.
7. Fandom tees, caps, socks, etc.
Want to make a few new friends at a convention? The fastest way to do that is to slap on your favorite Phantom t-shirt or that old Batman cap that you’ve worn to conventions for years. No matter what your fandom(s) might be, if someone sees you wearing your fandom on a shirt or other item, they’ll probably want to talk to you. It’s the easiest conversation starter in the world and it will almost always work.
8. Food
Almost all conventions prohibit outside food. That’s just a fact of life. Plus, many of them offer some pretty amazing food choices at their events. What I’m talking about here is food that you can tuck in your pocket like a candy bar, a small bag of peanuts, protein bars, or other items that will help get you through the day. Also, if you’re staying at the host hotel, bring stuff to make sandwiches or whatever your favorite quick meal is and keep it in your room. You’ll be able to use the money you would have burned at a restaurant on vendor items at the convention!
9. Portable Power Bank
Here’s an item that wasn’t on my old list. A portable power bank is essential for any person that takes a lot of photos, chats, surfs the web, or relies on their smart phone a lot. Many conventions now have an app with programming and other information that you may need to access throughout the day as well. While your phone’s battery may not run out, you might want to give it a boost about halfway through each day of an event. Charge up your power bank before the event and toss it into your backpack. A solar charging power bank is best, since you can recharge it throughout the day without the necessity of a power receptacle.
10. Sharpies
Yes, comic artists, celebrities, and other folks at events will probably have a few Sharpies at their disposal, but what if you’re hanging out at the host hotel’s bar and strike up a conversation with that guy or girl from that series that you love so much? Perhaps you buy them a drink and become fast and decide that you want on autograph. What’s a guy to do? Whip out that Sharpie in your pocket and ask them to politely sign whatever it is you have handy. Some celebrities will happily sign items for you, but others may tell you to wait until you see them at their table. In either case, respect their wishes. It’s still cool to keep that Sharpie nearby in case you do get the chance to snag a signature!
11. A Lanyard With Your Name On It
Another item that wasn’t on my first list but that I’ve learned to be helpful is a lanyard with your name on it. Why would you need this, you ask? Well, when it’s time to get that personalized autograph from your favorite sci-fi actor, all you have to do is flash your name tag at them and they don’t have to worry about misspelling your name! Simple and cool, and folks will appreciate you for making their job easier!
12. Extra Clothes
This one goes hand in hand with the personal hygiene products. If you get funky, use your body spray or deodorant and change your shirt! If you’re staying at the host hotel, you can easily slip up to your room and change your entire outfit.
13. Stickers
Stickers are cheap and can be purchased in bulk. They also don’t take up a lot of room. If you have a blog, event, or just really love a certain fandom, you can have custom stickers created for a nominal fee. But why do you need stickers? Simply put, they are a great way to promote your event, YouTube channel, or social media pages and they can be used to strike up conversations with new people. Also, if you hand out free stickers to folks, they’ll think that you’re pretty cool.
14. Cosplay Repair Kit
Cosplayers put a lot of work into their costumes. Many of their projects are intricate and require hours and hours to get just right. Cosplayers also rip their costumes, have pieces fall completely off of their costumes, and sometimes break their props. What’s a cosplayer to do in such an emergency at a convention? Well, if you’re a nice person, you bring a cosplay repair kit with basic items such as glue, tape, needles, thread, scissors, and other things that will either repair a cosplayer’s costume or at least fix it temporarily until they can permanently repair them later. They will appreciate your help and if you make a habit of bringing a repair kit with your to events, they will remember you as well.
15. A Costume
Some fans take their fandom to another level. Many will combine their love of crafting or tailoring with their fandom and make amazing costumes. Others have zero skills when it comes to creating things but put in the work to make a costume that they are proud to show off at events. Other folks buy a costume off of the rack and call it a day. No matter what type of cosplayer you are, if you love a certain series, cartoon, etc., show off your love in a costume. Oh, and if you see Beku Cos (above) at an event, tell her hello. She’s really cool!
16. A Kind Heart
Lastly, the greatest thing that you can bring to a convention is a kind heart. No, I’m not saying that you need to be the creepy guy offering free hugs to all of the cute cosplayers, I’m simply saying that you need to be nice. Yes, lines will aggravate you. You’ll get tired. You might miss out on meeting your favorite comic artist. Don’t let that stuff bother you. Instead, enjoy yourself. Smile at people. Tell them hello. Offer help to someone if it look like they may need it. Some of the friendliest people in the world attend comic conventions. Be one of those people!
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this list! I always have free goodies for folks with me when I attend conventions. Don’t hesitate to approach me if you’d like to talk. I promise that I’ll be nice!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 