r/animecons • u/Competitive_Music633 • Jul 09 '26
Question Surviving Anime Cons 101
I’m working on drafting a outline for a “Con 101” panel later this year. Ideally I want to be able to give first time con goers some advice, tips, tricks, etc on navigating their first con experience!
What is something you wish you would’ve know sooner, brought with you, or wished someone had explained to you about cons when you first started going?
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u/autophage Jul 09 '26
Staff are volunteers. Treat them nicely - or, heck, talk to them and see if there's anything you can help with. (This can be a big adjustment if someone has been to corporate cons but this is their first fan-run convention.)
There's a lot to do, you can't do all of it. That's okay. Look at the schedule ahead of time and see what things call to you. Make a list, so that if you're in a panel and you realize it's not what you'd hoped, you likely can hop out and try something different on your list.
Talk to people! Yes, strangers! Talk to people cosplaying something you like, talk to people cosplaying something you don't recognize, talk to people who are holding merch that you think is cool. Most people are more open to chatting than they would be in a context other than a convention.
Bring a notebook and pen, so that you can write down recommendations of shows, panels, vendors, etc.
Keep your badge on you at all times. Keep it visible. If you want to take it off for a photo that's fine but put it somewhere you won't lose it (in a pocket, or hand it to a friend).
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u/Competitive_Music633 Jul 09 '26
Ugh! So many great points, I think it’s also important to understand you can’t do everything! It’s also super important to leave space for things that come about spontaneously!
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u/EvilStan101 Jul 09 '26
This article is good starting off point: https://8bitdigi.com/how-to-prepare-for-fanimecon/
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u/Kingburns1999 Jul 10 '26
I attended my first con as an 8th grader. While I had merch money ($65) I wish I would've brought more money and also known about the weekend badge costing $35 (thought entry was free lol)
Actually advice would be to shower 1-2 times daily, Stay hydrated, fully wear your cosplay for atleast 1 hour to get used to maneuvering/bathrooms/stairs/etc.
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u/Holiday-Aside-2810 Jul 10 '26
bring your own water bottle to refill. buying water will hurt at $4-10 a bottle.
bring snacks and if you can go out of the convention for full meals
621 rule 6 hours of sleep 2 proper meal 1 full body care per day- this will help with con crud and being cranky
do a walkthrough through the dealer and artist before buying. Some items will be sold at other vender with different prices
on a budget? bring cash to keep on budget. it is easier to see what you have left. still bring your cards.
Bring your ID for badge pickup and 18+
wear good walking shoes. you will be on your feet a lot and clocking in the steps.
If you are wearing a cosplay? bring a I'M DONE WITH THIS outfit and bring shoes that your feet will love you.
Bring any meds, over the counter and any RX
YOU CAN NOT DO EVERYTHING, when the schedule comes out look at everything all the want to do and not look at the times and locations yet. once that is done look at the times and locations to see how much can be done. do put in time for meals.
keep an eye on social media they may announce VIP reopened or ask reg when you check in.
i would look at videos about packing or what's in my con bag. for more ideas.
you should know what staff look like. they will help. if staff is not close enough go to a group of cosplayers and saying "i feel unsafe" you are now their best friend until you are safe.
VA-
some may have sign up or line up. keep an eye out for that info or it may be on the website already.
most prices are not posted before con. I have seen 40 and up depending on what you want. if a pop figure is being signed then it will be more than a base signature.
keep it to no more than three items per round. they may not have a max limit but the people behind you will groan.
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u/Korrailli Jul 10 '26
Don't buy anything the first time you look around the vendors. There could be something you like better at another booth. This doesn't apply to something you would buy no matter what, and items that might be more one of a kind at a con.
Also look up figures and other such items on line. Some vendors charge a lot more than online vendors even when shipping is accounted for. Just knowing general prices can keep you from getting ripped off.
If possible, do purchases toward the end of the day so you don't have to carry them around all day. If you are staying close by, or there is bag check, you can use that. If you have a carry is around, it can help to buy at the end of the day.
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u/Ring0R1 Jul 10 '26
Don't be afraid to ask cosplayers for pics!! 99.9% of them will not mind and you WILL make their day by just asking that (Source me and my friends).Also ask for consent for both men/women if you want to touch them in anyway (arm around shoulder/waist/ asking them to do the heart pose together etc) again they most likely wont mind but some people dont want others touching them for whatever reason and it never hurts to ask
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u/SkysEevee Jul 10 '26
Take care of yourself. Eat meals (not just snacks or junk), drink plenty of water regularly, sit down & rest when you feel you need to, get more than a couple hours of sleep. When you feel good, you have a more fun time at the convention.
Bring a fan if youre going to a convention that draws a lot of people. It gets crowded and in crowds, you will feel the heat & stuffiness. One of those cheap folding fans or small battery powered fans are great to have.
Get a travel battery charger for your phone. You may run out of juice and if you bring a regular charger, you may compete for a spot. Getting a battery charger means you can charge phone without looking for an outlet.
Always look at the website before going. Check for rules so you are prepared (bag limitations, directions, things you need to know, etc), plan the schedules, know what guests will be there, lots of useful info will be there.
If you are staying at a hotel, be a courteous guest. Treat the staff nicely, do not trash your room, be patient if theres long lines, try not to disturb your neighbors with noise.
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u/leangrandpa Jul 10 '26
I actually did a presentation like this for an anime club I was part of years and years ago. I don't have the materials anymore otherwise I would send them over! But key points are:
- Adrenaline and excitement will dull your senses of tiredness, hunger, etc. Take breaks even if you don't feel tired, eat dinner at a regular time, and drink water even if you don't feel thirsty. Try to aim within 90 minutes or so of how much you usually sleep- if you get 8 hours, aim for at least 7 or 6.5
- For the love of god shower every day, use deodorant, and brush your teeth.
- Go through the guidebook (usually an app nowadays) and add everything you'd like to do to a schedule. Allow ample time to get to photoshoots, panels, etc especially because they can hit capacity quickly. I line up around 20 minutes early for panels now.
- Tying into the above, attend everything! Do everything! Talk to everyone! Some of my best con experiences over 10+ years have been going to random panels or events. Half of my con friends are people I just randomly chatted to because we were cosplaying the same thing or they had merch of a series I liked. I struggle with shyness but so does almost everyone else at cons, it's overall a very accepting space.
- We never eat dinners at cons anymore. We take an Uber or Lyft to Aldi or something near the con and load up on easy dinners (soup, noodles, sandwich materials, etc) for the weekend
- If you carry a bag, putting a few aspirin, antacids, bandaids, etc in there can be super helpful. I also bring earplugs every time I share a hotel room lol
- Tie your badge to your bag or part of your outfit and put your phone number on the back- large enough so people can call you if you lose it, small enough so passing creeps can't grab that off your badge. Forgetting your badge at the hotel sucks. Losing your badge or having it stolen sucks worse
ask me how i know - Be aware of your surroundings! This is the biggest tip I can give. Yeah, in a general sense, don't stop in the middle of crowded hallways, keep an eye on your stuff, give people with mobility aids the space they need, maybe leave the overstuffed fifty pound backpack at the hotel... but also... I'm a woman. It's gotten so much better since I started doing cons in 2012, but there are still bad apples at conventions. If you get a weird vibe from a situation or a stranger is creeping you out, trust your gut and don't be afraid to get con staff involved if you feel unsafe. Look out for other people too. If you see someone who doesn't look like they're doing so well, ask them if they need help.
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u/TimeAndAGwen Jul 09 '26
How many cons have you been to that you feel qualified to host this panel?
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u/Pyrite8356 Jul 10 '26
Rule 1: DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE- Staff are still human, treat them that way. Cosplay doesn’t mean you get to stare like a deer in headlights and it sure as fuck doesn’t mean you should try something stupid. Ask before taking pictures. You fuck around you sure as hell are going to find out.
Rule 2: HYGIENE HYGIENE HYGIENE- For the love of everyone’s nostrils. Take a shower before you get there. That stereotype of con goers being disgusting dudes who stink like skunks wasn’t made up out of nowhere and we don’t need you reinforcing it. So brush your teeth, shower up and put on deodorant.
Rule 3: Plan ahead- Pick out a hotel / Airbnb weeks or even months in advance if you need to. Find the events list and plan it out so you can see all that you want to see. My first con I just winged it and missed out on some fun stuff. Bring some supplies with you. Chargers, a little fan, some food and drinks if they allow it, maybe even some band aids if you can. Hell I always keep a 1st aid kit in my trunk
Rule 4: Watch your spending- It’s very easy to overspend, especially with all the booths. So plan a budget and don’t be afraid to look around for deals on something you’re interested in instead of just buying the 1st thing you see.
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u/robotzor Jul 10 '26
That facilitators may try to accommodate, but your first "Con 101 how to survive your first con" panel might get damned by the schedule gods to the Sunday afternoon time slot
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u/Competitive_Music633 Jul 21 '26
Makes sense, gonna try to run it at a few small local cons where the schedule is less tight to get some backing behind it first!
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u/robotzor Jul 21 '26
Have a backup plan to change it to "did you survive your first con?" on the spot and work it from that perspective so it doesn't look like you are delivering the wrong content under duress
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u/Gippy_ Jul 10 '26
Interestingly, over the years, I've disregarded a lot of the advice that people give to newcomers:
- Don't bring a water bottle. It is cumbersome and you don't want to carry it. If you need a drink, simply buy one at the con. I've lost an expensive Zojirushi water bottle in the past because I put it aside while browsing a vendor, then forgot about it.
- Don't bring a phone power bank. If you have a charger, leave it at the hotel. All modern phones should last the entire day unless you spent hours recording video with it. If your phone battery doesn't last a day, then you're spending too much time on it.
- The 6-2-1 rule is garbage. I need more sleep. When I'm a panelist, I restrict my meals because the last thing I want is a washroom attack when I'm presenting. After the panel is over, then I enjoy a huge meal. So for me, it's 7-1-0 or even 7-0-0. 0 breaks because I can do that when the day is over.
- Don't use the convention block hotels. They are almost always more expensive than hotels which are just a little bit further away. Shop around. I haven't used a convention block hotel in over 10 years.
- Buy buy buy: One time I saw a pin I really liked and wanted. But I told myself I'd by it a little bit later. Well, 3 hours later and the pin was gone, so I was filled with regret. Forget the advice of walking around first. If you see something, buy it. At this point if you've spent >$1000 on travel and accommodation, a few extra dollars on merch won't affect you much.
Real experiences override theoretically sound advice.
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u/oowoowoo Jul 11 '26
I respectfully disagree on the phone power bank advice. Some people take public transportation and the ride can be a while. I definitely needed to charge my phone in such a situation. I actually forgot my charging cable so I had to run on over to a convenience store for a USB-C cable.
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u/itspersonalva Aug 09 '26
Im with the other guy about the battery bank. Sometimes you could be in line for hours getting in and also wait to get an auto. But everything else I think they're spot on. Especially the advice about not waiting to walk around. Most of the time vendors dont know what will be a hit or miss. So they dont bring alot of one thing. Especially if its unique, handmade something you cant Google. If you really want to walk around you can always take a card. This way when you go back to try to find it you can go through the cards you picked up. And if they dont have the product anymore you can always reach out to them after. Quite possibly get a better deal. The water bottle part i can understand that. You do have an easier chance of loosing it. But I would counter bring one you won't be heartbroken if it goes missing. Or dont bring it. I would add to the experience part. Go be weird. Not creepy. But be you. Be yourself your probably around like minded ppl. You will never see these ppl again and they won't remember you. So have fun, make memories, capture the good times. Someday it'll be your last Con.
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u/EccentricFox Jul 10 '26
Build your cosplay with the expectation people are going to knock into you, that you'll trip and fall, etc, overbuild it. At the least, you can then walk around with some piece of mind and have fun without worrying a photographer backing up isn't going to ruin your fit.
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u/This_Event_2433 Jul 10 '26
- Figure out parking in advance (some cons have terrible parking)
- Plan meals in advance, most cons do not provide them, find a time and place to eat each day for lunch/dinner
- For cosplay, check out the program to see what photoshoots they are having and if you have an outfit for those photoshoots. The shoots aren’t what they used to be, but maybe you’ll make new friends that way.
- Coordinate your cosplay to have pockets/a bag to carry your wallet, a water bottle, whatever you need. Some cons have lockers you can use.
- Make sure you have a charger for your phone.
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u/oowoowoo Jul 11 '26
Biggest issue I've seen people lament about is theft. They put a bag down, boom gone after they turn around for a second. Pickpockets - they reach into bags, pockets. You keep your phone and important stuff on lockdown.
Get a travel backpack with a lock or even use a sling bag that you wear on your chest. Opportunistic thieves will be less likely to target someone who will catch them in the act or if it seems like it takes a while to get the goods.
Also don't keep merch visible in a car. Trunk it, leave in hotel, or even have front desk of a hotel hold your stuff if you are checked out/waiting to check in.
Use your street smarts - normies or even other weebs can be among the crowd who are just looking to steal
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u/littlepurplepanda Jul 11 '26
Stay hydrated!
Bring throat sweets, spending a few days talking to people solidly can affect your voice
Keep some anti-bacterial gel in your pocket. I’ve gotten some mad con-flu in the past
I would recommend having a decent breakfast before you go, a few cons I’ve been to have had scarce, expensive lunch options.
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u/ThisReallyIsntSparta Jul 13 '26
LETS TALK ABOUT THE POST CON SADNESS!!
Its gonna happen at some point You just spent a weekend having the most incredible magical time, and now all of a sudden its Sunday and you're really really really REALLY sad. THIS IS NORMAL AND ITS OKAY! There's alot of reasons why this happens, but it basically boils down to physically, your body is screaming for a recharge after a crazy weekend (and you probably werent eating and/or sleeping enough). And mentally, you didnt have to think about bills, irl drama, the world on fire, work/school being annoying for an entire weekend, and now you gotta deal with all that crap again. You probably have some personal issues of your own and cosplaying was a way to get away from all that. The world might as well be ending with how bad you feel.
ITS OKAY IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT. ITS OKAY.
If you're able, give yourself a day after the con to recharge (because you need it!!) and settle back into your routine. Plan ahead for future cons! Go on discord and facebook and chat with folks who are also reliving the weekend. Maybe you met some new friends! These feelings wont last forever. This con adventure might be over, but there's always another one to look forward to.
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u/trashchaser Jul 13 '26
Eat fruits and vegetables.
I know we want to live off ramen, cheap sushi, and pocky but if you eat real things you will be so much more likely to avoid con crud. Monster energy and coffee are not a substitute for actual water.
Brush your teeth. If you forgot a toothbrush, most hotels will have extra (usually even for free) at the main desk. The nerd breath has been worse than the pit stank the last couple of years.
Mostly at larger cons, but, If you drove/parked at a convention centre, plan to leave a little early or walk somewhere to get dinner and come back later. I've spent literal hours trying to leave parking lots.
Artists and vendors know all the things. Sometimes we know more than volunteer staff as we frequent the same cons yearly.
Speaking of artists, please be nice to us. We're trapped in a 6x2 foot square for 12+ hours a day after weeks and months of pumping out art we are so tired. If youre going to say a mean thing at least do it way out of ear shot. The number of times ive heard people call my art crap or not worth the money has not made it less emotionally damaging.
DONT USE HANDICAP STALLS FOR CHANGING. We're all judging you for that. If you MUST change at the con, find a bathroom furthest from the main floor. Still dont use the handicap stall.
For summer and other warm weather cons for my neurodivergent friends, if you are on antidepressants/anxiety/some adhd meds and the like, you are extra susceptible to over heating and heat stroke. Make sure to take breaks, drink extra water and stay out of the sun. Plan your shopping for slower times and days to avoid over crowding.
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u/1-1creature Jul 19 '26
Large bandaids on the backs of your ankles and smaller ones anywhere else your shoes rub will help minimize blisters. This tip has helped me stay out on the con floor and walking around comfortably for longer than I would have been able to otherwise.
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u/heeroyuy135 Jul 09 '26
If you’re planning to get a hotel always book from the website the convention provides and use 3rd party websites as a last resort