When I attended Heroes & Villains Fanfest in San Jose, I was struck by how many people said it was their first con. During one of the panels (I can’t remember whose, but the panel was packed) we were asked to raise our hands if it was the first time you had attended a con, and probably 65% of the audience, at least, raised their hands.
So I thought I would put some info out there for anyone attending a future HVFF, or any con, really. There is a section of general con tips, and then my guesses at what HVFF NY/NJ will be like, having attended SJ.
–You will not eat full meals. You’ll be too busy and too excited to want to stop for a real meal most of the time–and the prices in the convention center tend to be just this side of astronomical. So bring your own snacks and a water bottle.
–You will drink more alcohol than normal. This is especially true if you go to the Nocking Point party, but any con I’ve ever gone to, I’ve had more drinks than I normally do.
–You will not get a lot of sleep. You’ll be too excited to sleep! You’ll have so many friends that you’ll want to talk to. Try and get a little extra sleep in the days leading up to HVFF.
–Your feet will hurt. There is a LOT of standing in lines. And that hurts. So test-drive your shoes: put on the shoes you were planning to wear and stand in them for ten minutes, in the same place. If you feel like Anderson’s Little Mermaid–like there’s a knife stabbing into each foot–by the end of the ten minutes, try a different pair.
–You will spend more money than you thought you would. There’s so much to buy! Autographs, photo ops–and then there’s all the swag in the vendor area! If money is tight, plan ahead as much as possible and prioritize what’s most important to you. If money is no object, bring an extra bag in your suitcase for carting home your goodies, or do a Google in advance to find a post office or Fed Ex location near your hotel to ship your items home.
–You will skip events you wanted to attend. You plan out the perfect schedule, but then you get to the convention center and you’re tired. Or you meet someone and you just click and you want to keep talking to them. Or you are just tired of OMG ALL THE PEOPLE and need to go take a nap. Go with your instincts. There are plenty of people attending the con, and they’ll be reporting online about what happens, taking video, and helping anyone who wasn’t there feel like they’re getting the inside scoop. Just because you’re at the con doesn’t mean you have to do everything.
–You will feel a wee bit crazy. You’re sleep-deprived, hungry, exhausted, hungover and surrounded by people. If you don’t feel crazy at some point during the weekend, you are really well-adjusted. :-) Seriously, take care of yourself. If you’re an introvert like me, take a break during the weekend to be alone and recharge. Make sure you drink water and stay hydrated. Sit down when you get the chance. Do whatever you need to do to prevent a hangry attack or melting down.
–Open panel area. In San Jose, the panels were held at one end of the con floor. Autograph booths ran along the back wall, the vendor area was in the middle and front, and then the photo ops area was on the other end of the floor. The nice thing about this setup was that even if you didn’t get a seat in the panel area, you could still see and hear the panel by standing to the side or in the back, thanks to the mikes and the big video screens. I don’t know if a similar setup will happen in NY, but if it does, take advantage of it! The lines for panels got super-long, and if you’re like me and don’t always like waiting in lines especially for an event you’re only marginally interested in, then just hang off to the side and watch.
–Autographs vs. Photo Ops. I am a big proponent of autographs over photo ops. In a photo op, you have NO TIME to interact with the celebrity. You can’t give them a gift and you can barely say hi. With getting an autograph, though, there’s time for conversation. You can give the celebrity a gift. You can ask them questions. Some celebrities will even let you take a selfie together for a much more nominal fee than the photo op. The best part of all? Autographs are pretty much always cheaper than photo ops.
–Getting Around. I’m going to put this bit in bold: THE MEADOWLANDS EXPOSITION CENTER IS FOUR MILES FROM THE MEADOWLANDS SPORTS COMPLEX. So please don’t take a bus or train that’s going to drop you off by Met Life Stadium or just “the Meadowlands”. If you’re staying anywhere other than one of the hotels surrounding the Meadowlands Exposition Center, what looks to be your best transportation option is the NJ Transit #320 Bus from Port Authority. (Timetable) This bus takes about fifteen minutes to get from Port Authority to the Exposition Center, it costs $4.25 one-way, and it runs on Saturdays from 7am to 2am and Sundays from 7:35am to 1am. Of course there’s always taxis or Uber, but if you’re like me and looking to save a buck, this bus should be a great option.
If you have further questions, feel free to send me a Tumblr Message. Or make a post and mention me in it, and I’ll reblog with an answer or to give you a signal boost if I don’t know the answer. I’m looking forward to seeing you at HVFF and I hope these tips are useful for any con you attend!
@rillacuthbert @laurawritesabout
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