top ten?

[arc_knight]

if there were ten things you could warn a future congoer about in terms of what to bring, things to remember, things to avoid ect... what would they be?

[Negima]

1. Wear Deodorent (for you and everyone around you)

2. Bring some sort of food with you that won't spoil.  Also remember that you're going to eat it so you won't have to worry about space when you head back home.

3. Coffee makers in the hotel make an excellent water heater for instant ramen.

4. Bring along a small bag you can easliy fold up in the event you buy more swag than you expected and ran out of room.

5. Try to guess how much you'll spend ahead of time and assume that's the minimum you'll spend.

6. Try out your costume ahead of time to make sure everything is okay and not inconvenient for you.

7. You don't need to pack much else other than costume(s), some of the things mentioned above, and maybe a few other things.  Chances are you're going to be too busy at the con to do anything else.

8. Try to find out when you need to check out of the hotel so they don't charge you extra.  Also, see if they will extend the time when you can check out.  A lot of places I've been to does this.

9. Give Negima money (figured it was worth a try and I couldn't think of 10)

10. Double-check with the hotel  a day or two before to make sure you still have a reservation.

[sassy_lassy]

1. Make sure you have pockets (...so many things to steal.... I mean! money, keep your money somewhere!)

2. Waterbottles. They are really handy to have on hand, especially when you are about to die of dehydration and find that the waterbottles in the hotel room cost 4 $ each -_-'

3. Casual clothes as well as cosplay (you know... in case you have to go somewhere normal like...)

4. *see Negima #1*

5. Communication device (walkie-talkie, cellphone, so on.) In case you are with a group and get seperated.

6. Camera! (for the love of god, I have forgotten my camera for the last 3 conventions! I swear I won't the next one!)

7. Small notebook/writing utensil. (In case you want that sexy geisha's email *winks*)

8. Comfy Shoes... (again with the casual... but I can't stress how much a pair of sneakers are good to have around)

9. A friend. (Conventions are almost always better when you're with a friend.)

10. Good behaviour. (To make the convention the best for everyone. and by this I mean general social manners that you're suppose to have anyways...)

[arc_knight]

awesome stuff, anyone else got stuff?

so far deoderant is the number one thing to bring....

[superjaz]

bring sensible shoes after a moring in high platform lulu shoes i had to sandles or not walk the rest of the con, so rember pick shoe you can stand warein all day 3 days and suitble for ddr of course

[TomtheFanboy]

No particular order.

1. Hide money in various places in your luggage. As you spend it you'll frantically search for more and when you find a dollar you'll run to the vendors and spend it, you won't get back to the room unitl later so the rest of the cash will be safe.

2. Bring at least one extra outfit. This is socks, underwear, shirt and shorts, and even shoes if you can afford it. Not costumes, clothes. You never know when something will happen and you'll have shoes full of 70 degree mocchi.

3. Build a toilet kit and put it in a ziplock bag. Those of you that haven't traveled may not even know what a toilet kit is. It's basically everything you need in your bathroom in the morning. Toothbrush and paste, deoderant, razors (which is why they're sometimes called shaving kits), some bandaids, some other pills you may need like pepto bismol or tylenol. It's great to not have to wander around trying to find a convenience store when you have a headache from Vash's elbow on the dance floor.

4. A small pen or sharpie. You will hear things, or meet people that you need to remember. Sure there's a section to write on in the booklet but what will you write with?

5. Pockets or purses. In costume or not make sure you have a way to carry stuff without bags. It's a huge benefit to have your hands free as much as possible. That way you can easily pick things up without stopping traffic.

6. A friend. As someone who travelled by greyhound bus to attend 4 days of the San Diego Comic-Con by himself, trust me on this. I'm not saying stay home, but if at all possible to drag a friend to even one day of the convention, do it. We dragged two of my friends to Saturday of Kumoricon this year and they stayed the rest of the weekend. Sharing  the con is great and if you do different things you get to swap stories right away!

7. Your own snacks. I was tempted to break this down into snacks and sodas but I re-wrote the next one for that. Having a couple of Costco sized boxes back in the room as a stockpile can save you lots of cash and allow you to eat without having to walk anywhere (save on time as well as foot stress!).

8. A waterbottle. Even if you don't drink much water ever, take that bottle of Pepsi you just finished and fill it up in the sink. It's better for you than another 1.75 bottle from the vending machine and it won't stain anyone's costume. Also hydrated congoers mean less problems for staff. Fainting sucks.

9. Clothes that allow you to sit on the floor. Sure, if you spent 200 dollars on a silk kimono you don't want to get it dirty, but there's going to be places at the convention where there will be standing room only, or no chairs, or a line for an hour in a hallway. Being able to go to the floor and get back up without a ladder is a huge advantage in mobility and speed.

10. ID from the DMV. You'll probably need identification to get in, but it's something you should have. Even if you're in Middle School and have a student ID, go get an ID card made. They do that you know, nothing to do with cars. It gives out a lot more information ina pinch than a student ID, and if you're a baby-faced senior in High School whose badge says Vash and ID says Steve, it can back up the fact that you should be let into the hentai panel.

So there you go. Stuff you might not have thought of.

[Kei-Kei]

10. Keep track of your stuff, like wallets, keys, phones ect. If you have a bag with you, don't set it down, try and keep it with you at all times. I know someone who had a bad experience with losing their bag on Sakuracon 2005.  He was able to get it back, but it did kinda ruin the weekend.

9. If you have more than two people attending with you, pick some place to meet up.

8. WATER

7. Weather appropriate clothing. If you're not cosplaying, its good to at least bring a jacket or something. God knows how unpredictable the weather can be in the Northwest...

6. Try to get at the least one good meal.

5. Courtesy.

4. Its always good to check the schedule in case something has changed so you don't miss anything.

3. Patience. Yeah, its hot, loud, and you've been in line for an hour or more. Getting angry with the staff and other congoers isn't going to make the wait go any faster.
 
And that's about where I'm tapped out. [/i]

[yukimizu]

It's great to not have to wander around trying to find a convenience store when you have a headache from Vash's elbow on the dance floor.

Did this happen to you?

1 ) Water is great but also bring along some salt tabs, to help retain the water you drink.

2 ) Emergency sewing kit,,this can include duct tape. XD

3 ) Easy to make foods, like ramen, sammiches, cereals, granola bars, etc..

4 ) a small ice chest to hold cold foods/drinks(milk,soda,water)

5 ) Make sure you have enough money!! I've shared rooms with people who say they'll be bringing enough to cover room/food/dealers room, and end up being broke by the first day. Set a little aside for the BIG expensed.

6 ) Cameras, film, batteries. I am really sad that I didn't get to take any pictures this last year, but next year I hope to be able to.

7 ) Video games/movies for after hours, so you're not entirely bored,, wandering around the hotel LOOKING for anything to do. lol

8 ) Manners! Nobody likes being trampled in the hallway because you're in a hurry to be first in line to events/panels. Please be respectful.

9 ) It's a good idea to READ the booklet they give you in your swagbag..^^;; I kinda..DIDN'T this last year and didn't know that you had to have a ticket to see the cosplay. :sob:

10 ) Friends! The more the merrier really works at cons.. For a fact..XD It's way more fun when you have more people involved.. Plus you have more motivation to move around and not hide in the corner(I am guilty of doing this at a few cons)

[superjaz]

feel free to talk to any one you meet rember we are the ones who also get the joke, like me, monguse chocolate bubble gum flav

[the_wind_the_sea]

Conventioning.... Where shall we begin.

10.) Stuff to clean yourself with. It sucks to be stinky at a con. Believe me, I've been conning for about five years now, and you need to stay clean.

9.) Food, water, snacks. It doesn't have to be much, just make sure you have something to eat so you don't nearly faint. I overloaded on protien sunday of Kumori-Con 05 and it wasn't fun.

8.) Comfy shoes. You'll need it. High heels aren't the best things to walk around in at a con. Especially when you're staff. @.@

7.) Extra cash or make a budget for each day. I usually bring 200 dollars, count on about 50 dollars towards a room, 50 for food, (Subway rocks,) and then 100 for other things. Of course, I always stash an extra ten dollars somewhere in my luggage.

6.) Clothes to go home in. You don't want to go home on the bus in costume. At least a pair of pants and socks. You can buy a shirt at the con.

5.) Extra space. God knows I don't do this. Every year I always get more than I have room for, and I'm stuff stuff into my bag, hoping nothing breaks.

4.) ID. Nothing is more important than this. It's hard to get into things when all you have is a school ID that doesn't tell much. Just go to the DMV and get a State ID. It makes life easy!

3.) Sewing kit, or a friend's mother that sews. Or just duct tape of all different colors. My Duo Maxwell jacket is held together by black duct tape.

2.) Leave the bitchy attitude at home. It doesn't help when you're in a bad mood, and the Staff is in a bad mood. It can cause an explosion of bad things. Unless you know the staff and have been attending the convention since it opened.... *looks around*

1.) Ways home. You never know if your ride home won't be able to take you, or something happens. Be sure to have a back up way home. If you get a ride from a friend, be sure that the same friend can drive you home. If not, get a Greyhound ticket. They save many conners lives.

That's about it from my list of conning things to bring and do...

[TomtheFanboy]

It's great to not have to wander around trying to find a convenience store when you have a headache from Vash's elbow on the dance floor.

Did this happen to you?

Luckily no, I don't dance much. I was just trying to use a character likely to be cosplayed by someonte tall and gangly.

[superjaz]

oh yeah go wanting to have fun and it will happen keep your spirts high and you'll find fun  be grummpy you wont

[Kyuubi]

These are in no paticular order -
1. If you are going to the game room, make sure you have your pass where they can see it. They won't let you in without it.

2. BEWARE OF THE GLOMP HALL

3. In conjunction with #2, make sure when glomping someone, don't glomp them into a wall.

4. Hug Me signs work.

5. Deoderant

6. Bring lots of money, you need to have a good amount of money if you want to buy the stuff you want.

7. if you are cosplaying as someone with a berifcade ((ie Roger Smith)) use that as a carry all for your merchandise and DON'T LET IT OUT OF YOUR SIGHT.

8, 9, and 10. See #5, #6. and #5

[Yuki-cyan77]

Hmmm...I'd say,

01) Photo ID w/birthdate on it!!!!  You'll need it to get your Con-pass...to get into things, and just incase you get stopped for "visually disturbing the peace."

02) Somewhere to stay...whatever that may be.  Make sure it'll work-out, if it's not located next to the Con, check your transportation to and back so you don't get stranded.

03) Have back-up plans or ideas for various situations...just to be on the safe side, you never know what'll pop-up.

04) Money...most dealers don't take cards. Cash is best, just in case you need it...always bring more than you intend to spend, because whatever you had in mind is just a minimum. Hide a $10 bill in your bag or costume, just incase you need it for emergency.

05) Pockets or a convinient bag that you can store everything in...if it's a bag, it should be roomy enough to hold things, but easily managable so you can take it on and off while people take your pictures.

06) FOOD!!! Edibles!!! If you're the type that can stand around thirsty, then just use the drinking fountains...if the Con have several.  If not, take a "disposable" water bottle...one less thing to lose.  Don't forget to eat, so you won't be able to dash to your events/panels.

07) Try out your costumes before hand...so you'll know if it'll with stand the whole day @ the con without it falling apart...leaving you in a sticky pose.

08) Sewing/repair kit for your costume...or someone who'll do it for you. Always good to have so you can repair things either on the spot or before the Con.

09) Leave the negative/bitchy attitude out-side of the Con...you can leave it in your hotel room, the bathroom, the car, just don't let it Spontaneously Combust @ the Con...staff and volunteers aren't always armed with super strong fire extinguishers. So don't be one of those people who either who adds oil to the flames...or is the bon-fire.

10) Camera...there'll be many costumes that you'll want to take picts of.

That's pretty much it....seems like an alright listy.