Convention Chat

I'm super-excited to be going to Banzai, but a little sad it's the only convention I've ever attended. All other furry and anime cons are too expensive or too far away.~
So it's time to live through you guys! Got any good con stories? Which conventions are better than others? Any cautionary tales of what not to forget when going to a convention?

Interestingly enough, the only convention I've been to was with you. >_>

*laugh* That's right, "Fanboy Beater!" ^^

You know, I still think I've got that entire get up in storage at my parents' house.

Ok, here's my list of con's I've attended.

Anime Central in Chicago was actually my first con ever and it set a REALLY high bar. Of course that was back in 2001/2002 when anime was making a major splash and it's kind of calmed down in the last 5-7 years (not to mention gotten flooded by stuff like Naruto *shudder*).

Valley Con in Fargo, ND is a pretty small and primarily local sci-fi/fantasy convention and, sadly, after experiencing A-Cen, just wasn't that great.

Anime Detour in the Twin Cities wasn't as big as A-Cen but it was easily as much fun. This was also the first time I'd ever run into some fur-suiters. They were cool and they had a nice dealer room.

Last, but decidedly not least, is ComiCon San Diego. Oh GODS YES!!! Worth the trip. SO WORTH THE TRIP!!! I haven't the words to describe. Icing on that ginormous cake though has got to be finding out I had brushed elbows with Adam Savage. Though I didn't know it at the time because he was in a filmstage accurate Hellboy costume. And I was passed in the hall by Jamie Hyneman. I'd have fallen to the floor and frothed all over his shoes, but the half dozen security escorts were a bit of a deterrent.

As for what to bring: There's the obvious 'bar of soap'. Granted it's been worked into the ground to the point of being a joke, but bathing is NEVER over rated, especially when dealing with large crouds of people. Not just for their comfort but also your general health. 'Con crud' is a very real phenomenon as the large groups of people tend to share large numbers of microbes. In that same vein don't forget the alcohol swabs/hand wipes and a bottle of bactine.

Next, a camera is essential. A poloroid if you have one is even better as you then have a picture for autographs. On that same note, keep up on the Guests of Honor, VIPs and who is going to be occupying the dealer room and artist alley.

As for rooming/travel, finding room mates is essential for keeping costs under control. Most con hotels will overlook a few extra people in the room. For example, my first stay at A-Cen, I was one of six people in the room. Same with travel. If you're doing the road-trip thing, do it with friends to both split travel costs and have relief drivers.