Vision of Anime

Hey everyone... with ACEN less then 3 days away I was wondering if some of our more experienced con goers would drop a few tips for anyone new. Perhapse something to see at ACEN or something to bring to a con in general.

So what is one tip you wish you had known at your first con?

I know you only want one tip but I'm gonna give you a few.

-Make a check list for yourself of everything you think you'll need.
-Water bottles. You get surprisingly thirsty just walking around all day and if you're like me you drink quite a bit at cons and water helps avoid nasty hangovers.
-If you use any electronics bring extra batteries. Make sure you bring your charging cables for things like your DS as well. Write it on your list in two separate places so you double check!
-Condoms. Better safe than sorry.
-I usually bring a cooler of sandwich supplies. Between rushing to-and-from panels, shoots, etc it's important to eat.
-Film/SD Cards for your camera. Always bring extra. Always!

This is all that I can think of for now.

Have fun!

It's also expensive to eat in Chicago. So bring a list of places that do carryout closest to your hotel. Also breakfast bars are light weight wise, inexpensive and won't spoil. If you decide to hike it to pick your food up, the bridge looks scary at night but there are police patroling. McDonalds is up the street and around the corner is a nice takeout place for subs.

Pack your sodas, fruit and bottled water. These are some of the things that hotels rip you off on.

The eatery inside the convention center (not the rip off stands) closes at 4 PM I think. You might want to remember that.

If you are running late and have to fax or copy something, go to the FedEx located inside the Hyatt. Anyone can use it for a fee. Your second option for copying is inside the convention center.

Parking can be a sticker shock. You might want to ask your hotel how much you are going to be charged before you go down and plan alternate parking if it's too expensive.

**Do your comparison shopping online before going to the con and attempt to bargain the dealer down. Look here for details. (Cons can't beat studio sales so you definitely may want to find out which studio is having what sale on what site before going down. For example, this one here.) Also, a "How to Identify Bootlegs" FAQ can be found here.**


Cathy