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 The 41st annual San Diego Comic-Con came and went at the end of July and as usual, it was a massive success. The event was completely sold out months before and the exhibit halls and conference rooms were teaming with exhibitors, artists, vendors, marketers, and fans. The convention, spread across four days at the San Diego Convention Center and now the adjacent hotels, consists of seminars, panels, workshops, autograph signings and other events related to what are known as the popular arts.
With so many events going on at once, throngs of people cram the halls and ballrooms. And next year’s convention looks like it’s going to be the same thing, only bigger. It’s never too early to get a jump on Comic-Con. In this Tech Tip I’ll tell you how to get the most out of next year’s show.
Plan Early!
 Set your plan of attack and do it early! The most cost-effective way to see it all is to get the 4-day pass so you have ample time throughout the entire convention to see everything and go back to revisit new discoveries. Get your plans in order as soon as you can, because the 4-day passes sold out after only 73 days, and each year they sell out earlier and earlier. Single-day passes were still available, but without the schedule being available due to it still being months before the event, it became difficult to know what you were getting if you only picked one day. I heartily recommend going multiple days whenever possible. There’s so much happening, it’s hard to see even part of what the convention has to offer without feeling rushed if you only go one day.
 This year, the convention organizers put an online schedule up that you could customize for yourself, and it became an invaluable tool for keeping track of where you needed to be and when. Choose your events first and make sure you have enough time between them to account for lines, and use long gaps in free time to browse the exhibit hall floor. With so many people it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so try to take it on in “sips” - just a little bit at a time.
Transportation
Figure out how you’re going to get into downtown. If you’re lucky enough to be staying in one of the nearby hotels, you’re in luck; almost everything is within walking distance of the convention center. If you’re somewhere else, a cab ride into downtown or to a nearby trolley station is a good way to go.
 The nearby Gaslamp Quarter’s trolley stop makes a convenient way to get to the convention center itself, but it’s usually overrun with people, so walking a few stops west to the Convention Center and Seaport Village stops is a good way to skip the hassle of trying to cram onto a train with everyone else who is spilling out of the convention. If you’re going by car, prepare to pay exorbitant parking fees, that is after you’ve battled the traffic to find a place.
Gear up!
 If you’re not wearing a costume, wear the most comfortable clothes you can. Wear comfortable shoes because, as I mentioned, you’ll be doing a lot of walking. Bring supplies! A few bottles of water and any snacks you like can save your day. To get into panels and seminars, you’ll usually be waiting in lines, so staying in place and avoiding the convention center cafeteria food is a huge plus.
For your mobile devices, you’re not going to be able to rely on cellphone reception because there’s just too many people there, all with mobile devices just like yours, so connections will be spotty. If you can, bring extra batteries for digital cameras or laptops, or bring your wall charger. The convention center has power outlets available if you need a quick zap.
Eat out!
As I mentioned before, the adjacent Gaslamp Quarter is right across the street from the Convention Center, and its many restaurants and bars make a great places to grab a bite to eat and get away from the madness inside the convention hall. This year, I saw many places offering discounts and specials for Comic-con visitors and the whole Quarter looked like it was booming, so I imagine next year there will be more of the same.
Be Patient!
With upwards of 125,000 people in one place, the Convention Center is very crowded for the entire four days of the convention, to say the very least. With so many people comes a lot of waiting. If you want to get into a certain panel, be prepared to get there early and if you can, sit through the panel taking place prior to the one you’re there to see. Ballrooms and conference rooms are not cleared between panels, so you could camp out all day in any given room, but once you exit, you’ll have to wait in line again. This is where your supplies come in handy!
Comic-con International, the event’s organizer, is still recovering from the past event, so the website has not been updated for next year, but if you go to comic-con.org, there are a number of ways to follow up on when next year’s passes go up for sale. See you there! |
