This year I had the opportunity to attend Dragon-Con (D*C), one of the largest comic/sci-fi/fantasy cons in the united states. It takes place every year on labor day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. I have wanted to attend for several years, but the timing or the cost (or both) always got the best of me. This year I finally made my way out and attended my very first D*C.
D*C is big. I’ve been attending fan cons for over 10 years and I’ve attended some pretty big ones. I thought I knew how to handle myself at any con. D*C is not just any con, it is a unique experience all on it’s own. I learned a lot about this event in my first year attending but there are definitely things I wish someone had told me before going. Here are my pointers for any D*C virgin out there looking to attend:
- You can’t see everything: It’s too big. Just accept it right now, you can’t see it all…well in one year at least.
- Look the schedule over in advance, pick things you want to attend but don’t make any serious plans on attending them: With the massive amounts of people moving between the 5 host hotels it can take you 15-30 minutes in peek traffic just to get from one end of the Hyatt to the Hilton. If you happen to be in the area and a panel you want to see is happening soon then drop on by, but don’t try to get from a panel in the Westin to a panel in the Marriott.
- For panels that you absolutely want to attend, plan to get there early and stay late: There are bound to be some guests or speakers you really don’t want to miss. Make sure you get to these early and don’t try to make other plans that occur around this time. Dedicate an extra hour on top of the time needed for the panel itself.
- Plan downtime: You will be exposed to A LOT of people. plan yourself some down time to rest and recharge. You can take a mid afternoon nap, spend one night staying in instead of hitting the party, whatever is best for you personally.
- Either plan to cosplay or plan to go to panels, don’t try to go to panels in cosplay: Of course there are exceptions, some costumes are very comfortable and won’t cause much stress but one of my biggest lessons at D*C was that I should never have planned on wearing the number of costumes I did. Another great thing is that people will cosplay and hang out late into the night so you can attend plenty of panels in civilians and don your cosplay best at night.
- The Marriott is the center of the universe: This is where the party happens, 2-3 floors of this hotel are packed to the brim pretty much from noon till midnight. This is where you will see most of the big and impressive costumes and the most people.
This convention is not for the faint of heart. It’s sensory overload for four days solid. I’ll be very honest and say that after a particularly stressful Saturday I was not sure I belonged at Dragon Con, but Sunday was a day that I had planned a very simple costume and went at a much more relaxed pace and it made the convention much more enjoyable. If I have one overarching pice of advice it is to pace yourself. You have 4 days to soak up what I am fairly certain is the biggest nerd fest on the planet. If you are considering attending in 2015 you better get one it, the Marriott hotel block opens on October 8th! (all other host hotels are already sold out)