The journey to Otakon 2008 – Are you ready? Here are some tips for n00bs.

It’s about 6:30 am and this is the earilest I have done a blog entry so far. Some of you con goers are already (!) in Baltimore ready to scope out that huge BCC that soon will be filled with otaku goodness and many of you are already in the process of traveling to the Inner Harbor by car, bus, train airplane or boat. What we all should be aware of is that we are united despite our differences in Anime/Manga/Gaming/Cosplay/whatever. I have been going to Otakon since 2005. While that doesn’t make me a expert in the subject (Some have been going to this event when it was barely 300 strong in a sleepy college town in PA!), I know a few things about the BCC and the con in general. Here are a few tips I have for newcomers.

1. Plan accordingly - The BCC is a HUGE convention center. One of the biggest on the East Coast. Once you get your map when you pick up your membership badge, take a good look at it. An event that you want to attend may be all the way on the other side of the building. With 4 floors, it can take a while to traverse the BCC and it will take longer when you add a crowd, cosplayers and people taking pics of cosplayers in the middle of the hallway (don’t do that).
2. Things are subject to change – Don’t be surprised if at least one of your panels is moved or canceled altogether. At the last minute, they changed the 2007 4chan panel to 18+ (underage B&) and EVERYONE on line had to go back to registration on the 2nd floor in order to get wristbands.
3. Take the time to take a break and SLEEP – I’m shocked that a lot of folks don’t take this advice. Chances are you are going to be on your feet all day. Take a stroll to the Inner Harbor to eat or go back to your hotel to cool off in the pool. Also, please SLEEP. I keep hearing stories about idiots who want to stay up the entire time of the con. DON’T DO THIS. Sleep deprivation is NOT GOOD. Having no hotel room is no excuse. If you haven’t gotten a hotel room by now, you probably should not even consider going to this convention center.
4. Get on line early for the major events – Many of the concerts, the AMV contest, much of the 18+ panels (Hentai and Yaoi…sadly for the latter.) the Masquerade, Autographs and even some fan panels will often fill up to capacity. I wouldn’t worry much about the concerts since they will be held across the street at 1st Mariner Arena this year, but it wouldn’t hurt to show up early.
5. PERSONAL HYGIENE – I put that in caps for a reason. Please for the good of humanity, shower and brush your teeth. This holds true for gamers who for some odd reason tend to sweat a lot.
6. It is not necessary to wait on certain lines – Showing up early for the Thursday pre-reg will not only make the staff grumpy, you will also look like a complete dork for doing so. This line moves pretty quick, so make this time productive by eating with your crew, shopping and checking out the sites. Honestly, there are a lot of cool things to do in the Inner Harbor. Even doing nothing is fine. On Friday, the dealers room will open usually midday. DO NOT WAIT ON THAT LINE. Unless you are 100% certain that your super duper ultra limited Final Fantasy figure is going to be on sale by a particular dealer, DO NOT WAIT ON THAT LINE. JUST DON’T.
7. Leave your signs and Yaoi paddles at home! – Attention whores take notice. Back in 2006, signs were banned at Otakon (cosplay specific signs are still OK) and this year the wildy Yaoi and Yuri paddles are (finally!) banned. You see, a lot of people (mainly crazed fangirls) kept smacking people on the ass with those things. Of course having an unsoliciated smack with a wooden paddle on your buttocks is not pleasant. People complained about it and thankfully there are no more paddles. And nothing of value was lost.
8. Respect people’s personal space! - I don’t get the act of “glomping”. Apparently, the ideal is of suddenly tackling someone with a hug is a time honored tradition at cons. Please don’t fall in some guys/girls lap without consent. Personally I would feel violated if someone lays a finger on me, but that’s how I function.
9. Bring your camera! – No matter if it’s taking pictures of your friends, panels or cosplayers, you will find a lot of opportunities to be a shutterbug. Yours truly will be taking a lot of photos this weekend and many others will join me as well. Some are pretty serious at it, but don’t be intimidated by the pros. Remember there is this modern invention called the “Digital Camera”. It allows to take pictures and you can view them right after you take them! You can also delete images you don’t like. Even if you are poor, you can still get one for cheap from your local drug store now. There is no need to go for film unless you’re one of those people who think film resolution is better and the composition shows up better or some pretentious sounding crap.
10. Get money out NOW! – ATMs are going to be out of money come Friday afternoon. As a matter of a fact, by going to your local bank, you will avoid ATM fees.

As always, check out the latest information on the official Otakon webiste. There is also a section near registration that will tell you about any last minute changes or additions to the schedule. That is all for now. I will write up another blog post before I get out of dodge.