Whether you attended Comic-Con for the first time or for the 10th, there are always lessons learned for next time. You might have learned to get into line earlier, wearing different shoes, or planning out your schedule differently. Unless you are a Time-Lord, all we can do is take note and remember it for the next Con. Thanks to Twitter, we can now here from the collective wisdom of all fans. So here are some of the lessons you learned for Comic-Con 2013:
- “Get a hotel thats near the convention or at least near shuttle We were so far away from anywhere we relied on taxis :(”
@MrKickassmoves - “Make sure to get the pre paid prking close to the con and/or get a hotel next door”
@Joyful_314 - “Constantly check twitter for line updates”
@mmflood - “Be sure to incorporate shuttle drive time into your arrival time for panels.”
@VegasN8iv - “Bring safety pins. WB bags rips easily.”
@cstrife77 - “Bring two pairs of sneakers, at least.”
@omaryanez - “Bringing an ice chest for the hotel saved us $ on breakfast/lunch. Even w/eating out for every dinner we spent $200 less.”
@LadyAdeena - “Be there early. Get there no later than 6 am.”
@TrulyGloria - “Bring back up cameras.”
@mmflood - “Sensible and comfortable shoes is a really good ”
@d2001hDennis - “Before lining up & potentially wasting time, make sure you know what the line is for by simply asking! :)”
@theladida - “Limit the panels, not spend so much time in lines.”
@jcad6169 - “Bring a nice compact sleeping bag for line camping. 🙂 Camping is the new early.”
@eggplantpit - “If you are lining up at 5:00AM bring one of those fold up camping chairs. 6 hours sitting on concrete sux.”
@4fullcreativity - “Snacks and drinks for the days! and dress light, no excess in the bags either”
@Jahilianaire - “Have one “quiet” stay-in-hotel night. Partying / drinking four straight nights is brutal.”
@accelerate - “Lessons for sdcc 2013- take several spare batteries for your cell phone.”
@darth_stinji - “Five minutes can make a difference between #200 in line to #2000 in line.”
@NerdyCruz - “Pack less stuff, get a smartphone (i think i was the only person without one), go with a friend who cares about panels ”
@Violet_Lunchell - “Try 4 more meet’n’greets, every1 else will b in line for hall h or ballroom 20”
@bluinari - “Tip for service. The staff will hook u up & appreciate it a lot.”
@Djewel710 - “Double up in that vitamin C. It helps”
@JediBananas - “I might consider taking the trolley into downtown. No more of that $25 for parking”
@4fullcreativity - “Hit more after parties and nerd HQ more”
@jetta528 - “Having a lot of friends there makes it infinitely more fun!’
@joits - “Drink more water and bring the hoodie.”
@MGShogun - “Get there even earlier in the AM (parking pass FTW), continue to see fewer HH/B20 panels, bring iPad instead of netbook.”
@tmvogel
Crazy 4 Comic Con 
Great tips. I really, really hate that camping is “the new early.” It really takes the fun out of things. This was my first Con and it was such a disappointment — I’m simply not willing to sleep outside on a sidewalk overnight. That is just crazy. Can anything be done about that? Seems like it’s really violating the spirit of Comic-Con.
Yea, I can understand that this can be frustrating to a first timer. Unfortunately, I think this is the new reality to Comic-Con. Especially since so many celebrities made appearances to fans in line. Comic-Con is turning into a 24 hour event! I hope you can just make the best of it. Thanks for commenting!
Great tips! Here are some of mine: There is a lot of walking and/or standing at SDCC. Having running shoes instead sneakers and better socks, I got blisters for the second straight year 😦 . The one thing that always happens is burnout and all your plans for the day go out the window. Meet ups really need to be planned , you can never meet anyone without a plan or constant contact via texting or Twitter.
By alternating shoes/sole inserts I was able to avoid the blisters for the first time ever! Thanks for commenting!
Even the celebrities will not get me to camp out for a panel. Maybe because I am a local and I work full time ( i take days off for the Con) but my time is far too precious to me to sit in line overnight especially when I live near by. Plus sometimes its better to skip out on the camping, twihards sat in line for days to go to the thursday panel just for a glimpse of the stars, but I got a ticket for the twilight cast signing on accident just by walking by the booth thursday morning. I thought it was for free shirts so was surprised when I saw that I had a signing ticket. I hate twilight so I gave my ticket to a dad of a 16 year old twihard. Sometimes there are better benefits by skipping the panels and watching the feed later. But I do agree with the folding chair if you are going to go early. We had to get there at 5am on saturday to get a wristband to buy something. Lucked out though because we got what we wanted to buy and I got to go to a meet and greet for once upon a time (they were doing the wristband raffle at the front of the exhibition line). Another tip I would give is go to smaller panels. We decided to randomly go to a panel for the hub (cartoon network) and not only did I find new shows to watch but the original Tron and Elijah Wood were there for my last panel and I was in 2nd row (much closer than you can get in hall h or ballroom 20).
What was the deal with the bags this year? The 2011 bags could be backpacks and were short people friendly. The 2012 bags just had that one non-adjustable strap. Felt like a munchkin with that thing.
Yea, I like the convertible model too. WB just likes to change it up every other year. I bet the one you like will return next year.
I’m curious for which panels everyone thought camping was totally necessary? We camped for HH sunday but probably didn’t really HAVE to. I think if we got there about 4am we could have made it in. Also got in line about 4am and made it into B20 for Community/Korra/Firefly easily.
I got into the HH Sunday at 4:15am and was just fine, When they compressed the line I was in the second set of tents. I started off at the metal trees in front of the Hilton Bay Front
Yea, if you are by the water, then once the line compresses, you will end up under the tents. It always looks 5 times worst in the early hours.
I don’t think total overnight camping was necessary since I talked to most people who got into line around 3-4am for H or 20 seemed fine. Friday and Saturday were the worst- Sunday wasn’t too bad. It might not have been necessary to be there all night but it will probably turn into that by the next couple of years.
More so than the camping out, I became so frustrated at the amount of time that had to be sacrificed to obtain any of the popular exclusives. And then to finally get close to the front of the line only to be told they were sold out. One easy way to try to alleviate this would be for the companies (yeah, Mattel, I’m talking to YOU!) To not allow each person to purchase SIX of each item!!! I found that to be a ridiculous amount. Who needs 6 of the same thing? Ebay scalpers, that’s who!
I like what a couple booths did which was give out wristbands when the floor opened for the day that had a specific time for you to get in line. If you had a wristband you were guaranteed an exclusive that day since they typically gave or tried to give one wristband per person. yeah you have to get in line for the floor early in the morning but you would be in line max 5-10 mins and get to enjoy the con
Granted I’ve only been doing SDCC for like six years I think but this was my worst year for H, ever. It compelled me to create this! http://www.facebook.com/groups/464442283579815/
First time at the Con, and I’m glad I did all the planning and research beforehand! The only I think I regret is staying so far away from the convention – got a great deal at a hostel, but transit was terrible and didn’t run on weekends, spend waay too much on cabs. Next year I’m springing for a room close by so I can hit up after-parties and get into Hall H early.
Yea, getting a hotel near the convention center or Gaslamp is key to maximizing your time. It’s worth paying extra when you consider how much time is loss trying to get into the city. Best of luck for you next year.
There is a Hostel downtown Gaslamp district
Phone: 619-525-1531
Fax: 619-338-0129
Email: downtown@sandiegohostels.org
Street Address:
521 Market St.
San Diego, CA 92101
How hot is it in San Diego during the Comic Con? Are you going to be covered in sweat, or can you comfortably wear jeans and stay dry? I went to Dragon Con one year, and was covered in sweat the whole time, my hair looked like a mess. Though I know it gets hot in Atlanta in the summer, plus how you have to walk around outside the whole time. I know the San Diego Comic Con is all indoors.
And are there any good small storage units there close in San Diego on the trolly route? I have to go cheap, so will be staying in a super cheap hotel that is close enough to get on a trolly, but don’t want to leave valuables in a crappy hotel room all day, i.e. laptop. So was thinking of renting a small storage unit for the week that would fit the laptop so I can drop it off and pick it up on the way back to and from the hotel. Maybe even just a bit bigger to leave my suitcase. I figured that would be safer than leaving it in a super cheap hotel.
Jason
Jeans are ok, I’m been going to SDCC off and on the last 30 years and it’s never gotten that hot and sticky at the same time. 2006 was hot , but not muggy. The last few years have been cool, but you are going to do a lot of walking.Don’t know of any storage lockers, I tried finding any info about lockers at the train station or at the bus station no luck there.
Jim
I looked around and found there are some regular storage type places. I’ll probably find one near the trolly route and store my luggage and valuables.
It’s good to hear the SDCC isn’t too hot.
I don’t think I’ll go back to Dragoncon. They’ve got it spread out across three different hotels that are several blocks apart. So I barely could figure what panels were in what hotel and all that walking outside there in the heat meant you looked like you had been jogging or something and covered in sweat.
It just depends. Generally, the weather is beautiful in SD during the summers. Shorts and T-shirt is usually fine. However, some of the programming rooms like the mighty Hall H can get chilly- so I usually bring a long sleeve tee or sweatshirt. A hat is also good if you end up standing outside for long period of time.
In regards to valuable baggage, you can always check it at the concierge of a hotel across the street. They don’t check if you were staying at that hotel. The convention center also has a baggage check. But either way, it’s a risk if you have valuables. If you are driving in, you can park your car downtown and put your valuables in the trunk.
Thanks for your question and I hope it helps.
What online clock do I need to go by for badge day? I know seconds count so I figured I’d use the same clock that SDCC is going by.
The clock on your computer should be fine since you are connected to the internet.
Where can I advertise my one-bedroom resort condo (sleeps 4) that is 1.4 miles from the Convention available July 14-21?
Um, online service I guess. Or through Twitter. I’m sure if its a good price you should have no problem renting it.
Instead of packing a heavy or bulky wallet…invest in a business card carrier! Room for cards & Cash! Much lighter, compact…can fit in pocket & quicker to pull out! 🙂