FanExpo Survival Guide

Fan Expo is here again, with the crowds, the dealers, the cosplayers, the crowds, the photographers, the crowds, the heat, the pretty girls, the dudes in capes, and of course, the crowds. The sweaty, sweaty crowds, with their grubby little protuberances, pulling at everything. So we thought we’d put together a little survival guide to help you survive the experience.

Money

Got money? Good, now go get more, because if you aren’t careful, it’s almost guaranteed you won’t have enough. Nobody wants to be the one who ran out of money the first day, and you really don’t want to have to line up for the ATM. Budget, budget, budget. Make sure to hunt for deals, you may find something you want much cheaper a few stalls over. Prices always hit rock bottom towards the end of the last day, try to hold out as long as you can. Always check everywhere before you start handing over money. And bring a backpack! Easier than lugging around a few dozen bags full of swag.

Food

There is no such thing as a con that sells food at reasonable prices. It doesn’t exist. Bring your own food, unless you’re rich enough to use a fifty as a tissue or you find a place closeby that has reasonable prices. And bring water. Fan Expo gets hot, especially if you’re in costume, so keep hydrated, unless you want to meet a nice doctor/nurse/first aid person. If that’s the case, knock yourself out. Possibly literally.

Costumes

For the cosplayers. You’ve made your costume, right? It looks great, and you’re really happy with it. And then, some idiot comes barrelling out of the crowds, slams into you, crushing your costume and costume related dreams. Rips, tears, funny stains, these are bad for normal clothes, and for costumes they could be disastrous. Bring sewing equipment, duct tape, hot glue, bottled blood of the innocent, whatever you may need in case you need to make quick repairs. Try to bring some detergent too, just in case.

For the non-cosplayers, don’t be a creep. If you see a cosplayer or a costume you like, asking for a picture is fine, but don’t push it.

Other VIP Things

Try to have some idea of where you want to go and what you want to see. Check the floor plan and schedule and try to plan what you’re doing each day. Make sure you have comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, and wearing the wrong shoes will destroy your feet. Cosplayers, you’ve got a different situation. Get insoles, break them in, you don’t want to spend the whole day sitting down. If you have any kind of medical condition, bring some medication with you on the day. Don’t assume you’ll make it back to your room in time, because something always comes up. Bring batteries/charger for your phone/camera/laptop and double-check that you have everything.

And it’s very important to remember that there’s going to be a lot of people and they all have armpits, so shower/deodorise daily. Twice daily. In fact, just carry deodorant with you at all times.

Basically, use common sense, bring enough of everything (and a little extra just in case) and most importantly, enjoy it.

You can also check our Survival Guide for last year here.

Donal O’Connor