Tomorrow is the first day of the first ever FantasyCon in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is an event 5 years in the making, according to their marketing, and it should be a big success, if FanX and Salt Lake Comic Con are any indication. We love our geek in Salt Lake City, so FantasyCon should do well. It will take place downtown at the Salt Palace, with a parade on Friday morning at the Gateway, and various events starting tonight. For all of those details, check out their website: fantasycon.com.
If this is your first experience with going to a convention like this, there are some things you should know before going, to be prepared for your adventure. Hopefully this list of ideas will be helpful for you and your group, and hopefully you will have a wonderful time.
Bring Water:
I cannot emphasize this enough. Bring a refillable water bottle with you. Bring it full of water, drink said water and use the FREE drinking fountains refill your bottle, and repeat. It is July in Utah, which means it is really hot, and if it gets crowded in the Salt Palace, it will be even hotter, and stuffy. Combine that with spending a lot of time on your feet, and that is a formula for dehydration. I’ve seen it happen. Be smart and bring water with you. If you forget this bit of advice, you can buy water bottles from the food vendors, but it will be expensive. Save your money, stay hydrated, bring water.
Bring a Backpack or Bag of Some Sort:
You will probably find stuff you want to buy at the Con, and you will probably not want to carry it around all the time. Bring a bag or backpack. I personally like a backpack for comfort and convenience, but a shoulder bag will work too, if that’s what you prefer. Plus, the bag is a convenient place to store things like your water or snacks or whatever. I promise, if you don’t bring a bag of some sort, you will be kicking yourself at some point during the con and wishing you had. If you sprung for a VIP ticket to FantasyCon, you are set. They have a picture of the canvas bag they will be giving to their VIPs on their website, and it looks to be sufficient for your needs.
Bring Snacks:
This is an official, unofficial tip. The truth is, outside food or drink is not allowed in the Salt Palace, so technically, if you get caught with outside food or drink, you could be escorted out and maybe even fined. However, there will be a ton of people, so chances are you might be ok. If you are spending all day at the con, you will need to eat (food and water are essentials for people to keep going). You can always buy food at the Con, but be warned, it is slightly(very) overpriced. Good news is, you do have the option to leave, eat, and then come back. Or bring snacks, but if you get caught, don’t blame it on me. I’ll plead the 5th.
Bring Cash:
Most of the vendors will be able to accept cards, with smart phones and WiFi, anything is possible. You probably won’t run into a lot of problems when your using your card. I recommend setting yourself a budget and bringing that much cash. This works well for me to control my spending. There will be a lot of things to spend your money on and a lot of it will be really cool, and you will want to buy all of it. Having a set amount of cash to spend is a great way to slow the flow.
Respect the CosPlay:
You will see a lot of people in costume. Obviously these people are dressing up to stand out on some level. They love being recognized for having a really good costume, that’s what they’re going for. However, that doesn’t mean you can just run up and take a picture of them or with them. Ask them first. Something along the lines of: “Hey, that is a great costume. Would you mind if I got a picture?” An additional note here, you will see beautiful women dressed up in anime cosplay costumes. They are not there to be the object of your weird fantasies. Them being in costume is not a reason for you to hit on them or say things to them that you normally wouldn’t. That’s not fun for them and you look like a desperate loser. Trust me. Respect the CosPlay.
Plan Ahead:
Make a plan before you go. If you go to the FantasyCon website you will find a schedule of panels and photo ops and different events. Look at the schedule and decide beforehand what you want to go see and plan your day or days accordingly. If you plan it right you could get your photo taken with a favorite celebrity, say Sylvester McCoy, then later go stand in line and get him to sign said photo. Now you have a really cool moment from the Con, but that takes a little planning. So, Plan Ahead.
Check Out a Variety of Panels:
There will be the spotlight events in the main ballroom which will involve most of the celebrities. But there will also be other panels discussing some other things. Branch out, they’re free. You might find yourself in a panel discussing something you are totally unfamiliar with that becomes your next obsession.
The most important thing is to have fun. Enjoy everything there is to see and do. Step out of your comfort zone, or don’t, but have a good time. That’s the whole point. I’m looking forward to it, myself. Maybe we’ll see you there.
