Tomyo's Ultra Lame Life

The paperclay Jam gave me has some mold on it now. <:I

General:

• If you’re a younger conventioneer, you might want to start with local and smaller cons. College conventions have become common in recent years and don’t cost as much as bigger conventions.

Registration:

• Buy your ticket beforehand; 99% of the time, this can immediately save you $10-$30.
• Friendship is extremely useful; Buying memberships in a group can usually get you a discount.
• Volunteering and Staffing, while not for everyone, gives you benefits. Cons often offer free registration and even room stay if you work for them.
• If you or your friend  has artistic talent, conventions often bundle or discount memberships for tables. However, then there’s the cost of the table which will be more and then you need to sell something.

Travel:

• If you or your friends can drive, carpool and then split the costs for gas, tolls, and parking. The advantages of this? Access to a car at all times, cuts costs on individual travel, and you could possibly have more than one driver if you’re going to a particularly far con.
• If you don’t have friends who go to conventions, MAKE SOME! Con forums, facebook groups, and other site groups will allow you to talk with other con goers and there are often forums for people in need of travel and hotel. HOWEVER, you do not know who these people are so take caution and beware of redflags.
• If you can’t drive, check for promotions on the con site for public transport.
• Clear your browser history if you’re buying tickets online. Sites will raise the price if you’ve visited it multiple times.
• If you travel frequently, sign up for any rewards or discount programs the site might offer, even if it’s just a thing that sends emails. You can earn points towards a free travel ticket or even a free night’s stay in a hotel with reward programs and there are discounts or promotions offered to students or members only.

Hotel:

• Over the past few decades, conventioneers have learned and mastered the tactic of cramming as many people as possible into one hotel. While it might not be fun to sleep on the ground, having 10 roommates means you’re paying $30 for a hotel rather than $300. This is another place friendship comes in handy.
• You know how they offer rewards for travel? They do that with hotels too. It helps in the long run.
• The convention site usually has a section showing nearby hotels and some will have discounts specifically for the convention.
• Even so, check hotels not affiliated with the con can cost a lot less for a little more distance between you and the con.
• Searching for room/roommate forums as previously mentioned.
• If you have family or friends who live near by, ask them if you can stay the weekend. Then you have a place to stay for free!
• I highly recommend AGAINST sleeping in your car overnight. A good shower and a comfy area is necessary for a 3 day con.
• Hotels can kick you out or charge extra if you cause commotion or damage. SO DON’T!

Food:

• Fun fact, the food(unless it’s a chain) available at or around the convention is overpriced and expensive. Avoid spending money at these places.
• Bring food with you to the convention. Particularly stuff that will keep you energized through out a long convention day. Granola bars, fruit, water, and sandwiches will last the weekend and won’t make you feel sluggish by the end of the day. (Also it’s cheaper!)
• Cups of ramen, while not a healthy choice, can be made with a microwave or coffee maker and will give you something hot at the end of the day. ($3 vs $40)
• If you really need some hot food and prefer not to have ramen. Pool some money with you and your friends/roommates and order take out.
• Don’t buy that ramune or box of pocky you see. Yes you may like it but you can go to your local asian market (or even chain store in some occasions) and get it for cheaper.

Merchandise:

• Avoid going to the dealer’s room immediately, you have 3 days to think about buying things.
• Don’t impulse buy. Instead make a list of everything you see that you want (I take pictures but some dealer’s rooms and artist alleys don’t allow that) when you initially go through. Give yourself sometime to think about buying these items.
• Check more than one stall for the same item. Sometimes a booth will have the same thing for less.
• Honestly ask yourself if you want and need this item.
• Put off what you want to buy until Sunday. Tables have discounts on Sundays.
• Ask any of the dealer’s tables if they’re looking for extra help. They’ll give you something from their table in return if they have you help them. Don’t be pushy about it and NEVER TRY TO STEAL SOMETHING.

Thanks my current advice if you’re a convention goer. Anyone else who has good advice can add onto this.

I just want to put it out there that if people are using photos that I took, I’d like to be credited for my photos as well. Please and thank you.