Friday begins my second San Diego Comic Con experience and I wanted to share some of my lessons learned last year with all of you. Enjoy!

• Take Snacks – maybe you’ll be waiting in lines, have scheduled events to attend, or have to wait to meet friends for dinner. So bring snacks and water to avoid paying large fees at the con. My favorite picks are the Electrolyte Water and Granola bars from Trader Joe’s. They keep up your energy while allowing you still attempt healthy eating.
• Business Cards (something with your name and contact information on it)- you never know who you’ll meet. Be prepared, even if it is just so they know who you are when you contact them later.
• Camera and video may be a pain to carry but there will be things you want to remember.
• Cash – even in this day and age of debit cards some artists ONLY take cash so be prepared.
• Comfy shoes – no matter how close to the convention center you stay be prepared to do a lot of walking!
• Cell phone (and charger) – it is almost impossible to find people without these. And you need the charger in the event that it dies – remember the convention center actually has reception but hotels usually don’t as a rule.
• If you twitter set up your phone to do it before you leave! My friend and I got free statues cause we could update twitter on the spot.
• Park EARLY or change your spot late in the day if you are staying overnight. I found $12 parking (overnight) right across from the convention center and was able to move my car there later in the day. This year was the first year they had prepaid parking and I think that was a great idea! We got parking for 2 days for 20 dollars. A HUGE improvement over last year and we know we have a spot waiting for us when we get to San Diego.
• Use bag check, or if you parked close enough take things to your car. You will inevidently have too much to carry throughout the day.
• The Hard Rock Hotel is a party hotel. Keep this in mind if know you’ll need your sleep.
• Dinner reservations! Plan ahead if at all possible. We unfortunately were unable to on Sat. night and paid for it.
• Talk to everyone! Sure you can read if you’re stuck in lines but isn’t it more fun to meet cool people and make new friends?
• Pens and Sharpies! Trust me – you will use them. Also having them can make cool people like you.
• You can’t see everything so relax, accept this and have fun.
• After con organize and go through everything … add friends on facebook, twitter, and email. Follow through!
• Don’t forget about the comics! There is so much to see that sometimes the comics and book section gets abandoned. This is a great place to talk to talented people. I even met some cool authors this way.
• Be prepared but be flexible. Plan but allow things to change.

And one more thing… HAVE FUN! Yes there are crowds, yes there is too much to see but once you accept these things for what they are you can allow yourself to enjoy the experience despite (or maybe even because) of these things.

Hope everyone enjoys Comic Con and if I won’t see you there this year, remember there is always next year!