What to Expect in a Con?
I asked myself this question a million times before attending my first convention – DLC4.
I learned all about it during quarantine by watching panels on youtube and talking to other people that went to some, but when I truly experienced one, it wasn’t anything I was expecting – it was so much better!
There are many conventions out there, I had only attended Anime conventions in the past, but small ones, Supernatural cons are nothing compared, I dare to say they’re the best out there, because this family is bigger, and they’re doing this since 2009. The first Supernatural Con was the WinchesterCon held on October 13–15, 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee. A convention titled “Salute to Supernatural” first was held on November 10–11, 2007 in Chicago. It has grown over the years expanding to many cities.
The question here remains: If you haven’t had the chance to attend one: What do you expect? What is to be expected?
I expected to meet a lot of people – and I did and continue so. So expect to make a lot of friends, even to meet people that you met online in person and that’s so exciting because I’ve been making wonderful friendships thanks to this show. And for me, this is the best part of it.
Expect to…be reunited with your favorites! Ha! I was so nervous and anxious before meeting Mark Pellegrino in person (We’ve been talking for almost 3 years before) so I was like playing it all over my head a million times, and the way it happened was absolutely perfect. You’ll meet everyone at these conventions, well I haven’t met still Felicia Day, Emily Swallow, Chad…a few others. My goal is to have photo ops and autos with everyone since I cherish this show with all my heart.
Expect to have fun all the time? That one was obvious huh? But also expect to be tired as hell. These events are so busy and crazy and you have so much adrenaline in your body because you’re excited and happy, you don’t feel tired when you’re there, but trust me…you’ll feel it when you’re back in your hotel room.
Now this next part gets me in a way that I achieve my inner rage: Food. expect to not eat much, or not eat at all. I made the mistake of not eating lunch or a snack on the last day of CE Atlanta…it didn’t end so well for me, so you see I’m a person that needs to eat every time, so if you’re like me: Bring snacks (sadly that hotel didn’t have a restaurant open for lunch, only dinner) so you don’t starve. In Europe as I explained in this post: US vs EU conventions – You have a pause and a lunch, but in the US…not so much. DON’T YOU LOVE FOOD AMERICANS?! 🙂 Take care of yourself as a priority, so be always prepared and ahead of any possibility.
Expect lots of ROWS. Especially in autographs, these tend to last a while, than photo ops. Every con deals with the organization in a different way, so in Europe, I had a long time in Purgatory 6, than DLC for example. In CE they had a different structure, it was well organized in my con and didn’t wait more than 20 minutes.
Expect to have your photo ops printed in a table where everyone will see, but they’re usually fast delivering those, from 1h to 3h max. You can order JPGS after the con, each con also does it differently.
Understand that each guest has boundaries, so while some don’t mind at all certain poses in photo ops, some just like a simple hug for example. Make sure to ask politely them or their handlers, and make them comfortable.
Bring some cash just in case! Most accept cards.
Sometimes even if you line up in a panel, you can’t be sure you’ll ask a question. It happened to many a few times; guests take a while to answer some questions, so make sure to go early in the queue.
The worst part is the end. Expect it to end, because well they do. Sundays are always emotional, and heartbreaking. Con blues is real, and you’ll feel it, but we are all together. So you keep making plans for the next one, and that’s how you live after it because you will be seeing your friends again in that safe space.
My next con is Basingstoke Comic Con. It’s gonna be a blast! I will attend as a press pass holder, so expect a lot of footage and interviews.
See you, Hunter!
