This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine. My daughter has always been a nerdy girl. We embrace her geekiness because it is a huge part of her personality. She reads and writes fan fiction, attends a S.T.E.M. high school and is on her school robotics team. She watches shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock and Supernatural. We I learned there was a Supernatural fan convention nearby, I got tickets. We had never been to one of these before and wasn’t sure what to take. I learned there are must have items to make your fan convention a success. Here they are:
Ten Essentials You Need To Make Your Fan Convention Successful
- Tickets: Many cons have different levels of tickets. General Admission seats are always in the back and you cannot see worth a flip. These are the tickets that are going to be available while the con is going on. If you can, spring for seats closer to where the talent will be. It is worth it to have a bird’s eye view of your favorite television or movie star!
- Comfortable Shoes And Clothes: Our fan convention took place at a large resort. The walk from the ballrooms to the food court was almost 1/4 mile! In one day, you can walk 10,000 or steps or more. If you aren’t wearing comfortable shoes, you will get blisters. That makes the rest of the weekend painful. The temperatures in convention rooms run the gamut. It is best to dress in layers. You can always add or subtract items as the temperature dictates.
- Photo Ops And Autographs: Many cons offer photo ops and autographs with the featured guests. If you can afford it, I recommend buying at least one. This is what memories are made of, trust me! Caitlin had five photo ops and two autographs. She was on cloud nine the whole time!
- A Binder Notebook And Inserts: The Jensen Ackles photo op for Caitlin was $160. That is an quite an investment. The last thing I want to have her do is bend it. We keep plenty of inserts in a 3-ring binder. This protects her photos as well as her autographs. We also kept our schedule for the weekend in our binder. This way, it was accessible and kept us on track.
- Costumes: Many people cosplay or dress up for fan conventions. For our Supernatural convention, Friday night has a theme. Caitlin dressed in her best Steampunk gear. She also packed shirts that had special meaning for each of the guests she had her photo ops with. Be sure you are able to carry your clothing and accessories with you. If you are staying at the hotel, you can drop off your bags. If not, you are stuck carrying everything with you for the entire day.
- Food and Drinks: Many cons are in a hotel or a convention center. The hotel food is usually pricey, and if you are at a convention center, onsite food may not be available. We brought fruit, nuts, pretzels, beef jerky, energy bars and sandwiches. For dinner, my husband drive over from the hotel and brought us food. It was a fraction of the cost of the food at the hotel. Bring a water bottle you can refill. This is not only convenient, but cost effective as well. A bottle of water at our hotel was $4. Yikes!
- A Good Camera: This is a must. I have two lenses; one for normal shots and those farther away. Although we had great seats this year for SPNNash con, they were not as close as I would have likes. Thankfully, I had my telephoto lens and was able to take nice photos. I take between 500-1,000 photos and edit from there. Too many options is better than too few! I mean, how can you get too many photos of that good looking pair of guys?
- First Aid Kit: I am a klutz, so I get hurt regularly. It is best to keep a small first aid kit with me at all times. Nothing fancy, just a few items. I have band aids, Pepto, Tylenol, Visine, hand sanitizer and an immune system supplement like Vitamin C or Airborne.
- Entertainment: There is a lot of down time for most fan conventions. You will find yourself waiting in lines, waiting for a panel to start or waiting for your ticket number to be called for a photo op or autograph. We brought books, cards, smartphones and tablets. We played a lot of “Heads Up” on Caitlin’s iPhone while waiting for karaoke to start. That line was three hours long!
- A Large Backpack: You will want a nice backpack to carry your stuff around all day. You want something a good size so it can hold everything but not so large that it’s going to get in the way when you’re sitting in your seat or when you stand in lines. Think something appropriately sized to fit under your chair in the hall. I brought the Guidi 18″ Laptop Rucksack from Sydney Paige. It was perfect!
I love our canvas Guidi 18″ Laptop Rucksack from Sydney Paige! It is lightweight, durable, spacious and good looking! It offers a large main area with drawstring and magnetic closures, a padded, fleece-lined laptop sleeve, padded back and shoulder straps. Even when we packed it to the top, it was comfortable to carry. With it’s reinforced bottom and quality construction, I had no fear of it coming apart. It also features one front, and two side accessory pockets with metal zippers and leather pulls. This style retails for $90. Backpacks for younger folks retail from $40 fro preschoolers, $55 for elementary kids and $65 for tweens.
Another reason I love the products from Sydney Paige is they give back to those in need. Sydney Paige is a Buy One | Give One benefit company. They give children in need quality backpacks and school supplies. These donations help these precious children help to learn and thrive in school. Currently, they are working with Rainbow Pack, founded by Riley Joy Gantt when she was just ten years old. This initiative will donate TWO premium Sydney Paige backpacks for every ONE purchased. These bags will be filled with each child’s own ‘homework’ supplies. Isn’t that wonderful? Be sure to stay connected with Sydney Paige on Facebook and Twitter.
Have you ever been to a fan convention? I would love to hear about your experience and the essentials you brought!
robin masshole mommy says
March 6, 2017 at 1:29 pmLove your tips. I have been to many comic cons, but they can totally get overwhelming.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
March 6, 2017 at 1:53 pmThat’s so awesome! That photo was an amazing opportunity. Great tips, as well.
Courtney Brockmeyer says
March 6, 2017 at 1:54 pmThank you for featuring Sydney Paige buy one / give one backpacks and our relationship with Rainbow Pack, an amazing non-profit providing backpacks and school supplies to children in need. Wish us luck, we are working toward the donation of 10,000 backpacks and school supplies this year to LAUSD!
Giving Back Together,
Courtney
Vera Sweeney says
March 6, 2017 at 1:55 pmComfortable shoes, bottled water, and portable snacks are all must haves at a con. You need to stay hydrated and fueled while you wander around for hours, taking it all in.
Bill Sweeney says
March 6, 2017 at 1:58 pmI’ve been to a few cons in my day, and comfortable shoes are really important. It’s hard to enjoy anything when the dogs are barking.
Terri Beavers says
March 6, 2017 at 3:21 pmThese are super useful tips and I’ll definitely use them. I need to invest in a large bookbag and some comfy shoes.
Tracey says
March 6, 2017 at 3:54 pmThese are awesome tips. I have yet to attend my first con (too intimidated) but with these tips, maybe I’ll be going soon.
Claudia Krusch says
March 6, 2017 at 4:11 pmI would love to go to a fan convention. These are great tips. Comfortable shoes is a must have. It would be so cool to meet some people from Doctor Who.
Karissa @WithOurBest (@withourbest) says
March 6, 2017 at 6:25 pmI think you’ve got the right ideas on what to bring. I would have never though of a first aid kit!
Hannah C says
March 6, 2017 at 7:47 pmThese are some great tips. I went to ECCC yesterday and I wish I would have brought my camera and some snacks.
Pam says
March 6, 2017 at 7:50 pmGreat tips for a fan convention. When we took my kids to one, I knew quickly that I had made the right choice by weari walking shoes.
Ann Bacciaglia says
March 6, 2017 at 8:37 pmThe cost if food and drinks at Hotels is crazy. I always pack snacks and drinks to save some cash.
Liz Mays says
March 6, 2017 at 8:47 pmAh these are really good ideas! There’s a lot you need to carry and protect at big conventions. The laptop rucksack was a good choice.
Theresa says
March 6, 2017 at 10:53 pmThese are great tips! There was a Walking Dead convention by me last year that I missed but they’ll be doing it again this year. These tips will surely help me make the most out of my visit!
Mimi Green says
March 6, 2017 at 11:09 pmI’ve never been to a fan convention but they sound really fascinating. I would love to get all dressed up and hang out with others.
Rachel Ferrucci says
March 7, 2017 at 1:46 amThese are great tips and can also be used for any convention. Glad you guys had a great time!
mycraftingworld says
March 7, 2017 at 6:55 amThese are great suggestions. I will give them to my niece. She takes her daughter to similar things. I love the backpack. I will tell her about it too. It looks strong and stylish.
Seattle Travel Blogger says
March 7, 2017 at 8:34 amYou list some great advice here!
Wow, 10,000 steps is certainly a lot of walking!
Julie Wood says
March 7, 2017 at 9:28 amA good backpack, good shoes and food is what I have to have a Convention to help me be comfortable! Thanks for your great tips. They are really helpful.
Michelle J. says
March 7, 2017 at 9:46 amA large backpack is a great idea!
Jeanine says
March 7, 2017 at 9:50 amAll sounds great, and some of which I wouldn’t think of when heading to a fan convention. I havent ever been to one so this is great to know!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
March 7, 2017 at 10:28 amThese are awesome tips! I have a friend who loves fan conventions! Sharing this to her!
Joyce Brewer says
March 7, 2017 at 10:39 amI’ve never attended a fan convention although a lot of them come here to Atlanta. For the devotees, they seem like a lot of fun.
Mandee Suchland says
March 7, 2017 at 10:59 amReally love these tips and going to keep them handy! I have never been to a fan convention but i always hear of them going on around me. I would love to attend some and i will use these tips when i do!
ricci says
March 7, 2017 at 11:33 amI’ve never been to a fan convention before but these all seem like great tips!! Great post!!
Melissa Dixon says
March 7, 2017 at 11:44 amThese are great tips. We just had one of these near us but we found out too late, sounds fun!
Melissa says
March 7, 2017 at 2:32 pmI have never been to a big fan convention of any sort but I will keep these tips in mind if I do. There are always conventions at our NY Javits Center and that place is huge so the comfortable shoes is a must.
Kathy says
March 7, 2017 at 3:09 pmThese are all great tips. I have never been to a convention before. I’d love to go to one sometime though.
Louise Bishop says
March 7, 2017 at 3:29 pmI’ve always wanted to go to one of these because they look so fun. Just to add an experience to the list. GREAT tips!
Debra Schroeder says
March 7, 2017 at 3:51 pmThese are really great tips. Comic Con is here in San Diego and one day I’ll go. Thanks to your tips I’ll be well prepared.
uprunforlife says
March 7, 2017 at 4:55 pmI am all for taking my own snacks to conventions so that I have healthy choices.
I hope that your daughter enjoyed the fan convention.
natalie says
March 7, 2017 at 5:40 pmI would love to go to comic con some year. Thanks for the great advice about what to expect.
Jessica Simms says
March 7, 2017 at 8:11 pmThis is a great list, my boys want to go to their first comic con this summer and I’ve always wondered what we really needed to bring when we go.
Shannon Graham says
March 7, 2017 at 8:39 pmIt sounds like she had a ton of fun. Who wouldn’t!?!? Great tips!
Sheena Tatum says
March 7, 2017 at 8:39 pmI have ALWAYS wanted to get to one of these. That would be a highlight of my life.
Karrie Truman says
March 7, 2017 at 8:40 pmI had no idea they had things like this. Is it like those comic con things. It sounds really fun and I truly wouldn’t have any clue about half these tips so they’re super helpful.
Rosey says
March 8, 2017 at 6:22 amAll good tips, esp. the comfy clothes/shoes. If your tootsies hurt, you aren’t enjoying anything! Lesson learned.
Lynndee says
March 8, 2017 at 10:06 amI’ve never been to a fan convention. But I would love to go with my kiddo. It sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for the tips!
Eloise says
March 8, 2017 at 3:20 pmlove the 10 essentials you’ve provided, I feel prepared now for any fan convention in the future, thanks! : )
Dawn Gibson-Thigpen says
March 8, 2017 at 4:36 pmoh man the cost of food and drinks at Hotels are insane. packing food can save tons. looks like you had a great time
My Teen Guide says
March 8, 2017 at 8:11 pmWhat a smart tips and ideas, I’m glad that you shared these ten essential you need! This is amazing.
Victoria Heckstall says
March 8, 2017 at 8:12 pmI didn’t know this before, buying foods outside could be expensive! Thanks for sharing these amazing essential!
Amanda Love says
March 8, 2017 at 9:25 pmIt’s been a long time since I last attended a convention! It’s always so much fun and this definitely makes a great guide.
Chubskulit Rose says
March 9, 2017 at 6:13 amCoimfortable outfit especially shoes is definitely a must! I haven’t attended any blogging-related convention yet .
Heather Pfingsten says
March 9, 2017 at 6:32 pmGreat tips that every traveler and travel blogger uses to make it through the day. Thanks for sharing!!
Our Family World says
March 10, 2017 at 7:45 pmThis is ultimate fangirling. Thanks for the tips!
Amy Green says
March 13, 2017 at 3:08 pmThese are really helpful hints. My mom, brother and sister have gone to several movie, comic book and sci-fi conventions. I will be sure to pass these along as they are always making sure to be as well-prepared as possible, when they go!
Marcie W. says
March 15, 2017 at 10:25 amI have not attended any type of fan convention, but I have attended conferences with large exhibit halls, and many of these tips fit for that scenario as well. Something sturdy yet comfortable to carry around your necessities is always a good idea.
Mary Songer says
March 15, 2017 at 7:10 pmI’ve never been to a fan convention but if I ever go to one it will be for Supernatural. I love that show. Thanks for the tips. Your suggestions would help anyone have a better time. Nice job on the pictures, too!!!
Sohair says
March 15, 2017 at 10:20 pmNever went to a fan convention even though I thought about it.great tips use if I go to one ty
Rosie says
March 19, 2017 at 12:31 pmI never heard of a fan convention, but wow, it looks so much fun, I must keep my eyes and ears open so we can go, and now I know how to make the best of it, too!!
Dotty J Boucher says
March 20, 2017 at 6:30 pmI have yet to attend a convention but glad I know how to prep myself if I ever decide to jump on out
and yet to one and so glad what they do , giving is .. everyone should.
@tisonlyme143
Lana simanovicki says
April 25, 2017 at 3:32 pmI love your articles they are so informative
mycraftingworld says
May 7, 2017 at 6:49 amI told my niece about this post her teenage daughter goes to events like this. She really liked your suggestions. Thank you.
Lana simanovicki says
May 11, 2017 at 9:32 pmThese are awesome tips .and very informative
Edna Williams says
May 18, 2017 at 11:05 pmLove the super tips! I think these are great suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Barrie says
June 1, 2017 at 11:23 amI’ve never been to a fan convention but it looks like your daughter had a great time! I Love all your suggetions, many I’d never think of.
Peggy Nunn says
June 20, 2018 at 8:43 amI use these when I am going to any venue. It helps when traveling too.