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Hey guys!
Now that summer and the main convention season of the year is coming to a close
I thought now would be a great time to cover this topic
Hopefully you all had a blast at the conventions you attended this summer
And if you learned anything from those experiences feel free to share your own tips and tricks in the comments down below
Conventions and cosplay go together like macaroni and cheese
The perfect place to go to showcase that costume that you've been slaving over
And they're also a great way to meet new friends who have the same exact interests as you
That being said, conventions can easily turn into a nightmare if you don't know what to expect
So in this video, I'd like to share some tips that I've learned from 5 years of attending cons
Number one, pick a convention to attend
It sounds like a no-brainer but right away this can be pretty confusing
There are tons of different kinds of conventions
The two biggest types of conventions are anime cons and comic cons
But there's also things like sci-fi cons, steampunk cons, lolita cons
Gaming cons, there are even conventions dedicated to specific fandoms
Like Doctor Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, and Supernatural
My advice would be to pick a relatively small, local convention to go to as your first con so you can get a taste of the experience
If you dive head first into a con like San Diego Comic Con
You may get overwhelmed and decide you hate them
Number two, try to keep room stuffing to a minimum
It can be tempting to try to cram as many people as you can into a hotel room in order to save money
But seriously, it is not worth it
If you've got too many people shoved into one room for a whole weekend
Chances are there's gonna be a lot of drama and fighting
Trust me it is worth paying a couple extra bucks in order to make sure everyone has their own space to sleep
Number three, staying at the convention hotel is not always a good idea
Yes you're closer to the action, but you're also closer to the action
What I mean by that is that it can be convenient because you don't have a long walk from your hotel to the convention center
But at night, things may be really loud when you're trying to sleep
And spoilers, people do sometimes sleep at conventions
Us girls at IMT, we really enjoy sleeping
You may also run into issues like crowded elevators and poor room service because the hotel staff is so busy
So decide what's more important to you
A more convenient location
Or a more comfortable room experience
Number four, make a packing list
Because you will forget stuff if you don't
I think every cosplayer has had a nightmare of getting to a convention
And realizing that they've forgotten this like vital piece of their costume
Make a list of everything you'll need for each costume as well as any other necessities for the weekend
Number five, bring snacks for the room
Ooh yay, we're talking about food now
Most cons have restaurants close by but those can get pretty expensive
Always keep something to eat in the room, even if it's just like really basic snacks
Granola bars, cereal, and non refrigerated fruits like apples or bananas or oranges are really good to have on hand
Especially the granola bars because then you can just throw those in your bag and you'll have some with you if you get hungry while you're walking around the con
Number six, make a plan of attack for the weekend
Conventions offer a ton of awesome activities like panels, interviews with special guests
Dances, gaming tournaments, photo shoots, you name it
It's a good idea to go through the schedule and pick out which events you absolutely cannot miss
And then plan your weekend around those events
Number seven, don't go crazy in the dealer's room
It can be really temptin to spend all of your money in the dealer's room
Because suddenly you are surrounded by all of this awesome nerdy merchandise and you just wanna buy everything
But you need to resist
So give yourself a budget and stick to it
Buy only stuff you really, really want
And that you also won't mind carrying around with you
If you can't take it back to your hotel room
So the giant anime girl body pillows...
...Unless you want everyone thinking that you are really, really lonely
Those are probably something best ordered on the internet
Number eight, stay hydrated
I know this is something parents like to tell their kids all the time
But there is a lick of truth to it
This is especially important during summer conventions
As I'm sure a lot of you figured out this season
Keep a water bottle with you at all times
Because there's not always going to be drinking fountains accessible
It's really easy to loose track of how much water you've had
And you don't want to end up getting heat stroke or like passing out from dehydration
Number nine, take care of your hygiene
Please, please, please, please, please
I think I speak for everyone at the convention when I am telling you this
Wash your hands regularly
Cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough
Make sure you're always wearing deodorant
And most importantly, shower
Try to make it a point to shower once a day if possible
But if not, please shower at least every other day
There are a lot of germs passed around at conventions
And if you want to avoid the dreaded "con plague"
It's really important to keep yourself as clean as you can
Not to mention we'd all really appreciate you not stinking up the hallways
Number ten, and this is the most important thing, treat others respectfully
Again, it sounds like common sense, right?
Unfortunately, it really isn't
When you're at a con, the golden rule does still apply
Treat others the way you want to be treated
Don't tackle or "glomp" anyone
Don't harass cosplayers for pictures when they're clearly busy
Don't be that person who runs around shouting annoying memes at the top of their lungs
Guys, the "game" stopped being funny a long time ago
What are you still doing?
Don't forget that cosplayers are people, not the characters that they're dressing up as
For example, it's not okay to walk up to an Inuyasha cosplayer and shove him on the ground while yelling "Sit, boy"
And it's not ok to run up to an Aerith cosplayer and start stabbing her with your fake sword
Flip side of that, is also true
If you're a Homestuck cosplayer, it's not ok to throw buckets at people
Even if you think it's really funny
As someone who has had a bucket thrown at her head
I can vouch and say that they will not find it as funny as you do
And if you're cosplaying Captain Falcon, that is not an excuse to run around and punch people
Spoilers, I've seen all of those things happen at conventions
It's not cool. Don't be one of those people.
And number eleven, it is a bonus tip for cosplayers
Always bring a small sewing kit and a hot glue gun to the con
You never know when something on your costume may break
And having those supplies on hand can be a quick fix for minor costume malfunctions
Overall, conventions can be an amazing experience
I know some of the best weekends of my life have happened at conventions
So my most important tip, have fun!
Meet new people, spend time with your friends, and let your nerd flag fly
As always, if you have any tips of your own
Feel free to leave them in the comments
Anyway guys, happy cosplaying!
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