I am a San Diego Comic-Con veteran, I have faced this beast 3 times and each time I have learned something new, from all this wisdom I have been able to determine there is some advice I would like to dish out.

• You cannot do everything, in fact you can do very little. San Diego Comic-Con is a massive event, you will not believe me of its scale until you go there, the convention hall is huge and it would take hours to explore, never mind all the standing in line while you purchase goods or go to panels. So plan out the night before what you want to do and then cross your fingers and hope you get in. 

• Have lots of cash on you in various bills, more and more of the vender’s are taking card these days but smaller ones may struggle, so just bring lots of cash in various bills to cover all your purchases. On the subject of cash do not be afraid to walk away from something, you do not want to waste all your money on something you do not actually need.

• Be prepared to wait around, so wear comfortable shoes or bring a tiny fold out chair. Last year I waited for two hours to get into the Blade Runner 2049 experience and ended up walking away because well let’s just say I was not happy with how it was being run. After that I stood in line for one hour to get Blizzard to get my limited edition Funko. No matter what you will need to wait and don’t forget you can queue up from any time, our first year we got in like at about 3AM to get to the Firefly panel and it was worth it.

This is the main hall when it isn’t too busy, just to give you an idea of scale…

• Sometimes you need to cut your losses, like I said earlier I had to walk away from lines before and there is nothing wrong with that, it is perfectly fine to do, so do not commit yourself to something that may not pan out, there is plenty more to do.

• Be respectful to people. At previous Comic-Cons I had the distinct pleasure of bumping into Nathon Fillion and Greg Grunberg (separately) I managed to have a quick chat with them both and they where very polite and lovely, but most people won’t have time for this and will be on tight schedules, so if someone ignores you, do not fret it. Also if you’re photographing cosplayers, always ask first and if you get a picture taken with them, keep your hands to yourself.

He was a really nice dude…

• Remember whether you’re alone, with family or with friends, have fun, always have fun.

Four very awesome ladies representing Ireland, England, Wales and Taiwan and of course me

• Look at offsite events. If you have a ticket to only one or two days of the con you can still enjoy yourself because of all the off site stuff, check out Petco Park and the Gaslamp Quarter, there is so much to see there.

• Explore San Diego. San Diego is a beautiful city so take a day or two before or after the con to enjoy it. Try and plan ahead. Before you go out set yourself a vague list of goals and try and make them all come true.

• Check out the night life. Nerds may have a reputation as a bunch of shut ins and losers but SDCC proves that wrong on so many points, maybe you wanna hit up one of the bars, I advise the Shout house, or go to one of the parties, or meet ups such as the light saber fights, either way there is a lot to do, so explore and enjoy yourself.

• Wear sunscreen and bring water. It’s just good advice so take it.

In summary all I am saying is, enjoy time with your loved ones, be patient, careful with your money, go out and try new things, be respectful to others, know when to cut your losses and wear sensible shoes, all good advice that you should carry with you at San Diego Comic-Con and in the real world.