Con Check List and Budget!

Started by kyouheikasaragi, March 18, 2015, 10:31:06 PM

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kyouheikasaragi

Hey guys! FanimeCon 2015 will be my first con ever and although I've seen videos on it, I need help.


What is your Con Check List?


I know I need to bring typical sundries and extra clothes but what is stuff people don't normally think about bringing or is a must have for cons?

Should I bring my own food? Or bring a lot of money?


And I also want to know what a good budget you think would be for this con. I don't really know prices and I don't want to run out of money.


Thank you for the time and help!

echoshadow

#1
Assuming your staying at the local hotels for the whole 4 days here's my tips. (Some people are different but it's just my personal tips.)

Personal items:
Soap and shampoo. Hotel stuff never last more than a day or your roommates.
Tylenol or Advil, vitimin C
Sunscreen if you plan to attend lots of gatherings.
Extention cord/outlets.
A light sweeter or jacket. The evenings in San Jose could be a bit chilly.
Comfortable shoes.

Food and budget. This really depens on your personal budget.
If you really want to save money you could bring a cooler and load it up with sandwiches or what nots. There is a supermarket just a 2 blocks away. Or you could eat some fast food. There's a few places blocks away.

If you have a high budget, your in luck. There are loads and loads of restaurants.
Pretty much you can eat international within 4 blocks.
The average price for lunch is around $10-12 in the downtown area.

Parking. Depending on where you park or which hotel expect to pay somewhere from $25-40.

Exhibit Hall.
Again depends how much you want to spend.
It also helps to make a wish list, curtain manga, animes DVDs posters, etc. Once see the prices do some research, is it really cheaper online or is it worth it to pay a bit extra to have it right now.

It all kind of sounds all vague, but if you ask more specific question you'll get more detailed answers

In my personal budget last year, excluding hotel and travel I spent about $200 on food, drinks, movies, and stuff I bought at the exhibit hall. Most of my money went to drinks and good dinners.
Not your typical anime junkie.
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Gengrawr

Which hotel will you be staying at? There's a Safeway and a handful of other convenience stores around the Fairmont, in addition to all of the restaurants in the area. But keep in mind that if you eat out anywhere, you are downtown so food can be pretty expensive. (Although, I would recommend the crepe cafe called Whispers in the area since it isn't too expensive and pretty filling.) And will you be cosplaying?

For items:
Extra toiletries and personal items just in case
Spare pair of comfortable shoes
Refillable water bottle (one of those 24oz that you can pick up from Target or something for $20)
Bag to hold anything you buy (the swag bags can only hold so much)

For your budget, it depends on how much you're willing to spend and how much impulse control you have. Usually I have around $500 total for the entire convention in cash, which gets split into $100 a day solely for merchandise and an extra $100 in emergency money. Kind of excessive, but Artist's Alley just draws me in and I'm terrible at impulse control. It never hurts to have extra cash on hand to avoid withdrawing money from an ATM. Plus, not every seller will accept card. I think in Artist's Alley it isn't unusual to see sales from most of them along the lines of 2-3 posters for $20-$30 depending on the artist, so keep an eye out.

kyouheikasaragi

Thanks for the info!

For my living situation, I don't really know what hotel I'm going to be at. But I will be walking distance from the con.

If I cosplay (which I will) does that affect what I should bring? Like should I bring a sewing kit for emergencies?

Gengrawr

If you don't mind taking the time, I would suggest going back to wherever you're staying and dropping off anything you bought or don't want to carry for a long time. Less likely to have it left somewhere by accident or stolen, too.

I think that depends entirely on you. Personally, I know a lot of people who go to Fanime in cosplay and don't need an emergency sewing kit despite having one on hand, but it does come in handy for others because Fanime is crowded and accidents can happen. I would also suggest keeping any specialty makeup you need (for specific skin types, colored foundation, etc) on hand for touch ups in case it gets rubbed off/messed up in any way.

Oh, and a check list for when you leave so you don't forget anything in the hotel room doesn't hurt.

kyouheikasaragi

I'm sorry if this is random but how big of a bag should I bring : drawstring or backpack?

And would a reusable bottle be better than just regular water bottles? Where would I refill my water bottle?

echoshadow

How big of a bag? As long as it fits through a door and your strong enough to carry it you should be fine. Lol, I'm joking.
Typically a shopping bag or a messenger bag is enough. Backpacks are fine too but it's up to you. Do you really want to carry around heavy bags all day? It all depends how much stuff you want to carry.

Reusable, plastic, or what ever, no one cares what you use. It's up to you. There are water fountains and water stations provided by the hotel (at lest it's been the for the last couple of years. Unless otherwise noted), so there are plenty of filling spots. There are also vending machines and food stands as well. 
Not your typical anime junkie.
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Admiral Donuts

#7
Quote from: kyouheikasaragi on March 19, 2015, 07:12:22 PM
I'm sorry if this is random but how big of a bag should I bring : drawstring or backpack?

And would a reusable bottle be better than just regular water bottles? Where would I refill my water bottle?

For walking around the con I bring a sling backpack (capacity is about 8 litres) and I have a reusable shopping bag in that for stuff I might buy.

I always carry a reusable bottle, I might buy drinks at the con too, but it's good to always have water.

Two things I always throw in my bag are ibuprofene and tums (or some other antacid). If you don't need it, someone probably will!

kyouheikasaragi

So bandaids too?
Not many people get hurt at cons, right?  ???

echoshadow

If your highly accident prone, sure.

There is a first aid station in the game room, if by chance a band aid is not enough but not too bad you need an emt.

Like I said no question is too silly, or too small.
Not your typical anime junkie.
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kyouheikasaragi

I keep hearing about "con-flu"..
Is it really serious or prevolent?

Or does it only affect some people?

Pepole say to bring vitamin C and stuff like that.
Do you guys do that?

echoshadow

Yes con flu does exist, usually it's just a cold or a runny nose. Worse case it is a flu. Anywhere where a large group of people are there for more than two days there is a higher chance of getting someone's cold bug or flu. I got a slight cold after Fanime once 3 years ago. But nothing since.

Loading up on some vitamin c before, during and after the con gives you a higher chance of not getting sick. What I do is I buy a carton orange/cranberry juice during the con and leave it in the hotel, and order oj when I eat.

It really depens on your immune system. If your the kind of person that does not get sick when the whole class/work place is sick as a dog then your good. But if your the type of person that always gets it, then you might want to take some vitamins.
Not your typical anime junkie.
MAL:Echoshadow's Anime List

ZeroBudgetGamer

I'm a pretty low-budget con-goer, so here's how my budget usually works, after Hotel and ticket costs:

Gas/Parking: This is usually fairly cheap, depending. If you don't get a hotel near the con, research the parking garages in the area. A few have weekend and/or Early Bird Deals that end up costing you only ~$5-6/day. Gas is all dependant on how far you're traveling to get there, but it should be factored into your budget, both the amount to get there and to get home.

Food/Water: As others have mentioned, there are plenty of restaurants in the area, but you 're going to pay a pretty penny. Far better to bring some stuff for yourself. If you're strapped for cash, I find the simplest necessities for a con to be,
1 Sweet Item
1 Salty Item
1 Case of Water
1 Meal Item
This can be, say, cookies, chips, and cans of soup or bread and peanut butter, but it should be enough to last the weekend. That being said, I usually also set aside a certain amount of my budget to eat out, but only one meal per day.

Merchandise: Again, as others have said, this boils down to your own personal spending habits, what you think you might find, what kind of art you might want commissioned, etc. I should mention that having a smart phone or laptop handy could be valuable, as some vendors might overcharge for their products in the vendor's hall; I haven't seen it too often, but it's always a possibility.

Personal/Hygenic: Less of a cost thing and more just good advice, I'll reflect what others have said. Shampoo and Soap, Deodorant and Toothbrush/Paste, (multi)vitamin  ( c ), and a bag to hold stuff. Since you're cosplaying, you probably don't want too big of a bag, and probably something that fits your cosplay, but that might be hard to find on short notice.

Also, a quick tip about "con flu", dehydration is another culprit to look out for. That's why I mentioned a case of water in supplies and nothing like soda or sports drinks. I went to Fanime last year and drank almost nothing but Gatorade and soda and by Monday my whole body was ready to quit on me. My throat was on fire from the concert on Saturday and shouting in the Gaming Hall all day Sunday, and I gave very little to help my body out, so I ended up being worthless to society for almost a week afterwards. So while you should be careful to not catch anything from others, don't forget to treat your own body well during this weekend.

And in case you were curious, my tentative budget right now is:
Parking/Gas: $50
Food: $60 pre-con, $50 at-con
Merchandise: $150-200