International Convention Planning (Part 1)

As the end of the year is getting closer it is time to start planning conventions for next year. Next to some of the biggest conventions in my own country, I like to plan a few international conventions each year. Often I get asked by people if they can join or if I can let them know when to start planning. So I figured it would be a good idea to write down some basic tips and info to help you planning your own international adventure.

Find a group The most important thing of all of course is to find yourself a nice group of friends to share your adventures with! Nothing too complicated here. You do not have to cosplay together, you do not even have to be a full cosplay group! Bring a photographer friend or just a regular fan who does not cosplay at all.. Whoever you get along with and who wants to come! Just make sure you are ok hanging out for as long as you are going to travel (you do not want to end up in a big fight in a country you do not know). Also make sure that everyone is sure they can pay for the trip (depending on how far you go it can get expensive) and that they will not cancel last minute or will take responsibility if they do. Once you have got your group together you can start planning your international adventure!

Transportation (international & to the con) Of course the first question once you have got a group is… how are you all going to get there? Will you have to fly? Can you squeeze everyone in a car? Or would you rather spend some time on a train or bus? The options are endless… While some options might be cheaper, others might mean you save time or are able to bring more luggage along. So carefully compare the options you have and choose the one that works best for you. Next to getting to the right town you also have to think about getting from the place you are staying for the night to the con.. Is it easy to reach by public transport? And how much will that cost? Luckily usually conventions list some basic info about reaching the con on their website to help you out.

Hotel Are you staying at the convention hotel? Or somewhere a bit further away that might cost less? A hotel, b&b or maybe a campsite? It is all up to you! Pay attention to the convention times as international conventions sometimes end early so staying in the city further away from the con might pay off since you will be able to check out the town and have a nice dinner somewhere. Also pay extra attention while booking: “do they have English speaking staff? Are the reviews good? No extra hidden costs?” You will be in a country you do not know with a language you might not speak, so it is always better to be prepared and make sure you will not run into unexpected problems.

©Kaleidoscopy

Convention tickets Do not forget to buy your convention tickets! That is… if you want to go inside.. Research a bit as there are conventions where a lot of people just hang out outside, no ticket needed! Whereas if you want to see certain panels or shows you’ll need a convention ticket and maybe an extra ticket if you want to go to a signing session.. Other conventions are just completely indoors. Usually I always buy a ticket the first time I visit a convention as I like to see what it is like. If I decide to come back the next year I might buy a ticket or might decide to stay outside depending on my experience the year before.

That is all for part one! I hope this is some useful information for those who want to give an international convention a try. The 2nd part of this post will be about things you have to consider while at the convention itself. I will try to write the 2nd part of this post soon. If you have any questions feel free to ask and till the next post!

©Kaleidoscopy