Lunacy's Tips for Attending Xena Conventions
(And a couple from CPTSkip)


Hi pups :)

Someone on another list asked for some insights about the convention experience so I posted my own.  I know a number of you will be attending your first con in the months ahead so I thought I'd share the tips with you as well.

1. Seeing the celebrities is a blast but I have to tell you, if you have online friends or if you read fanfic and like the bards NOTHING beats meeting your fellow Xenites.  Even if you don't know that many people in the Xenaverse it is just a lot of fun to spend a weekend around people who share this interest with you.  The fact of the matter is that although Lucy and all the other actors that will be making appearances are great - you really don't KNOW them.  Often they don't even share your interest in the sci-fi/fantasy genre - XWP is just a job.  Your fellow Xenites, however, are people you've come to know through the mailing lists, they're people who do share this interest in a TV series with you, often they share other interests as well.  I think most people when they go to their first convention they're usually looking forward to meeting the celebs most of all.  However, once they've experienced a con and realized how much fun being with other Xenites can be, it is THAT experience they look forward to the most in upcoming cons.

2. One important tip I have for ANYONE who attends a con - WEAR A NAME BADGE!!!!!  I was pushing name badges when I went to the Burbank convention last year and I'm going to be pushing name badges again this year with Santa Monica.  Particularly for the online fans it is a MUST to wear a badge with your online name on there.  I can't tell you how much fun it is to be walking along and suddenly spot the name of some Xenite you've been friends with on a mailing list or a bard whose work you admire - and I can't tell you how disappointing it is to come back from a con, discover some Xenite you really wanted to meet was probably right beside you at some point and you never actually met because you weren't wearing badges.  You can get badges cheap from any office supply store or if you see me at the con ask me for one - I'll take extras and will be intimidating people into wearing them >:)

3. If you've bought the Gold Circle tickets that guarantee you an autograph and you plan on having the celebrities autograph one of those Creation photos consider buying the photos PRIOR to the con, having these mailed to your house and then taking them along with you on your flight. At the con Creation will likely have ALL the photos available plus some new ones but you're going to have to stand in one massively HUGE line to buy them.  You'll waste anywhere from 1-2 hrs. doing this and by the time you get to the table where the photos are the ones you wanted may be gone. If you've ordered your photos ahead of time and you have them with you already then you wont be forced to wait in that line.  You can visit the photo table at your leisure once things are less hectic.  One important thing here - if you take the photos with you on your flight make sure to put then in a nice sturdy mailer/envelope so they don't get wrinkled. Creation usually mails them in a carton mailer you can use just for this purpose.

4. Regarding the tickets themselves - is it worth it to buy the Gold Circle tickets or not?  Well, if you REALLY REALLY want an autograph then yes because you wont get one otherwise.  Keep in mind that Lucy and Kevin Sorbo and possibly some of the other celebs at the various cons may not be signing autographs at all so if you're just spending the extra money to get those John Hancocks from them then don't do it.  If you want the autographs of the other celebs that WILL be signing then yes go for those Gold Circle tickets.  In terms of the seating itself, I personally would recommend the Gold Circle tickets if you can afford it.  I've been to two cons (Valley Forge and Burbank) and both featured very large auditoriums. The Gold Circle seats extended at each quite far back - beyond the 20th row or so if I'm not mistaken so if you do NOT spend the extra money assume you're going to be quite a distance from the stage.  It typically wont be a problem for any video presentations because the stage usually includes at least one huge screen but when they have human beings on that stage it will be more problematic.  The celebrities in particular interact a lot with the audience.  They use microphones of course and audience members who ask questions are also asked to come up to microphones but there are always little snipets of conversations and short, often humorous interactions between the celebs and people sitting up close that you wont catch if you're very far back.

5. Audience members can of course ask questions both from the celebs and the behind-the-scenes people that appear (writers, directors, etc.) Usually either one or two microphones are set up so that people can go up to these and ask their questions.  If you plan on asking a question of the big celebs in particular, make sure to line up at the microphone EARLY because they wont necessarily take EVERYONE who lines up.  Lucy and Kevin may have lines numbering a hundred people or more.  One personal request I'll throw in here to any online Xenites who are planning on asking questions - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE *think* about your questions and try to ask something that is interesting, that not everyone knows the answer to already - something that the celeb perhaps hasn't been asked a thousand times already.  Fans who aren't online and aren't as familiar with the Xenaverse as most of us are have an excuse if they ask those old boring questions but guys *WE* have no excuse.  Prior to the con we may even consider coming up with some really interesting questions to ask here on the mailing lists so that online Xenites who are going will have a list to choose from.  While on the subject, I don't personally think there's anything wrong with asking things that challenge the celebrities or TPTB calling into question some of the choices they've made with regards to the TV series - however, I would encourage Xenites to ask questions like these in as respectful, non-confrontational manner as possible.  For instance, instead of asking something like "Why did you ruin the characterizations of Xena and Gabrielle in season three?" you might say something like "Season three seemed to mark a departure in the writing of the show away from character-driven stories toward plot-driven ones in which the characterizations sometimes seemed inconsistent.  If you agree with that assesment what was the logic behind this change?  If you don't agree then in what ways if any do you think the writing was different in season three and how has this impacted on the show?"  Chances are a question like the second one will be better received and better answered since it shows a degree of concern on your part without it seeming like you want to beat up TPTB (which some of us may but that's just NOT the thing to do at a con ;-)

6. The convention experience is a VERY interactive thing.  Fans will be interacting with each other and with the celebs.  The success of those celebrity appearances then will depend NOT only on the celebrity but on the fans as well.  Creation usually stipulates before the celebs take the stage that autographs/photos are not allowed.  Inevitably though you have people going up to the microphones beging the celeb for an autograph or photo, putting the celeb on the spot and taking time away from other fans who want to ask questions.  Be a bit mindful of this.  I think it's a given that you'll see some of this at any con but again - just try to be respectful both of the celebs and your fellow con attendees.  Hoging the celeb is NOT a good thing no matter how much some of you will want to do it ;-)

7. If you've bought your tickets through the mail (and if you're traveling to the con from far away make SURE to buy those tickets ahead of time) you'll get them probably two weeks or so before the event.  Despite this at the actual con you will be asked to register.  They'll take your tickets and if you've purchased the Gold Circle ones they'll mark you in some way (they'll give you stickers or plastic bracelets most likely).  In the past Creation has offered early registration the night BEFORE the con actually starts.  If they offer this at the convention you're traveling too make SURE to take advantage of it.  It makes things much more convenient the day of the con since you'll avoid having to stand in a HUGE line consisting of a lot of the local attendees.  The stickers or bracelets or whatever it is they use to identify you as a Gold Cirlce attendee are what will allow you to seat in the prefered sections AND what will allow you to stand in line to get autographs from those celebs that will be signing.  If you're not really interested in getting autographs (perhaps you've already gotten autographs at a previous con from the celebs signing that day) and plan on just getting rid of your sticker/bracelet consider giving it instead to a Xenite in the regular seating section who may really want an autograph but just didn't have the money to get those Gold Circle tickets.  Just a nice thing to do.

8. Now, exactly how do you get the autographs?  Creation usually waits 'til all the celebrity appearances are over with before they setup the autograph booths.  Then they start calling the people with Gold Circle tickets by row.  There are usually as many rows as letters in the alphabet so this takes HOURS.  If you're seating in row W, for instance, you can safely leave the auditorium, do a little shopping or even dash back to your room for a while before coming back.  Creation usually stipulates that you can only have ONE thing autographed per celeb so if you want a t-shirt signed for instance, be aware that you wont get a photo autographed as well - and - er - yes those celebs tend to be quite willing to autograph just about ANYTHING you want them to ;-)  The autograph line is THE place to see the celebs up close.  However, don't assume you're going to have several minutes of uninterupted conversation with your favorite celeb.  Usually the organizers will be hurrying both YOU and the celeb so that everyone in that preferred section will get autographs.  You will likely not be allowed to take a photo with the celeb while in the autograph line.  Usually they set up a section right in front of the booths were the celebs are signing so that after you go through the line you can try to get some close-up pictures.  One final comment regarding the autograph line - you don't necessarily HAVE to get an autograph while in it.  I bet you the celebs would be pleasantly surprised if every once in a while someone came up to them who just wanted to quickly thank them for a job well done and didn't necessarily want something back from them.

9. Keep in mind at these cons that although WE are there for pleasure, the people who are appearing are there because it's part of their job.  The celebs will often stay there for HOURS signing autographs and will be drained afterwards.  Once they start to leave guys - or particularly if you see them afterwards with friends and family, don't continue stalking them trying to get photos or more autographs - just NOT a cool thing to do.  Probably the NICEST thing you can do for someone like Lucy or Kevin is to give them their space once they're not officially working anymore. If you're unlucky you might end up catching the celeb at a bad moment in which they could react badly to your stalking them and then you'll end up ruining your own con experience AND theirs.

10.  One cautionary pice of advice involves a VERY important consideration for most of us - economics <:)  Unless you have a VERY healthy bank account - WATCH THOSE EXPENSES!  A convention is *the* place to go for merchandise.  You're gonna see a lot of terrific stuff - things you've seen before and things you haven't.  It is VERY VERY VERY easy to get caught up in the excitement and just keep using that little credit card to buy that nifty stuff all around you.  However, a few weeks later when you're back home and get that credit card bill you're gonna be one unhappy puppy.  Most definitely buying the merchandise IS part of the fun BUT do so in moderation and with a budget in mind.  90-95% of the items will be things that you can normally order from Creation or another online vendor so if you don't buy some things at the con it doesn't mean you can never have them.  You can just wait a while and get them later.  As a matter of fact, for those of you who are traveling long distances, it probably makes more sense to buy at the con only things that are not available via regular mail or that you want autographed there lets say because otherwise you're going to find yourself with a lot of additional things to carry back with you.  In particular, paper items like photos, calendars, posters etc. may be difficult to carry back with you without these getting wrinkles in your lugagge so definitely consider ordering those via snail mail.  The one advantage of buying at the con is that you save on shipping and handling charges...but then you'll be paying sales taxes.  Just watch that budget guys.

11. My final tip for anyone planning on attending a con - HAVE FUN!!!  The convention experience is something which in large parts YOU control.  No one forces you to be anywhere at any one time or to even interact with others BUT spending time with your fellow Xenites IMO is 90% of the fun. If you know others that will be attending make plans to meet for breakfast/lunch/dinner, take note of the special events the various mailing lists may be planning (list members usually have get-togethers) and go wearing your NAME BADGE!  You may be surprised when others recognize and warmly welcome you.  If you're by yourself just go down to the lobby of the hotel - chances are you'll see Xenites lingering around and inevitably they'll be talking XWP so you can easily join the conversation.  Be respectful of other Xenites and the celebs and the organizers remembering that old saying that you tend to attract more bees with honey than vinegar ;-)  Ohhh and for that plane trip to and from the con - take some of that great fanfic to get you in the mood! :)

Lunacy

AND FROM SKIP:

Try really hard to eat three meals a day and get at least six hours of sleep. Or is that six meals a day and three hours of sleep?  Bring comfortable clothing and shoes.  You will probably be doing a lot of walking and going from outside (probably hot) to inside (probably air-conditioned). 

If you have "preregistered" with Pup Central and signed up for any Pup events (like brunches and/or other group meals), be sure and pick up your Pup Badge and other info along with your official stuff from Creation.  During the con, keep an eye open for other Pup Badges.  If you see such a badge, and the other Pups is not going to the bathroom, picking her or his nose, or doing something else really important like worshiping Missy and/or LL and/or ROC, walk up and say "Hi!"

After you introduce yourself, start a conversation.  If you can't think of anything to say, talk about some subject you both like: such as Xena, Gabrielle, Xena and Gabrielle (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more), Missy, or other fanfic writers and their stories.  If the other Pup is a fanfic writer, do not say "I think your last story sucked."  If you are talking to Llach, this can get you injured pretty rapidly.  Tell the bard why you liked their story(ies) and things should go swimmingly from there.

If it is evening after the official con has closed for the day, check out the bar in the hotel.  Even if you don't or can't drink alcohol, there will probably be Pups "doing things" in the bar.  Check the bulletin board and look around the lobby and see if there are any other pups just hanging around.  If it is near a standard meal time (which for Pups is pretty much 24 hours a day) see if anyone else wants to go eat.

Do not fear your fellow Pups.  They are all nice people or Missy would have driven them out of Eden with a flaming sword.  (Oops, forget the last sentence.  I got my religions mixed up for a moment.)  Also remember not all Pups are Americans, North Americans or even native English speakers.  Be friendly and you will make friends.  I will guarantee it. 

The object of a con is to have fun with your fellow fanatics.  I mean fans.  I know going to your first con is nerve racking.  But everyone there just wants to have fun.  And Pups are a very fun filled group.  Do not be afraid.  You will be among friends and family before you know it.

CPT Skip (a pup now wondering if "Skippy the Camp Counselor" is assimilating him)

 

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