With just under a month left until Comic Con Africa, and with the rAge Gaming Expo just three days after that; I figured I’d lend some geeks a hand and help out with a few things, mainly preparations and a couple of ‘dos and don’ts.
This is mostly for the first-time convention attendees, but, even if you’ve been to a million and one conventions, it’s always a good idea to take a quick refresher course.

 

First up, transport.
Last year, the Park & Ride guys left us high and dry, cancelling on attendees the day before the convention. Fortunately, this year, Gautrain has offered to pick up the slack; the Gautrain busses don’t normally run on weekends, but there will be a dedicated midibus running from Midrand Gautrain Station to Gallagher Convention Centre on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday; on Monday it will be the regular bus but Gallagher will be the second stop from the station and the second-last stop on the way back to the station.
If you won’t be making use of the trains, then take note, petrol prices are high – even with help from a friend, this year I spent more on transport to and from Geekfest/Rush than I did at the actual convention, so make sure save where you can, carpool or share an Uber with a few friends if possible.
Also, plan ahead – Monday the 23rd of September isn’t a public holiday (it is, however, a school holiday; if you have a job, make sure to put in leave), and thus there will almost definitely be traffic on all the major routes during peak hours, either leave home early enough to beat the traffic or leave late enough to skip it entirely.

 

It is deceptively easy to lose track of your group at a convention, so if you’re attending with family or friends, make sure to establish a time and location at which you can meet up should one or more of you split off from the group.
If you are attending alone and are concerned you won’t have any friends, don’t worry, because there will be all manner of fan meet-ups for a variety of different fandoms throughout the weekend – Friends of Comic-Con Africa even has one, every morning from 10:00 to 10:45, at the cosplay karaoke café (yes, Comic-Con will have one of those).

 

Study the convention beforehand and plan accordingly.
Most conventions with panels, meet-ups and such will have a schedule; and this year, Comic-Con is using an app to help us all keep track of everything. The app will include a map of the convention grounds, the schedule and all relevant information.
If you’re carpooling, maybe one of you can go through it all while on your way to the con.

 

Now for clothing.
Unless you’re cosplaying, make sure to wear the most comfortable clothing possible; you don’t want to be stuck in a queue for three hours only to realise that your new bra has wires sticking out of it or that your boxers are hiking up your legs to the point you might as well be wearing a pair of briefs a few sizes too small.

Next in line is jackets.
While it might not be too cold in SA in September (being our Spring time), these last few years, Johannesburg has experienced a cooler spring and even a few cold snaps in October, so at the very least, take a jacket, you can leave it in the car if the weather proves warm enough.
Although, for rAge, you can leave the warm clothing at home, the Dome has a tendency to get a little toasty – unless the air conditioning is actually functional this year, as it has a habit of not working.
Decide for yourself, check the weather forecast in the mornings before you leave and plan accordingly.

Along that vein: shoes.
Hours are long, and queues are even longer; make sure to use a comfortable, well-worn pair of shoes (or at least a pair that you’ve managed to break in). If you can’t wear a specific pair of shoes for more than half an hour, DO NOT wear them to the con, believe me, any available seating is either in panel areas or is (somehow) always taken, you won’t have many opportunities to sit down and take your shoes off for a bit – seriously, no matter how much extra seating is organised, there never really seems to be enough.

Next, deodorant.
Deodorant masks the smell, anti-perspirant helps solve the problem entirely. There will be long queues and lots of walking, you will get at least a little sweaty.
Also, don’t spray it on your clothes, that doesn’t help AT ALL.

 

Then we have your bag.
As cute as your little Pikachu bag might be, maybe swap it out for something slightly more robust. Chances are, you’ve been saving up so that you can buy all manner of cool stuff at the con, and that little Pokémon isn’t going to be able to carry all of it. Get yourself a backpack or a large messenger bag, and make sure the straps are comfortable.
And, most importantly, when it comes to backpacks, keep the straps at least a little tight – if the straps are loose and the bag is practically dangling off your back, it will do all kinds of damage to your spine as you start loading the bag with more and more stuff, keep the straps tight enough to have the bag sit comfortably at your shoulders.

Pack things you’ll need ahead of time – as in, the night before, if possible.
Be it extra makeup, hand sanitiser, an asthma pump or your insulin shot, make sure it’s in your bag the before you leave. I carry two asthma pumps on my person at all times, one is usually in my pocket while the other is in my bag – one is preventative and the other is for use during attacks.
Also, if you have a power bank and know you’ll be on your phone regularly, make sure its all charged up and ready to go.

 

 

Up next: food and water.
Convention food tends to be quite expensive, and last year we ended up paying R20 for a 500ml bottle of water at Comic-Con. While I cannot confirm that the water will be as expensive this year, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
Most conventions don’t let you bring your own food, many are fine with a bottle of water though; last year we learned that Comic-Con is not okay with a bottle of water (again, they were selling it on site, so that rule makes sense), but they have made a change – this year Comic-Con Africa will be allowing one bottle of water per person upon entrance, and there is nothing stopping you from refilling your bottle should you find a tap.

 

Cash or card?
While stands belonging to larger companies like Cosmic Comics, Smallville or Project Mayhem will have card machines, many smaller companies, like independent artists or people selling homemade fudge and biltong, may not have card machines on them – it can actually be quite an expensive and extensive process to get one, however, many independent stall-holders will make use of SnapScan, or some other cheap card payment system. If all else fails, there will be ATMs on the convention grounds.

 

On that note: security.
While there will be security on site, here is another reason to wear a jacket; inside pockets. Cons aren’t just fun-days for geeks and gamers, they are equally fun (and by far more profitable) for pickpockets. If you can help it, keep your devices and wallets in your bag or in an inside pocket – but be weary, the sight of a closed bag won’t stop most thieves, so keep your eyes peeled and roll for Perception every once in a while. Continuing on with the theme of security; try not to bring too many devices with you, leave your tablet and laptop at home, just bring your phone; in the event you do get your pockets picked, the more you bring, the more you stand to lose, keep that in mind.

 

Moving on, we have queues.
There will be a lot of them, and with seating in short supply (as we’ve established), you may want to head towards the food stalls early; if you know you’ll be hungry at twelve, start moving towards food at ten; and if you’re in a group, one of you should probably split off and grab a table while the rest get the food, wouldn’t want to end up eating while standing.
That certainly goes for CCA, rAge is a little more easygoing, what with Northgate Shopping Centre right nextdoor. However, this year, with Comic-Con Africa taking place at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Mall and The Boulder’s Shopping Centre are no more than a five-minute drive away.

 

Up next: interactions.
Be it with a celebrity or a new friend, try not to make them uncomfortable, they’re there to have fun too (and get paid, in the case of the celebs). Make sure to always ask for a picture, be it with a cosplayer or a random attendee you just befriended; its basic manners.
Remember to be kind to your fellow con-goers, you’ve all been stuck in that same queue for the last hour, the least you can do is be stuck in that same queue TOGETHER, make a friend – seriously, it shouldn’t be that hard, rAge and CCA are geek/gamer conventions, chances are you have at least one interest in common with LITERALLY EVERYONE ATTENDING.
If you bump into someone, or they bump into you, make sure to simply apologise, compliment their shirt or necklace (or whatever item they are using to display their fandom) and move on; you’re all crammed into the same building, you’ve all been brushing shoulders with unfamiliar faces and some of you will be tired and irritated, but it simply won’t do if you get into a fight with someone – no, seriously, security has a way of just appearing out of thin air and they have a way of making people disappear; all Men In Black-like.
Oh, and don’t glomp* someone without permission.

 

Glomp*: run up to someone and jump so that you either land on top of them or they are forced to catch you.

 

Following on from that: interacting with cosplayers.
To be honest, all of this is just common decency, but apparently we live in a world where it needs repeating and reinforcement, so here goes.

DO NOT glomp cosplayers, they have worked hard on their cosplay and makeup, don’t go ruining it just because you want your favourite character to catch you when you fall.
DO NOT touch a costume or prop without express permission; again, they’ve worked hard, so don’t touch it, because regardless of how careful or gentle you are, you just might break it.
DO NOT play with a prop. That staff is a prop, that hammer is a prop, that sword is a prop, and not all of them are meant to be swung around at high speeds – on top of that, you might just hit someone.
DO NOT steal a prop/wig/costume piece, seriously, that’s a dick move, regardless of whether or not you’re planning on giving it back, no matter how funny you think you’re being, you’re being a dick – just don’t do it.
DO NOT interfere with a photoshoot. If a cosplayer is in the middle of being photographed, go ahead, snap a shot from behind the photographer who was already there, but make sure to ask for permission from both the cosplayer and the photographer, it is their shoot. Cosplayers pay for those photos and that money is the photographer’s income – don’t get in the way.
ASK for a photo or selfie; have some manners, don’t just get in there and take a snap.
DO NOT photograph a cosplayer while they are eating, resting or not in full costume; have some respect. They have had a long day of posing in a sweaty, uncomfortable cosplay in a crowded, noisy place; if you see a screen-accurate Stormtrooper, take special care, because I can guarantee they haven’t been able to sit down since they put that thing on.

And finally, still sticking with cosplay:
COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT!
You do not lay a finger on a cosplayer without their express permission; hell, you maintain a safe following distance until you are given permission to get closer, then you can ask permission for physical contact. Too often, con-goers think they’re just having a laugh when, instead, they are making a cosplayer feel extremely uncomfortable; seriously, take a moment and think before walking up to or taking a photo of a cosplayer.

If you are a perv, and your mission for the convention is to take upskirt shots and pictures of girls’ butts/cleavage or guys’ crotches – I’m telling you now, there are no warnings in this community, you will get found and you will get banned for life. I can think of a number of people, right off the bat, who will be attending specifically to catch people like you – and that’s not counting the security staff on-hand.

 

 

Look, all of these are just suggestions (except the part regarding cosplayers, those are less like guidelines and more like rules, much more like rules). Stick to the suggestions regarding clothing and security, and you’ll be all set to go; stick to the rules regarding cosplayers and you won’t get kicked out of the con.
At the end of the day, we’re all there to have fun and make friends, so let’s do just that.

Have fun at the con guys.

Oh, and I will most definitely be attending both Comic-Con Africa and rAge this year, and I plan to be at both each day, from opening to closing. If you see me and I’m not eating or visibly taking a break, you have full permission to glomp me and say hi – just please don’t flatten me, being dead won’t reflect well on my writing.
Or, you could, you know, shyly maintain distance and greet from afar; that works too.