GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Dragon Con Questions

POSTED BY: DEWRASTLER
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 16:48
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Monday, August 18, 2008 11:18 AM

DEWRASTLER


With Dragon Con just a week and a half away, I got a few questions for everybody, and hopefully you all can help me out.

This will be my first time to Dragon Con and actually my first con ever. I'm just curious as to how early I should show up for a panel, how many should I expect to be able to make in a day, and how long are the lines to meet the guests? If anyone could help me that would be shiny. Thanks!

Also, who all plans on attending? Maybe I'll see you there.

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People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do

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Monday, August 18, 2008 1:11 PM

ARTCAT81


I will be there, this is my second year, I blame the 76th battalion, lining up an hour before a panel usually gets you a seat, but quite possibly not a good one, then again some panels you could just wander into, depends on who is on it.

Again how many in a day, that is entirely dependent on you, I go more to hangout with browncoats and look at nifty costumes than to watch panels (bad back cant sit for prolonged periods of time if i wanted to), soo for me, i get in one, maybe 2 per day.

Wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for lines, and browncoats everywhere! Also, be prepared to not see everything you want to see, if possible i would have a full dozen clones running around so i could in theory see everything. But all in all be prepared for a mighty fine (and large) shindig



Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Monday, August 18, 2008 1:12 PM

SISTER


Hi Dewrastler - wow, your first D*C?? You are in for some fun! This will be the third in a row for me! Let's see - if you've preordered your ticket - expect to stand in line for an hour to pick up your credentials; for panels and guests (depending on who it is and how popular) the wait can be up to an hour as well. Don't get hugely discouraged if the line to get into a panel snakes for what seems like miles. The BDH's line to meet the 'stars' is usually one of the longest so figure that into your day. If you're there for the parade on Saturday morning - don't forget to cheer us - we'll be marching again this year (76th Independent Army Battalion). Hope to see you there.

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Monday, August 18, 2008 4:36 PM

SAB39


It'll be my first too, although I'm going with some friends who are old hands. I figure I'm going to be in line a lot - my highest priorities are getting an autograph from and/or picture with Jewel, seeing the infamous Buffy Horror Picture Show, and getting to the various Firefly panels. All of which, I assume, are going to be hellishly popular.

Anything else I should definitely not miss?


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Monday, August 18, 2008 5:55 PM

NCBROWNCOAT


My first D*C too. And I can't wait. I have plane tickets (arriving mid day Friday), con tickets and hotel reservations. And anticipating the lines.

I've gotten LOTS of good info from the SE Browncoats Yahoo group, the Livejournal Whedonesque community, and all of you here.

I plan on doing 2 or maybe 3 panels a day, just depends on how much I can sit. Of course, I'll try to go to Nathan's panel on Friday and the other 2 with Nahtan, Moreana and Jewell. It should leave me lots of time for Browncoat friends, old and new.

And of course I'll be at the parade on Saturday.








http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/







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Monday, August 18, 2008 6:06 PM

LISSA


Don't miss the Shindig on Saturday night. It's always an awesome party...especially if you are willing to join in a game of duck duck reaver...

~lissa, retired spwhore

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008 2:41 AM

JONGSSTRAW


You really won't have to wait in line that long. They have "virtual lines" for the more popular guests, so you just sign in and periodically check back on the number; kinda like at the supermarket deli. As far as event tickets, my advice is to buy them by mail. It really sucks waiting in line 2 hours to get in.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008 8:48 AM

MAI


Everyone must join in duck, duck, reaver...
best. game. ever.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:13 AM

MSB


oh such a fun game

Oh and speaking of lines please be prepared tyo wait 30 -45 minutes if not an hour for an elevator to get to your room. Bring everything you need with you...you cannot just pop back to your room to get stuff takes ages

Shiny with new people...

I've no idea on the panels I'm just there to hang out with friends and goof off



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Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008 8:43 PM

STOWEAWAY


Quote:

Originally posted by sab39:
... seeing the infamous Buffy Horror Picture Show,

Anything else I should definitely not miss?




I think the first ever Dr. Horrible Sing-a-long would be a must-see. But there's only one showing so I imagine the wait will be very long.

One thing I did before I hit the con is make a plan of what I wanted to see (using the pocket schedule). And then I had a backup plan for each one in case I just couldn't make it.
Make sure you work in time to see all the vendors. I missed out on some of that last year and I was truly disappointed.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:15 AM

DEWRASTLER


How is the Shindig? I haven't heard much about it or seen many pictures.

________________________________
People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do

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Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:41 AM

SISTER


This year's Shindig should be fantastic! Went last year - it was in one of the smaller rooms in one of the three main hotels and we had to wait and wait to get in (once there - plenty of fun - dancing, etc.) THIS year the plans are to have it in a much LARGER ballroom at the newest (the fourth) official con hotel - (and I've volunteered to help set up) - so it should be much cooler (two musical groups are so far slated to play) - and there shouldn't be such a long line waiting to get in.
Hope to see you all there.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008 6:26 AM

MSB


Oh I am soooo glad they got a bigger room... don't want to be smushed:)

Oh the vendors... they really have great stuff ( evil evil people) I always spend too much

____________________________________________

Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

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Sunday, August 24, 2008 2:30 PM

NE0VEN0M


This will also be my first year going, so I'm very excited!! My #1 goal is to meet all 4 of the cast members in attendance and get pictures with them. A very close #2 goal is to attend as many of the Firefly panels as possible. I've taken several hours to plan things out, including an hour wait time before the panels, giving myself free time on each day to wait around in the Walk of Fame area, and even noting the full capacity of each room hosting the events. I might also check out the Shindig :-) I hope everyone has a might fine time!

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:09 PM

RAYCHEETAH


Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
You really won't have to wait in line that long. They have "virtual lines" for the more popular guests, so you just sign in and periodically check back on the number; kinda like at the supermarket deli. As far as event tickets, my advice is to buy them by mail. It really sucks waiting in line 2 hours to get in.


Thanks for a very useful tip, Jongsstraw! I suspect they might just have started that last year or the year before, 'cause I wasn't aware of it any of the years we actually waited in line for events. I'll have to pass that along to some folks!

(Cross-post)

The missus and I are gonna make it in for Saturday, thank ghod! We only got to attend for one day in 2006, after ten years straight of attending all weekend each year, and didn't get to go, at all, last year.

So, shiny!

Just to let y'all know...

You MUST be prepared to make scheduling choices. HARD choices. Even though the schedule may provide for many events and panels you want to see back to back chronologically, if any of them are popular (Firefly cast panels are a perfect example), that may not be possible (though see above).

As soon as you get your schedule, start blocking out events you MUST see. A separate notepad or laptop spreadsheet is better than trying to keep track of it in the booklet. Also, allow time for food breaks, and bathroom stops. I know I've mentioned this elsewhere, but carry a roll of toilet paper with you. By late Saturday, some of the public restrooms fall behind on restocking.

As far as food is concerned, the best place to eat relatively cheaply is the food court at the mall nearby. Gorramed if I can remember where it is, in relation to which hotel is which, but it has the usual fast-food, at least on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It may be closed on Sunday, though I don't know if that's still the case (we didn't get to D*C last year, 'cause we went to Hawai'i, instead). Water is usually provided as a courtesy by the hotels, in the halls, with water-coolers and paper cups, for as long as they last.

There are ATMs at at least a couple of the hotels; count on them running outta cashy money pretty quickly.

Expect to see a lot of Atlanta's finest and officials from the Fire Marshall's office performing crowd control. This con takes the hotels beyond legal capacity, and everybody knows it. The only way they can get away with not shutting it down is to keep traffic flowing. So, respect their authority, obey their instructions, and know where the nearest stairs are, 'cause elevators are a joke, with the sheer volume of folks there.

Aside from the above craziness, D*C is a LOTTA fun; sometimes you can find a real gem of a program (such as a production of the Atlanta Radio Theater Company) when you can't get into one of the big ones.

One last hint. If you KNOW you're going to attend the next year, it can pay to go to the con registration desks toward the end of the weekend, when the crowds thin, and get your pre-reg for next year, for only $50.00. Even if it turns out you can only attend for one day, the next year, you've already paid for the full weekend (it's $50 at the door for a one-day), you don't have to stand in line with the other on-sites, and your badge will be the cool full-size laminated kind.

So, go, have fun, collect memories...

I'll see y'all there on Saturday!

-Raycheetah =^[.]^=

P.S.: I'll be in an Aloha shirt with a Hawai'ian hat on, and a special name badge (not the official one) of my avatar with my name on it. Dunno what the missus plans to wear; it'll prob'ly be black (her favorite color, at least until something darker comes along).


The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.



http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:40 AM

JONGSSTRAW


Quote:

Originally posted by Raycheetah:
Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
You really won't have to wait in line that long. They have "virtual lines" for the more popular guests, so you just sign in and periodically check back on the number; kinda like at the supermarket deli. As far as event tickets, my advice is to buy them by mail. It really sucks waiting in line 2 hours to get in.


Thanks for a very useful tip, Jongsstraw! I suspect they might just have started that last year or the year before, 'cause I wasn't aware of it any of the years we actually waited in line for events. I'll have to pass that along to some folks!


In all honesty I must quantify that advice a bit....I've never been to DCon, so I'm not 100% sure about the "virtual line" thing, but I did attend both FX Int'l.Con & Megacon this year in Orlando, and both shows had them set up. I don't see why DC wouldn't have the same. It's better for the actors also, because they get people coming up to them that are are "fresh" and excited, not leg-weary and exhausted. The advice about buying Convention tix in advance is from first-hand experience. Took me 2 hours to get into Megacon...never again.


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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:58 AM

MANWITHPEZ

Important people don't do field work.


For the record, if D*C has this setup, it's new in the three years I've been going. There are no virtual lines, and anyone saying that waiting only an hour will get you into a panel is right, but you won't get a very good seat. It's two hours, minimum.

Panel attendance requires careful planning, and some sacrifice. Like me. My girlfriend is going to frequent the Star Trek panels. I am going to sacrifice them...Okay...it's not a sacrifice. I don't want to go to any Star
Trek panels.

The point is, D*C is not a vacation.

"It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm going to have fun, and you're going to have fun. We're going to have so much f*in fun that we'll plastic surgery to remove the god**mn smiles from our faces"
Clark W. Griswald: National Lampoon's Vacation

Heh.

Kaylee: "What's so damn important about being proper? It don't mean nothing out here in the black."
Simon: "It means more out here. It's all I have..."

http://manwithpez.livejournal.com

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 8:45 AM

RAYCHEETAH


Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Quote:

Originally posted by Raycheetah:
Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
You really won't have to wait in line that long. They have "virtual lines" for the more popular guests, so you just sign in and periodically check back on the number; kinda like at the supermarket deli. As far as event tickets, my advice is to buy them by mail. It really sucks waiting in line 2 hours to get in.


Thanks for a very useful tip, Jongsstraw! I suspect they might just have started that last year or the year before, 'cause I wasn't aware of it any of the years we actually waited in line for events. I'll have to pass that along to some folks!


In all honesty I must quantify that advice a bit....I've never been to DCon, so I'm not 100% sure about the "virtual line" thing, but I did attend both FX Int'l.Con & Megacon this year in Orlando, and both shows had them set up. I don't see why DC wouldn't have the same. It's better for the actors also, because they get people coming up to them that are are "fresh" and excited, not leg-weary and exhausted. The advice about buying Convention tix in advance is from first-hand experience. Took me 2 hours to get into Megacon...never again.




Oog.

-Raycheetah ='[.]'=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.



http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 10:18 AM

XANDERESQUE


Here's a note of caution for travelers both in town and out of town:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/08/26/down
town_connector_traffic.html


Quote:

Expect Labor Day weekend traffic mess on connector
Dragon Con, Clemson-Alabama game, DOT work to blame



Labor Day is taking no holiday on the Downtown Connector this weekend.

On the bright side, the closure of huge chunks of I-75/I-85 for state Department of Transportation projects may come to an end for the year, if work goes well this week.

Unfortunately, getting to that point will be a mess. A mess held on a big travel weekend starting this Friday, with major events scheduled for downtown Atlanta to bring tens of thousands of tourists. All while Atlanta is on national television.

The Clemson-Alabama kickoff game is slated for the Georgia Dome and will be featured on ESPN’s College GameDay.

Atlanta Black Gay Pride, which bills itself as the world’s largest African-American gay pride celebration, is to be held in Midtown and expects 75,000 attendees, according to organizers.

Dragon Con, the science fiction convention, may bring 30,000 Star Trek-costumed, comic book loving fans to at least four downtown Atlanta hotels.

“The Goodyear blimp will provide great views of lane closings and miles of cars going no where,” said Brian Moran, vice president of the local chamber of Alabama alumni, in an e-mail. Billy Gordon, security manager for the Georgia Dome, said the dome is expecting a sellout crowd of more than 70,000.

On a map, the Downtown Connector looks like the most logical way to get to all three. This weekend, said DOT spokeswoman Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, it isn’t.

“We’re anticipating it to be extremely congested,” said Paulk-Buchanan.
DOT suggests people take the MARTA train.

For roads, Paulk-Buchanan recommended taking I-285 to get around Atlanta. To get to downtown events, she said try I-285 to I-20, and coming downtown via I-20.

The northbound lanes shouldn’t be affected much, with just an HOV lane closed so trucks can get in and out of the 14th Street Bridge area. But southbound is another story.

At the Brookwood merge, I-75 is slated to be reduced to one lane.

I-85 should be narrowed to two, starting at Ga. 400.

The lanes re-open south of 10th Street.

“There’s no good way of doing this,” said Mickey McGee, DOT’s district construction engineer over Atlanta. McGee said that the contractor and DOT officials had studied what had to be done and determined that by working through the weekend, they could spare Atlantans worse traffic over a much longer period of time.

If rains are too heavy, none of it will happen on the long weekend. But that’s not an outcome drivers should hope for, Paulk-Buchanan said. Connector lane closures are limited to nights and weekends, and a three-day weekend allows crews to get a lot more work done.

Every time they start and stop the job, Paulk-Buchanan said, the crews have go through a time-consuming process of taking out temporary paving they had put in for drivers to use the road during the week, then at the end of the work spurt putting the temporary paving back in.

If the work gets rained out this holiday weekend, that work may have to be spread out over as many as six weekends.

“It’s all about the rain,” she said.

But if it does go well, big lane closures for the 14th Street Bridge project may be done for the year. That project continues again next year, but the Connector re-paving doesn’t.

For the re-paving, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, and it doesn’t seem to be another train headed at us. DOT crews have finished the major multiple lane closures for the re-paving, and now are doing smaller closures for painting stripes on the road.

For this weekend, “The message is, plan ahead,” said McGee. And if you’re determined to try the southbound Connector anyway, “be aware of what you may be getting into.”



This shouldn't affect walking around the con too much, except that the surface streets could be a lot busier from detours off the interstate. It can however be a big pain of a delay if you are on the road Friday night through early Monday morning!


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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 4:48 PM

THATWEIRDGIRL


I'm with ManWithPez on this one. D*Cs past didn't have virtual lines. I'm doubtful they'll have them this year. There are just too many people willing to trick or scam their way onto a list or into a quickly filling room. My best guess is you'll be standing in line.

You'll see what I mean about scruples. For some reason folks just don't bring them to cons.

---
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charlie Brown
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