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Five Tips To Get The Most From Your Dragon*Con Experience by Bill Meeks

Bill Meeks of Meeks Mixed Media will be reporting from Dragon*Con for Bleeding Cool. He'll have a video camera. Do say hello.

Well Labor Day Weekend is upon us, which means Dragon*Con is upon us once again. Billed as one of the largest Sci-Fi/Fantasy in the Eastern United States, Dragon*Con is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary this year. Stan Lee, Christopher Lloyd, and George Perez are some of the more notable guests this year.

Never been to Dragon*Con before? Here are a few tips to help you get the most from the Con.

1. Don't Buy Food in the Hotel Lobbies

Sure, it's convenient. You're already there waiting in line for a panel or checking out some of the cosplayers. But the food you'll find lining the various halls is generally marked up 30% or more than normal. Save some scratch by following the 'habitrail' (the walkways that connect the various hotels) to the mall and food court. Offerings are about what you'd expect (Several Chinese places, greasy pizza, and Subway) but you'll find the prices are too. There is also the option of the ConSuite which offers enough food to keep you from passing out for free or for a small donation if you so choose and it's also a good place to rest your feet. The same advice goes for alcohol, but there aren't many cheap options so you're best bringing a bottle with you or keeping a case back in your room.

2. Don't Depend on the ATMS for Cash

Last year I wasn't as local as I am now and my bank didn't have a branch in Atlanta. No problem, I thought, there should be plenty of ATMs in and around the hotels. Well, there are, but obviously other Con-goers were thinking the same thing because the ATMs ran out by Saturday afternoon. Luckily my hotel was away from the Con so I was able to get some extra cash for Sunday, but if I had been staying at one of the host hotels I would have been screwed. Bring plenty of cash, and try and have some plastic just in case.

UPDATE: A Little Bleeder adds "In the center of the Peachtree Center there is an escalator up to a Bank of America with two big ATMs. Neither of them has ever run out of money in 10 years of my going to Dragon*Con."

3. Get There Early And Get the Lay of the Land

If you possibly can plan to arrive by noon on Thursday at the latest. Even then you might have a 2-3 hour wait to get your badge. Use this time to make friends. The people suffering with you are generally pretty friendly. There aren't any panels or exhibitors on Thursday but the Cosplayers come out at night (among other more dirty things) and you can use this time to learn to navigate all the hotels and the habitrail. Before the sun goes down I'd recommend learning how to move between hotels on the street as well. It's quicker a lot of the time which can make a difference when you're trying to travel between panels.

4. Plan on Staying Up Late And Getting up Early

Sure, there are great panels during the day such as the Back to the Future panels going on this year, but if you want to see the absolutely crazy stuff you'll have to wait until after 10pm. There are usually concerts, dance parties such as Zombie Prom, and of course a lot of skin for you degenerates.

5. Look At The Stars

If you want to see celebrities when they aren't on a panel or charging $50 for a picture your best bets are the small restaurant on the first floor of the Hilton (right by the main entrance) and the Hard Rock Cafe that is halfway between the Hyatt and the Westin. Just go in and grab a drink and before you know it you might be chatting up a BSG babe or a ST:TNG steward. Don't be creepy though. They hate that.

Now, I'll be covering Dragon*Con for Bleeding Cool this year in both text and video formats. If you have something cool you want to promote get a hold of me on Twitter @billmeeks or via e-mail at contact@meeksmixedmedia.com. See you at the Con!

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