If you're interested in aliens and UFOs, you'll want to check out AlienCon this summer! The convention takes place June 15th-17th at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California and features guests like David Duchovny (love him!), Star Trek: The Next Generation's Gates McFadden, Star Trek Voyager's Robert Picardo, Ancient Aliens' Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, and author Erich von Däniken. Day passes costs $61, and weekend passes are $124. For more information, check out the AlienCon website:
AlienCon
Showing posts with label conventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conventions. Show all posts
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Exciting News!
In a month or so, you might notice that I'm not posting as often as usual, so I wanted to tell you why: In early August, I'm moving to L.A. to finally try to follow my dream of being a TV writer! I still plan on posting here as much as I can, but since I'll have to work a lot to be able to afford an apartment, it might be hard for me to post once a week or more like I do now. My first weekend there, I'll be attending a Halloween convention called ScareLA though, and of course I'm going to write about that and share some pictures. ScareLA sounds really cool, and I'm excited to wear my '80s Ghostbuster costume again. For more info on ScareLA, check out their website, and if any of you will be there, let me know. : )
http://scarela.com
http://scarela.com
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Conventions for Beginners
Since the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con is coming up, now seems like a great time to share some tips for people attending their first convention. Conventions are so much fun, but they can be overwhelming, so here are some things you can do to ensure that you have the best time possible.
1. Don't procrastinate. If you're coming from out of town, book your hotel as early as you can. If you wait too long, it might be difficult to get a room at your preferred hotel, and the rates might be too high. Also, get your convention tickets as soon as they go on sale; some conventions offer much lower ticket prices when they first go on sale, and the prices usually go up closer to the date of the convention.
2. Research, research, research! If you're interested in attending panels, lectures, meet and greets, etc., decide what you want to see before you get there. I always go to the convention website and read the descriptions of everything that's going on, and I print out a schedule as soon as it's posted and highlight everything I'm interested in; that way there's no confusion once I get to the convention, and I can even plan in advance what time I can take breaks for lunch and dinner. I can get pretty cranky when I'm hungry, so this benefits everyone. ; ) If you're not going to have much time for meals and the convention doesn't offer food on-site, find out what restaurants are nearby before you get to the convention. If you only have an hour or so, you don't want to waste time trying to decide where to eat; you want to get your food quickly, eat, and get back to the convention with time to spare.
3. Bring a good camera. I know everyone has cameras on their cell phones, but the quality of the pictures I take with my digital camera are so much better than the quality of cell phones pictures, so if the convention allows cameras, bring one. You're going to want good-quality photos since conventions are full of great picture-taking opportunities...like this one from AtomaCon in North Charleston, SC:
4. Bring a battery-operated phone charger. You don't want your phone to die, and these are pretty inexpensive. (I got mine for $5 at Five Below.)
5. Start working on your costume as early as possible. You wouldn't want to realize a day before the convention that you're missing something you need or that some part of your costume is going to be harder to finish than you thought it would be, so if you're planning on entering a costume contest, start working on your costume way ahead of time in order to avoid unnecessary stress. Also, check the convention website for contest rules so you know what criteria your costume will be judged on, what percentage of your costume must be handmade or altered, what props aren't allowed, etc.
6. Bring water. There's so much to see and do at a convention, and you're going to miss a lot of it if you pass out from dehydration, so bring water with you or buy some at the convention if it's available.
7. Bring cash. The vendors will most likely accept credit cards, but if you're worried about going overboard buying merchandise, decide on the highest amount you're comfortable spending, bring that amount in cash, and don't buy anything else once the cash runs out.
8. Wear comfortable shoes. This might be difficult depending on your costume, but you're going to be doing a ton of walking and standing in line, so wear comfortable shoes if possible. I have some with memory foam in them, and my feet never hurt when I wear those.
9. Bring a notebook. If you're just going for fun, you don't need to worry about this, but if you're attending panels to learn about something you might want to pursue a career in or because you want to write about it (for a blog, website, newspaper, etc.), bring a notebook and something to write with. When I go to conventions and attend panels about anything paranormal, I take a ton of notes because as good as my memory is, I'm not going to remember half of what I heard by the time I actually sit down to write a blog post about it. Basically, if you think you're going to want to remember anything you hear in a panel or lecture, write it down. Sure, you could take notes on your phone, but it seems a little rude to have your phone out when someone is talking, and you also have to worry about your battery dying or your phone erasing all the notes you took (my phone erased all the pictures on my SD card, so I don't trust my phone for anything too important).
10. Have fun! Most importantly, enjoy yourself, and don't stress out too much. You're going to remember your first convention for the rest of your life, so make some amazing memories. : )
The Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con takes place June 23rd-25th at the Las Vegas Convention Center (3150 Paradise Road). For more info, check out the website:
https://www.amazingcomiccon.com/amazing-las-vegas
If you're coming from out of town, Vegas.com has some great flight and hotel package deals. : )
Flight and hotel package deals
1. Don't procrastinate. If you're coming from out of town, book your hotel as early as you can. If you wait too long, it might be difficult to get a room at your preferred hotel, and the rates might be too high. Also, get your convention tickets as soon as they go on sale; some conventions offer much lower ticket prices when they first go on sale, and the prices usually go up closer to the date of the convention.
2. Research, research, research! If you're interested in attending panels, lectures, meet and greets, etc., decide what you want to see before you get there. I always go to the convention website and read the descriptions of everything that's going on, and I print out a schedule as soon as it's posted and highlight everything I'm interested in; that way there's no confusion once I get to the convention, and I can even plan in advance what time I can take breaks for lunch and dinner. I can get pretty cranky when I'm hungry, so this benefits everyone. ; ) If you're not going to have much time for meals and the convention doesn't offer food on-site, find out what restaurants are nearby before you get to the convention. If you only have an hour or so, you don't want to waste time trying to decide where to eat; you want to get your food quickly, eat, and get back to the convention with time to spare.
3. Bring a good camera. I know everyone has cameras on their cell phones, but the quality of the pictures I take with my digital camera are so much better than the quality of cell phones pictures, so if the convention allows cameras, bring one. You're going to want good-quality photos since conventions are full of great picture-taking opportunities...like this one from AtomaCon in North Charleston, SC:
4. Bring a battery-operated phone charger. You don't want your phone to die, and these are pretty inexpensive. (I got mine for $5 at Five Below.)
5. Start working on your costume as early as possible. You wouldn't want to realize a day before the convention that you're missing something you need or that some part of your costume is going to be harder to finish than you thought it would be, so if you're planning on entering a costume contest, start working on your costume way ahead of time in order to avoid unnecessary stress. Also, check the convention website for contest rules so you know what criteria your costume will be judged on, what percentage of your costume must be handmade or altered, what props aren't allowed, etc.
6. Bring water. There's so much to see and do at a convention, and you're going to miss a lot of it if you pass out from dehydration, so bring water with you or buy some at the convention if it's available.
7. Bring cash. The vendors will most likely accept credit cards, but if you're worried about going overboard buying merchandise, decide on the highest amount you're comfortable spending, bring that amount in cash, and don't buy anything else once the cash runs out.
8. Wear comfortable shoes. This might be difficult depending on your costume, but you're going to be doing a ton of walking and standing in line, so wear comfortable shoes if possible. I have some with memory foam in them, and my feet never hurt when I wear those.
9. Bring a notebook. If you're just going for fun, you don't need to worry about this, but if you're attending panels to learn about something you might want to pursue a career in or because you want to write about it (for a blog, website, newspaper, etc.), bring a notebook and something to write with. When I go to conventions and attend panels about anything paranormal, I take a ton of notes because as good as my memory is, I'm not going to remember half of what I heard by the time I actually sit down to write a blog post about it. Basically, if you think you're going to want to remember anything you hear in a panel or lecture, write it down. Sure, you could take notes on your phone, but it seems a little rude to have your phone out when someone is talking, and you also have to worry about your battery dying or your phone erasing all the notes you took (my phone erased all the pictures on my SD card, so I don't trust my phone for anything too important).
10. Have fun! Most importantly, enjoy yourself, and don't stress out too much. You're going to remember your first convention for the rest of your life, so make some amazing memories. : )
The Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con takes place June 23rd-25th at the Las Vegas Convention Center (3150 Paradise Road). For more info, check out the website:
https://www.amazingcomiccon.com/amazing-las-vegas
If you're coming from out of town, Vegas.com has some great flight and hotel package deals. : )
Flight and hotel package deals
Thursday, September 1, 2016
September: The Month of Bigfoot
I've never thought of September as Bigfoot Month, but according to Haunt Jaunts' calendar of paranormal/horror festivals, there are three Bigfoot festivals this month, so I guess September is the month to celebrate Bigfoot. First up is the International Bigfoot Conference in Kennewick, Washington, which takes place September 2nd-4th.
http://www.internationalbigfootconference.com/
That same weekend (on the 3rd), there's also the Bigfoot Celebration in Willow Creek, California.
http://www.redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=3689
Minerva, Ohio's Minerva Monster Day takes place on September 23rd and 24th and will focus on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Minerva Monster, and the Beast of Whitehall.
http://minervamonsterday.com/
Check out Haunt Jaunts for a list of all of the fun paranormal and horror festivals going on all year. : )
http://www.hauntjaunts.net/paracons-horror-fests/
http://www.internationalbigfootconference.com/
That same weekend (on the 3rd), there's also the Bigfoot Celebration in Willow Creek, California.
http://www.redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=3689
Minerva, Ohio's Minerva Monster Day takes place on September 23rd and 24th and will focus on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Minerva Monster, and the Beast of Whitehall.
http://minervamonsterday.com/
Check out Haunt Jaunts for a list of all of the fun paranormal and horror festivals going on all year. : )
http://www.hauntjaunts.net/paracons-horror-fests/
Friday, August 2, 2013
Cool Website of the Week: Haunt Jaunts
This week's cool website is Haunt Jaunts, a travel blog about haunted places. On this website, you can find links to websites that list haunted places, ghost tours/walks, and haunted Halloween attractions,
and there is also a list of paranormal conventions and conferences.
The website also has a store called the Halloween Scareporium, which is
full of cool Halloween costumes
and decorations, and some of the proceeds go to the Lymphoma Research
Foundation. Try the search feature, and type your city in and see what
comes up...I live in Charleston, SC, so I wasn't surprised to see a few
posts about my city (including one entitled "The 14 Most Romantic
Haunted Cities We've Jaunted To So Far"...Charleston was fourth on the
list).
http://www.hauntjaunts.net/
http://www.hauntjaunts.net/
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