this is a guide to fully prepare you for almost everything you’ll experience in a creation supernatural convention.
this is a guide to fully prepare you for almost everything you’ll experience in the burbank supernatural convention in one week. this can be used for the other creation entertainment conventions as well (especially for regular events like panels and photo ops), but i tailored it specifically to the schedule and events in burbank.
we’re back in business! i did not mean to vanish for so long. all your questions will now be answered momentarily.
Going to your first convention alone? Did friends bail on you last minute? Well have no fears, there’s always the extended Supernatural family to fall back on in times of need!
There are several tumblrs and other online communities dedicated to meeting up at conventions. Here are some to check out…
CHICON MEETUP on tumblr. (Chicago)
NASHCON MEETUP on tumblr. (Nashville)
LACON/BANKCON on livejournal (Formerly Los Angeles, now Burbank)
Do you know or moderate a convention meetup site? Drop us a message and we’ll share it with our followers!
Most conventions allow you to cover them in all sorts of media. They do have some policies to follow, depending on each individual convention. They certainly allow you to take photos of all the panels, but usually do not permit you to take pictures during photo ops or autograph sessions, as well as during meet and greets. There are usually permitted times at the very end of meet and greets to do a group photo, but other than that it’s restrictive. Video is usually not allowed, but many people risk a little and video tape what they can of panels. If you’re asked to stop, you probably should. Remember that during panels, you can only do photography from your seat. Getting up to get a closer shot is disrespectful to people in the rows you’re cutting in front of.
→ Popular avenues to share your con goodies are twitter, flickr, youtube, tumblr and other social media sites. A route I like is submitting them to http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php specific convention pages, as a lot of people use that when they want to see what the convention was like firsthand.
EQUIPMENT?
→ I’ve done photography from my seat at the recent LA con, and it can be really fun. If you’re camera savvy, I recommend investing in a good zoom lens - even from the third row it can be tricky to get nice close ups without it! I personally use a professional grade Canon 50D EOS camera, and for the convention I used a Canon Telephoto zoom lens with a 75mm-300mm range. Sometimes camera phones and point and shoot cameras just don’t cut it for me! You can always use them, though. What do you guys use? Tell us in some submissions how you share your experiences!
If you have any further questions about media, hit up our ask box! We will answer your question in a timely manner and try to help you the best that we can! If you have any recommendations as to what you used before and how it worked for you, submit a post to us and share with everyone!
More than anything, most people get nervous about meeting the stars. Try not to be nervous! Remember that they are normal people! They’re no different than us, deep down. Take a couple deep breaths and remember that being yourself is the best way to communicate. You don’t have to be shy! The more calm you are and the more sociable, the better your interaction will be with the guests.
PANELS
→ Panels at conventions are all different in length and content. Usually, the guest will come out and say a bit in greeting, and then devote the rest of the time to answering questions. Most conventions have the question askers line up on either side of the room, or in one single line. Not everyone in the line will get the chance to ask something since time is limited, but there is always that chance! Try to make your question unique. A lot of questions at conventions are repeats, so think of something you might imagine is new or fresh. There are a couple things you should try not to ask out of respect, such as simply asking for hugs or things like that. The guests enjoy stimulating questions about their work or their jobs, try and keep those topics in mind! You never know what their answer is gonna be!
PHOTO OPS
→ Generally, photo ops happen at a predetermined time over the weekend, usually the day the guest has their main panel. Sometimes they get a second scheduled time if there are a lot of schedule conflicts during the other scheduled time, so make sure you read over your con schedules accordingly. If you have an event at the same time as the only time a person has their photo ops such as a meet and greet, just go right to the front of the photo op line, talk to the staff and they should let you in as one of the first to get your photo taken so that you can make it to your meet and greet on time. Photo ops are quick and easy. When it’s time, bring your ticket and get in line. In most cases, they ask you to leave your purses and things on the table outside the photo op room - don’t worry, it’s only for a minute and someone is watching over the table. Photo ops are very quick. They have a lot of people to cover in their allotted amount of time, so it is very rushed. Think ahead - if you want to ask them to pose with you or have certain props, come up with the idea in advance. Sometimes they tell us not to use props, because there are just too many photos to get through, but asking nicely can sometimes get you a little leeway. It’s not a guarantee, and if everyone does it they won’t be generous enough to make exceptions, but sometimes it works. Be creative, and have fun!
GIFT GIVING
→ Creation Entertainment (the company that runs the most conventions) does mention that giving gifts is a bit of a hassle. The guests do know how much we appreciate them and always are receptive to gifts, but sometimes it can be difficult. From my experience, you can almost always give them what you want. However, because Jared and Jensen get the most attention at every convention the staff can be less lenient about it. I’ve found that if you are very polite to the staff as well as the cast, there is a very good chance you can give them what you brought - though with that same respect try not to be too crestfallen if they still do not permit you. Most fans who give gifts do so during autograph sessions. Giving it to the appointed staff place set by the convention (where it’s usually recommended to give these gifts) seems to be a sure guarantee they will receive your gift, but sometimes you are simply not permitted to give it to them in person, unfortunately.
AUTOGRAPHS
→ Autograph sessions are a little different than photo ops. If you have tickets, you are usually called up in order depending on your seats or ticket numbers to keep the line from being unreasonable. If you attend a Creation Convention gold ticket owners and VIP passes get the first in line. They call everyone up by row, from the front to the back. If you’re row A, you get first dibs and they work backwards from there. They’ll usually have you spell your name out on a sticky note in advance while you’re in line to save time too, and make sure your name or message is written how you want it. When it’s your turn, you’ll be greeted by a staff member and the guest. Again, time is short but you’re free to get a little one on one time with the guest.
MEET AND GREETS
→ Exclusive events like meet and greets are usually small and intimate, limited to a small number f people willing to pay extra for it. They’re usually around half an hour to an hour long, and you’re free to have more personal time with the small group and one guest or more. Try not to be shy, you got a coveted spot and you have a once in a lifetime chance to get personal interaction! A lot of guests make a big effort to talk to everyone, even the quiet ones. Talk back. Ask them questions, tell them stories. It’s a great experience and you should take advantage of it!
OTHER EVENTS
→ Some conventions offer other kinds of events like the Roman Holiday tour in Italy, or private music events, or even happy hour parties. They’re limited to space and completely unique and exciting experiences. Every convention has different opportunities, and we will provide all the 411 on each individual one as we see fit so you guys know everything we do!
If you have any further questions about guest experiences, hit up our ask box! We will answer your question in a timely manner and try to help you the best that we can!
Attending conventions can be pricey, but they don’t have to cost college tuition! Here are a few bits of advice to save you a little of your money.
FLIGHTS
→ Flying doesn’t have to be super expensive! There are so many websites you can use to get the cheapest airfare to your destination. You can get web only prices on so many airline websites that are hundreds of dollars cheaper than the general airfare prices - however please keep in mind that these are usually non-refundable. And if you have the luxury of extending the trip, you could fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays - they are the cheapest days of the week to fly. My best advice is BROWSE AND SEARCH. Keep on checking every available outlet you have and search engine you’ve got before you book anything. If you can be flexible with your dates and times, try looking around. I’ve found cross-country roundtrips for under $80 USD with taxes just doing so!
USA
For flights staying inside the United States, you can usually find the best prices and service on these air carriers:
Southwest Airlines
American Airlines
JetBlue Airlines
or by searching your travel dates on:
CheapFlights
^^ For international flights I simply recommend this website. I don’t know any air carriers that will go to all the conventions we cover and this site is so great at covering ALL the important airlines in detail.
FLYING TIPS
→ If you’re only making it for the weekend of the con and nothing more than that, see if you can pack just one bag. If you just choose to pack light, you are usually permitted one carry on bag (the size that would fit in the above compartment reasonably) and one personal bag. I usually use a camera bag, because I want to keep that with me at all times and it doubles as a purse. You can use a messenger bag or a laptop bag or a backpack - but it needs to be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. If you don’t check a bag, you need to adhere to the liquids rule. You can only bring one clear ziploc bag of 3 oz containers. Read more about that here on the TSA 3-1-1 Policy. If you check a bag, remember that most airlines charge a fee for checking a bag - though some give you one bag free. Check when you book your tickets. Security checkpoints don’t have to be a hassle. You can usually get through quickly if you pull out your liquids and your laptop and take off your jackets and shoes in advance. A lot of airlines let you check in online before you leave the house - it saves a lot of time at the airport!
TICKETS
→ Have a budget. Before you plan to go, know how much the total will cost you with admission and the photo ops you want. Remember that if you want to add something last minute, it’s usually an option. However, Jared and Jensen autograph and photo op tickets tend to sell out in advance. My usual plan is buying admission and their photo ops in advance. When it gets closer to the date, I budget out the rest of the guests photo and autograph tickets. When you get there, if you still want a guest’s photo or auto you can usually buy it at the convention!
GOLD/SILVER/GENERAL PASSES ETC
→ When choosing your pass/tickets, try and choose by what you want. For Creation Conventions, going Gold offers you the chances to not only have a very good seat the entire weekend, but you also get entrance to staple events such as the dessert party (with guests attending) and the breakfast event with Jensen and Jared (Or Misha and Jared, depending on the convention). You also get a free nifty little gift and most autographs from the weekend included in the package. Going silver gets you a good seat too for the entire weekend, as well as a package of autographs - but they do not have the same privileges to get access to the gold exclusive events. Plus, gold seats are closer to the front and get a better view. General admission passes do not reserve specific seats and do not come with autographs in the package. Non-Creation conventions have differing packages we will outline on their specific con pages.
→ Sometimes if you want to get a ticket and they are sold out, try not to fret. People sell their tickets all the time if they can’t make it, usually for face value to get back what they lost. We’ll try to share those tickets with you guys regularly, so you can get to go and so that they can recoup their losses. If you can’t make it to a convention and you have any tickets to sell, submit it in a post to us! It should help!
SPLITTING ROOMS
→ A really cost effective way to save a good chunk of money is to split a hotel room with other people in the convention. Most cons have a cheaper priced block of hotel rooms for the duration of the event. If you’re going and you know friends are going too - try and see if they’re cool with splitting a room. If not - this blog will offer you the chance to meet up with new people to split a room with. Please remember! Use your extreme caution when meeting any person from the internet. I strongly advise you to meet in a populated place, and to get to know the person you will be spending your nights with in advance. Please be safe and think critically!
→ If you are looking to find people to split a room with you, check the tags for your convention or submit a post to us yourself with which convention you are attending, and a way for those looking to split a way to contact you.
If you have any further questions about budgeting your convention, hit up our ask box! We will answer your question in a timely manner and try to help you the best that we can!
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