Badge sale links, vax cards, and other considerations

 22 SEPTEMBER 2021

Happy Fall Equinox! CCI delivered its own harvest today in the form of badge sale links! These are going to play a huge role in everyone's fate, so let's talk about that right off. We've been waiting to see which of 2 possibilities was true:

1. Everyone gets a generic link, which they and every colleague, family member and friend paste into a zillion browsers.
2. Everyone gets a unique link, workable for one entry into the badge sale waiting room.

Now that we have our links (check your email and your Member ID account), what's the verdict? At a glance, the links are labelled the same. But in my group, the links point to different targets. And it makes sense they'd be unique, because CCI has promised that if we get ejected from the badge sale, we can just click our links and go right back to our spot in the waiting room. It also makes sense because CCI does not want to crash their badge sale with an astronomical number of entries. That said, we'll see on Saturday how it all plays out.

Onto other business.

Once again, review the different screens. The badge sale process has changed slightly. In my conversations over the last week, I am amazed at how many people did not realize this, or notice we were losing registration codes. Look, if there's one thing I've learned over the years - never take CCI for granted. They will always throw a monkey wrench into your assumptions when you least expect it.

Also - please log into your Member ID account pronto and make sure everything's working and accurate. I got locked out of mine, had to request a new password which didn't work, had to contact support, etc. The trouble started because of a weird nonsensical message that came up as soon as I typed in my Member ID name. Who knows what gremlins were at work there - but I'd make sure your information looks good, even though you have the link in your email. 

There were also some troubles with the professional badge sale, which is another reason to play it safe.

Let's talk vaccines and testing.

I know this upsets many people, but you do need to be vaxxed or have a negative COVID-19 test result in the last 3 days. That's vaxxed as in fully vaccinated - 14 days from the last shot. If your last shot is 5 days before the Con, you'll need a negative test as well. You can do the math here; counting back two weeks from November 26, and a month between shots for that, you can see that you need to get vaccinated pretty damn quick.

Vaccination proof needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that vaccinated you and it needs to be on your phone or a physical copy. My own vaccine card looks super sketchy - it's handwritten and the clinic I went to has a bizarre, non-healthcare-sounding name, so I'm going to try to get something digital as proof. Consider doing the same for the sake of expediency. And yes, you'll need to show government-issued ID with a matching name. 

For negative tests, they can be PCR or antigen, but they must be done by a certified lab, clinic or physician. In other words - your home test from Amazon won't cut it.

And yes, you'll be masked, even if it conflicts with your cosplay. If you're anti-mask or anti-vax, this is not the place for you. You need to provide your own masks - but you know vendors are going to be selling the most fun masks ever, so there's that.

Badges won't be shipped out - we'll have to pick them up.

This sounds burdensome, I can't lie. It'll happen in Halls G and H (see, you ARE getting into Hall H for once!) and it'll also involve the vax/test checking and ugh, I'm having flashbacks to the days of waiting in line for hours to get my badge. I'm hoping they open up on Thanksgiving night and let us come in and get situated - otherwise many of us will miss half of Friday.

This won't be "the large gathering reflective of the summer event."

Yeah, we know. There will be reduced attendance for a more "intimate gathering" - and something called Fannish Friday Shopping for Black Friday. All of this sounds like heaven to me. But I've never been into the gargantuan pageantry some attendees look for. If you crave long Hall H campouts and snapping selfies in huge outdoor activations, maybe this isn't for you. Those of us who fondly recall the old, more laidback, days will probably be smitten with this Con.

But we will get the Comic-Con Museum opening!

A "limited opening" will happen on Friday, 26 November, with the grand opening scheduled for next July. I'll go if I can, but "limited" in this case sounds extremely limited.

So there's where we are. I'll admit I'm surprised by how many people are blowing this event off, but hey, more badges for the rest of us. To me, this is about seeing friends, blowing money, enjoying some offbeat panels, and luxuriating in that convention center feeling. And of course, supporting CCI.

Good luck! I'll live blog the sale like always. I'm guessing it will go quite fast unless a storm brews up like with professional registration.

Let's appreciate the controversy and ambiguity of "Comic-Con Special Edition"

 29 MARCH 2021

CCI stepped up today and shared additional information about their in-person November event. (Which by the way, should NOT be called SDCC and is instead named Comic-Con Special Edition. You know CCSE-emblazoned swag will be major collectors' items one day.) This message was somewhat in response to the three main reactions to their Saturday night announcement:

• Why are they trying to hold an in-person Con when this pandemic is still out of control and we don't know if the vaccines really work and this one event could undo all our precarious progress?
• Yes, I want to go but Thanksgiving was an idiotic choice between travel chaos and family obligations and they should have tried harder to pick a different weekend.
• I'm going no matter what, holidays and pandemics be damned.

Guess which category I'm in.

The Plus ca Change of CCI

I've really enjoyed all the cynical coverage and teeth-gnashing of the last 2 days, because it's quintessential Comic-Con. CCI is blamed for their fumbling ineptitude and lack of clarity on an important subject; fans, vendors and reporters have weighed in with sulking, enthusiasm, and confusion; attendees have jumped into action to start plotting new badge sale strategies. It all feels so comfortingly familiar!

Or maybe not, for you. I've heard from people who are genuinely annoyed and they have a right to their opinion. But I do think we need to remember 2 points:

1. This isn't taking the place of some other, bigger SDCC we would otherwise get. It's just a bonus event that happens or not. So you can't really feel robbed if it's impossible for you to go, or if it doesn't roll out the same pageantry and splendor of real SDCC.
2. CCI needs money. They admit, no surprise, they've lost $$$$ because of this pandemic, and I fully support them creating new revenue streams any way they can. The same applies to the hotels, vendors, restaurants, artists, etc. who've lost income. David Glanzer referred to "reduced work schedules and reduction in pay for employees" which is very sad and I'm sure you want CCI to put on a beautiful show in 2022 - so this show would be a step in helping them recoup their losses.

So will Thanksgiving ruin Comic-Con Special Edition?

I don't think so. It may cast a shadow, but not a fatal one. Will travel be tough to book and ungodly expensive? Sure. But other than that, I think plenty of people - attendees, studios, exhibitors - will happily prioritize this event over turkey and football with the family. By November, many of us will have already caught up with distant relatives, and others have been cooped up with family members they're desperate to get away from. People are feverish to travel, see new faces, drink in bars, blow money on pretty toys that are right in front of them. 

Maybe I'm overestimating this because I don't celebrate Thanksgiving or care about Black Friday, but I do know many people are craving adventure right now. "Comic-Con Special Edition" is kind of perfect in that it will dish up both excitement and nostalgic gratification.

If it happens. Their statement today admits they don't know if "having this event in November is even feasible." So, as has happened so often in our Comic-Con histories, we will wait for more information, tantalized and jaded at the same time. I, for one, am enjoying the return to normality.

SDCC 2021 might be on Thanksgiving Weekend - which feels so weird

 27 MARCH 2021

Were you looking forward to an old-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner with your family this year? Making up for all the aborted 2020 holidays you didn't have?

Well, cancel all that, because SDCC might be on Thanksgiving weekend. It will run 3 days, Black Friday - Sunday, which means you might have to make some uncomfortable travel decisions. Fly in Thanksgiving night? Fly in Wednesday and spend Thanksgiving in a hotel room? Maybe this one is just for locals. And in fact, you and I might not get to go at all, as David Glanzer said, "I assume it will be limited attendance" and that CCI is taking their lead from health officials.

A few facts:

• The November event isn't for certain yet.
• If it happens, it will be in addition to the virtual SDCC held this summer. I would prefer to call these Part 1 and Part 2, but maybe CCI will cook up a jaunty name for the November event.
• Your 2020 badge rolls over to 2022, but probably not this one - which means we might have a tighter, extra-bloody badge sale. 

Here's what we don't know - if this is worth going to. Of course, I assume most of us are starved for just a glimpse of this:

So yes, this will probably feel like a warm bath of nostalgia after the monotony and loneliness of the last year. I know I'll enjoy it no matter what. But I also know some attendees hang their SDCC hat on one specific experience, whether it's Hall H or Exhibit Hall artists or exclusives or events. I'm guessing many exhibitors will welcome the chance to sell (surely this will be the ultimate Black Friday/Small Business Saturday spending joyride) but I'm not so sure Hollywood will be able to pony up much for us. Then again, probably most of us would be thrilled with just a few good trailers and cast panels.

I guess we'll just have to see.

If you're wondering why CCI canned in-person SDCC for July so quickly, it's because of the intricate and colossal planning involved. As David Glanzer said, "Safety really is paramount" and they had to make the decision well in advance, saying, "It's a massive 150,000 person shift and if you want to put the brakes on, it takes a while to come to a complete stop." We understand that.

Stay tuned.

SDCC updates: Refunds, badge sales & online Cons

10 MAY 2020

Happy Mother's Day! We're at a point where most of us have emotionally accepted the deletion of San Diego Comic-Con from our summers. Now that it's May, and we're entering the traditional season of watching for announcements and lusting for exclusives, that absence is beginning to feel painful. Maybe that's why there is still so much fervid talk about Comic-Con - buying groups, badges, hotels, fond memories of SDCCs past. As Marx (probably) says in the afterlife, Comic-Con is the opiate of the masses.

So let's talk about a few developments.



Refunds
I have been involved in 2 badge refunds so far (neither my own) and both were easy to request and quick to be paid out. As in, the quickest I've ever seen CCI act in regard to anything. However, you will need the Member ID of both the attendee and whoever bought their badge so prepare for that when you make your request.



Badge Sales for 2021
Some rumors and misinformation are circulating online, namely that Open Reg has been cancelled for 2021. Fact time: CCI has stated "There will be no Returning Registration for Comic-Con 2021." That's logical, since there will be no 2020 Con for anyone to return from. Anyone with a 2020 badge is already locked in for 2021 if they want to be.

But Open Registration? No official announcement has been made. CCI did say, "Depending on the number of refund requests received, there may be reduced inventory for sale in the fall of 2020." No kidding. But they did not officially cancel Open Reg yet. There's still 51 days to go for attendees to request refunds and many people could be driven to do so by financial despair - but probably, few refunds will be requested. SDCC attendees, even broke and unemployed ones, know to hang onto any existing badge for dear life. So maybe if there's not enough room for Open Reg, CCI will auction off packages (hotel and badge, as they've done before), hold contests or choose some other route. Regardless, let's wait for CCI to announce their plans when they're ready.

If you lost out for 2020 and had high hopes for 2021, the news that you may need to wait for SDCC 2022 is probably a bitter pill to swallow. But in a season where we're all swallowing many bitter pills, it helps to remember there will be other Cons you can go to over the next 2 years.


Comic-Con at Home
You may have seen CCI's pithy little video announcing no lines, comfortable chairs, free parking - i.e., an online version of SDCC 2020. We don't know what it will involve yet. It's a fair guess that some of the content (celebrity interviews, panels) will be interesting and some not so much, and the final sum won't be much like the real thing.

But I hope everyone still checks it out to see if there's some way they can support a favorite vendor/artist or connect with their fandom. As attendees, we're saving money by staying home - but the other side of fence is taking a financial hit. You won't be spending $$$ on hotels or restaurants, so consider getting yourself an expensive exclusive, back issue, print or other treasure. You can indulge yourself a bit with new toys while helping creators stay in a position where they can make more great stuff. Obviously this is if you can afford to do so.

CCI is also serving up Comic-Con Museum at Home, promising videos and downloadable content for all ages. If you haven't done much with the Museum so far, take a look.


Hope you're all keeping your spirits up and staying connected with your nerd brethren. We're at a stage where our pandemic experiences are beginning to differ. Some of us are employed, some aren't, some are recovering from illness, some have a positive antibody test, and some are hiding out. Some are scared witless and some think this is all a conspiracy. (There's going to be a COVID-19 graphic novel anthology with all our different stories covered, right? Right?) Whatever you're thinking and however you're coping, I hope you're still finding ways to escape into the magic of your favorite nerd world. Be safe and one day we'll walk back into Comic-Con.

The Year Without a Comic-Con: SDCC is cancelled

17 APRIL 2020

We knew it was coming, but this morning's email still stung. San Diego Comic-Con is cancelled for the first time.

David Glanzer summed it up with a nice quote: "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision."

It's easy to be blithe about the decision, which many of us have expected for a month now, but it really will have financial and emotional repercussions across all SDCC communities - the attendees, the vendors, the studios, the surrounding hotels and restaurants, everyone. I'm sure there's a sense of premature termination for cosplayers planning their outfits, gamers looking forward to tournaments, collectors anticipating specific items, etc. It may sound silly, but there's going to be a grieving process involved while everyone lets go of what is a profound annual pilgrimage for many of us.

A few notes:

• You'll have the chance to transfer your badge to 2021 or request a refund. We don't know yet how the refunds will be made, but I would imagine it'll be the buyer who's refunded, not the attendee. So get in touch now with whoever bought your badge and let them know if you're requesting a refund. They'll need to transfer that money back to you.
• If you got a partial badge and are transferring, would you still be eligible to try to upgrade to a full badge in Open Reg 2021? I hope so.
• Any Early Bird deposits will be refunded.
• However, any other deposits on hotel rooms that you booked on your own aren't impacted by this - so you'll need to negotiate with the hotel directly.
• Remember that other Cons are still scheduled - as of now - for late summer and autumn. Will they still happen? Probably not. But it's something to keep in mind if you're desperate to get some kind of Con in this year.

Finally, don't turn your back on the Comic-Con world until next year. There are plenty of digital efforts to promote and sell work, foster online parties and keep everyone connected. No, it's not the same - but it's something.