Conan tickets, the Horton and exclusives

8 JULY 2019

A lot happened today and I can't cover all of it, but let's go over a few things.


Exclusives
You allotted your exclusives points already, right? Right? Because it cuts off tomorrow, July 9.

If you're not sure how, just log into your Member ID account, go to your exclusives tab and it'll walk you through.


Conan
We kind of expected this, but tickets dropped today without warning - apparently surprising even CCI, whose emails with "secret" attendee codes went out after the fact. Never change, CCI.

A few clarifications: everyone was waitlisted, not just you, and you'll get an email notifying you if you have tickets. If you hear nothing, log into your 1iota account and check anyhow - because you need to "claim" your tickets.

Also, you can go back in and add your member ID and code to your submission so do that now if you haven't already. If you didn't get an email about Conan? Check that your Member ID account is set up to receive third-party emails.

Now - tickets for all those other good ConanCon events, like Team Coco House, are dropping this week. Hopefully today taught you well: be ready and vigilant. If like me, you were hoping to do ScareDiego on Preview Night, that's being handled by Conan as well and you'll need to make a grab for tickets Tuesday morning through them - much to my regret. This will be a tough get.

I feel like some attendees are still hyper focused on the Conan tapings and dismissing Team Coco House as a consolation prize. It's not! They hand out Funko Pops there, sometimes there's alcohol, there are games and comedians and "surprise bartenders" and essentially a very fun time to be had. So don't sulk over your (probably) not getting Conan show tickets and instead turn your face to the rising sun of Team Coco House.

The Horton Grand
Okay, let's get real about panels and screenings at the Horton. I feel like this is one of those SDCC areas that remain shrouded in fog year after year. Attendees often don't know where it is or how to attend events there. Let's clarify.

The Horton Grand Theatre is at 444 4th Avenue, a short walk from the convention center. If you check the programming, you'll see some incredible events scheduled there - like the Shazam documentary or Kiki's Delivery Service or the Banana Splits movie or Nathan Fillion. However, you can't just line up at the theatre.

What you need to do is report to the Sails Pavilion, usually but not always across from the Ballroom 20 doors, before 9 am the day of your desired event. In theory, there will be tickets drawings for each event. In reality, 9 am is not a friendly hour for most of us - and so sometimes they've just handed out tickets if there aren't that many attendees waiting.

But don't bank on that. If you're fervently committed to a certain event, like me and Scary Stories/Guillermo del Toro, show up with your comrades to maximize your odds of getting tickets. If you aren't lucky, you still might get in - there are always attendees who get tickets but don't show up later.

If you go to the drawing but can't figure out where it is, start asking around. Prepare for staff and volunteers to have no idea what you're talking about. This has happened to me several times and I had to actually organize the line one year. However, this is a ripe year for Horton events so I think it will be better managed. At any rate, you'll see an anxious blogger lurking around on Thursday and Saturday mornings.


Schedules
Comic-Con is more than panels and Hall H and offsites, though you wouldn't know that from our feverish babbling. There are multiple film and anime festivals, gaming tournaments, creative workshops and portfolio reviews - so check out the schedules CCI posted.


Hotels and Badges
We've entered the home stretch where hardcore attendees are still battling to upgrade rooms. This can be done, but if you're trying to recoup deposits from strangers and other risky moves at this late date, be careful. This is also the time when people suddenly begin dropping out of the Con - last-minute work emergencies, medical issues, etc, and try to sell their badges. Proceed with caution. If you suddenly can't go to SDCC, you can always contact CCI and explain your circumstances to see if they'll refund you - even if it's past the deadline.




Buckle in, nerds. This final week will be a wild ride.

Be ready for Conan tickets

7 JULY 2019



Tomorrow is 8 July - and the beginning of the only week Conan tickets can go live. The same applies to tickets for Team Coco House. That means you need to immediately finalize your readiness for the announcement, if you haven't already.

Essentially that means:

Get your 1iota account ready. Include photos, make yourself look as appetizing an audience member as possible. And if you haven't even thought about your 1iota account since last summer's Conan sale, login tonight and make sure you remember your password.

Check your email for an attendee code. There probably won't be a lot of time between the email and the ticket go-live. You can apply for tickets without one, and in the past you've been able to go back into your account and add it and your Member ID - but try to have it from the get-go, assuming we get a code this year.

Be vigilant. We might get enough advance notice for you to arrange a convenient watch, but you might also have to monitor the situation at work from your phone and be ready to jump. If you haven't done one of these before, speed is of the essence - and most people don't get tickets.

Go back and check your 1iota account later. Last year some people who thought they were just waitlisted logged into their accounts and found they did have tickets.

Good luck.

Let's talk about Conan tickets and Team Coco House

1 JULY 2019

Happy Comic-Con month! We're just two weeks and change away from Preview Night. I think (well, I know) that some attendees expected more blow-out announcements by now for year 50. And maybe we'll still get some. But what we do have guaranteed is Conan and Team Coco House, with those tickets coming up fast.

Conan Tickets
I don't know when they'll go on sale. I hope we'll get our email with the special attendee code before that happens, but it's still unlikely we'll get much advanced notice. Some people are expecting it this week; I think next week is more likely.

Team Coco House
We do know tickets for this are available next week. And yes, they're easier to get. This pop-up comedy club has food, podcasts, live comics, trivia games, swag and more at 401 G Street (walking distance of the Con.) Last year people raved about Team Coco House so don't dismiss this as plan B for people who can't get tickets to the tapings.

Scalpers
Last year people were selling - or at least advertising - Conan tickets for hundreds of dollars. Ignore these people. Most (all?) don't have tickets, for one thing. For another, turning free tickets into a cottage industry poisons the SDCC attendee culture, IMO, where we tend to help each other out in a spirit of generosity and equal trades. Paying these people is just encouraging more of them to come fill up the neighborhood like profit-motivated raccoons. Thirdly, Conan eats up a lot of time and yet the taping itself is over in a flash. There are many, many other activities around Comic-Con to fascinate you and absorb your time for free.

Other Activities
First-timers, I know you've seen a lot of focus on Conan. Please don't think it is the only offsite worth attending. If you don't get tickets, you'll be fine. Attendees just really love ConanCon; add to that a hard-to-get, unpredictably scheduled ticket offering, and all our obsessive boxes get checked. The SDCC programming should be announced this week (on a day by day basis) and you will see how much there is to do.

All that said, stay vigilant. These are the days when some of the best parties and events offer their tickets.

Prepping for ConanCon go-live

19 JUNE 2019

We're in the middle of Comic-Con announcement season. Exclusives and events have been flashed around to admiring eyes, and programming and offsite details wait tantalizingly in the future. But there's one mantra attendees are repeating over and over and over: CONAN.

You might be a ConanCon veteran, or someone who's never snagged a ticket - or a first-timer who isn't even sure what it is. For those of you in the last group, Conan O'Brien takes over the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego during Comic-Con and his guests are casts from visiting shows. SDCC attendees are prioritized for tickets, and everyone gets a free Conan Funko Pop at the end.

Let's review the basics and how you can maximize your chances of going to a taping.

When will tickets go live?
No idea. In the first years, they went live in June but last year was quite late - just a week or so before the Con. At this point, I would guess it would either have to be next week (unlikely) or July 1-2 (possible but unlikely) or the 2nd week in July (most likely)  - again, right before SDCC. But I'm prepared to be surprised.


How do I get a ticket?
Create a 1iota account. The more complete your account is (and they'll tell you how you rank), with cosplay or other "I'm so much fun" photos, the better your chances are of scoring tickets.
You need to pounce as soon as the tickets go live - and you'll buy through your 1iota account. Usually there's a special promo code for attendees. (One year, we got the codes after the tickets went live.)

Don't expect a lot of advance notice. Yes, it works like a lot of SDCC events and lotteries where you might completely miss out due to other obligations; teamwork is your friend.

 
Is it hard to get a ticket?
Oh god yes. It's always been hard but last year was extra tough; I think the lack of NerdHQ has a lot to do with that.

To increase your odds, apply for every show - but you'll be lucky to get tickets to one.


What if I don't get picked?
You can join the waitlist and you can ask around to see who has extra tickets. These people do exist and I've been one of them. People get more interested in a panel or other event and don't want to make the time commitment for Conan. On one memorable occasion, I was frantically texting everyone I knew to claim 2 tickets when friends had to bail. I've also been the idiot sitting in Ballroom 20 when friends were waiting for me at Spreckels.

So you'll want to be vigilant during the Con. Don't be afraid to let people know you're interested in available tickets. Most attendees are more than willing to help out a stranger.

Finally, remember there's Team Coco House.

What is it like to go?
This matters. People who've never been often assume the tapings are at night, and they'll just duck in before it starts, take their seat, and walk out an hour later. That isn't how it works at all.

How it does: you'll need to line up early the morning of the taping to get your wristband. Some people sleep out for this, others roll up at dawn. The person who bought the tickets needs to be there and show their ID, which can make swapping difficult (though not impossible.)

Later you'll return to the theatre in the afternoon, wait in line again, and eventually make your way in with the crowd. If you're super colorful or visually interesting, you may be seated up front, regardless of what your ticket says.

Eventually someone will try to get everyone excited and screaming, people will leap in the air for t-shirts, other people will go on stage in an informal dance-off, and then finally Conan will appear. There will be skits, the cast of a movie or show will come out and talk to Conan briefly, and then it's over. You'll be handed a Funko Pop as you leave and immediately be confronted with creepy collectors and flippers who want to buy it.

Just in case you missed it - you will need to visit Spreckels twice in one day. For most attendees, it's worth it and they build their day and night around Conan. As the offsite presence at Comic-Con has dimmed slightly in the last few years, ConanCon has become the favorite highlight for many attendees.


Who and what should I follow/join?
Make sure your CCI Member ID account is set up for third-party emails and promotions.
Create a 1iota profile if you don't have one already .
Visit Team Coco House for updates.
Follow Conan on Instagram.

Download the apps for Apple or Google.



I'll post more when I know more!

Catching up with San Diego Comic-Con events: where are we?

17 JUNE 2019

So it's Comic-Con season. Our badges are making their way through the U.S. mail and our wish lists are filling up with exclusives and we're making actual choices on the offsites and panels we're willing to stand in line for - in theory.

We've still got 2 weeks before programming is announced and the Exhibit Hall map is released. But it's not too early to start planning our nights - so here are a few options:

Conan
Not a night event, but let's start with the source of half the questions in my inbox. Yes, Conan is coming; we probably won't have much advance notice for when tickets go live. Here's some advice if you haven't gone (or tried to go) before, but I'll also do a separate post. 


Amazon
The company continues its global domination with a massive SDCC space for The Boys, Carnival Row and Jeff Bezos's favorite show The Expanse. Everyone is excited but I'm not feeling bullish on this. Maybe it'll be good; however, it could be one of those big name offsites that's kind of dull.

HBO
We know Game of Thrones will have a panel and that Westworld and Watchmen will have a presence too. What kind of offsite action will that translate to? This is the heart of my offsite interest, and maybe yours too. Get out your black hats and bloody smiley faces.

CCI Museum/The Gathering
The Preview Night fundraiser for the Comic-Con Museum has lots of tickets left. Note the "fundraiser" part; after-party tickets are only $50 but the next tiers are $250 and $750.


Animaniacs in Concert
Also still plenty of tickets left for their Thursday, 18 July show at Balboa Theatre.

HopCon
If you have $75 to spend on beer, games and "commemorative glassware," HopCon still has tickets - and you can also be a designated driver for $35.

San Diego Symphony Cult Classics
The Symphony is always a great escape from Con madness and this year they're giving you Galaxy Quest and Back to the Future.

The EW Party
No, you're not hallucinating. The gilded gathering of Hollywood royalty could possibly open its doors to you - if you win 2 tickets.

Wild at Heart Party with Chantel Jeffries
Yes, you can register for this but remember that can still leave you waiting on the sidewalk like a chump for two hours.

The Upside Down Party at Fluxx
People seem to think this Thursday night Nerdist party is sold out but that's only VIP. General tickets are still available.

The IMDboat Party with Kevin Smith
Another contest offers you tickets to Comic-Con and the 3-story IMDB yacht with Kevin Smith.

Rooftop Cinema Club
If you're looking for something chill, you can watch movies from the Hyatt 4th floor terrace: Top Gun on Tuesday, 16 July and Labryinth on Wednesday, 17 July.

We're just a month away. Are you ready?

A note on ConanCon, scalpers and TeamCocoHouse

14 JULY 2018

In what's been a rather dispiriting year for offsites, ConanCon has really come through for attendees. I know many of you are still disappointed you didn't get tickets to the tapings. However, TEAMCOCOHOUSE should take some of that sting away. I thought everyone had heard about this but apparently not. So take a look at the schedule.

Podcasts, comedy shows, free pizza - a variety of mini-events are running at their pop-up comedy club from afternoon till late at night. Even if you couldn't get a ticket to an event you wanted, you'll have an easier time trading or finding someone with a spare.

Now. On that note, some people are trying to sell their Conan show tickets for hundreds of dollars. I find this repugnant. One of the most enjoyable things about San Diego Comic-Con is how generous and community-minded the attendees are. People will most definitely do a little horse trading, but selling a free ticket for more than an entire SDCC badge? That's beyond crass.

I know you may be desperate to go to Conan, but please don't buy tickets off these people. That's just going to encourage more of this behavior. Also, be wary of people who promise you can get a sky-high, specific price for the Funko Pop. Sure, you can sell it for a decent amount but it fluctuates. I've always hung onto mine; if you want to flip yours, I'd wait a bit.



And first-timers - two of you have emailed me about Conan, asking what else there is to do since you didn't get tickets. So let me say here that there is so much to do at Comic-Con. You will be fine without Conan tickets and in fact, will not even think about it when you're there. The online mania you currently see is an SDCC trait. We're collectors, we're fans, we're zealous by nature, and we can overreact when we miss out on something, acting as if one event or action figure or panel is life or death. Then a few days later we've moved on to obsessing about something else. Ignore the histrionics and be assured you'll find something wondrous at the Con.

Where we are with Conan

12 JULY 2018

Since it whirled into our Comic-Con lives in 2015, Conan has been one of the major gets of SDCC. It's always been tough to get tickets but the first two years felt somewhat manageable. Last year took a turn into chaos, with ticket holders turned away and standby line campers wasting part of their Con on a pointless endeavor.

This year seems to have gone in a different direction; it seems that hardly anyone got tickets. Obviously some people did but those of us with extensive SDCC networks have noticed an eerie lack of confirmations. So here are a few thoughts.

• Some people have found they do have tickets when they check their 1iota accounts - even though they didn't get an email. So check yours.

• It's possible the ConanCon team is being extra cautious to make sure they can accommodate everyone, after having to turn people away last year. So maybe additional confirmations will still trickle out as we get closer and they feel comfortable releasing people from the waitlist. That said, I doubt they will be high in number even if this happens.

• If you don't get a ticket, you can still ask around and see who has extras - but this year, you're part of a very large group and the odds aren't in your favor. Ditto with standby. My advice is to move on and plan a different day. Ultimately Conan is very time-consuming and pretty much hijacks your day for a brief taping. Make peace with not going and find something else to do. It's not like you lack options.

I know this has felt like a tough year overall, but I really believe that everyone will feel the same SDCC spirit once we're all there. Try to stay positive and I'm sure you'll come up with some kind of adventure.

Be sure to claim your ConanCon tickets if you get some

9 JULY 2018

By now we've all seen the release of 2018 ConanCon tickets. We got a special promo code, as we have before, but things are a little different this year.

If you get off the waitlist, you'll get an email telling you you have tickets. You'll have log onto 1iota.com and claim them - or you basically won't have tickets.

Supposedly we'll also have to show our badges or barcode confirmation email when you get your wristband, but I'm not sure that will actually happen. Bring yours to pick-up just in case.

And remember, if you're waitlisted for real - don't give up. People will bail on Conan, or have spare tickets to offer. This is just the beginning.