Returning Registration is this Saturday and CCI wants you to be prepared

 29 SEPTEMBER 2025

This weekend, we jump into battle for our 2026 SDCC badge - we being any attendee who attended Comic-Con this summer. 

That means we've all been through a badge sale before, but CCI has valiantly launched a battalion of guides to help us. That includes:

• Returning Registration General Info
• The Essentials
• Buying for Friends
• A Prep Guide
• Survival Guide

Surely some of those could have been consolidated? 

Here's what you need to know:

Log into your Member ID account and put your credit card information back in. Yes, even if you put it in last year. Confirm that you are eligible for Returning Registration.

Speak to your buying group about buying order, who wants what days, etc. Review Member IDs - this is where a critical badge-buying moment can turn dire, when someone's Member ID doesn't validate and you end up screaming "Is that a number 1 or letter 1?" over Discord voice chat.

Be sure your tech is in order. They go through that here - browsers, power save settings, VPNs, etc. (This page has an unnerving waiting room graphic that somehow replicates the anxiety of a badge sale, but maybe it's just me.)

Stop any planned shenanigans or you could be banned from SDCC for life. Or something. Okay, I made up the "for life" part but CCI does include a warning about this. If you travel in Comic-Con circles, you've no doubt heard of the bots and other high-tech trickery people claim are getting them the best badges and hotel rooms. I won't travel that road so I can't attest to its efficacy, but you should know that there are real consequences for getting caught.

Last year, RR wasn't too bad. I don't have numbers to back this up, but it does seem demand has lightened just a bit. So try not to be too nervous Saturday morning. Just lay the groundwork for a successful sale and remember that even if the worst happens, you'll get a second bite at the apple in November.

Good luck and I'll talk to you Saturday.

It's time for Returning Registration!

 21 SEPTEMBER 2024

10:52 am

And we're done. I realize not all of you were successful today and I'm sorry. Hopefully Open Registration next month will smile upon you. 

And yes, former first-timers - you can include your friends and family in that one. Just create their Member ID accounts now. A few people have asked me about this, disappointed they couldn't include their BFF today. Do what you can to help them get that first badge (which may be just Thursday-Sunday or some other configuration) and they can join you in next year's Returning Registration.

Congratulations to all of you who got the badge of your dreams today!

9:56 am

I don't recall a badge sale so slow before. Someone behind the scenes clearly has heard of "slow is smooth and smooth is fast." I like it.

It's been nice; there hasn't been as much of a race against the clock or that heart-sinking feeling when you see "Preview Night is almost sold out." But it wasn't perfect. Issues for me and others:

~ Getting all the way to the "process" button and then it hangs up and kicks you back out. For some people, their order was processed anyhow but they never saw that confirmation screen. Others got nothing. This is the bitterest pill to swallow.

~ The next bitterest: getting in and having the system hang and ultimately boot you back out. This happened to me and then I got picked again and got stuck getting in. My long lucky streak is over. (But ultimately someone else got me my badge.) 

~ Then there were a number of hinky system malfunctions - things slowing way down, your 4 minute wait time suddenly jumping to 36 minutes, seeing a member ID validated but no badge options appearing, etc.

And - not an error but a personal pet peeve - Wednesday night/Preview Night is still on another screen. Why? Just list the option with all 4 days so people don't gasp and think it's already unavailable. I don't understand the point of that user flow.

9:23 am

This has been a slow badge sale so far. A few people got in right away but bounced out; otherwise we stared at that "more than an hour" for an eternity, it seemed.

Then things started moving and Preview Night has lasted an incredibly long time!

8:19 am

Happy Fall Equinox! Hopefully this harvest holiday will bring us all a plethora of badges... right?

I don't know what to expect; last year's Returning Registration was a bit of a downer, then Open Reg was much better. So fingers crossed for today - but don't lose hope if today doesn't go your way.

Are you ready for Returning Registration?

 16 SEPTEMBER 2024

One of those most stressful days of the year is almost here: SDCC Returning Registration! For you 2024 first-timers - and there were a lot of you - this day probably seems like the bonus of all bonuses. An extra bite at the apple! And it does double your chances (mostly) but it's not a guarantee.

For instance. Behold last year. It was for me, and many others, a jumbled, error-prone badge sale. I let out a mighty scream at one point when it kept wiping out people I was trying to buy for and eventually, cost me Preview Night badges entirely. (Which was made up for in Open Reg - but still.) Nothing, and I mean nothing, amps my blood pressure like an SDCC badge sale.

People also observed - and I have zero data, math, or stats to prove this - that it seemed fewer than usual Preview Night badges were sold during Ret Reg and more sold than usual during Open Reg. That was my experience as well. I also met an incredible number of first-timers this summer, more than I've met in many years. 

Given that CCI and their processes are (again mostly) a black box - who can say how it will go this year? Not I. The advice remains the same:

~ If you're comfortable doing so, enter your payment method in your Member ID account now to make your buying group experience easier. I know not everyone is thrilled by the idea of their credit card sitting in CCI land. But it does make things easier.

~ Make sure your buying group comrades understand how a badge sale works and that they've verified their information. If you have a first-timer, second-timer, or even third-timer who's not bought a badge before, walk them through the process. It's so frustrating when they are the one who gets picked right away and then flail around, not understanding what to do.

~ Make sure you have the cash or credit to buy badges. Again, if everyone else in your group has entered their payment information, you shouldn't have to pony up for 3 badges - but it's good to be prepared.

~ Be careful who you trust. I've seen a lot of random people announcing the formation of new buying groups online and inviting strangers to join; a random Discord channel I'm in suddenly announced it was now a buying group and requested everyone to submit their last names and Member IDs. I get that this kind of invitation can feel comforting to solo travelers but it's important to work with people you know at least somewhat. 

~ I'm going to ruffle a few feathers here and ask you to consider if you really need a full badge. Because in recent years, I've noticed more and more people who are skipping Con programming in favor of offsites and maybe 1-2 runs through the Exhibit Hall. And yet they feel they must pursue a Preview Night or 4-day badge simply because, well, that's the "best" badge. If this is you, please remember there are many people dying to attend panels and portfolio reviews and comic creator connection who get shut out every year. If you really only need Thursday and Sunday, or could happily skip Preview Night, save yourself some $$$$$ and let someone else grab that day.

Talk to you Saturday.

Returning Registration is here

 4 NOVEMBER 2023

12:40 pm PST

Okay, several people have told me they had passwords not working; others got in at the Thursday/Sunday portion of the sale and still got bounced out.

Others have said they didn't see as many tweets/posts claiming Preview Night badges as usual and are speculating that the "sold out" figure included those people who got bumped at Process Payment - that their carts with PN badges were floating in limbo, essentially, but never fully processed. This may just be a last stab of hope that Open Reg will have more PN badges than usual available.

I have no idea. I was drowning in tech glitches and frantic Discord voice chats through the whole sale so I have zero idea how many people posted what. 

And I have zero idea if CCI will honor anyone's screenshots; I'm not holding my breath. I do know they need to correct the system so it is one Member ID, one session. Not a free for all where people can get dozens of bites at the apple. 

Open Registration will likely be a bloodbath. Gird your loins for badge sale battle!

10:01 am PST

Wow! Worst badge sale in a while. And I don't have a Preview Night badge for the first time since 2008. 

I'll summarize our technical difficulties:

• Deeply slow, "page unresponsive"
• Showing Preview Night for some people, not for others
• Wiping out 2 of 3 people I completed badge choices and then when I redid them, it wiped out the first person and I had to go back and re-do them
• The billing address I entered kept getting wiped out, and I had to re-enter several times
• While it USED to hold your badge choices in your cart, I was told to remove "Wednesday Attendee" and when I tried to do this, it bumped me back to the badge choices instead of letting me just take it out of my cart
• Process Payment was a monstrosity, hanging me and others up for minutes. Several people timed out at this stage. I didn't time out but after hanging for about 3 minutes, I was kicked back to beginning with a wait time of more than an hour.

I suspect there was a period where they let too many people into the system because the people I know who got right in, had a smooth experience, and when I got in a second time after Preview Night sold out, it was also smooth sailing. 

In other words, I blame CCI/Configio entirely.

Multiple people assured me that the Process Payment aborted sessions still went through. Our current status: the session someone else did that included me did not go through, and I was able to buy for all 3 of us in another session. However, my own initial session that got kicked out may be in limbo as we're unable to buy for them. 

What a mess! How did you do?

8:25 am PST

It appears the lack of a link/email has stymied some people, who've been watching their inboxes. You just need to go into the Member ID section, possibly complete an annoying Captcha, and then you're in.

8:09 am PST

Well, here we are, ready to lock down our fate for San Diego Comic-Con 2024 - the Part 1 of locking it down, anyway. By now, you're probably in the waiting room and feeling your heartbeat accelerate, your palms sweat, as you wait to see what hand you're dealt.

Remember to have your credit card at the ready if you didn't put in your payment details yet; make sure everyone in your buying group has their information updated; get your drinks and snacks ready and sequester any pets who might jump on a laptop and send your SDCC plans to hell.

I feel like today will be calm. How do you feel?

Returning Registration is almost here

 2 NOVEMBER 2023

Maybe it's me, but there seems less fanfare about Returning Registration for SDCC 2024. Are we all just inured to the process? Maybe so, but CCI's email today did hit on 3 good points - test your Member ID access, pre-save your payment information, and slap your buying group into shape. (They didn't put it that way but this IS the time to make sure your most scatterbrained friend has shared an accurate version of their Member ID name.)

San Diego Comic-Con 2023 wasn't the splashiest Con of all time, but don't let that lull you into a false confidence. This Saturday morning will be competitive, stressful, and disappointing for many. Prepare as carefully as you normally would - and don't try to cheat the system. Last year (I think it was last year) people shared their waiting room URL if they had a good spot in line - and their badges got cancelled.

Good luck!

Returning Registration is November 4

 10 OCTOBER 2023

Did you breathe a sigh of relief today? It seems no one was ready for Returning Registration quite yet - so having a few weeks to prepare for the November 4 badge sale was a nice revelation.

CCI offers up detailed instructions on its pretty new site, and basically it seems like not much has changed. So go ahead and indulge yourself in the Amazon Prime sale or at NYCC - you've got a few weeks to get your money together. 

CCI updates SDCC badge prices, hints that badge sale is "soon"

 9 OCTOBER 2023

Courtesy of comic-con.org

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! If you're looking for something to focus on besides the distressing weekend news, you will want to visit comic-con.org and check out CCI's latest hints that Returning Registration is almost upon us. 

While it's merely listed as TBA, they do say "on sale soon" and point out that new attendees still have time to create a Member ID account (hint, hint.) They also list the new prices: $350 for a full Preview Night badge.

I'm resigning myself to an October 14 badge sale, though I really hope I'm wrong. Whether it's next Saturday or not, it's imminent enough that we should all prepare. That means logging into your Member ID account and making sure it all looks good, confirming you have the $$$ to pay for your badge and whoever else you're buying for, and organizing your buying group details. And get your first-timers set up with their Member ID accounts now.

If it is next weekend and you're going to be at NYCC when it happens (East Coast time puts you right in the convention center with the Con in full swing), I wouldn't count on doing this on your phone. Just my advice. 

We'll see what announcements the week brings.

Do you want to become a Legend? And when is Returning Registration?

 4 OCTOBER 2023

There's been a lot of speculation on which Saturday morning will be claimed by Returning Registration this fall. Because of the Junior Badge email CCI sent out, many predicted an early sale. (Though what qualifies as "early" is debatable: last year it was October 15.) Quite a few people thought we might get Ret Reg this weekend. But if you were waiting for a CCI email today announcing a Saturday, Oct. 7 badge sale, you got something else instead: an invitation to empty your coffers to become a Legend member at the Comic-Con museum. 

A membership which includes a full Preview Night badge. A membership which costs a mere $1900. (Missing the visual gasp of a $2000 price tag by a whisker.) CCI assures us that "the memberships will sell out quickly" (will they, though?) and that you get all kinds of discounts and previews and a docent tour - for one year. Yes, this is not a lifetime membership. That $1900 and the ghost of compound interest floating behind it is an annual fee. Not tax deductible, I believe, but correct me in the comments if I'm wrong. I know museum membership tax rules aren't clearcut. 

It's entirely possible to have the badge sale right before this Legend launch, of course. It officially starts Saturday morning at 10 am and involves museum staff who won't be involved with the badge sale. But that's a lot to pack into one morning so I'm going to assume we can cross Saturday off our Ret Reg list of possibilities. 

Should You Become a Legend?

If I lived in San Diego, I'd probably do this just to be a good supporter (and I really like the Museum) so maybe there are many other people who feel the same. But if you are contemplating this solely to lock down a badge - I wouldn't advise it. CCI will likely put some badges up for auction like always and you can probably pay about the same or less to score one that way. That's just my advice - but if you're one of those luckless people who've been striking out in Open Reg for years, I can see where this would appeal.

Anyhow. The membership sale starts Saturday morning at 10 am for people with a current SDCC Member ID and runs through Monday night. Then the general public gets their shot on Thursday. Oct. 12.

I'm hoping CCI then catches its breath, skips over October 14, and serves up Returning Registration on October 21. Or October 28 or returns to November. Anything but October 14 as I'll be enjoying the tacky Halloween pleasures of Salem, someone else in my group will be traveling for the eclipse, and thousands of SDCC people will be wandering around New York Comic Con. It's just not a great day. And it would be pretty savage to schedule an SDCC badge sale during the next best-known Comic-Con.

But who knows what our cunning overlords will do.

How to Become a Legend

The process for becoming a top-tier Museum member is strangely analog. You have two options:

1) Visit the Museum in person on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

2) Watch for an email with a link to an online form where you will not purchase your membership, but "express interest." Then a museum staff member will call you to process your payment. I feel like this is extremely inefficient - will they call right away? Are you supposed to hang around waiting so you don't have to recite your credit card number from yoga class or a screening of The Exorcist: Believer or wherever you happen to be when they call? I feel like there's a story behind their attempt to avoid online payment, but we're never going to hear it.

So! Will you become a Legend at the Museum - and the very first verified attendees of San Diego Comic-Con 2024? Do you have any Returning Registration dates you're hoping for? Any dates you're worried about? Share your theories.

It's badge sale season. Yes, already.

 7 SEPTEMBER 2023

If you've settled into CCI-email complacency, thinking you can safely ignore their pleas for donations and mentions of junior badges - it's time to wake up! They casually mentioned in today's email that registration is "right around the corner" and advised us to check our Member ID passwords and credit card information. They referred to this as being "reg ready" which I guess is like when fitness magazines ask you if you're "bikini ready" every spring. God knows it's more stressful.

So! It looks like an early badge sale is coming - any time after the Fall Equinox, really. Did I say "stressful?" It's time to get our money in order, organize our buying groups, coach/threaten that one person who always gets confused as soon as they're picked to buy badges, and generally steel ourselves to spin the wheel of Comic-Con fate.

I don't hate it, honestly. As long as it's not October 14, when I am pre-Halloweening in Salem and other friends are at NYCC. (CCI wouldn't be that evil, right? Right?) If anything, it sounds like it might be sooner - Returning Registration, that is. 

So are you reg ready? 

Returning Registration has started as the biggest badge sale failure in years

15 OCTOBER 2022

10:28 am

Yikes. IMO, this system is a major fail.

I'll analyze it in depth later but 2 people in my group who got picked while PN was still available got "Page not found" and then sent back to "more than an hour" wait time. Were those sessions not linked to a Member ID? I don't know. They said we could use the link in the email so that shouldn't be a reason. I'm interested to hear if this happened to many others.

The fact that we could all open as many waiting room sessions as we want is unacceptable. People who realized that gamed the system; people who didn't got screwed (unless they got very lucky with their one session.)

The UX on this is godawful. I am ready to write a grant for the Melinda Gates Foundation and beg for a new UX/IT team for CCI. How did they make an already clumsy system worse? The way you selected days one by one with Preview Night on a separate screen was very confusing and I guarantee it cost people valuable time.

Sorry to be negative but today pointed out many errors that need to be fixed before Open Reg.

9:35 am

The waiting room seems to be working well. Fingers crossed everything is smooth from here on out.

9:28 am

We'll go into the waiting room at 9:30 and the sale will begin at 10: am. Allegedly.

9:20 am

Allegedly we'll know by 9:30 if this is being rescheduled or not. I don't think it should go forward today. Trust is at rock bottom levels, people are irritated, and the sale is already projected to run long. I'd prefer they reschedule for November and build some intense resilience before then.

Also, some people have undoubtedly wandered off, thinking it's not happening. It wouldn't be fair for them to miss out.

8:11 am

If you're deeply frustrated, getting "Service unavailable" and then "Connection has timed out" and the perennial favorite, the blank screen - you're not alone. I can't find anyone who's accessed what must be a lonely waiting room right now.

Are we looking at rescheduling? Unless an IT wizard pulls a rabbit out of the hat, probably. We'll see if they turn it around in the next 15 minutes.

Are you ready for Returning Registration?

 14 OCTOBER 2022

Our first SDCC badge sale in 3 years is here! And to commemorate the occasion, we have a new process process and confusing changes.  Here are a few last-minute things to review.

Timing

If you've done a lot of badge sales, you may have an approximate mental timetable of when Preview Night badges sell out, when Saturday sells out, and so on. Tomorrow none of that applies. CCI has estimated the sale could be about 50% slower. If that's true, a lot of us will work ourselves into a frenzy thinking we're not getting picked for anything. So keep this in mind. 

FWIW, Special Edition did move slower - but I didn't think it was 50% slower. I really don't know what to predict for tomorrow.

You will get a time estimation to help you understand your place in line. Don't give up if your ETA looks dismal. Even if badges are selling out, hang in there. During Special Edition, people were wailing on Twitter about how they might as well just end their session - and in the end, everyone got a badge who wanted one.

Your Member ID Account

If you're one of those people that never bothered to update your password after the system change last year - but still received your badge and went to Comic-Con this summer - go reset your password now.

Make sure to upload your credit card number as well.

Your Devices

In previous years, CCI would say not to use your phone or iPad and people would anyhow. That's really inadvisable this time, apparently. Check their tech tips to make sure you're aligned with the process.

The Waiting Room

This year, no codes are needed. CCI has instructed us to access the waiting room from our Member ID accounts. But yesterday's email said we can also just click this link. I expect you'll have to enter your Member ID and password to go in that way. You can't just open a dozen browsers to multiple your waiting room presence - I don't think.

The Competition

Unlike previous Returning Registrations, we have 2 pools of combatants: SDCC 2022 attendees and 2021 Special Edition attendees. It's safe to say that Venn Diagram is almost just one circle - almost. There are definitely people who went to Special Edition that didn't have a 2022 badge.

There's also the weirdness of this: "To manage traffic on the day of the sale, technically anyone who logs in to their Member ID account around that time will enter a virtual waiting room. However, only those who are eligible for Returning Registration will be placed into the randomized queue for the badge sale. Ineligible members in the waiting room will be returned to their Account Dashboard once traffic slows down." What??? Why is this even a thing? 

Let's hope that works as CCI planned. 

Your Buying Group

The actual process looks a little different from last time - so be sure to look at the visuals they provided.  You can still buy for 3 people (including yourself) but there's a different tab to register other Member IDs. Even if you're an old SDCC veteran, I really advise familiarizing yourself with the screen now.

All in all, I don't think there's any reason for panic. I'll live blog the badge sale. Till tomorrow!

CCI offers badge sale advice

 11 OCTOBER 2022

CCI offered up some badge sale advice today - and unlike yesteryear badge sales, when you pretty much knew what they would say, some of it is worth studying.

The main two points I'd emphasize:

Check your password. Definitely do this. It's not just a precaution - my password didn't work last year and I had to get it reset.

Put in your credit card information now. I also rank this as a "definitely," even if you're worried about cybercriminals. It's worth having one less thing to worry about and slow you down during the badge sale.  Yes, you have 15 minutes to complete it but you can easily lose some of those minutes if someone's Member ID is wrong on your spreadsheet or if you have a question about which days someone wants.

Everything else - testing browsers, not refreshing - is as you'd expect.

Almost here!

Returning Registration is October 15

 OCTOBER 4

As predicted, the winds of autumn have carried in Returning Registration. I know there's been a lot of chatter on what an upheaval system changes will cause, but I don't think there's any reason to be anxious. Let's review.

• Returning Registration badge sale is October 15. Saturday morning, same time, same bat channel.

• Or rather, not the same channel. This year, as CCI charmingly put it, "the badge sale will take place in your Member ID account." I would reword that to say that you will access the badge sale from your Member ID account. 

• You'll still join a waiting room between 8-9 am PST and wait for the badge sale to begin at 9.

• If this aligns with the Special Edition badge sale, you won't have a spinning blue circle, you will have an ETA, and the sale will move a little slower than previous sales. Those last 2 are important. Don't reach for the hemlock if your ETA looks bleak - and don't try to predict sell-out times based on when Preview Night and Saturday badges used to sell out. Just hang in there and see it through.

• Don't worry about the sale crashing. I'm not saying it won't. But approaching this like we're all walking into a teetering ruin in a tornado just intensifies an already stressful day. Let's give some CCI some credit; they've had years to upgrade systems since our last badge sale. (They've definitely hired some skilled staff in other areas.) So let's just hope for the best - and it crashes, well, it will feel like old times.

• Test out your tech as they recommend. Again, it's been years (unless you did Special Edition) so just run through and make sure your computer is friends with their systems.

• Note that you still aren't supposed to use tablets and phones, and you still can't Paypal, GPay, etc. Just good ole Visa, Mastercard, and Amex.

• I can't remember what the last full badge price was, but it's now $330. So if you buy for 3 people, be prepared to sell out $1K up front.

CCI promised to provide "visual step-by-step instructions," the study of which I think is advisable for everyone. So keep an eye out for their next update - and in the meantime, lock down your buying group details.

Think positive!

Returning Registration is almost here.... probably

 11 SEPTEMBER 2022

It's been not quite 3 years since our last Returning Registration badge sale: 12 October, 2019. We were told at this year's SDCC to expect another autumn badge sale. So while it might seem too soon to be thinking about SDCC 2023, we're probably only weeks away.

I am really hoping it isn't the 2nd Saturday in October again since I will be pre-Halloweening in Salem and devoid of my home turf tech cave. But if it is - or falls any time before November - now is the time to put on your badge sale mastermind hat. It's been 3 years; your hat is probably a little rusty. I know mine is.

A few things to think about:

• The general badge sale process. If you didn't do the Special Edition badge sale last year, it was almost identical to a normal sale. The main differences were the absence of the spinning blue circle (I can't remember if the dad jokes were there) and its slower pace, as spelled out by the estimated wait times. While everyone ended up getting a badge without a problem, the leisurely crawl freaked a lot of people out at first, who were convinced they weren't going to get one based on previous badge sale paces. Will Returning Registration be the same? I think it will differ slightly from our last Ret Reg, but the general process will mostly be what we remember.

• Your buying group. The last 3 years turned a lot of buying groups into 52 pickup, with groups dissolving, merging with others, or just falling into silence. I think this is especially true for groups that are online only. If you're real-life friends with other SDCC attendees, you're probably in good shape. But if you lost touch with your online community, you might be feeling a bit fragmented right now. If that's you, start putting yourself out there as an orphan in need of a home.

• Your money. God knows inflation is ripping through all of our lives like a scythe right now. If you're struggling financially, don't get caught by surprise when the badge sale is announced - start putting aside $$$ right now. Also figure out if you can pay for 3 badges during the badge sale - because if you can't, you won't be much use to your buying group.

• Your hotel room. Don't be fooled by how plentiful the rooms were this year. (And they were, comparatively speaking - maybe not right off the bat but persistent people were able to get downtown rooms through the waiting list more easily this year.) There's every reason to think next year will be ugly again. Do what you can to get a fallback room, but be aware there's already been upheaval in that area; some people who booked Marriott rooms (Courtyard, Residence Inn, etc) for next summer had their rooms canceled. Brutal! If you have a safety room at the Horton like me, our rooms look safe... for now. Of course, there's really no telling what the future holds. Are we now in a situation where we need to reserve backups for our backups? Sounds like it.

Hopefully we'll see an announcement in a month or so. Till then!

Returning Reg is happening

12 OCTOBER 2019

9:54 am

Well. That was one of the smoothest badge sales ever. I worked with a small local group this year and we did quite well. My ancient (but badge sale-lucky) laptop that wheezes like an old man died at 8:53 a.m.. Ominous, but I was able to adapt and I got a Preview Night badge faster than I could believe. Then it seemed like nothing happened for a while. People were saying badges must be going slowly... but ultimately it didn't seem radically off from previous years. Someone in my group was able to buy all 4 days at 9:40 am, right before Saturday sold out, apparently. If you remember the horror show days where people regularly got booted out of the system or the whole shebang would crash, you have to admit CCI is running a decent operation now.

Most everyone I spoke to online/texted got badges but there were a few sad nerds today. If that's you, buck up and do what you have to do to prevail in Open Reg - which probably isn't far away.

How did your morning go?




8:24 am

The day we've been waiting for is here! Hope you are not sleep deprived and over caffeinated like I am, and you're approaching this with some semblance of calm and perspective. But probably you're just as anxious as everyone else.

Problems so far: nothing terrible that I've heard, other than a resolved issue with getting kicked out of the waiting room. I'll keep posting what I hear. Share what's happening to you!

Are you ready, steady?

SDCC badge sale refresher

9 OCTOBER 2019

San Diego Comic-Con Returning Registration is just 2 days away. Are you ready? Are you nervous? Have you already practiced all the steps several times in your mind?

You probably don't need to; SDCC badge sales have been pretty consistent for years now. But if somehow other people have bought your badges for you and this is your first time at the wheel - let's review.

How it works

1) On Saturday morning, you'll click the link you got in your email from CCI today (which is also in your Member ID account) and input the code that was also in that email/your Member ID account. You want to do this before 9 am PST. A minute late and you won't get into the sale.

2) Once you're in the waiting room, you'll probably nervously text your friends, check Twitter, worry about the flakiest person in your buying group/circle of friends. If you're working with enough people, inevitably someone will experience a dead laptop, hangover or personal crisis that prevents them from participating in the sale. OR you'll have the opposite happen in a bit of luck - someone will send you their code to use since they've decided not to go to SDCC next year.

3) Finally it will be zero hour and the sale will start at 9 a.m. PST. And... not much will happen at first. There will be a spinning blue circle and a yellow bar of CCI's nerd jokes. They'll assure you that people are being moved into random groups. You'll wonder if people are finally buying badges yet. Then you'll see someone crow about getting a Preview Night badge - and at the moment, your real anxiety will begin as you wait to be chosen.

4) Once you're picked for a session, your waiting room will automatically convert to a very intuitive interface that asks your member ID and last name and how many people you're buying for. Do not screw that up. In fact, don't rush at any point through this process. You've got time. Slow down and make sure you input the correct information. The last thing you want is to give up a spot or only get your friend a Sunday badge when Preview Night was available.

5) You'll do the same for the other people you're buying for, inputting their last names and Member IDs and then choosing the days you all want - and doing all of it very carefully. Note: just because it's your code that got you into the waiting room (or someone else's code), that doesn't mean you have to enter the Member ID and last name associated with that code. In fact, if someone else already got you a badge, you can buy for 3 other people when you get picked.

6) At this point, you will advance (after double checking everything) and pay with a credit card. Again, slow down and make sure you enter everything correctly. It's not uncommon for hearts to pound and hands to shake through a badge sale, so try to be calm and focus on being accurate. Errors are common and I know attendees who are carrying grudges to this day because of a friend accidentally costing them a badge years ago.

7) Once you pay, you're done - there's no next stage of booking a hotel like there is with some other Con ticket sales.
 

Advice

• Screenshot everything you can. I always send a picture of my final screen with all the names and days on it to whoever I bought for - it's a little piece of reassurance for them until their email confirmation comes in. And screenshots can save you if something doesn't go through.

• Double check last name and Member ID spellings before the sale - but if you still can't get someone's to validate, check with them and then move on to someone else if they don't respond.  Don't waste a spot because someone flubbed their own information.

• Even if you're disappointed because you couldn't get Saturday/the whole show, take what you can get. This is Returning Registration; you can try to upgrade in Open Reg. And even if you get "only" a Sunday or Thursday/Sunday, it's still worth it.

• Test your technology and lock down your funds ahead of time. If you're the first one picked in your buying group, can you afford to buy 3 Preview Night badges on your credit limit? If not, borrow someone else's card.

• Follow good buying group etiquette - be organized and stay in real time communication to troubleshoot any difficulties and understand everyone's badge status. Pay promptly. Share screenshots. And remember CCI's threat to cancel all badges bought in the same session if 1 of them is sold on the black market. You want to make sure you're working with people you trust.

• Take your whole weekend into account, especially if you're emotionally invested in this badge sale. (And who isn't?) Don't descend into some chemical-fueled wormhole Friday night and then crawl hungover to your laptop on Saturday morning (or wake up hours after Ret Reg is over.) And think about how you'll feel if you don't get a badge. That's always a possibility so carve out some Saturday space where you can afford to marinate in self-pity.

Finally - I know many of us are being orbited by first-timers ready for Open Registration. Make sure they make a Member ID account now. Do not wait. CCI will shut that down without warning. And it's quite likely that Open Reg will be in November, though that's not certain.

I'll be live-blogging the sale like always. Good luck.

SDCC Returning Registration is 12 October

30 SEPTEMBER 2019

Consistency feels nice, doesn't it? Many of us speculated that Returning Registration would fall on 12 October since it lined up with the schedule of other emails and announcements - and CCI provided us with that very announcement today. It was comforting.

The basic annual caveat: Returning Registration is only for those of us who went to SDCC this past summer as an attendee. If that's you, you can buy a badge for yourself and two other people - but they also must be 2019 attendees. You can't sneak in another friend who wasn't there. You have to wait for Open Registration for that.

Speaking of - while we can't be certain that will also follow last year's schedule (10 November) - we can and should play it safe by realizing that Open Reg could happen soon. That means prepping all your first-timer friends by having them make a Member ID account and generally impressing upon them the life-or-death nature of an SDCC badge sale. No flakes allowed.

I'll post a refresher course on Ret Reg - but for now, clear that Saturday and the Friday night before (no hangovers allowed also) and get your money and buying group in order. SDCC fortune favors the prepared.

SDCC & Emerald City badge sales are nigh

22 SEPTEMBER 2019

Happy Autumn Equinox. The past week brought welcome nerd news. The Emerald City Comic Con ticket sale is 23 October and the San Diego Comic-Con Returning Registration sale is... soon.


Emerald City
Let's start with ECCC. I advise making 2020 your first year at ECCC if you've never been and you like comic books. You can read why here. 

As for the ticket sale - it's a fairly simple process. When tickets go live on noon PST 23 October, you will join the queue and buy the tickets of your choice. While 4-day tickets will probably sell out in real time, you should be able to buy all four days separately if you're there in the mix. You can also book your hotel right then, which I highly advise.

For now, subscribe to their newsletter. And think big picture about your Con destinations in 2020 - because unless you have unlimited leisure time and unlimited funds at your disposal, you'll need to pick which Cons to prioritize. Don't be afraid to mix it up.

San Diego Comic-Con

Onto SDCC. Returning Registration is approaching - a day that rivals an ancient Pagan celebration in its capacity to inspire dread and jubilation. This sale is only for attendees who swiped their badge at SDCC 2019 - also known as SDCC50. (I don't feel that ever really took off, but that's how CCI wants us to think of it.) Since you've already been through a badge sale, you know the drill. Just remember to get your money in order and communicate clearly with your buying group. Last year's RR was the worst I have ever experienced in terms of collecting $$$ from the people whose badges I bought, and it almost turned me off from ever participating in a buying group again. Don't be that person.

Dates: Because this year's junior badge validation emails aligned with last year's, it's tempting to think that Returning Reg this year will also align and take place on Saturday, 12 October.  (Last year was the 13th.) But CCI is a saucy minx, so don't bet the farm on that date. As someone who needed to pick an October weekend for Disneyland, I did choose October 18-20 as safe dates to have the sale over with. I'd guess the 5th at the earliest and say the 12th is the most likely. I'd definitely keep your Saturdays on those 2 dates open. (Hard to do if you're NYCC-bound.) But anything is possible.

For you first-timer hopefuls who want to go to SDCC next year but were not an attendee this summer, you'll need to wait for Open Registration. That's also likely going to happen this fall, so make sure you've created a Member ID for yourself and your companions. 

Taking a Gap Year
I want to address those of you who are in the middle - you think you want to go to SDCC 2020 but you're not sure but you don't want to miss out, but but but. There seem to be quite a few attendees contemplating a Comic-Con gap year. Was it because this year was a bit contentious? Are we restless for new lands to conquer? I guess the reason doesn't matter - only that a healthy number of people have mentioned it to me, and they're worried that once they step off the SDCC train they'll never be allowed back on. It's a reasonable fear.

So if you're currently vacillating, remember this:
1) You can always turn your badge in for a refund.
2) If you do jump off the SDCC wheel of fate and can't catch it again - there are other Cons you can go to and fan fests like D23. Also, I feel that we've reached Peak Con in terms of SDCC demand. I could be wildly wrong about this, and obviously it's still very difficult to get a badge. But I do think that even if you flunk a few badge sales, you'll eventually be able to claw your way back in by working with the right people.

Back to what matters. It's officially badge sale season! Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and stay tuned.

So we're probably getting a fall SDCC badge sale

6 AUGUST 2019

It is way too soon to think about Returning Registration for SDCC - for me, at least, but not for CCI. Because here we are: they've sent out their usual email about converting your child's status to "junior badge" eligibility if they were 13 or older on 31 July 2019. The deadline is 5 September.

So why do we care? This obviously applies to a small number of attendees who were 12 at Comic-Con a few weeks ago but now are the magic age of 13. I'm guessing most of us aren't/don't have a kid in those parameters. However, this email does line up nicely with last year's email - which went out on 8 August and had a deadline of 6 September. So that points to a possible alignment with last year's Returning Registration, which fell on 13 October.

An October badge sale isn't guaranteed, but it's worth keeping in mind as you make your fall travel plans and scheme with your buying group. Every year there are people complaining about not being financially prepared for the badge sale - if this is you, start a badge fund now.

And if you do have a youngster who just turned 13? Create a Member ID just like you did for yourself, but choose "Junior" and be sure to have their 2019 badge handy.

Returning Reg is here

13 OCTOBER 2018

10:26 am



Well, that was fast. And rather dismal: compared to last year, hardly anyone I know did well. I got lucky fast and then so did a friend's code. But mostly there was an odd lack of activity in my group. One friend's group didn't get in at all. Another group I know that is always supernaturally lucky did get about half their members badges - but half didn't.

One theory: CCI shifted the allocation of badges, saving more for Open Reg - and the high interest in SDCC50.

If you bombed out today, stay confident about Open Reg. And while I say this every year, it goes double for 2019: having a partial badge is not that bad, because of all the offsites that will almost definitely be happening. Yes, I know the offsites weren't great for 2018. But with the hullabaloo SDCC is making about #50, I'm sure many companies will seize what they see as a great marketing opportunity. You will be kept very busy outside the convention center next summer.

So how did you do?



8:38 am

Returning Registration is just minutes away. By now you've (probably) logged into the waiting room, conferenced in your digital war room and braced yourself for the worst - or the best.

I've heard a few reports of people getting kicked out of the waiting room but nothing else so far. Let's hope for a smooth badge sale like last year.

I'm manning a few sessions but will report back any issues I hear.