What's your badge status?

24 JUNE 2018

Since badges began shipping out, most attendees have anxiously watched their mailbox. In true SDCC fashion, this has not been a serene process. If you're nervous right now because your badge is not yet in your hands, fear not - you're in good company.

There's a whole spectrum of badge statuses right now, such as:

You received an email telling you your badge shipped out, but it's still en route. I have two friends on opposite coasts who both tracked their badges to a predicted Saturday arrival - but neither of them had it as of last night.

You received an email telling you your badge shipped out, but the tracker says it's still in a pre-shipment status. That's me and two other people I know. These emails went out on 19 June. Did they fall off a truck somewhere? Did a CCI staffer jump the gun in emailing us? No idea. I'm giving it a few more days before a polite email.

You received a badge and it has someone else's name on it.  It happens. Contact CCI.

You haven't gotten an email at all. If this is you, I'd email CCI this week just to check.

You received an email telling you your badge arrived at someone else's house, as planned, but now that person isn't answering your texts and emails.  I don't know anyone this has happened to this year - but if that's you, wait a few more days and then tell them you'll be contacting CCI to have your badge deactivated since they're acting shady. There's no excuse for radio silence when an SDCC badge is in play.

You received your badge, smugly posted a photo online, and now a scammer is using that photo in a fraudulent Ebay auction and CCI has banned you from Comic-Con. Okay - this is another category where I don't personally know anyone this year it's happened to, but it's happened in the past. If you have to brag on Instagram, cover your name with your dog's paw or something.

You got your badge but you wanted the cosmonaut pin and got the regular one. Most people are getting the regular one. You can buy the little cosmonaut at the Con.

In the flurry of online badge chatter, you realized you never validated your shipping address and now your badge will not ship at all. I know one person who had missed the validation deadline due to password trouble; CCI worked with her to still mail out the badge. But that was weeks ago. At this point, you'll probably just have to pick up your badge at the Con.


People have been sharing their badge anxiety all week; I know the waiting is hard, but remember that somehow, some way, you will get your badge. Even if it gets lost or swiped, CCI can kill it from afar and provide you with a new one onsite. And no matter what happens along the way, I think we can all agree that this is way easier than the years we stood in line for hours/overnight just to pick up our badge.

Reminder: update your Member ID address now

31 OCTOBER 2015




Happy Halloween, Samhain and Dia De Los Muertos. We all know the scariest thing lurking in our near futures is the possibility of not getting an SDCC badge in Pre-registration. And in case you missed it, just to toy with our emotions and make us dream even harder of next summer, CCI has announced our badges might possibly arrive in the mail.

Maybe. Can you imagine? It'll add another layer of anxiety to the entire San Diego Comic-Con experience - you'll stalk your mailbox, develop a paranoia about mail theft crime rings, accuse your housemates of accidentally throwing out an envelope with your name on it - but finally it will arrive. You'll attach your badge to your favorite lanyard and wear it around the house. You'll take a picture of it and smugly post it all over social, then get nervous about inviting a home invasion. You'll store it somewhere safe, then keep checking to make sure it's still there.

Finally you'll arrive at Comic-Con and stroll inside the convention center, having eliminated the Town & Country and one more line from your SDCC experience.

Maybe that'll happen, maybe it won't - but to facilitate this process, CCI is urging you to update your mailing address now in your Member ID account. They want you to do this before Pre-reg, which might be as soon as a week from today, so do it now. Logically there should be a way to update your address post-badge obtainment, because in real life people move, but I'd still do it now just to be safe.

Obviously this invites many questions on fraud, security and badge registration - but we can speculate on that later. For now, let's share a hallelujah with Charles Darwin and welcome this (possible) new future of evolution and convenience.

SDCC badges MIGHT arrive in the mail

27 OCTOBER 2015




Today is truly a historic day in the annals of San Diego Comic-Con. CCI is entertaining a radical departure from tradition: "We are currently researching the option of mailing out Comic-Con and WonderCon badges prior to the event." 

Yes, please! If you're new to the world of Comic Cons, this is rather huge - even though CCI has radically improved the badge pick-up process and times (which used to be ungodly), it's still a pain in the ass and has been one reason Preview Night is so popular. (Picking up your badge for PN is a breeze.) Obtaining our badges ahead of time would be highly convenient.

Anyhow, enough exulting. The real takeaway: you need to update your mailing address now in your Member ID account. The system is going to close before Pre-reg (I'm guessing 7 November by the timing of this message, maybe 14 November but probably the former) according to CCI so get in there. But of course you'll be able to update your address later, I'm sure; CCI must be aware that some attendees will change residences over the next 9 months.

Change! Revolution! These are exciting times for San Diego Comic-Con attendees.

Don't forget to print your barcode confirmation email

7 JULY 2015

You need this (along with a photo ID) to pick up your badge.

If you can't find it, mine and my friends' arrived on 23 February 2015 (this was from Open Reg) and 9 November 2014 (that was from Pre-Reg.) Both had the subject line
"Comic-Con International 2015 -- Important Registration Information" and were from registration@epicreg.com.  
The badge pick-up people now have the power to scan this from your phone. So either have this organized in a special spot for fast reference, or print it out now.

Where and when you'll pick up your badge

23 FEBRUARY 2015



If you got your confirmation barcode email, you'll see a weird little grid on there that tells you where you can pick up your badge. Let's break it down.

First of all, yes, you have to pick it up in person. If you're coming to SDCC from other Cons, I can see why you'd expect your badge to come in the mail, sparing you the hassle of waiting in some ungodly line thousands of people long. But this is SDCC and you do need to show your ID and barcode confirmation in person to get your badge. It may well involve waiting in line. Sorry. The good news is, badge pick-up lines aren't nearly as bad as they used to be.

As far as where, there are two locations doing badge pick-up: the convention center and the Town & Country hotel at 500 Hotel Circle North. Anyone can pick up their badge at the convention center but only some people can get their badges at Town & Country.


"Consolidated" Four Day Badges with Preview Night: You can't go to the Town & Country. And you don't need to, because you can get your badge at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 3:00 pm on Wednesday. That's what they tell you, anyhow - in reality you can show up earlier in the day and get badged, no line. I usually wander in after lunch, around 1, and there are already several hundred people in the exclusives line. This is one of the greatest benefits of a Preview Night badge so take advantage of it. Show up early.

"Consolidated" Four Single Day Badges without Preview Night: You have two choices. What I recommend: picking yours up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8:30 pm. (While I've never done the T&C thing, I've heard they also let people in well before 3.) You can also get your badge at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 8:30 am on Thursday.

Thursday Single Day Badge: Same as above.

Friday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Friday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Saturday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Sunday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Sunday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Multiple Single Day Badges: Here's where it gets tricky.

You can pick up multiple single day badges at the convention center, beginning at 8:30 am, on your earliest badge day. You can pick all of your badges up at that time - but please note that this does not apply at the Town & Country. Only at the convention center.

Say you have Thursday, Friday and Sunday badges, like some of my friends. You can only pick up Thursday at the T&C. The others you'd have to get at the convention center. Your other option is to pick up all three Thursday morning at the convention center.

People have argued this point before but CCI has said it clearly: "The only badge holders available at the Town & Country Hotel are 4-day consolidated and Thursday holders. For all other daily badge holders, you will need to visit the Attendee Badge Holder Pick-up Desk."

Now I'm going to point out an inconvenient reality. As you may have heard, some panel lines are overnighters. That means that if you have a single day badge and need to get in line for it that day, you cannot join, say, the Hall H line in time unless you have an already-badged friend holding your spot. Just something to keep in mind when making your plans.

One item high on my SDCC wish list is for them to make badge pick-up available offsite (either at the Town and Country or some other closer hotel) in advance. Like if you had a Sunday badge, you could swing by some hotel ballroom on Saturday between 9 am and 9 pm and pick it up then so you could freely join all the Sunday lines. I would happily pay extra for this and I think a lot of attendees would as well. But CCI seems to favor cost savings over convenience, so I don't expect to see this anytime soon.

All of this is on my 2015 page and I'll go over it again right before the Con.

Hang onto your barcode confirmation

23 FEBRUARY 2015

This is the kind of thing I think everyone knows - but then I remember how many newcomers we have this year (by my informal calculations, quite a bit) so maybe it's worth a reminder.

You need to hang onto the barcode confirmation email that's showing up in your inbox. Why? Because you need to print it out and have it on hand with a photo ID to pick up your badge. Actually, there was a time when if you didn't print it out, you had to go to the convention center FedEx office and pay a fee to print it out - but I believe they can scan it from your phone now. Regardless, you need to preserve the sanctity of this email.

Badge pick-up details are in the email; these can be confusing so I'll post a clarification shortly.

Town & Country line is moving quickly

23 JULY 2014


I've heard from 3 people that the Town & Country line is moving fast. Apparently they opened early and are processing everyone through in a rapid fashion.

So that's good news, but apparently the traffic getting there now is fairly hellish. Still, if you're stuck in this traffic right now, it's probably worth seeing it through since they seem to be moving people through at a brisk pace once they're there.

Good luck.

Don't forget to print your confirmation barcode email

22 JULY 2014




It's almost here.

Don't forget to print your confirmation email with the barcode on it today. You need to hand that over when you pick up your badge.

It was emailed to you right after the online sale where you scored your badge. Subject line: Comic-Con International 2014 -- Important Registration Information. 

Picking up your badge

7 JULY 2014

 
 

CCI has posted information on picking up your badge, and it's a little more informative than the grid we all got with our confirmation email. Most importantly, they cleared up a mystery that was a source of some contention last summer, but also introduced a new distinction.

First, here's where and when you can pick up your badges. This is posted on my 2014 page, and I'll remind everyone as we get closer.

There are two locations doing badge pick-up: the convention center and the Town & Country hotel at 500 Hotel Circle North. Anyone can pick up their badge at the convention center but only some people can get their badges at Town & Country.


"Consolidated" Four Day Badges with Preview Night: No Town & Country for you. You can pick these up at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 3:00 pm on Wednesday. That's the official time, anyway, but usually you can show up around 1:30-2:00 on Wednesday and get badged, no line. If you intend to get in the exclusives line, that's a critical difference.

"Consolidated" Four Single Day Badges without Preview Night: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel  from 3 pm - 8:30 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 8:30 am on Thursday.

Thursday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8:30 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention center on Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Friday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Friday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Saturday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Sunday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Sunday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Multiple Single Day Badges: 

You can pick these up at the convention center, beginning at 8:30 am, on your earliest badge day. You can pick all of your badges up at that time.

This does not apply at the Town & Country. Say you have Thursday, Friday and Sunday badges, you can only pick up Thursday at the T&C. Everyone argued over this last year, but CCI has clearly confirmed it for this year: "The only badge holders available at the Town & Country Hotel are 4-day consolidated and Thursday holders. For all other daily badge holders, you will need to visit the Attendee Badge Holder Pick-up Desk."

Now here's the part I didn't know. I thought if you bought all four single day badges, you automatically converted into a 4-day badge on arrival. That's how it went in the past. Then I read this: "If you opted out of consolidation during online registration, you will receive all four of your single day badges when you arrive, however, you must visit the Attendee Help Desk (a separate line.)"

Opted out? I didn't know that was an option during registration, possibly because I have a Preview Night badge. In any case, I can't imagine why someone would have opted out of consolidation - but if this is you, know that you can't go upstairs and get badged like the rest of us. You have to go to the Attendee Help Desk and enjoy your own special line.

Hopefully this clears up all questions on where to get your badge.

Badge question answered on the Town & Country

17 JULY 2013


Happy Comic-Con, everyone! I hate to start out with a piece of (minor) bad news, but we got clarification from CCI on the multiple single day badge question. 

And it is this: you can only pick up a Thursday or four-day badge at the Town and Country tonight. If you have four single day badges, they'll convert to a four-day badge. But if you have Thursday, Friday and Saturday, or Thursday and Sunday, or some other combination - sorry, you can only get Thursday at the Town & Country. Which means the only way you can pick up all your badges at once is to get them at the convention center tomorrow (Thursday) morning. If you go to Town and Country tonight, you can get your Thursday badge, but you'll have to wait again on another day. 

You knew the answer would be something inconvenient like that. Sorry.

Picking up your badge

15 JULY 2013

Just as a reminder, here’s where and when you can pick up your badges.

Four Day Badges with Preview Night: You can pick these up at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 3:00 pm on Wednesday. You cannot pick them up at the Town & Country on Wednesday.

Four Day Badges without Preview Night: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention center at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 8:30 am on Thursday.

Thursday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention center on Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Friday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Friday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Saturday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Sunday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Sunday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Multiple Single Day Badges: You can pick these up at the convention center, beginning at 8:30 am, on your earliest badge day. You can pick all of your badges up at that time. If you have four single-day badges, they will automatically convert to a four-day badge without preview night.

Now. Several people have asked a very valid question. Given that you can pick up all of your single day badges on your first badged day – and given that you can pick up your Thursday badge at the Town and Country on Wednesday night – can you pick up all of your single day badges at the Town and Country Wednesday if you have a Thursday badge? We're not talking about people with four single day badges - we know those convert to a 4-day badge. We're talking about people with a Thursday and a Saturday badge, say.

I’ve asked CCI twice and been ignored twice.

According to this language – If you purchased multiple 1-day badges, you may pick up all of your badges at the location designated for your earliest daily badge indicated above - you would assume so, since that's Town & Country.

But according to this language - The only badge holders available at the Town & Country Hotel are 4-day and Thursday holders. For other daily badge holders (Friday-Sunday) you will need to visit the Attendee Badge Holder Pick-up Desk at the San Diego Convention Center - it sounds like you can’t. Of course, this is a paragraph that uses the term “badge holders” (that’s us) interchangeably with “badges” (the things we’re picking up) so it’s hard to know how reliable it is. But right now, I’m guessing you can’t pick up your Thursday and your Friday badge at the Town and Country – just your Thursday.

I know no one wants to wait in two separate badge lines, so hopefully CCI will get back to me. In the meantime, if anyone has a solid answer, please respond. Did anyone experience this last year?


ETA: No, you can't pick up other single day badges at the Town and Country. This is straight from CCI's mouth. Sorry.

Badge pick-up locations are annoyingly the same

18 FEBRUARY 2013


Comic Con has included badge pick-up information on our confirmation emails, and it's the usual convoluted muddle. Allow me to break it down for you in what I hope is a clearer fashion.

First of all - it's the same as it is every other year. Just as they didn't upgrade the system for Registration Day, they didn't come up with any new ideas for avoiding the long lines to get your badge.


Four Day Badges with Preview Night: You can pick these up at the convention at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 3:00 pm on Wednesday.

Four Day Badges without Preview Night: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention at any point in the Con, during normal Con hours, beginning at 8:30 am on Thursday.

Thursday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up in advance on Wednesday at the Town & Country Hotel from 3 pm - 8 pm; or you can pick these up at the convention center on Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Friday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Friday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Saturday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Sunday Single Day Badge: You can pick these up at the convention center on Sunday, beginning at 8:30 am.

Multiple Single Day Badges: You can pick these up at the convention center, beginning at 8:30 am, on your earliest badge day. You can pick all of your badges up at that time. If you have four single-day badges, they will automatically convert to a four-day badge without preview night.


I hope that was helpful. Don't worry about memorizing this now; I'll go over all of this as we get into July and will include it on the 2013 page when it goes up next month.