Are you ready for Open Reg?

7 DECEMBER 2017

On Saturday we'll face our 4th SDCC badge sale this year. At this point, your skills should be ninja-smooth - but because every Open Registration sale attracts its share of first-timers, let's go over the basics.

By now you've gotten your email from CCI with your registration code. Keep that handy for Saturday and don't share it with anyone else; that reg code you were given can only be used for one badge sale session. If someone else uses it to log into another session after you're logged in, you'll be kicked out.

If this is your first sale, here's how it goes:

• On Saturday, you'll click the link provided between 8 and 9 a.m. PST. (FWIW: I usually do better with sessions that entered the waiting room closer to 8. Usually.) You'll hang out for a while, setting up camp with drinks and a credit card and a list of everyone you're buying for - their last name, their Member ID, the kind of badge they want and what they'll accept. It helps to print this out, by the way, so you don't have to flash back and forth between screens and risk accidentally closing out your session. Just before 9 a.m., you'll hit the loo and remind everyone in your vicinity to be quiet and respect the intense emotional experience you're about to undergo.

• At 9 a.m., CCI will announce onscreen bar that the sale is about to begin and everyone is being organized randomly into groups. For some reason, it's this message that puts a squirrel in my stomach. But really at this point, it's a matter of fate. You'll wait... check Twitter and Messenger and your phone to see who's bought a Preview Night badge... check the clock.... realize Preview Night badges must almost be gone.... Tell yourself it's okay as long as you get all 4 days... And maybe you'll get picked then or later or not at all. It really is a game of chance. 

• If you get picked, you'll be asked how many attendees you're buying for: 1, 2 or 3. Be careful - people have accidentally hit 2 instead of 3 and consigned their closest friend to staying home. You'll then be asked to input their last names and Member IDs. If someone has already bought them a badge, the system will tell you so. Then you'll pick from the badges that are left - be careful here too - and then go to a new screen where you'll put in your credit card info, buy the badges and close out.

It's all pretty simple. CCI has significantly reduced the number of glitches and snafus that used to infect every badge sale like a pestilence. While some still occur, it goes smoothly for most people.

Advice and Observations

Let's talk chances. They depend on several factors. Are you working with other people? Your odds went up. Working alone? Your odds are slim. (But not impossible! I know several 2017 first-timers who only had 1 or 2 sessions going and got 4 days.) Last Open Reg was incredibly harsh, the worst I've ever seen, but I believe this one may be slightly better. What I'm basing that on: the large number of attendees I've talked to who aren't coming back to SDCC. But I'll do a post on that topic after Open Reg.

And about new attendees and first-timers: did they create their Member ID before 27 November? If you're not sure if they're eligible, they need to log into their account and look under the Registration Info tab. It'll tell them if they can do the sale or not.

Make sure you've got a credit card with enough room on it for all the badges you might want to buy. Remember, your card isn't charged in real time - and even if your shaking hands mess up a number or your card gets denied, CCI will come back to you and give you a chance to pay with a different card.

If you're working with a group, make sure everyone has everyone's contact information, Paypal, phone number, etc., depending on how you're going to communicate and pay each other. If someone's at work Saturday morning and you're taking over their session, make sure they email you their code.

If you have some kind of office party or holiday gathering Friday night, don't stay out too late or get too destroyed. There's always someone who sleeps through the badge sale or tries to hangover their way through it. Don't be that person.

Screenshot your confirmation screen and any glitches. In the past, CCI has been good about making things right. But last year when I ran into minor trouble during Ret Reg, their answer was "See how you do in Open Reg and get back to us." I'm guessing people have tried to scam them or play on their sympathies to get a badge - so compile all the evidence you can of any hijinks. You'll also want that screenshot to send to anyone you bought for, because if they don't get their barcode when everyone else does, they'll start nervously asking you if you're sure the sale went through.

If someone buys your badge, don't exit your own session - hang in there so you can help someone else out. And don't flounce out in a rage if you hear Saturday has sold out. Three or even two days at SDCC is still pretty incredible.


Remember to have one session per browser and don't crowd too many browsers onto one device, or you're more likely to miss one going live or accidentally shut it down.

Make sure your laptop or other device is ready.

And finally, please remember CCI's warning that all badges bought in the same session will be canceled if one of those attendees sells/scalps their badges. Think carefully before buying for random Instagram friends and other people you don't really know. I know we all want to help each other out. It might feel like a waste to get picked when 4-day badges are available and you have a spot you're not using. But it's not a waste - it'll just go to someone else who's waiting.


Good luck. I'll be participating in the sale for friends and live-blogging and on Twitter.  I was lucky enough to get a Preview Night badge in Ret Reg, so I can't pretend this sale carries quite the same stakes for me, but I am still anxious on your behalf. I know many of you are hoping to upgrade an existing badge, hoping to get a badge for a best friend or new paramour, or even hoping to get your very first San Diego Comic-Con badge ever. I hope you succeed.

So you didn't get a badge at all

12 MARCH 2017

If you got shut out of yesterday’s badge sale, you’re probably careening between shock and anger today. I think it's harder with a Returning Reg failure, because you’re a returning attendee and not a first-timer who has no idea what they’re missing. You've gone before, you want to go again; you may even be someone who's gone every summer for the last 20 years. When Comic-Con is a big part of your life, not getting a badge is more than disappointing - it feels like being kicked in the teeth. It feels like an injustice.

And the fact is that the Darwinian nature of badge sales has, over the years, created a breed of Super Attendees. They live, sleep and breathe the Con. They know how to get tickets to every event, they know the 2 days a year a downtown hotel lets people book the right dates, they know how to get the best exclusives and autographs and Hall H seats. And as more and more people master the learning curve and join the ranks each year, it creates a gap between people who gamely take a stab at each sale on their own and people who have a master plan involving an extensive network. These people are in this to win it, and when they don't get a badge - or the badge they think they deserve - they can plunge into disbelief and rage.

Point being: I know how upset some of you are right now. And I genuinely empathize.

You probably already know your options at this point, but I'll go over them anyhow.

Contact CCI with your tale of technical woe, if you have one. 

While the sale went smoothly, some people did experience glitches. My group had one. If you genuinely got compromised in some way, go ahead and contact CCI.

Prep for Open Reg but be realistic.

You’re no doubt determined to score in April and I hope you do. But Open Reg has gotten rougher and rougher the last few years. Last year was nightmarish, with hardly anyone I know getting picked as the minutes passed. I've never seen a badge sale like it. I know everyone is hanging their hopes on the idea of additional badges being available this year, but let's be realistic - it wouldn't be an extra 30,000 badges. 

Here are my statistics for getting picked in the sales:

Pre-reg/Returning Reg this year: 3 out of 7. (This is still being updated, as reports are still rolling in, mostly from people who did not get a badge.) Last year was 1 in 2.

Open Reg last year: 1 out of 9.5.

Work with a group you trust. 

The usual tales of people double-timing their groups have filtered in, but they're rare; most people have had positive experiences. If you're terrified to trust people online, put some effort into finding local people you can meet up with. Ask at your comic shop or around your gaming league. See if any local cosplay, gaming or film club organizations have people who are interested in going. Connect on LinkedIn or Facebook so there's some kind of trackability involved. Don't think your town is too small for this - I know a kid in a rural Wisconsin town who managed to find 5 other interested would-be attendees.

As always, look at other Cons.

I know, you think only SDCC will do. But have you looked into Cons like New York (bigger than SDCC), Dragon (so much fun), Silicon Valley (for the networker in you) Salt Lake (highly recommended), Denver (same) or Gen Con (big favorite with SDCC people)? Start looking around now and making a plan B. Pick a city you've never been to before and make an expedition of it. Here's something I've heard from people who previously didn't get a badge in the past: once SDCC rolled around, they didn't feel any real sense of loss. The badge sale loss was worse than the experience of actually missing Comic-Con. You may find the same thing.

There isn't anything I can say to take the sting out of a complete badge shut-out. Just know that you're the rule, not the exception, because demand is that high. And that your other options can be just as inspiring as San Diego.

Good luck in April.

Should you be thinking about SDCC? Probably.

12 NOVEMBER 2016

Is your head throbbing with a post-election headache? It's been an ugly week, and many of us are facing acrimonious Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving dinners bound to feature aggressive debates. If like me, you have relatives furiously correcting each other between Holland, New York and San Francisco, the rest of 2016 may look pretty contentious too.

So here's a happier idea to contemplate: San Diego Comic-Con. Okay, the badge sale part is far from happy, but right now you can keep your eye on the prize and fantasize about all the idyllic panels and parties you'll experience next summer. You can almost feel that Ballroom 20 seat underneath you, right?

And of course - I know you know this - that means good planning. 2017 Pre-reg will take place early next year, with Open Registration not long after, and that really isn't so far away. To anchor SDCC 2017 in your mind and your future, you might want to start mapping all this out now:


1. Your buying group. Discuss your methodology and rules. Not to be all stodgy about this, but so many "groups" are people promising to be all in, while really belonging to multiple groups and shutting down as soon as someone gets them in. Think about who you can trust and start talking now about it.

2. Your safety hotel room. A lot of people have been on this for months but that doesn't mean all the rooms are snatched up. Other hotels haven't even made any rooms available yet. Start calling and Internetting around and see what you can get. And remember, this only matters if you want to stay downtown. If you're okay with staying far out, you can rely on the Early Bird sale.

3. Your back-up Con. We're facing 2 sales in a smaller timeframe, which might mean washing out might pack a tougher emotional punch. So think now about where else you might like to go if you don't get a SDCC badge. Obviously I'm an Emerald City fan but Salt Lake, Dragon Con, NYCC, Gen Con, Boston, Denver, Silicon Valley, Phoenix, and so on are all contenders. Start researching alternates now and pick one that gets you somewhat excited so your badge sale failure won't feel quite so fatal.

4. Your traveling companions. I know the SDCC cliche is a gang of friends all having fun together, but there are thousands of people who either go alone or would like to go but don't have friends that share their interests. If that's you, don't let that stop you from going to Comic-Con. It is fun by yourself and you'll meet a lot of people who feel like immediate friends. Plus a lot of people who go "together" barely see each other because they're always at different panels and events. But in the event you do want to go with someone, if only to share hotel expenses, start looking around now. Ask coworkers, long-distance friends, fellow fans, and don't feel weird about it. Expanding your social network is part of what's great about Comic-Con life.

5. Your budget. Saving money is always smart when it comes to Comic-Con; you might not get a discounted room in the hotel sale, a roommate might bail at the last second, your car might die and you need to buy a plane ticket, etc. And of course you'll always want to spend spend spend when you're there. Make a savings plan now, and if you have the kind of family members who like to be generous around the holidays, don't be afraid to ask Santa for a Comic-Con contribution.


I really do think the badge sales will come up fast. The holidays are always busy, and then there we are plotting our badge sale domination, our Hotel Day strategies, and it just accelerates from there. If you've been to SDCC before, you know that planning is the key that opens the door to a fulfilling Con. And if you haven't? Study up, kids, starting now. You've got a wild road ahead of you.

Warning: CCI won't replace badges lost or not sent by your buyer

17 FEBRUARY 2016




CCI published one of their badge sale FAQs, which I recommend reading. However, it's slightly different this year because we're having our badges mailed to us. And that brings up a note of caution.

To make this very clear: whoever buys the badges, gets them mailed to their house. Let's say it works like this. Using Peter Parker's Member ID, Bruce Wayne gets into the system and buys badges for Selina Kyle, Pamela Ivey and Barbara Gordon. The women then pay him through Paypal.

Where does CCI send the badges? Wayne Manor. Which means Bruce needs to mail them out.

To drive home the trust inherent in this transaction, CCI issues this chilling advice: "If the buyer does not give you your badge, Comic-Con is unable to intervene on your behalf or send you a new badge. Make sure that you personally know and trust the people you are working with in a buying group."

Uh.... what? Usually RFID badges can be turned off and reissued pretty easily. In fact, why yes, CCI themselves made this claim last year: "And if the postman accidentally delivers your badge to another dimension, RFID technology allows us to turn off the missing badge and issue you a new one onsite."

So now that everyone's involved in these intensely complex buying groups with online strangers, we're told something else? I mean, things do get lost in the mail; if CCI is going to go the mailed-out badge route, and they're trying to save money by only shipping them to the buyer address, rather than the associated member ID address, they seem to be assigning all of the risk to us. And that seems a bit unfair, since most buying groups rise up out of social networks and forums, as opposed to the local office nerd circle.

At any rate, you'll need to step back and assess your chances in a new light now. Do you want to try to restrict your buying group to people you know IRL or do you want to better your odds with a bigger group - knowing that if a stranger buys your badge, they can withhold it, sell it, or just lose it through sheer incompetence, and you have lost your chance to go to San Diego Comic-Con? Hopefully it won't happen, since the badges CAN be turned off, thereby minimizing the motivation to sell them. But you'll still be staying home if it does.

I think most of us feel like we "know" each other through Facebook, Twitter and so on, but buying groups can include a lot of random people thrown in the mix. I'm guessing most of us will still go forward with our present arrangements. But there's no denying that Open Reg just got even more precarious, which is the last thing any of us wanted.