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!

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.

Are you eligible for Conan tickets?

5 JUNE 2018

In the last few years, Conan O'Brien has become one of the biggest gets of San Diego Comic-Con. It's not just the amazing guests (X-Men, Game of Thrones, Suicide Squad, Silicon Valley and others) or the chance to dance onstage like a fool on TV. It's not even the Conan Funko Pops, which have become such a coveted item that my AC repair guy was struck dumb when he spotted one in my house. It's also one of the more fun things to do at the Con with your friends.

But you have to be prepared! Getting tickets is tough. Here's a primer if you've never been and some tips that might help even if you have.

What ConanCon Is

Conan tapes several shows in San Diego during the Con. Once you have tickets, you can tell your mom to watch Conan on the appropriate night which lets her brag to her friends that you were on TV, which might help her see all your SDCC tomfoolery in a new light.

During the taping, shirts will be thrown into the audience, you'll be encouraged to holler and cheer till your throat is hoarse, sparkling celebrities will take a seat on stage, and then it will all end. On your way out you'll be handed a Funko Pop. Desperate collectors and flippers will sidle up to you and creepily whisper bids in your ear for those Pops. You'll either sell yours off and regret it later or wisely hang onto it.

The timing: usually you need to line up super early in the morning (I arrived at 6:30 am one year and got a nosebleed seat) to get your wristband. You'll still be able to hit the Con when the Exhibit Hall doors open or shortly thereafter. Then you'll return to the venue that afternoon and be let into the theatre. The whole shebang is over by 5:30 or so.

That said - this is a consuming affair. Getting in line that morning means skipping some other Con line and its panel/event. Having to go back in mid-afternoon trims another 3-4 hours off your day. In a world where every day presents Sophie's Choice in terms of choosing between Hall H, offsites, tournaments and other options, you need to be aware that ConanCon will control most of one day for you.

How to Get Tickets

It's not easy. But this is one event that prioritizes SDCC attendees, which is nice.

• Check that your Member ID account is set up to receive third-party emails.
• Create a 1iota profile if you don't have one already. They have an app which you should definitely use. ETA:  I should have made this more clear - you need to get tickets through 1iota. It's not just about learning when tickets go live; you need to be logged into your 1iota account to apply for them. You can't just click a link and apply as an outsider.
• Make your profile fun. Post cosplay and Con photos. They want the taping to feature an electric audience in wild costumes so the viewers at home can say, "Oh, those crazy Comic-Con people!" Make a visual promise that you are colorful enough to fit the bill.
• You won't get much notice for when the tickets go live. If your job situation won't let you keep a digital vigil, find a Con friend who can use your info to apply for tickets. We've also been emailed special promo codes in the past, so make sure you have access to that as well.
•  In the past, we've been able to apply for tickets (up to 4) for all shows. Consider yourself lucky if you get tickets to even one taping.

How to Go If You Don't Get Tickets

Despite everything I said above, people do bail on Conan tapings. SDCC is really tiring and sometimes they just don't have the energy for another event. Other times the Con programming for the day of their ticket sounds more appealing. So don't be afraid to ask around. People will have spare tickets.

You can also try standby. I feel like the first two years were better for this than last year. But it's worth trying if you're desperate - and you may not only get in, but get good seats, especially if you're in cosplay.


What You Can Do Right Now

• Check your 1iota account and password. If you don't use it that often, you may not remember.
• Sign up for an account if you don't have one and pad yours if you do.
• Download their app for Apple or Google Play.

I'll post more when I know more. Stay tuned!

ETA: ConanCon is now on Instagram and they say it'll be the spot to hear about celebrity guests, ticket updates and other tantalizing news - follow them at instagram.com/conancon/.
 

The Conan tickets are live & going fast

23 JUNE 2017

So much for our planned all-day vigil. Conan tickets went live before 9 am PST, with fierce demand pouring into the site.

It's still worth trying for a reasonable time. Request all 4 days, even if you know a certain day won't work. You can use those tickets to trade for a day that works better. And don't stress if your entry says "waitlisted" right after requesting - everyone's says that. You'll eventually get an email telling you if you have tickets or not.

But if you're coming into this later, you have options. You can start trying to find someone who got tickets for a day they can't use them or has extra tickets. You can always check with me since I usually know people with tickets. As we get closer to the Con, people will keep giving their tickets away - and you can always go standby.

Good luck.

ETA: In a classic CCI move, we got the promo code after the tickets went live. If you already put in your requests, you can edit them - log into your 1iota account and you'll see a list of your Conan requests. There's an option to edit each of them. Just put the promo code in the same spot with your Member ID.

ETA II: For those of you who are wondering why some attendees got an email with a promo code and you didn't, you have to accept third-party promotions in your Member ID account. Log in and you'll see if you have an X in front of it - if so, remove it. You won't be inundated with spam, if that's what you're worried about.

And don't freak out if you don't have the code. People have gotten tickets without it. But I would advise adding your Member ID to your request.

Conan tickets go live tomorrow

22 JUNE 2017

With barely any advance notice, we found out today that Conan SDCC tickets will go on sale tomorrow - Friday, 23 June 2017. To say this has surprised people is an understatement.

Last year tickets went live after 4 July, so this is a bit early. Conan does say "this Friday" in the video so let's assume that's correct and be vigilant.

Will we get emails tomorrow giving us a head start? We don't know. Previously SDCC attendees have been prioritized for the tapings, so hopefully that will continue.

Make sure you log into your 1iota account tonight and verify your password and other account information. Remember - the person who gets the tickets is the person who has to pick them up in person at Spreckles. So if you're trying to get tickets on behalf of someone else, keep that in mind. Otherwise you'll be dragging yourself out of bed the morning of the show.

If you're not familiar with the Conan tapings or getting tickets - this is for you.

I'll post what I know tomorrow. Talk to you then.


ETA: I did get a Team Coco email this evening but it didn't provide a special code. More will be revealed, I guess.

Getting ready for Conan

20 JUNE 2017

Happy Summer Solstice! Let's forget about this West Coast heatwave for a minute and talk about getting Conan O'Brien tickets.

This has been one of the most in-demand SDCC events the last 2 years. As with many things SDCC, there's some confusion on how to get tickets and considerable disappointment when people fail to get in. So I want to talk about what it's like to really go to a Conan O'Brien taping and how you can increase your chances of going.


What it is

Conan O'Brien tapes his show at the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego during Comic-Con. A free Funko Pop is handed out to everyone who goes to the taping.


When it's happening

During Comic-Con. Right now only Thursday, Friday and Saturday are listed on his site but we may get a Wednesday show, as we have before. We know 4 Pops are being handed out so presumably there will be 4 tapings.


How to get tickets


Tickets are free and theoretically available to all - but SDCC members have been prioritized in the past, receiving an email with a special code. How do you get that email? You need to make sure your Member ID account does not opt out of third-party emails. You should also sign up to get the Team Coco notification which is from the Conan O'Brien team.

In the past, we haven't gotten much advance notice; you need to stalk your inbox and be ready to jump into action. Given this is unrealistic for most people with jobs/lives, the Conan sales are very much about luck. This sale is a bloodbath, as with everything SDCC, and even being quick on the draw isn't enough to necessarily get tickets. But it helps that in the past, we've been able to request tickets (maximum of 4) for every single day.

When the sale goes live, you'll go to the site and try to get the date and number of tickets you want. Previously they've asked for your Member ID and the email promo code. However, some non-attendees have gotten tickets.


How to go even if you don't get a ticket

This can be easier than actually scoring a ticket in the first place. Option 1: the time-honored SDCC tradition of trading. Maybe you have a Preview Night badge and can pick up an exclusive for someone in exchange for his Friday Conan tickets. Maybe he just wants you to give him the free Pop.

Option 2: just asking. This will be something you'll need to do consistently. Some people will give away their tickets right away (because their friend scored as well) and some will wait until the programming is released, to see if the Con is offering something better that day. And some won't give their tickets away until the day of or before. But trust me - people will give away their tickets. Going to a Conan taping can sound great until someone is too tired to go through it all. (See below.)

Option 3: flying stand-by. This helps if you're in cosplay or otherwise visually vivid, because the producers want crazy-looking people up front to say "SEE HOW COMIC-CON WE ARE" to the viewers at home. But even if you just show up in streetwear, you have a good (not guaranteed) chance of getting in.


What it's actually like to go

Armed with your photo ID and e-ticket, you'll wake up at daybreak and hurry to Spreckels Theatre to get in line. Eventually after 8 the line will begin to move and everyone will get a wristband and paper ticket at the box office. At that point you're free to go. You'll head back up early to mid-afternoon, line up and eventually be let into the theatre. It'll all be done by 5-5:30; as you leave the theatre, you'll be swarmed by desperate-looking people whispering bids in your ear for your Conan Pop.

Now, let's talk about if someone gives you a ticket. Unfortunately you can't just pass tickets around. My first year I had to go stand in line and then, when it started moving 2 hours later, text the person who actually had the ticket with his name on it. He and his friend came and took my place in line, got the wristbands, then deftly cut/taped them onto me and my friend at a hotel.

Timeframes, if you're curious: Year 1, I got in line at 6 am  and the line was already long. It began moving before 8:30; my friend had the wristband a little after 9. I got back in line around 2 and got into the theatre after about 45 minutes. That was the first year. Last year SDCC blogger Travis managed to get us VIP tickets so it was quite different.

Overall, this is a time-consuming affair.  It's not just popping in and out in the late afternoon, as  I naively thought. And please know that the actual cast is on the stage for a very brief time. I'm not trying to dissuade you from going, but you do need to be prepared to sacrifice most of a day for this. If you have a Preview Night badge, consider choosing Wednesday so you won't miss any panels; just be ready to hotfoot it back to the convention center after the show. And if you're missing badges for Saturday or other days, obviously Conan is a great alternative.


The guests

When buying tickets, you won't know which cast will appear on which day, though as we get closer it'll be easier to guess. You may not get your dream cast, but all of the guests will be good - so don't worry that it'll be a waste of a show.


For now, keep your ears perked for more information -  and create an 1iota account if you haven't already. Then be ready to swing into action. We're in Comic-Con season now and constant vigilance is the rule.

Welcome to Comic-Con!

20 JULY 2016



It's finally here - after all your heart-pounding badge sales and hotel room deals and anxious waiting, San Diego Comic-Con starts today.

Well, in my opinion. I know it "officially" starts tomorrow but Preview Night is Comic-Con at its core - crowded, exciting, avaricious and loud. And look at what else we have on the docket:

• More than a thousand of us are going to Conan O'Brien this afternoon to see the cast of Silicon Valley
• Umpteen jillion of us are lining up for the ticket drawing for the Star Trek premiere - and a smaller number going to the actual event
• Hundreds more are going to the Fandago party, the Enchantment Under the SDCC party and the HitFix party

And that doesn't even include smaller but still important events, like the preview of "Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents Space Odyssey" at the Hilton Gaslamp. (Press preview from 3-6 pm; everyone else preview from 6-9 pm. If you want to test out all the space/VR/NASA fun before the masses, consider heading over when you're done with the Exhibit Hall.)

So yes, Comic-Con starts today. If you're here and badged, decide if you want to do Ballroom 20 pilots or the Exhibit Hall. Get plenty of cash so you don't lose out on a sweet exclusive while you run to the ATM. Check the map again so you know exactly which aisle your #1 booth is in. And if you're not badged, walk around and see the sights. It's always fun to see the activations go up.

I'll report back on Preview Night - which I'll probably be late to after Conan, unless someone spots me a jet pack.

How to get Conan O'Brien tickets for SDCC

3 JUNE 2015




If there's one San Diego Comic-Con event that's been on everyone's mind for months, it's the Conan O'Brien show. It's taping each night of the Con (Weds-Sat, that is) at the Spreckels Theatre and will be focused naturally on Comic-Con - creators, actors, nerd life, cosplay, the Hall H line, the strange phenomenon of attendees who knock themselves out to attend the Con then complain about how Hollywood it's gotten.

Okay, some of that is speculation - but Conan did say these episodes will be all about the Con, so I feel confident in stating that they are a get in terms of tickets. And finally we've had a hint about when they'll be available. That being "soon."

Vague, yes, but it gives a green light to start monitoring their site and social feeds. And you can get a head's up by pre-registering on 1iota.com and signing up for the Team Coco Newsletter. Then you'll be among the first to know that tickets are available at teamcoco.com/tickets.

Here's how it works:

You'll get an e-ticket and bring that and a photo ID the morning of the show to an address listed on the ticket. There you'll pick up your physical tickets, with every member of your party present. These are seat-specific.

It all seems pretty straightforward. Just understand that this will involve a small errand - picking up the tickets - that takes you away from the Con. If you have any other questions, email them at tickets@conacotv.com or call 818-977-3056.

Like I said before, I think this could be an excellent teaching tool to help your parents and coworkers understand what you do each July at SDCC. And for those people who think of the Con as a big costumed celebrity party, hopefully these episodes show other sides - the gaming tournaments, the meetups, the film festivals, the Exhibit Hall - to provide a more nuanced picture.

Conan O'Brien will broadcast from SDCC Weds-Sat

5 MAY 2015

We've known for a long time that Conan O'Brien will be at San Diego Comic-Con this year. He's just announced that he's going to break with his long-standing show tradition and air new shows on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

He also tantalized the audience by promising that "All of our comedy and all of our guests are going to relate to the magic of Comic-Con." This could be something to make your parents and non-nerd friends watch so they understand just what it is you get up to in San Diego every July. On the other hand, it's probably going to inspire a new 394,723 people to sign up for Member IDs, so there's that.

First-timers, don't bank on watching this in your hotel room each night - it's highly possible you'll be out at an event or already snoring in bed. So you might want to set your DVR if you're interested in seeing these episodes.

As far as getting tickets - this is where you can normally go for Conan tickets. They're free and they go fast. The SDCC shows aren't on the site yet and I'm not entirely sure they'll be handled the same way. If you'd like to attend one of these shows, I'd suggest monitoring the site closely and applying the same obsessive focus you used to get your SDCC badge, because it will be almost as competitive.

Stay tuned.