Personally, I have been to Book Expo so many times but I believe I learned the most at this year's convention, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.
Get Organized!
In my opinion, this is the first thing you need to do when you are planning to attend a convention. Do a lot of research, go to the convention website, check the social media accounts of exhibitors, and create a schedule based on the things that you want to see and do. Overcrowd your schedule, and include things, even if you're not sure you'll make it, and even if it overlaps with something else. You never know how long each event will take so you might have time to do more than you originally anticipated!
It's also very important that you have the booth numbers of the exhibitors you want to see. I can't tell you guys how many times I forgot where a certain booth was and needed to refer to my list. Conventions are often in huge locations to accommodate all of the attendees and the exhibitors, so be prepared!
Twitter Notifications!
Very often throughout conventions, exhibitors tweet out passwords for prizes, giveaways or just general useful information about events that you may not have known about when you were originally making your schedule, so it's always a good idea to set up your phone to get Twitter notifications for everything your favorite booths are talking about during the convention.
Plan to Be There All Day!
At the end of every convention I've been to—without fail—someone says "I didn't realize this would take all day!" And think about it... you spent all that time making plans, and you spent all that money on tickets to the event, for the hotel, and for transportation, and food, and so on. You should make the most of it!
Besides, a lot of people don't realize that even when they make a schedule for themselves—there is always tons of stuff to do all day long. Aside from what you see ahead of time, conventions often have many surprises, and there will definitely be things you will miss out on if you leave early!
The only exception to this might be the very last day because exhibitors often don't have as much going on, and are generally slowly packing their things. However, if you're feeling very dedicated, they do normally give away the display copies, so if there was an ARC you were really dying for that they weren't giving away during the convention, you might have one shot at it—but be prepared to line up early and be first in line for it. Also, lots of merchandise and books are sold at discounted rates on the last day to get rid of the stock.
All in all, make sure you stay hydrated and give yourself some downtime when you need it, but try to stay until the end! You don't want to leave early, only to regret it after hearing from other people about the awesome stuff they got or what fun thing they did after you left.
Proper Attire!
No matter what kind of convention you're attending, you're going to want to wear comfortable, breathable clothing. Convention halls are hot, there are not many convenient places to sit, and you'll spend most of your day standing in some kind of line... or sitting on the floor after you can't stand anymore.
Though some conventions like BEA and ALA call for more professional looking attire, I suggest wearing something that would be classified as business casual, and for the love of god—don't make the same mistake I once did, and stay away from high heels!
Unless it's for a specific costume event! In that case, capes are awesome.
Have Cash!
While a lot of booths will have card machines for your purchases, many will not. Most importantly, many places where you'll be wanting to buy food will only accept cash. Also, they sometimes separate the lines between credit card purchases and cash, and the cash lines are always faster. Therefore, make sure that you have some cash on hand for all of your purchases.
Bring Portable Chargers!
I promise you—portable chargers at a convention will save your life. While there will often be places for you to be able to charge your phone, do you really want to be stuck at a charging station in some random corner, away from everything, when you could be walking around the sales floor? I doubt it. And when I say to bring portable chargers, I don't mean the little ones that are good for one charge. I mean the ones that can charge your phone multiple times. You'll be taking photos, checking your schedule, texting and calling your friends, and posting on your social media throughout the entire convention, so unsurprisingly... that's very draining to your phone battery!
...Except That, Pack Light!
You will receive and/or buy a lot of stuff at book conventions. From finished copies to merchandise, galleys, and ARCs. The last thing you want is to be carrying more than you need.
Here are the only things you need with you:
- Your Tickets/Badges
- ID (to prove that your tickets/badges belong to you)
- Cash
- 1 Water Bottle (more than this, and you'll hate yourself. If you feel thirsty, there are usually plenty of places to buy water in the convention. Even if they're overpriced, it's better than lugging extra bottles around all day and giving yourself herniated discs! The books you'll be carrying are heavy enough—trust me. Plus if you're lucky, water bottles are sometimes even given away in the booths randomly.
- Portable Charger + Chord
- Sanitizer (remember, you'll be surrounded by a mob of people at all times and conventions aren't the cleanest places)
- Painkillers
- Other Hygiene or Feminine Products
- Gum/Mints
- Lip Balm (as pointed out by a Becky @ Stories and Sweeties below, convention halls are very dry)
- Business Cards (Also added by Becky, all conventions are great networking opportunities, so if you're a blogger, reviewer, librarian, designer, or any other occupation that is related to the convention you're going to, it's a good idea to have these)
- Bandaids!!!! (self-explanatory)
- A Large Bag (to hold all of this in, plus to fit some of the things you buy/receive at the convention)
Decide on Meeting Locations Ahead of Time!
Trying to meet up with your friends or family is a mess at conventions. There are so many people, you have so much on your schedule, and it's really hard to think straight in all of that chaos.
It is much easier if you designate a place to meet up with them ahead of time—preferably one that is far away from the main crowd of people.
Aaaaaaand there you have it! I hope this post was helpful to you guys, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have!
Have you ever been to a book convention? Which one(s)? What was your favorite memory? If you haven't ever been, which convention would you like to go to and why? Let me know!
FTC Disclaimer: No one at Brittany's Book Rambles has been compensated in any way for this post.
