Geek'd: the convention survival guide

As all things in the world, there is a certain way in which to best survive the stresses and exertions of an event.

Conventions like FANeXpo 2012, which is due to open tomorrow is no exception.

Hence why there exists the world famous convention "Rule of 6-2-1" that everyone ought to adhere to when attending a multi-day event. Especially one that would generally mean that there would be a huge convocation of people under one tiny roof.

So what exactly is the Rule of 6-2-1?

It means: 6 hours of sleep, 2 meals a day and finally, 1 shower a day.

Anyone who has been to a convention knows that the temptation to stay up at all hours of the evening for fear of missing something is often strong and overpowering. But it's not a good way to go about your weekend.

6 hours of sleep is important to allow for you to be well rested and alert while posing for photos or simply walking around or standing about in line for long periods of time. Keep yourself under control and don't get overly excited. Keep to your schedule and sleep.

Keeping busy and doing things at the convention may mean you'll forget to eat or drink. Don't.

Seriously, these things aren't worth starving yourself. Much less dehydrating yourself for.

And yes, the fare at the convention itself may be overpriced and all around unappetizing for those that didn't pack a meal with them (more on that later). And the lines for food everywhere is long and painful as over 50,000 people descend on the event and pack the places around it.

But seriously, you do no one good, least of all yourself by getting sick and requiring medical attention.

And finally... 1 shower a day. Why is showering part of the rule?

Because you're packed tight with a huge number of people indoors and in costumes that probably have never been laundered in their life that they wore riding downtown in a stifling bus or subway, sweating out of every pore in their body in the meantime.

No, this may not describe you, but it certainly describes enough people that attend conventions that the mythos of "Convention Body Odour" is rampant and prevalent at every convention in the world. And proximity is enough to make you carry that smell home.

Seriously, shower. For the sake of those that you stand around.

Here are some other rules for you to consider before you head to FANeXpo - or any convention for that matter.

PACK LIGHT

Conventions were originally created as a place for people to get together, exchange ideas and find rare, hard to find cult items back before there was something called the internet.

Yes, conventions were originally a place for fans to buy stuff, not for weirdos to dress in weird costumes. That kind of came as an afterthought to the whole phenom.

And that premise remains today, with a exhibition floor that takes up the majority of the space reserved for the convention. But because of this, inevitably, you will be toting around a lot of stuff by the end of the day. And as any shopper would be able to tell you, the more stuff you tote, the easier it is to lose something and the harder it is to get yourself around.

So what's the sense in showing up with a lot of things without even getting into the convention?

This is particularly true for people who show up in costume. The more you carry, the harder it is for you to get into a pose for a picture, or the more cumbersome and ultimately damaging it can be on your costume.

If you need to carry more than your convention pass, a camera, phone and money (like a change of clothing) then bring a backpack with you for ease of conversion. Otherwise, leave it to pockets and side bags.

PLAN, PLAN AND MORE PLANNING

Except for the 6-2-1 Rule, planning your weekend is probably one of the bigger things you have to do before and during. And if you're serious about your events, your autographs and your merchandise, you make your schedule and you stick to it.

And it goes beyond taking into consideration long line buffers and picking events, it's about planning where to go to eat, knowing where the washrooms are and what entrances you can use that will get you into the floor faster.

It all streamlines the event for you and allows you to maximize the fun.

HAVE A MEETING PLACE

Conventions are not conventions unless you are there with some friends. But you and your friends may not be interested in the same thing. So you will inevitably split up at some point in pursuit of different passions.

But how will you get in touch with each other afterward?

And before you pull out the trusty cell phone, the service can be spotty at FANeXpo and whatmore, the place is crowded and noisy. It's incredibly difficult to hear cell phone rings or text pings.

That's why, ahead of time, prepare a meeting place for you guys to go to once your event is done and over with. This way they know where to track you down if you're holding their wallet for instance. AND STICK WITH IT.

Happy FANeXpo people!

Geek'd: the fanexpo preparation

August has arrived! And you know what that means right?

No, not back to school shopping time... well yes that's true but that isn't what I'm alluding to.

We're a few short weeks away from FANeXpo, one of the biggest geek conventions... in Canada.

Now let me get this straight. It hardly compares to San Diego's Comi-Con in popular culture or the media; in fact there's no contest, Comi-Con has this thing for breakfast and defecates it an hour later.

And as far as the cosplay and "hardcore geeks and fans" are concerned, it's somewhat half-par compared to the stuff you see the fan-organized conventions such as Anime North that happens yearly here in Toronto. This is mostly because cosplay (especially the creative variety) doesn't drive this convention and there is very little show of support for it to boot.

And you have to pay crazy money to meet to good actors. Even getting paraphernalia signed from the sub-par actors cost good money.

Though what do you expect from a corporately organized and run convention?

Still... it remains a pretty big deal, and it attracts thousands on a yearly basis. And I've been going to this convention for close to a decade now, ever since I first volunteered.

The plan for the convention never really changes for me. Show up in costume, stand in a big ass line and then stand in more big ass lines. Buy some stuff. And then sit around for a long time.

But this year I wouldn't mind sitting in on a few panels (provided I don't have to pay extra and worry about not getting a seat). And I would like to try some new board games.

As for the costume, I'll be reusing my Haku outfit from Anime North, given the time and money spent on making the whole thing look good. And I want to make use of my investment as a result.

More to come...

Geek Style: olympic fever

I love the Olympics.

Summer or Winter, it really doesn't matter to me. If there is live content to watch, I watch it.

Because it's the Olympics. It's the pinnacle of sports. And as a sports geek, it's my mecca.

 (Although I admit it, I much prefer Winter Olympics over the Summer)

(And I wish to stress here the word "live." Like most frequent watchers of sports, the event is simply not as much fun or interesting when you already know the results. Which is why I thank God I am a Canadian and therefore not restricted or left to have to deal with NBC's admittedly archaic broadcasting standards with their 6-hour time delay)

And when you combine Bond (especially a Daniel Craig Bond), Mr. Bean, JK Rowling, Voldemort and Kenneth Brannaugh in one's Opening Ceremonies, one can't help but pique my geek-driven interest to the max as well.

Currently I'm living out (and perhaps burning out) my Olympic obsession in an internship with CTV through my school. It not only means I can experience the sad drama that was the Women's Eppee Fencing event where South Korean fencer Shin A Lam stood on the fencing platform for an hour, refusing the leave in protest of the highly controversial and contested decision made by the judges that robbed her of her chance to fence for the gold medal as it was happening, but it also means... five hours worth of Women's Volleyball in an eight hour day.

No offence to the volleyball fanatics out there, but for me, volleyball is not an exciting sport at all. And after one game, it gets rather painful in fact.

Anyway, check out the official Hudson Bay's Canadian Olympic Collection.

It's less streamlined and more classic than it's previous collection for Vancouver 2010 and much much simpler than the one for Beijing.

I like it for that combined reason. It's simple, it's classic, to me, it's pure Canadian.

I particularly like this piece pictured here. It's a red polo with an old school crest on the breast with the word Canada beneath. It's $40 dollars and it reminds me a lot of the polo top that the Canadian Tennis team is wearing at the Olympics.

They also this amazing rugby top that sports the old-school maple leaf.

 But because this top is what defines the Canadian collection for me and represents some of my more favourite parts of the Summer Olympics, here are my outfits based upon it.

15-LOVEThis outfit harkens back to the fact that this shirt essentially does remind me of the wonderfully red polos worn by the Canadian Olympic team (at least the men) in tennis. And regardless of the fact that they aren't considered medal contenders, I still will root for them.

AN OLYMPIC INTERNSHIP

This was inspired by - yes - my Olympic internship. And while the outfit itself is rather bland, with the black pants and flats, I kind of liked the jewelry that was added with it. The art of accessorizing is really one of the few things I have retained as an essential part of sprucing up a normally bland work outfit. Or in one of my job's cases, uniform.

RED WITH PRIDE
It's a tribute to Canada and being Canadian here. What better way than to spruce up the polo in some summery looks with a mix of patterns as a way to support the True North? Wear your heart and your colours proudly.