Anime convention mistakes!
Having to many conventions myself, I have gotten myself a lot of experience navigating them and making the best of a convention weekend. However, I’ve also made a lot of derpy mistakes as well. Some naturally just happen, while others I could have easily avoided.
I want you to have the best time at a cosplay convention, so I made this post for you; how to avoid Anime convention mistakes.
In this article, I’ll give you 10 Anime convention mistakes you NEED to avoid. This way, you’ll have the best chances of the perfect convention experience.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Not following the 6-2-1 rule
For those who don’t know, the “6-2-1 rule” is basically (at least):
- 6 hours of sleep
- 2 meals a day
- 1 shower
If you follow the 6-2-1 rule at a convention, you’ll have a much happier and better time. Again, these are just minimums; you can shower more than once a day, have more sleep or eat more than twice a day.
The problem is if you don’t follow the minimum of 6-2-1 at a convention, you’re bound to run into some problems! If you get less than 6 hours of sleep, you will be tired. And I’m no doctor, but I’m sure getting less sleep probably will lead to other issues (like con plague). If you don’t get at least 2 meals a day, you’ll be hungry and probably tired. And if you don’t shower, you’ll contribute to the con funk at conventions!
So do yourself and everyone else a favor; follow the 6-2-1 rule.
If you want to know more about cosplay rules, click here!
2. Running into Con Crunch DURING the convention
For those who don’t know, Con Crunch is that period just before the convention where you’re scrambling to finish your cosplay in time. Just like procrastinating with homework in school, we cosplayers tend to procrastinate on finishing our new cosplays. We don’t mean to do it, but of course it always happens!
But some cosplayers take it to the next level by trying to finish the cosplay in their hotel room…during the convention. Please don’t do this! Not only is it extremely stressful, but you are using valuable convention time. While a 3-day weekend seems long, y’all know how fast it goes by, especially when you’re having a lot of fun. But if you’re trying to finish a costume during a con, it’s not fun at all.
So if you are unable to finish your cosplay in time before the convention, forget about it. Either wear an older cosplay you already have, or throw on a closet cosplay and enjoy yourself at the convention (if you want some closet cosplay ideas, click here).
3. Not budgeting enough money
Anime conventions can cost a lot of money! So be sure to save up well in advance before going. Otherwise, you may find yourself having a hard time buying the stuff at a con. And don’t go into debt for anything related to a con; that is bad financial practice!
Here’s an example of what an Anime convention could cost:
Expenses for a typical three-day Anime convention (in USD)
| Expense | Cost |
| Registration | $30-$100 |
| Food | $30-$100 |
| Hotel Accommodation | $0-$400 |
| Travel costs | $20-$500 |
| Cosplay | $0-$1000 |
| Swag | $0-1000 |
| Travel insurance | $25+ |
Total costs for a typical Anime convention weekend: $80 on the low end, $300-$400 for the average congoer attending a large local convention, $500-$600 for the average congoer out-of-town, $1000 on the high end.
As you can see, going to cosplay conventions can get REAL expensive!
But here are a couple articles to help you with that managing your cosplay and convention budget:
4. Having no cosplay bag kit
Unless you have a hotel room for the weekend (more on this later), going to an Anime convention without carrying anything is not a good idea! You want to be well prepared if/when things happen, such as your cosplay malfunctioning.
Bring a small cosplay bag with you with all your essential supplies. That way, you don’t have to run up the hotel room in case you need or forgot something. Here are some items to include in your cosplay bag:
- Water bottle (to stay hydrated when no water stations are available)
- Bobby pins (to fix any cosplay malfunctions)
- Cosplay/photographer business cards
- Small sewing kit (threads, needles)
- Electronic chargers
- Portable systems like Nintendo Switch or 3DS (so you don’t get bored while waiting in line)
5. Forgetting to bring cash with you
Whenever I go out with my friends for food or drinks in town, I always remind them to bring cash with them. Because some places don’t take debit or credit. And it’s always a hassle when someone has to run to the bank to grab cash before/after dinner.
My friends usually forget, so I try. But when it comes to Anime conventions, having cash on you is a MUST.
This is especially true if you plan on buying stuff in the dealer’s room. Although debit and credit machines are becoming more available with vendors at a convention, cash is still the best way to buy stuff. And the last thing you want to do is have to take out money at the ATM inside the convention center. Because not only are the lines insanely long for these ATMS at the con, but you’ll also be paying extra in ATM fees.
So do yourself a favor, bring cash with you, and save yourself the hassle!
6. Forgetting to clean your face before going to bed
Many cosplayers wear makeup for the convention because it makes you look so much better! But don’t forget to clean and wash your face before you go to bed.
It may be tempting to just hit the bed after a long day of walking around the convention or partying it up at night. But do your best to wash all that makeup off before you do. Leaving makeup on your face while sleeping is not good for your face or your skin, so you want to avoid doing this.
7. Not giving yourself enough time for things
If you’re like me, it’s tempting to jam a bunch of activities and events into your convention schedule. Not to mention photoshoots, meeting up with friends, and other things.
But in reality, you really need to give yourself plenty of time to do as many things at the con as possible. Getting around the convention can take a while, especially if it’s crowded and you got people asking for your photo. Not to mention you’ll probably get tired as well; so be sure to schedule in breaks and time to relax during the con as well.
8. Forgetting to CANCEL your hotel reservation
For many big conventions, in order to have a chance of scoring a hotel room for the convention, you’ll have to book months in advance. Sometimes you’ll have to book on the day the hotel rooms are released; they sell out within minutes!
But what happens to us congoers sometimes is we forget about these hotel reservations as we go about our lives and focus on other things. And say if you are unable to attend the convention, and you forget to cancel that hotel reservation you made for that con months ago; then you’ll have to pay at least 1 night reservation.
Fortunately, I’ve never had that happen to me (so far). Although I myself of course forget about the hotel reservations I make in advance for cons I may attend, this is h
- Write down all your hotel reservations you make, and the cancellation policy. For example, many Anime North hotels let you cancel your reservation without penalty if you do it within 72 hours (3 days). So I’ll write down something like this: Anime North – May 2023 (cancel within 3 days). I use a notepad app, but you can also use something like a calendar app like Google Calendar to do it as well!
- Make sure the hotel reservation is under an email you check often. Many hotels will send you an email reminder a month or two before your reservation comes up. This is a good way to be reminded to cancel the reservation or not.
9. Forgetting to BOOK a hotel reservation
Normally I’m pretty good with securing hotel bookings for my favorite cons.
But one time, I was so busy with things that I accidentally forgot about the date and time of when a hotel for one of my favorite cons opened up. I missed out on the hotel bookings and now that particular hotel is sold out for next year. I was bummed out about it, but I’m sure I’ll find another hotel in the area at some point before the con actually happens. Either that, or I’ll wait until cancellations pop up when the convention weekend gets closer.
This is just a reminder that some Anime and comic conventions are so popular, that hotel bookings sell out within MINUTES of opening. It’s not uncommon these days, as cosplaying and conventions become even more popular and mainstream.
So what can you do about this? Two things:
- Mark down the date and time for when your hotel will open for room bookings. And make sure you’re there right on time, because you need to book right away! Set an alarm or calendar reminder to make sure you reminder.
- Have a backup hotel or accommodation ready to go if you’re unable to book the hotel you want.
How does this save you money? Because booking a hotel with the convention block is usually much cheaper than a regular block. I’m talking hundreds of dollars! So it’s totally worth it to snag a hotel room under the convention block.
10. Putting too much expectations in the con
Last but not least, we have the issue of putting too much expectations in a convention. I’ll start by saying that life can be difficult and we all got issues to deal with. But unfortunately, a 3-day weekend convention won’t solve your problems and will only let you forget about them temporarily.
And if a convention sucks or doesn’t go our way, it only becomes more apparent. So what I’m trying to say is; just enjoy yourself at a convention, whether it’s good or bad. A convention doesn’t have to be perfect; in fact, when things don’t go our way, often it leads to good memories and moments you can share.
Summary
To summarize, here are the 10 Anime convention mistakes you need to avoid:
- Not following the 6-2-1 rule
- Running into Con Crunch DURING the convention
- Not budgeting enough money
- Having no cosplay bag kit
- Forgetting to bring cash with you
- Forgetting to clean your face before going to bed
- Not giving yourself enough time for things
- Forgetting to CANCEL your hotel reservation
- Forgetting to BOOK a hotel reservation
- Putting too much expectations in the con
And there you have it; 10 Anime conventions mistakes to avoid!
I hope you found this post useful so that you’ll avoid these mistakes to have a wonderful experience at conventions.
If you have any questions or suggestions, leave them in the comments yo!
My name is Roger Senpai. I’m a cosplayer that’s been in the community for well over a decade now. I’ve traveled all over the world to Anime and Comic conventions and hosted my own cosplay events. Now I’m writing articles for new and experienced cosplayers like you to help inspire, save you money and improve your cosplays!
