It took me a bit to come up with an idea for this week’s newsletter article. Do I talk about the store? Shall we discuss a niche genre within our little pop culture niche? Maybe. I could talk about the coolest thing in the store, but I feel awkward talking about myself like that. Then it dawned upon me. This year is already flying by and we are approaching Chicago’s C2E2.
Yes. C2E2. Our favorite annual event (tied with Free Comic Book Day of course, first Saturday in May). The Convention will be held April 11th through 13th at McCormick Place right by balmy Lake Michigan. Think about how quick time flew from Thanksgiving to New Years. Now keep in mind the show is two months away. The time to start your prep work is NOW. Here are a few things to keep in mind and help you plan ahead.
1. Get your tickets NOW. We have Passes for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and full Weekend passes (as well as Kid’s 3-Day and Kid’s Sunday badges) available at all of our locations throughout Illinois (and Wisconsin). Do not wait until the last minute to buy your tickets. You still have about 9 weeks until the show, but why wait? The past few years we have sold out of badges at almost all of our locations. If you wait until two weeks before the show, or heavens forbid the week of the convention, you may run the risk of not being able to find the passes you need. This includes purchasing tickets via our website. Please remember to factor in UPS/FedEx/USPS shipping times are. If you are purchasing for in store pickup, if you act now we have them at all our shops and you can avoid the website to store transfer times.
2. Figure out what days you are planning to go. Obviously you need to do this before purchasing your tickets. We all know what dates the show is running. Mark it on your calendars. Again, the show is 8 weeks out. If you need to request days off work to attend, you have plenty of time to get those requests in.
3. If you are coming from out of town, make sure to plan your reservations. You wouldn’t wait to book a hotel room if you were going out of town on vacation or to an out of town wedding. Treat this like you would any other “Event”. If you are coming in from out of town, It’s Chicago Baby. Plan a few extra days to check out the sights and our stores!
4. Optional: If you are planning to cosplay, figure out what you are planning to wear on what day. Have some tweaks you want to make? Now is the time. I’m already finishing mine! Let’s get some photos!
5. The most important reason to start planning and getting your tickets now as opposed to waiting. Budget. If you plan ahead and get your ducks in order now, it will give you weeks to set some funds aside for the show. Let’s face it. Going to the show just for “the spectacle” is fun, but nothing is such a mood killer as finding that one item you’ve been looking for and not being able to pick it up. If you get your tickets now and don’t wait, it gives you way more time to set some funds aside (after your bills and living expenses are taken care of, of course). If you set even $25 aside a week, that’s an extra $200 plus in your pocket at the show. Note: I am not a financial expert.
Hopefully you take some of the above tips into your planning and it helps you have a fantastic convention. Let the countdown to C2E2 Commence. Nine weeks and counting. We will see you up at the show!