We are exactly less than thirty days away from NYCC, and I thought it would be a great time to post some additional, tips, and friendly reminders. As you can see by the photos above that NYCC posted that I am just using as imagery but it shows great importance. I won't be the only one posting with something similar to this, but advice and help are never in short supply for NYCC.
- Badges - If you are new to the concept of NYCC, then what you ordered to attend the convention will be coming to you in your mailbox, or if you are an international visitor you will have to go to Will Call at the Javits Center to pick up your badge or badges. Now, also if your badges do not come on time to your address(which has happened to so many people in the past). Protect your badges, properly secure them once they arrive at your home. Set aside them in a particular bag that you would use for the convention. Also, put them on a lanyard or two before the convention. If you are the person who purchased the badges for your group of friends. The best suggestion is to make sure everyone has their own badges before the convention starts. Treat your badge like money,:friends because if you forget your badge at home, you lose it, it gets stolen. You will have to pay a replacement fee for the badge. So, for example if you lose your four day NYCC badge at the convention or if it is stolen you will have to go to the help desk in the Crystal Palace of the Javits Center and let them know. You will have to show them your QR code and ID and pay the replacement fee. Caution that the replacement fee would be equal to the amount you paid for the badge. As for artists, exhibitors, and other badges I am not sure if there is a fee to replace a lost badge.
- Portable Stool/Foldable Backpack Stool- If you are new to the NYCC or a returning attendee you will come to know that seating is very limited at the Javits Center mainly when you are trying to eat food, waiting in line at autographs, panels, photo ops. It can be quite a challenge on your feet and body. Now this is a caution that portable stools do have their own kind of weight to them and it is an extra thing you will be carrying around with you. Now, I will provide some links in the comments on where you can purchase some portable stools, but also if you do get a portable stool do purchase a cushion for it as well.
- GFE(Gluten Free Options) - I am not gluten free so this doesn't affect me. However, there are some individuals who may look for some GFE options either before the convention or after the convention. Now, in advance I do not know who the food vendors for NYCC will be for this year. I am not talking about the food that the Javits Center has in their cafeteria at all, I am referring to the ones who will be on the inner roadway(the food trucks) and some of the food vendors who are on the exhibitor floor. Now, I understand cross contamination is a thing for people and last year they had Gluten Free and Vegan Options listed but there weren't many options at all. If anyone is looking for places to go too close to the Javits Center there is a SweetGreen, Friedman's, Vito's Slices & Ices, along with other options as well. I will post a link for people so they can see -> Gluten Free Options Near the Javits Center
- Comfortable Shoes - This is a big must especially with how much walking you will find yourself doing throughout the day(s). Comfortable shoes really do matter for everyone, especially for cosplayers as well. Some cosplayers have said in the past that changing out the shoes, boots, etc that you have been wearing all day to something more comfortable is very beneficial for them.
- Planning - It's always a good idea a few days or two days before to double check to NYCC website, NYCC social media pages(Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), or the NYCC mobile app to see if any panels, workshops, autographs, or anything related to the convention has been either changed such as a panel being moved from one particular room to a bigger room. Always double check to see what time a panel that you want to go to is starting. There are a majority of individuals who like to arrive a few hours early before the Javits Center does open up for the queue line which is located on level one. Planning matters because let's say there is a panel that starts at 11 AM on Friday(which a handful are). It's better to arrive with your badge early to get in. Here is another piece of advice for anyone as well with planning things out. If you are either close to NYC, traveling to NYC ahead of schedule, or live in New York. Forbidding the fact your badge or badges do not arrive on time. What you can do is this: If you are just attending the convention for let's say Saturday and Sunday(this is just an example) and you are spending a few days in the city or close to it. What you can do is go to Will Call a few days or a day in advance to pick up your badges that were never delivered to you. Will Call line times can take up a significant portion of your convention day. Just remember you need to have your QR Code which showed you have proof of purchase and your ID as well. Doing Will Call early will save you the hassle of doing it on the day of the convention.
- Cosplay Does Not Equal Consent - This is a yearly and friendly reminder that just because someone is wearing cosplay regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, race, etc. Sexual assault, harassment, unwanted touching, grabbing, pulling on said individual(s), taking their pictures when they have kept telling you no. Behavior like this is uncalled for and you will find yourself in a lot of trouble with this sort of behavior. Remember that a person is another human being just like you and me.
- Personal Hygiene/Deodorant - Friends, your personal hygiene is really important not just for a convention but in your everyday life. If you are coming from either your hotel, motel, home, friend's home, etc always make sure to put on deodorant before
- Being Aware of Your Surroundings - This is very important if you are going solo, with a friend(s), family member(s), etc. Do not have money exposed at all whether you are going to the convention or leaving the convention center. Please make sure you do not have your wallet exposed at any point, make sure your backpack, fanny pack, ita bag(if you have) are properly closed up. When you are walking around the convention do not stop in the middle of the floor wherever you are, step off to the side to get your bearings in order. The Javits Center has multiple coat/bag checks that you can use. Those coat/bag checks charge per item so if you want to put multiple things in one bag they will just charge you for the bag not per item in said bag. Look for the convention maps to know where you are going as well. Secure your personal items tightly along with your badges as well. If you want to wear your badge around your neck with your lanyard that is perfectly acceptable. If you are a returning attendee, and you are coming with someone who is a first time attendee it is very vital and important you have an important conversation regarding this convention overall.
- Beware of Scammers, Pick Pockets, etc at the convention - This is a thing that a lot of people need to be cautious of as well. There are individuals at this convention who like to ask con goers for donations to charities. Do not interact with these individuals, they love to come inside with con badges and stay in certain areas waiting for people to start a conversation with them. This is also in line with being aware of your surroundings when you are going and leaving the Javits Center for the day. Do not take anything from anyone who is giving out CDS, mixtapes, do not scan QR codes that they show you, do not interact with them selling candy outside of the Javits Center, do not get into pedicabs after leaving the Javits Center those are all scammers. There have been times when the scammers love to hangout by the entrance/exit of the 7 train for Hudson Yards. Scammers love to get very aggressive with pressure, separating you from your group, and love to surround people. There are posts on this subreddit that you should look up for research, safety, and protection. There are the scammers who love to sell badges for this convention outside at a mark up price.
- Exhibitors/Artist Alley Photography - Alright, here is another one that we all in the heat of the moment forget to do. Taking a photo, grabbing a business card, or remembering where a particular item was when you were at that location earlier does not hurt you in the long run so that way you can go back to see if said item is still there. Ask the people who are working at a particular booth what booth number they are, ask for the name of the booth as well, make a note of it in your notes section of your phone, or if you have the NYCC app look for the exhibitors section search the booth and bookmark them so you know that you want to come back to them for the next day you are at the convention.
- Exchanging Social Media Contacts with Consent - This is an important one as well. Now let's say you are cosplaying, finished a cosplay meetup, came across a fellow cosplayer and took photos together, had one of the professional photographers take photos of you. You should ask if it is ok to exchange social media platforms with that individual or in some cases individuals. I am referring to Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, or Facebook(if they have pages where they post their cosplays). I am not talking about asking for someone's cell phone or anything along those lines.
- Tote Bags/Lanyards - Alright, so you might be wondering to yourself if you are a first timer about what you may need for the convention. In terms of Tote Bags, I mainly try to use tote bags that I would not take with me grocery shopping. I have about five tote bags in my collection for the time being. The best one I have and it's a personal recommendation that I love using is the Webtoon XL Tote Bag. This bag is very huge, and when you are either getting freebies or making purchases this bag is wonderful for you. It is not like the other bags, where you can place it on your back. Now, over the course of the convention you will have some of the exhibitors giving out freebies of tote bags and lanyards. Some, you can just line up for others you may have to fill to do a short survey on them is all. Tamashii Nations is a great example where they will give a lanyard. It will be concealed in a small plastic. YenPress, who is a constant presence at AnimeNYC you can get a free tote bag from them when you purchase a certain amount for example: forty-five dollars or more. I will say that tote bags go a long way when you are at this convention. You won't realize how many freebies you have until the end of the day when you are in your home or in your hotel room.
- Time Management - New York City is an extremely busy place overall. Coming to NYCC can be a lot especially when you have to consider your timing with things. The MTA can get messy at times, you want to make it in for your first panel of the day, lineup early for autographs, get to the show floor in a timely fashion for freebies, making sure you eat ahead of time before the convention as well, and meeting up with friends as well. A general rule or advice I would give to anyone is this, if you have a panel that is starting at 12:00 pm that you want to see or be there for. Even if you are twenty minutes away from the Javits Center, you should be leaving an hour before hand. The worst idea that I have heard from individuals in the past is that they just wing it, and miss things entirely. Having your cosplays, what you are planning to wear out in advanced goes a long way. Checking the MTA schedule, the Ferry schedule, the LIRR, traffic, etc will really help you out long term. If it's a Saturday or Sunday especially the MTA has a weekender section on their website so you can see how things will play out.
- Cash vs Card - Alright, so when you do buy things with a card at NYCC you will be taxed for it and it can be quite a bit at times. Usually for NYCC, they will have a good amount of ATMs placed in one of the halls on the first floor of the Javits center. Usually it's in either Hall 1A or 1B, there used to be a Chase ATM by the food court but that has long since been removed. Now, in regards to the ATMs that are placed there they do charge you a processing fee for withdrawing money so keep that in mind. It's always best to go to your bank in advance to withdraw how much you want to spend. Again, be aware of your surroundings when you are leaving the bank and make sure you have nothing exposed.
- Miscellaneous - Remember to have fun, enjoy yourself, and be kind. Ask questions whether it is to the crew members of the convention, security guards, NYCC staff members. Ask the people who are working as an exhibitor with regards to anything with that particular booth. If a celebrity is to appear at a particular exhibitor's booth for autographs or signings(a celebrity or guest who wasn't announced as part of NYCC's announcements of guest) that guest may just be appearing on the show floor(level 3) only. Also, look into the app called Con Loot it will have a list of what a good amount of the vendors are selling and the prices as well
- NYCC Crew vs Brand Ambassadors _ Point of note as well there is a big difference between crew members and brand ambassadors. For example if you see particular people wearing a certain color shirt that has the NYCC logo on it Crew member shirts will be one particular color and it hasn't been announced yet.Their shirt color would be either blue, red, green, orange or some other color. Crew members for NYCC work in the following areas: Badge Scanning, AM Queue, Registration, Information Desks(they will be all over the Javits Center), Autographs, Panels, Directional(outside of the Javits Center in one the colored shirt), the Merchandise booth, Merch Pick Up. Now, brand ambassadors are a different story so for booths like Crunchyroll, Bandai, Bushiroad, Toei Animation, Viz Media, or anything else related to the show floor. Brand Ambassadors may only know certain things related to their booths and not everything else related to NYCC. Your best bet is to talk to the crew members, NYCC staff who are in black shirts as well. If you are in a particular area let's say for Autographs and you have a question for autographs look for a crew member or a NYCC staff member in that area to ask for questions.
Alright, once again if I have missed anything with my post, I hope someone else can cover anything that I have missed. If anything look out for a much more detailed post from the user u/jamiesugah . They post a lot more stuff and once again I will be posting some additional links in the comments section.
