nazan yar wrote:Soooooo, I'm strongly considering making this my first Botcon after nearly 40 years. If I go, I will be taking my wife, who absolutely has no interest in my appreciation for my childhood addictions. So, couple questions:
1) is it worth it to register her?
2) is it worth it to buy her the convention set(s) in hopes of selling them after market?
3) if I am only able to swing one or two days, is it better to hit the earlier day(s) or later day(s)? Can you buy all the exclusives if you only show up early or late?
4) any other first-timer thoughts would be appreciated. I listened way back to the twin cast that covered the topic. I probably need to hit it again.
Thanks!
Ive been to quite a few of the BotCons and I always drag my wife along with me (bless her for putting up with it). In my experience I would answer as follows.
1.) I have always registered my wife as a minicon so she can get into all of the panels and all of the days (mainly Friday). It also gets her into the dinner and game night / awards. It is also a must if you want her to be able to have her pick up the extra set and or exclusives.
2.) I personally have never tried to sell an extra set or exclusives to help pay for the trip but many do. Most of the years turns out pretty good but it depends on how popular the Botcon theme is. I think some people got burned with it last year. I personally liked last years set but there were a lot in the fandom that did not like it. My wife was actually thinking of maybe giving the Primus package a try this year.
3.) The big day is Saturday. That is the day that has the best panels (usually the Hasbro panel) as well as the dinner and game night. Friday usually only has a few things going on and mainly getting into the dealer room early if you registered as a Primus or Minicon package. Sunday only goes to about 3PM and while they usually do have some good panels, if you have to miss a day this would probably be the one. As for buying the exclusives that also depends on how popular the theme is. Sometimes they sell out by Saturday afternoon or very early Sunday morning. I usually do the VERY long wait on Thursday night during pickup and just get the exclusives then so I never have to worry about missing out.
4.) BotCons are a lot of fun and I think everybody should try to get at least to one. If your looking for certain Transformers, I would say make a list to prioritize what your looking for. When going into the dealer room do a quick once through to gauge some prices. Some booths right next to each other can sometimes be $10 to $20 apart on prices. Have fun.
I hope that will help you out. If you have any other questions feel free to post or PM me.