Reprint of older guide, previously published on theOtaku.com

Where would we be without the people that populate the convention? The guests, the cosplayers, and the AMV makers.

Guests
Varying from American voice actors to Japanese manga-ka, guests can be the big draw of a convention. Some people might underestimate the influences and information that American guests can bring to a convention, but they tend to know the industry and are great people to listen to if you want to get into voice acting, translating, or any other aspect. Most are friendly and won’t mind you saying hi when you see them walking down the hall.

Remember though, guests are not always “on duty,” and they need their rest time as much as you do. Always be polite to them; they are giving up their weekends to be here talking to you. Typically, they are reimbursed for travel expenses and given a hotel room, but they certainly don’t make money off of conventions. So treat them with the respect they deserve.

Cosplay
Dressing up, and it’s not even Halloween yet! This is why many people go to cons, to the extent that there are even cosplay centered cons these days.

Anyone can dress up, and you do not have to enter any cosplay contests. As far as contests go, cons will vary, but there is typically one onstage contest (often on Saturday evening), and then a hall contest or some kind of roving contest that is less formal and takes place over the entire weekend.

If you want to go to the cosplay contest to watch, keep an eye on the line or ask a staff member how it is being run. Some cons will give out tickets ahead of time, while others simply have you line up. The skits are the main draw of the contest, but if you’d rather just see the costumes, most of the time the cosplayers will show off their costumes in the hall outside.

Always ask before you hug your favorite character or if you want them to pose for a picture. Technically, you are not allowed to take someone’s picture without their permission, especially if you plan to print it or post it somewhere. While most people don’t follow this rule strictly at a con, be careful if you plan to use this photo for anything other than a “Look, I went to a Con!!!” web page.

Art by Zeda
Never glomp cosplayers without permission! They put a lot of time and energy into their costumes, and a surprise glomp could ruin their work.

AMV Contest
This event seems to grow in popularity every year as more and more people have access to the software needed to create an Anime Music Video. AMVs are created with video editing software, such as Adobe Premier, combining anime clips and music. Creating these can seem intimidating, but they are sanity-sucking fun. For more information on creating one, check out animemusicvideos.org.

In order to enter this contest, you typically need to send in the video by a deadline. Check the convention website for more information on guidelines such as format and length. Many cons now can accept the video on a CD, but that is not always the case.

All right, this ends the overview of what goes on at a convention and who you are sharing your space with. So next week, let’s talk just a little bit about how to best share that space and to keep from being one of those jerks that everyone gossips about later on the con’s message board.