[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Eater of All

Going to AX this year! I'll be going every year until either AX moves out of LACC or until I and everyone in California die in a great earthquake.

Well now, ain't that quite a lovely bit of info? I thank you.

Depending on the guest, you may have to go really early and camp the autograph table. Also, always go to their panels, as they might give preferred autograph tickets there and/or announce autograph session times.

I'm sure I'll be wanting the autographs of some of the most popular people, so I suppose I'll have to mix and match. Would totally attend the panels of these people nonetheless, so it's good to hear when stuff is set to happen. Now watch me get lost in the convention and then not get anywhere. xD

I believe the AX Staff does not allow merchandise unrelated to the guest to be brought up for signing. If it's a musical guest, it should be easy to find places in the exhibition hall where CDs are sold. If not, autograph boards can be bought for $2 or $3.

Ah okay, thanks for that info. Regarding this then, how late does AX usually update their information on their guest list? I'd probably end up spending a bit of time on Day 1 looking for merch related to the guests I want autographs from, so it'd be good to know who's going ahead of time. Right now though, they've seemed to only have announced two, with the con only about 2 and a half months away. Either way, say I had a related item and an autograph board, can you get both signed?

Lines for merchandise in booths? I don't think I've seen any before, but then, I'm never part of the rush for the Exhibit Hall's initial opening. Certainly things that are being sold often disappear if you return later in the day.

Ah, is that so? Considering that markets and any other events concerning booths is usually somewhat crowded, I guess I assumed it would be here. Guess that's just a "get there and see" thing. Either way, I'll definitely go around buying the merch I definitely want on the first day.

In general, always ask around and keep your ears open for up-to-date information. Changes in Anime Expo happen fast; unannounced autograph sessions are randomly held or cancelled, guests sometimes leave before Day 4, mini-concerts or events periodically spring up in certain booths, unofficial guests of honors (such as Minami Kuribayashi in 2010) might be invited by exhibitors like MangaGamer, panels get delayed, lines spontaneously form for xxx in yyy... the developments are endless.

Wow, sounds pretty hectic, but that's just like a Japan-related convention so I'll take it as part of the experience. I guess I'll just bring everything anime-related along since I don't have that much. Guess I'll have more to look forward to on top of the announced stuff.

And due to the sheer volume of things-to-do in AX, it's not possible to see everything. How you organize your schedule depends on your interest... you might be lucky and get no conflicts, or you might not be. In general, if it's a popular panel or autograph session, expect to arrive 45-60 minutes early (last year, the Kalafina line began forming 50 minutes early... I happened to be waiting in a nearby line for something else, so I jumped ship right to it).

I hope I'm not scaring you by telling you all this. In the end, running around seeing as much as possible is merely one way to enjoy AX. Many people go there just to hang out, relax, or meet forumers / bloggers.

All I wish for is to not leave behind something that I'll regret for like...ever. I unfortunately don't live so close to California, so flying down this year is kind of a special event in itself. As long as I leave with some cool stuff I can't find around here along with meeting up with everything I want to, then I'll be happy nonetheless.

I don't exactly need to run around like a crazed, uncontrollable dog for all 4 days; I'm assuming if I don't need to meet with that many guests and buy enough merch to embarrass my family, I'll have enough time for most of it. Meeting people and hanging out sounds quite good, after all.

But seriously, watch me embarrass myself in some way. It'll be a good laugh. xD