Whether you are new to conventions or a pro, remember these few suggestions to make your visit to any convention enjoyable and safe. A convention like CoreCon has activities and events galore. Don’t get so busy you forget to take care of you! Here is a helpful guide to enjoy everything to the fullest extent.
Some people get so caught up in all of the CoreCon activities that they forget to eat, drink, and sleep. These may be things you would never forget during your normal, every day life, but “Con Brain” can make you do things you would never normally do, like actively not sleep for four days.
“Con Brain” can affect anyone, and each year, we put our medic to work making sure people stay rested, hydrated, and fed. We especially have to remind our staff to take breaks to tend to their own needs. Some tips for how to make sure you’re doing everything you need to stay alive (literally) include:
- Set an alarm on your phone for every three to four hours to remind you to eat a snack and drink some fluids. Alcohol does not count as one of these fluids and will actually dehydrate you. We suggest some good old fashioned H2O!
- The hotel has water fountains located throughout the building, and Fargo water is rated fairly high by Tap Water Experts (i.e. Doug, our Blogmaster). We usually have bottled water in the Operations room, too.
- If you are feeling weak or lightheaded, ask yourself, “When was the last time I had water?”
Things to do before the convention:
- Plan your meals, snacks, and beverages. If you set a schedule for eating, you’re less likely to forget to do it (or ignore the rumblies in your tumblies for one more game.)
- Pack batteries, chargers, and cords.
- Put hygiene products and clean undies in your luggage. (And we are begging you to use them!)
- Notify our Ops team at operations@fargocorecon.org of any major health concerns, like special medications or severe allergies they should know about. If there is an issue of you coming into contact with anything that might trigger a reaction, the team can notify you of its presence and make sure you stay safe. Knowing your emergency medications (like EpiPens) can help the medic in case of an emergency.
Things to do at the convention:
- Register, though you can take care of this step by preregistering on the website.
- Put on your badge and make sure it stays visible whenever you’re in a convention area.
- Stay hydrated.
- Read the program guide and check out all of the features at CoreCon, like Artist’s Alley, the vendors, and panels like “Super Friendly Friend Making of All Sorts.” Then hydrate, organize with people to meet for supper, hydrate, roll over to Game Central, enjoy the fansuites, hydrate again, go to Egaming, hydrate, eat a snack, sleep, put on fresh underwear, and repeat.
Yes, it is that easy. Make sure you stay hydrated. CoreCon has a certified medic available but he would rather be gaming than asking you, “When was the last time you had actual water, not soda or adult beverages?” Soda and adult beverages can dehydrate you. Add that to lack of sleep (CoreCon goes late into the evening) and not eating properly, and your body will feel the negative effects.
Have we mentioned how important it is to stay hydrated? Make sure to enjoy the fun at CoreCon X on May 24th through 27th and stay hydrated.