SMOF News, volume 2, issue 18

Refreshing the day trip supply checklist.

How to Convention: Your Con Day Trip Kit

In-person conventions are officially back this year. If your local one is coming up and you’re planning not to stay at a nearby hotel, now is a good time to refresh your checklist of essential supplies, or start one if you’ve never been to a con in person before. You’ll want things such as:

• Comfortable footwear. Convention centers are huge, and you can rack up a surprising number of steps even at a small hotel-based convention, going back and forth between program rooms and bathrooms and the con suite and all around the dealers’ room.

• Mobility device, if you use one at all. See above about the amount of walking involved. If it’s a sometimes thing, this is likely to be one of those times.

• Reusable water bottle. Fight dry hotel or convention center air and plastic waste simultaneously, while also reducing the chance of confusing the bottle you’ve been drinking from with someone else’s.

• Personal medications. Sure, you plan to be back home in time for your evening dose, but you may get stuck in an unexpectedly long line, discover a last-minute schedule addition you absolutely have to attend, or bump into a long-lost friend and lose track of the time while chatting. Take the pressure off yourself and be prepared for anything.

• Snacks. Especially if you have any kind of food intolerances. Just because the convention center claims to have 11 different kinds of cuisine available doesn’t mean all of those stands will be open at con time. (Note that some cons will have restrictions on where food, or particularly outside food, can be eaten.)

• A jacket or sweater. Even if it’s hot and muggy outside, indoor convention spaces may have the climate control set to a painfully low temperature.

• A good book or portable game. Have a way to entertain yourself in line or during slow times that doesn’t drain your phone battery.

• A comfortable backpack with lots of extra room. Because you never know what you’re going to spot in the dealers’ room that you absolutely have to have.

• Your kindness and patience. Everyone’s had a rough few years. Convention budgets and volunteers are stretched thin in places. Be as nice as you can to your fellow humans.

Event Calendar

Weekend of January 6-8

• Shadowcon (relaxacon), Memphis, Tennessee, USA

• GAFilk 2023 (music), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Anthro Northwest 5 (anthropomorphic), Seattle, Washington, USA

• CanthroFur (anthropomorphic), Auvergne, France

• Spartacon XXXII (gaming), DeWitt, Michigan, USA

• Super MAGFest (gaming/videogame music), National Harbor, Maryland, USA

• OrcaCon 2023 (gaming), Bellevue, Washington, USA

• Animé Los Angeles 18, Long Beach, California, USA

• SacAnime, Sacramento, California, USA

• Columbia Anime & Video Game Expo, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

• Taiyou Con (anime), Mesa, Arizona, USA

• Anime-ZAP!, East Peoria, Illinois, USA

• Fan Expo New Orleans (media), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

• St. Pete Comic Con 2023, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Weekend of January 13-15

• Chattacon XLVIII, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

• Na Meji Nevidnega, Ljubljana, Slovenia

• GenghisCon, Wembley, Australia

• MarsCon 2023, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

• Further Confusion 2023: Millennium Edition (anthropomorphic), San Jose, California, USA

• MidWinterFrolic 2023 (anthropomorphic), Altura, Minnesota, USA

• SnowCon: Lucky 13 (gaming), Orono, Maine, USA

• HexaCon (gaming), Broomfield, Colorado, USA

• Midwinter Gaming Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• Geekway Mini: League of Meeples (gaming), St. Louis, Missouri, USA

• Congress of Gamers Winter Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA

• SCARAB 2023 (gaming), Columbia, South Carolina, USA

• Siege of Augusta XXXI (miniatures gaming), Augusta, Georgia, USA

• SaltCON Bryce (boardgames), Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA

• Ichibancon 13 (anime), Concord, North Carolina, USA

• Anime Impulse, Pomona, California, USA

• OtakuFest (anime), Miami, Florida, USA

• Setsucon (anime), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA

• Wildwood Comic Con, Wildwood, New Jersey, USA

Weekend of January 20-22

• Avatar: The Legend of ConFusion, Novi, Michigan, USA

• Arisia 2023, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• COSine 2023, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

• Anthro New England 2023: Trains!, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

• KapCon 31 (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand

• Ice & Dice (gaming), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

• ATG Expo (gaming), Waco, Texas, USA

• Evercon 23 (gaming), Rothschild, Wisconsin, USA

• Contingency 2023 (gaming), Hunstanton, UK

• Cancon 2023 (gaming), Canberra, Australia

• Niagara Boardgaming Weekend, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

• Ohayocon 23 (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Ikkicon (anime), Round Rock, Texas, USA

• Orlando Anime Day, Orlando, Florida, USA

• Central Florida Comic Con, Lakeland, Florida, USA

• CONsole Room: 10 Years in the TARDIS (Doctor Who), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

• House of Mouse Expo (Disney-owned media), Kissimmee, Florida, USA

Weekend of January 27-29

• Conflikt (music), online (usually Seattle, Washington, USA)

• AnthroExpo: Furry Scene (anthropomorphic), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

• Game-iToba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

• Cascade Games Convention, Bellingham, Washington, USA

• Chattanooga Railgaming Challenge, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

• G-Anime Winter Edition, Gatineau, Québec, Canada

• UChi-Con 2023 (anime), Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Anime Town: Greenville 2023, Greenville, South Carolina, USA

• Mouse-Con Bakersfield (Disney), Bakersfield, California, USA

• The Vampire Diaries/The Originals Original Reunion Convention, Allen, Texas, USA

Weekend of February 3-5

• Capricon 43: Eternity Awaits..., Wheeling, Illinois, USA

• ScotiaCon (anthropomorphic), Glasgow, UK

• Running GAGG 27 (gaming), Geneseo, New York, USA

• CaptainCon (gaming), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

• Rocket City Gamefest, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

• Winter War 2023 (gaming), Champaign, Illinois, USA

• WeebCon Year 3 (anime), Allen, Texas, USA

• SSA+S Toracon (anime), Sarasota, Florida, USA

• Anime Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• East Bay Comic Con, Concord, California, USA

• Geek Days Rennes (media), Rennes, France

• Creation Dallas (media), Plano, Texas, USA

• My Hero Convention: Texas (My Hero Academia), Irving, Texas, USA

Coda

• Gregor Mendel gets genome sequenced

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