For you Georgia folks, this weekend is the 30th anniversary of Dragon Con. Dragon Con is the largest convention in the southeast which boasts a diversity of fans such as elves, Weeaboos, Vulcans, etc. Thanks to the influence of D-Con, several smaller conventions have popped up in the south in the last couple of years, such as Momo Con, Anime Week Atlanta, Time Gate, etc. This will be my eighth year attending Dragon Con, so I've decided to offer some advice to those of you who want to attend a convention for the first time. Dragon Con will be catering to 75,000 attendees this year, so my advice might not always translate to smaller conventions. Therefore, my first piece of advice is to find someone who's attended or ask online if you have questions. So now let's boldly go...

1. Be strategic with scheduling.

Always make sure to look and see if the convention has an online app or if they've released a schedule yet for the Con. You will be way ahead of the game if you arrive at the convention with a list of panels and where they are. Therefore, you won't spend half of the day stumbling around trying to figure out what's going on or where to go. Also make sure to have second or third options for panels. Sometimes you get delayed or the line was already too long and you don't get into your first choice. Life sucks. That's why you make sure to have some other options in the same area or panels that you know won't be filled up.

Just remember that it's a good day if I get to see three to five panels at Dragon Con. You won't be able to see a panel every time slot, especially if it's a larger convention, so don't feel too bad. That being said, that isn't an excuse to waste your time or money.

2. Be smart about your time and money.

You need to eat and you need to sleep. That is non-negotiable. You need at least six hours of sleep, two meals a day and six to eight cups of water. Now there are certain ways to get these things without spending several hundred dollars at one convention.

1) Look for free water. Conventions are usually held in hotels or other large meeting areas that offer free water pitchers for the events held there. You won't have to spend money on water bottles or waste time refilling them.

2) There is always cheap food. You can go out to eat at restaurants with your friends, but you don't necessarily have to eat high class. Smaller restaurants will most likely know about the convention and offer discounts. It might not be the best food, but it'll be a deal.

3) Never buy anything from the dealer room/area on the first day. Typically it will be marked down by the last day so that they can save on transportation costs. Some exceptions are high cost items, smaller items like jewelry and posters usually and etc.

Cons are a great way to save money versus buying and shipping stuff online. I've gotten some great items at even greater prices at Con. However, don't be swindled either. Look around the dealer's area once or twice and check online for similar items before making any purchases. At the end of the day all I can say is trust your gut. You'll usually be able to tell if something is worth what you're paying.

3. Be sure to have fun, but remember where you are.

You are spending anywhere between $20-150 to go to this convention. You should enjoy it. Don't be afraid to go to panels alone. I've been attending Dragon Con for eight years, and I've only ever attended one panel with a friend. You make friends with those in line, around the con and bumping into people. Don't spend all of your time in the Dealer's room or at one specific kind of panels. Convention is a place to learn about new things that you'll like. You can see panels about that one movie you love or you could find out about a bunch of new ones. The convention is your nerdy playground that you're paying for so use it.

However, your fun should not be at the expense of others. I don't know what it is about large groups of people, but people seem to forget their manners in these situations. You should always say excuse me, please and thank you. Be mindful of the handicapped and elderly who don't always have the easiest time moving around. I'm not always the biggest fan of people bringing their children, but they're going to be there no matter what. Therefore watch your language and don't be terribly inappropriate with your clothing or your cosplay. But most important of all, have fun and don't sweat the little things. There are always things that are going to go wrong, so save the worrying for when you get home. You only have two to five days here, so enjoy it. Happy Conning!