Before the Con:
I'm actually really terrible with packing and usually leave it until the night before or even the morning I'm due to leave! To avoid the last minute panicking and rushing around trying to find everything I'd suggest starting to pack your suitcase a week or so in advance. Of course you wont be able to pack everything, but it should make it a much less stressful activity. I've written up a checklist for you to give you a basic idea of the things you should be taking with you, of course it wont be perfect for everyone but I've included everything I can think of and you can tailor it to suit your needs!
Have you thought about how you're getting there? MCM Comic Con is held at the ExCeL Centre in the Docklands, an area I'm very familiar with (I used to live and study there!) but it can be confusing to get to, especially if you aren't familiar with travelling in London. Print out a map from Google with directions to the ExCeL Centre and to your hotel, look at the Transport for London website to see how long your journey will be, what routes you can take and if there are any closures due for the weekend. Remember to add some extra time to your journey as it can get VERY busy. Always make sure you have a backup plan, the amount of times I've been stuck because the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) is closed, it just adds unnecessary stress that could have been avoided.
Be careful not to over pack as well. You might think you need 12 different outfits and 5 pairs of shoes but I can assure you, you wont. I used to always make the mistake of packing a massive suitcase of stuff I might need 'just in case' but it was so much hassle carting it around London, it was heavy and trying to manoeuvre a bulky suitcase in rush hour was just annoying and awkward. If you have big or delicate props think about the logistics of how you're getting them there. Will the fit on the Underground? Will it be able to withstand the commuter crush?
Check the weather! You don't want to pack shorts and skirts and vest tops if it's going to be cold, windy and raining, and vice versa - you don't want to pack thick jumpers and lots of layers if it's going to be scorching hot (although really, the likelihood of it being scorching hot here in England during May is very unlikely!) I tend to use holiday-weather as it gives you 7 and 14 day forecasts instead of just 5 days.
Work out your budget. You need to make sure you have enough money to cover the weekend, with a little extra just in case of emergencies. Will you be taking food with you? How much will travel cost for the weekend? Allocate a certain amount for each of the days you're attending and try to only take that much with you. I know it might sound boring but in the excitement of Expo you could end up spending it all in one go, leaving you with nothing to survive on later on. I'd also suggest taking your money out in advance, unless you want to queue for 2 hours to use the cash machine.
During the Con:
It's here! After all of the weeks of impatiently waiting and torturing yourself, it's finally time to let loose and enjoy the convention! But here are a few things you should keep in mind while you're off enjoying yourself.
Remember to eat and drink. I'm not talking about the 20 boxes of pocky you grabbed from TokyoToys, I mean real food. (This is probably a bit hypocritical of me as I am absolutely useless at remembering to eat during the day but I know the consequences all too well.) I would suggest packing a few snacks such as cereal bars, bags of crisps or even a couple of chocolate bars into your bag for when you're wandering around the convention hall. There are plenty of places to eat in the ExCeL Centre itself but they queues can be quite large and I tend to find them overpriced. The past couple of events MCM has incorporated a few stalls that sell hot Japanese foods such as takoyaki, yakisoba or okonomiyaki but the queues for these are very long!
The same goes for drinks, I'd pack some squash or water in your bag and although carrying bottles around with you can be heavy and a bit of a burden it will be worth it - the hall gets incredibly warm from the amount of people all squished together in a confined space. I'd stay away from energy drinks though, they might seem like the best option to keep you full of energy but you might become a nuisance to other attendees, or you'll crash, neither of which are particularly pleasant.
Shower. Please for the love of god, shower! You might be saving 20 minutes getting ready in the morning but no one will be thankful for it. It's already enough to be crammed into a hall with around 20,000 other people, but if a portion of them haven't showered and aren't wearing deodorant it just makes an unpleasant situation even more horrible! Carry deodorant around with you and pop into the bathrooms or an unpopulated space and give yourself a little spray every now and then. I honestly cannot emphasise this enough! Also if you're wearing the same costume for the entirety of the con pack some Febreeze and after each day give your costume a spray. There's nothing worse than wearing a horrible, smelly costume for 3 days straight.
Be kind to other attendees and make sure you're aware that there are other people around you who are also trying to enjoy the event. Manners really go a million miles. Try not to run around screaming, don't barge into people or touch someones prop without permission and if they do say yes be respectful and gentle with it. If you have a big prop/costume be aware of your surroundings and don't swing it around as you might hurt someone. Don't harass cosplayers for hugs or photo's and don't be rude if they say no, you may have asked at a bad time or they may not be comfortable with hugging strangers (I know I'm not) and please please please always ask a cosplayer for their photo! It is creepy to sneak photos of people and you wont get a good picture. The only time it is more acceptable not to ask is if they are clearly already posing for someone, but still try to motion that you want to take a picture. There's so much more I could write but there's already a whole host of posts on 'Convention Etiquette' so I'll just link a few of my favourites here (Wired's Convention 101 / Convention-Etiquette)
I always try to take a couple of breaks during the day just to sit down and rest my aching feet. There are plenty of spaces in and around the convention centre where you can relax for a while. Spending all day in the hall gives me a headache and makes me pretty grumpy so I like to head outside for some fresh air and admire everyones costumes.
And most important of all: remember to have a great time and make lots of amazing memories!
I think this about covers most of the things I wanted to talk about. I hope some of you have found this useful and I look forward to seeing you all there!
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