With the COVID pandemic winding down and life getting pretty much back to normal, we are starting to see more opportunities for anime fans to get out and about. Anime Expo, which is more or less a comic con for anime fans, returned to Los Angeles in July. Other Anime Expo events will be held around the country this summer.
Anime Expo is always a good time. Fans get to rub elbows with celebrities and creators. They can attend concerts and lectures and visit an incredible vendor hall where lots of goodies await. But here’s something all beginners and first-timers should know: Anime Expo events are generally big and crowded. You do not want to jump in without being prepared.
Here are some of the most important Anime Expert tips, compliments of the Umai anime clothing and apparel brand:
1. Wear Comfortable Shoes
There are a lot of bulletin boards and websites offering expo advice for newbies. Almost all of them start with the recommendation to wear comfortable shoes. Whether you go to the Los Angeles event, the New York event, or an Anime Expo in some other town, you are going to be on your feet all day. Most of these events are multi-day events as well.
Get yourself some comfortable shoes that you can wear all day without them bothering you. A good pair of sneakers generally works well. Whatever you do, don’t try to attend three days of Anime Expo wearing flip-flops.
2. Take Water and Snacks
Just about every expo sells food and beverages. However, they are expensive. The lines are long, too. You can save yourself both time and money by taking snacks and water with you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just enough to keep you going until you’re done for the day. Then you can grab dinner on the way home.
3. Time Your Visits to the Exhibition Hall
The most seasoned expo experts recommend timing your visits to the exhibition hall. Make it your very first stop early on the very first day. Then wait and go back again on the last day. A first day visit gets you access to extremely popular items that might sell out. Visiting on the last day gives you access to discounted prices, as vendors would rather slash their prices than pack everything up and take it home.
4. Plan Your Events
If there are any specific events you want to participate in, like lectures or film previews, plan in advance. Do not attempt to do these things on a whim. The lines will be long, and you need to be prepared to get in line early. You cannot do that if you don’t plan ahead.
5. Go Have Fun
The last tip is the most important: go have fun. Do not schedule your days extremely tightly and then force yourself to run from one thing to the next because you’ll end up exhausted and unhappy that you didn’t get to do everything. Most expos are too big to cover everything anyway. So relax, chill out, and understand that you can go back next year.
Anime Expo really is a good time. If you have never been before, you are in for a treat. You will meet a lot of wonderful people who share a similar interest in anime. You are going to see some fantastic costumes and hear some compelling conversations. And every bit of it is going to be good. Just heed the tips you read in this post and you’ll be fine. Once you figure it out, be sure to share your tips with others.
