What do you bring for any weekend trip? Silly as the question sounds, it’s the truth. Most people get so hung up on the notion that it’s a *convention* that they lose sight of the fact that it’s pretty much just a weekend trip out of town, with a pre-planned itinerary of activities for you to enjoy.

At a bare minimum, one should plan on bringing a change of clothes for every day you’ll be at the con (3 days, Friday through Sunday), as well as one spare set in case you wind up wearing something you should have eaten instead. Other travel essentials include toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, mouthwash and such. Yes, the hotel does provide soap and shampoo, but the bottles are minuscule and tend not to last very long. The last thing you want to do is be in the middle of a shower and realize your roommate used all but a droplet or two of shampoo. If you’re sharing a room, bringing your own towel is also a very good idea, both for hygienic and convenience reasons. Stepping out of the shower to find every towel’s already been used is not a fun thing. If you’re room-splitting and think there’s a reasonable chance you’ll draw the floor straw, having a sleeping bag and/or air mattress of your own will save your back and make the con a MUCH happier experience.

As a courtesy, we have provided a checklist covering the absolutely necessary and life-saving items hard experience has told us to bring to every convention religiously.

Oh, and one other thing: When packing, do NOT push for maximum density. If everything you plan on bringing just barely fits in one suitcase, do yourself a tremendous favor and spread it out to two cases. Remember that spending money? You’re gonna spend it, and the stuff you buy won’t fit if there’s barely room for an ant to squeeze in. Most airlines allow two items of checked baggage as well as a carry-on. Why not use them?

Whole novels could be written on how to attend a convention on the cheap. (And probably have been; Google for it if you want.) However, much of any convention-specific wisdom could also be applied to the world at large. The key is to be penny-wise. Some expenses can’t be negotiated substantially reduced, but others can. Here are some basic tips, collected from the METROCON staff and tested by their combined decades of convention attendance.

Pre-register: Sometimes, the obvious ones get past us. By pre-registering online, you save a few bucks. Every dollar counts!

Book early, fly late: The earlier you book an airline ticket, the cheaper it is. Airlines are very aggressive in their pricing in order to sell seats. The earlier you book, the faster you can lock in a cheap rate. Waiting ’til the week before the con will ensure that you pay higher rates. Also, travelers who are more flexible in their travel times – read: are willing to take red-eye flights and/or handle multiple layovers – can achieve a fair amount of savings.

For visitors to the convention from Canada or overseas: Examine your entry port. Tampa/St. Petersburg has two major airports within 30 minutes of one another, and Orlando is 90 minutes away. Many international airlines (especially Canadian ones) offer bigger discounts for flights into Orlando than they do for Tampa, because of the drawing power of the Great Mouse. Don’t be afraid to check these options; frequently, they will save you a significant amount of money.

Bring a friend, or meet one there: While convention hotels usually offer con attendees a special rate, given the two-night stay for the full convention, the total cost could still be alarming. Conspire with up to three other people – the hotel has a four-person maximum for each room – and your total lodging cost is reduced significantly for the entire weekend.

Eat wisely: Obviously, eating three restaurant meals per day can be expensive, and even dropping that down to the one “Red Warrior needs food… badly”  meal per day can still be pricey. For those with fat wallets/purses, food will be available via the convention center as well as the hotel restaurant. Alternatively, aside from the many delivery options available, there are also restaurants in the local vicinity ranging from the ubiquitous Denny’s through more select fare. Stocking up on supplies in your hotel room isn’t a bad idea, either.

“Hey, goin’ my way?”: Aside from airfare and hotel room costs, ground transportation is probably the next most cash-consuming item directly related to convention attendance. If you’ve brought a friend or two, and are renting a car or taking a cab from the airport to the hotel, buddy up and split the expense. If you’re driving directly to METROCON, carpool with your buddies and split the gas money. Every dollar you can save is a dollar you can use later.

An anime convention is, well, a convention for anime enthusiasts. METROCON is the first anime-specific convention to be held in Tampa, Florida. We have shows, panels, guests, social events, costume and cosplay competitions, gaming areas, and much more.

A convention is a one to three day gathering of people who are interested in a common subject. These gatherings usually take place at a hotel, or other large venue such as a convention center or a college. There are panels which are excellent for learning about many aspects of the subject matter; events to encourage socializing among the attendees; the Exhibitor’s Hall where you can find related merchandise… in short, a little bit of everything related to a subject can be found at a convention about that subject. Which leads us to…

‘Anime’ is a catch-all reference to Japanese animation. Specifically, it is the artistic medium which takes the art style and stories from manga (Japanese comics) and animates them for television or theatre exhibition. While technically, anime is a cartoon, often is geared towards both kids and adults. Most anime contains elements from almost all story genres – science fiction, fantasy, drama, romance, horror, etc., which is one of the reasons anime has garnered much attention from both critics and fans.