Cosplay Repair, Accessibility, and other ways we’re here to ensure you have the best possible convention weekend!
Keep your stuff safe and your hands free!
Locker Rental makes keeping track of your things easy – never play the Lost and Found game again at METROCON!
Locker Rental can be found at the METROCON merchandise booth near Registration. Bring the items you want to store temporarily to the booth and you’ll be asked to provide just a few pieces of information (legal name, phone number, and signature required along with matching ID). You will be issued a wristband with your Locker ID and your items will be placed safely in a locker. Lockers are 12-inch cubes.
Rules:
- Each locker is $5/day and you can add/remove items at any time.
- Each locker is ~14x14x14 inches. There is room for a few larger items, but after a certain point, you will be asked to purchase a second locker to account for the extra space.
- Lockers can be shared/split – ONLY the person with the wristband/ID that matches the original rental can add/remove items. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
- Lockers can not be used for food items, live animals, the Holy Grail, illegal substances of any kind or weapons of any kind.
NOTE: If you leave your contents in a locker and do not come to claim them before closing at the end of the night, you will be charged for a second day of locker rental upon arrival. Contents left inside of lockers at the end of the weekend will be given over to Tampa Convention Center’s lost and found.
At past conventions, people have stashed things under the staging, stacked chairs and tables, behind the draped off-limits areas, and under booths (sometimes causing damage or other problems in the process). These areas will be monitored closely by security and any items found will be cleared out and turned over to the Convention Center’s Lost and Found. Lockers are available so you do not have to worry about where to put things and in what condition they’ll be when you get them back!
Stop by the Cosplay Booth if you need a quick fix, or have questions about the Costume Contest!
Our Cosplay Booth is the headquarters for our Cosplay department – the staff there is ready to answer any questions you might have about our Costume Contest, but we also provide other services too!
Had a seam rip? Can’t find a bobby pin? Lose a button? Stop by the Cosplay Repair station at the Cosplay Booth and let us triage your incredible creation until you can get it a proper fix! We can’t do any major overhauls or fabrication, but we usually have the tools to get you through the rest of the day and ensure nobody has a MAJOR costume malfunction!
The Cosplay Booth can be found on the Upper Floors map by clicking the link below, and hours for the booth can be found on the same page!
The Quiet Room is a place tucked away from the fast-paced action of the convention floor, where you can go when you absolutely need a break. While we have other spaces that are geared more towards quiet relaxation and enjoyment like the manga library or even some panels, this space is dedicated to individuals who may be highly overstimulated, experiencing social anxiety or panic, or other non-emergency medical situations and need a non-entertainment space for a short amount of time. Think of the Quiet Room as a space within a space – no TVs, no video games, no shouting, no music playing.
The Quiet Room is located on the first floor, in Room 110, all the way at the end of the first-floor hallway adjacent to the Riverwalk.
The Quiet Room at METROCON is run by our dedicated staff – the lead for the room is an experienced healthcare professional, and while they cannot provide direct medical advice or attention, they may be able to help you decide for yourself if you just need some water and a few minutes of quiet, or if it’s time to get some medical attention for how you’re feeling. The only medical attention available at the convention is from our on-duty paramedic team.
Try to use the Quiet Room for 15-30 minutes at a time, at most. The Quiet Room is not a place to hang out with your friends, or go to make a phone call, and it’s not a lounge to just relax if you’re feeling a little tired and need a seat. The room is a space designed for folks who need a break, or are at risk of a medical situation – this also makes it a great place for:
- neurodivergent folks to take a moment when overstimulated or apply their strategies for handling large crowds
- waiting out a panic attack
- checking your blood sugar
- waiting on medication to arrive from your hotel room or a friend who ran out, etc.
- and other similar situations
Our Quiet Room staff will help you determine if it’s a good place for what you need, so feel free to stop by and knock on the door if you think you need to use the space!
Any staff member at the convention with a radio or staff t-shirt can get a medical emergency call started. Find the closest one and let them know you need a paramedic called ASAP, what the issue is, and where to send them.
We want METROCON to be a space EVERYONE can enjoy!
At METROCON, one of our primary goals is to ensure that the convention is accessible to as many folks in the anime community as possible. With that in mind, there are several options/services available for those with accessibility needs, and a few things you may want to be aware of ahead of time. More services will be added as we are able, and by demand, so feel free to reach out to us on our Contact Us page if you would like us to consider an additional accessibility note/option.
When you arrive and pick up your badge from Registration at the convention, simply let the person helping you know that you'd like an "Accessibility Pass" in addition to the tickets you're redeeming/purchasing. An Accessibility Pass is totally free, and available from registration at any time.
The Accessibility Pass may be a sticker that is placed on your badge (back is ok), a separate wristband, or a small card you're given to keep on you throughout the weekend.
Our staff will never question your disability or accessibility needs - we just want to ensure that you receive what you need throughout the weekend with as little complication as possible! Whenever you are seeking accommodation from a staff member or volunteer, please show them your Accessibility Pass to speed things along.
METROCON supports trained service animals and the role they play in the lives of their owners. Trained working animals are allowed throughout the convention. Any animal that becomes a safety or biological hazard to the general public will yield in asking both the owner and animal to exit the facility. This is a Tampa Convention Center policy. For more information on Service Animals, Service-Animals-In-Training, and the ADA, visit the ADA website here.
Guests with mobility needs will be given special accommodation for line queues throughout the event. If you or someone in your party needs to avoid standing for long periods of time, your group may be seated early for an event (when possible), or a seating area near the door/event can be provided by request. Simply ask the staff/volunteer monitoring the door if you may have a seating accommodation, and they'll be happy to help!
If the line queue is for an autograph, you will be offered a seat nearby when possible, and allowed to jump back in line at the place you arrived when your place in the queue comes up.
All spaces at METROCON are wheelchair accessible, and wheelchair seating is also available. It may sometimes be necessary for a staff member to quickly rearrange a space to accommodate additional wheelchair seating - please let a staff member or volunteer know if it seems difficult or if space is running low, and we'll take care of it. Guests requiring a seating accommodation for visual/hearing needs will be seated early to events to ensure their preferred seating proximity.
For individuals with special hearing/visual concerns, you may ask to be seated early to ensure preferred proximity to speakers/stages/screens.
The most accessible entrance for elevator access to the Tampa Convention Center is the Circle Drive entrance. This entrance is reserved exclusively for our Staff and Cast, Special Guests, and those needing a mobility-aid-accessible entrance and elevator access. The Franklin Street entrance is also ground-floor with elevator access, but it is REENTRY ONLY - once you have your badge/wristband, you can use this entrance without issue, but it does close in the evening. The circle drive entrance is available throughout the event hours for those who need access.
The standard entrance for Registration and the upper floors is on the second-floor landing above Circle Drive. Please consider using this entrance if you are able, as it eases the burden on the smaller monitoring/bag-check staff at the accessibility entrance downstairs.
For more information on the Tampa Convention Center's ADA Elevator Accessibility, click here.
At METROCON, we have a dedicated Quiet Room located in Room 10 on the first floor. This is a great space for those looking for a private space to take a medication/test, a quieter space to wait out a panic attack, etc. More info on the Quiet Room is just above this section.