The Energon Pub

Wow Savage..this is awesome man! mThanks for putting in the time to type all of this out...This answers more questions than the botcon FAQ LoL!

In all honesty I'm looking more foward to meeting some of the members of seibertron than the convention itself.. That fact that the worlds best Transformers convention is going on is just a bonus IMO

Thanks homie !!! I printed this out so I could bring it with me since I am a first timer to Botcon

Thanks !!!

As another "Long time-first timer" this is pretty helpful!

Thanks Sav!

Great stuff!

Just one question: if I drive in early Friday, arriving between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., will I still be able to register and hit up the club store to pick up my set at that hour?

It Is Him wrote:Great stuff!

Just one question: if I drive in early Friday, arriving between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., will I still be able to register and hit up the club store to pick up my set at that hour?

If you have registered for a Primus or Protoform Package online, yes, you will be able to pick your stuff up on Friday morning when you arrive.

If you are not pre-registering, but instead plan on attending as a walk-in (general admission) you will only be able to get in on Saturday and Sunday.

It Is Him wrote:Great stuff!

Just one question: if I drive in early Friday, arriving between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., will I still be able to register and hit up the club store to pick up my set at that hour?

Yes.

Savage wrote:It's a lot easier to stay up until three am talking TransFormers if your bed is right down the hall.

Psssh, you and I probably coulda chatted until the sun came up last year. It's funny cause we had to get some rest only because we had a full day ahead. And wasn't it like 4 am last year. Srsly folks, best part of Botcon will be the friends you make. There is almost NEVER a shortage of conversation with anyone. We all speak geek, and weather opinions are same or different, it's just good to be with a group of people that know exactly what your are talking about regarding video games, movies, comic books, transformers, other toys. Only time of year when I can let my full inner geek out, and not just my TF geek side! I'm looking forward to meeting up with old friends and making new ones!

Oh, and if you ever forget my name, please don't hesitate to ask, look at my badge, or just call me by my screen name if it's easiest. I understand that there are a lot of us that have never met before and only know each other through the boards. FUN BEGINS IN LESS THEN A MONTH AWAY!!

Oh, I'm not sure if anyone can really confirm this, but I found the pricing to be better on Saturday then Friday. More figures were put out on Sat as well. I did all my shopping Friday because of all the panels and whatnot on Saturday. But you still meander around with friends and in between panels. And there was a lot of stuff that I saw and thought, "that wasn't there yesterday, WTF". And you can probably do the best negotiations on Sunday as it's the last day, but remember, most of what is desired could also be gone by then.

If normal package pickup time is Thursday night, does that mean I can't pick up my package on Friday? I live about an hour away, and will be driving back and forth three days in a row as it is, I don't want to have to do it on Thursday too.

Julie85 wrote:If normal package pickup time is Thursday night, does that mean I can't pick up my package on Friday? I live about an hour away, and will be driving back and forth three days in a row as it is, I don't want to have to do it on Thursday too.

You can pick up your package anytime after your designated pick up time. Most of us will just want it Thursday because there ain't much going on until Friday when the dealer room opens up. My first year, I drove from Philly to Providence, got there around...8am Friday and there was barely a line. I think most people had already gotten their package the night before. It's the souvenirs that you want to really get in line for. Oh, and when picking up your box set, MAKE SURE everything is ok. It's best to take care of any problems there then later. 2007 had problems with 2 left or right launchers for Thurst. Last year, I didn't check my Leozack and he was missing a part of his feet. I did get a replacement, but it woulda just been easier if I did all my checking there at the con.

Thanks Savage, CP. One more question:

Does anybody accept credit/debit cards? Or do most vendors only accept cash? Are checks OK, too?

It Is Him wrote:Thanks Savage, CP. One more question:

Does anybody accept credit/debit cards? Or do most vendors only accept cash? Are checks OK, too?

Typically cash only.

BBTS and TFSource usually have credit machines. The Club store will accept credit as well.

Cash is king though.

Counterpunch wrote:

It Is Him wrote:Thanks Savage, CP. One more question:

Does anybody accept credit/debit cards? Or do most vendors only accept cash? Are checks OK, too?

Typically cash only.

BBTS and TFSource usually have credit machines. The Club store will accept credit as well.

Cash is king though.

What are the odds of Fansproject having a booth at Botcon? I always kinda wondered what would happen if both they and hasbro/TT were in the same room..It kinda ends up looking like the fight scene in anchorman IMO

Thanks for the info!

Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on this. I remember my first BotCon (2007), and all the questions I had at the time. Plus, as BotCon draws closer, there have been more and more of those "BotCon Question! Help!" threads popping up. I felt like we should have a resource that answers those questions once and for all. I tried to make this article as thorough as possible, I'm sure I'll continue adding a few more bits and pieces as I think of them (and possibly more pictures of your favorite inebriated Seibertronians). I also tried to make sure it wasn't year-specific, so hopefully it can be just as useful for BotCon '11 or '12.

If anybody has any questions that the article didn't answer, please ask. You'll get an answer, and it will also likely be added to the article to benefit everyone.

Thanks for this, Savage! I'm another first-timer, and this post is very helpful.

One thing that would be great is a brief recap at the end detailing what events/happenings/lines usually occur on each day, Wednesday through Sunday. I know you covered most of it, but it would be so helpful to have a quick reference of what to expect, especially for those who are still planning things out.

Also, when is the best time to try to squeeze in a visit to Disney?

Gandalf wrote:Thanks for this, Savage! I'm another first-timer, and this post is very helpful.

One thing that would be great is a brief recap at the end detailing what events/happenings/lines usually occur on each day, Wednesday through Sunday. I know you covered most of it, but it would be so helpful to have a quick reference of what to expect, especially for those who are still planning things out.

Also, when is the best time to try to squeeze in a visit to Disney?

I'd suggest Wednesday anytime or Thursday morning, if you arent taking any customizing classes. Sunday afternoon after the con ends would be a good time as well.

See the end of the article for day-by-day breakdown.

Also added a Raffles/Drawings section in the middle.

Queestion. I live right near there, and will I be able to go for general admission and get all of the new figs and go in the dealer room?

cingularman31 wrote:Queestion. I live right near there, and will I be able to go for general admission and get all of the new figs and go in the dealer room?

With General Admission, you can only get into the convention on Saturday and Sunday. You do not receive any of the exclusive figures. You do get access to the dealer room though.

For more info, see the "Registration Packages" section of the article.

You know, in thinking about it, I realized how many people may be completely unprepared to deal with Florida heat.

If you're traveling outside the convention with your family, do not underestimate the sun and how badly you can get burned in short order. Especially your little ones should you be planning to hit up Disney and such.

Hit the sunscreen and hit it hard.

Counterpunch wrote:You know, in thinking about it, I realized how many people may be completely unprepared to deal with Florida heat.

If you're traveling outside the convention with your family, do not underestimate the sun and how badly you can get burned in short order. Especially your little ones should you be planning to hit up Disney and such.

Hit the sunscreen and hit it hard.

Yes, you all laughed at me for being cold in Rhode Island in 07. Vengeance shall be mine!

Counterpunch wrote:You know, in thinking about it, I realized how many people may be completely unprepared to deal with Florida heat.

If you're traveling outside the convention with your family, do not underestimate the sun and how badly you can get burned in short order. Especially your little ones should you be planning to hit up Disney and such.

Hit the sunscreen and hit it hard.

I lived in FLA for 12 years i agree with this 100%.. It can and will be hotter than hades this time of year..I suggest everybody hop on the Beeline( bring your toll money ) and it up cocoa beach..The water is bootiful this time of year!@

Also I have a quick gripe/question.. has it always been this way where the people registered for the Customizing class get to pick up their stuff a day early and everybody else ? Thats like..weaksauce...

LiKwid wrote:Also I have a quick gripe/question.. has it always been this way where the people registered for the Customizing class get to pick up their stuff a day early and everybody else ? Thats like..weaksauce...

Yep, as far as I know. This is because the first customizing class is on Wednesday. So the people who are attending it need their ID badges in order to get in.

Savage wrote:

LiKwid wrote:Also I have a quick gripe/question.. has it always been this way where the people registered for the Customizing class get to pick up their stuff a day early and everybody else ? Thats like..weaksauce...

Yep, as far as I know. This is because the first customizing class is on Wednesday. So the people who are attending it need their ID badges in order to get in.

That makes sense ..man that makes getting into the custo class even more exclusive...I might try next year..