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Comic-Con International => SDCC Guests, Autographs, and Off-Site Events => Topic started by: MarvelGurl on July 25, 2016, 01:51:18 PM

Title: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: MarvelGurl on July 25, 2016, 01:51:18 PM
What was the best offsite you attended this year? You can rank them and/or give reviews.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Tubbagoogoo on July 25, 2016, 01:52:35 PM
Fandom party all kinds if stars just walking around mingling with fans, open bar, food and live band. Awesome experience!


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: jazzyj on July 25, 2016, 02:38:05 PM
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Fandom party all kinds if stars just walking around mingling with fans, open bar, food and live band. Awesome experience!


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I was there too! Saw John Barrowman and I found out that Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk were there too but didn't see them. What other celebs did you see? (it was so dark it was hard identifying faces)
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angology on July 25, 2016, 02:44:13 PM
Nerd Nite was great! Free food, open bar, interesting science presentations, and Mars swag! It's actually the only one we made it to, but we chose well!


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Tubbagoogoo on July 25, 2016, 02:53:44 PM
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I was there too! Saw John Barrowman and I found out that Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk were there too but didn't see them. What other celebs did you see? (it was so dark it was hard identifying faces)

Guy who played cyclops in x men, guy who played joker and girl who played harley in ss, kristen dunst.... Those are the ones we saw


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: MarvelGurl on July 25, 2016, 04:51:43 PM
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Guy who played cyclops in x men, guy who played joker and girl who played harley in ss, kristen dunst.... Those are the ones we saw


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Wow! Are you talking about James Marsden, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie?? Didn't think the latter two would have been in town. I was there from beginning to end and only saw Barrowman (mom managed to get a selfie with him). It was really dark and I was having too much fun to look around for other stars.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Transmute Jun on July 25, 2016, 08:33:47 PM
Number one offsite for us was the Ash vs. Evil Dead cabin. It was a great re-creation of the iconic cabin, with a swag pull on the way out, and two dozen guys dressed as Ash partying with the fans. What more could you want?

A close second was the Abigail. Again, an excellent recreation using the actual sets from the show. The games we played added a lot of flavor to the experience, and we got a trading card (of ourselves) on the way out, plus got to interact with lots of infected.

Conan was awesome, if that counts as an offsite.

My husband loved the Square Enix activities and the Neil DeGrasse Tyson offsite.

GoT offsite was a bit of a disappointment, especially after the long wait. The pops were nice, though.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Boukenred on July 25, 2016, 08:43:03 PM
My favorite would be the Suicide Squad, that's run by Samsung. They offered many custom swags, and tickets to the premiere of Suicide Squad next Monday at NY.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: pieistasty on July 25, 2016, 09:18:45 PM
IMO, Conival hands down. This is the short list of people I saw just off the top of my head. Cara Delevingne, Tricia Helfer, Clark Gregg, Brandon Routh, Josh Holloway, Sarah Wayne-Callies, Peter Jacobson, Luc Besson, Ian McShane, Misha Collins, Chloe Bennett, Robert Kirkman, Steven Moffat and many more I just can't remember right now due to the post con fuzz.

Relatively easy to get autographs and selfies if you were motivated. The geniuses were the guys who brought copies of American Gods to get signed and the one guy who brought a stack of Robert Kirkman artwork(comics and prints) to sign. He worked his way through at least some of them. My big regret was not getting Steven Moffat to sign something Dr. Who related. I didn't have the foresight to bring anything but I was almost moved enough to get up off my bottom to shake his hand. I hesitated too long and the moment passed. Is it weird that amongst all those celebrities it was only Steven Moffat that I even considered trying to do a micro meet and greet with?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: epicskyline on July 26, 2016, 06:32:17 AM
I had never been to the Nerdist Podcast, but my friend and I snapped up tickets this year when we heard it was Tatiana Maslany on, and the show was HILARIOUS. So glad we made that last minute decision. The hosts were great, the guests were really engaging. No wait to get in because we had tickets. Nice and air conditioned. We had balcony seats, but they were still a great view.

Also, at the ublog party, I won a raffle for a box of swag. One of the things in it was a talking Stan Lee plushie. I think I was really tired or something when Kerry was describing what was in the box before she pulled my ticket, because I didn't realize until Sunday night when I was looking over all of our swag that the plushie was actually SIGNED BY STAN LEE. Holy crap! Hasbro fastpass-schmastpass, THAT was the real winner of the night!


Also, not sure if you wanted negative reviews on this thread, but Syfy Presents Live at Comic Con was bit of a nightmare. Too much time commitment -- 3.5 hours! -- way, way too much standing in the sun on a ROOFTOP in a crowded audience. We did it on Thursday and we were baking hot. Had to get up four flights of stairs to get there. Then that guy talking during the build up was too much. He wasn't funny, he kept namedropping celebrities he knew and repeating the same phrases over and over. "We're supporting, we're smiling, this is your time, you guys get it." During one segment, he stood right next to me and was like nudging me to laugh. We are at Comic Con, for pete's sake. There's literally no more enthusiastic of a crowd. Did he think we were going to stand like statues while Zach Levy and Alan Tudyk were cracking jokes? Then when the taping ended, everyone was trying to book it out of there, but they blocked our exit and made us go back to film some TV spots for them. Will Arnett was super funny and charming, I liked the guests, having my mom see me on TV was cool, but I'll never do it again.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Mario Wario on July 26, 2016, 07:35:54 AM
Funko Fundays because of the fun environment it had, cool ways to win prizes, and no one getting hurt this time to finally enjoy the party. The only problem this event had was that it took awhile to get inside -- super long line.

And second, the Ash. vs Evil Dead cabin. That place was awesome!
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Mdgeist316 on July 26, 2016, 10:05:14 AM
The only one we went to was the Fleet Night of Science After Party at the Science Center. Fun science exhibits, drinks, food, and trivia where they gave out some nice prizes. It wasn't crowded, and we had a great time.

I'm just now finding out that there was an Ash vs. Evil Dead cabin  :(
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: mllNY on July 26, 2016, 10:43:43 AM
suicide squad
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: stl_ben on July 26, 2016, 12:53:30 PM
Mr Robot ubers were pretty sweet.  Wish I would have known about the Ghostbusters lyft rides sooner as I would have aimed for that too
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Abby_Normal on July 26, 2016, 03:55:13 PM
Nerd HQ put in stadium seating, which was appreciated. They had good merch this year (got a Reynolds/Washburn 2016 poster). Con Man panel was great.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: RighteousRita on July 26, 2016, 05:48:14 PM
Funko Friday and 30th Anniversary of Aliens. Having James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd & Sigourney Weaver come to the theater and say thanks, was awesome.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: angi on July 26, 2016, 05:52:17 PM
I enjoyed conival.  It's the best kept secret.  I wish I knew about Ash vs. Evil Dead but I got my fill of Bruce Campbell at the Nerdist panel, was wishing for Lucy Lawless to show up :P

Game of Thrones was a huge let-down :(
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: thelisalower on July 26, 2016, 05:59:42 PM
I love the Nerd HQ panels so much. I'm way happier that they had stadium seating and air conditioning. I also went to Conan for the first time and loved it!


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: pieistasty on July 26, 2016, 06:04:51 PM
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Funko Friday and 30th Anniversary of Aliens. Having James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd & Sigourney Weaver come to the theater and say thanks, was awesome.

I'm envious. Tried too late to get tickets to that. Once, I ran into James Cameron in passing decades ago at a professional conference. For years, Aliens was my favorite movie of all time. I had it pretty much on continuous loop on my laserdisc player just in case there was nothing better to watch.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Roo_bear on July 26, 2016, 08:16:50 PM
Outside of the suicide squad (samsung) line, we had a great time every where else. Screen junkies central was fun with Kevin Smith. Catching the preacher panel at conival was good, and so was going to the ash v evil dead cabin.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: sdxavie on July 27, 2016, 12:04:08 AM
Even though only had tickets for 2 days inside, I always found ways to enjoy myself! Best off sites though were going to Screen Junkies Central panels/internet shows @ Moosnshine Flats; Nerd Nite for Nat Geo @ Hotel Solamar w/the free alcohol, food, & desserts for 4 hours!; parties @ Henry's for fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D./Agent Carter party & that video game company; South Park 20th Anniversary; and again, at Henry's for their Game of Thrones decor, while serving 3 GoT beers, with commemorative glasses!
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: sdxavie on July 27, 2016, 12:06:00 AM
 :) Oh yeah, and The Aquabats show @ House of Blues and the Heroes Brewfest at Waterfront Park.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: pieistasty on July 27, 2016, 12:37:19 AM
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Best off sites though were going to Screen Junkies Central panels/internet shows @ Moosnshine Flats

The Screen Junkies thing was OK. I went for the Star Trek one. I got the feeling they were having problems filling those panels. The Star Trek one wasn't full and people kept getting up and leaving in the middle which seem to cause the director looking guy concern. Many times when it happened he would have a scrunched up look on his face and start talking on his radio. Then some other people would be sent in from the back to fill the gap. Personally, when I commit to be an audience member for these tapings, I commit to be an audience member. So I  stay all the way through and act excited and clap enthusiastically when appropriate. They did kind of lie about it. When they sold it to me outside they said there would be cast members. There were cast members alright but they were all previously taped.

For me, the most effective if not best offsite was Mr. Robot. Not only did it inspire me to catch up on season 2 but I also went back to watch season 1 while waiting for this week's episode to come out.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Devorah on July 27, 2016, 08:26:08 AM
My favorite off-site event was the Screen Junkies party on Thursday night. I really hope they do it again next year!
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoOtherOptions! on July 27, 2016, 08:40:55 AM
Conan on Weds, Wikia Fandom Party Thirsday, and Fundays Friday were all awesome.  Got cool swag at 2/3 and the other had free food and an open bar which was awesome.  I hope all of them return (know Conan and Fundays will) but I want to actually be able to go again!


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoOtherOptions! on July 27, 2016, 08:43:02 AM
Oh Heroes Brewfest was cool too if you like beer! Would maybe do that again so much panels on Saturday bummed I missed the expanse.  Had SyFy live tix for Friday but missed it and kind of happy I did.  I'd be pissed being up there for 3 1/2 hours and I hear everyone bashing that hype man.


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: CptMyCpt24 on July 28, 2016, 06:15:00 PM
Toss up between W00tstock and Nerd HQ. Both were new for us this year and really enjoyed both.


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Karin on July 29, 2016, 08:05:22 AM
I really liked both Suicide Squad and Timeless. SS had cool activities and was pretty chill once you got inside. You took a photo, made a Tshirt, a temporary tattoo, and an extra souvenir engraved with your name (shot glass, keychain, dogtag) They gave you a snack and water and a lollipop and they had the best VR in the con (At least in terms of turning around everywhere). You could also get a Joker/Harley makeover and do a funny photoset.

And timeless had a nice story, you took a picture and the carnival ride (I love this ride). I was really surprised you only had to line up for about 20 minutes to get in. Probably the fastest line I made in the entire con.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: MarvelGurl on July 31, 2016, 06:51:11 PM
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I really liked both Suicide Squad and Timeless. SS had cool activities and was pretty chill once you got inside. You took a photo, made a Tshirt, a temporary tattoo, and an extra souvenir engraved with your name (shot glass, keychain, dogtag) They gave you a snack and water and a lollipop and they had the best VR in the con (At least in terms of turning around everywhere). You could also get a Joker/Harley makeover and do a funny photoset.

And timeless had a nice story, you took a picture and the carnival ride (I love this ride). I was really surprised you only had to line up for about 20 minutes to get in. Probably the fastest line I made in the entire con.

Bah really?! My group and I went in around 4:30 on Thursday and they had already closed off the t-shirt line. We weren't told about the extra souvenir, or the Harley/joker makeover :-(

They did go all out on the offsite and the atmosphere was really cool.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Karin on August 01, 2016, 01:01:54 PM
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Bah really?! My group and I went in around 4:30 on Thursday and they had already closed off the t-shirt line. We weren't told about the extra souvenir, or the Harley/joker makeover :-(

They did go all out on the offsite and the atmosphere was really cool.
They didn't tell us about it either, we only found out because we were wandering around waiting for the tshirt to come out. They were right next to the Tshirts, on that same side.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: rickythump on August 03, 2016, 01:26:29 PM
1.) Archer Live - was perfect. Free food, free drinks, then a live cast reading on top of a yacht at sunset? 10/10
2.) Rick + Morty at Adult Swim on the Green, Dan Harmon + Justin Roiland's night of improvisation and high-quality free swag.
3.) Mr. Robot VR at Petco Park, was about 7 feet away from the cast. Incredible. Would have been perfect if my VR worked. ???

Honorable Mention - Conan. Just wasn't the same as last year, I went to the very first show last year and the energy was off the charts. We roared and cheered for Conan for a good couple minutes last year, this year it was nothing like that. The audience seemed much more excited about Funkos than actually being there. Hopefully next year people will just try for the raffle and let people who are Conan fans go to the show. It was also hot af.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: stl_ben on August 03, 2016, 02:01:06 PM
100% agree on Archer
80% agree on R&M - we were about 25 people behind the cut off for the goody bags, but still an entertaining show.

Wed - Star Trek Premiere - Will probably be the best offsite / event I ever get to go to.  Music was great, food was great, fireworks, swag and Simon Pegg watching the movie about 10 feet from me.

Fri - Fundays, was my first time attending.  Decent entertainment, GREAT food, and GREAT swag.

Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: pieistasty on August 03, 2016, 02:25:15 PM
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Wed - Star Trek Premiere - Will probably be the best offsite / event I ever get to go to.  Music was great, food was great, fireworks, swag and Simon Pegg watching the movie about 10 feet from me.

That's the thing I really really regret missing. I've been watching the youtube comic con videos and their are so many celebs that go on and on about how it was the most awesome thing ever. I think one or two even said it was a once in a lifetime type thing. I hear even though the line was long at the beginning for the raffle, at the end it was pretty much guaranteed. I guess they expected a longer line since they must have had too many tickets to give away at the end. The ticket raffle was also supposed to have ended at 2 but didn't it go on until about 3. I should have gotten off my bottom and headed down. I wouldn't have regretted trying and failing, I do regret not trying.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: rickythump on August 03, 2016, 06:20:32 PM
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we were about 25 people behind the cut off for the goody bags, but still an entertaining show.

That's a bummer, we lined up at 4:30ish, so we were within the first 10 people. I think Adult Swim goofed when they put "line starts at 7pm".
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: stl_ben on August 04, 2016, 10:29:26 AM
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I hear even though the line was long at the beginning for the raffle, at the end it was pretty much guaranteed. I guess they expected a longer line since they must have had too many tickets to give away at the end. The ticket raffle was also supposed to have ended at 2 but didn't it go on until about 3. I should have gotten off my bottom and headed down. I wouldn't have regretted trying and failing, I do regret not trying.
Well my wife won 2 tickets through a facebook contest which was nice, we had a third person in our group though....so we got to the raffle, waited in line for 2+ hours and none of us won (or even the people in line around us).  We looked at the line and couldn't stand in the sun for another 2 hours.  However, wish we would have went to lunch and came back after that when it comes to find out the line was very short.  They should have worked on those odds better to get the winners done faster.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: hikanteki on August 05, 2016, 11:39:14 AM
My favorite off sites were the Conan shows! But, that’s a given. ;)

The other offsites I went to:

NatGeo Nerd Nite: While I thought the content/presentations were a actually little dry, the chill vibe, great free food, and open bar made this a perfect event after a long day. It didn’t hurt that there was no line, either. (They asked me if I had signed up ahead of time, but didn’t ask for my name. On my way out, they were letting people in and saying they didn’t need to be signed up up to go in anymore.)

Amazon High Castle: This one was kind of meh, I just walked through a room where they had costumes and set pieces from the show. To be fair, that could have been because it was just about the only offsite Saturday afternoon that didn’t have a line. I didn’t do the VR experience (which had a longer line) which may have been better.

Border X Brewing Chicano-Con & Gallery Event: It wasn’t really a “Con," but it was still fun. At Border X Brewing, they had a lot of superhero/comic artwork on the walls and a live band. Then I stumbled upon another art gallery also sponsored by Border X a few blocks away (and right across from my Airbnb) set up in a big warehouse. They had a DJ playing and selling vegan Latin food which I got a plate of. (I’m no vegan...but it was still delicious!)
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoNoNuni on August 05, 2016, 07:31:26 PM
I was intimidated by many of the offsite lines, so I didn't really try for any of them.

But I was VERY impressed by my tasting flight at Mission Brewery  ;D
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: geekyfamilyfriendly on October 27, 2016, 01:19:07 AM
Arched was great! My wife got her boon signed.
They had free food and gave out 2 free drinks.
Suicide Squad event was cool, the line was super long.
I wish I could have tried out more events.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: tsnyder on January 31, 2017, 09:49:24 AM
Frustrated waiting on registration so figured I would post something to get my SDCC memories going to get me through the wait.  We worked in a bunch of off sites last year so here are my thoughts:

The good
- Conan was awesome as expected.  It it quite a large time commitment since you have to line up in the morning then again prior to the show but we went on Wed so wasn't missing out on much anyway so perfect timing for us.  Great show and really cool to see taping in person.
- Archer was a big highlight.  I'm not even a big fan of the show but the experience was pretty great.  Free food, drinks, on a yacht, what else do I need to say.
- Nerd HQ.  This one has a caveat, we didn't get tickets to any of the panels we wanted so that stunk because even though they cost extra $ their panels are usually the best.  We setup reservations for the gaming so that was a ton of fun, got to skip the lines and play quite a few awesome games then walked around and tried out plenty of PC and console games.  With that being said I thought the overall experience was down from previous years but still a great free event.  If you weren't a gamer no reason for you to be over there though.

So/So
Petco interactive.  Ash cabin was cool and great food trucks.  Overall way smaller than previous years though and we found lacking
MTV Fandom awards.  Good for what it is, to be honest I just think I'm getting old and out of the demographic so wasn't really for me

The bad
- Star Trek premier.  I'm sure the premier was epic but we went though line twice in the blazing sun and didn't get tickets so I'm just bitter :)
- SyFy presents.  We went on Thursday and it was horrible.  Crazy long wait, crappy production all together, was super disappointed.
- Conival.  Previous year this was my #1 offiste so I don't know what happened.  We got there early one day and walked through the entire setup and had little desire to try out any of it.  We caught a couple of the panels but they are so short.  Again we had so much fun the year before with Dragonball Z, jousting, laser tag, etc, no such luck this year.

Was very disappointed no Walking Dead Escape through PETCO last year.  That has always been one of my highlights of the con.

It was crazy how many other large off sites they had, wondering if those setups like Con-X had are the new normal.  We did Hall H all day Fri & Sat so didn't have any other time to check them out.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoOtherOptions! on January 31, 2017, 11:42:54 AM
I do't think Con-X will ever be back..it was DEAD.  Although I did love my free t shirt (that fell apart quickly) and the free water bottle. Was a nice get away and got to see Paul Dini talk but was shocked only like 20 people were there. 
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Legend_of_Melda on March 11, 2017, 10:30:11 AM
I really enjoed the brews cruise i went on and i really hope they have another one this year. The one hour emo set felt like a concert and it was so much fun. Im crossing my fingers for brews cruise and conan in 2017.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: SandamnWs7 on March 11, 2017, 11:14:31 AM
Hope I can get Conan if he goes this year. Found out last year you had to not opt out of 3rd party emails to get the invite to get the Conan tickets... :(
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angie on March 11, 2017, 04:50:26 PM
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I do't think Con-X will ever be back..it was DEAD.  Although I did love my free t shirt (that fell apart quickly) and the free water bottle. Was a nice get away and got to see Paul Dini talk but was shocked only like 20 people were there.

EW sent me an extensive survey about Con-X a few months ago, asking about how to improve it, what I liked/disliked - so maybe it will? I made sure to tell them it was really far away though.

Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Transmute Jun on March 11, 2017, 05:04:14 PM
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EW sent me an extensive survey about Con-X a few months ago, asking about how to improve it, what I liked/disliked - so maybe it will? I made sure to tell them it was really far away though.

I agree. That's why I didn't go. The only time I was anywhere close to it all weekend was on SUnday night at the FoCC dinner, which was *almost* as far away. I don't think most people even knew it was there.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: semigeekgirl on March 12, 2017, 12:03:55 AM
I went to Con-X... But I sought it out, because I belong to an EW feedback group and they offered me an Amazon gift card for doing so. It was an okay space, and I liked the photo ops, but it was a really loooooong walk.

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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: DRWHO42 on March 12, 2017, 08:17:12 AM
I would say NerdHQ is my offsite of choice.

I was very happy after attending the Star Trek: Beyond premiere. The sway bag given to everyone was filled with good stuff.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: marcia29 on March 13, 2017, 10:48:10 AM
I really enjoyed Harmontown Live.  Dan Harmon is a brilliant, explosive volcano of fun.  We scored free tickets and I knew it would be wild and wooly and it was!  I would def go again.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: RustyPonds on March 14, 2017, 02:13:39 PM
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I really enjoyed Harmontown Live.  Dan Harmon is a brilliant, explosive volcano of fun.  We scored free tickets and I knew it would be wild and wooly and it was!  I would def go again.


How did you get said tickets? I considered going last night at SXSW but had other obligations. :(
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: TheNeck on March 14, 2017, 02:32:07 PM
this year being our 4th SDCC in a row, me and my wife always go to NERDHQ for a panel or 2. Last year we went to the Colony panel, which was a lot of fun. The 2 years prior we did panels with Stephen Amell, and Nathan Fillion/Alan Tudyk.

Last year was my 1st time doing Funko Fundays, in which I definitely need funday tickets this year again. I just started collecting funko June 2016. So the swag at fundays was a funko collectors dream come true. :D

Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angology on March 14, 2017, 03:18:46 PM
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I really enjoyed Harmontown Live.  Dan Harmon is a brilliant, explosive volcano of fun.  We scored free tickets and I knew it would be wild and wooly and it was!  I would def go again.

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How did you get said tickets? I considered going last night at SXSW but had other obligations. :(
Last year, tickets went on sale just on ticketmaster. Here is the thread. They went up about May 6. Just keep an eye out. I don't know if he is planning one this year, but if he did it at SXSW, odds are good.

http://www.friendsofcc.com/forum/index.php?topic=6380.msg161781#msg161781
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Shauni48 on March 14, 2017, 04:27:58 PM
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this year being our 4th SDCC in a row, me and my wife always go to NERDHQ for a panel or 2. Last year we went to the Colony panel, which was a lot of fun. The 2 years prior we did panels with Stephen Amell, and Nathan Fillion/Alan Tudyk.

Last year was my 1st time doing Funko Fundays, in which I definitely need funday tickets this year again. I just started collecting funko June 2016. So the swag at fundays was a funko collectors dream come true. :D
Ive been wanting to go to Fundays for a few years now, but I just can't justify the price. Is the price worth it for the merc given? And is it as crazy as some say where people are shoving each other when the throw out Pops randomly?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angel_ on March 14, 2017, 05:37:27 PM
I've never missed a Nerd HQ. I always enjoy it, but getting tickets has become somewhat stressful.  It's not the event's fault that it's popular.  In fact, that speaks in its favor.  But I'm always filled with dread with how last minute they are with ticket sales.  Someday I just won't get tickets. :(

I've done HopCon twice and immensely enjoyed it each time. Skipped last year.  Mildly regretted it.

Not an offsite event, but I enjoy the heck out of the roaming Sharknado promotional people every year.  They always look like they are having a blast. They had guys on stilts last year.  It's gotten to the point where I can't imagine the Gaslamp during SDCC without them wandering around being ridiculous.  My friend intentionally seeks them out every year for freebies.  She's got quite a Sharknado swag collection going.

The Game of Thrones offsite was pretty boring and I'm not sure I'd bother doing it again.  The only bonus was the pop doll and seeing the celebrities come in the view it Thursday morning before we got let in.  But way too many hours for maybe 20 minutes of mild fun. 

Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: CHIGUY86 on March 14, 2017, 07:40:46 PM
This will be my third time attending SDCC but it's my first time on these boards. I'm traveling from the east coast and would love to meet up with folks if a small group is forming. I attended last year and pretty much wandered the showroom floor & sat in on some (non Hall H) panels. I did go to the MTV awards show and that was pretty neat. I'm definitely trying to hit up some off-site parties this year.


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angie on March 14, 2017, 08:28:40 PM
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I've never missed a Nerd HQ. I always enjoy it, but getting tickets has become somewhat stressful.  It's not the event's fault that it's popular.  In fact, that speaks in its favor.  But I'm always filled with dread with how last minute they are with ticket sales.  Someday I just won't get tickets. :(


Every year I get tickets to fewer NerdHQ panels. But there are usually a few less popular panels that still have tickets left in the days before the con.

I have become more stressed about the on-the-fly photo op announcements...especially when you are nowhere NEAR NerdHQ and its someone you really want to meet.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angel_ on March 14, 2017, 08:44:53 PM
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Every year I get tickets to fewer NerdHQ panels. But there are usually a few less popular panels that still have tickets left in the days before the con.

I have become more stressed about the on-the-fly photo op announcements...especially when you are nowhere NEAR NerdHQ and its someone you really want to meet.

Two out of the four years I've gone I haven't scored tickets and had to rely on the kindness of friends of FoCC to sell me their extra tickets. Maybe my computer just sucks idk.


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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Mel on March 14, 2017, 11:28:00 PM
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This will be my third time attending SDCC but it's my first time on these boards. I'm traveling from the east coast and would love to meet up with folks if a small group is forming. I attended last year and pretty much wandered the showroom floor & sat in on some (non Hall H) panels. I did go to the MTV awards show and that was pretty neat. I'm definitely trying to hit up some off-site parties this year.


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Welcome, CHIGUY! We will be having forum meetups around SDCC, look for those threads to sign up which will be coming up sometime soon. I've met a lot of people from the forum over the past few years and made really good friends. Part of the excitement of SDCC is now seeing all of them!

FoCC Meetups are my favorite offsite ;)
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoOtherOptions! on March 15, 2017, 08:26:32 AM
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Two out of the four years I've gone I haven't scored tickets and had to rely on the kindness of friends of FoCC to sell me their extra tickets. Maybe my computer just sucks idk.


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I've never been able to buy tix and always had to rely on others.  I did get tix for Mr Robot 2 years ago, it was fantastic.  Christian Slater is great. 
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: TheNeck on March 15, 2017, 09:00:56 AM
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Ive been wanting to go to Fundays for a few years now, but I just can't justify the price. Is the price worth it for the merc given? And is it as crazy as some say where people are shoving each other when the throw out Pops randomly?
Fundays 2016 had no shoving, it was very well organized. I heard the horror stories from Fundays 2015, and funko changed the way they gave out prizes.

Since im a collector of anything funko, the price is totally worth it. 2016 the price of a ticket was $127, and i think $80-85 for 2015. So i wouldn't be surprised if this years fundays was around $150. Which to me is totally worth it in my opinion. Everybody gets a box of fun, which comes with 3 random freddy funkos, in which each one is worth at least $100 and higher, depending which freddy funko you get.

here is a pic of all the stuff i ended up getting. 3 of the freddy funkos are from the box of fun, the rest my table won from spinning the big wheel for random prizes.
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoOtherOptions! on March 15, 2017, 10:40:26 AM
Funko Friday's is a blast, totally worth it.  Even if you don't like your individual pops you get they're typically rare/odd enough that you can trade others for them.  Last year I got my box of 3, plus a proto, a hikari, and a spare pop.  They have a "prize patrol" that roams around handing stuff out (last year) so there was NO fighting unless your table had too many people for some reason as they put 8 pops per table of 8 in blind bags.  The awards were awful (sorry I don't care about a guy who has a floor to ceiling room of 1k pops collected) but the show was cheesy fun and the food was pretty good.  I wish they'd up the price a bit more and either do an open bar or give more drink tickets.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: mdla on March 15, 2017, 09:13:12 PM
I'd totally do Funko Fridays if Saturday wasn't the big Hall H day.  Alas, these days choosing one means you can't do the other.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: perc2100 on March 16, 2017, 10:30:06 AM
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I would say NerdHQ is my offsite of choice.

I was very happy after attending the Star Trek: Beyond premiere. The sway bag given to everyone was filled with good stuff.

Last year favorite = Slayer concert, with a close second an LA Times party w/an open bar

All-time favorite = Dethklok concert (from [adult swim] show "Metalocolpyse."  It was on board the USS Midway, free drink tickets, and a great metal concert.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Shauni48 on March 16, 2017, 12:32:20 PM
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I'd totally do Funko Fridays if Saturday wasn't the big Hall H day.  Alas, these days choosing one means you can't do the other.

Isn't Fundays on a Friday night? But I guess you mean it messes up camping time?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Transmute Jun on March 16, 2017, 12:33:22 PM
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Isn't Fundays on a Friday night? But I guess you mean it messes up camping time?

And wristband time.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Shauni48 on March 16, 2017, 12:34:55 PM
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Fundays 2016 had no shoving, it was very well organized. I heard the horror stories from Fundays 2015, and funko changed the way they gave out prizes.

Since im a collector of anything funko, the price is totally worth it. 2016 the price of a ticket was $127, and i think $80-85 for 2015. So i wouldn't be surprised if this years fundays was around $150. Which to me is totally worth it in my opinion. Everybody gets a box of fun, which comes with 3 random freddy funkos, in which each one is worth at least $100 and higher, depending which freddy funko you get.

here is a pic of all the stuff i ended up getting. 3 of the freddy funkos are from the box of fun, the rest my table won from spinning the big wheel for random prizes.

Yay for organization!!! I'll seriously consider going now. If I can get tickets.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: F8thful03 on April 17, 2017, 07:29:56 AM
My son had luck on his side and drew a winning ticket to the star trek premiere last year in 2016; that was probably the best event for my husband and son (I went to the beach instead).  I also enjoyed Adult Swim, fun carnival games, a free t-shirt, and they played shows at night. It was kind of small but we still had fun nonetheless.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: MarvelGurl on July 24, 2017, 02:29:42 PM
And another year has gone by!

What was/were the best offsite(s) you hit up this year?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angology on July 24, 2017, 02:48:44 PM
I only did two offsites-The Tick and a Legion session. The Tick offsite was fun. We were walking by after breakfast, and they said they opened at 9am, so we hopped in line (there were only 4 people lined up). That was definitely the time to do it. You got a cool customized shirt and a fun green screen video.

The Legion session was good. I freely admit that I am a swag person-I was hoping for a shirt (no dice), since I booked my session during the panel (doh!). The actors were awesome, but I guess I was expecting more from the tech. It definitely was not scary (the live stuff was though-again, props to the actors) DH had trouble with the headset. I had to wear it over my glasses, but I think it helped for once. There was a photo op at the end, but I don't really like having my picture taken (although I did do it). Wait-you did get a hospital wrist band with David Haller's name on it. That was really cool.


Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: mark on July 24, 2017, 02:55:38 PM
Best by far this year for me was the MST3K surprise movie screening. The show has a really strong fan base so the crowd was great and it was hilarious, both my son and I were sore from laughing and smiling so much. We did Conan for the first time this year and it was both entertaining and interesting but nowhere near as much fun as MST3K.

Unfortunately I doubt this will be a recurring thing.

In general I liked how many offsites used actors and tried to put you in the world or the show.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 24, 2017, 04:48:37 PM
That everyone could go to and experience the same way, I would say the Bladerunner 2049 + The Expanse offsites. They should be consider a pair since they were best done that way. Great VR, great set, great atmosphere, food, booze, an activity and of course swag.

Personally based solely on the spot I was at, the Vikings funeral. Only because of opportunity for interaction with the cast. Where and when else can you get splashed with beer by Lagertha?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: FBS on July 24, 2017, 05:31:00 PM
Blade Runner 2049 was outstanding. The best offsite I have seen for many a year.

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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Godolphin on July 24, 2017, 05:59:53 PM
Westworld and Bladerunner were so good, I feel sorry for anyone that missed going to them.
.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: oneroomdisco on July 24, 2017, 06:10:47 PM
Blade Runner was by far my favorite off site ever. I spent just under three hours in line (although most of that was pre-opening hours) and it was completely worth it. The VR experience was super fun and the rest of the offsite was beautifully designed. I really appreciated how they did not rush you through and you were able to look around/take pictures at your own pace. Plus, seeing my name on a bunch of screens was super, super cool.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Transmute Jun on July 24, 2017, 07:44:25 PM
I only went to a few offsites, but they were all good. Game of Thrones was the best. It was a huge improvement from last year and the video and photo ops sessions were creative and fun. And the 2 Funko Pops were a nice bonus! The length of the line was discouraging, though. I liked the way they made it a linear experience this year, instead of a huge room that you could just wander around.

Netflix was fantastic! Multiple experiences, lots of costumes and tons of props and sets, plus great swag! We walked away with toys, 3 different t-shirts, sunglasses and lunch (hot dogs, water and pretzels).

Walking Dead was a bit of a disappointment. It was fun, but I would have preferred a couple more activities to the photo ops. The Negan batting cages had massive lives so we didn't try those.

Thanks to a tip on FoCC, we were able to register for E-Coin online. On Sunday we had a 4 course meal courtesy of Evil Corp (Berkeley Pizza, Gaslamp Pizza, gelato at Chocolat and gourmet cupcakes). So even though We never actually visited the BBQ location, we enjoyed getting the promotion.

We went to the Laika Experience on Tuesday before con started and enjoyed it very much. There was a line and we waited about 45 minutes. The people there said that the line had been that long consistently the entire time they had been open (since the week before). But during the con, they had lines much, much longer.

Conan was great, as always!

Another thing I really enjoyed was the roaming Outlanders! About 40 muscular, shirtless men called out for women in front of the Hilton Gaslamp and I found myself in the center of an impromptu dance party as they played Scottish music and I danced for all I was worth. So much fun! Then one of them proposed to me, and I agreed to be his wife for 10 seconds (which was a lot, seeing as I am already married ;) ) and we were celebrated and cheered as we ran under an 'arch of arms' while the men saluted us. I don't even like Outlander, but the whole thing was So. Much. Fun!
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: NoNoNuni on July 25, 2017, 10:09:39 PM
I didn't hit up too many offsites, as the lines and the heat were a bit daunting to me. I did swing by the Broad City offsite, they had a fun little giveaway where you got to spin a wheel of prizes after you took a picture and tagged it on the social medias. The coloring gallery they had was a nice little treat! Neat to see a big ol' art thing where so many people got to contribute. I stopped by twice and never waited longer than 30 minutes (and I won a winter hat!)

The Conival laser tag was probably the only other thing I waited for. We went on Saturday afternoon, and probably waited 30-45 minutes, and you could watch everyone playing before you, so there was something to pass the time. It was good fun, though admittedly hard to see the lasers in broad daylight  ;)

I didn't partake in any of the SYFY stuff, but it always made me smile when I saw those pedal-powered trivia trolleys roll by.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Lavendar on July 26, 2017, 12:01:39 PM
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Best by far this year for me was the MST3K surprise movie screening. The show has a really strong fan base so the crowd was great and it was hilarious, both my son and I were sore from laughing and smiling so much. We did Conan for the first time this year and it was both entertaining and interesting but nowhere near as much fun as MST3K.

Unfortunately I doubt this will be a recurring thing.

In general I liked how many offsites used actors and tried to put you in the world or the show.

what was the movie? can't seem to find any info, is it a secret?  they are in SF tomorrow and plan to go. 
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: batman_maybe on July 26, 2017, 12:50:40 PM
Went to the John Williams symphony on Saturday night. 1st half was Harry Potter, Peter Pan, Jaws, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones. After the intermission was just a massive Star Wars medley. It was fantastic.

The only let-down was that they advertised a Star Wars themed cocktail hour before the symphony started. It was supposed to feature a cantina band, costume contest, and Star Wars themed cocktails. There was no cantina band, there were only 2 cocktails that got a Star Wars-y name slapped on them, and no idea where the costume contest was. We had several staff ask us to sign up for it (we were dressed as Gene and Louise Belcher), but we declined.

Also went to Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-on podcast on Friday night. Very fun if you like him and Ralph Garman, but it ran really late and the drinks were crazy expensive.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: vocalise on July 26, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
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Went to the John Williams symphony on Saturday night. 1st half was Harry Potter, Peter Pan, Jaws, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones. After the intermission was just a massive Star Wars medley. It was fantastic.

The only let-down was that they advertised a Star Wars themed cocktail hour before the symphony started. It was supposed to feature a cantina band, costume contest, and Star Wars themed cocktails. There was no cantina band, there were only 2 cocktails that got a Star Wars-y name slapped on them, and no idea where the costume contest was. We had several staff ask us to sign up for it (we were dressed as Gene and Louise Belcher), but we declined.

Also went to Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-on podcast on Friday night. Very fun if you like him and Ralph Garman, but it ran really late and the drinks were crazy expensive.

The costume contest happened just before the concert began in the center, in the orchestral seating area by the stage. I was inside when they were in the process of the costume contest. The cantina band most likely was on the stage as well, but I missed that.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: comicconfamily on July 26, 2017, 06:14:31 PM
We visited just 2 off-sites: Laika Experience and Mr. Robot. We did Laika on Sunday, which was a mistake -- we waited 3 hours. We had been in town for over a week at this point, so we could have easily have gone before Comic-Con started (not to mention, I could have gone to their press/media invite). We didn't plan this well, but it was a must on my list. As someone who loves Laika's films, I really, really enjoyed the experience. Was it worth 3 hours? Eh, not sure, but yeah, I would probably do it again. My husband on the other hand...he thought it was cool but he would tell you that it wasn't worth a 3 hr wait.

We also did Mr. Robot on Sunday and the wait wasn't nearly as long - I think it was about an hour? That was cool, although we should have signed up before going in. We only got the BBQ stuff next door, but it hit the spot for lunch.

We are definitely going to improve our off-site strategy next year (depending on what there is that we're interested in). We missed out on quite a few that we really wanted to visit: Netflix, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones. We also didn't visit Petco Park this year, even though it's something we've done for the last few years.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 26, 2017, 06:35:52 PM
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We also didn't visit Petco Park this year, even though it's something we've done for the last few years.

The only thing at Petco Park this year was MTV fanfest on Friday.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: comicconfamily on July 26, 2017, 06:39:32 PM
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The only thing at Petco Park this year was MTV fanfest on Friday.

Sorry, meant the Petco Interactive Zone. We didn't get there....although not really sure if we missed out on anything good or not. I think Mr. Mercedes was there and I know that's something my husband wanted to visit. He got one of the free ice cream cards and he seems quite disappointed to have missed out on that.  ;)
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Car_Low on July 26, 2017, 06:42:23 PM
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The only thing at Petco Park this year was MTV fanfest on Friday.

There was also impractical jokers and Rick and Morty on saturday.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 26, 2017, 07:11:12 PM
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He got one of the free ice cream cards and he seems quite disappointed to have missed out on that.  ;)

Unless I saw the wrong thing, the free ice cream they were promoting with those cards was about the size of a sample taste scoop from Baskin Robins. Somebody next door was giving out full size fruit bars, but only every hour on the hour and only 75 at a time. Was that Mr. Mercedes, I think they had a t-shirt screening machine. They were also handing out sunglasses.

I didn't want to stand in line so got the little 2 oz cup of green ice cream from a food truck. I don't even remember who they were.

Xfinity was handing out fortune cookies in front of their thing. A dude was just offering up a bucket full of them. I took one. He told me I could take more than one. I took another. He told me I could take more. I left it at 2. I think they were trying to clear out the leftovers from the "TV Diner".
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: jazzyj on July 26, 2017, 08:15:11 PM
Really enjoyed the Laika exhibit! Went on Wednesday and probably waited a bit over an hour. If you signed up for the mailing list you actually got an email saying that you now have priority access to skip the line. It was great since my sister wanted to go again and all I had to do was show my email.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: thecherbear on July 26, 2017, 11:19:54 PM
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Unless I saw the wrong thing, the free ice cream they were promoting with those cards was about the size of a sample taste scoop from Baskin Robins. Somebody next door was giving out full size fruit bars, but only every hour on the hour and only 75 at a time. Was that Mr. Mercedes, I think they had a t-shirt screening machine. They were also handing out sunglasses.

I didn't want to stand in line so got the little 2 oz cup of green ice cream from a food truck. I don't even remember who they were.

Xfinity was handing out fortune cookies in front of their thing. A dude was just offering up a bucket full of them. I took one. He told me I could take more than one. I took another. He told me I could take more. I left it at 2. I think they were trying to clear out the leftovers from the "TV Diner".
There was a lot of ice cream on offer this year! The green stuff was Voltron, my daughter and her friend were super excited to eat the "goo". World of Warcraft had a ice cream parlor thing going and then of course the Mr. Mercedes ice cream. I appreciated it, I hope they do lots of cold stuff again next year!

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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: thecherbear on July 26, 2017, 11:36:45 PM
 We didn't do many offsites this year, but our priorities were Blade Runner and the Gifted mutant testing.

We waited 3 hours Saturday morning for Blade Runner VR. That was so worth it for me, I loved the transition from the VR to real life. When we put the headset on, there was a curtain or screen in front of us, when we took it off, it was gone and there was a crash scene with people walking around! It was pretty effective in immersing me in the experience. My daughter was screened as a replicant and "arrested". They made her do squats then let her go. The actors were awesome, my daughters friend was bring obnoxious and they never broke character. This was absolutely my favorite offsite for at least the past few years. The noodles and alcohol didn't hurt! ;)

For the Gifted testing, we waited again for about 2.5 hours. I would have left but my daughter and her friend were really into it. I was wondering why it took so long, turns out they were doing actual DNA genetic history testing. We did cheek swabs and were told we would get our profiles in 3-4 weeks through myheritage.com. So i guess that's pretty cool.

We also did the Netflix offsite, we got cards from the booth in the exhibit hall to let us in faster. We somehow missed half of it though, all we saw was the Stranger Things stuff. We loved the wall with the hands pushing out though, got some good video!

There were so many more I wanted to do, but it seemed like a lot of them were 21+ and we had a 19 year old. Oh well, we had a great time and I'm getting a vicarious thrill reading about the ones I didn't get to do!

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Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: comicconfamily on July 27, 2017, 07:23:34 AM
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Really enjoyed the Laika exhibit! Went on Wednesday and probably waited a bit over an hour. If you signed up for the mailing list you actually got an email saying that you now have priority access to skip the line. It was great since my sister wanted to go again and all I had to do was show my email.

Ah!! This makes sense. I know there was the long line & a shorter line, and then some people were just able to walk in. I had figured out that some (probably the people just walking in?) was only interested in the "store" and not the tours. But we didn't know what the shorter line was. I had no clue about the mailing list.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 27, 2017, 08:39:44 AM
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Really enjoyed the Laika exhibit! Went on Wednesday and probably waited a bit over an hour. If you signed up for the mailing list you actually got an email saying that you now have priority access to skip the line. It was great since my sister wanted to go again and all I had to do was show my email.

I hope other offsites follow their lead and open up before comic-con. That way people could go to both the offsites and comic-con. With the lines both at the offsites and comic-con these days, it's pretty much either or.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: SamTurtledove on July 27, 2017, 08:42:24 AM
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The only thing at Petco Park this year was MTV fanfest on Friday.

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There was also impractical jokers and Rick and Morty on saturday.
Impractical Jokers was one of our Priorities.  We didn't get there at open, which was when they gave out tickets for the signing.  After Volunteering and Udon, we headed over after 3pm, just as the free White Castle burgers ran out. 

They had good activities, like the summo match dress up and the gif booth wait time around 30 mins and my best gif of the con (my buddy thinks the Atomic Blonde one we did later topped it).  At the stage, the cast, except for Joe? who was having his baby, threw out free buttons, which I got from the roaming floor squad behind the mass people at the stage.  And you didn't need a badge to enter inside.

The Spencers pop up shop had SDCC exclusive 3.75" figures of each of the cast members, of which we bought Joe and Murr.  Murr ran around the ballfield signing autographs and we left before seeing the new episode.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Xircuits on July 27, 2017, 08:52:25 AM
I went to the Mr. Robot E-Coin sign up on Sunday. The line wasn't too long and got a lanyard and a bottle opener. I was really happy about the bottle opener because it felt solid and heavy.

I also went to the The Tick and that was fun. The line was very long, but they did hand out free bottles of water and sunscreen samples. When I got in, I registered and they gave me a wristband with an RFID in it. There were couches inside and charging stations for your phone. They also handed you wireless headphones so you can listen to the pilot episode. Once finished, you received a Tick bag with goodies inside. I got 4-5 Tick antenna headbands, 2-3 iphone cases, a Tick cap with antennas.

I didn't have much time to go to offsites this year. Maybe next year?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: alyssa on July 27, 2017, 09:27:38 AM
the bladerunner49 VR hands down- best offsite-

the expanse was good

teh mr robot E-coin vis the web site (not the off-site activation) was fabulous-  i used it multiple times
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Mario Wario on July 27, 2017, 10:52:43 AM
The two offsites I went to would be Conan and Funko Fundays. With Conan, I had a blast, especially knowing that the AC was working nicely. It felt good! I could enjoy the show more without feeling uncomfortable. I am disappointed how they handled the ticket process for Thursday and Friday. So they solved the Thursday issue by using the Friday taping, but they screwed over some of the Friday e-ticket folks, since there wasn't another taping for the next day. Likewise for the seating--most of the good seats were already gone. Next year should be interesting to see if they continue this new trend. If they do, it may change my mind in doing his shows. I don't want unnecessary stress knowing that I have to get there super early as if I am doing standby.

Now to Funko Fundays, it was fun once again. However, I thought last year was slightly better--I enjoyed the movie theme more, you got more stuff compared to this year,  and I guess winning a golden ticket makes me bias here, too  ;)--but it was still awesome. I'm still trying for next year, because this is my favorite event to do during Comic-Con. I love it!

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the bladerunner49 VR hands down- best offsite-

the expanse was good

teh mr robot E-coin vis the web site (not the off-site activation) was fabulous-  i used it multiple times
I really wanted to do that one, just other things came up.  :/
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Cut That Meat on July 27, 2017, 08:35:45 PM
I was bummed I never found the time to do the Netflix Experience, because I so wanted to see the Stranger Things living room. But not counting one-off parties/evening events, I did the Tick Amazon Lounge, Conan, Westworld, Blade Runner and unsuccessfully tried to solve the Mr. Robot puzzle. I'll offer my thoughts on Westworld and Blade Runner:

- Westworld. I've never lined up overnight/super early for Hall H or Everything Else, but after reading about how quickly Thursday's line reached capacity, I knew I had to take an extreme measure (at least by my standards) for once. It helped that this was going to be its own separate line and that it was indoors, unlike say, the GoT experience. It also helped that I knew the signups would be finished fairly quickly so I would still have basically the entire Friday to go do the con. 95% of the time I spent in line, nothing else was going on.

So I went back to the place I was staying at ~15 min from downtown after my Thursday festivities winded down around midnight, showered, regathered my thoughts and belongings, grabbed a pillow, and took an Uber back down to the Hilton Bayfront and joined the line at 1:45am.

Unfortunately and understandably, the Hilton didn't like people sleeping in the lobby, so the overnight security guards would come by once in a while to jostle people awake if they were trying to sneak in some shut eye. Thankfully, I've become interested in golf lately (don't @ me) and I was able to pass the time by watching the Open Championship taking place in England, as well as making new line buddies as I had come solo to lineup. Not going to lie, I was a little disappointed we didn't catch any people of note stumbling through the lobby at 3am. Oh well.

When I first arrived, I counted maybe 35-40 people physically in front of me. Knowing there were some spots being saved, I definitely grew weary as I saw people gradually join in line in front of me and I began getting a little anxious about my chances. Thankfully, they decided to wristband people around 5am and I secured a coveted spot (I heard they wristbanded 75 people, I was around #60). At that point, it was pretty much impossible to get sleep with the lobby getting louder and the piano starting to play. I snagged my 4:30pm appointment and was able to go do other things before heading to the offsite (I guess we can pretend the location is still secret, but it was a solid 15-20 minute walk from the heart of the Gaslamp).

EDIT: Decided to spoiler tag my summary just in case anyone reading this in the future doesn't want it ruined for them.

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.


We then watched a promo clip with a host who malfunctioned - she stared at me directly for about 5 seconds at one point and it was harrowing - but when she reset, she happily took us into the saloon where we imbibed in some delicious cocktails and banter with the staff before exiting back into the lobby and returning to a life with limits.

I'm a little disappointed I didn't capture more photos during the experience - a photo with the saloon staff would have been sweet - but that's because the experience sucked me in so much that I would have felt really weird abruptly taking out my phone and ruining the ambience. It was so good that you didn't want to interrupt the moment. The assessment got super real super fast and the last thing I was thinking about was sticking a camera in her face.

I wish I had waited around a little after my appointment had ended, because I would have been able to see some of the Westworld cast drop by! I felt really fortunate to have been one of the few to get to experience this offsite. I think they could have accommodated more people, but I also totally understand why they kept it so limited, because the direct participation and interaction between attendees and the hosts is critical to making the experience and immersion work. The one-on-one "concierge analytics" part is definitely going to stick with me a while, and that's something they can only pull off by putting a limit on the number of people each day.[/spoiler]


I'd really love it if it actually becomes a "roadshow" as the season 2 hype picks up full steam. Based on the e-mail (https://twitter.com/zar_eena/status/889496966958379008) they sent out a few days ago, this seems to be the case. I'm guessing it's going to be attached mostly to future conventions and pop culture gatherings, but if HBO wants to bring it as a standalone attraction to my neck of the woods, I am down to do it again and again. Can't wait to see what they'll do next year!

- Blade Runner. Wow, I wrote quite the essay on Westworld, so I'll try to keep this brief. Did this Saturday late afternoon. Chose not to do the VR line and waited about an hour in the non-VR line. If I have the timing correct, I got in line when they temporarily shut down the experience so that Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling could do a walkthrough of it, so when they left, the line moved pretty briskly. I was in awe of what a full-scale recreation they managed to make in a parking lot. It definitely blew away my expectations, and I loved that it was an open-ended setting where you could bounce back and forth between the different areas without being rushed. I shamelessly had at least 5-6 helpings of the noodles which served as an early dinner, and the Johnnie Walker samples I shared with some fellow replicants was a good omen to the rest of the night.

Offsites were A+++++ this year. Not sure if it's because of D23 compounding my Con fatigue, but I spent far less time/had less patience for the exhibit hall and sitting for extended stretches in panel rooms than ever before. The fact that the offsites were of such high quality made it easy. If companies continue to step up their offsite game in 2018, I'm going to lose very little sleep if I miss out on a day or two in the badge sale. Heck, I might even want to just buy 2 or 3 days even if all four + PN are available. Last year was sort of a breaking point, as there were multiple occasions in which I felt I was inside the Convention Center because I felt like I should due to my badge, and not necessarily because I wanted to. My biggest regret in past years always seems to be "I wish I did more offsites," so this year was definitely a conscious effort to change that.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: ripresa on July 28, 2017, 08:45:58 AM
I didn't get to do many offsites because I was rushing around Hall H, standing in line for Hall H. And I actually think now that 4 day badges are not crucial.

So... Westworld. I had was in a line group, and had gone back to bed so that I could get back there at 1 am, and instead happened to be awake when I saw a group text saying the HBO people had arrived and was going to give out wristbands. I had expected they were going to give it out at after 3 am. BUT someone had started an official list of people in line to prevent line cutters, and that list got twitter traction, and I suspect that's what made the HBO people arrive sooner. I rushed from the Wyndham Bayside a mile away, into a cab, threw a twenty dollar bill at the cabdriver on a $10 fare and ran to the Hilton lobby. Others of our line group was out as well and some showed up in time, except for 2 people who were still in an Uber and one was sleeping, but we had a Comic con miracle, and the HBO person finally come to us and gave us three extra wristbands and said: "I trust you." Partly I think it was the repeated begging, but I also wonder if it's because of that unofficial list. It would've have been a huge bummer if the person who was sleeping, who did a 5 pm to 9 pm line shift hadn't gotten a wristband.

Here's a picture of the hosts with the notorious List of people.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFdo03QWAAAUqzE.jpg:large)

The experience itself was wonderful. The hat was great, we started in groups of 6 in the lobby, was winnowed to group of 3 and then private interviews and then back to 3.

The glitches was great, and the hosts were great because you can keep asking them questions.

Anyways, not going to talk much about the experience so you can try it next year :) I recommend doing an earlier day like Thursday like the guy above. Because he got in line at 1:45 am, and we got in line 3 pm the previous day.



Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 28, 2017, 09:03:16 AM
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Anyways, not going to talk much about the experience so you can try it next year :) I recommend doing an earlier day like Thursday like the guy above. Because he got in line at 1:45 am, and we got in line 3 pm the previous day.

I think that the line was "light" on Thursday solely because it was the first day and people didn't know what to expect. I actually think it was better the other days where you had to get in line a 3pm but they handed out wristbands "early" so that you could at least get some sleep. Didn't they hand out wrist bands like at 11 or 12 on Saturday?

As for offsites and a 4 day badge. TBH, I prefer a lot of the offsites over comic-con. That's why I made Thursday offsite day. So did a lot of people. I met so many people that told me they were doing the same because Thursday was a light day for offsites. It isn't so light anymore. I was planning to make Sunday another offsite day. I'd like to say I didn't because I wanted to see the Supernatural or Dr. Who panels. I did but that's not what pushed me over. I wanted to get that stupid Vikings horn so needed floor access for another day. By the way, someone is trying to sell that horn for $150 on SD Craigslist. Good luck with that.

Another way to alleviate the problem would be for offsites to stay open later. I hope others join Alcon and stay open late. Most offsites closed at 5 or 6. Alcon kept theirs open until 10 on Saturday. HBO on the other hand is still closing GOT at 1pm on Sunday. Many offsites treat Sunday as a full day now.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: ripresa on July 28, 2017, 09:21:39 AM
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I think that the line was "light" on Thursday solely because it was the first day and people didn't know what to expect. I actually think it was better the other days where you had to get in line a 3pm but they handed out wristbands "early" so that you could at least get some sleep. Didn't they hand out wrist bands like at 11 or 12 on Saturday?

It was definitely nice we could go to sleep, when they handed it out around 11:30 pm.
But, I think the reason why they came early was because around 8 pm, someone started that unofficial list, and then posted it on twitter, and it got retweeted. Self line-policing.

Maybe next year they'll do the same thing, it was hard with Westworld because there were no official policies.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Boukenred on July 28, 2017, 09:54:29 AM
I'd finally got to do Conan this year, so that was a great off site for me.

Another great off site was the Marvel's Inhumans event. They had pizza and snacks given out to everyone and poster of the show. We also got to meet the casts on a personal level, and get pictures and autographs from the casts.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Javier on July 28, 2017, 10:25:51 AM
There was a Marvel Inhuman's offsite?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: chocolateshake on July 28, 2017, 10:31:52 AM
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There was a Marvel Inhuman's offsite?

I thought the same thing, but the way he's describing it it must have been a party. I doubt the cast was hanging around at an offsite everyday of comic-con.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Boukenred on July 28, 2017, 10:33:27 AM
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There was a Marvel Inhuman's offsite?

Yup


https://photos.app.goo.gl/p5W9gTD9hPUFUzbD3
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Transmute Jun on July 28, 2017, 10:34:27 AM
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There was a Marvel Inhuman's offsite?

Wasn't that the one where they tested your DNA?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: thecherbear on July 28, 2017, 10:51:03 AM
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Wasn't that the one where they tested your DNA?
That was for the Gifted, unless Inhumans did it too.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Javier on July 28, 2017, 11:03:01 AM
You know, I saw that on Thursday as they were still building it. I knew it was an IMAX thing but didn't know what they were doing. The next day it was down. I guess you had to get a pass at Marvel?
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: angi on July 28, 2017, 09:47:11 PM
The unofficial list started with the young man sitting next to me, my line buddy who I'll call Mr. Y.  He was like, "we need a sign up sheet" and I was like good idea, got any paper? He pulled out a comic book board and a sharpie and the list was made. It was soon town charge of by a guy I will call Mr. Disney who had plenty of line and people experience. He decided to tweet updates regularly and history was made.  In actuality, the list worked out well because when I talked to the man who was doing wristbands he straight out told me we would be taken care of. The list got attention and saved a lot of people from last minute add-on crowds.  It was pretty fantastic.

Ill post my reviews but I wanted to throw my two cents in.  I got in line around 3/3:30 and sent the call out to the rest of the people who were going to come with. We all got rounded up around 6? And broke out our shifts. It was a pretty organized group and I'm happy we were able to get it together. Could not have done it without Focc!

Ill post my reviews later but the whole westworld experience was epic.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Angology on July 29, 2017, 11:09:26 AM
Did anyone do the It VR experience? Saw them talk about in on Syfy Live. How was it? It looks like it was at Petco Interactive (we never made it over there).
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: TardisMom on July 29, 2017, 12:06:16 PM
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Did anyone do the It VR experience? Saw them talk about in on Syfy Live. How was it? It looks like it was at Petco Interactive (we never made it over there).

I did it, but unfortunately my headphones weren't working well.  I heard stuff at the beginning and then silence.  My daughter's headphones worked and she really enjoyed it and jumped at the scares.  The video was really neat, and I'm still in awe of the technology so I enjoyed it anyway.  Also I heard they were giving out tees the first days but by the time we went on Sunday they were out.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: susanml10881 on July 29, 2017, 02:56:12 PM
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You know, I saw that on Thursday as they were still building it. I knew it was an IMAX thing but didn't know what they were doing. The next day it was down. I guess you had to get a pass at Marvel?

It was the IMAX thing they built at Horton Plaza. I saw an invite on Facebook .. they also invited everyone there at the Inhumans panel in b20 right after, said there was a screening then free food. I don't think you needed a pass as they didn't hand out any at the panel. And the Facebook invite didn't require sign up.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: tsnyder on July 31, 2017, 05:42:35 PM
We were able to do:
Conan on Wed
Netflix, AMC Deadquarters, Petco Interactive on Thur
Technology Expo thing at Omni on Sunday.

Out of those Conan was great as always but Netflix was probably my favorite.  Got some free food, several photo ops, tshirt, and stanger things swag.  Took about 90 minutes in line to get in which wasn't too bad and overall thought it was a great off site.  Deadquarters was ok, best part was the zombie actors randomly walking around.  Still really miss the Walking Dead Escape in Petco though :(  Petco Interactive was definitely a step up from previous year but unfortunately the main thing we went over there for was the IT VR but it was closed when we where there.  Tech expo was pretty great, everything was about a 10 min wait and had a bunch of super cool VR.  Post con VERY jealous about the Westworld and Bladerunner off sites, really wish I could have gone to those.  Last couple of years off sites have been very hit or miss with me so hesitant to spend hours in line for them but this year really seemed like an awesome year.  Hopefully that trend continues.
Title: Re: Best Offsite You Went To/Offsite Review!
Post by: Cut That Meat on July 31, 2017, 06:48:31 PM
Not really an offsite, but I had so much fun/frustration with all the various prize drops/Twitter hunts going on this year, including and beyond the SDCCBlog's adventures. The thrill of the chase, y'all.