Badge Pick Up 2013

[ice9]

For those who have been before how is the badge pick up on Wed?

I am flying in and the cheaper flight in puts me on the ground at 6pm. Not ideal but it is 150$ cheaper than flying in at 1pm. I figure i may not be able to get over to badge pick up before 7pm.......

I've been to some other cons that badge pick up was quite a nightmare. Do they move folks through pretty quickly? If you are in line will they give out badges until they are done or at 8:30 will they turn people away?

Thank you for any advice or information.

[Transmute Jun]

I have never done it at the Town & Country, but I hear it can be quite hectic.

At the convention center it goes very fast, so if you're coming down for Preview Night you should have no problem.

You may want to check and confirm how long the badge pickup is open.

[depictprints]

I've always picked up my badges at the convention center and have had no problems ever.  Always moves fast.

[tragedys]

If you are picking up your badge at the convention center, be prepared for another typical long line first thing in the morning.  I got there an hour before it opened and was about 200 people back.  The GREAT news is once the line starts moving it ZOOMS along.  They really have their act together and once I got upstairs it took me all of 3 minutes to get my badge and into the con.  Looking for more of the same luck this year.

[ice9]

Thank you all.
I noticed they stay open 8:30 so i'm hoping that will be enough.

Unfortunately we did not get preview night passes , but we got passes so im happy with that.

[Khaaaaaaanh!!!]

Town and Country was a bit of a mess a couple years back but generally speaking, if you don't have to be among the first to get into the convention center, once it opens up, the lines move really quickly (if there are even any lines by the time you get there).

[Chris]

For those who have been before how is the badge pick up on Wed?

If you are picking up a 4-day with preview at the convention center, the line can get massively long and it looks scary, but it goes very quick.  They have the system down.

This is 2011 information so it might be outdated, but:  If you are picking up other badges at the Town & Country hotel, the line goes slower because they don’t have as many badge stations set up.  The big problems that you will have from 4 to 7 pm are:  getting there due to traffic for badge pickup and finding parking once you get there. 

I believe (but am not 100% sure) that they cap the line before 8:30 otherwise they would never be able to shut down. 

[perc2100]

Town and Country was a bit of a mess a couple years back but generally speaking, if you don't have to be among the first to get into the convention center, once it opens up, the lines move really quickly (if there are even any lines by the time you get there).

My bro-in-law picked his badge up last year at Town and Country on Preview Night (he had 4-day w/out).  He went around 5:00 ish, and I guess it only took about 20 minutes total, and that included being dropped off in the wrong parking lot and having to find the badge pick-up!  I heard it was a nightmare in 2011, but last year seemed a LOT smoother, based on by bro's experience.

[perc2100]

For those who have been before how is the badge pick up on Wed?

I am flying in and the cheaper flight in puts me on the ground at 6pm. Not ideal but it is 150$ cheaper than flying in at 1pm. I figure i may not be able to get over to badge pick up before 7pm.......

I've been to some other cons that badge pick up was quite a nightmare. Do they move folks through pretty quickly? If you are in line will they give out badges until they are done or at 8:30 will they turn people away?

Thank you for any advice or information.

They won't turn people away in line, and they won't have to.  The line moves INCREDIBLY quick at the Convention Center.  Even if you show up 45 minutes or so after the start of badge pick-up (after the initial crowd gets through), you'll likely walk right through the line without stopping.  I'm always super impressed with how smooth badge pickup always is at the convention center (REALLY hope that didn't just jinx it for 2013  ), and I think even if you pick up your badge mid-afternoon, grab dinner downtown, then walk into Preview Night you'll have zero problems getting your badge. 
It is a bigger line each morning (at least Thursday-Saturday), which kinda sucks if you need to get a badge and then get in line for a panel or something.  But once the line starts moving it moves fairly quickly.

[Khaaaaaaanh!!!]

Definitely one of the perks of a 4 day is pickup on Wednesday. Last yr they started early so there were no lines to pick up badges, just a long line to get in but by then, everyone already had their badges so they were giddy w/ excitement to get started.

[Transmute Jun]

I think even if you pick up your badge mid-afternoon, grab dinner downtown, then walk into Preview Night you'll have zero problems getting your badge.

This is what we used to do all the time: pick up the badge and the go for late lunch/early dinner in the gaslamp before heading back to our hotel to change for Preview Night.

Now we do spa time just after lunch, then go to the convention center to pick up our badges, then go back to the hotel room to change for Preview Night.

[perc2100]

This is what we used to do all the time: pick up the badge and the go for late lunch/early dinner in the gaslamp before heading back to our hotel to change for Preview Night.

Now we do spa time just after lunch, then go to the convention center to pick up our badges, then go back to the hotel room to change for Preview Night.

SO much a superior option 
I live about 20 minutes north of the convention center, so I'm not sure it's worth it for me to pick up badge, drive home & jump in the hot tub & eat dinner, then drive back for Preview Night 
I might just stay at home for awhile, eat dinner, and THEN come to Preview Night after dinner.  I'm not sure, but I'm thinking a big change this year with how I usually do things at Comic-Con (BUT, the way I usually do things yields great returns: awesome swag, getting into all the panels I want, cool after-hour events, scoring the exclusives I & my son want, etc - change = scary )

[Transmute Jun]

SO much a superior option 

Yep! I get together with a bunch of girlfriends every year for the Con, and this is often the only time we'll see each other (certainly the only time we're all together) before Con. A few years ago we began the 'spa time' tradition on Wednesday afternoon and it was so much fun we've been doing it ever since!

[DianaOfThemyscira]

Question - the badge collection instructions say you can pick up multiple day badges at the earliest day.

you are able to collect thu badges on Wed. however, I have 3 single day badges. does that mean i can collect all badges on Wed, or I have to collect all badges on THU?

How do you line up at badge collection when you want to line up for Hall H or others? how fast from badge collection is it to get in?

[Khaaaaaaanh!!!]

Question - the badge collection instructions say you can pick up multiple day badges at the earliest day.

you are able to collect thu badges on Wed. however, I have 3 single day badges. does that mean i can collect all badges on Wed, or I have to collect all badges on THU?

How do you line up at badge collection when you want to line up for Hall H or others? how fast from badge collection is it to get in?

If you have single day badges, you CAN pick them up on Wednesday (if you have a Thursday) only at T&C. All the badges will be printed for you when you pick up BUT you still need the badge HOLDERS (color varies by day) and that can only be picked up at the convention center. The only badges that can be picked up at the convention center on Wed are 4 Day WITH PN.

See grid for more details. 

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When you get to the convention center in the morning, you'll see 4 lines. There will be a line for Volunteers near one end. There is a line for Hall H under the tents on the other end. You'll see 2 different lines that start middle-ish of the center. One is for the people picking up badges. The other line is for the people who already have badges to get in and are either headed to the exhibit floor or to BR 20 (and other panel rooms).

Badge pickup moves pretty fast once the line actually gets moving - the difficult part is just figuring out where the line starts/ends and security doesn't always know. Keep your eyes peeled for where the flow of people go and if they are or are not wearing badges and you'll be able to figure out which line to go to.

If you do not have a badge and are trying to get into a panel, you'd need to coordinate with friends to save a spot in line for you (some folks get really upset about people saving spots but me personally, it's not a big deal if it's like 1-2 people).

Don't know if that answered your question or made things more confusing!