On March 24 and 25, Cardiff, Wales will host the first annual Doctor Who Convention. Sure, there are many Doctor Who conventions. but this one’s important because Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff. The convention will be in the Millennium Center, which, if you’ve watched Torchwood, you’ve seen many times.
(When I visited Cardiff in 2008 I did stand on the stone hoping to get into Torchwood. Sadly it did not happen. Or did it?)
Since this is the official Doctor Who convention in the city where the show is filmed, this convention should be a fantastic opportunity to meet the people behind the creation of the show. So far, Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill are scheduled to appear, plus an all-star line-up including Nick Briggs, Ian McNeice, Stuart Milligan, Mark Sheppard, and Simon Fisher-Becker. How very cool is that?
As part of this adventure, I will be recording my experiences and sharing them with the Nerdist community. This is my first convention. Honestly, I’m a bit daunted by the whole experience. If you could give me advice, questions, comments, quemments, etc. in the comments below, I will do my best to make sure they get answered and post them here.
Thank you!
For more musings on life, the universe and everything, follow my twitter feed @dihard11
It would be cool to do a Nerdist Live Event in Cardiff but there is a Nerdist Live in Philadelphia (3/23) and Atlanta (3/24).
The convention is limited to 1500 per day. Yes I’m going to take the TARDIS tour! I’m so excited about this! I signed up the second I received the email.
I would love to go to LA! I’m on the east coast!! I’m running low on vacation days. I’m happy to have a job that gives me enough vacation days and money to do cool things.
@Stephen P I think you have to try to get into Torchwood if you are in Cardiff! I can imagine what the locals think of us Whovians!
@Kurt thank you for the advice! That excellent advice. I’m giving a presentation on the Tuesday I get back. That’s going to be awesome. (Sadly, not on my trip. )
I’m going to my first con next weekend for Gallifrey One. I’m so nervous. I have a friend I’m meeting up with there. He knows pretty much everyone that will be there. I’m even missing the first the first game of the season for my roller derby team for this! I’ll be in a TARDIS dress(as if I’ll be the only one lol). Please be nice to me. hahaha
Why not get a jump-start by going to next week’s Gallifrey One con in Los Angeles if you’re in the area? It’s the largest Doctor Who con this side of the pond. It’s also one of the best fan-run cons I have ever been to (this will be my third year going and first volunteering).
Advice:
1) Plan ahead. if you can get the events schedule and a floor plan that will save you a lot of time. In a convention time really is like money because you don’t have any to waste. So know when and where you’ll be at a given time
2) Know when your going and when your leaving. Having the schedule means you can know which line your going to stay in, which room you’ll be in at a certain time and when to go to lunch or tea.
3)Get sleep later. Don’t plan on getting a good nights rest until Tuesday. In the States we have 3-4 day conventions. Since this is only 2 days you should be alright but don’t plan on it.
4)The day before drink lots of water, about 1gallon. This might sound excessive but you’ll feel better Monday if you hydrated on Friday. Again don’t plan on sleep.
5)You won’t have enough money. Don’t worry about having a lot of money you can’t carry or pack everything you would want anyway.
6) Spend like a Scrooge. Avoid spending all the money you have on Saturday. Instead wait for Sunday towards the last 3 hours of the con. Than dealers will give better prices on stuff so they can go home with less stuff and some profit.
7) Get it only if you REALLY want it. If you have to buy something on Saturday. For whatever reason, if it calls your name through space and time. Or you’ve finally found that last thing for your collection and are not sure if you’ll ever see it again. Only if spend that money if you think you cannot get it Sunday. Otherwise hold out and see if you can bargain for less if it’s still there. I have too many stories about getting something Friday and seeing it for a better price Sunday. Or not seeing it at all.
8) If your not having fun, leave. If the lines are too much. People smell to bad. Or your just having a bad couple of hours get out. Some space to yourself to reset yourself can help get you into a better state of mind. Don’t waste time being miserable.
9) Eat breakfast it really is the most important meal of the day. You might skip lunch or dinner but don’t skip breakfast as that might be all you eat all day. Besides a candy bar or bag of chips.
Also, I did the same thing as you when I visited Cardiff in 2009.
Whilst the official convention is kinda of more of an expo than a convention, you are most certainly going to have a blast and I can’t wait to hear your reports from on the ground. Were you able to get a spot on the TARDIS console room tour?
Your first con sounds like it’ll be really fun. I’ve never been to a con before either (I did attend a Star Wars celebration for episode I though), and going to Cardiff would awesome! I look forward to reading and seeing pics from your experience. How many people are expected at the con?
Fantastic!
I’m going solo and though I haven’t been to many cons before, I think this one is going to be a really different experience because it is so about the behind-the-scenes how-they-make-the-show aspect of it, which is what I’m so very excited for!
Let’s go 2 Cardiff…..