Going to your first furry convention.

[DisneyMudkip15]

I have never been to a furry convention (or any kind of convention for that matter) I plan on going to Anthro New England with AngelWingsCreations (my best friend) next January. I was wondering if anybody had some good advice and tips on surviving your first convention and what to expect. Thank you 

[Setcho]

i would also like some advice

[Cheza]

I think most cons have a "Is this your first convention?"-panel for the first-timers. At least NFC did. If it does, I recommend going there since it's a great place to really get things sorted out, questions answered and it's also a good way to possibly meet other first time goers.


Sadly I seem to have misplaced the con survival guide they gave me, but I lived through the con just fine xD


Still, the main rule was to just have fun in any way you want as long as it's not breaking the rules or annoying the other attendants.
Most of the time you can get around and enjoy the thing by simply walking around and stopping anywhere something interesting is happening.
Panels can be fun/interesting too, but try to avoid cluttering up your schedule so much that you're basically running from stage 1 to stage 2 and back to stage 1 again all the time. The random events that happens outside are fun too.


Then there's also the 1-2-6 rule. That means -AT LEAST- one shower, two proper meals and 6 hours of sleep a day.

[Zarconite]

A sidenote to this, make sure you're drinking plenty. Especially if you plan to wear a fursuit
things get hot pretty quickly and you may find yourself getting dehydrated

[DisneyMudkip15]

I think most cons have a "Is this your first convention?"-panel for the first-timers. At least NFC did. If it does, I recommend going there since it's a great place to really get things sorted out, questions answered and it's also a good way to possibly meet other first time goers.


Sadly I seem to have misplaced the con survival guide they gave me, but I lived through the con just fine xD


Still, the main rule was to just have fun in any way you want as long as it's not breaking the rules or annoying the other attendants.
Most of the time you can get around and enjoy the thing by simply walking around and stopping anywhere something interesting is happening.
Panels can be fun/interesting too, but try to avoid cluttering up your schedule so much that you're basically running from stage 1 to stage 2 and back to stage 1 again all the time. The random events that happens outside are fun too.


Then there's also the 1-2-6 rule. That means -AT LEAST- one shower, two proper meals and 6 hours of sleep a day.

A sidenote to this, make sure you're drinking plenty. Especially if you plan to wear a fursuit
things get hot pretty quickly and you may find yourself getting dehydrated

Thank you very much for your help! I appreciate it! 

[Crystali]

If im ever going to one my first would have been anthrocon xD

[Foxy Corwin]

I would find a group to hang out with. It would  the experience so much better having a group of people is always a blast at those kinda things!

[Goblin Cat 😸]

Also a few things you may want to keep in mind when dealing with suiters:
Always ask for permission to touch/hug/take photos! Just because they are in suit does not mean that they are consenting to all of these things. In that respect, it's very much like cosplay.

If you want to be a nice person to artists in artist's alley:
Do not block up the tables! It's okay to look, but if you are holding a conversation with a friend in front of an artist's table, you're making it impossible for potential customers to see their work.
Ask for permission to take pictures! If you think their work is neat and want to take a photo, don't do so without asking the artist permission first.
Tip your artists! Even if it's a small amount! Your artist will appreciate it.

General nice things:
Don't assume someone's pronouns (if they are he/she/they). If you're unsure, ask them and I'm sure they'll happily tell you!

[Ventus Fall]

What Mortimus above me said ^^
Ask always for permission and don't sneak-hug-attack them.
The suit I have now (a wolf suit) was actually worn by its maker to a con and someone thought it was an amazing to surprise-hug her from behind and the jaw broke The person ran away straight after and until this day no one has found out who he (or she) was.
  She fixed it up very well, but it's still a situation that wasn't nice for her as she didn't know if -at the time- she could fix it. Also, it costs sometimes a lot to fix things if they are in fact fixable. (Wasn't nice for me either, since I wanted to buy it over from her ._.)





As also having worked at a convention, I can say that in most cases it is not appreciated to run indoors. Be respectful and patient towards others. This means other con-goers, security, staff, volunteers, and artists.

I think most have already said all that I wanted to say as well, so I hope you have fun ^^

[Tarot]

Hmm... hoping to go to Fur Squared myself, seeing as it'll be a few days after my 18th birthday and I might have my own credit card by then. (meaning... first Fursona commission too!)
It'd be my first Furry gathering of any kind IRL... and a solve-it-y'self Murder Mystery, at that!
That kinda theme is simply too bloody good to miss...