New, Nervous, and...Young O.o;

1. no not everyone wont hug you, they will most likely ask you, or you can hug them and get to know them hugging is no big deal its a goodway to make friendships ^^.

2. you can wear your fursuit for the whole con if you wanted, fursuits are not just meant for the parade, so you can freely wear it anytime at the con, but do keep in mind keep yourself nice and cool and hydrated.

3. that i would not know others can help you with that one =3

4. dont worry everyone at AC is very friendly and you wil make friends here in no time, like starting here you will make so many friends right before the con ^^

anyway I am GreyWolf I am a pack leader, and I have been a fur for about 3yrs, and I really enjoyed my 1st AC it was a blast, but I am always looking to help new furs and all so if you want to contact me I have YIM, msn, and my myspace is http://www.myspace.com/TsumetheGreyWolf ^_^ hope this helped

1) If you are a fursuiter, then you will be approached by people who want hugs, but nobody is allowed to force you to give them one. If you say no then 99% of people will back off. That last 1% can be handled by security if they give you a problem.
2) I have no idea when the parade will be for 2008, that is K.P.'s job to decide. There are fursuiters running around during the entire convention though so feel free to suit whenever you feel like it.
3) The best way to show off your art without selling it is to take your sketch book to the zoo, draw, and strike up a conversation with some fellow artists. It also is a good way to make new friends.
4) No you will not be left out. There will be plenty of furs around who are your age, and with the huge number of panels going on all con there is something for everyone to do. I have never meet a fur, or none fur for that mater, who did not make new friends at a furry convention.
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Dear lord, you want me to do what with that hairdryer!?

Everyone else did a pretty good job of covering your questions. I'll just throw in a few additional things:

- The fursuit parade (and the rest of our schedule) won't be decided on until just a few weeks before the actual convention. This is because we still have suggestions for panels pouring in until just a few weeks before the convention.

- If you're not sure how your art will do, you may want to consider getting a table in the Artists' Alley instead. It's free!

 
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My LJ - My Website

1. Folks in the furry community are, as a general rule, more loose about their personal space than is common in the mainstream. Nevertheless, the fact that many of them don't have personal space doesn't mean that they don't understand about it. If you indicate, verbally or (if you'r in suit and prefer not to speak) physically that you don't want to be touched, they won't touch you. If you run into the one-in-a-thousand creep who does touch you anyway (i never have, but you never know), feel free to talk to the dorsai, our resident security squad. They're awfully nice, and i'm sure they'll be happy to help you.

2. The only restrictions for dress at AC are that all of the naughty bits must be covered, and you need something on your feet. Registration is about the only time when you don't see much of any fursuiters, and that's just because it isn't terribly practical. I wouldn't receommend wearing your suit all the time, tho--you'd get overheated and make yourself sick. Then you'd feel silly. ;=8) Always remember to take some breaks and air out your suit.

3. Artist's alley is always an option--then you can just sit and show your work. The art show varies some--Petercat doesn't charge for space if he doesn't need to--but the work in there certainly doesn't have to be for sale if you don't want to sell it. Neither place is juried, so you don't have to worry about your work not making the cut. They don't even ask to see your work in advance--art show only asks how much space you need, and artists' alley doesn't even ask that, since the spaces are a standard size.

If neither of those options feels right for you, you could always go the low-tech direction and just tuck your sketch book into your bag. You could even ask other artists to add their doodles to it, if you wanted to.

4. Many many folks under 18 come every year, so that's not an issue. I, too, was extremely shy and nervous when i first came--still am, really. But AC folks are generally quite friendly, and will generally welcome you into whatever you care to attend. I think most people tend to figure that other furries are just friends they haven't met yet. I've had furs not notice me (which is actually kind of nice, when i just want to watch). But i've never encountered a fur who made me feel excluded in any way, and there have been many who've gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and appreciated.

People say it over and over, but if you're looking for easy (and cheap!) ways to meet other furs, volunteering is a great option. The work is easy, the other volunteers are happy to chat, the staff really make you feel appreciated, and if you put in enough work, you can earn a free pass for next year.

I'll give my answers. Consider these some answers from one attendee who's not heavily-involved in the community, nor a blind fanboy of ANYTHING, and one who's interested in family-friendly events.

I'm impressed your family understands this is family-friendly.

I think it's good to address your concerns. I didn't get the detail to answers to address mine the first time out. Then again, I didn't post a public thread like this.

No, it's not my experience that people go up and hug you for no reason. The people that are vulnerable to that are usually in fursuits, or people you've known for a long time.
(I had a long-time friend finally attend, and they ran up and hugged me. Otherwise, I didn't get any run-up-and-hugs.)

For the most part, I find AC'ers leave you alone if you leave them alone, subject to the usual rules of conduct at any event by anyone. (Things don't change just because people walk around with ears or a tail.)

The day/time of the parade varies widely, so check the schedule as soon as it's posted. It will be announced that it's posted, and will probably be a PDF downloadable off the website. That's days or weeks before the convention.
The convention begins Thursday. Registration begins Thursday 3pm, and the first OFFICIAL events begin Thursday evening, starting with the opening ceremonies. That's Day One, technically.

I arrived Wednesday evening, and there were already fursuiters hanging out in the hotel lobby. (It's not recommended to hang out in the hotel lobby once Thursday morning arrives, due to the hotel needing their lobby, and the availability of the convention areas like the Zoo for hanging out means you don't NEED to meet in the lobby.) You can wear a fursuit at any point in the convention, before or after, subject to rules of practicality.

That is,
-if you wear the suit for HOURS, you'll probably collapse due to the heat,
-if you wear it moving around a lot, you'll need a spotter to move you through people since your vision is obstructed, -if you wear it at a PANEL, the people behind you can't see and you can't see and hear so well,
-if you wear it in the lobby, you can obstruct hotel traffic through drawing a small crowd in a small area,
-if you wear it on the street, and not directly between the Westin and the convention center, people are likely to stare

Whether or not you look stupid in a fursuit is a matter of opinion. Wednesday to Sunday, it's expected that SOME people will be wearing them. And steer clear of the media-let the old-timers handle them!

I'm NOT the person to ask about art, but if you want to try to sell art at Artist's Alley, that's up to you. Otherwise, the best advice was already given- carry your sketchbook or stuff around, and take it out at the Zoo. That's the general convention hangout spot, and you can find artists just drawing there. The one time I hung out in the Zoo, I saw a small enclave of artists start clustering together, to draw, exchange advice, and just hang out around other artists.

If you want to show off your DeviantART gallery, you can put the address in your forum signature and mention it's there- curious art fans will go look, and they can find it off every post's signature.

Unless you have friends who drag you to an event, all events are optional, and you won't be dragged to any event. Keep in mind that there's a LOT, a LOT, of events, both official (check the schedule) and unofficial (room-parties, dinner at Buca di Beppo, etc.) For the unofficial ones, check this messageboard as the event approaches, and check the physical messageboard for some once registration at the con opens.
(Keep in mind that unofficial events should be approached VERY CAREFULLY, as AnthroCon takes no responsibility for them. You can find a tame room party with cartoons, a prayer group, or just about anything, including private events that you never, ever wanted to attend, which would freak out your parents. That's entirely up to the people running the event, and subject to hotel rules about noise, mess and safety. So, look into any room party or whatever before just showing up.) As for the official events, the schedule from AC'07 should give you an idea, and that's still downloadable as a PDF, here:
http://www.anthrocon.org/schedule

There's no guarantee that will STAY up, so download it now as a reference. The city guide is a neighborhood guide, the Pocket Reader is a nifty schedule, and the Program Guide describes all the events. You'll want to review the last 2 of those PDFs (But save all 3, the City Guide stays the same next year, mostly, because the city stays the same, mostly.)
The Pocket Reader will show you how many things are running at the same time-which is many, many events, for AC'07.
All of these are included as physical paper guides in your registration packet when you show up at AC and pick up your badge, of course. The Pocket Reader fits in a pocket.
The Program Guide includes a description of all the events. Very few of those are not appropriate for teenagers, and are generally scheduled for late evening (say, after 10pm), with the exception of 2 the Ranting Gryphon, and it's a matter of opinion how age-appropriate he is, and the Mature Art Auction, which is an auction of "Mature" art. Unless you're buying Mature Art, (as a teenager, where would you find the money?) you won't miss that being one of the few events where you will be STOPPED AT THE DOOR because the security (the Dorsai Irregulars) check every badge to ensure only adults can enter the auction area.

So, other than a tiny handful of age-restricted events, you will be able to participate in anything you want. Keep in mind that seating is first-come, first-served, and you should mark your Pocket Guide so you know what you wanted to attend most. (You will miss some events because there are overlaps, that's inevitable when so many interesting things run at the same time.) You may also make some new friends and hang out with them at some point-remember that this is time you won't be at scheduled events as well. (That's why I try to squeeze all the hanging out into Wednesday or Thursday, and others hang out Sunday evening and return home Monday morning.)