first con questions
hello id just like to ask
im autistic and i want to have a fun time at the con is there any place someone can cool down after walking around a bit? any people that can explain event informatin in detail cause i have problems finding things out myself. like if there was a dance thing could you explain to me the rules? is there any water fountians cause i get dehydrated if its to hot. and when is it good to wear your fursuit?
thanks!
There is a social zone that we call, "The Zoo", It is located on the 3rd floor of the Westin in the Allegheny Ballrooms. That is an excellent place to just sit and rest. In the convention center, there are some benches and areas to sit along the South Concourse.
This is true. The one caveat i might add, since the OP says that (s)he is autistic: most of the time, the zoo is just that--a zoo. So it's not quiet, and there are a lot of people there. If you're looking for someplace to decompress away from other people, there are a few options i can think of:
--go outside and just perch for a little bit away from others. It'll be a bit warm during the day, but it'll give you a little space to yourself.
--there are benches in the DLCC on the second and third floor; anytime we're not trying to wrangle registration on top of them, you're welcome to take one and sit a bit. From my experience, you'll have folks walking past but it's unlikely that anyone will bother you.
--your hotel room is often a very good place to relax and take a step back from the bustle of convention life. I will warn you that the lines for the elevators can get long in the westin, so that may slow things. But that's one place where the only people you'll see are those you may be rooming with and possibly the housekeeper (if you happen to be there when (s)he is cleaning your room).
As an additional note, there will be a full set of the stated standards of conduct for the con in your conbook. It'll match the set in the menu on the side of your computer screen. That should answer a lot of your questions. If you have further questions about appropriate behavior, of course, i encourage you to take them to any of our security personnel, or to the staff of the section you're concerned with; security are the nice people in the bright red shirts that say "security", and staff are the ones in any given area with a ribbon marked "staff"*. In general, we'd rather answer your questions about things you're thinking about doing before you do them than after you've done them and maybe gotten into trouble.
* If you ask a staff member who just happens to be in another area hanging out, they may still know how to find a staff member for that department.
1) Cool down: It depends on how you mean this. If you mean are there places where you can just sit down and rest for a while, the answer is yes. There are many benches in the Convention Center where you can just sit down. If you are talking about cooling down from wearing a fursuit, there are two "Headless Lounges" (one in the Convention Center, one in the Westin hotel) where the air conditioning is cranked up to 11 and fans are going at high speed all the time.
2) Event information: This is tougher. The panels are unpredictable. They depend on who has aked to put one on, what the panel is about and the people who attend. The "Set Piece" events are a little easier. The Dealers Room is a place where people are selling furry-related merchandise of al kinds. This includes artwork, t-shirts.... basically anything that relates to furry. The Art Show is where the artists show off their newest works and try to sell them (usually: some pieces are Not For Sale). The Artist's Alley is where artists try to sell you either their existing work or often they will do original work for you. The Fursuit Parade has all of the fursuiters march in a parade route through the conventio. (This is vluntaery: you do not have to be part of it if you don't want to.)
3) I'm 60 and I don't attend the dances. I'll let Protocollie talk you into attending those. :evil: I will say that the Standards of Conduct shown to the left still apply there.
4) In the Convention Center, there are lots of water dispensers and the DLCC is very good about keeping them filled with cold water.
5) Wear your fursuit anytime you want to. EXCEPT... at Registration, they will need to see your face to match it with your ID. Certain other places ban fursuits like the restaurants in the hotels and they are banned from the swimming pool areas. These bans are for consideration of others (restaurants) and personal safety (swimming pools). Other than that, you can fursuit whenever you want. Just remember, you should only fursuits as long as you want to. If you are feeling overheated or exhausted, it's time to change out of the suit.
There is a social zone that we call, "The Zoo", It is located on the 3rd floor of the Westin in the Allegheny Ballrooms. That is an excellent place to just sit and rest. In the convention center, there are some benches and areas to sit along the South Concourse.
By "dance thing", are you meaning a contest or a general dance? There is a fursuit dance contest, rules can be posted in another thread if you like. There are general dances which are quite well attended. They are held in both the Westin and the Convention Center in the evenings.
There are water fountains in both facilities. You can also purchase drinks in the convention center, and there are multiple cafes and a gift shop in the Westin where you can buy Snapples, sodas, and such.
Both buildings allow fursuiting in most public areas. The 4th floor of the Westin is off limits for fursuiting, as that is where the pool and the gym are located. The hotel requests that these areas remain open for those wishing to use the equipment and does not allow costuming there. Both buildings will have a "headless lounge" where you can cool off when in costume and get a drink of water. You can wear your fursuit at any time during the convention. Just be aware of your limitations, and potential heat factors so that you do not create a medical emergency for yourself. Stay hydrated, cool off as necessary, and don't overdo it.