Conan tickets, the Horton and exclusives

8 JULY 2019

A lot happened today and I can't cover all of it, but let's go over a few things.

You allotted your exclusives points already, right? Right? Because it cuts off tomorrow, July 9.

If you're not sure how, just log into your Member ID account, go to your exclusives tab and it'll walk you through.

We kind of expected this, but tickets dropped today without warning - apparently surprising even CCI, whose emails with "secret" attendee codes went out after the fact. Never change, CCI.

A few clarifications: everyone was waitlisted, not just you, and you'll get an email notifying you if you have tickets. If you hear nothing, log into your 1iota account and check anyhow - because you need to "claim" your tickets.

Also, you can go back in and add your member ID and code to your submission so do that now if you haven't already. If you didn't get an email about Conan? Check that your Member ID account is set up to receive third-party emails.

Now - tickets for all those other good ConanCon events, like Team Coco House, are dropping this week. Hopefully today taught you well: be ready and vigilant. If like me, you were hoping to do ScareDiego on Preview Night, that's being handled by Conan as well and you'll need to make a grab for tickets Tuesday morning through them - much to my regret. This will be a tough get.

I feel like some attendees are still hyper focused on the Conan tapings and dismissing Team Coco House as a consolation prize. It's not! They hand out Funko Pops there, sometimes there's alcohol, there are games and comedians and "surprise bartenders" and essentially a very fun time to be had. So don't sulk over your (probably) not getting Conan show tickets and instead turn your face to the rising sun of Team Coco House.

The Horton Grand
Okay, let's get real about panels and screenings at the Horton. I feel like this is one of those SDCC areas that remain shrouded in fog year after year. Attendees often don't know where it is or how to attend events there. Let's clarify.

The Horton Grand Theatre is at 444 4th Avenue, a short walk from the convention center. If you check the programming, you'll see some incredible events scheduled there - like the Shazam documentary or Kiki's Delivery Service or the Banana Splits movie or Nathan Fillion. However, you can't just line up at the theatre.

What you need to do is report to the Sails Pavilion, usually but not always across from the Ballroom 20 doors, before 9 am the day of your desired event. In theory, there will be tickets drawings for each event. In reality, 9 am is not a friendly hour for most of us - and so sometimes they've just handed out tickets if there aren't that many attendees waiting.

But don't bank on that. If you're fervently committed to a certain event, like me and Scary Stories/Guillermo del Toro, show up with your comrades to maximize your odds of getting tickets. If you aren't lucky, you still might get in - there are always attendees who get tickets but don't show up later.

If you go to the drawing but can't figure out where it is, start asking around. Prepare for staff and volunteers to have no idea what you're talking about. This has happened to me several times and I had to actually organize the line one year. However, this is a ripe year for Horton events so I think it will be better managed. At any rate, you'll see an anxious blogger lurking around on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

Comic-Con is more than panels and Hall H and offsites, though you wouldn't know that from our feverish babbling. There are multiple film and anime festivals, gaming tournaments, creative workshops and portfolio reviews - so check out the schedules CCI posted.

Hotels and Badges
We've entered the home stretch where hardcore attendees are still battling to upgrade rooms. This can be done, but if you're trying to recoup deposits from strangers and other risky moves at this late date, be careful. This is also the time when people suddenly begin dropping out of the Con - last-minute work emergencies, medical issues, etc, and try to sell their badges. Proceed with caution. If you suddenly can't go to SDCC, you can always contact CCI and explain your circumstances to see if they'll refund you - even if it's past the deadline.

Buckle in, nerds. This final week will be a wild ride.


  1. So it sounds like you can only line up for 1 Horton event per day?

  2. No, you can line up for multiple ones, but only draw for one at a time. So if you draw and in an event, you can get back in line and try to draw for another event.