So it’s my first time to attend the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit in the Philippines. What makes it a bit hard for me is that this convention is nowhere near home. I had to fly all the way up here in Manila to attend this gaming convention along with the other Sirus Gaming media. It’s fun and all but being a neophyte at this doesn’t make it any better than wearing skinny jeans on wet legs.
If it’s your first time, I recommend that you go into it prepared. Here are a few tips for surviving.
Find a convenient place to stay.
Traffic in Manila is very unpredictable, and transportation is not cheap. Especially if you do not know your way around, you’d have to use services like Uber to get to your destination because you might get lost while commuting or pay too much for a taxi cab. A hotel nearby is actually worth less than the accumulated transportation expenses all in all.
Be early.
They say early birds get the worm. Although there are no worms to get, figuratively speaking, there are long lines to avoid. Buying your tickets in advance can save you a lot of time. Plus, most of the people go in the afternoon.
Travel light.
Doesn’t mean you don’t have to bring anything besides your phone and money. You can bring some snacks and your own drink. Buying food and drinks at the venue is expensive. You wouldn’t want a huge chunk of your budget to be spent on food alone when you could be buying stuff that you can only find at the convention, especially if you’re traveling on a tight budget. If you collect a lot of loot, a bag would always come in handy. But don’t bring bulky bags, it will keep you from moving a lot, if there are tons of people,they’ll bump into you, or you’ll accidentally topple things, and that’s no fun at all.
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
There aren’t many seats in the area, you’ll find yourself falling in line for a lot of games you wanna try, and the area is HUGE it will take several minutes from point A to point B. Bring a jacket because it’s cold inside and when you go outside it’s very warm, so instead of wearing warm clothes you can just take off your jacket and still look fab.
Prepare your cellphone.
Bring a powerbank if necessary, go to the event fully charged. Have mobile data in case if there’s no Wi-Fi. Save all the important numbers, especially if you’re meeting someone.
Know where the toilet is.
Uhh, do I have to explain why?
Familiarize the area.
You should print a map of the exhibit floor or save a copy on your phone. It will save you the hassle of asking for directions and spare you from being pointed towards the wrong direction as well.
Be nice to everyone.
Conventions are a great way to make friends and meet new people. Make the most out of your experience and have fun.
Be socially responsible.
Take lots of pictures and share them. Make your friends envious. But don’t do anything shameful or offensive because you might be caught on camera by somebody else and you might be the next trending laughingstock.
Budget your expenses.
Spend money wisely. Bring enough cash in case ATM machines are offline or out of cash. And if you lose your wallet make sure you have enough emergency funds like spare cash, or loose change in your bag.
