Hey Nerds! Emma here, with PAX Aus being only 4 weeks away, I thought I'd share some of my nerdy wisdom as a PAX Aus attendee since 2015. Yes I am old. Look here is proof! Me and Liam being all millennial and shit
First things first, the boring stuff; MCEC is a CASH-LESS venue so be prepared. Driving in? pre-book your parking! - https://www.mcec.com.au/plan-your-visit, They will fill up quickly and early so make sure you arrive before 10am if you want any chance of getting a park. Plus if you pre book you’ll save some money! More money for PINS! If you can pick up your badge on Wednesday or Thursday DO IT! The lines on Friday will be huge if you’re not there super early so if you can pick up early, highly recommend.
Badge pickup dates and times are;
Wednesday 9th October - 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 10th October - 10am - 8pm
Friday 11th October - 8am - 6pm
Saturday 12th October - 8am - 6pm
Sunday 13th October - 8am - 6pm
The simple things;
DRINK WATER FOOL! Hydration is so important and no matter how much we all love to skull 300 energy drinks a day water is your best friend at a convention. It gets hot, it gets crowded, bring a drink bottle!
Deodorant, again it gets HOT in the expo hall there will be thousands of bodies in very close quarters a lot of the time so be prepared by keeping up with your hygiene. Have a shower, brush your teeth and put on deodorant. Your fellow nerds will thank you.
Buddy up, linking up schedules or keeping an active group chat is a great idea during big events like PAX Aus. It is easy to lose someone in the crowd or lose track of time when on adventures. Having a meet-up spot is also a great idea. Somewhere easy to find just off main walkways 10/10. Note: Reception has been super shitty at MCEC so having pre arranged places is best.
Wear comfortable shoes, you will thank me later. You will likely be standing in lines and walking up and down the expo hall then upstairs to the panels and community spaces the entire 3 days of PAX. Your feet will hurt a lot. To ease your suffering, wear shoes that don’t hurt your feet. If however you are a cosplayer who needs to wear heels etc RIP.
Sustenance is REQUIRED! Also known as eating, fueling your body is so important. Being a nerd all day and having an amazing adventure at PAX Aus will mean you’ll get hungry. Food at MCEC is notoriously expensive so if you’re on a budget bringing snacks would be a fantastic idea and with Crowns food court only a few minutes away there are low cost options around. We love going to the Goldfields at MCEC as they have a great feed if you want to stay within MCEC and we also frequent Baci at crown for a more sit down meal after the convention closes. It is also open 24 hours which is pretty cool.
Now fun stuff;
PINS! Pins are such a massive part of PAX, from collecting, trading to just admiring the massive amounts people have on display. If you want those exclusive PAX pins make sure you’re keeping up to date with where they are available and when. Come find me if you have some cool ones, I wanna see!!
SO MANY PANELS!
There is an insane amount of panels on offer this year coming from celebrities, industry professionals and content creators alike! With so much on offer it's difficult to choose where you want to attend, I get you! That's where PAX App comes in handy its a great resource to be able to help organise your time at PAX. Our first Panel will be Trivia with ZombielvsBacon at 1:30pm Friday
Cosplay IS NOT Consent! Cosplayers love having their photo taken, you just ask them. Believe me a posed photo will look a million times better than the sneaky walk by one you get while they are not paying attention. Also, if a cosplayer is sitting down or eating it is not a good time to ask them for a photo, hopefully you will see them after they have finished their break and you’ll be able to ask them then. Always respect a person's answer, No is No not an invite for a discussion. Helpful extra reminder just because a photographer/ videographer is taking photos/video of a cosplayer doesn’t mean you can just hop behind them and take photos too.
If you need help the Enforcers are there to help! They are an amazing crew of some of which are my cousins (shout out Goob and MiniGoob). They wear bright yellow t-shirts with ENFORCER and their tag on the back. Listen to Enforcers instructions, they only have your safety in mind. We all want to be safe and want PAX Aus to run smoothly for all who are working and/or attending. Enforcers are the backbone of PAX Aus without them it wouldn't be possible, hundreds of people coming together as a community bringing their love and passion for all things nerd and give their time, effort and enthusiasm to make PAX Aus happen. Remember friends to thank the Enforcers when you see them over the 3 days!
Did somebody say Belt? the unofficial PAX Aus championship belt is a fun activity created by Maddog_1992 and MJDrawza. Played by PAX Aus attendees, including the mOB. Shreddie and Bacon partook last year having Shreddie losing the belt in the last minutes to Volmont_twitch in a huge upset.
The game is simple to play, find the person who has the belt, you challenge them to Rock, Paper, Scissors. Winner takes the belt they must tweet "PAXAus247" with a photo of the winner and loser and it continues until PAX Aus is done. If loser wants to challenge again they must wait 1 hour to do so. Whom ever has the belt at on the Sunday night of PAX Aus is the overall winner and gets bragging rights for a whole year.
Are you a content creator or cosplayer? Business cards are a great idea! It gives people something to remember you by with all your relevant info, plus I collect them because I’m a weird nerd who loves peoples business cards. Things I suggest having on your card is your username/name easy to read and recognise and a QR code with all your links on it, the business card can be simple or vibrant, with artwork or photos, anything you want!! That's what makes them so fun.
We hope you all are excited for PAX Aus 2024. I know I am. We have SO much content planned, from our usual cosplay video, to interviews with game devs and content creators, to meet ups and panels! If you wanna keep up with us feel free to join our discord or follow us on the socials :) Can't wait to see you there!
Much love,
mOB
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