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Important Notes About Attending Programs and Events at Comic-Con

Comic-Con International Programming continues to grow and add more locations outside of the Convention Center. The Anime and the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival rooms have moved to the Marriott Hotel and Marina, right next door to the Convention Center, at the north (Hall A) end. The Fan Group meeting room has also moved, to the Santa Rosa Room in the Marriott. The Santa Rosa Room is located right next door to the Convention Center: when leaving the Center, take the first immediate left and walk back toward the Marriott garage, between the Convention Center and the hotel. You'll find the Santa Rosa Room next to the entrance to the south tower of the Marriott. Follow the signage to get to your destination in the Marriott!

Comic-Con programs will take place in Rooms 3 through 9 on the top floor of the older part of the Convention Center, in rooms 24ABC, 25ABC, and 26AB on the Cityside Corridor of the new section of the Convention Center, and 30CDE and 32AB in the Bayside Corridor of the new section. Once again Ballroom 20 (the entrance for daytime programs has changed slightly from last year and is now in the corner between the ballroom lobby and the Bayside Corridor) and the enormous Hall H are the locations for movie and TV programming.

In addition, Comic-Con will once again be using the beautiful Hilton San Diego Bayfront, directly across Park Boulevard at the south (Hall H) end of the Convention Center for programs. A short walk across the street and into the side entrance of the Hilton leads you to escalators that take you right up to the Indigo Ballroom. This 2,000-seat program room will be the home for special programs on Thursday and Friday evening and all-day Saturday, including (believe it or not!) Penn + Teller on Thursday evening along with a special world premiere movie screening of Lost Boys: The Thirst with stars of the film; the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday evening; and a complete schedule or events all-day Saturday, including a screening of Cop Out, introduced by the one and only Kevin Smith. Check the daily program schedule blurbs on this website for information on the great programs at the Hilton and the Marriott!

Over the past few years, as attendance at Comic-Con has grown by leaps and bounds, the number of people attending events has also grown. To make everyone's programming experience as pleasant as possible, we ask that you follow these guidelines. While they apply to all events at Comic-Con, including anime and film screenings and gaming, they are particularly important in the big programming venues: Rooms 6A, 6BCF, 6DE, 20, and Hall. These procedures are for safety purposes and to help ease line and crowd control issues. They include:

• In the primary programming room area (Rooms 3 through 9 on the top level of the Convention Center), the four hallways leading into these rooms have been designated either as entrance only or exit only.

• In addition, each room has a definite entrance and exit, and some of the larger rooms have specific areas for lining up. When you're in a room, please listen for the directions for leaving once a program is over. Look for signage that will help you locate the correct line for each programming room.

• Comic-Con has a 15-minute break between programs in the five largest programming rooms (6A, 6BCF, 6DE, 20, and Hall H). This break is to help get attendees in and out of these larger rooms in a timely manner. Rooms will not be cleared during the break. (The programs in the other rooms—3, 4, 5AB, 7AB, 8, 9, 24ABC, 25ABC, 26AB, 30CDE, and 32AB will still run back-to-back without breaks.)

Please keep in mind...

• Seating in all event rooms at Comic-Con is on a first-come, first-served basis. Because of the sheer number of attendees, simply having a badge does not guarantee a seat in programs and events or an autograph from a specific celebrity. If there is a specific program or presentation you would like to see, it's always a good idea to plan accordingly and arrive early.

• Seating is limited in each room, from the smallest (280 seats) to the largest (6,500). To help us all, please:

• Do not put your bags, food, etc. on the seat next to you.

• Keep seat saving to an absolute minimum.

• Don't leave gaps in seating. Please fill in all seats.

• If you are standing in a room, you may be asked to move or find a seat. This request is for safety reasons and is under the jurisdiction of the Fire Marshal. Standing in any programming room at any time is not recommended.

• There is no reserved seating for press. Press badges do not guarantee entry to any event.

• Room clearing: Comic-Con does not clear rooms between events; you are permitted to stay in the same room for multiple programs (with certain exceptions; if a room is to be cleared, that will be announced).

• Full rooms: Rooms filled to capacity will be closed, and no additional attendees will be admitted. This policy is under the jurisdiction of the Fire Marshal.

• Recording of any of the video footage or images projected onto the screens in any of the rooms is strictly prohibited. Hollywood movie and television studios go to great lengths and expense to bring these special showings for Comic-Con. In many cases these are exclusive presentations, specifically for you, the Comic-Con attendees. Recording of any of these presentations, by any means, including cameras and camera phones, is a violation of copyright law. Please don't ruin it for all of us! If any of these special presentations appear on the Internet, the studios may stop bringing the special presentations we all love so much. Comic-Con has an exemplary record in this regard, and that's why you'll continue to see exclusive presentations only at our events, but only you can make sure that continues.

• Photography: Each program has its own set of rules, and sometimes photography is allowed. When taking pictures, please keep these guidelines in mind:

• Keep flash photography to a minimum.

• Take photographs from your seat.

• Follow the rules of each particular panel. Some events will not allow photography of any kind. An announcement will be made if that is the case.

• Q&A: When asking questions of the people on stage, please be courteous. For example, please don't ask for a kiss, a hug, an autograph, a baby, a prom date, or the chance to give speakers a copy of your script, r้sum้, or movie. Such requests stop a program in its tracks. These celebrities are taking time out of their busy schedules to see you. Please treat them with respect. Because of time constraints, sometimes not everyone who gets in line will be able to ask a question. In the bigger rooms (Hall H, Rooms 6A, 6BCF, 6DE, and 20), your question will be screened before you can ask it.

• Cell phones: Just like in a movie theater, please silence all cell phones when you enter any programming room. If you must take a call, please leave the room to do so. Be courteous to your neighbors.

• Trash: Please take your trash with you. Remember that other people will also be attending events in the room following you. Do not leave trash on the chairs or in the area around your seat.

• Cancellations: In rare instances, a guest will have to cancel because of a situation out of his or her control. Keep in mind that programs, events, and listed appearances are subject to change.

In Hall H...

Comic-Con is once again using the massive 6,500-seat hall known as Hall H. This hall is so huge that in addition to the notes above, it has some specific guidelines:

• The line for Hall H starts to the left of the escalators outside of the entrance to Hall G.

• Please remain seated once an event starts and leave only after the event finishes.

• There are bathrooms in Hall H. When you are facing the stage, the restrooms are to your right. If you leave the hall—for any reason—you may not be allowed back in or you may have to get in line to get back in. Again, because of Fire Marshal rules, this policy will be strictly enforced, with no exceptions.

Comic-Con has the best attendees in the world, and comics publishers, Hollywood studios, and everyone in the pop culture industries knows this. That's why Comic-Con has the most incredible guests and programs of any convention. We know you're here because you love this stuff as much as we do. Please keep the above guidelines in mind at all times, and we'll all have a safe, courteous, and fun time at the show!