CONVENTION POLICIES

No devices may be flown or tethered within the confines of the Exhibit Hall or at any WonderCon function inside or outside of the Anaheim Convention Center. This includes drones, helium balloons and helium-filled products, or any lighter-than-air objects either powered or unpowered.

Always wear your complete badge (plastic badge holder and paper name badge) and hang on to it! You will need your badge to attend any WonderCon function, including all daytime and nighttime panels and events at the Anaheim Convention Center, the Arena, the Anaheim Hilton headquarters hotel nighttime events, and, of course, browsing or shopping in the Exhibit Hall. Keep your badge visible so guards do not stop you. If you’re asked to show your badge, please do so.

Badges are nontransferable. Please do not give your badge to a friend or to people outside the Convention Center when you leave WonderCon. We will perform random ID checks against badges. If you lose your WonderCon badge, please visit Badge Solutions in the Registration Area of Hall D. Lost or stolen badges may be replaced on-site for full retail value.

Attendees must respect common-sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property. Harassing or offensive behavior will not be tolerated. WonderCon reserves the right to revoke, without refund, the membership and badge of any attendee not in compliance with this policy. Persons finding themselves in a situation where they feel their safety is at risk or who become aware of an attendee not in compliance with this policy should immediately locate the nearest member of security or staff member so that the matter can be handled in an expeditious manner.

The WonderCon Show Desk is located in Lobby B/C. During show hours you can always find a WonderCon staff member or security guard in the show office. Please stop by there if you have any questions or concerns.

No functional weapons are allowed at WonderCon. Simulated or costume weapons are allowed as a part of your costume, subject to prior approval by security and compliance with the following:

The WonderCon Show Desk is located in Lobby B/C. During show hours you can always find a WonderCon staff member or security guard in the show office. Please stop by there if you have any questions or concerns.

• All costume weapons must be inspected at one of the Costume Props Check Desks. There are 4 locations this year: on the Grand Plaza outside; inside in Hall D, near registration; in Lobby B/C; and in the lobby of the new North Building (locations are subject to change).
• All costume weapons must conform to state and federal law.
• Projectile costume weapons must be rendered inoperable.
• Functional (real) arrows must have their tips removed and be bundled and zip-tied to a quiver.
• Costume swords must be tied to your costume in such a way that they can’t be drawn.
• After each person’s costume weapon has been checked, it will be tagged by security, and you will be given a wristband to wear to designate that your weapons have been checked.
• Security will escort you to the security station for inspection if your costume weapon is not tagged.

If you do not want to have your costume weapons inspected or tagged, or if you are not willing to comply with these policies, please do not bring your costume weapons to WonderCon.

Remember that recording of footage on the screens during panels is prohibited (see below: No Video or Audio Recording of Panels for Public Display). This includes Google Glass, Snapchat Specs, and any wearable camera. You cannot wear Google Glass during footage viewing in any program room. If your Google Glass is prescription, please bring a different pair of glasses to use during these times.

Also, please turn off your devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) and put them away during the screening of panel footage. Not doing so interferes with everyone’s viewing quality and may cause security to think you’re recording the clip.

Segways and hoverboards are not allowed at WonderCon, including the Exhibit Hall, programming rooms, outside areas of the Anaheim Convention Center, and the Hilton Anaheim ballrooms featuring WonderCon events.

Please be aware that, for safety reasons, no handcarts, trolleys, rolling luggage, or oversized strollers are allowed in the Exhibit Hall. Attendees found on the exhibit floor with these items will be removed from Exhibit Hall.

The usage of live streaming apps and software on any electronic device (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) is not allowed in any on-site or offsite official WonderCon program and event rooms.

Comic-Con does not allow third-party market research, surveys, or information-gathering in any public area—indoors or outdoors—of the San Diego Convention Center, or any other venue featuring Comic-Con events.

Please keep in mind that there will be no personal pages over the P.A. system. Set a time and place to meet with your family and friends and communicate with them via text or phone when necessary. There is also a message board available in Lobby C where you can post written messages.

If you have pets, including iguanas, parrots, boa constrictors, or other nonhuman critters, please leave them at home. The San Diego Convention Center will not allow animals into the building except for service animals. If your service animal is not wearing any kind of ID identifying them as a service animal, you may be stopped by security. For your convenience, please stop by Disabled Services in the lobby of Hall A for Service Animal Stickers for your Comic-Con badge. 

No retail sales are allowed anywhere in Comic-Con unless you purchased or were allocated exhibit space. This includes the Exhibit Hall, common areas such as lobbies, hallways, and program rooms, or outside venues, such as the San Diego Convention Center grounds as well as any venue featuring official Comic-Con events. Retail sales are strictly limited to the exhibitors in the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall. In addition, there is no solicitation of tips, fees, or donations for any reason, unless you have a booth, table, or official space allocated by Comic-Con. 

No retail sales are allowed anywhere in Comic-Con unless you purchased or were allocated exhibit space. This includes the Exhibit Hall, common areas such as lobbies, hallways, and program rooms, or outside venues, such as the San Diego Convention Center grounds as well as any venue featuring official Comic-Con events. Retail sales are strictly limited to the exhibitors in the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall. In addition, there is no solicitation of tips, fees, or donations for any reason, unless you have a booth, table, or official space allocated by Comic-Con. 

For the safety of all, there is absolutely no running anywhere at Comic-Con. This includes the programming rooms, the hallways and lobbies, in our outside spaces, and in the Exhibit Hall at all times, especially in the morning when we first open the hall. We understand the urgency to get to a favorite booth (or program or anime screening or event) right away, but running is a safety hazard for EVERYONE, not just the person running. People caught running may have their badges taken away from them and be ejected from the convention. Don’t run … it’s not worth it!

Selfie sticks, GoPro poles, stilts, or any device that extends your camera or phone away from your hand or body are not allowed at Comic-Con. If you’re seen with one of these devices, you will be asked by security to put it away and not use it at Comic-Con. This includes all of the San Diego Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, programming and event rooms, etc., and on Convention Center grounds outside, and any official Comic-Con events outside the Center, including the hotels, theaters, and the Library.

By order of the fire marshal, sitting in the Exhibit Hall aisles is not allowed. Lounges are located throughout the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall and near food concessions for your convenience.

Smoking is not allowed at any Comic-Con event at any time and in any location. No smoking at Comic-Con includes traditional cigarettes, pipes, cigars, E-cigarettes, or any vaping product or device. This policy includes the Exhibit Hall, all the programming rooms, and all event spaces at the San Diego Convention Center and additional Comic-Con venues. You are welcome to step outside the Convention Center to smoke in designated smoking areas only, but please be considerate of others when you do. This policy is in place not only for the comfort of attendees but also to comply with San Diego city ordinances prohibiting smoking at public events near any doorway, entrance, exit, or operable window. Please comply with this policy; noncompliance may result in ejection from the convention.

By order of the fire marshal, strollers are not allowed in any of the programming rooms. Stroller parking is located in various areas in the San Diego Convention Center; see the maps in the Comic-Con Events Guide for exact locations. Stroller parking will be free of charge and provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note: Comic-Con will not provide security or check-in/check-out for the strollers.

Cameras and recording devices are permitted in program and panel rooms but cannot be used to reproduce the presentation and must not interfere with other fans’ enjoyment of the presentation. Any recording of panels or programs is allowed only for personal use and not for broadcast in any form. No video or audio recording is allowed of the footage on the screens during movie and television panels. The footage shown in these panels is exclusive, brought to us by the studios and networks. Please respect their rights and allow us to continue to show this type of material to our attendees.

Alcohol or alcoholic beverages are not allowed inside the San Diego Convention Center or at any of our official offsite events. Bag searches may be performed at various entry locations. Wanding and metal detectors may be used at some locations as well. Make sure to leave your drones, helium balloons, helium-filled products, fireworks, handcarts, trolleys, rolling luggage, and pets (excluding service animals) at home. Absolutely no functioning props or weapons are allowed. Only active on-duty police officers may carry firearms within the Convention Center. All other persons are strictly prohibited regardless of license or status.

Remember that recording of footage on the screens during panels is prohibited (see above: No Video or Audio Recording of Panels for Public Display). This includes any recording device, whether digital, analog, or otherwise, including Google Glass, Snapchat Specs, or any wearable cameras. You cannot wear these devices during footage viewing in any program room. If your Google Glass is prescription, please bring a different pair of glasses to use during these times.

Please turn off your devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) and put them away during the screening of panel footage. Not doing so interferes with everyone’s viewing quality and causes security to think you’re recording the clip.