The husbun and I sprung for VIP tickets for Comic Con Africa. I’ve considered going the VIP route before. I actually went from thinking to buying this time because I realised how many people were going, how little parking there was at the venue, and living together means you have two incomes and someone to eat two-minute noodles with.
Computicket hiccups and organiser success
Buying the tickets was easy. I used my credit card and the Computicket website. Somewhere along the line, things went wonky. I couldn’t find my standard tickets to print, so someone from Computicket sent me the ordinary day passes. I hadn’t collected the VIP tickets at that point. When we went to Computicket to get the VIP tickets, they’d “already been claimed”.
All praise to Reed Exhibitions though. They emailed me my VIP parking pass so I knew they knew about me. At the gate they had our names and email addresses on their list so the possible snafu was very pleasantly avoided.
VIP doesn’t mean no queues
My information pack was very clear that I couldn’t jump queues as a VIP. Somehow, I still got it into my head that I wouldn’t be waiting long in queues. I forgot the obvious: I’d be standing in queues with other VIPs. In fairness, it was a lot shorter than the other queues.
We had to stand in line to get into the venue. In the sun. Luckily I bought my Pokémon Go adventure bag so I could be the mom friend and get people sunscreened up. The wait was because they had to tick off our names by hand. I wanted to be grumpy about it, but that system saved my ass from the Computicket glitch.
VIP means free eats and drinks and a place to have them
The VIP area saved my blood sugar and my marriage. I did cosplay makeup for the first time in ages so I made us a bit late. We didn’t have breakfast before leaving. With the queues and recon mission, and getting photos with Travis Fimmel we first hit an area with food at about 11:00.
Here’s a short video of me looking at one of the VIP areas and talking in my hangry voice:
I think the husbun’s body language says it all!
I don’t eat a lot at cons because busy cons mean busy bathrooms, so the snacks were enough for me. Hardus, on the other hand, bought some more substantial food later the afternoon. I devoured a garage pie on the way home, which is part of my con tradition.
I know from other congoers that cooldrinks were hectically pricey at R20 for a small can. Since I had several cooldrinks, a few ciders, water, food, and a place to sit down and rest my aching feet, this is one part of the VIP ticket that was worth every cent! Especially since the husbun got overwhelmed by the crowds faster than I was.
What did I get from the 2018 package?
- VIP parking close to the venue
- VIP check-in
- VIP air-conditioned chill area
- Snacks
- Free drinks
- A photo opportunity with the guest of your choice
- A goodie bag.
Was it worth it?
For husband and I, it was a brilliant idea. I have an old knee injury so walking uphill and downhill from parking wouldn’t have pleasant. There were areas to sit down outside. If the weather hadn’t been so hot that would’ve been great as well, but I was grateful for the aircon and comfortable seats. You could also watch the gaming area from the VIP area, so we didn’t feel we were missing out on the con just because we were taking a break.
I feel the photo opportunity, the merch, parking and drinks and snacks made the price of the VIP ticket worth it. I might have had to cough up a fair amount ahead of time, but it made me much more relaxed and hydrated while I was at the convention.
How was your first Comic Con Africa?
Skipping Convention 
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