Yesterday, CCI sent out emails to everyone eligible for San Diego Comic-Con 2014 Open Online Registration informing them that the registration will take place this Saturday, March 15 at 9:00am PT! Read on for more details.
If you have a Comic-Con Member ID, and you are eligible for SDCC 2014 Open Online Registration, you should have received an email yesterday evening (Wednesday, March 12) informing you that Open Online Registration will take place this Saturday, with the landing page opening at 7:00am PT, and the actual sale starting at 9:00am PT. You also should have received an additional email today (Thursday, March 13) providing the link to the landing page and your personal registration code. We have provided those emails below (with the link and registration code redacted, of course), as well as tips from the Toucan Blog for surviving Open Online Registration.
Note for newbies: If you do not already have a Member ID, you will not be able to participate in SDCC 2014 Open Online Registration, nor will anyone with a Member ID be able to purchase a badge for you. Comic-Con International closed Member IDs to new creation and changes last week, and they will not reopen it until after Open Online Registration. However, do not lose hope! You should still sign up for a Member ID when CCI opens it up again, because you will be able to participate in the Resale, which will take place sometime after Open Online Registration, after people have returned their badges for a refund.
At 5:26pm PT on March 12, we received the following email from Comic-Con International:
“Comic-Con International is pleased to announce that Open Online Registration is finally here! Comic-Con 2014 Open Online Registration will begin shortly after 9:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) on Saturday, March 15, 2014.
The EPIC Registration landing page will open at 7:00 AM (PT) for you to enter your personal registration code and authorize your device to enter the waiting room.
Your personal registration code and link to the landing page will be sent to you via email at least 24 hours prior to the start of the sale. You can also access your registration code by logging in to your Member ID account and selecting the “Registration Info” tab. We suggest you add do-not-reply@comic-con.org as an approved/authorized sender to your email account.
You must authorize your registration code prior to 9:00 AM (PT) on March 15. The EPIC Registration waiting room will close for entry at 9:00 AM (PT).
Are you wondering what a registration code is? Confused about why there are two different opening times? For answers to these important questions and others, we strongly encourage you to read the Comic-Con 2014 Open Online Registration instructions.
You can also find important registration information and helpful tips on Toucan, the Official Blog of Comic-Con International, WonderCon, and APE. Click the “Registration Update” link on the categories menu for specific registration related topics.
Please keep in mind that not all eligible attendees will be able to purchase a badge during Open Online Registration. There are far more eligible attendees than badges available.You can increase your chances of obtaining a badge by reading all of the instructions carefully and having your personal information ready on the day of the sale.
Sincerely,
Comic-Con International”
Shortly thereafter, the Toucan Blog also posted some tips for Open Online Registration:
For those looking to attend Comic-Con for the very first time, the Open Online Registration process can seem quite overwhelming. Gone are the days when one could simply walk into the San Diego Convention Center and buy a badge. The popularity of Comic-Con has morphed the face of badge registration over the years, requiring Comic-Con to change the process frequently to keep up with burgeoning technology and demand.If this is the first time you’re attempting to buy a Comic-Con badge, we have a few hints and tips that you should be aware of.
1. Do not share your registration code!
Each registration code is good for one entry into the EPIC Registration waiting room. Your code will authorize one browser and one device only. If you share your code with another person or attempt to enter your code on multiple devices, the new device/browser will be authorized and your old session will expire. Your personal registration code can be found under the “Registration Info” tab in your Member ID account, but please remember in this instance, sharing is not caring.
2. Authorize early!
The EPIC Registration landing page will be open for you to authorize your registration code from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) on March 15, 2014. If you arrive after 9:00 AM, you will not be able to authorize your code and the waiting room will be closed. Remember, it does not matter what time you arrive at the EPIC Registration landing page. Everyone will be sorted into random order after the sale begins, so take your time and enter your registration code about 10-15 minutes before 9:00 AM (PT).
3. Do not refresh!
Refreshing is to the waiting room what kryptonite is to Superman. Once you have secured your place in the waiting room it is important that you do not refresh your browser or you will be moved to the back of the line. The EPIC Registration system will not behave as expected if you attempt to refresh through any portion of the badge purchase process. It may be tempting, but just don’t do it!
4. Do not use your browser’s back button!
We’ve all made mistakes and we’ve all missed important information that requires us to go “back” a step online, but in the case of Open Online Registration it is critical that you take your time while registering and do not hit the back button to repair any mistakes. In multiple rounds of online registration testing, using the back button has produced the greatest number of errors. Comic-Con and EPIC Registration simply cannot stress this tip enough. Using the back button at any point during the registration process could potentially cause the system to error out or release your badges back into inventory. Remember and memorize; back is bad!
5. No Member ID = no badge!
Everyone who wishes to purchase a badge for Comic-Con must have their own valid and confirmed Member ID. This means that you cannot buy a badge for a friend, spouse, child, or parent using your own Member ID. If you are buying badges for others, you will need their personal Member ID and last name.
6. Take a cue from Batman and always be prepared!
In the days leading up to Open Online Registration it is important that you get all of your information ready. You will need your registration code, Member ID, last name, and all of your credit card information at your fingertips. You will also need the Member ID and last name for anyone you are purchasing a badge for. We strongly suggest that you get all of this information ready ahead of time, and check it against the information found on the “Registration Info” tab of your Member ID account.
7. Be tech ready!
Your browser should have Javascript and cookies enabled to function reliably with the EPIC Registration waiting room. These features are usually enabled in the default configuration of most modern web browsers. If you do not have these features enabled, it is possible that the waiting room application will not function properly. We also recommend that you use one of the following browsers: Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari. We cannot guarantee your results if you use a browser not listed here. The EPIC Registration system is not formatted for mobile devices. Finally, we recommend that you adjust or turn off your computer’s power saving setting so that your computer does not go to sleep or power down while in the waiting room.
8. Stock up on snacks!
If all goes well, we anticipate that Open Online Registration will last about an hour. You may have to wait up to an hour for your registration session to begin. You will not be able to see your place in line, so it is important that you pay close attention to your waiting room session. EPIC will automatically refresh the waiting room for you every 120 seconds, and will post live status updates to let you know when badge inventory is running low. Additionally, there will be a blue spinning circle that indicates your page is active. We find that having a nice, refreshing beverage and some protein-packed snacks will help keep you powered through the anxious wait.
9. Relax and take a deep breath!
10. Unfortunately not everyone who participates in Open Online Registration will be able to purchase a badge.
Gaining admittance to the waiting room does not guarantee you a badge or a registration session; there are simply far more people who want to attend than there are badges available. We appreciate your continued support and hope the new changes we made this year will make the process less problematic than it has been in the past.”
Finally, today, March 13, we received the following email at 9:24am PT:
“Please find below the link to the EPIC Registration landing page and your personalized registration code. The landing page will open at 7:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) on Saturday, March 15, 2014 for registration code authorization. Comic-Con 2014 Open Online Registration will begin shortly after 9:00 AM (PT).
EPIC Landing Page: [link provided in your email]
Registration Code: [code provided in your email]
Do not share this code online! Your registration code will only authorize one device/browser for entry into the waiting room.
Please click the landing page link above and enter your registration code anytime between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM (PT) on March 15. Although there is no advantage in arriving to the waiting room early, you must enter your code before 9:00 AM (PT) or you will not be eligible to participate. The EPIC waiting room will close for entry at 9:00 AM (PT). Remember, there is no need to rush to the landing page at 7:00 AM! Eligible attendees will have two full hours to authorize their registration codes and access the waiting room.
When the sale begins after 9:00 AM (PT), EPIC will take everyone in the waiting room and sort them in random order for their registration session. You can enter the waiting room two hours before the sale begins or 10 minutes before the sale begins, and your chances are the same. Your wait time is up to you!
Remember, you must have your personal registration code to access the waiting room. Your registration code can also be found by logging in to your Member ID account and selecting the “Registration Info” tab.
For more information on Open Online Registration, please visit http://www.comic-con.org/cci/2014/badge-sales
Thank you,
Comic-Con International”
This year Comic Con has made it an effort to get your registration badge with the luck of a draw! Whatever happened to waiting in line to purchase tickets? I say you would have more luck doing it the old fashion way! And why didn’t they ever put thought into expanding the days, one whole week or weekend to weekend, instead of construction expansion! Limit the purchases like they are doing now and making it more secure from scalpers! Keep it in San Diego where it all started, bringing in more business for them!
It’s a dream of mine to go to Comic-con someday. It’s just way too far away, but I will make it work someday. Someday…