Heading to San Diego Comic-Con 2019? We offer advice on evaluating the popularity of a panel based on seating capacity and using the Sched “Popular” feature.
In case you missed it, we previously published an article listing the seating capacity for each room at SDCC 2019. As we mentioned in that article, you’ll want to keep those numbers in mind when deciding how early you should get in line for a panel that you really want to go to. Also, remember that SDCC does not clear rooms between panels, so it is possible you might need to sit through a panel that you don’t really care about in order to make sure you get into your desired panel. You’ll also need to take the Hall H wristband policy into consideration if want to attend any panels in Hall H.
Something else that might help you decide when to get in line is the “Popular” feature on Sched, which ranks the panels by popularity based on how many people have RSVP’d that they are attending each panel. Of course, not everyone creates an account and RSVP’s on Sched, so the number of people who say they are attending is typically smaller than the number of people who will actually attempt to attend each particular panel. However, at least it gives you a gauge to go by.
For example, at the time of publication, the #1 most popular panel is the Marvel Studios panel with 3,314 attending, but it’s a safe bet that a much higher number than that will attend. In the past, this panel has been completely full, and attendees will sit in Hall H for the entire day just to see the Marvel panel.
Currently, 8 of the Top 10 panels are in Hall H, but notice that #4 NBC’s The Good Place is in the 2,663 seat capacity Indigo Ballroom, and currently has 2,481 attendees RSVP’d. Expect the Indigo Ballroom to be tough to get into for that panel. Additionally, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is in the 2,160 seat capacity Room 6BCF and currently has 2,085 attendees RSVP’d. Again, expect more attendees than are actually RSVP’d to show up to try to get in.
This brings up another point, which we mentioned above, that rooms are not cleared between panels. That means people can and will sit through panels they’re not interested in. You should always look to see what is going on in that room both earlier and later on in the day and judge by the popularity of those panels to determine whether you should get in line even earlier. You can use Sched to sort by venue so that you can see what’s going on in each room each day.
Again, this isn’t an exact science, and you can’t base your decisions solely on the amount of people who RSVP’d on Sched, but it does help you get an idea of how popular each panel is. If your desired panel is in one of the smaller rooms, but doesn’t crack the Top 50 on the popularity list, then you most likely don’t have anything to worry about. However, you should compare the number of RSVP’d attendees to the seating capacity for the room, and you can also sort popularity by day, rather than than look at the overall popularity list for all days. (Note: The sorting features may work better on a desktop web browser than on the mobile site or the app.)
For example, although Thursday’s 11th Annual “Behind the Music”: Celebrating Fan-Favorite Sounds and Scores of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Television panel is not on the overall Top 50 list, it is currently ranked #23 on Thursday’s Top 50. However, while 778 attendees have RSVP’d for this panel, Room 25ABC only has a seating capacity of 480.
An example of a panel that is on the Top 50 overall list but is over capacity is Saturday’s George Takei: They Called Us Enemy panel, with 1,275 attendees RSVP’d for the 480 seat capacity Room 25ABC. So, you’ll probably need to get there early and sit through at least one prior panel to secure your spot. Those who are planning on attending an earlier panel in that room should be mindful that although their desired panel may show a low attendance, others may be getting there early to secure their spot for the George Takei panel.
Note that panels at the Horton Grand Theatre are the exception to the rule — this room does clear the room between panels. That is because each panel at the Horton Grand Theatre requires a separate ticket for entry, in addition to your Comic-Con badge. Drawings for free tickets to each panel at the Horton Grand Theatre are held at 9:00am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Autograph Area of the Sails Pavilion for that day’s panels. Once you pull a winning ticket, you won’t need to line up early for the panel, as seats are assigned. Each winner gets two tickets.
Now is a good time to bring up the fact that #22 and #30 on the overall Popular list are Friday’s 10th Anniversary of Parks and Recreation panel and Saturday’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: A Master Class with Guillermo del Toro, “The Making of a Monster” panel, which take place at the Horton Grand Theatre. At this time, 1,424 attendees have RSVP’d for the former, and 1,254 for the latter. Unfortunately, as you’ll notice if you check our seating capacity guide, the Horton Grand Theatre seating capacity is only 240. So it seems there will be a lot of people trying to draw a winning ticket for that screening, but only a small fraction will succeed.
These are just a few things to consider as you plan out your SDCC 2019 schedule. Remember, always have a backup plan! And a backup plan to your backup plan!
What days are you going to SDCC 2019? Are there any panels that you’re worried about not getting into? Let us know in the comments below!
Our other SDCC Tips articles:
Start Getting Comic Con Fit Now
Keep Your Devices Powered Up
How to Avoid Con Crud
Seating Capacity
