SDCC 2016: Open Online Badge Registration announced for Saturday 20th February
So it is, and so it shall be – Comic-Con International have announced that San Diego Comic-Con badges will go on sale to the general public NEXT SATURDAY, 20th FEBRUARY at 5pm GMT (9am PT / Midday ET), with the EPIC Registration Waiting Room opening an hour earlier. This will most likely be the one and only opportunity for eligible people to get to go, as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the Badge Sale process and sell out the event within hours.
For the last couple of years, CCI have not held a second follow-up badge sale – due to their ability to allocate the small number of returned badges to their own requirements – and so next Saturday is your Last Chance Saloon if you are wanting to attend the Biggest, Most Awesome Nerd Party On The Planet ™.
But it’s only going to be available to those who have been prepared enough to have a valid Member ID in place – “…you can’t be any geek off the street, gotta be handy with the [Member ID] if you know what I mean, earn your keep…!”
As has been the case for the last three years, the Badge Sale will consist of a two-step process:
- applicants will enter a Waiting Room, opened ONE HOUR before the badge buying system opens (at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT)…
- …then applicants will be randomly selected to enter registration sessions to take fifteen minutes to get their hands on their prized Golden Tickets. (Editors Note: they’re not actually golden. Sorry. We suggested it to CCI but they ain’t buyin’.)
It’s going to be pretty much the same buying process as introduced in 2013, with one or two minor tweaks – check out this video, posted by CCI back in 2014 for a primer:
We’ll be talking about the process – and all of the the changes that have been introduced for 2016 – in this weekends Talkin’ Comic-Con: A Cup O’ Tea… show: do tune in to get the full rundown on what will transpire next Saturday. And, of course, make sure you take the time to go through the update below, posted on the CCI website, detailing the process…
OPEN REGISTRATION
Comic-Con 2016 badges will go on sale Saturday, February 20, during Open Registration! The EPIC waiting room will open for registration code authorization at 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST), and badges will go on sale shortly after 9:00 AM PST. We encourage you to read all of the important information below.
ELIGIBLITY
Comic-Con 2016 Open Registration is open to the general public and anyone who has not purchased or registered for the Comic-Con 2016 Preview Night option. If you were able to obtain a Preview Night badge during attendee preregistration or professional registration, you are not eligible to participate in Open Registration on February 20, 2016.
To see if you are eligible to participate in Open Registration, log in to your Member ID account and select the “Registration Info” tab. Please keep in mind that not all eligible attendees will be able to purchase a badge during Open 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.
BADGE PRICES
REGISTRATION CODES
PURCHASING BADGES
PURCHASING BADGES FOR OTHERS
- Each individual you are buying for must be eligible to participate and they must have their own confirmed Comic-Con Member ID account.
- You will need the Member ID and last name for all individuals you are buying for. You do not need their Member ID password.
- You may not purchase badges for others using your own Comic-Con Member ID.
RECOMMENDED BROWSERS / COMPUTER SETTINGS
The EPIC waiting room and badge registration system has been tested on the following browsers. We cannot guarantee your results should you use a browser not listed below:
- Firefox: Any version
- Google Chrome: Any version
- Internet Explorer: Version 8 or later
- Safari: Any version
- Microsoft EDGE: Any version
Attempting to purchase badges using multiple browser tabs will confuse the badge sale process and cause your transaction to fail. Only use one browser tab when trying to purchase badges.
Your browser should have JavaScript and cookies enabled to function reliably with the EPIC 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.
The EPIC badge registration system is not formatted for iPad, tablets, or mobile devices. Although mobile devices can be used to purchase a badge, Comic-Con is unable to guarantee that the registration system will behave as expected using a mobile device.
Please make sure your computer’s power saving setting are off or adjust them if needed. You do not want your computer to power down or go to sleep while you are in the EPIC waiting room.
THE EPIC WAITING ROOM
Do not refresh while you are in the EPIC waiting room! The EPIC waiting room will automatically refresh every 120 seconds. If the blue circle is spinning, your page is active! Refreshing your browser in the waiting room may cause technical difficulties or remove you from the waiting room.
If at any time you are disconnected from the EPIC waiting room, simply return to the landing page and enter your personal registration code again. You will be put back in the same random group you were assigned. This only applies to registration codes that were authorized prior to 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Your personal registration code will only authorize one device and one browser to enter the EPIC waiting room. If you attempt to enter your registration code on a different device and/or browser, your registration code will authorize the NEW device and your old device and/or browser session will expire. You may not run multiple browser tabs or multiple browser sessions of the waiting room. We strongly recommend that you log in to the waiting room using only the computer and browser you plan to use on the day of the sale.
The EPIC landing page will open for registration code entry at 8:00 AM PST on the day of the badge sale. You do not need to rush to the landing page at 8:00 AM PST! Eligible attendees will have one full hour to enter their registration code and authorize their device/browser to enter the waiting room. Early arrival to the waiting room does not provide any advantage over those who arrive later than you.
Entry to the waiting room does not guarantee you a badge or a registration session. Not all members will be selected for a registration session.
Shortly after 9:00 AM PST, EPIC will begin moving groups at random from the waiting room to a registration session. It does not matter what time you entered the waiting room, you may be moved at random to a registration session sometime after 9:00 AM PST. The EPIC waiting room will close for entry at 9:00 AM PST. You cannot enter the waiting room after 9:00 AM PST!
If you are selected for a registration session, you will need to enter an eligible Comic-Con Member ID and LAST NAME. Do not enter your Member ID and password. You will also be prompted to select the number of people you are purchasing badges for during the sale: 1, 2, or 3.
You will have 15 minutes to complete your entire registration session and purchase! We strongly recommend having your credit card information ready and all of the Member IDs and last names of the people you are buying badges for. A delay in inputting this information may cause your session to expire.
*Important* It is critical that you do not use your browser’s back button during any step of your registration session! If you need to remove a badge selection, you will be given the option on the final review page. Comic-Con International cannot guarantee that your EPIC registration session will behave as expected if you use your back button during any step of the registration process.
THE FINE PRINT
While Comic-Con has made every effort to make the badge purchase experience fair for everyone, it is possible that problems outside of our control could result in the system not working as planned. The possibility exists that anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-malware software may aggressively block browser cookies, JavaScript, or other operation of modern web applications. It is also possible that user error, specific hardware problems, local ISP issues, or simply the extremely high level of demand beyond our control may result in your computer and/or browser not behaving as described above. While Comic-Con has done extensive testing, we make no guarantees that your efforts will result in a successful badge purchase regardless of when you enter the process.
As always, we are sincerely grateful for your continued support and interest in our event. We know that purchasing a badge can be a challenge and we are constantly exploring options to improve your online registration experience. We will continue to offer deeply discounted rates for juniors, seniors, and active duty members of the military, as well as one of the most generous free child badge policies in the comic convention industry.
[…] I’ll be talking about the process over on – and all of the the changes that have been introduced for 2016 – in this weekend’s Talkin’ Comic-Con: A Cup O’ Tea… show: do tune in to get the full rundown on what will transpire next Saturday. And, of course, make sure you take the time to go through the update about tickets, posted on the CCI website, detailing the process, which is also posted on my web site. […]
[…] in part to a toddler, with another one on the way, balanced with a full-time job. But the recent San Diego Comic-Con Open Registration reminded me that I never posted anything about our experience at SDCC 2015 with a 15-month […]