It’s finally starting to feel like San Diego Comic Con 2017 is ramping up! With Returning Registration in our rear view mirrors, it’s a great time to look forward to Open Registration, the impending Hotel Lottery (Hotelpocalypse), and the Parking Lottery.
The good news is that if you were successful during Returning Registration, you have some great opportunities to get ahead of the game before Open Registration happens. This includes participating in the Early Bird Hotel Sales and signing up for the Ace Parking Permit Lottery, if you need a parking permit.
Here are three things to take into consideration before the chaos of Open Registration ensues, including a potential date for when it may occur based on guesses around the blogosphere.
Prepare for Open Registration
Preparation for Open Registration follows many of the same rules that guided Returning Registration, with the main difference being the number of people attempting to buy badges. While Returning Registration limited badge-buyers to those who attended SDCC in 2016, the only limitation on Open Registration is the date in which you had to have your Member ID created: before March 24, 2017 at 6:30 PM PST.
To confirm your eligibility for Open Registration, log into your Member ID, where you should see a green checkmark and “OK CCI’17 Attendee Open Reg.” Also, take note that accounts are now locked for changes until after Returning Registration occurs. If your email address is on file incorrectly or you’ve opted out of receiving emails from CCI, you will not be getting notice of Open Registration. Make sure to contact them to be notified.
Speculation is that Open Registration will occur April 8, 2017, but there is no confirmation of any date at this time. With Wondercon being this upcoming weekend and the promise of Open Registration in “early to mid April,” April 8 seems like the safest bet and easiest for Comic Con International to handle without spreading their staff too thin in one weekend.
But best of all, you can still head over to the Friends of CCI forum and make some new friends and possibly join some buying groups to better your badge chances! Badge buying groups in Returning Registration seemed to work out spectacularly for most people. Check out one group that successfully got 31 four-day badges!
Some reminders for Open Registration:
- Have the Member ID and Last Names of anyone you’d like to buy badges for
- You can purchase up to 3 badges (including your own)
- One 4-Day Badge with Preview Night will cost $265
It’s also important to discuss plans should days begin selling out. For example, is the Thursday/Sunday split good enough or do you want to try again next year as soon as Saturday badges sell out? These days, there are more than enough events happening inside the Gaslamp that don’t require a badge to keep you busy, but it is something to keep in mind.
Once the official date of Open Registration is announced and CCI reveals any new specifics of the sale, we’ll be able to dig down into the details, but for now, these are just a few of the things to keep in mind as we all prepare for the next steps.
Early Bird Hotel Sales
If you were lucky enough to lockdown your SDCC 2017 plans with Returning Registration in early March and you want to avoid another headache, the Early Bird Hotel Sales have opened up – which means you can lockdown your accommodations as well!
However, there are some stipulations for this process: no downtown hotels are included in the Early Bird sales and these hotels are non-refundable. There are also more, hotel-specific details that range from the specific number of nights you must book to which nights you must book.
If a downtown hotel is not an absolute necessity and you are guaranteed to be headed to SDCC 2017, these hotel offerings are a great option. These are cheaper options that are still easily accessible thanks to the CCI Shuttle Service that runs Preview Night from 3PM-10PM, with 24 hour service beginning on Thursday at 7AM and running through Sunday at 7PM.
These hotel options also sometimes offer parking as well as free breakfasts and complimentary wi-fi, though you’ll have to compare and contrasts all of the benefits listed on your own. Years ago, we did a great breakdown of the pros and cons of participating in the Early Bird hotel sales and those points are still relevant today.
Ace Parking Lottery
For San Diego locals or those who prefer to have their vehicles close, the Ace Parking Lottery for SDCC 2017 is now open. Like Early Bird hotels, signing up to participate is another thing you can mark off the checklist if you’re already sure you’re headed to SDCC this year. However, you can also wait until (hopefully) after Open Registration, as the parking lottery is accepting entries for the lottery until the 24th of April. The actual lottery drawing will be held on the 25th of April and divide the selected entries into six groups.
On May 1st the system will be opened and restricted to the people in group 1 only. Each week thereafter the system will be opened to the next group until all groups have had a chance to purchase their permits. At the end of the six-week period, the system will be opened to the general public.
The system is essentially the same as last year, with the difference being anyone interested in participating submits this simple form. It only requires your name and email address and we recommend filling it out sooner rather than later if you think you’ll be needing a parking permit for SDCC so that you don’t forget before the system closes.
Ace Parking is still in the process of finalizing which lots are included this year, but looking through the FAQs on their site, they list the hours for some lots and may indicate which are going to be included this year (Convention Center, Hilton Bayfront garage, Padres Parkade, Diamond View Towers, Tailgate Park, Triangle, MTS, and 707 Broadway).
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