Another year of San Diego Comic Con Open Registration has come to pass and, like last year, there isn’t much hope for a resale event down the line, so at this point, you should know whether or not you’re attending SDCC 2016. Deep breath in, count to ten, and let it out. Okay, so how did you do?
We’ll rip the band-aid off first: with 12 registration codes and 7 people trying to buy badges on multiple browsers, we were completely shut out this year. None of us even made it past the yellow box and spinning blue circle. Thankfully, we have writers approved as press again this year – so we’re still going to bring you the best coverage we can!
This year, Comic Con International learned from their Registration Code snafu last year and went ahead and emailed everyone their code (rather than make people log into their Member ID to find it). There was still a rush to check it in the Member ID portal and Twitter was reporting a few errors and some lagging on Chrome browsers, but there was much less panicking than last year. Comparatively, Open Registration went even smoother than Pre-Reg this year.
Also, we want a raise for whoever is writing those yellow box messages!
I also heard he had an 8-pack. #MattTheRadarTechnician#SDCCOR#SDCCpic.twitter.com/MIGslFrhw6
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) February 20, 2016
After the EPIC Registration Waiting Room closed to new entrants at 9:00 AM, it took 11 minutes for the sorting of buying groups to be completed and for Twitter to start reporting that badges were being bought. Badges sold out in the same order as last year, with badges selling out approximately 4 minutes faster.
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9:25 AM – Preview Night sold out
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9:37 AM – Saturday sold out
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9:39 AM – Friday sold out
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9:52 AM – Thursday sold out
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9:55 AM – Sunday sold out
There was some confusion, as Thursday was initially reported sold out on Twitter at 9:43 AM, but the official confirmation from Comic Con International came at 9:52 AM. All badges sold out in under an hour, which only happened for the first time last year. This leads us to believe that CCI will not abandon this system of sales any time soon, no matter how frustrating it feels to long-time convention veterans.
SO NOW WHAT?
Remember, a badge for one day qualifies you for Pre-Reg next year! And one badge is still better than none! #SDCCORhttps://t.co/yTGXhhE6EA
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) February 20, 2016
If you managed to score even one badge for 2016, you’re qualified for Pre-Reg 2017 and have a (slightly) better chance of getting more badges for next year’s con.
If you are still planning to come to San Diego regardless of how many badges you ended up with, outside of the con has expanded massively over the years and there is more than enough to keep you busy! Outside Comic Con and the SDCC Unofficial Blog are both fantastic resources for keeping up on off-site events that happen during San Diego Comic Con.
We’ll see those of you in attendance at Hotelocalypse, which the SDCC Unofficial Blog reports is happening on April 5, 2016. That gives everyone another month and a half to stress out before the final scramble!
How did you do in the Open Registration for San Diego Comic Con 2016?
Let us know in the comments! And tell us how many of our bingo squares you filled up!
Prepare to play #SDCC Open Registration Bingo with us! Only half an hour to go! #BeTheCheerio pic.twitter.com/vky7INgSFG
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) February 20, 2016
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