Maybe meet your soulmate. Cons are a great place to go as a nerd. You have a safe place to geek out and be passionate about what you love. It can be a safe haven. If you go with a positive and confident attitude. If you do not have a good attitude, no one will want to be around you no matter where you go.
Say hello to everyone. I mean everyone. Make connections with as many people as you can. You never know where your next friendship or relationship might start. you don't know who is going to invite you to the next cool room party. You don't know who can get you behind the curtain to meet William Shatner. So talk to everyone you can. Just say hello to everyone! You don’t necessarily need to have full conversations, it’s ok to just say hello and move on. The important part is that a connection was made and maybe later a friendship could develop.
Plan Ahead before the con starts
Get to the convention early. Figure out where everything is located inside the hotel or convention center. Knowing where you are going will be so much easier for you to move around and look confident while doing it.. Do some exploring and reconnaissance. Plan for all the panels and special events you want to check out before the con starts. Figure out where those events take place. If you make your schedule early, you won’t end up feeling lost or bored. (if you are bored at a con, you are definitely doing it wrong. Of course you can always change your schedule when other fun things come up. Having at least an idea of what you want to do will help a lot.
Being early is important because the more you are seen on the first day, the more people will recognize you later on at the con. It’s all about making those connections. If people recognize you from before, you already have something in common and it’s very likely that they will want to connect and hang out with you. They want to see people they already recognize. If you show up to a party or a dance on Saturday night, you might recognize people you met from the day before, your connections are already made!
Go To Panels
Panels are the best thing ever if you want to meet people at con. If you have nothing to do or you don’t know where to go, just sit in on a random panel. Of course it’s better to plan first to find the ones you are actually interested in. Panels make great ice breakers because you are in a room full of people who are interested in the same stuff that you are.
Be a part of conversation at the panel. Ask questions. Talk about why you love the stuff that you love. This is ultimately what a panel is for. Don’t be afraid to talk about your passions. Everyone is in that room because they are excited about the same thing you are! The more you get involved in the panel, the more people will remember you.
Say hello to everyone sitting around you. You will have time before the panel starts to meet those around you. Instead of just sitting there waiting, you should be meeting everyone there. It’s easy to say hi. Talk about the panel you are about to see. Or ask about how their con is going. There are always going to be people around you, if you want to meet them, you have to say hello!
Talk to people in line.
No matter what is going on, you will eventually have to stand in line. If it’s for getting badges or going into a panel, waiting for photos, or the bathroom. There will always be a line. Take advantage of this line time. You will be surrounded by people, talk to the people around you in line. It’s a great way to meet people who share the same interest as you. You are stuck in line for an hour, why not make some friends! Geek out together. enjoy the time being stuck in a line instead of staring at your phone the entire time.
You have to be having fun.
"The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself." -Gandalf
If you aren't having fun, no one will want to be around you. Get in there with a positive attitude. Most nerds have social anxiety, depression or a simple need for escapism. It can be a lot harder to break the ice with a hotel full of introverts. So if you want to meet people, it's up to you.
You can't expect people to approach you if you are brooding in a corner or otherwise falling apart. People will not be attracted to that. If you have something to cry about, go to your hotel room or hide in a bathroom and get yourself together. Do not cause unnecessary drama. Nobody wants to end up taking care of the girl crying in the corner on Saturday night. People come to cons as a vacation. They come to have fun. Nobody will want to babysit your needy little butt on their much anticipated Saturday night.
So have some fun. Look confident. Who would you rather hang out with? The drunk guy who is crying for attention, the girl on the floor in the hallway crying to get attention? Or would you rather hang with the person who is obviously having fun. The person telling stories and joking around with everyone else. Take a good look in the mirror and decide to bring a good attitude. Promise yourself you will maintain a good attitude.
If you are genuinely having fun, people will notice. People will want to be around you. They'll feed off of your good energy and add to it. If you are having fun, you will look so much more confident and attractive than anything else you can ever do.
Take Care of Yourself.
Take a shower. Pop those zits. Shave off your stupid neck-beard. You don't necessarily need to look clean cut, but you need to look like you have a semblance of self respect. No body wants to be around someone who doesn't show respect to anyone, yourself included..This applies to everything in life. Looking good, will make you feel good. Looking good will make you feel confident. Confidence itself is amazingly attractive. So please, take that extra time to clean yourself up a bit. People will be a lot more open to saying hi if you don't look like an ogre on the prowl for fresh meat.
Take a shower. Maintain a good attitude. Have fun. You got this.
