Does it seem to you that fan conventions are becoming ubiquitous? Just about every major city hosts them these days. Although I don’t go every single year, I still find them irresistible. Especially when they host celebrities I’m particularly fond of.

You can meet a celebrity in one or both of two ways: an autograph signing session or a photo-op. Having a photo with yourself and THAT person can be awesome. Just bear in mind that the encounter will last at best a dozen seconds. Then “poof” it’s over. Another thing is, at least at the cons I’ve been to, they only take one photo. So if you have your eyes closed, well, that’s just unfortunate.

If you want to spend a bit more time with your idol, an autograph session is the way to go. I’ve found that you can often count on getting thirty seconds or so to chit-chat, then it’s on to the next person. But that’s not cast in concrete. It depends on the duration of the session and the length of the line. You might still end up getting just a few seconds. Be mentally prepared.

If you haven’t been to a con before, note that all of this costs money. In some cases quite a bit of money. Prices for photo-ops are typically posted ahead of time. I don’t recall if autograph prices are posted ahead of time or not, and it may depend on who’s hosting and where.

When it comes to physical contact, let the celebrity take the lead. Don’t initiate a handshake or hug or any other form of contact. If they want to shake your hand, they’ll offer it to you.  If you do shake hands, do so lightly. Don’t grip tightly. Which rhymes! Makes it easy to remember.

So, let’s say you have half a minute to talk to the person you’ve waited in line an hour to meet. What do you say? It’s probably not the best idea to blurt out, “I’m your biggest fan,” or something of that ilk. Can you imagine hundreds of people telling you that over a weekend? What saved me the first couple of times was that may name isn’t common in North America, and the conversation would revolve around that. Once or twice, the celebrity and I have smiled awkwardly at each other and that was about it. After that happened, I decided to go in prepared.

What I’ve found that works fairly well is exploring their side projects and discussing these. If someone is the star of a major TV show, but they’ve done some small, independent films, check these out and discuss. Or perhaps you’ve found out they support a particular charity. Or maybe they’ve been on stage.

You have to decide what works for you, but I think its best to go prepared to discuss something other than the obvious. Or to ask about trivia from a particular episode. Or, if the show has been canceled, asking if they would return to the role someday. (Hello, Firefly fans!)

Of course, there’s a lot more to cons than the celebrities. You’ll often find row upon row of booths with merchandise, books, you name it. There are comic book artists, authors, and you may find the odd Dalek or Storm Trooper doing the rounds. And of course, attendee cosplay is an attraction in and of itself.

If you haven’t been, do check them out. They’re great fun. You’ll find people of all ages and backgrounds there. People who just want to geek out with their friends for a couple of days. What more could you ask for?