Comic Con - How much pocket money to take?

Spendless

Mid teen son is going to Comic Con this weekend. It's the first one he's attended though he's done other gaming conventions before. It'll also be the first time without him having a family member with him. I have no idea how much money is a good idea for him to take, to include something for him to eat,

Anyone else's child been and can give me a rough guide?

Thanks.

InsideInsurance

Surely he takes some of the pocket money he's saved up?

Depending on what time he is setting off and coming back will dictate how much food he will need to buy.

In practice food is the least expensive part of these things -v- buying collectables/ books/ rare comics etc

bluenoseam

I've never been to comic con before, but there's a couple of things I can extrapolate given the scenario from experiences in comic book stores & arenas. The food & drink will be expensive - think motorway service station & add a bit - and the merchandise probably won't be cheap either.

May be worthwhile looking into if they have a pass-out sort of situation running if there's facilities near the arena, if so he can stamp out & go grab something to eat, but this isn't a given!

Sorry I can't give a figure, but my mindset would be to have two "budgets" one for eating etc and the second being the spends, the second would be the amount I'd be comfortable spending without worrying about it. But knowing that graphic novels can kick off at around £8-10 & t-shirts are often £20+ you can probably see that it may be wise to start at around the £50 and hope for the best!

Rambosmum

As the previous poster says, food and drink will be pricey, if you've ever been to a festival it's money for nothing and teenagers will eat! It also depends on how long he'll be there for, I'd say about £20 for a meal, drink and two snacks- he'll be unwilling and, depending on where it is, unable to go elsewhere for food. And you should expect some change from that.

As for the rest it entirely depends on what he is going for: if he wants to get signed photos of stars, have his picture taken, buy some memorabilia then it'll be a small fortune so a conversation about sensible spending is needed. If there is something he really really wants then he may be able to get a deal at comic-con, if not then T-shirts, a signed photo and a comic book should come in at about £50. Having said that though my parents would have given me some money for lunch and then it was up to me to take whatever I felt reasonable out of my pocket money- this made me much more cautious about spending when it was my money and not theirs, but it obviously depends on how you and your son manage finances.

Most of all though he needs a camera, or a decent camera phone!

pinkteapot

If he's allowed to take his own food and drink into the venue, suggest he takes a rucksack with provisions. Then he has more to spend on goodies.

A rucksack is useful at these sort of things anyway as he'll want to look at lots of things and it leaves hands free. He'll inevitably buy stuff and it saves juggling carrier bags.

taram_2

Ask him what he'd like to buy, ie. does he want to get a few action figures and tshirts or is he going to be eyeing up rare comics? Also you have to pay separately to meet guests, but I assume he knows that. Can't help you on food costs, but I'm guessing from previous cons it'll be on the pricier side.

jp1964

My daughter goes to these conventions all the time, she always buys some snacks (cereal bars, chocolate and perhaps some crisps) beforehand to take with her, although I understand that bringing drinks in is not allowed, and they are quite expensive to buy inside. Food will be quite expensive and I agree with the comment about thinking motorway service station prices if he wants to eat there.

I think what you choose to give him to spend is dependent on whether he is going with the intention to buy some things, or like my daughter, mainly uses it as a social occasion with like minded people, and only buys a few lower cost items.

Talk to your son, and find out what his thoughts are, I personally think that the £50 mark sounds about right, bearing in mind it's his first con as well.

Hope he has a great time!

Flossie.

Spendless wrote: »

Mid teen son is going to Comic Con this weekend. It's the first one he's attended though he's done other gaming conventions before. It'll also be the first time without him having a family member with him. I have no idea how much money is a good idea for him to take, to include something for him to eat,

Anyone else's child been and can give me a rough guide?

Thanks.

I am assuming that it's THIS one

http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/birmingham/

Asking how much money will he need, is really like asking 'how long is a piece of string?' It does depend what he wants to buy. A lot of the stuff is expensive, and when we when to one about 18 months ago, we saw a 2 foot tall TED from the movie with Mark Wahlburg, and it was £45. The small one (a foot high) was £27, and that was just one item.

There are often celebrities there, who will often only let you see them if you pay £10-£15 for a photo, the food is rather expensive, (and so are the drinks,) magazines and comics will be on average five to ten pounds each (with some much more of course.)

Popular stuff like items from the Walking Dead, game of Thrones, American Horror Story, and 'cult' stuff like Buffy and Star Trek and Star Wars etc, will all cost quite a bit, and so will more rare stuff, like collectible anime.

Every time we have been (3 times in about 7 years,) we have spent around £110 the first time, about £50 the second, and about £60 on the third time, on various items/ memorabilia, and then money on food and drink and trains etc. But my daughter's ex boyfriend who she was with when we went last (he was 19 then,) spent over £125. When my daughter (17) went on her own to one earlier this year with a pal, she took £100, (and spent £70,) and it was all her own money, that she had earned.

IMO, I think if I were him, I would take as much as I had; he can't take too much, as there will be sooooo much he can buy. But I would recommend about £80 if he wants to buy some good stuff. If YOU are giving him the money, and he has none of his own, the just give him about £40, because he should have known he was going, and should have saved.

TBagpuss

I agree with PPs that this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question. I've been to cons and spent very little, but I've tended to go primarily to meet friends and attend panels. I'm not interested in paying for autographs or photos.

http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/birmingham/attractions/special-guests/ shows what autographs and photos will cost if he wants those.

I'd say about £20 for snacks / drinks, and however much above that he can afford, or you are willing to give him as spending money.

tea_lover

If he interested in photos/signings it's worth checking other places too. I had a quick look at the list for Birmingham and at least three of those people have been in my teeny tiny town in the last few months doing free signings in a new local coffee/comic book store. (I queued up for hours to meet Chris Barrie - I am a geek lol, but an MSE one).

Flossie.

tea_lover wrote: »

If he interested in photos/signings it's worth checking other places too. I had a quick look at the list for Birmingham and at least three of those people have been in my teeny tiny town in the last few months doing free signings in a new local coffee/comic book store. (I queued up for hours to meet Chris Barrie - I am a geek lol, but an MSE one).

We met him about 6 years ago at a comic con! :eek:

He was lovely, and chatty, and let us have a pic taken with him.

We got a signed pic too.

Good points in your post by the way.