pre-con:

• say you’re going, respond to the event page: this helps for planning purposes!
• if you have photo op ideas, send it to the host ahead of time. remember, they may already have a schedule in place, so don’t be upset if they can’t squeeze it in.

at-con:

• dress appropriately. some gathering locations are out in the sun, so be sure to plan accordingly. consider bringing a hat or umbrella!
• listen to and respect the hosts. they are dealing with a lot of people, so be nice.
• show up on time: gatherings typically have organized photo opportunities, so if you show up late, you might miss out on your favorite ship!
  do not go in the street. It’s dangerous, so please stick to the sidewalks.
• photo etiquette: wait for the host to call people by character/group/series into organized photo ops. if you have a specific request or want to take photos of a specific cosplayer, wait until the end of the gathering to do so.
• cosplay is not consent: always be sure to ask first before doing any pose that may involve contact with others.
• please be aware that gatherings are all run by attendees. submitting feedback to axcosplaygathering@gmail.com will help let the community know how they did!
• don’t forget to have fun!

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pre-con:

• make an event page (Discord, Facebook, Instagram, etc…)
• communicate with those interested in attending your gathering. If you don’t say anything, people might not show up.
• plan a list of photo ops / groups ahead of time
  • may not be as relevant for smaller gatherings, but for medium and large gatherings you’ll want to have cosplayers of a certain character, group, game, or series gather for a photo ops.
  • print it out and bring it with you, or put it on your phone. Better yet, tell people ahead of time on your event page.
  • organize accordingly – put the bigger groups first and have the full group picture at the end. For example, for a Naruto gathering, have all the Team 7 cosplayers (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi) go first before Team 10 (Choji, Ino, Shikamaru) or have the main characters’ school team in Haikyuu or other sports anime gather before characters from a rival school team.)
• especially important for large gatherings: determine a time limit for each group to make sure everyone will have a chance for a photo-op.
• get a megaphone (plastic ones work too!)

at-con:

• show up early! Scope out the area and have a plan for where to position everyone: photographers, observers, and those getting their photo taken. communicate with the gathering before you that your gathering is next.
• have a helper (or five!) you’ll need help wrangling the crowd and conveying instructions to everyone.
• be open to requests from people attending your gathering
• don’t forget the countdown for photographers: cosplayers won’t be able hold those poses forever!
• remember that you can’t please everyone.
• have fun!

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