BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Attending a convention for the first time may be a little intimidating, but we hope that this guide will help you have a fantastic time. AireCon is a great event to choose as your first convention, as it’s big enough to give you a sense of the buzz and excitement, but not so big that it’s overwhelming, it’s super-friendly, relaxed and welcoming. It's also great for people coming with friends, or for those coming alone, there’s plenty of opportunity to meet others and play games with them.

WHAT TO EXPECT

AireCon is spread out through a few halls, and we’d recommend having a walk around to get a sense of the space and the event before you do anything else. The best place to start is Entrance 4, where you can pick up or buy your tickets. As you come in you’ll find yourself in Hall M. Straight ahead of you is one of the two sets of giant AireCon light-sign with the Exhibitor Hall behind it and to the left hand side is the Imagination Gaming Family Zone. About half way down Hall M on the left is the daytime entrance to the Royal Hall, where a lot of the events are held, there’s also a bar in there during the day time.

After walking through this hall, you will come to a set of small steps (two wheelchair lifts are available here) and a small link that will take you through to Hall C, which has the Bring n Buy on the left with the ‘Introduction to Historical and War Games’ Zone and the ‘Two Thin Coats Paint and Take’ just past it, and the first of many open gaming areas on the right, as well as the Geeknson Area about half-way down, towards the back there is lots more open gaming and one way of accessing the Queen’s Suite (Tournaments, RPGs, Seminars, Quiet Gaming and Starship Simulator) upstairs. Turning left after the Bring n Buy will take you through another linkway (containing toilet facilities) to Hall B.

On entering Hall B if you turn right and you will see the the games library, tuck shop and merchandise stand, as well as the Gameseekers area (a great place to meet other gamers), some open gaming, and also another entrance to the escalators and a lift up to the Queen’s Suite, which is the location for seminars, Starship Simulator, tournaments, RPGs, and quiet gaming. Walking to the back of Hall B, you can go outside through the double doors and up the ramp to the left, here you will find some of the caterers, going past them and through the entrance to left will take you to Studio 2, where you’ll find more caterers and seating to eat some tasty tasty food! Coming back through Hall B to the other end, you will find the Demo Zone, with people showing off games in development as well as the Playtest UK tables, more open gaming and the giant games.

You can go through the linkway at the end of Hall B, which houses more toilets and a baby changing facility, to Hall A, this is mostly open gaming, as you enter there’s the Coldbath Brewhouse Bar on the right, then follow the hall around to the left, you will see the second set of AireCon lights. On the right here is the First Aid room and an infant feeding room, to the left is the evening entrance to the Royal Hall, with a bar in here from 6pm, continuing straight on will take you out of Entrance 5, in the foyer is another ticket desk. Continuing outside, if you look to your left you will see Entrance 4, where you started your journey.

At this point you’ll have a good sense of where everything is, and can start planning your next moves!

WHAT TO DO

Exhibitors and demos - We have a great range of exhibitors attending AireCon where you can purchase games and related accessories or have a go at some games that they’ve published. In the various demo zones you’ll find people willing to show you how to play some of the hottest games or perhaps games that haven’t been released yet! You can see more information about all the exhibitors and demoers here.

Events - We have a variety of events that are designed around fun! Everyone is welcome, and they’re a great way of meeting others. You can see what’s happening over on the Events page.

Bring n Buy - Perhaps you’ve got some games that you’re looking to move on, or you’re hoping to pick up a bargain. The Bring n Buy is the place to go! If you’re wanting to sell games you’ll need to pre-register them, if you’re looking to buy just head on over, or you can browse what’s available on our G.A.M.E system, which will go live shortly before the event. More information on the Bring n Buy can be found here.

RPG - Whether you’re an RPG veteran or you’ve never played before we’ll have plenty on offer for you. You can book into games in advance through the ticket shop when it goes live, or head to the RPG Zone where our experienced GMs will find a good fit for you.

Playing games - There’s loads of space to sit and play games, you can bring your own, buy some there, or borrow games from our huge library for free (just a small returnable deposit of £10 is required). If you’re looking to get into a game play just look out for the Lightsabers around the halls, wear one of the ‘Gamer Available’ badges or head to the Gameseekers area, there will be a Game Guru here on every odd hour from 11am-7pm Fri-Sun to help you find others to game with. You can also sign up to games and demos on our G.A.M.E System when it goes live. For more information have a look at the Play page.

GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS

Don’t plan too much - it’s tempting to fill up your time and plan to the second, but great things can happen in the unplanned moments. When scheduling games, overestimate the time it’ll take so that you’re not bouncing around like a pinball!

Wear comfy shoes - You do a surprising amount of walking during a convention, take a step counter to see just how far you manage to walk!

Stay hydrated - There’s plenty of drinks and snacks available at the Tuck Shop at reasonable prices, as well as free to use water fountains in both halls

Try something new - Being at AireCon gives you loads of chances to try something you normally wouldn’t, whether it be a fun event or a type of game you’ve always wanted to have a go at, there’s plenty of time and space to have a go.

Exhibitors and demos - There’s exhibitors and demoers of all shapes and sizes showing off a wide variety of games and related goodies, make sure to take time to browse their offerings, you may find your new favourite game, or find that accessory you couldn’t do without!

DAILY GUIDE

HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU PLAN TO BE AT AIRECON?

ONE DAY - You can get a good feel for the convention in one day, it’s tempting to try and do as much as possible, but be wary of trying to do too much!

Morning

  • Doors open at 10am every day, if you’re just there for one day, get there early to squeeze in as much as you can.

  • Start by having a wander around the halls and get your bearings, start in Hall B then pick up any merch you’re after from the AireShoppe

  • If you’ve got some games you’d like to sell in the Bring n Buy, head to Hall C to check them in, it shouldn’t take long, make sure you’ve pre-registered them on the G.A.M.E System.

  • Pop back down to the Exhibitors in Hall M have a good browse of the stands and perhaps try out a couple of demo games

  • It’s probably about lunch time by now, head out to one of the food vendors to grab something tasty, there’s a range of diets catered for and lots of choice

Afternoon

  • Grab a table and play a game, you may want to browse the library to see if there’s anything available that you’ve always wanted to try out

  • If you put any games in the Bring n Buy, now would be a good time to check the G.A.M.E System to see if you’ve sold anything, then head up and collect your money

  • Go and have a browse of the Bring n Buy games for sale, and see if you can grab yourself a bargain!

  • Perhaps time to squeeze in a quick game before dinner

Evening

  • There’s always some great events on in the evenings, and they’re a superb way of meeting others, check out the Events page in advance of AireCon to see what’s going on

  • Game for as long as you can, gaming halls will close at 11pm on Friday, 1.30am on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday

TWO DAYS - When people come for two days, it’s usually the weekend there’s lots going on to keep you entertained.

Day One Morning

  • Doors will open at 10am get there early to ensure plenty of gaming time

  • Start by having a wander around the halls and get your bearings, start in Hall B and pick up any merch you’re after from the Tuck Shop, then make your way into Hall C.

  • If you’ve got some games you’d like to sell in the Bring n Buy, head up there to check them in, it shouldn’t take long, make sure you’ve pre-registered them on the G.A.M.E System.

  • Whilst you’re up there consider signing up to an RPG, there’s loads on offer and even if you haven’t tried one before, the experienced GMs will find something that would suit you.

  • Pop back down an squeeze in a quick game before lunch, there’s loads of great food on offer from the vendors

Day One Afternoon

  • Take the time to have a good look around the Exhibitor Hall, have a go at some demos and pick up some great games and related accessories followed by some dinner

Day One Evening

  • There’s always some great events on in the evenings, and they’re a superb way of meeting others, check out the Events page in advance of AireCon to see what’s going on

  • Game for as long as you can, halls will close at 1.30am (11pm on Friday, 6pm on Sunday) and there’s usually gaming happening in the hotels nearby the centre if you wish to keep pushing some cardboard

Day Two Morning

  • If you’ve stayed overnight in Harrogate use the morning to have a wander around and get yourself some tasty breakfast then get down to the venue for opening time around 10am

  • Assuming you booked into an RPG now is a great time to schedule it for whilst you’re still feeling fresh! Then chat with your fellow gamers about your experience over some lunch

Day Two Afternoon

  • Grab a table and play a game, you may want to browse the library to see if there’s anything available that you’ve always wanted to try out

  • If you put any games in the Bring n Buy, now would be a good time to check the G.A.M.E System to see if you’ve sold anything, then head up and collect your money

  • Go and have a browse of the Bring n Buy games for sale, and see if you can grab yourself a bargain! And see what other things you could pick up in the Exhibitor area before it closes then head for some dinner

Day Two Evening

  • Game for as long as you can, halls will close at 11pm (1.30am on Saturday, 6pm on Sunday)

THREE OR MORE DAYS - You’ll have plenty of time to take it easy and play loads of games, but don’t forget to check out what else is going on, and perhaps even explore the beautiful spa town of Harrogate

Thursday afternoon

  • Make your way to AireCon for 4pm, you’ll be able to drop off your Bring n Buy items, make sure you’ve pre-registered them on the G.A.M.E System, and then get started on the gaming!

Friday Morning

  • Doors will open at 10am get there early to ensure plenty of gaming time

  • Start by having a wander around the halls and get your bearings, start in Hall M, then make your way through Halls C, B (with a quick detour up to the Queens Suite) and finish in Hall A, and pick up any merch you’re after on the way through from the AireShoppe

  • Whilst you’re up there consider signing up to an RPG, there’s loads on offer and even if you haven’t tried one before, the experienced GMs will find something that would suit you

  • Pop back down and squeeze in a quick game before lunch, there’s loads of great food on offer from the vendors

Friday Afternoon

  • Take the time to have a good look around the Exhibitor area, have a go at some demos and pick up some great games and related accessories followed by some dinner.

Friday Evening

  • There’s always some great events on in the evenings, and they’re a superb way of meeting others, check out the Events page in advance of AireCon to see what’s going on

  • Game for as long as you can, halls will close at 11pm (6pm on Sunday) and there’s usually gaming happening in the hotels nearby the centre if you wish to keep pushing some cardboard into the early hours!

Saturday Morning

  • Consider a visit to Betty’s tea rooms and have a look around the delightful spa town of Harrogate

  • Assuming you booked into an RPG now is a great time to schedule it for whilst you’re still feeling fresh! If you’ve enjoyed it you could book straight into another one later, or even Sunday morning. Then chat with your fellow gamers about your experience over some lunch

Saturday Afternoon

  • Grab a table and play a game, you may want to browse the library to see if there’s anything available that you’ve always wanted to try out

  • Have a look at some of the seminars and talks going on, or join in one of the many events before getting some dinner

Saturday Evening

  • Get involved in some of the events happening, particularly the Charity Raffle, last time we raised over £1200 for our charities in just 1 hour!

  • Game for as long as you can, halls will close at 1.30am, there’s usually gaming going on until the wee hours in the nearby hotels.

Sunday Morning

  • If you’ve stayed overnight in Harrogate use the morning to have a wander around and get yourself some tasty breakfast then have a relaxed stroll through the town down to the convention.

  • If you put any games in the Bring n Buy, now would be a good time to check the G.A.M.E System to see if you’ve sold anything, whilst you’re there have a browse of the Bring n Buy games for sale, and see if you can grab yourself a bargain!

  • Have another look around the Exhibitor area before it closes at 4pm, play something might just catch your eye that you’d missed previously, play some more demos then get a bite to eat.

Day Three Afternoon

  • Game for as long as you can until the halls close at 6pm