Comic-Con’s Exhibit Hall is a staggering 460,000 square feet big and encompasses Halls A through G at the San Diego Convention Center. With a space that size, you’re bound to experience crowd issues. Here are some tips to help you better understand and navigate this massive space. Please keep in mind that SAFETY is our major priority. Following these tips will help us have a safe and fun convention.

NO RUNNING!

There is absolutely no running anywhere at Comic-Con! That includes the programming rooms, the lobbies, outside the San Diego Convention Center, and in the Exhibit Hall at all times, but especially in the morning when we first open the hall. We understand that you want to get to your favorite booth (or program or anime screening) right away, but running is a safety hazard for EVERYONE, not just you. People caught running may have their badges taken away from them and may be ejected from the convention. Don’t run … it’s not worth it!

Please keep to your right

A simple way to easily move through the Exhibit Hall is to follow one simple rule: please keep to your right. While this isn’t imperative in areas where there is no aisle congestion, in crowded areas of the hall having the traffic flowing easily on both sides of the aisle can prevent bottlenecks and potential safety hazards. If you hear a Comic-Con Floor Manager asking you to “Please keep to your right,” we would very much appreciate your cooperation!

Do not sit in the aisles

You may notice some large open areas around the pillars in the Exhibit Hall. These areas have to remain clear by order of the fire marshal. Please don't sit or block these locations, or in any of the aisles in the Exhibit Hall. Only sit in designated lounge areas (check the Exhibit Hall map in the center of the 2018 Quick Guide or click here to see it online).

And while it may be tempting to stop in the aisle and watch your favorite celebrity in a booth, doing so can really cause a safety issue as fans back up behind you. If a Floor Manager or a security guard asks you to keep moving through the aisle please do so.

No doublewide strollers or rolling carts in the Exhibit Hall

We know you want to bring the wee ones with you to Comic-Con, but due to safety reasons, we cannot allow doublewide strollers in the Exhibit Hall. We have stroller parking throughout the San Diego Convention Center; please check the map on pages 6 and 7 of the Quick Guide and look for the red oval “Stroller Parking” indicators, most of which are on the upper level for programming rooms (strollers of any size are not allowed in the programming rooms). We also don’t allow rolling carts in the Exhibit Hall. Please don’t bring them.

Snap that photo fast … and keep the aisles clear so people can move

If you’re going to stop and have a Kodak moment, make it fast. There are hundreds of people around you, all of them trying to go somewhere, so stopping to take a photo and clogging up the aisles is a bad idea. Be aware of the people around you, especially behind you, when you stop to snap that photo and do it fast and step out of the way. If your camera has a video or burst mode, try using that to capture a number of photos at one time. Also, there are a number of Comic-Con Photo Areas with backdrops featuring our logo scattered throughout the Convention Center.

Pay attention to the aisle signs

They’re above every aisle, hanging from the rafters. So when you spot that item you want to comparison shop, make a note of the aisle marker number and whether it’s in the front, middle, or back of the hall. It makes it so much easier to find again. You can also compare the aisle signs to the booth numbers on the Exhibit Hall map in the Quick Guide (and mark it with a pen) or on the official Comic-Con app (coming soon).

The fastest way to anywhere is the lobby

In a hurry to get to the other end of the Exhibit Hall? Don’t go through the crowds inside the Exhibit Hall, walk out into the lobby and stroll on down to the other end’s doors and enter there. And if you get lost, it’s the best place to get your bearings.

No retail sales unless exhibit space has been purchased

No retail sales are allowed anywhere at Comic-Con unless you purchased or were allocated exhibit space. This includes the Exhibit Hall, common areas such as lobbies, program rooms, and outside venues, such as the San Diego Convention Center grounds, the hotels that feature our programming and event venues (Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Marriott Marquis, and the Omni San Diego), the Horton Grand Theatre, and the San Diego Central Library. Retail sales are strictly limited to the exhibitors in the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall.

No handouts

No handing out of anything—including flyers, stickers, cards, or any promotional item—is allowed in any area inside or outside the San Diego Convention Center, except from within a booth in the Exhibit Hall or when pre-approved for placement on the Freebie Tables in the Sails Pavilion.

No market research at Comic-Con

Comic-Con does not allow market research, surveys, or information-gathering in any public area—indoors or outdoors—of the San Diego Convention Center, or any other venue featuring Comic-Con events.

Check back for another Toucan Tip tomorrow here on Toucan, the only OFFICIAL SDCC blog! Bookmark Toucan and the Comic-Con Front Page for the latest updates for Comic-Con International 2018!