If you’re a Creative Professional hoping to attend San Diego Comic-Con this year, your week just got a whole lot less stressful. After some big changes this year for Professionals – including the introduction of the EPIC Registration Waiting Room that the general attendees have been using for the last two years – and moving the sale to after Open Registration, Comic-Con International has now eased a lot of minds with their most recent announcement: “All “Not Due” creative professionals are guaranteed a badge” this year, during Online Professional Registration only.

This is a big change from previous announcements, that warned that badge numbers for professionals were both predetermined and limited. Since Professional Registration is slated for March (not February as originally announced), after Open Registration this Saturday, February 21, CCI was originally instructing attendees that they could try for a badge during Open Registration, and request a refund if they were able to score a free badge during Pro Reg, minus a 10% handling fee.

Here’s a look at the e-mail that Comic-Con International sent out, from Twitter user @JeffMcClelland:

Of course, as the e-mail states, this is for Creative Professionals only – the complimentary guest badges are still only available in “very limited quantities”, and trade professional registration will occur at a later date. So if you’re planning on bringing a guest – you should still consider using Open Registration this Saturday.

This is also good news for general attendees, as Creative Professionals won’t be trying for badges they may or may not need, and taking away valuable space from other general attendees.

[UPDATE 2/25/15] E-mails to Creative Professionals have begun going out today, letting them know that the sale will take place at 10AM PT on Friday, February 27, 2015.

As previously announced, all Creative Professionals are guaranteed a badge this year – meaning that those who wish to register for a limited complimentary professional guest badge will need to partake in the same EPIC Registration waiting room process that general attendees have been using for the last two years. Attendees will need to enter the waiting room through a provided link between 9AM-10AM PT, before the randomization process begins at 10AM PT.

Attendees will also have the option to purchase a paid guest badge, when the limited comp badges are gone. According to the e-mail, supplies of both badge types are limited, and “not all professionals are guaranteed a complimentary or paid guest badge”.

For those who aren’t registering a guest, attendees will have between 11:05AM PT on February 27 – April 27, 2015, to register for a guaranteed badge.

There’s no word still on Trade Professionals.

Are you excited about this change in Professional Registration? Let us know in the comments.