These guidelines will serve both to show you what you SHOULD and should NOT do in preparation for the next wonderful BotCon.

DO:

• Register early.  The reasons are simple -- it's easier, it's cheaper, you don't have to wait in a line that wraps around the block where the convention center is located, and you get first dibs on the excellent BotCon exclusives, and with Hasbro and 3H's growing relationship these exclusives should be choice.
• Get a room at one of the official BotCon hotels as early as possible.  If you don't want to spend over half an hour getting to the convention and then pay for parking once you get there, then this is the way to go.
• Go to the convention on Friday night.  Even though the main social dig is now the dinner (which last year came with a hefty price tag of $70) you can meet up with other TransFan(atic)s and do your own little thing.  See the town.  Go to Ultrazone.  Order a pizza.  Just hang out!
• Stick around for any fan-made music videos and the like: Believe me, they makers will appreciate it, and so will you.  Of course, we might have a personal stake in this sort of thing next year (which I've said for the past two years, but it might be real this time!)
• Check out the video rooms.  Bone up on your Japanese Transformers knowledge.  Check out the ending credits to Masterforce.  Heck, you might even meet a guy who owns a Ramjet costume!  We sure did in 2000!
• Hang out in the lobby at night.  Vince DiCola and other guests from 2001 were really good about this.  It's a great time just to hang out.  Sure, there's the usual fanboy tendencies to overcome, but even so it's fun to see Gary Chalk pack them away like there's no tomorrow!

DO NOT:

• Attempt to get into the dealer's room Friday night.  Look, they're still setting up.   They won't be open until Saturday morning.  Get over it.  You can buy your $500 Fortress Maximus Saturday morning at 9 like everyone else.
• Bring a video or flash camera into the toy or television show previews.  Just not smart.  You want to try it?  Fine.  The consequences will not be none of my concern.
• Go to the Tyme Machine.  If you don't have a credit card or travelers checks... you don't really want to spend that much money.  I don't care HOW much you want that C-10 pre-rub sign Soundwave with the battery clip still intact.
• Ask the voice actors how to get into voice acting.  If you really want to know, there are better sources out there that can give you more immediate benefits.  You can ask how the actors themselves got into the business, but asking for advice during the panel is just cheesy and makes you look like a gimp.
• Ask the voice actors questions about the toys, how Hasbro works, or how stupid X thing was that they probably didn't care about.  Nothing ruins an enjoyable panel discussion more than this.  Except maybe the next thing.
• Ask the voice actors to say X thing in Y character voice.  This kills a good panel dead, and there's nothing worse than to see the guests roll their eyes, thinking to themselves "why did I even come here?"
• Say something to Neil Kaplan or Tom Wyner like "You guys aren't the *real* Optimus Prime and Grimlock!  Hell, we even saw the REAL Grimlock last year!"  I'll personally kick the ass of anyone who partakes in such tomfoolery.
• Harass the Hasbro Representatives.  I REPEAT: DO NOT HARASS THE HASBRO REPRESENTATIVES!  They will listen to you if you can say something in a constructive and mature, adult fashion, but ranting, raving, going on, and making a scene will NOT get your point across, nor will it cause the reps to want to come back and show us cool shit like they did in '99.  You people harassed Bob Skir, and look what happened...