My KCON Adventure – As a Parent, Is There Anything I Can Do?
Hi, parents! I know there’s a handful of parents that are coming to supervise their children who are K-Pop, K-beauty, or Korean culture fans. Other parents are probably coming to KCON for some family fun! And of course, there’s a handful of parents who are K-Pop fans themselves, ready to share their love for the music and culture with their children! To you all, welcome to KCON 2018 LA! We have designed a sample itinerary to help you and your family navigate the 3 days of programs. — But before we get onto the schedule, we have to get through the general (but important!) policies and information to help you better enjoy the convention: KCON Convention Registration All the programs included in the sample itinerary can only be accessed at our KCON Convention, which means you will need to purchase a Convention wristband. If you have one already, you’re ahead of the game and can move on happily to the next section. If you do not have a Convention wristband yet, there is no need to worry. You can still purchase and register a 3-day wristband for $30 each on this website or on-site. We highly recommend you and your family register your wristband online as on-site registration will take some away and you might miss some of the exciting programs we have prepared! KCON Check-In In order to receive any applicable goody bags or artist engagement vouchers, you will need to check-in before you are able to access the Convention Hall. You do not need the whole family present to check-in everyone. Just make sure you have your registration confirmation, ID, and all other required information so you do not have to exit and re-enter the line. You can check in at Petree Hall, anytime from: 1 PM – 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 9th (EARLY CHECK-IN) 8 AM – 5:00 PM on Friday, August 10th 8 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday, August 11th, or 9 AM – 5:00 PM on Sunday, August 12th. We highly encourage you to do early check-in on August 9th or as early as possible, especially if you have purchased artist engagement packs! Hydration & Merchandise With how hot summer has been this year and how big the LA Convention Center is, make sure you and your family have plenty of water! To help our fans and families stay hydrated, we have added a water bottle to our merchandise list. You can use the water bottle at any of the water refill stations found within the convention center. We also have other cool merchandise you may want to get to remember the KCON weekend. All merchandise can be purchased at the merchandise booth in K-Pop World. Get Your Updates! Onsite, we will be notifying our fans of any changes in the programming scheduling, announcing any artist booth appearances, and sending out important reminders. Please make sure to download the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It will be well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you know why people are rushing towards a certain direction or to which booth or program your child may have secretly rushed off on his or her own. Maps As mentioned earlier, the convention hall is huge and you will probably want to familiarize yourself with the KCON Convention layout before the Convention opens especially if your children are interested in different programs. Make sure you recognize the general names of the different zones, so you can relocate and reunite with your family throughout the day! — With all that information done, we can move on to the actual itinerary specifically designed for PARENTS! The itinerary assumes you have already checked-in prior to the Convention start time. Of course, the programs listed below are what we think parents (and their children) will enjoy and you are free to take or add programs from this sample itinerary. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9th Now, the official convention and KCON won’t start on Friday. But I just wanted to share with you and an exciting event for you and your family. 6:00 – 8:30 PM: Free Screening of The Fortress. Join us at the UCLA Hammer Museum for a free screening of the event. Free tickets are required to enter the venue and you can get yours at the Hammer Museum box office beginning 5 P.M. Each person can only get 1 ticket, so make sure your whole family is present to receive enough tickets. Event is first-come, first-serve. — FRIDAY, AUGUST 10th 11:00 – 11:30 AM: Exploration Time Convention programs won’t start until 11:30 AM, so you can use this half hour to get yourself acquainted with the KCON Convention. Here are the main areas you will need to know: Petree Hall: This is the registration and check-in area. You’ll need to stop by at least once to check-in and receive your physical convention wristband. West Hall: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops or even join our Global Audition. If there’s a panel you or your family are really excited about, you will want to get a seat early. Concourse: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, Beauty Block, KCON stage, Dance Workshops, and K-Pop World. A lot of sponsors have great things to check out, purchase, or win, so it’s a good area to explore before it gets too busy. Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch (i.e. water bottle) before they sell out! Concourse Hall: This is a separate closed area within the overall Concourse. Concourse Hall is where all the artist engagements and Red Carpet will take place. South Hall: Here is where KLUB KCON will take place. As parents, any big, crowded area probably spells disaster especially if you have younger children. So make sure designate a meeting point just in case you get separate from your children. 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: How To Live and Study in Korea with Go! Go! Hanguk! If you are a
Justin Park [#KCON18LA Special Guest]
Music has always been a significant part of Justin’s life. His dad is a musician, which had a huge influence on him growing up. In high school, his passion for music intensified as he began to gain recognition as a singer. In 2014, Justin officially signed to 5A LABEL and since then has trained with the world’s best. He also has written numerous songs for international artists, including B.A.P’s “THAT’S MY JAM.” Justin debuted with his single, “Dates in LA”. An important milestone for him, “Dates in LA” was the first song that he’s ever written and released. Drawing inspiration from his life, his songs share real stories from the heart. Everything from the hit or misses in relationships with family and friends, to the happiness and pain he has gone through. These experiences are what makes his songs special. Just last month, he released his newest single, “XL Uber” featuring Amber Liu. Fueled by his energy and passion, Justin strives to spread hope and optimism through his music. Look out for his highly anticipated debut album in Summer of 2018.
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Wanna One (Wannable)
TIME: Saturday, August 11th from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATOR: KangDanielUSA (Daria Caspi, Tiffany Tran, Sally Yiu) DESCRIPTION: Established May 1st of 2017, Kang Daniel USA is a USA fanbase for Kang Daniel of Wanna One and MMO Entertainment. Despite being a Daniel fanbase, we support all 11 members from the bottom of our hearts. We can’t wait to meet other Wannables who share the same passion we have for Wanna One!
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Seventeen (Carat)
TIME: Sunday, August 12th from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATOR: SVTCaratsUSA (Lilia Thai, Kathryn A Virrey, Stephanie Agustin) DESCRIPTION: Learn about SEVENTEEN, how to support them as a Carat, and make new friends with fellow fans. A photo corner with mascot props will be set-up to take photos at. Carats can answer questions about their experience at an overseas concert. Fans can bring items they want to trade with others as well. We will have free goodies and giveaway multiple prizes throughout the fan meeting.
[FAN CLUB MEETING] TWICE (Once)
TIME: Friday, August 10th from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATORS: Fresh Baon DESCRIPTION: Whether you’re a forever ONCE or new to the group come by and meet other TWICE fans. The Twice Fan Club Moderators will encourage people to participate in all activities and share the passion they all have for TWICE.
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Speed Friending Panel
TIME: Friday, August 10th from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATORS: Shelby Moses, Randy Padua DESCRIPTION: New to KCON? Attending solo? Want to meet new people? Come out to speed friending! Whether you’re by yourself or already have a KCON squad come join us as we play games and get to know all the awesome Kpop fans here at KCON! Don’t be “Lonely” come and “Energetic”-ly make some awesome memories with new friends.
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Dreamcatcher (InSomnia)
TIME: Friday, August 10th from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATORS: dreamcatcherUS_, ReacttotheK PANELIST: Steve DESCRIPTION: Dreamcatcher USA (via twitter @DreamcatcherUS_ ) is the first fanbase dedicated to supporting Dreamcatcher and all its members from the USA! Created in May 2018 by its creator who wanted a place for USA InSomnias to come together and show unified support for the girls, the fanbase is new and small but dedicated to working as hard as possible for a group that works so hard for us! Welcome to the Dreamcatcher KCON Fan Meeting Dream World, don’t sleep on this and hope to see you there!
[FAN CLUB MEETING] fromis_9 Fan Club
TIME: Saturday, August 11th from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATORS: fromis_9funny & PerfectGyul PANELISTS: Zach Massa, Anh Huynh DESCRIPTION: Come share your passion & support for fromis_9 with fun games and activities! Share all your feelings about being able to see these girls perform live at KCON!
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Golden Child (Goldenness)
TIME: Sunday, August 12th from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATOR: GoldenFansUnion DESCRIPTION: Let’s Ring It! GoldenFansUnion is here for all fans of Woollim Entertainment’s rookie boy group Golden Child! Our team loves the positive energy Golden Child always bring to the stage and we are here to share them with the world.
[FAN CLUB MEETING] Imfact (IF)
TIME: Saturday, August 11th from 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM LOCATION: FAN CLUB MEETING [503] MODERATOR: Kanza DESCRIPTION: Get to know IMFACT and meet fellow IF’s!