My KCON Adventure – Guide to KCON18LA
Welcome, new and returning KCON-ers! Each year, we have tons of fun programs for you to enjoy! We know that in the midst of all the fun, it can get a bit confusing what certain terms mean and how to make sense of the schedule so we’ve made a KCON 101 : Guide to KCON18LA to help you maneuver your first KCON experience! GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Convention Registration The events and programs we will be recommending below are available at our KCON convention, which means you’re going to need a Convention wristband. If you haven’t gotten one yet, please register for the KCON Convention here. (1) 3-day pass is $30. There are no single passes available this year, but we’ll show you why the convention will be worth it! The programs we will be recommending in this itinerary can only be accessed at our KCON Convention, which means you will need to register a Convention wristband. If you have one already, you’re ahead of the game! You can go on ahead like the girls of fromis_9 to the Check-In information. If you don’t have a wristband yet, don’t worry! You can still purchase and register a 3-day wristband for $30 (before fees) on here today or on-site during KCON LA. We have to warn you, on-site registration and check-in will take some time, so we highly recommend you and your family register your wristband online. View the full Convention Schedule. KCON Check-in Now that you have your wristband, you’re ready for check-in! Make sure you have your registration confirmation, ID, and all other requirement documents. 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. However, we highly encourage you to do early check-in on August 9th so you can have more time to explore the Convention. If you or any of your family or friends have purchased artist engagement vouchers, you will definitely want to check-in on August 9th or the morning of August 10th before the Convention starts so you don’t accidentally miss any of your artist engagements! KCON Convention Hours The Convention itself will be open from: 11 AM – 6 PM on Friday, August 10th (or beginning 10 AM for Diamond/Platinum ticket holders) 10 AM – 6 PM on Saturday, August 11th 10 AM – 5 PM on Sunday, August 12th HYDRATION & MERCHANDISE Even though our KCON LA convention is located indoors, walking around the big Convention hall will get tiring and you’ll probably want something to drink. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup.With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing! Just don’t start throwing your water around like Wanna One 😅 You can purchase your water bottle and other KCON merchandise until August 2nd on Mwave or onsite at KCON 2018 LA. STAY UPDATED! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, surprise artist booth appearances, and 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’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. MAPS The LA Convention Center is huge and with so many different programs happening every hour, you might want to check out our map of the convention center to better navigate your way around later. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! 3 main zones you might want to remember are: Petree Hall: Here you’ll be able to register a convention ticket, check-in, and retrieve items you might lost. West Hall: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops. If there’s a panel you’re really excited about, get a seat early. Concourse Hall: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch before it’s sold out! SPECIAL ARTIST PROGRAMS Artist Engagements Have you ever wanted to meet your favorite K-Pop idol up close & personal? Now is your chance! If you have purchased an artist engagement package here, you may have the opportunity to “hi-touch,” or hi-five, the artist listed on your hi-touch pass! If you don’t win a hi-touch pass but instead have an audience pass, don’t worry! You’ll be able to watch your favorite idols have some fun on stage and answer questions you’ve sent them during our Twitter event. Artist engagements are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so you won’t want to miss out! You can only add one artist engagement pack per convention ticket purchased. KLUB KCON KLUB KCON is a big K-POP dance party that takes place from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM on DAY 1 and is open to KCON-ers of all ages (if you’re under 13 yrs of age, you must bring a guardian). KLUB KCON is a Convention ticket add-on, and you can register for it along with the Convention here. Highlight from KLUB KCON at #KCON18NY (feat. Stray Kids): https://www.instagram.com/p/Bky7AE6lcQC/?taken-by=kconusa STAR LIVE TALK If you weren’t able to purchase an artist engagement pass, you might still be able to meet some of your favorite groups through our “new” program STAR Live Talk. Some artists from our KCON18LA lineup will go up on the Convention Stage for a “talk show” and answer some of your burning questions! The full schedule for STAR Live Talk will be released closer to the convention dates. Stay tuned! K-POP
My KCON Adventure – First Time KCON-ers!
So, it’s your first KCON. You’re being bombarded by KCON vocab like “K-Activity Zone,” “STAR Live Talk,” and “Star Square,” not to mention panels, workshops, artist engagements, and two concerts. There’s just a lot of stuff. And, that’s on purpose. We want there to be such a variety of things to do that you’ll be able to carve out the unique “KCON adventure” that suits you. If this is your first ever KCON, or if you’re just curious about what things you can do, then read on. We’ll release more “adventures” in the coming days to suit those KCON-ers who may have different interests like Dance, Beauty, etc… But, this is a handcrafted, convention adventure for those who we have the honor of welcoming for the first time. We couldn’t be happier to have you, welcome. GENERAL INFORMATION KCON Convention Registration The events and programs that we are recommending below are available at our KCON Convention, which means you’re going to need a Convention wristband. If you haven’t gotten one yet, please register for the KCON Convention here. (1) 2-day pass is $20, and we’re going to use this article to show you why that’s definitely money well-spent. Of course, if you haven’t decided yet whether you’re going or if you haven’t convinced your friend yet that they should come, you can always purchase onsite. Onsite registration takes some time, so online registration is the best way to make sure you and your fellow fans get through the line fast! View the full Convention Schedule. KCON Check-in The KCON Convention will be open from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on June 23 and June 24. We encourage you do early check-in on June 22 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. But, if you’re not available, you’ll be able to check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on June 23 and June 24. If you have artist engagement vouchers, we can’t encourage you enough to check-in before the event starts either on June 22 or the morning of June 23 so that you don’t miss any of your engagements. Hydration & Merchandise Summertime in the East Coast is…humid and hot. This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. With this KCON water bottle, you can use our water refill station to stay hydrated even after a ton of dancing. You can purchase your water bottle and other KCON merchandise until June 17th on Mwave or onsite at KCON 2018 NY. Get Your Updates!! Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and 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’s well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you don’t miss your favorite artist appearing by surprise at the convention. Maps Just to give you a more visual sense of where everything is at the KCON Convention, we’re going to share you the two maps of the K-Activity and K-Culture Zones. Hopefully, as you flip through all of the recommended programs below, you’ll be able to orient yourself even before the event starts! MY KCON ADVENTURE: It’s My First Time at KCON! (Woooooo!) Welcome to your first KCON! We know that with Hallyu only getting bigger, many of you have different reasons for coming to KCON–whether that be K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Dance, or K-Food. Below would be our ideal schedule if we we’re a fan like you who is coming to KCON for the first time, but who also wants to experience everything. We can’t promise everything (there’s a lot of stuff going on all at once!), but we’ll try our best to show you the KCON world in two-and-a-half days. Let’s KCON! Also! Just in case you’re new to the K-Pop world or you’re sharing this with a friend who is, we’ll be including GIF’s from all of the KCON 2018 NY lineup and if you click them, you’ll be taken that artist’s MV. June 22 – KLUB KCON! KLUB KCON If you’re coming for early check-in on June 22, don’t head home just yet. Go straight to KLUB KCON! KLUB KCON is a massive K-Pop party that takes place from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM and is open to KCON-ers of all ages (if you’re under 13 yrs of age, you must bring a guardian). KLUB KCON is a Convention ticket add on, and you can register for it along with the Convention here. That’s the definition, but here’s what you can expect: 1. A DJ who’s got K-Pop spinning experience and is ready to make you dance with your friends and maybe help you meet some new ones. 2. Artist appearances. In the past we’ve had major artists like SEVENTEEN perform and say “hi!” to fans, and even DEAN and Amber perform in LA. It’s super memorable because you’ll be able to see major idols in a chill, close setting. What artists are coming this year? STRAY KIDS & PENTAGON! Are you ready to learn the “hammer dance”? June 23 – KCON DAY 1! 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Check-in If you’re a Convention attendee (and to attend all of the programs we’re about to recommend, it’s a must), please head to Championship Plaza with your registration. It’s time to make it rain paper (or digital paper for mobile registrants) like PENTAGON! A hint of a smile à la Hongseok would be nice too 😉 This registration will have a QR Codes that our staff will scan to give you your wristband and any related items like artist engagement packs. If you went to KLUB KCON, you will have already had to check-in so you can bypass this step. Win!