How Early?

Gerzzog

Hey guys and gals. I have been to PAX a few times now but I have never been up early enough to get to the queue line in good time. I am going to try and get there at an appropriate time to try and be near the front of the queue line. I was wondering if any of you early goers have a good suggestion for what time to drag my ass down there to get as close to the front as I can. My main goal is to get to a merch booth as quickly as I can. However, I do not think you can get into the front door before the gates are opened to the queue line. If I could wait somewhere not in the queue line and get to the merch booth as soon as the doors open I would do that. Any ideas or suggestions?

whypick1

Doors to BCEC open at 8, people will be lining up overnight, even though in all honestly they shouldn't. Decide how crazy you want to be.

Gerzzog

So the doors open at 8 but the floor opens at 10. So most folks will go from the door line to the queue line (once the doors open)?

whypick1

Correct. Most folks go to the Queue Room to line up to get into Expo, while others will go to lines for theaters.

Gerzzog

Do lines form at all the doors or just the front, pre 8 o clock?

pelicanflip

http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/178918/pax-east-2014-information-faq-read-this-first-then-ask-questions-here/p1

Your questions should be asked, and are already answered in this thread.

Pre 8AM, there is a single line outside the main entrance to the BCEC. At 8 AM, people are allowed inside the BCEC to line up at either the Queue Room for the main Expo, or individual lines for various theaters.

Gerzzog

I looked there and I knew a bunch of it but I was looking for more experience based answers. I know there is no science to it and the lines are always crazy. I was just curious if there were folks that were in the early bird group and what they experienced in the early hours lines. For instance people start lining up really early but are there hundreds at like 7am or small number till closer to 8?

Sgt.Mays

I would think once the expo doors open at 10 the line should clear within the hour, i will personally prob arrive at around 10 as i want to be in the line for the RT panel anyways on Friday.

Beker

Gerzzog wrote: »

For instance people start lining up really early but are there hundreds at like 7am or small number till closer to 8?

I'm usually stationed in the North Lobby when the doors open. I'm not aware of an actual count, but when the doors open its certainly been many hundreds streaming in. I know some days they have had to be creative with the line before doors open wrapping it around towards the sidewalk, etc because of the number of people.

Its not an exact science, and will certainly vary by day depending on how late people stay up the night before. Then once the doors open, how many are going to the keynote vs Queue room vs other panels vs merch line vs band lands vs reg vs wandering like a tourist? No one has those answers and there are too many variable differences from previous PAX's to predict anything with that data.

Good luck.

sassfactor4

I got in line at 7am once, and at 9am another and didn't find either to be a real problem in either direction. Getting to the PA merch booth and having stuff be sold out in the first 15 minutes was the real detriment to going in "late"

zerzhul

Please ask single-issue questions in the FAQ thread. This one was actually talked about specifically on the last couple pages. I don't expect everyone to read all the pages, but that's the place for simple Q&As if you have them.

Gerzzog wrote: »

I looked there and I knew a bunch of it but I was looking for more experience based answers. I know there is no science to it and the lines are always crazy. I was just curious if there were folks that were in the early bird group and what they experienced in the early hours lines. For instance people start lining up really early but are there hundreds at like 7am or small number till closer to 8?

Also those are experience based answers. Just about everyone who posts here is someone who goes to PAX. Unless you see a thing that says "PA Staff" on a user, assume it's a current or former attendee