Comic-Con International Announces New Hall H Policy

If you’ve ever gone to the San Diego Comic-Con International then you’ve probably seen the massive line to get into the San Diego Convention Center’s Hall H. For an opportunity to see the cast and creators of the year’s biggest genre TV shows and movies, fans have waited overnight and they’ve even spent the entire day out in the San Diego sun despite little chance of actually getting in.

If Comic-Con were to clear the room between panels, this probably wouldn’t be as big of a problem as it has become. But it’s in Comic-Con’s best interests to keep the rooms full all day, even if people are essentially camping out until their preferred panel takes place.

While there’s no permanent solution in sight, Comic-Con International has announced a new Hall H policy for this year’s convention. The “Toucan Trackers” wristband system will be used for fans trying to get into the first Hall H panel of the day. The wristbands will be divided into four different colors, with each color representing about one fourth of Hall H’s capacity. Comic-Con employees will be handing out the wristbands to people in line for Hall H until 1am on the night before the event, before resuming four hours later at 5am.

The Toucan Trackers are not a guarantee that fans will get into Hall H nor are they a placeholder in line. Instead, this appears to be a way to discourage fans from waiting in line once the Toucan Trackers have been dispersed for the day. Comic-Con notes on its web site that there will be fewer wristbands than seats available in order to give some of the fans without them a shot at getting inside for the first panel. But that’s still a very slim chance.

Related: Hall H Hell — Hear From Fans Who Spent Comic-Con 2013 In Line

This new policy is only for the first Hall H panel of each day of the convention. After that, more people will be admitted into Hall H when some of the attendees start to clear out. But it’s likely to be very hard to get into any Hall H panel without standing in line overnight.

However, Comic-Con is also offering an off-site viewing option for Hall H and Ballroom 20 panels with the Playback Room at the Omni Hotel. For fans who can’t get into Hall H, this may be a better alternative than waiting for the panels to show up on Youtube.

Comic-Con International begins on Thursday, July 24.

This Week in Film News – Week Ending 07/18/14