Name: First Con / First ConGregate
Start: 2026-07-17T14:30:00-0400
End: 2026-07-17T15:30:00-0400

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con-gregate.com

First Con / First ConGregate

Friday July 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom Salon C (panels)

Let’s face it: conventions are a truly unique experience. In fact, there’s not really anything else you’ll ever do that’s
quite like it! Never been to a convention before? Maybe this is your first time at this con? Or maybe you’re a
veteran of dozens (if not hundreds) of cons? Either way, come join our roundtable discussion on how to best enjoy
the convention experience, including practical advice, tips and tricks, the UN-spoken rules, and ALL the dos and
don’ts of con survival.

Note: If you have only really been to the large "comic" type cons, this will be a different experience.

Moderator: Tom Hutchens

Speakers

Alexandra Higgins

Performance Guest

Alexandra Higgins (aka the Platypus Princess) is a self-taught singer/songwriter whose folk-indie sound evokes the spirit of Joan Baez (direct quote heard randomly and unprompted at every performance!). Her voice, often described as angelic, carries melodies that mix ethereal beauty... Read More →

Joey Starnes

Fan Guest

Joey Starnes first claimed her inner geek in 2007 after visiting her first DragonCon. In 2008, she moved to Charlotte, NC and started the Charlotte Geeks, home of the Guardians of the Geekery podcast, the Geekery Market, Two Woke Bonnets podcast and the Merry Mayhem. Her main geekdoms... Read More →

Tom Hutchens

Costuming Guest

Founder of the Mando Mercs Costume Club, being a Mandalorian fan goes all the way back to 1983, a five-year-old sitting in the theater watching Boba Fett fall into the Sarlacc Pit in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

In 2007 Tom founded the Mando Mercs Costume Club (MMCC), becoming o

... Read More →

James Fulbright

Con Chair / President, ConGregate

James Fulbright was introduced to AD&D by a friend in 1979. After joining his first gaming group, his friends convinced him to start attending conventions like StellarCon. It wasn’t long before attending cons led him to start helping out with those cons; which, in turn, led to running... Read More →

Friday July 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon C (panels)

Fandom

ConGregate 12

Alexandra Higgins

Joey Starnes

Tom Hutchens

James Fulbright

Attendees (6)

Get help with the event

ConGregate 12

Alexandra Higgins

Joey Starnes

Tom Hutchens

James Fulbright

Attendees (6)

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