dont fall.

Stay hydrated. Carry a bag with plenty of water, maybe some light snacks. Bathe and apply deodorant every day (unless you wear that heavy duty prescription deodorant or CertainDri. Then follow the instructions on the label for how often to apply it.).
Some advice is specific to the type of con you're going to. Glomping is a problem that's pretty specific to anime cons.

>>4217241
And check the amenities of the hotel you're staying at. If it has a fridge and/or a microwave so you can bring your own food
-Keep moving. Don't block areas
-Manners is still apply
-Don't forget to look throughly around the Dealer's Room for better deals

don't get bro raped

its more common than you think

>>4217241
Oh! Also. Pay close attention to your belongings (bags, cameras, etc.), especially if you need to set them down for whatever reason. Con security comes in varying scales and degrees of professionalism (many of them are volunteers), and are often already overwhelmed besides that. Don't depend on them to be ready to leap on someone who snatches your bag, and try not to cop attitude with them if it happens.
Make sure your cellphone is charged. You may want to carry your charger with you during the day.

-Juicy Juice. Nectar of the gods. None of that knock off shit, the REAL brand name stuff with 100% juice. Mmm, vitamins. Grab two packs of those boxes and carry one or two with you every day for a quick pick me up. Also helps to prevent hangovers in my experience, but everyone works differently.
-Bottled water. Carry some. Like Broodmother says, hydration is absolute key. AVOID hotel glasses like the plague because they are, unless they are the wrapped disposable kind. The actual glass ones are germ havens.
-Carry the map they give you and learn how to read it.
-Know how to identify staff, learn where the info desks are. Never be afraid to ask for help. If a staff member is rude, note their description and name and do not be afraid to report it!
-Read the rules on the con's website so you don't plan to do something/wear something cool only to find out it isn't allowed.
-Read through the programming to maximize your experience and really get your money's worth.
-Talk to people. Everyone is there to have fun and you can make a lot of friends. Ask your friends who are going to introduce you to their friends.
-Leave feedback about your experience on the con forums, good or bad! It really helps to improve the con for next year.

Have fun! :D

Make sure you have a place to stay. Finding quiet corners to sleep in on the con floor just to be woken up 5 minutes later by con staff ruins the first time experience.
Though admittedly sleeping outside wasn't THAT bad, just pretty stiff in the morning. Still though. Hotel. Make sure you got one.
And don't spend you money on a bunch of useless junk. Think through your purchases.

*If you're going with a large group of friends, make sure you plan on going solo at least a few hours.

*One of the best ways to strike up a conversation with someone is to start talking to them about their costume. People love reminiscing about the hundreds of hours spend on cosplays.

*If you ARE cosplaying, you get huge props for acting the part of your character.

*Chances are you will have a great day planned out, but you WILL fall short on certain events for one reason or another, so try to limit yourself to like 2 or 3 things you REALLY during the day (depends on length of convention each day), and just explore and talk to people the rest of the time.

*BRING A CAMERA!! and more importantly after that, post pictures of people's cosplays online, where they can view them with specific tags. Help their ego a little!