Faces of BlizzCon: Convention floor tips from the first aid fix-it lady
Can't make it to Anaheim for the convention? WoW Insider takes you behind the scenes at BlizzCon 2011.
What's the #1 physical ailment at BlizzCon 2011? Sore, blistered feet. WoW Insider visited with Sue, an R.N. who works at the Anaheim Convention Center's first aid station, for advice on what con-goers should do to make their time at BlizzCon healthy and comfortable.
"Don't wear new shoes!" exclaimed everyone at the first aid station in unison. "Most of what we're doing here today is Band-Aids," Sue adds, noting that the front hall of the convention center is one-quarter of a mile long. Don't try to get away with sandals or shoes with no socks, she advises. To make it through BlizzCon, you need the real deal.
After three years of working first aid shifts for BlizzCon, Sue is armed and ready for the entire range of common BlizzCon maladies. The usual suspects: overheating beneath cumbersome, full-body costumes; getting shaky or dehydrated after forgetting to eat and drink; and the queasy aftereffects of overindulgence in alcohol.
The artificial smoke/fog on the convention can also trigger breathing problems. If you have asthma or another breathing problem, Sue says, be sure to bring an inhaler.
The first aid team has a wheelchair and heads out onto the con floor itself when fans have troubles that keep them from coming around the first aid station -- but happily, the bulk of the staff's work seems to be random assistance like a safety pin for a wayward costume and helping passersby with "Where's the cafeteria?" and "Where's the ATM?"
And Band-Aids. Lots of lots of Band-Aids.
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