Since this is my first time to EF I'm kind of clueless on where or what i need to bring with me to pick up my badge and my shiny goody bag.
Greetings, Mstrlitamacwolf!
I'm not staff, just an attendee like you - but in the past, all I have had to present was some personal ID (your passport will do) and a cheerful smile.
...and our registration staff have been so gracious as to welcome and process me, even when I have forgotten about the smile (but the ID, they
must insist upon).
*****
In the past, EuroFURence has created the innovative Conference Badge/Room Key combination, where your badge doubles as your guestroom key card; this meant first standing in line to process through convention registration, and then going over to Hotel Registration to receive your room (and where they encoded your badge to work as the key card).
As this is a new hotel (for us), I do not know if they will have the same clever setup for this year; but if so, and if you arrive the day before the convention officially starts, the hotel will give you a normal guestroom key card, which you can then exchange when you get your con badge the next day.
*****
Oh - one other thing: the hotels in Germany which I have stayed at will also hand you a small card for your wallet, with the name, address, and phone number for the hotel; and your name, room number, and the days which you will be staying as a guest. The purpose of this card is to show to either front-desk staff,
or to civil authorities such as the police, that you are indeed a resident guest of the hotel. This is REALLY handy to be able to present to a policeman if you should become lost, even if neither of you speak a common language, to help them help you return to the hotel. (in the days before electronic room key cards, you typically had a large key on a brass or wooden key fob, and when you left the environs of the hotel, you would leave the key at the desk; if you were not known to the clerk or concierge working the desk upon your return, the card was your token affirming your right to that key).
In some cities, this card can also be used as a "city card", which many city visitors' bureaus give to travellers to get discounts on food or drink, or for passage on the local tram or bus, or for discounted admission to cultural sites. I don't know if this will hold true for the Estrel guest-card, but it is wise to remember if you spend any additional days in a hotel in any other part of Germany during your visit.
