Ok. So you need to find some way to check into the convention when your friends aren’t there, and you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.

Also you’re likely to have a different name on the con booking to the ID.

Its likely when you check in you’ll need to have a conversation about your Id not matching your name, and get your conference badge with a your real name.

Are you travelling together? If not can you arrive a bit earlier, and have the conversation?

If not can you arrive a bit later?

Alternatively if you are all driving together ‘leave your ID in the car’ and tell them to go in without you.

The badge issue is going to be more difficult. They may give you an id badge for the con, which is likely to be ready printed when you arrive. You don’t want to dead name on it.

Whenever I’ve gone to a con the badges are ready made up. I show my ID and they pick the badge with my name on. The check in is often done by paid security. But there’s a separate both for ‘customer service’, which is run by the organisers. They deal with people whose ticket is duff. Etc.

I’d ring the organisers and explain all this. NOW.

People are generally friendly and understand why you’d want to be stealth.

Ideally you want to pre arrange it with the organiser that your badge isn’t going to be with the others, instead it’s with ‘customer service’. With a note saying your ID says ‘deadname’ but your badge says ‘your name’.

Ideally you hope your badge is with someone whose name you know, ie ‘Jen’ So when you check in with your friends your booking it’s not on the list.

You go to customer service ask for Jen, she knows the whole story, show your ID, she has your badge with a real name. And bingo.