Con review: Shawnee Comic Con

Convention Name: Shawnee Comic Con
Date: Aug 15-16, 2020
Cost: $75, 1 10x10-ish booth
Location: Shawnee, OK
Grade: D

 This past weekend, I got to go to the Shawnee Comic Con again. I went last year, and had a great time. Since the Enid con 2 weeks ago went well, I figured this one would, as well. Well, no so much. 

The layout this year was much more spread out from last year, which is great. Last year, on one side of the room everyone was bunched up, and as things spread to the other side, there was tons of open space. It's understandable having more space this time, with Covid going around, but I think things went a little too far. The aisles were waaaay too wide, so people weren't being driven to each side of each aisle, they ultimately had to go down one side and back up the other side. It was just awkward. 

The turnout for this con was abysmal. I thought that with the good turnout 2 weeks ago in Enid, that this one would do well, too. This wasn't even close. The first day, there were only about 240 people that showed up. The second day, well.... it was mostly vendors shopping with other vendors for the first 3-ish hours. There weren't really any other people showing up. 

Luckily, at the beginning of day 2, the guy running things told us that due to poor turnout, if we wanted to leave early, we could. Also, this particular con isn't going to be held again, either, due to 2 bad years in a row.
I got to leave a couple hours early, which did help. 

Overall, I did OK. I made enough over the weekend to cover my expenses for the booth, hotel, and food both days. At this point, I would call that a win. I'm just glad I didn't lose money.
If this con was going to be held again, I don't think I would go, anyway. It wasn't worth it. 

Even with the poor turnout, it was still good to get out and do the con thing again. I did have a booth next to some friends, and got to chat with some other friends there, so that was good. I can't wait until things start picking up again.
This was my last confirmed con that has been paid for for this year. I have an application pending for one in November, and I have been keeping my eye on another one in October to see if they are going to proceed, or just skip this year.

 

Con Review: Enid Comic Con 2020

Convention Name: Enid Comic Con
Date: Aug 1-2, 2020
Cost: $75, 1 10x10-ish booth
Location: Enid, OK
Grade: A

This is my second year vendoring at the Enid Comic Con, and the third year it has been running. It has been great seeing this one grow just from one year to the next. Obviously, it is a pretty small con, but I have been anxious to go to a con lately, since I have only had 1 since last November. The price for a booth at this con is still worth it, too. Overall, I will probably continue to attend this con if I keep doing as well as I have. 

With Covid going around, I was a little hesitant to attend and was worried about the turnout for this con. Masks were required to be worn at all time, but of course there were people taking them off once inside (which was very frustrating). I had my mask on at all times, and I had some hand sanitizer on my table for everyone to use, if they wanted to.
The turnout was actually pleasantly surprising! I was worried hardly anyone would show up and I would lose money on the weekend. I actually did very well! I didn't do as well as last year, but all things considered, that's understandable. I got really close, though. 

Check in was easy. I just had to find the organizer (who was right at the door), and he showed me where my booth was. I had asked for a corner booth near the front (door). I didn't get the corner, but I was right next to one. Plus, I was right across the photo/autograph table where the celebrity was for the weekend, so that helped with traffic. Location is definitely key for these events! 

Yes, one of my display boards is empty in the picture. My chains got all tangled, so I spent some time after setup separating them to put them up. 

To one side of me was a group who had about 3-4 booth spaces for photo ops and info about their group. It was nice having them there, but they showed up late and left early that first day. They didn't even show up at all the second day, so I just had a big empty space next to me the whole day. When I came in on Sunday, I spread out a little bit, encroaching on their space a little, figuring I could move back once they showed up. When I realized they weren't going to show up, I moved over a little smidge more to spread out a little.

Overall, it was a very successful convention, and I can't wait for the next one (coming up in a week).

Con Review : Uncanny Comic Con

Convention Name: Uncanny Comic Con
Date: March 7, 2020
Cost: $70, 10x10
Location: Shawnee, OK
Grade:A

I was referred to this con last spring, not long after the first one had taken place. My friend had told me it was a good con, and they had done really well. Of course, I decided to give it a go! I signed up for a table really early on, and had been looking forward for quite a while to attend this one.
I was so eager to get a table, that I reached out to the coordinator before applications were available. Apparently I was really early, and they weren't out, yet, so I had to wait.

Finally they came out and I filled it out right away. I was happy to get accepted! (Come to think of it, I haven't been rejected from any cons that I have applied to. That's pretty awesome by itself).
When I got my acceptance, I was especially pleased to discover that once you pay for your space, you get to also pick which space you want, if it is available. I was able to pick a pretty central spot on a corner, which worked out, since I could put up my big display board.

Check in was pretty easy. They had people show me where my booth was. I had just under 2 hours to setup my booth. Since I hadn't had any cons in a while, I had a slow start and it actually took me a little longer than this to setup, especially since I didn't have anyone with me to help. I originally thought I had more time than I did. I woke up and got dressed and was relaxing, when I realized that setup had to be complete an hour earlier than I was planning for. I had to rush all the way to the venue! I wasn't too terribly late, though.

There was a good turnout at this event, especially considering the initial concerns with Coronavirus going around. I'm happy that this one didn't get cancelled or postponed, though. Unfortunately, my next 2 cons have been postponed. One set of dates works, but the other one I already have booked. Boo.

Considering this was a one day con, I did really well. There were also volunteers going around offering the vendors bottles of water and snacks. I thought this was a nice touch. I appreciated it when the coordinators do things like this for vendors, especially when not all of us have a chance to leave our booth.

I forgot to take a picture of my booth! I can't believe it! I am really out of con shape, apparently.
I definitely plan on attending this con in the future, as I did really well. Especially for a one-day con. I would recommend this con for any vendor!

Con Review: Konsplosion

Convention Name: Konsplosion
Date: Nov 15-17, 2019
Cost: $300, 1 8-ft table
Location: Ft Smith, AR
Grade: B-

This con was a little deceptive, and I'll explain what I mean by that.
Their website looks great! There was their great website, good pictures, and some great reviews on the previous years that I was really looking forward to attending this con.  It was a 3 hour drive away, but that didn't bother me much.
The artist alley information on the website was a little vague (to me, at least) on one of their rules. I wanted clarification before applying, so I used the "Contact Us" link on the website to ask my question. After a couple weeks went by and I didn't hear anything back, I still wanted that clarification, so I reached out again via the website, just in case I didn't submit right or it didn't get through (there was no automatic email or onscreen indication that the message was sent or received). I still didn't hear anything back. Rather than keep wasting time, I went ahead and applied and submitted the application online (again with no email confirmation the application was received). I may have applied twice, since I didn't hear back anything.

After several more weeks of not hearing back on the application, I looked to Facebook to see if I could find any information as to if invitations had even been sent. I found a Facebook group for the con, so I applied to join. Once in, I was able to locate an email address for someone with the con. At this point, I had no confidence in anything on the website, so I sent an email directly. 

I got a reply! However, I was told that they were full on artists and vendors already. I also inquired about the fact I never heard back or got a confirmation. Apparently they do not send out emails unless someone is approved, but that they were full by May (this is in September). 
I bit my tongue and didn't respond because I didn't want to burn any bridges, but it would have been nice to know this months ago rather than keep waiting to hear back on anything. Well, that was the right call because a couple weeks later there was a cancellation, so I was able to get a table, after all. I responded that I wanted it! I sent another email a couple days later asking for payment options.
Then after a couple more days I was asked to send the fee via Paypal friends and family to avoid fees.  This struck me as very odd, and I didn't feel comfortable doing this, as I wouldn't have any protections. I did send the money, but normally and I sent  a few extra dollars to cover the fees.

Fast forward to the weekend of the convention. There were no emails that went out to the vendors to provide any information. I got to the convention center and had no idea where to go. After wandering around a bit, I found the right area, and went to the desk to check in and see where my table assignment was.
Turns out, there were no assignments! They just let me pick the table I wanted, first come first serve style. This, again, struck me as odd. There is no way to prevent tables of similar items from being near each other. Plus, if you show up late, you will have a horrible spot.

Luckily, I had a pretty good spot.

That closed door behind me is actually one of the doors to the vendor room, so not only did I get that traffic in and out of the vendor room, but I had the room to put up my big display (which I wasn't expecting to have room for, bonus!).

I was expecting a lot more traffic/sales for this weekend. I checked a map of the con, and it looks like all the panels were on the opposite side of the building, so that could certainly contribute to the low traffic. Even with the traffic we had, though, it just seemed like many people just weren't buying. I've never done a con or fair here in AR, so I don't know if this is typical for the area. One of the con volunteers mentioned that there were others complaining of low sales, too.

Overall, I did better than breakeven, so that's good. But it wasn't so great that I would want to drive 3 hours to again, unless things were different.
There seemed to be some great events and panels for this con (more than others I have been too). However the management felt a bit amateurish. It had the feeling of a bunch of friends that got together to put on a convention. The "con" even had a vendor table where someone was selling random stuff in the vendor room. This was referred to as the "con's" booth, but nothing being sold had anything to do with the con itself. Just regular vendor stuff. Plus, to me, it just seems like whoever was in charge of the vendors/artists either had no idea what they were doing or they just didn't care. There was no communication with the artists at all (aside from the approval email). There was some info online, but not much.


I will have to closely consider if I decide to do this con again next year.

Con Review: Tulsa Pop Culture Expo

Convention Name: Tulsa Pop Culture Expo
Date: Nov 3&3, 2019
Cost: $300, 1 table (spot I ended up in had TONS of space)
Location: Tulsa, OK
Grade: B

 This was a large convention. Definitely the largest that I have ever attended. There were quite a few celebrities and lots of space for this one. The price is most definitely the biggest I have paid for a booth, double what my highest was up to now. Because of this, I was definitely nervous. Initially I had decided not to do this one because of the cost, but I went ahead and dove right in to see how things would go for a larger convention.

The location of the expo was in a mall. There wasn't much clarification on this on the website or in any of the emails. I wasn't sure if this was an old mall that had been turned into something else, or just being held in part of the mall. When I arrived, I had to drive around the place, and I finally located a big sign on the side of the building. Turns out, this was being held in an old Sears store in the mall, 2 stories of space.

Check in was really easy. There was a table setup right by the door, so I checked in and was shown where my spot was right away. I ended up going the day before for setup. In the communications, setup/load in was on Friday, and I didn't see any times listed for Saturday morning before the con. This was a bit annoying because I now have an extra night of hotel just to be able to setup. My setup takes, at most, 2 hours to do. Granted, the extra setup time allowed me to take my time, but since I had my niece with me this time, we still had it done in about 2 hours.

My booth space was was great. You know how in department stores there are the tile "pathways" and the merchandise is located in carpeted areas. My booth was in one of the areas along a wall, so I had all that space between the "aisle" and the wall. It was doubly good because I was at the corner, so there was an "aisle" to one side of me, too.

In the picture, we are near the wall, and there was a HUGE space in front of us before the aisle. The other tables and I talked with the people in charge and were able to move forward up to the aisle so we would have better foot traffic.
My location was great, too. That aisle to the side was between me and the booth area where the celebrity photos were being held. So, I got some good views from the photo people while they waited for pictures. I also got to see all the celebrities walk right past my table on their way to their assigned photo time. It was great!

For this being such a big con, I expected to do much more business (especially with a $300 table fee). I didn't lose any money, but I wouldn't call this con a success. If the table fees cost the same next year, I highly doubt I will attend this con again. It just isn't worth all the work and time and money to just barely break even. The table fee is why I gave this con a B.

This was my niece's first con (she only had gone to the craft fairs with me before), and she LOVED it. I have been trying to get her to come to cons, since they are a lot more fun, and now I think she is hooked. She even tried to get days off from work to go to the next one in two weeks, but she wasn't able to. Hopefully I will have her for many more in the future, though!

Con Review: Name Your Game Expo 2019

Convention Name: Name Your Game Expo 2019
Date: Oct 5&6, 2019
Cost: $100,1 table ~ 6x5 space
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
Grade: A


This one was a larger con, held in Broken Arrow, OK. If you couldn't tell by the name, this one is a gaming con, for all kinds of different games. They even requested that we gear our offerings toward gaming, as well. The price was pretty good. It's a little higher than the tiny cons I have been going to, but still not bad at all. I was actually worried about getting accepted into this one. I do have some game related items, but not a large percentage.

Check-in was super easy. I walked in and ran into someone who took me to the guy in charge, who then showed me my table. It was almost a little too easy.
My booth space was only a table with the space behind it. I was prepared for this, so I knew I wouldn't get to use my large display. (I always take both the large and the portable one with me to all events, though, because you never know).

My booth location was amazing! The artists at this event were just tables lining the hallways. My booth happened to be located just across the hall outside the exhibitor/vendor room, though. So I got to see all that traffic, too! I had a very successful weekend.
There was one downfall, though. I was right in front of a window, which wasn't bad. But, this venue had the vents right above the windows, too. With the air conditioning being on, we were freezing. Since the weather took a downturn into cooler temps, it felt like they didn't adjust the air conditioning accordingly. I grabbed a light pullover and a scarf from my car, and I used some fabric that I use as table covering as a blanket, but it didn't help much. That first day we were miserable.
That first night, I went to my hotel room and took a very long, very hot shower. It was glorious.
The second day, the guy in charge had the venue raise the temperature, and he also offered to move us to a different spot that became available. We both chose to stay, since the location was so good. The second day, things were better, temperature-wise.

This con was a lot bigger and busier than I was expecting, which was great! I really enjoyed myself, and I will definitely return again next year. There was a special guest who showed up on Sunday, too. Apparently he was in town for another event on Saturday, and they were able to get him to the con for Sunday. It was Marcus Mauldin, who voiced Brick in the Borderlands video games. 
His table was very close to mine, so I left my table for a few minutes, and got a signed print for my husband (big Borderlands fan). I was super excited to meet him and get his autograph.

Overall, this weekend was a great success. I only wish I had requested Monday off from the day job. I didn't get home until about 9PM, and I'm exhausted.
My next con is in a month, and it will be a BIG one. I will need to make a bunch of stuff to gear up for it. Can't wait!

Con Review: CollegeCon 2019

Convention Name: CollegeCon 2019
Date: Sept 21, 2019
Cost: $20, 10x10
Location: Norman, OK
Grade: B


This con was another small one, being held at the University of Oklahoma. The price was great, and it was local, so I didn't have to drive very far to get to this one. That's always a plus!
This particular con I found out about, even before applications were available, so I was ready and waiting when they were out! I put in the application and paid immediately!

Check-in was pretty easy. They had sent an email to vendors in the week prior, letting us know where to go, where to park, and where to check in. There didn't seem to be many people around yet when I checked in, so it went pretty easily.
There was a parking garage for the student union attached to the building. By parking on the third floor, I can go directly into the building from the garage. This helped a LOT when unloading and reloading the car.

In the email that they had sent, they let us know that we would be located in the ballroom on the third floor. It never really clicked in my brain until I located my spot that this seems quite out of the way. Nothing else for the con was being held on the third floor, so unless you are specifically going to the vendor area, there isn't a reason for con-goers to go up there.

The booth sizes were big! They had the tall pipe and drape between the booths. I had a partial window in the back of my booth, so I had some additional light coming in, at least. Plus, since I had so much space to spread out a bit, I was able to setup both of my pegboard displays again. I love when I get to do that! It's a little more work, but I can put out more stuff!
I'm putting most of the items on the smaller pegboard up on clearance to get rid of it, so it helps to get eyes on it!

The traffic there was OK. I can't help but believe that the vendors would have done much better if we were on the first floor, and have the video game tournaments were held in the 3rd floor ballroom, instead. It seems like common sense to basically force people to walk past the vendors to improve sales, rather than stick them in a corner. It's because of the location that I rated it a B.

I found out after a few hours in, that there was also a green room for vendors to relax, and they had some mini sandwiches and drinks and donuts, as well. This was awesome. I love when they do something like this for vendors! The downside is that it was on the second floor, so it wasn't as easily accessible.

Overall, I did about half as well as I was expecting. With the booth fee being only $20, and the fact that it was local for me, I still made money, but I have been getting spoiled with these cons, lately.
Back when doing craft fairs, I would have called this a great success. As a con, though, it was just OK.

At the end, they did come around and let us know that we could start packing up about 20 minutes early, since all the events were over. They did seem genuinely interested in receiving feedback, as well, to try and improve in upcoming years. I will probably still do this event again, either way.

Con review: LexiCon 2019

I am a member of several groups on Facebook, and I find them to be full of amazing information and support. My most recent group I joined is a network of Artist Alley vendors. I love the flow of information and sharing of tips on items, cons, manufacturers, etc.
One member just put up a bunch of reviews of the different cons that he has been attending, and I love the idea! I decided to do something similar here. I know that some people may not be very interested in the cons around the OK area, but I just want to share information. Plus, my readers can learn what I do on the weekends! (Although, I think I'm down to only 2 readers, now).

Convention Name: LexiCon 2019
Date: Sept 14, 2019
Cost: $10, 10x10
Location: Stillwater, OK
Grade: A

This was a small local con being run by the library.
I had been hearing good things about this con from multiple people, vendors I have met at other cons, so I decided to go ahead and apply. Gotta love the booth fee!
I was put on a waitlist right away. Apparently, this one fills up quickly, and even though I applied months in advance, I still wasn't quick enough. They also give preference to previous vendors, too.

While I was at SoonerCon back in June, I actually got my acceptance! I was super excited. I have been looking forward to this one for a while.

Check-in was pretty easy. They had already sent an email to vendors a week before, so they let us know where to enter and check in. I have things streamlined now, so I only have to make 2 trips from my car, which has helped me tremendously (especially since I go to these alone, my helper niece doesn't come to these anymore).
They pointed me to the room I was in, and also pointed out a refreshment room for the vendors, which I was excited about. I didn't expect this from a con that only cost $10! They had bottled water, bagels, crackers and cookies, raisins, etc.

My booth location was a bit awkward. This con was being held in a Community Center, wich I think may have been a school at one time. So, other than the gym area and dining area, there isn't much space to put people, other than in the classrooms, which is what they did. At first, I wasn't very thrilled with my location. I was in a room just off of the main entrance area, and initially I was kindof tucked into a corner. Because they gave us so much room, though, I was able to spread out a little bit and use the space to my advantage.
(that window behind me is to the vendor snacks area, too, so I was really close)

Despite being in a side room, I still saw quite a bit of traffic. I did very well, and set a new one-day-con record for sales. I will definitely do this con again and again. I was very pleased with everything.
The only issue I had (and it's super minor) is that when I was done unloading it took a while to find someone to tell me where we were supposed to park. That part got left out of the initial email.

I'm kindof glad this was just a one day con. I started coming down with something, and just tried to muddle through the day. I was sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat, the works. The funny thing is, I didn't start getting these symptoms until I had already setup. I washed my hands a lot, and tried to not spread germs as much as possible.
I'm still getting over it, a week later, but I'm not nearly as miserable as I was that day.
Overall, it was a great day, though.