M o r g a n a h
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Selling at Cons is best during the...
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Vicemage
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- Posted: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:39:19 +0000
jungleguu
rairen
really in walmart? surprised
guess i should look around more mmm
guess i should look around more mmm
we saw them in the craft aisle - where the dowel rods, random scrapbook items were... I believe they had both black and colored ones...
Yep; that's where they are, and they're pretty decent quality ones too. I used one to replace the broken strap on my current phone charm.
Morganah: Just find a small con and go for it. As long as you're friendly to people and other artists, it's a lot of fun to hang out in the AA. Just make sure you don't do it your first time at a con; go to a few first, because you'll want to go to events and such. (The girls a table over from me at Acen this year were clearly fairly new to conventions, since they set up a few things early in the morning, then took off and left their mother there all day. And yes, they had actually told her they would be working the table themselves; my direct neighbor and I spent a fair amount of time chatting with her.)
Me... I'm practically all con-ed out. I've been to so many that it doesn't bother me at all to just hang out at a table and make back some of the money I spent getting there.
Vicemage
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- Posted: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:18:56 +0000
Bump for great justice the benefit of the person on the front page collecting Alley information.
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:11:27 +0000
Hi! I used to post in this thread a lot, wondering many of the same things. Well, I did it. And I participated in Artist's Alley in Anime Expo this year. xD I learned a lot of things.
So I can answer these questions now. xD Instead of asking them, like I did previously. I hope this is helpful. 3nodding
Part A- Getting the table:
1. How many months in advance do conventions usually release tables, in your experience?
4-5 months for Anime Expo.
2. How much does a table usually cost?
$25-$50 for Anime Expo. Other places like ComiCon can cost a LOT more. Also, for Anime Expo, you HAD to have a four-day pass, so that can range from another $50-60.
3. How quickly are the tables reserved?
Within a week or two for the more popular conventions. This was the case for Anime Expo, but they did allow table sharing later. And that's what I did. It really lowered the cost of the table. =) By half. And I had an AWESOME partner. Very nice. I got some free food from them because we got along so well. He gave me a free book of his and I gave him a few free things as well. =) It was very fun.
4. What complications should one be prepared for?
Getting reg info lost, waiting in LONG lines, not getting prints done on time.. those usual things.
5. Anything else? Nothing really...
Optional: What skill level would you suggest entering the AA at? If possible, please provide examples.
It has to be pretty decent. I didn't see much lower level art. I think mine was actually considered one of the lower ended artists there. Lower level art can be appealing though, so long as it's cute, is done rather quickly, and the price is pretty low. It just depends on what appeals to people. Sometimes art that I consider pretty low actually sold pretty well. It all depends on the taste of the people. This is why I can't provide examples, it's all really a matter of tastes.
Part B- Preparing to sell:
1. What sort of merchandise would you advise selling?
Prints, bookmarks, postcard sized prints, posters, key chains, stickers, cell phone straps... cards... there's a lot you can work with. T-shirts, books... and magnets are less common. Plushies are here and there too.
Commissions are really popular as well. I would take some references to REALLY popular series, like DeathNote and Bleach, in case people lack those references.
2. What sort of merchandise would you advise against selling?
Things that cost too much to make and that you aren't sure will sell well. Better to be safe and cover your costs, than sorry. You really REALLY start worrying about your profit margin once you actually start selling. And you don't want anything that you will doubt. Anything too out there and not aimed at the general population usually doesn't do well either. Like obscure animes and games. Those sorts of things. You have to go with popularity. It may seem like you're selling out, but you are catering to the public, these are the people buying your art. So yes, it might seem a little low, but it's a way to make money.
3. What sort of stuff sells best?
Popular animes. What's current sells best. Also, I've noticed that cuter things tend to sell better. The target buyers are usually pre-teen, and teen girls. There will be little kids too that love stickers and bookmarks. The older audience of course prefers the sexier and cooler type of arts. This is mostly the shonen and older people category. Cool battle scenes, dynamic posters. Even so, I see mostly female buyers. At least, that's what I saw this year. Still, since it IS mostly female, cuter things work the best. And beautiful type of men, like bishonen. Even if the girls are older than teen, they still in general like cute things.
Also, VARIETY sells. Do not focus on one fandom. That was the mistake I made. I only sold Naruto art. And the problem was that the fandom was still big, but not as huge as it was before. It's either a hit or miss with people if you focus on one series. People don't really buy for the art, they buy for the series or the characters. So try not to go for anything obscure. It's much harder to sell that way. If you do like other series or if anyone asks for something less popular, you can always offer commissions of these things. Your main concern is being able to sell. A lot of series is good.
Bleach, DeathNote, Ouran High School, and Final Fantasy stuff is REALLY popular. Naruto not as much as those.
4. Where would you suggest going to get things printed?
COSTCO! SO LOW COST AND HIGH QUALITY. That's where I got my stuff printed. I don't recommend glossy. It's the same price, but lustre is much better. Fingerprints don't appear on lustre and there's no need to laminate for things such as bookmarks.
5. If printing at home, what preparations should one make?
Having a high quality printer for starters. Mine is too streaky because it's an inkjet. You need a laserjet at least, if you want to make good quality decent prints. And get cheaper papers like.. matte or lustres, glossy is too expensive and needs more ink so that the ink doesn't peel off or come off. All too often glossy papers have the ink peel off of them. PLUS, I HATE fingerprints on my art, so I'd rather buy things printed on thick cardstock, matte paper, or lustre.
6. How far in advance should one have one's merchandise finished?
I had up to last minute. xD I got my things cut and printed the day before badge pick-up. biggrin
But really, you should get things done earlier. I probably wouldn't have ended up selling only Naruto things if I had done my artwork a LOT earlier. I wanted to do other series too.. but yeah, I didn't and I suffered a little from it.
7. Anything else?
TEST PRINT on your computer. Your screen often times is much lighter or saturates the color on the artwork. You have to see what your art will come out like, then make color adjustments accordingly. Unless you are SURE the printer stays true to color on the screen, at least do a test print. This way, you can also make sure that your print sizes are correct and this way you won't waste money at places like Costco by receiving prints that are the wrong size, or weren't the colors you thought they would be.
Also, keep a thumbdrive with you that contains your artwork. I can't stress how important this is. I didn't end up having to make more copies because I pretty much sold everything exactly, but my friend didn't print enough and had to constantly go and print things. You don't want to travel all the way back home just to get your prints.
Part C- At the Con:
1. How early should one arrive to be sure of reserving a good table?
At least 2 hours earlier. I got there 10 minutes early.. and ended up waiting.. for around... 3 hours.... >.>
2. When setting up one's table, what sort of layout would you suggest?
Anything really open and accessible. This was a hard thing for me. I thought stand up things like.. framed work and stands world work, but they took up a LOT of space and were a hassle. Always got knocked down. By taking up too much space, I had to put my prints in a folder for people to look at. That was the first day, and I didn't sell as well as I did the other three days when I just directly laid the prints on the table next to prices. Make it really easy to see. Sometimes simple works the best. I'd rather look down at the table, than up at things. I didn't like huge frameworks with posters hanging off of them.
3. There are some pretty bratty congoers out there. How would you suggest dealing with assholes?
I didn't encounter any bratty congoers. There are some WEIRD people though. So be prepared to be open and not snarky. There WAS a yuri fan that scared the HELL out of me though. D: Thought my work was yuri, when it wasn't. crying
4. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. What issues should one be prepared for when running a table at the Artists alley?
YOU MUST MUST MUST have people that you can substitute into your table when emergencies arrive, like bathrooms runs, a concert you want to see, other events, like getting food. You may also have to have people run to get more prints for you. ANYTHING. Having some manpower is VERY helpful and really let me enjoy the last 2 days of con. I didn't have fun the first day, I was trapped at that table doing commissions all day. I quit the commissions and just ran around the last two days by having people watch my table. =)
You also have to be prepared to be flexible with prices. If you are not selling well, be prepared to lower your prices. My prices by the 4th day were VERY different from the prices in the beginning, but I sold a lot more and managed to reel in a $90 profit after covering my $100 cost of the table and prints.
Also, calculate very very well. You have to at least break even if nothing more.
5. Anything else?
Keep an EYE on your money. I used a fanny-pack. YES, very tourist, but effective and easy access to my money. And have enough change! So many people like to pay with 20s, you have to have enough money to give as change, or people might be discouraged to buy, or say they will come back later when they have change, but THEN they don't come back. Because they either spent it all, or they found other artists to buy from. You want to make sure you sell then and there.
Next, for commissions, you HAVE to take money right there if it's an at-con commission or you risk not being paid. Most people pay first. If it's a digital or mail-home, keep a notebook for names, phone-numbers and addresses and email addresses. For at-con pick-up, take down cell numbers and names, so you can give a call once the commission is done. That way you don't have to worry about cheating anyone. Before, on the first day, I did not take down any info, it was NERVE-RACKING waiting for people to come back and get their commission.
Last, but not least, bring cards that have your name and website and email on it. People may email you later that are interested in your art.. or be interested in a commission. =) Or they just might be a fan and want to see more of your art.
AND ONE MORE THING. Bring a pen that does not smear and dries fast, like a sharpie or art pen, to sign your prints with. People LOVE to get an artist's real signature on prints and commissions. =)
OVERALL:
I won't be selling again in the future. It was a fun experience, but VERY tiring. After 4 days of only bringing in $90 return (Well, $190 really), I didn't feel it very worth it. And my art isn't high level enough. I kept getting skipped over to my friend next door. People wouldn't even glance at my table. ^^; It was very frustrating to say the least. Yes, I did earn my share of fans and people did really like my art, but I didn't get to enjoy convention as much I would have if I weren't selling. I still had a lot of fun with friends though, we actually had a meeting place for once. And a place to keep our things, which was in short, behind the table. xD So that's really useful.
In short, only do it, if you are REALLY serious about it. And serious about art. Most of the people that sell at Artist's Alley are really skilled, talented, and up-there. Those are who you are competing against. If you're like me, easily discouraged and not too confident about your art, then I would advise you not to sell. I thought I could do it for fun, but it wasn't very much of a FUN thing, more of a learning thing. I learned that I certainly can't make a living off of my art and that it was much harder work than I thought it would be.
But, if you are selling, the best attitude to have, is to have confidence in your abilities. If someone compliments your art, be sure to thank them. Don't say "Oh, I'm not all that." Just thank them, it's modest enough. Don't put yourself down, your quality automatically drops in their eyes if you do so.
AND LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT EDIT-
Make sure you bring LOTS and LOTS of snacks to munch on when you're drawing. Since I was going to use the money I earned to spend at the con, I didn't really have food money till the third day. xD So, yeah, I brought little cracker packets.. mini ritz.. those things. Things with a lot of fiber and protein. It'll keep your energy up and keep you full faster and longer. x3 And plenty of fluid, but don't keep anything on your table, you could mess up your prints or something, if it spills.
And bring clipboards to draw on. You might not have room to draw on your table once you've set up everything.
Ah, and one more thing. D: Thanks to what Kako and Vicemage mentioned. You can't expect the staff to know much about the AA sometimes. It's usually understaffed and not that important to many of the staff members. So usually many don't know where it is.. where to go register for it.. blah blah blah. Best thing to do is.. get there, VERY early, and pick up your badge the day before, if possible. You don't want to waste any selling time or chance getting your table taken away.
ONE MORE THING - invest in a paper cutter if you plan to do a lot of conventions. Or just borrow from a friend. I can't stress how much you need to cut things without scissors. Scissors are evil and I'm too wobbly with them. AND. It saves you more when you print about 8-10 bookmarks on a sheet and slice them apart. Or 2 on a 4x6 and then cut them in half or something. That was actually cheaper.
So I can answer these questions now. xD Instead of asking them, like I did previously. I hope this is helpful. 3nodding
Part A- Getting the table:
1. How many months in advance do conventions usually release tables, in your experience?
4-5 months for Anime Expo.
2. How much does a table usually cost?
$25-$50 for Anime Expo. Other places like ComiCon can cost a LOT more. Also, for Anime Expo, you HAD to have a four-day pass, so that can range from another $50-60.
3. How quickly are the tables reserved?
Within a week or two for the more popular conventions. This was the case for Anime Expo, but they did allow table sharing later. And that's what I did. It really lowered the cost of the table. =) By half. And I had an AWESOME partner. Very nice. I got some free food from them because we got along so well. He gave me a free book of his and I gave him a few free things as well. =) It was very fun.
4. What complications should one be prepared for?
Getting reg info lost, waiting in LONG lines, not getting prints done on time.. those usual things.
5. Anything else? Nothing really...
Optional: What skill level would you suggest entering the AA at? If possible, please provide examples.
It has to be pretty decent. I didn't see much lower level art. I think mine was actually considered one of the lower ended artists there. Lower level art can be appealing though, so long as it's cute, is done rather quickly, and the price is pretty low. It just depends on what appeals to people. Sometimes art that I consider pretty low actually sold pretty well. It all depends on the taste of the people. This is why I can't provide examples, it's all really a matter of tastes.
Part B- Preparing to sell:
1. What sort of merchandise would you advise selling?
Prints, bookmarks, postcard sized prints, posters, key chains, stickers, cell phone straps... cards... there's a lot you can work with. T-shirts, books... and magnets are less common. Plushies are here and there too.
Commissions are really popular as well. I would take some references to REALLY popular series, like DeathNote and Bleach, in case people lack those references.
2. What sort of merchandise would you advise against selling?
Things that cost too much to make and that you aren't sure will sell well. Better to be safe and cover your costs, than sorry. You really REALLY start worrying about your profit margin once you actually start selling. And you don't want anything that you will doubt. Anything too out there and not aimed at the general population usually doesn't do well either. Like obscure animes and games. Those sorts of things. You have to go with popularity. It may seem like you're selling out, but you are catering to the public, these are the people buying your art. So yes, it might seem a little low, but it's a way to make money.
3. What sort of stuff sells best?
Popular animes. What's current sells best. Also, I've noticed that cuter things tend to sell better. The target buyers are usually pre-teen, and teen girls. There will be little kids too that love stickers and bookmarks. The older audience of course prefers the sexier and cooler type of arts. This is mostly the shonen and older people category. Cool battle scenes, dynamic posters. Even so, I see mostly female buyers. At least, that's what I saw this year. Still, since it IS mostly female, cuter things work the best. And beautiful type of men, like bishonen. Even if the girls are older than teen, they still in general like cute things.
Also, VARIETY sells. Do not focus on one fandom. That was the mistake I made. I only sold Naruto art. And the problem was that the fandom was still big, but not as huge as it was before. It's either a hit or miss with people if you focus on one series. People don't really buy for the art, they buy for the series or the characters. So try not to go for anything obscure. It's much harder to sell that way. If you do like other series or if anyone asks for something less popular, you can always offer commissions of these things. Your main concern is being able to sell. A lot of series is good.
Bleach, DeathNote, Ouran High School, and Final Fantasy stuff is REALLY popular. Naruto not as much as those.
4. Where would you suggest going to get things printed?
COSTCO! SO LOW COST AND HIGH QUALITY. That's where I got my stuff printed. I don't recommend glossy. It's the same price, but lustre is much better. Fingerprints don't appear on lustre and there's no need to laminate for things such as bookmarks.
5. If printing at home, what preparations should one make?
Having a high quality printer for starters. Mine is too streaky because it's an inkjet. You need a laserjet at least, if you want to make good quality decent prints. And get cheaper papers like.. matte or lustres, glossy is too expensive and needs more ink so that the ink doesn't peel off or come off. All too often glossy papers have the ink peel off of them. PLUS, I HATE fingerprints on my art, so I'd rather buy things printed on thick cardstock, matte paper, or lustre.
6. How far in advance should one have one's merchandise finished?
I had up to last minute. xD I got my things cut and printed the day before badge pick-up. biggrin
But really, you should get things done earlier. I probably wouldn't have ended up selling only Naruto things if I had done my artwork a LOT earlier. I wanted to do other series too.. but yeah, I didn't and I suffered a little from it.
7. Anything else?
TEST PRINT on your computer. Your screen often times is much lighter or saturates the color on the artwork. You have to see what your art will come out like, then make color adjustments accordingly. Unless you are SURE the printer stays true to color on the screen, at least do a test print. This way, you can also make sure that your print sizes are correct and this way you won't waste money at places like Costco by receiving prints that are the wrong size, or weren't the colors you thought they would be.
Also, keep a thumbdrive with you that contains your artwork. I can't stress how important this is. I didn't end up having to make more copies because I pretty much sold everything exactly, but my friend didn't print enough and had to constantly go and print things. You don't want to travel all the way back home just to get your prints.
Part C- At the Con:
1. How early should one arrive to be sure of reserving a good table?
At least 2 hours earlier. I got there 10 minutes early.. and ended up waiting.. for around... 3 hours.... >.>
2. When setting up one's table, what sort of layout would you suggest?
Anything really open and accessible. This was a hard thing for me. I thought stand up things like.. framed work and stands world work, but they took up a LOT of space and were a hassle. Always got knocked down. By taking up too much space, I had to put my prints in a folder for people to look at. That was the first day, and I didn't sell as well as I did the other three days when I just directly laid the prints on the table next to prices. Make it really easy to see. Sometimes simple works the best. I'd rather look down at the table, than up at things. I didn't like huge frameworks with posters hanging off of them.
3. There are some pretty bratty congoers out there. How would you suggest dealing with assholes?
I didn't encounter any bratty congoers. There are some WEIRD people though. So be prepared to be open and not snarky. There WAS a yuri fan that scared the HELL out of me though. D: Thought my work was yuri, when it wasn't. crying
4. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. What issues should one be prepared for when running a table at the Artists alley?
YOU MUST MUST MUST have people that you can substitute into your table when emergencies arrive, like bathrooms runs, a concert you want to see, other events, like getting food. You may also have to have people run to get more prints for you. ANYTHING. Having some manpower is VERY helpful and really let me enjoy the last 2 days of con. I didn't have fun the first day, I was trapped at that table doing commissions all day. I quit the commissions and just ran around the last two days by having people watch my table. =)
You also have to be prepared to be flexible with prices. If you are not selling well, be prepared to lower your prices. My prices by the 4th day were VERY different from the prices in the beginning, but I sold a lot more and managed to reel in a $90 profit after covering my $100 cost of the table and prints.
Also, calculate very very well. You have to at least break even if nothing more.
5. Anything else?
Keep an EYE on your money. I used a fanny-pack. YES, very tourist, but effective and easy access to my money. And have enough change! So many people like to pay with 20s, you have to have enough money to give as change, or people might be discouraged to buy, or say they will come back later when they have change, but THEN they don't come back. Because they either spent it all, or they found other artists to buy from. You want to make sure you sell then and there.
Next, for commissions, you HAVE to take money right there if it's an at-con commission or you risk not being paid. Most people pay first. If it's a digital or mail-home, keep a notebook for names, phone-numbers and addresses and email addresses. For at-con pick-up, take down cell numbers and names, so you can give a call once the commission is done. That way you don't have to worry about cheating anyone. Before, on the first day, I did not take down any info, it was NERVE-RACKING waiting for people to come back and get their commission.
Last, but not least, bring cards that have your name and website and email on it. People may email you later that are interested in your art.. or be interested in a commission. =) Or they just might be a fan and want to see more of your art.
AND ONE MORE THING. Bring a pen that does not smear and dries fast, like a sharpie or art pen, to sign your prints with. People LOVE to get an artist's real signature on prints and commissions. =)
OVERALL:
I won't be selling again in the future. It was a fun experience, but VERY tiring. After 4 days of only bringing in $90 return (Well, $190 really), I didn't feel it very worth it. And my art isn't high level enough. I kept getting skipped over to my friend next door. People wouldn't even glance at my table. ^^; It was very frustrating to say the least. Yes, I did earn my share of fans and people did really like my art, but I didn't get to enjoy convention as much I would have if I weren't selling. I still had a lot of fun with friends though, we actually had a meeting place for once. And a place to keep our things, which was in short, behind the table. xD So that's really useful.
In short, only do it, if you are REALLY serious about it. And serious about art. Most of the people that sell at Artist's Alley are really skilled, talented, and up-there. Those are who you are competing against. If you're like me, easily discouraged and not too confident about your art, then I would advise you not to sell. I thought I could do it for fun, but it wasn't very much of a FUN thing, more of a learning thing. I learned that I certainly can't make a living off of my art and that it was much harder work than I thought it would be.
But, if you are selling, the best attitude to have, is to have confidence in your abilities. If someone compliments your art, be sure to thank them. Don't say "Oh, I'm not all that." Just thank them, it's modest enough. Don't put yourself down, your quality automatically drops in their eyes if you do so.
AND LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT EDIT-
Make sure you bring LOTS and LOTS of snacks to munch on when you're drawing. Since I was going to use the money I earned to spend at the con, I didn't really have food money till the third day. xD So, yeah, I brought little cracker packets.. mini ritz.. those things. Things with a lot of fiber and protein. It'll keep your energy up and keep you full faster and longer. x3 And plenty of fluid, but don't keep anything on your table, you could mess up your prints or something, if it spills.
And bring clipboards to draw on. You might not have room to draw on your table once you've set up everything.
Ah, and one more thing. D: Thanks to what Kako and Vicemage mentioned. You can't expect the staff to know much about the AA sometimes. It's usually understaffed and not that important to many of the staff members. So usually many don't know where it is.. where to go register for it.. blah blah blah. Best thing to do is.. get there, VERY early, and pick up your badge the day before, if possible. You don't want to waste any selling time or chance getting your table taken away.
ONE MORE THING - invest in a paper cutter if you plan to do a lot of conventions. Or just borrow from a friend. I can't stress how much you need to cut things without scissors. Scissors are evil and I'm too wobbly with them. AND. It saves you more when you print about 8-10 bookmarks on a sheet and slice them apart. Or 2 on a 4x6 and then cut them in half or something. That was actually cheaper.
Moe SahChan
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- Posted: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:41:49 +0000
Wow, thanks, DarkishStar! That was really informative and helpful. ^.^
Edit- Also, great job on your cosplay! You look awesome!
Edit- Also, great job on your cosplay! You look awesome!
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:10:16 +0000
P h 1 s h y
Wow, thanks, DarkishStar! That was really informative and helpful. ^.^
Edit- Also, great job on your cosplay! You look awesome!
Edit- Also, great job on your cosplay! You look awesome!
Thankies. :blush: So you looked at my website. xD;;
Do you plan on doing Artist's Alley?
Moe SahChan
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:43:15 +0000
At Anime Expo? Eventually. I have yet to actually go because it's such a costly event, but I'll save throughout the year and go next summer... At least, I hope to. For now, I'm dabbling in the AA's at my local conventions (SacCon/SacAnime- both Anime/comic shows in the Sacramento/Northern California area). I'm planning on doing Fanime next year, and I'm excited for that.
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:57:18 +0000
Hahahah yeah.. Anime Expo seems intimidating, especially for the $95 you end up paying by registering early. My cost went down to $70 after sharing a table with someone. D: But it wasn't intimidating after awhile. There always will be people that will like your art I guess. D: I guess I just worried too much about covering costs than actually having fun with the art. Actually, it seemed more like labor than anything. And you also have to be prepared to draw ANYTHING really when taking commissions. Some things I swore never to draw, I ended up drawing. xD
I'd like to go to Fanime and see what the Artist Alley there is like actually. x3
I'd like to go to Fanime and see what the Artist Alley there is like actually. x3
[Kako]
![[Kako]'s avatar](http://a2.cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/a6/9e/703768d149ea6_flip.png?t=1316557417_6.00_01)
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:10:03 +0000
Thanks for filling out the form, Darkishstar! Too bad I didn't see you at AX. D: I only wound up being at my table for one day, I was facing the window and just couldn't take the heat/sunlight. Hopefully, Fanime next year will be better. smile
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:11:59 +0000
[Kako]
Thanks for filling out the form, Darkishstar! Too bad I didn't see you at AX. D: I only wound up being at my table for one day, I was facing the window and just couldn't take the heat/sunlight. Hopefully, Fanime next year will be better. smile
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
I'll be sure to check out the guild later. x3
[Kako]
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:22:06 +0000
DarkishStar
[Kako]
Thanks for filling out the form, Darkishstar! Too bad I didn't see you at AX. D: I only wound up being at my table for one day, I was facing the window and just couldn't take the heat/sunlight. Hopefully, Fanime next year will be better. smile
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
I'll be sure to check out the guild later. x3
Not only was it badly placed, the normal staff had NO IDEA where it was going to be. D: I ran around the entire day before asking for directions. The entire convention was kind of badly placed, though. D: Long Beach sucked compared to Anaheim. (Frickin' Shriners) I hear next year it might be in LA proper! D: (Though some people were talking about San Jose, which I wouldn't mind)
Which table number were you? I think I was... 43?
Vicemage
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:25:00 +0000
It's always fun when no one knows what's going on! Acen's staffers kept trying to run AA vendors through the main registration line (which was backed up by several hours and basically in a state of failure all weekend), and I ended up spending most of the first day without an actual badge, just because they kept forgetting to get me one.
Not to mention that four people didn't know where the AA was right away (it had a giant sign over it), and most staffers didn't know it had a separate line. That and the threat of "we'll give your tables away if you aren't here by 9" made Friday pretty miserable.
Not to mention that four people didn't know where the AA was right away (it had a giant sign over it), and most staffers didn't know it had a separate line. That and the threat of "we'll give your tables away if you aren't here by 9" made Friday pretty miserable.
[Kako]
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:29:27 +0000
Ouch. D: AX didn't have alternative registration, I feel sorry for people who tried to pick their badges up the day of the con THEN get their tables. >.< It seems like AAs are always neglected as far as staff information goes.
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:38:40 +0000
[Kako]
DarkishStar
[Kako]
Thanks for filling out the form, Darkishstar! Too bad I didn't see you at AX. D: I only wound up being at my table for one day, I was facing the window and just couldn't take the heat/sunlight. Hopefully, Fanime next year will be better. smile
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
By the way, I had a spare guild so I changed it into an Artists Alley Guild to keep track of information in! Feel free to join!
I'll be sure to check out the guild later. x3
Not only was it badly placed, the normal staff had NO IDEA where it was going to be. D: I ran around the entire day before asking for directions. The entire convention was kind of badly placed, though. D: Long Beach sucked compared to Anaheim. (Frickin' Shriners) I hear next year it might be in LA proper! D: (Though some people were talking about San Jose, which I wouldn't mind)
Which table number were you? I think I was... 43?
Seriously! I asked where badge pick-up would be... and would've been there so much earlier.. if they knew where it was to tell me... >.> LBCC was crappy compared to Anaheim. Maybe that added even more to my whole refusal to ever do Artist's Alley ever again. Blah.
I was number 66. xD I had pink hair the first day, so maybe you did get a glimpse of me. x3
LACC might suck too though. No adjacent hotels. A crappy downtown. SO MUCH TRAFFIC next to the Staples Center. Not much for eatings. And.. really.. a lot of hobos and a pretty high crime rate for the area, I fear for the cosplayers and younger age group. I live so close to the LACC that it wouldn't be bad. But the LBCC was about 15 mins away from where I lived, so it wasn't a problem for me. Anaheim was actually farther, like.. 40 mins. But with traffic.. LACC can take up to an hour plus to get into.
Nope, AX never did have an alternative reg. Most people have learned that they have to pick-up the badges on day zero, rather than the day of con. You lose a lot of selling time by then. And really, you want all the time you can get. D:
DarkishStar
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- Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:39:34 +0000
Vicemage
It's always fun when no one knows what's going on! Acen's staffers kept trying to run AA vendors through the main registration line (which was backed up by several hours and basically in a state of failure all weekend), and I ended up spending most of the first day without an actual badge, just because they kept forgetting to get me one.
Not to mention that four people didn't know where the AA was right away (it had a giant sign over it), and most staffers didn't know it had a separate line. That and the threat of "we'll give your tables away if you aren't here by 9" made Friday pretty miserable.
Not to mention that four people didn't know where the AA was right away (it had a giant sign over it), and most staffers didn't know it had a separate line. That and the threat of "we'll give your tables away if you aren't here by 9" made Friday pretty miserable.
Yeah, AA really has a poor track record among staff. It's ALWAYS understaffed. I usually don't understand why checking of passes always took so long. I waited in the line for such a long time. And when I actually got there.. it was such a breeze through the door. I don't get it. D: AX actually has been getting better and better on the case of badges though. I actually got through in about an hour after the line started moving when it was officially open. But it has to be on day zero though. I wouldn't want to waste an hour in the line and then.. yeah.. get to the AA.
Usually though, kinks aside, AA usually runs itself really smoothly. And I like that about the AA. It's not too difficult after.
