#convention booth setup

[grumpycakes]

Your booth looks so beautiful and professional!! I hope you had fun at the con! ❤️

And when you'll have time/feel like it could you please share how you put all those goodies up? The last time I used meshes like half of my prints were ruined and uh not looking forward to that 😭

Awww thanks so much!!! It was weird and slow Friday, but the interactions I had with people did and always do make every con magical and so fulfilling 💕

So for the meshes I stabilize them by constructing them with zip ties instead of the connector pucks they come with. I then make them not move around by putting the bins I organize my product in in the cubbies they make. They may shake but they won’t be falling.

As for the prints, when I’m not in a corner I tend to get most of my generic/non shippy art up on that clothesline-esque string. I get tiny clothes pins from either dollar tree, Walmart, or internet (I no longer remember my bad) and those hold them up without denting or damage.

Aaaas for the ones on the mesh directly, as I feel from your comment you’ve tried, I use masking tape. This will inevitably mess up prints. I do take into account and printing that I will have 1-2 “”display”” prints that will just be liable to damage (and if I have to sell I will usually give a discount)

Pic for ref

But I have managed to make it a little less damaging by

1. Ripping off a bunch of pieces of tape and sticking them to my arm. Partly to have easy access to tape as I’m taping up multiple at a time. BUT added benefit, this makes the tape less sticky enough that it is LESS LIKELY to rip the print if you take them off gently. Truly what has saved a bunch of prints

2. Different printers use different paper and Catprints uses paper (espeeeecially on holographic prints) that just doesn’t get ripped as easy??? Idk if it’s a coating or what, but the prints from the first printer I used rip like YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE.

But I do always keep an eye on other setups and see what they’re doing. I have seen people

- use these TEENY TINY magnets on either side of the print to hold it up. Again, apart from a small dent seems good.

- print on a bigger sheet of paper (usually 11x17 or 12x18) a bunch of their small prints and display that instead (honestly genius and I need to try it)

- using those like slot bookshelves to display the small ones

So apologies for probably just saying tape like you’re trying to avoid rofl. But hopefully some info!!

Also def check out @howtobeaconartist tons of people ask questions and submit helpful things. So even just searching a keyword in ur question should give you a bunch of assistance!!

[michidrawsathing]

I had such a good time at Bold Matsuri this year with my boothmates at @lovechucreations ! This was our booth set up. We just keep getting more and more creative with how we set this baby up! I saw a ton of awesome cosplayers this year, I wasn't able to grab their @'s, but you all look amazing!! (The blank spot in the corner was for my new SatoSugu print, btw not a single purchase on it, so give it some love when it drops in the store :) )

I have more, but it wouldn't let me post any more photos! By the way, that Flynn Rider was actually so sweet, and we both went silly talking about how Tangled is our comfort movie. There were so many awesome, awesome experiences!

I love boothing so that we can interact with the community and get to talk to wonderful people each and every year!

[snowiferart]

I had an amazing time at Toracon this weekend! I wish I had more time to meet other vendors, but chatting with attendees was really fun.

[pocketleslie]

Just wanted to share some booth setups I’ve had this year. I’m very proud of the evolution and effort that went into these. I can’t believe I’ve managed to do 8 events this year, hopefully I’ll be lucky to do just as many if not more next year. Much help and thanks to my wonderful hubby for all his help and feedback.

[prettyspectrum]

All ready for day 2 of C4!

[amysnotdeadyet]

Good Steve

Another! And then I have to go cook dinner. Stupid reality.

My darling @newtypeshadow asked for a somewhat complicated Steddie from Stranger Things plot, so she gets 555 words.

If there was one thing Eddie Munson was known for — besides shredding on the guitar — it was being protective of his boyfriend. Corroded Coffin were big enough that when they got outed the subsequent dip in record sales didn't tank their careers.

The metal scene was all about people living their lives outside of social conventions, after all.

Eddie did a cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law" to open every concert that tour. Steve came along the way he always did. Instead of hanging with the other WAGs, he wore a staff shirt and assisted everywhere backstage. He'd learned a ton of useful skills in his years touring with them, and was always happy to help.

It took new guys some time to figure that out, though.

"Why the fuck is he here?" asked the guy who would be known as Bad Steve for the duration of his employment. He was a lighting expert of some renown, but he'd been caught in traffic on the way to the gig, so Steve had started setup while they waited.

"You're late," said Nate through the headset.

Steve emerged from beneath the boards already talking. "They need to solder #17, it's just not connecting." He turned to Bad Steve with a charming, boyish grin. "Oh, hey! I'm Steve, happy to lend a hand."

"You're Munson's boytoy." Bad Steve, unfortunately, had not muted his headset.

A dark 'ooooh' went through the line from several sources.

Steve's expression shuttered. "Check it or don't, but don't blame me if it goes out. Chart's over there."

Eddie came crashing into the booth, looking like a hot mess. "Stevie, baby, I need your touch."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You need me to do your eyeliner again because you smudged it already."

"Yep," said Eddie. "Oh, and Bad Steve, do consider who might be listening, hm?"

Steve let Eddie put his hands in the back pocket of his admittedly small jeans shorts, not even bothering to glance back to where Bad Steve was fuming.

A few hours later, when #17 had been soldered and the show was underway, Bad Steve got to see why Eddie's Steve was the favorite.

A nazi punk managed to get onstage while security was breaking up a fight elsewhere, and Steve flew out of wings with fire in his eyes to tackle the guy before he got past the monitors. Long legs pinned the guy's back to the floor, and he palmed the guy's head like a basketball, leaning in to say something there was no mic to pick up.

The guy tried to get up and got his face slammed into the stage for his trouble, Steve clearly in control even when the punk tried to swipe with a switchblade. The knife clattered away as Steve brought his own arm down on the guy's hand, smashing it into the monitor with a crunching sound and the screech of feedback.

The rest of security finally arrived to confiscate the knife and the nazi. Steve let him up, holding his own hands out while they hauled him away.

At that point, no one could blame Eddie for the scorching kiss that followed.

"Well," said Eddie into the mic, once Steve was safely offstage. "That was fuckin' hot, right?"

The cheers that followed were almost as deafening as the music.

[daftpatience]

Do you have any tips or advice for running an artists booth at a convention? I'm thinking about doing it eventually and been wanting to hear from people who have done it before :^)

yeah!!! lemme rattle off a few things off the top a my head also, pardon me 4 using amazon dot ca links for products that i mention. its just easy to find references that way (and often u can look up the brand and find their non-amazon store etc etc)

this got super long so im putting it under a cut!!

• join an artist alley group!! i'm in this artist alley discord and it is a fantastic place to get info about cons, table display ideas, manufacturer recommendations, etc. there are more than just this group out there and i think there are bigger ones but i personally really like this one ^u^ i make a ton of use of the display resources and manu recommendation channels!

• if you can afford it, be choosy about the events you apply to. there are a lot of cons out there that are fantastic, and a lot that aren't worth the trouble, and i don't necessarily mean small vs big cons. some of my fav events are smaller artist alleys local to me, and most of the artists i know avoid informa (fanexpo) like the plague. check out what other artists have to say about past events and keep an eye out for red flags: personally i find cons with really out of date/poorly advertised social medias and websites that have mismatched info are a warning sign of a mismanaged and not well attended event. • you don't need a lot of fancy display stuff to start, those sorts of things you can build up over time. im a fan of getting a ton of my display stuff from the dollar store >:)

when you're ready and need the space to display a good amount of art the main thing you wanna pick up is definitely something that gives your table some verticality, whether that's a pvc pipe style setup, pegboards, or modular cube shelving (we all used to use these big heavy grid ones until the plastic sheet covered ones came out and now we all use those. theyre cuter and lighter and fit better on a table and come in more colours yayay. im sure some people still like the grid ones since they fit gridwall accessories tho) there are lots of other ways to display stuff but these r what i am most familiar with. definitely helps to look at youtube and pinterest and discord groups for display ideas!!

another thing you will want to start is a tablecloth. not every con has their tables already covered! there are those plastic picnic ones at dollar stores, and you can thrift bedsheets/fabric too.

• depending on the type of display and art you do you'll need some way to attach signs/prints/charms/etc to your display. i just moved from blu-tack to magnets but i used to use sewing clips (back when i used the grid cubes) and before then masking tape. all of them are okay and cool! except blu-tack. don't make the same mistakes as me it adds like 40 whole minutes to teardown and it leaves gross oil on the prints after some time. evil

• if you don't have business cards you can make a sign with a qr code that links to you/your shop! there are lots of qr code makers online that u can even customize with images and colours and stuff. there will be people that wanna know how to find you again after a con!

• these days a lot of people don't bring cash to conventions and it's pretty vital to bring some sort of card reader or other digital payment method. most of us use square - they recently made it so that the phone app can accept tap! so you don't need to jump for the expensive physical readers. i've also got a paypal dot me qr code and my etransfer email (i think this is a canadian thing) on a lil sign on the table so people have lots of payment options. usually over 50% of my con income comes from non-cash sales!

• make sure to bring change!! we've forgotten in the past and done okay but it's always handy to be able to make change for people. you'll want a secure place to put cash as well, whether it's a locked moneybox that you keep out of sight or a place on your person (friend of mine uses a fanny pack!) you never wanna leave your table completely unattended but especially when it comes to the moneybox. if it's a multi day con this is an item you mustn't leave at your table overnight.

• keep count of your sales and expenses properly so that you can see how much you made at the end of the con. i really like spreadsheets but you can even just note it down in a book. here's a little example of one con for me:

• you'll want to make a checklist of stock and display stuff to bring, but don't forget to make a list of minor stuff like phone chargers and scissors and tape and glue and pens and paper. multiple types of tape and paper if possible. they don't feel super important until you're stuck because you forgot to make a price sign and have to get by with a sharpie and a napkin. don't let that be you!! dollar store sticky note pads are super useful for this type of thing.

• plan out your prices and do as much prep (counting, sign making, display planning, packing/sorting) as you can beforehand so that the event doesn't feel too stressful. make sure your merchandise is stored in an easily accessible way for you behind the table so you aren't scrambling or rummaging too much when people are asking for stuff!

• similarly, whatever you can leave out for people to just pick/grab themselves, the more of it you're likely to sell. things like stickers and charms are good for this - people like to touch stuff! and it makes it so you don't need to go fishing for items for people as frequently. generally i don't do this with more expensive items just to be safe.

• if you sell prints, people are gonna ask for sleeves to keep them safe, especially at outdoor events. sometimes people ask for sleeves/bags even if they dont buy anything. they're a good idea to have on hand and you can find em for pretty cheap online and for a bit more expensive at dollar stores (i use OPP bags. if you dont wanna use plastic you can always get paper bags/envelopes/glassine bags instead)

• a cushion for the chair is a good idea. lots of conventions have really uncomfy chairs. some folks even bring camping chairs instead!

• pack snacks/lunch/water/drinks/have lunch plans. if you have a table buddy that is able to run out for food that's always nice. you might be sitting but it uses a lot of energy to interface all day!! you'll be exhausted and hungry and it's gonna be important to get enough fuel for your brain to function properly. i genuinely would recommend juice/soda/coffee/energy dink alongside water and food if you wanna live, especially if its a multi day con. get good sleep on days between!

• if you're excited to do trades with other artists during the con, the general etiquette is to wait until later in the day/near the end when the crowds are winding down! it's always okay to ask if someone's doing trades, and don't be upset or press them if they aren't interested or have certain stuff they don't want to trade.

• speaking of con etiquette, depending on the type of vert you are (intro/extro) and or how much customer service experience you have, interfacing can be nervewracking. my general rule is that if they stop to look, i say Hello and let them browse. if they seem interested in my table i try and do some small talk. stuff like How are you/How's the event been for ya/compliments on their outfit/cosplay/merch they have on like pins etc are good! kids and old folks love this. as tiring as it is to do some of my favourite parts of cons is talking to nice people that like my art!! all the folks that say nice things about my work are what keep me drawing ;w; i keep my sketchbook with me to jot down/doodle nice and funny encounters just cus it makes me happy to look back on XD

• when it's teardown time try to put stuff away as neatly as you can. you might be tired and just wanna toss all your stuff into whatever it is you brought it in but i promise future you (especially next-con you) will be so thankful that you put all your price signs into one baggie etc etc.

• speaking of bringing and putting away merch - you'll need a way to get it all from your home/car to your table and back. lots of people use dollies and other types of utility cart (i can guarantee there are a bunch of those grandma grocery ones at your local thrift store!!) - i personally use a big luggage bag and a collapsible wagon, but back in the day we used to CARRY bin after bin of stuff from the car and back in multiple trips which i would NOT reccomend lol. not every convention hall is easily accessible or close to parking so not having to lift stuff if you can avoid it is gonna be vital.

[britt-kageryuu]

Arrived at Destination!

Next part of the convention series

First | Next

-----------------------

They finally made it to the hotel near the convention center.

A nice little place run by some Yokai, but still accommodated humans, thankfully had parking space for the tank.

And after some frustration with the reservation not showing up, "Ha-Ma-To! I made this reservation with the Official Site. Not a third party!" They got to the rooms to put down their luggage before going to check in with the convention staff.

The new broaches magic was pulling alot of weight since it was shrinking Raphs 7ft+ bulk down to his height as a teen, though still built like an American Football Lineman. Which was necessary for this venture, because there is no way he'd be able to navigate as easy.

They got their badges, found where their booth in the Dealers Hall would be, then went to retrieve their tables and the first group of boxes to set up. Along with the Dragons bringing the tech for a new set up at the booth.

Mikey and CJ broke off from them to get set up in the Artist Alley, since their set up was going to be a smaller scale. Though it would still take them a good bit of time to figure out how they were going to set up the display. Make it stand out a bit more than the other tables next to them.

Back in the Dealers Hall, the group were spacing out the tables in their booth first, then the Dragons set up a corner with a Holo Screen that they will be taking turns with meet and greets with. Hopefully not cause a traffic jam.

The Donnie handed the others a planned layout of how they want VTurtles! merch to be placed. Plus making a small area for the Caffeinated Turtle stuff.

Some of the other vendors came over to talk, mostly curious since they haven't seen them before.

"We work for Genius Built, the merch is for the small VTuber group they own." Donnie calmly answers fully calculating what to say, "The group wasn't officially invited so we just have this small set up. Though we don't fully know how many of their fans will be at this event."

One of the other vendors looks at what was being set up, "Wow, you guys got some fancy coffee, and these characters are kinda cool. Why turtles though?" They ask.

Leo looks up at the curious asker, "Their family apparently sees turtles as some kind of luck charm. Though that luck swings wildly from what we heard about them." Leo says while setting up a small muti tier stand with the sample acrylics and plushies, "Something about them needing to travel for a family emergency. Only to learn the 'emergency' was just an argument of different views."

April let out a laugh, "Yeah, they were so annoyed, had a nice trip though."

"Wait, they all had to go?" One person asked.

"Well they have a unique situation where the group is actually 4 Siblings, who stumbled into the VTubing thing. Said it was just a side gig." April answers back while sending a text to Raph and Cass on what to bring next, and what to leave for later.

There was some more calm trading of information, Donnie learning about some of the usual repeat vendors, local celebrities and some rumors that were floating around surrounding the industry vendors there.

Then after the setup was to their liking, the group decided to walk around the hall. Check out the possible food options, look out for certain merch they would grab later, and talk to some more vendors about the Convention in general.

They even took a detour into the Artist Alley to check on Mikey and CJ. After looking around a bit more the group left to get food. Preferably not in the convention center.

"$15 for a slice of pizza half the size of a personal size pizza?"

"Well the Food Trucks are not much better."

Before heading back to the hotel, and get the Drones ready for the next day. It had been a pain in the tail end to get permission to have them at the con, but after getting a deal to help with some Live Streams, the staff allowed them in.

With a lot of waver signing to say it wasn't the Conventions fault if anything happened to the robots.

The drones were very excited, especially since they were fitted with their new hover gear.

There was some last minute talks over food, about the schedules for the meet and greets, along with checking that all the Socials had the correct information on it.

"Here's to a great event, and hopefully no drama!"

-------------------

Masterpost

As I said in the first I still don't fully know where this is going, and I don't quite know how to approach this. So critique and suggestions are welcome.

[shinesurge]

I mentioned in another post that I've struck a deal with the amazingly cool Danny the Comic Shop, and now that things are more finalized I wanted to mention I'll be exhibiting at Some Kind Of Art Event they're hosting on that street in Denver next month! It's not a proper convention, I think it's just a seasonal thing the local art businesses get together and do sometimes. If I get more details I'll share them, but for now if you show up to the comic shop on November 3rd you can find me and my new booth setup! I'll have all the usual stuff and if you bring in some kc stuff you already own I'll sign it for u

[thelastblackmoon]

Anime Japan 2024 Review!

My Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay at Anime Japan 2024

I went to both days of Anime Japan 2024!

The con saw about 133,000 attendees this year, but despite the huge turnout Tokyo Big Sight had plenty of space to handle it. I arrived at around 9am and bought tickets at the door for about $18 USD / 1-day pass. I also picked up my tickets for the next day, so I spent a total of $36 for the whole weekend. I lined up when the doors opened and it took about 45 minutes to enter the con/building which is honestly amazing considering everyone went through a bag check. The weather was ideal, but I imagine if it was too sunny or raining then the wait would be miserable.

Inside I received a detailed floor map that also had English, so it’s convenient for overseas fans who don’t know Japanese but have English skills. The map was incredibly detailed and accurate and helped me find the booths I was looking for easily.

On the subject of booths, the industry presence was INCREDIBLY strong. All the big name Animation Studios had extensive setups. “Booths” is a complete understatement. Some companies had full on sets built with hallways to walk through/view exhibits. Others had complete stage setups with light scaffolding and multiple professional grade cameras & audio recording for live streaming.

I didn’t get tickets for the special stage events, and because my focus was cosplay I didn’t bother getting livestream tickets. The programming seemed extensive from what I saw in the pamphlet I was given as well as the gigantic wall dedicated to posting the schedule. I took a walk around on Sunday when I wasn’t in cosplay and it was honestly breathtaking. There were so many freebies, merch for sale, screens everywhere showing trailers for new releases or showcasing work that has been popular, and speakers playing anime themes. I think if you’re not prepared for an insane amount of stimulation it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Photographers lining up to photograph my Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay

One the subject of Cosplay, I would have liked to have a little more space for the cosplay area. Cosplay tickets cost an additional $6 USD to participate/use the changing rooms. The rest of the con was so huge, so in comparison it felt cramped when trying to take photos/line up for a shoot. That said, the changing rooms were easy to find and spacious inside. I went as Sailor Star Fighter from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos and it was very well received. The dress code is more strict at this convention so while I was moving about (especially on the con floor) I was required to wear something to cover my costume. This didn’t bother me at all though since most cosplayers don’t venture out onto the con floor but stay in the cosplay areas and change if they’d like to walk around. There were a lot of really great cosplays, and I was able to see most of them since nearly all the cosplayers chose to participate in the cosplay parade that went around the con!!

All in all it was an extremely positive experience, and out of all the cons I’ve been to in Japan (which is only about 8 but I’ve been to some multiple times) I’ve enjoyed this one the most in terms of feeling fully immersed in anime/pop culture and really being WOW’d by the setups at every turn. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys anime/animation industries to visit Anime Japan.

A photo of my Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay taken by @ kokensns [Twitter / X]

[return2zero]

SO!!! Today!! (I say as it's 1 40 am the next day... I need to sleep) There's an anime... Uh.... Artist alley focused convention ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

Was there selling my own FF merch too but I just want to scream BECAUSE THERES FINALLY MORE CLOUD MERCH HERE!!! ITS SO RAREEEEE

The gold foil prints are so pretty!! And the resin PLD keycapppp!!! I had such a hard time choosing because they also have another PLD keycap that's dark blue that was totally my vibe but this was so pretty too T-T

After those damages be done...

AND THEN COMES THIS GUY AND I SAW HIS BOOTH AND !!!

I'm soooo sorry I think I might've scared the poor guy who's soloing his booth 🤣🤣🤣 I pretty much bee-lined for his booth AT THE IMMEDIATE MOMENT I COULD (this happened before doors are opened to public and I just finished my own booth setup) and just told him...

Okay it's a bit of an exaggeration with slamming the card but I defo told him I wanted 1 of every FF7 print. I warned him the moment I got to his table that it will be a big order 😂😭

BUT I MEAN LOOK AT HIS PRETTY DRAWINGS OF CLOUD and the girls!!! And the EC outfits?!?!!!! ｡⁠:ﾟ⁠(⁠;⁠´⁠∩⁠`⁠;⁠)ﾟ⁠:⁠｡ it's so good!!

Thank you for boothing at the local con today u-u🙏

Prints from > LukrevaDraws

Edit: ASFGHJKL HE'S ON TUMBLR!!!!

[selfshipgushing]

i’m going to a convention this weekend and i’m probably gonna try and see if a setup sells guzma stuffs!!!! even if they don’t (cuz it’s at a library so there might not be as many booths) i’ll still be happy to be myself :3

plus i had went to a different one last year and someone complimented my guzma cards and i saw team skull cosplays ^w^ -🌈🐈

yay! so fun! i wanna go to a convention one day

[paintingdragonfeathers]

Whew! After pulling a few late nights, I got ALL (minus one Blastoise who decided not to cooperate) the new Poke’Balls done in time for Otakon! Here’s a sneak peak of them here. Painting Dragon Feathers is heading down to DC tomorrow for setup, and we’re bringing along so many terrariums, canvas prints, and copies of CryptoZoo (if you’re a fan of YA, humor, and cryptids, it may be up your alley). You’ll find us almost dead center of the artist alley at booth D208.

#ota #otakon2024 #otakon #otakonartistalley #artistalley #convention #anime #animeconvention #artist #writer #cryptozoo #cryptozoobook #paintingdragonfeathers #pokemon #pokeball #pokeballterrarium

[snowiferart]

Tabled at Puchicon this weekend. Meeting all of the other vendors was really nice!

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (Graham, 1980)

Apparently director William A. Graham had a long career in directing television, and this is very much in a TV movie style, which isn’t a bad thing. The direction is largely functional and in the service of the performances, which is a smart thing to do when you have this many good actors in the cast. Powers Boothe as Jim Jones is appropriately charismatic and intense. He also has some killer style, wearing not just his trademark aviator sunglasses but also an assortment of safari jackets, guayaberas and other warm weather wear. I’m pretty sure “Jim Jones: Fashion Icon” is the wrong thing to take away from this, in my defense I have menswear-blog-induced brain damage. I won’t rattle off every single other cast member in the list, but there is a small but memorable role by James Earl Jones, who steals the movie in his one scene.

One clever thing about this is that the first hour hits the beats of an inspirational biopic. I’m no Jones expert, but after glancing through his Wikipedia page, it does seem like this glosses over some of the more overt red flags from his earlier life. But in framing him and his congregation against the realities of racism in their community, it does allow us to grasp how one could be seduced by Jones and his message. (The one Jones fact that I know for whatever reason is that they didn’t drink Kool Aid but Flavor Aid, a Kool Aid competitor. The movie glosses over this distinction as well, likely because it might invite a lawsuit. “Come my children, it’s time to die. Now drink this reasonably priced Flavor Aid, now in mango and tangerine.”)

The movie breaks from its conventional TV movie style during the sermons, which are shot like documentaries, with unfussy handheld setups. The end of the first half has Jones deliver a fiery sermon, accompanied by a vivid tableaux and multimedia show. And through this verite style, it allows us to grasp what it might be like to be in Jones’ commanding presence and get swept up in his fervour. It’s an effective choice, and one that the movie increasingly returns to in its second half as Jones’ mania escalates and the action moves to Guyana (played by an evocatively humid Puerto Rico). I don’t think the results are as consistently intense as I would have liked, as the movie understandably cuts to Ned Beatty as Congressman Leo J. Ryan looking to investigate the situation at Jonestown. But the climax has an unsettling power, and the final shot before the credits, with the camera closing in on Boothe’s face, is pretty chilling.

[scalyshop]

We’re back from FurTheMore! Thank you so much to everyone who visited us there. We were very excited to debut our new 10ft booth setup. Here’s to more cons like this in the future!

Our next convention will be FWA!

As always, you can find our wares at https://scaly.shop