Saboten Con

Was not at AA but as merch vendor. It's the best selling con of all cons. Attendees know this is the con to be at every year. The staff is OK. They don't seem like real enthusiasts and just want to run a con business, and I get that. But it can rub people the wrong way.

I've been doing Sabo for many many years now. Back when it use to be in Glendale next to the stadium. Now when it was there, I would highly recommend it. The move to the Sheraton really took it's toll on the event.

Downtown phoenix is not cheap to stay in. Hotels are expensive, parking is equally expensive and hard to come by, and food is sparse. If you don't mind spending $20-50 a meal sure, but on our tight budgets with no Mcd or simple buffet nearby it really adds up.

Artist alley was always shoved into the dark corner, in a weird layout. Been that way for years. Starting in 2019 they are changing up the layout. Artists will be in several long rows running horizontal to the entrances, still in the back. Premium artists will be shoved into the far left corner of the entrance doors, vendors are staying put. Prices did go up too, around $25-75 more depending upon what space you bought. Yes they are now charging more for corner spaces. (Surprise surprise)

The only plus to this event is the gaming area, but if you're selling wait it out another year as they figure out stuff. Go first to see how traffic flows, and figure out what spot you want. Keep in mind the ages for this event are the tweens-teens, meaning not a lot of cash, so bring your cheap stuff.

I tabled here in 2016. My table partner and I came from LA to table, and were overall disappointed. While the staff and layout are not that bad, this is a FCFS con. A lot of the artists tabling here are young and new -- which is fine yah gotta start somewhere. Both my table partner and I work professionally as artists, and the area we were in for artist alley didn't seem right for us.

Most of the tablers really underprice their work - which is frustrating as it drags down everyone's prices at the con. Furthermore this really didn't seem like a con where people wanted to spend money. On multiple occasions we had people come by and ask what they could buy for 50 cents, even a quarter -- which just seemed too low. Overall the pace of the con was slow. Both my partner and I did end up breaking even, and making a slim profit but it wasn't enough to go back.

I think if you are local to the area or new to tabling, this would be a good place to start. One of my favorite aspects of the weekend was getting to meet some new artists, and help them out with some tabling questions. However if you are an experienced tabler from out of town looking for a new location to add to your rotation I would consider other options.