Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2)

Had a great time vending, and did very well. I found set up to be a bit confusing because I set drove in early from Michigan to set up Friday morning. Got some really bizarre instructions on how to get a ticket that allowed me entrance to the loading dock, but we made it in the end. lol

Attendance was very good, and they aren't just a "print" crowd like you get with some shows. They had their fair share of people with money looking for originals, which is always a treat. Surprisingly great staff/security provided by the convention. Everyone was really helpful and knowledgeable, which usually isn't the case. Overall, if you do well at smaller shows then I'd suggest signing up, because you will probably not be accepted for a couple years.

I didn't get to leave my booth much, but the only negative thing I saw was how they did the authors dirty. They put them all in a corner and hid them behind a curtain, which is becoming a more common thing at these shows for authors and creators, and I don't know why.

On the bright side, a fun part is it's right next to the city and there are plenty of things to do after the show. I stayed in Chinatown for almost nothing and walked to the convention center. It was very affordable.

I have done this show for several years and the crowd is very respectful and interested in comic creators. The table price is high but it is easy to make it back if you charge a decent rate for commissions and have an interesting comic pitch. Hotels in the area are not bad compared to other larger cities. I used Lyft several times during the event because of high parking prices at the convention center. I highly recommend trying this show.

The crowd doesn't buy and the people running the show don't care about comics.

I have been working C2E2 since 2013 so this recent one was my 4th time behind a table there. This show has been a consistently great show with wonderful fans and just all around great atmosphere. Prices are pretty decent all across the board. The ReedPop staff are really nice and accommodating and they really really do try their best to help everybody out. Do not fret if you do not get into the artist alley after applying as this is a juried show. Remain on the waitlist and hope things shift around. Otherwise splitting exhibitor booths or small press are not bad ways to get in either. Do not split an exhibitor both with more than just a couple people though as that can get messy and crowded. Where there is a will there is a way to get into the show.

In reference to this year specifically I had a small issue. I usually have exclusives for the ReedPop shows and I had some this year but most people did not know it as artists were unable to list exclusives in the exhibitor exclusive page of the site and instead had to do it within show specials or not at all, and I feel this affected the traffic flow to my table. It was not drastic but I will be reaching out to ReedPop about it.

In any case the artist alley for ReedPop shows (C2E2, Emerald City, New York Comic Con, and Star Wars Celebration) are juried artist alleys and they prefer to only have "flat" artists. This means only people selling books/prints/posters/sketches are put into the artist alley and the rest should be on the show floor like crafters and small press. I am unsure if this is beneficial to the show or not but it keeps things a little better separated for the attendees and may be easier for them.

To wrap it up it is a great show to work, great fans and people to meet, and there are a lot of events in conjunction with the main show. Give it a try and apply next year.