Given that it's a one day event organized by Evergreen's student body, this was a cheap event to table at. It's just a 1.5 hour drive from Portland, which definitely beats the nearly 3 hour commute to Tacoma and Seattle. Having the same amount of sales for less overhead was amazing, and my misconceptions about such a seemingly small event were blown away. This is a wonderful little event with dedicated attendees from all over the greater Seattle area, so if you're local you should definitely consider Chibi Chibi Con.
The venue is just a building on campus. We were in the main hall, but there was a second "Matcha Hall" connected in the same room. There were some issues with attendees knowing to go into the second room, but it's a small event so you luckily can't get lost. Our biggest complaint is that the aisle layout was barely three people wide, so everyone's aisles had traffic jams. There was definitely space around the vendors that could have widened the aisles though (hoping that's addressed next year). Behind the tables weren't too bad, but there are no spaces in between tables so keep that in mind.
I think there was a perfect ratio of attendees to artists. The staff were so nice and considerate; they even had a quiet room for artists during the event. It was all very low-key, and there was free wifi that could process Square payments too. I wish all conventions were like this! The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the... scent... but that's just college, I guess!
Free to attend, free parking. Vendors have a little bit of variety in how to get in either as AA or Exhibitors, and the cost generally ranges from $40 to $150 or so. One day convention, with the AA staying open late (8pm), and the convention itself having a few late night events, including a dance.
As a vendor, you will see a lull in sales any time you get close to meals - lunch or dinner - but if you can, it is worth to stay open the entire time.
It's usually located in the gym, and I recommend hand-carrying your stuff. Do not, DO NOT, hope to load in with your car. It's an option. It's there. It's possible. But the entire campus is handicap accessible. Just roll your stuff in and save yourself 1hr+ of waiting in line to just get your car up to the door to park to load-in.
Table sizes are not always the exact size they say, but generally expect a 6ft table about 24" deep, and be prepared to be nimble. One year, they had 8ft tables they'd mark in half for the 4ft table sections, and one .... very fun year, they had 8ft buffet tables. Those things are about 15" deep.
Keep in mind, it is a convention that is run by college students, currently in class and attending, and Evergreen is a 10 week schedule. So prep and lead-up to Chibi Chibi is usually just after their 5 week midterm, and prep for their 10 week final. They may look like they want a nap more than other staff at other conventions, and this is why.
However, because of this, the college is actively mad that this "club activity" brings more bodies to the campus than any of their "attend this college" events. The college has actively tried to kill the convention more than once, and that is also the primary reason why it's been ""banished"" to the current gym location. Also, because this is a "club activity", that is why the notice of the convention even happening is always last minute, and communication is poor and spotty with the volunteer staff that are students currently working on getting their degrees.
If you do attend, please be mindful that this is a working campus, there are students potentially taking classes around you (Saturday has classes), and that there are some students who live on campus. You wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially be a detriment to this event continuing in the future.
