Traffic has definitely slowed since before the pandemic but the crowd is friendly and enthusiastic. The layout of the show could use more work so big pockets of vendors don't go unseen, maybe more signage, reduced footprint of the show or fewer vendors? Table cost has gone up as everything has but it's still affordable. I purchased wifi last year but I think I'll skip it if I get in again.
As a reviewer above said, success is very dependent on where your table ends up. I did hear of a lot of people barely breaking even and considering not applying for 2024 which is a shame. I think the show is worthwhile for local artists to consider if you don't have hotel and flights to cover. Staff is friendly and responsive and the show does seem to be really fun outside of the vendors' hall.
I'm hoping I can get in again as shows with enforced masking are incredibly rare.
There were too many vendors to the ratio of attendees that showed up. And the attendees that did show up from my sales and what I saw in their hands as they walked by, were largely not opening their wallets. I'm not sure if this is because the money was just being spread too thin or if the attendees themselves were being more budget conscious. Seattle by the Convention Center has notoriously horrible expensive parking and hotels.
I had T-mobile cellphone service and was largely fine/unaffected because we're right near the roof at the large rolling metal doors to enter, but I heard people nearby saying their service was poor or non-existent, and that they had paid for the convention wifi and it wasn't turned on until noon on Saturday.
The aisles felt cramped from artist to artist, that if both people back-to-back had a backdrop, they'd be knocking into each other. As someone who takes foot traffic from a fire-safety standpoint into consideration always, I was also not happy to see that some had built out into the aisle with their grid or other displays, with one person having basically a 10x10 "tent" overhead their table and hanging partway out over the attendee's heads. Not safe. And not shut-down.
Overall, the table felt overpriced for the amount of money I made and the attendees were not there in the amount to make up difference. They need to advertise the convention more, make sure their Google results are showing the correct dates and times several months in advance, and potentially advertise like it's a new convention - local newspapers, hotels, ect - to bring in the person who may not have heard of it, who'd be interested in going. I also wished they had communicated about the special parking rate for 1hr loading on the set-up day.
Across both days, I made just about $700 before you take out: cost of table, convention center parking, gas, ect.
Thankfully I was staying with a friend for free and was able to make use of that as a savings. But if I were paying for a hotel, it would be far from cost-efficient.
It's better to be in the artist alley w/ 6' tables over the booths, which were as far from the entrance ass possible. The poor people who bought double or triple-booths were facing the bathrooms and were as far away from the entrance as you can get. The lighting is very poor / space feels very cramped in the booth area with the black panels. Your success is completely dependent on landing a good spot. Very, very overpriced for what you get. Everyone I talked to in my row barely broke even.
