But let me start by saying, the booth space is WAYYYY overpriced! And that explains why there were so many empty tables. They're charging you $350-450 a pop for a small convention that only brings in about 500-1,000 attendees. I've been to other cons that charge you $80 for something like this. I would even be generous and pay $125, but even that's pushing it. And you know how I said you're purchasing a booth space? That's right! It's JUST the space! If you want a table, you're going to have to pay $20-50 extra for them. And you're gonna have to pay for two tables if you're a corner booth. I was lucky to be local and be able to bring one from home.
Hours are long too. It starts at 10am and ends at 7-8pm and when it's rather slow, so it feels looong. Look, I think the convention center is great, but there's so much space that isn't being used. If they're charging this much just to pay for this space, consider downsizing! Prices will go down for everyone involved and it will be a much more enjoyable experience. I also recommend advertising the convention better. People need to hear about it if you want to expand the show.
Overall, it's a show that has good potential, but the staff needs to organize themselves better and restructure itself. Attendance is small, but prices are Anime Expo-type of high, and that just sours the overall experience for me. Even for attendees, the ticket prices are $45-70 (I would charge $30-60), so unless a really cool guest is attending or if I'm just in the mood to buy anime merch, I wouldn't buy it.
I’ve been attending this convention since 2009 and have tabled as an artist three years in a row. First time was great, I was none-the-wiser about any issues due to it being my first big convention and making real sales for once.
Second time? Not as great, not as fun, a lot of issues with the staff and the layout of the venue in general. Third time? Absolute nightmare, didn’t break even, fees went up by $100 from the previous year, staff were practically unreachable, had several issues around the clock - even after the convention was over.
There’s a lot of bad energy surrounding this event. If you stick around long enough, you start to see the cracks in the foundation and start getting the negative treatment from the staff.
Save your time, save your money, save your sanity. Maybe a new event will come up that brings in the same numbers as Senshi Con and will treat vendors with a little bit more respect.
