I have talked about this a lot in the past but felt it was a good time to speak about this topic again. If you are a creative – filmmaker, artist, writer, actor, cosplayer, or something else – a day may come when you want to vend at a convention, art show, or other sort of event.
First of all, good for you!
It’s a scary decision to make and not one a lot of folks make.
The easiest thing to do is to push away from the table and just be content with the hobby and don’t take it the step beyond. It’s risky, financially and emotionally, but if you feel that pull, go with it. Making the decision to do it is the biggest part of this whole thing because this is a commitment of self and time and if you are forcing yourself then it might be best to sit it out.
Know why you are there.
Why are you going to this show? Are you vending/selling, networking, showing your work, or is there another reason?
Know why you are going there and then you can plan for how you can achieve what you want out of the event.
Whether you make or lose money, or meet new contacts, or anything else, it’s on you.
Keep your expectations in check.
It’s great to be confident and to be excited but temper those things with a reality check. Sure, maybe you sell out of what you brought, add an ocean of followers, create new fans, make new contacts, and have an amazing time. Let’s hope that’s the case. The thing is though, that it may not work out that way. Go in with hope but some grounding so you don’t crush yourself if things don’t work out perfectly. I used to kill myself on the Friday of a three-day show if I wasn’t selling anything. I felt like a failure. Heck, if I did low sales all weekend I beat myself up but the thing is that I still got in front of people, I still met people, and I still tried to have some fun. It’s work, sure, but unless you’re able to make this a full-time job (and good on ya if you do), then don’t treat it that way. Don’t burn yourself out before you even see what there is to learn from this experience.
Prepare
What does this mean? Get your stuff together. Whatever you are showing/selling get it ready and get it together. The sooner you can get all of that stuff together the less stress you have going into the event.
Next is signage, you want signs saying who you are, what you do, what you have, and the cost if you have things for sale. This can either be printed pieces of paper, banners, or whatever you think works best. Don’t break the bank as this first time you are learning and absorbing, but take it seriously and make sure people can find you, follow you, and support you.
Get a good camping chair. Most of these places have very uncomfortable chairs and you will want a nice one to sit in. I recommend not using it a lot as you are there to work, to some degree, but we all need to takes break so bring something you will like sitting in.
Get comfortable footwear. You will be on your feet on a hard cement surface for hours upon hours. Trust me when I tell you that you want some comfy shoes.
Dress for what you are there for.
If you are there as part of the product, selling yourself, then dress to impress and create a memory. If you are there just as the creator and want to focus on the work then dress comfortably.
Whatever you do, know that you and how you present yourself is part of the deal.
Which brings me to – be cool.
I vended shows on and off for 20 years and you meet some amazing people. I made a lot of connections and some cool friends at these shows. You are all there to work and work you should but don’t crowd the plow, man. Meaning – don’t be obnoxious, pushy, and drown out other creatives. You all want to sell stuff and you aren’t any more important than anyone else. If you start putting on the carny barker act it’s going to annoy everyone around you.
And this is just a me thing but I never want to convince someone to buy something if they are not feeling it. That isn’t how you make a fan.
I would love the sale but I’d rather someone get something from me that they want.
Get what you need to sell.
Get change/cash.
Download sales apps.
If you won’t have cell service then consider whether you should get a hotspot or need to spend the money on wi-fi at the show. The wi-fi is a matter of whether or not you are going to make that many sales that you need the option for digital sales, or if you need to access the internet. A LOT of folks will wanna use a card for sales these days so it’s something you need to consider.
One last thing – be easy on yourself.
Conventions are really expensive to do. The price of a table has gone crazy, you need merch, you need stuff to promote yourself, and you don’t know what kind of sales you will have. Be easy on yourself. Go, have fun, bring something to do/read to occupy yourself if it gets dead and you wanna veg out for a little bit, and bring snacks if you can. Take care of yourself. It’s work, sure, but it’s also a bit of a geek vacation so enjoy yourself. This is work you are choosing to do so make sure you find some joy.
Make notes.
Whether this is your first show or the next show you will want to take notes on what you could do better, how you can change things, and what other folks are doing that you want to incorporate.
This is a learning experience.
Be willing to learn.
Plan your set-up.
You will want an easy set up that doesn’t take hours to set up and take down. You will want to be able to get your gear in, set it up, and then focus on the show. You want it to showcase your work, and want a spot for you and your personal gear. Look at what other folks are doing and see what might work for you.
I started to come the Thursday before a three-day show if it was near enough, to set things up and then just be able to go on Friday and be ready to roll. Basically, you will want some sort of dolly or handcart you own if you can afford it, some totes, a table cloth, your signage, and any other promo or merch you have. You will want to be able to set it up and perfect it without feeling rushed or stressed out.
Talk, talk, talk.
Talk to people at the show.
One thing I always hated either as a guest or as another vendor was when people would ignore the fans. They were reading, or playing a video game, or drawing. And I get it, it gets boring to be there for three days and the people that do this a lot are burned out. The thing is though, you don’t make a sale, meet a contact, or get anything out of tuning out.
Be polite, say hello, and don’t be pushy and you’ll be great.
Talk to your fellow vendors too.
These are some amazing people and you’re all in it together.
Keep learning.
You did it.
Great job.
Now it’s time to take what you learned over the course of the show and to see what you can do better, what worked, and how you want to do things moving forward. It’s all a learning experience and if you keep the right attitude you can have a great time, make some money, and maybe learn something about yourself and what you’re doing.
Have fun, you crazy kid.
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 