Vendor table at conventions

[yumeleona23]

Hey all,

Just curious if anyone has any advice about how to get a table at a convention to sell perler and stitch crafts. I assume it'd have to be an Artist Alley table, but I'm finding it so hard to find when the conventions have their table applications open. Thoughts? Is there anything else to be wary of when trying the convention circuit for geekcrafts?

[StitchPlease]

I just came back from my first convention and I loved it! I was at Magfest in Alexandria, VA which is about 2 hours from where I live. Having a table is really all about costs to me so I split my table with a perler artist so that kept costs down. I spend about $250 on the table and hotel room, and brought about $400 worth of art. So with what sold I did make a profit, but it was a small one. Over all I can't wait to go to my next convention, but only go to as many as you can make for. I've picked my two favorite (and cheapest) conventions closest to me to have tables at. Also, if you just want to dip your toe in, try an art auction! A lot of conventions have them, and it's a lot cheaper then a table. That way you can see what will sell, and get your name out there. You may want to try an Esty store first, then go to a convention. That way you know what sells, and you have an idea of what to charge. It really depends on your circumstance and what convention you want to try. I say go for it! I know it helped me a lot!

[yumeleona23]

Thanks so much for your input. I have an etsy store and I've received a lot of interest and sold a few things already. http://yumeleona23.etsy.com/

I'm having issues finding/knowing when the tables become available. Is it generally 3 months before the convention? 6 months? more? How did you find someone to split a table with? That seems like an awesome idea to help save costs.

Anyone in NJ/NYC want to split a table? Haha

What was your display like? With a half table, did you (or the perler artist) have the ability to make something flashier than just your stuff sitting flat out on the table? Part of me wants to do a huge perler project to drape along the front of the table to draw attention.

[StitchPlease]

Depending on what conventions you're going to, I'm in Baltimore so I'm willing to go up north. For my table it was split evenly, but I didn't have too much on the table. I had a display case for my pins and magnets, and I had cubes set up for all of my artwork. I didn't get any pictures of my table (I was the only one behind it for the whole con) but I'll try to give you an idea of what I used. Here's a picture of my display case, it has a glass door, but I had it open so there was no glare.

33675-191701-StitchpleaseJPG-620x.jpg (92.44 KiB) Viewed 3548 times

To hang my artwork, I used modular storage cubes that I found at Wal-Mart.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-Black ... -4/5005199
I set them up two high, and clipped my art to them with binder clips. You may want to browse around your local Staples and see what catches your eye. For me, it was all about preparing the table. I had it set up at home a month ahead of time, but just make sure that you have room for everything when you get there. I was able to fit three large plastic totes under the table, so keep in mind what you'll need when your down there. I was at my table, by myself, for over 8 hours at a time. (Yeah, I'm never splitting a table with the guy I did again.) The other thing is that people love to see what you're working on. I stitched at the table the whole time, and I had people coming up just to see that. A lot of conventions have power strips that you can borrow, so bring your iron and beads. You'll get a lot of commissions at the con, and you'll get more people coming up to talk about what you're doing. As for something flashy, yes you want to have something that draws people in, but what if it sells the first day? I had two big items, my MGS snake and my Street Fighter screen. I expected the SF to sell first and the Snake to stay the whole weekend, and it was the complete opposite. A hour after I set up my table, I sold the Snake, but I had people coming up the whole weekend to admire my SF. I even got mentioned on a few sites because of it. To be honest, the best advice out of all of this is to just enjoy what you're doing. If you won't have fun sitting behind a table for eight hours and having creepy fanboys lean way to far over the table, then don't do it. If you really think you'll love it, then go for it!

Sorry, if this is tl;dr

[yumeleona23]

Purcell, that was awesome...thank you so much for so much info!! I'd love to get in touch with you outside the forum. I'm in Jersey City and definitely considering doing the conventions up north. I love your display case..very professional looking! Do you usually cut a profit after the conventions? I realize that I'd definitely be doing this for fun, but to at least cover my costs for the weekend would be awesome. My email is yumeleona23@yahoo.com

[StitchPlease]

I tried to email you some more info yumeleona23 but I keep getting delivery failure. Did you want me to try DA or Etsy instead?

[candace]

Before you go, call the convention coordinator and see if there's any sort of marketing you can do to the convention visitors. Sometimes you can email the visitors before they come, or get your name and description on a piece of marketing the convention sends out. It doesn't always work, but when it does work, it can really boost your sales.