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Convention tips and etiquette
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27-08-2008 2:01am#1I know we were trying to focus on tutorials at the moment and this is more just tips and advice but I had this already typed up for some other people earlier this year and thought it was worth posting here.
Right its very long and rambles in a few places but its a chunk of what I've picked up from exhibiting at cons over the past several years, some of it is a little "well d'uh" but its stuff alot of people don't think about:
Before the Con:
- First off the golden rule PUT YOUR NAME ON EVERYTHING! Name, email, website. I have so many comics I've picked up at cons that I don't know who did them. Its no good having a sticker or flyer with your name on it to go with the comic, your name and contact info should be on everything. Cons aren't so much about selling your comic as getting your name out there. Not everyone has all day to wander around and talk to every exhibitor, people rushing in on lunch breaks etc will just run around and grab stuff that catches their eye and might not look at it till much later - if your name is not on it how will they find more work by you?
- After a couple of cons you'll know how much stock you'll need to bring but for a first con I would rec for something around 25 - 30 copies of each book your selling*. Remember be optimistic but practical. Theres alot of stuff on display at a con, don't worry if yours doesn't sell right off the bat. If you sell out don't get annoyed that you didn't bring more, do a happy dance and offer to do sketches for people for the rest of the day [or be a super neighbor and go get tea/coffees for everyone
] If you come with 30 and go home with 30 don't get down, just remember you won't have to spend money on printing for the next con.
*this is working with a comic of 32 or more pages, printed not photocopied and being sold for €3 [I'm converting from dollars so prices might be a little off] and up. For mini comics, zines [A5] etc etc being sold for around €1 I would aim for around 50 and you'll still find your giving away more then you sell but the point is to bring new readers in with a small sample book and will come back and spend the money on the bigger higher print quality book.
- Get your work in print. I don't want a CD with all your comics on it, I've got piles of them already and I'm yet to look at a single one. If your not a stage were you are ready to go to print you are not ready to exhibit at cons. Portfolio CD's are used when applying for jobs not for selling at cons. If you do a web-comic and your not ready to print it then bring a flyer/sticker with the web address and hand that out.
- Learn how to put a comic together and make it look good. There are lots of sites that show you how to put nice, clean mini comics together. You don't have to spend a fortune on a fancy printer, you can make very professional looking mini comics very cheap using photocopiers but learn how to do it correctly. If you don't care enough about your artwork to present it nicely why should I care and pay money for it?
- Learn the basics, scan at at least 300dpi, figure out how to use photoshop [or similar program] - you don't need to know what ever button does but you should be able to scan and adjust your pages to make them sharp and clear - save in the correct file format [do NOT save as a PSD! tiff, high quality jpg, png, pdf are good formats] Make a dummy book and give it to someone to read. It doesn't matter if you know whats going on, your not going to come home with me if I buy the comic and explain it to me. Have a friend, parent, etc read and tell you what they think is going on. If its not clear or they can't read the text go back and fix. If your using a printer, make sure they give you a proof copy to approve before they print the full run. Its very hard to argue with a printer to redo a run as they are working from the files you gave them.
- Have a selection of items at different prices. If your printing a big expensive full colour book to sell for €10 make sure to have a small 8 page black and white mini comic for a €1. Again its about getting your work out to people, alot of people will have limited budgets and may want the big shinny €10 but can't afford it. If they get the mini comic they might invest in the big €10 job in the future.
- Invest money in the freebies - badges, postcards, stickers, flyers. You don't have to go mad but its always nice to have something to hand to people AND PUT YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION ON IT!!!! Sweets and cakes are always nice to have but remember tomorrow I won't remember who I got free sweets from so have a sticker with your website on it to go with the sweets.
- Trade, NO ONE IS TOO GOOD TO TRADE. If you don't want to trade your expensively printed comic get down to Staples and do a cheap ass photocopy version. Some of the best comics I own were trades from cons and some the best friends I have in comics I made via trading with them at cons.
- Do the research, if its a new con for you, get online, read past con reports, every con is different, they all have their unique elements. Check map-quest so you know where your going, check train/subway/bus timetables. Nothing worse then finding yourself lost in a strange city and having to fork out for a taxi when you could have taken a bus or train. Also make sure you check the times for the day the con is on, alot of public transport has different hours at the weekends.
- Have a good look through the con exhibitor list. I always seem to find people I want to meet were at a con after the fact.
- Find out who your neighbors are and get in touch. This is esp true for two days plus cons. I can't remember the last con I attend were I didn't have a blast with the people around me and if your exhibiting by yourself they can be a great help and cover your table when you need to go pee.
- If there are panels, signings or other events taking place make sure you find out the when and where before the con. Nothing worse then hearing about a really cool panel after its happened.
Day of the Con:
- Be prepared. Bring a table cloth, even if the con provides one, its nice to have your own style. Table display can be really mad and cool or something as simple as a different colour table cloth.
- Bring scissors, tape, pencils, pens, a ruler, bristol board/stiff card. - you might think you won't need them but trust me you will.
- Dress in layers. Exhibition halls tend to be cold in the morning but will warm up during the day with all the bodies wandering around. You also never know what the weather will be like for example at a recent con in London when we expected heat it snowed and at MoCCA in new york this year it was 40+ outside which actually meant you were cold inside as the AC was turned up to max.
- Have proper hygiene! -- This goes for creators AND attendees; and is NOT a cliche. To this day I don't understand why cons get so ripe, there's really no excuse for us to live up to that kind of stereotype. Grab a shower and wear deodorant, problem solved.
- Bring Change, your neighbors will only let you rob so much. And have something to put your money into.
- Keep a record of what you sold. Something as simple as a piece of paper with ticks on it. Don't assume you'll remember.
- Keep it simple. Remember a big fancy tale display can be nice but someone's got to carry all that stuff to and from the con. Most cons have post con meet ups and theres nothing worse then having to miss out cuz you've got to drag tons of stuff home.
- Do a test run. Set your stuff up on your kitchen table and see how it looks. Alot of time I think I don't have enough stuff and then I always find I've too much and I waste loads of time moving stuff around trying to make it not only fit but look nice. Have a quick look round your local stationary shop, you'll be amazed at the cheap book holders you can find. It always looks cleaner and neater to have a display book standing upright for people to leaf through. You don't need to spend a fortune, you can get simple plastic holders fairly cheap or you can make one.
- Make clear easy to read price tags. I know its a con and your there behind the table ready to answer questions about the price but it looks nicer. Also if your doing a few cons in different countries work out your euro/sterling/dollar exchange before the con. Be aware that comics sell for cheaper in the states, have look around or online for something similar [print quality and page count not content] to your comic and see what the prices are to get a rough idea. Alot of times a comic you sell for €10 here will sell for $10 states side.
- Know your audience. This is actually harder then it sounds as most times you have to do a show once to find out what sells at it. I've done several shows back to back with exactly the same stock on the table and noticed different things sell at the different cons, on paper the shows seem the same but different cities have different tastes and respond to different things. You can go online and find reports and email people to get their take on it and that can give you some idea but alot of times its something that you have to learn by doing.
At the Con:
- Give yourself plenty of time. You don't need to arrive the second the door opens but give yourself plenty of time to find your table [even at the smallest cons people get confused] and get yourself settled. Even if you're only sharing a table and have one book, you'll be amazed how quickly the set up time will fly by. While your not going to have a million people through the doors the second they open to the public its always nice to start the day with as little stress as possible..
- If your selling large posters/prints or anything else in that vain remember to bring something to put it in. Alot of times people won't buy these items because they have no way of transporting it home without damaging it.
- Make use of the space your given, if you know your going to be by a wall bring something to stick up on it. Most photocopy shops can do big blows of your work for pretty cheap.
- If you get to the con and see that other exhibitors have really cool printed signs for their table please please please don't just scribble something in a sketchbook, rip it out and stick it on the front. Make a note of it for the next con. You'll pick up new things at each con you attend. Everything should be ready for the day of the con, if you don't have it 5 mins before the doors open to the public, your not going to have it, you don't need, have it for next time.
- After you've set up get out from behind the table and look at it from the other side. It doesn't matter if you can see everything from your side its the other side that it needs to look good from. Don't be afraid to move stuff around at any point during the day. With two day cons I often find myself completely changing the layout between day one and two. You'll notice whats attracting peoples eye and bringing them over to your table, so push that forward.
- The space under the table is yours to use. Make sure to hide all the bags and unwanted bits under the table out of sight [It looks neater and also it won't block the path for your neighbors to move behind you] You don't need to put every single thing you've brought on the table. Lots of things can be confusing for people If you have more then one book for sale then just put the display copies out and bring out fresh ones for people when they buy one.
During the con:
- If theres more then two people exhibiting at a table come up with a schedule for manning the table. Anything more the two people can be very crowded and can put people off coming near a table.
- There is a balance to manning a table. don't be in peoples faces demanding they read your book. Have a display copy and let people pick it up and flick through. Make a comment if you can to put the book in context "this book is part on an ongoing series" or "this is a 24 hour comic" etc. Don't make a face if they put it down and wander off, most people will do several rounds of the exhibition hall before they start buying stuff and even if they do read it cover to cover and don't buy don't be insulted, not every comic is to everyones taste. Make sure to hand them a badge/sticker/flyer with your name and website - they might not buy something now but they could later. Be friendly and approachable but not in their face. On the other hand don't be stand offish and distant. The amount of times I've come by a table to find the people behind it with their heads stuck in a comic/sketchbook /PSP/DS ignoring everyone. If your too good for the con why the hell are you there? It shouldn't be like pulling teeth to get people to answer a few simple questions - its your work you should be able to talk about it.
- Please try and avoid the hard sell approach. Your not selling wrapping paper on Henry street at christmas. You should be able to talk about your comic without giving people a sales pitch. Cons are fun when the exhibitors treat it like a party, everyone is relaxed and chatty and the atmosphere is great.
- Wash, rinse, repeat. You will find yourself repeating the same story over and over again to each person that comes by your table. In your head it can start to become annoying but remember each person coming by is hearing it for the first time. Try and be able to describe what your comic is about in a few lines. If its something people are interested in they will stay and talk longer to you.
- People bring young kids to cons. If your work is not suitable for kids make sure to stop them looking at it. Your pretty much trapped behind the table if the parents decided to attack you. [you should also bare this in mind with your table display]
- If you see another exhibitor has got a really good print job/display/original freebie idea - ask them about it. I've only ever had one exhibitor tell me to get lost when I asked about their display. 99% of exhibitors are very open to sharing ideas and good deals they've got.
- Network, network, network. Don't stay behind your table all day. Make sure to have some cover for at least 30mins so you can go around and speak with everyone else. Take a stack of trade comics/flyers/stickers to hand to people. Don't wait until the post con meet up to hand people these things - alot of people will have all their stuff packed away at that point and will most likely loose anything given to them in the pub. Had it to them during the con and you can talk after the con.
- Don't start packing up before the con finishes. Even if you've sold out. If a con is open till 6, you don't pack up at 5.30. Its not fair to your neighbors, theres a lot of last minute buying at cons and seeing tables packing up can put people off and they'll head home. Most cons will announce when the doors are shut and the con is over.
- Clean up after yourself. Alot of cons have volunteers running around collecting rubbish, be helpful and have all of yours ready to hand to them. If no one is collecting rubbish then collect it up yourself and dispose of it correctly. Its good manners but also helps instill a good relationship with the owners of the venue. Why should they allow a bunch of comic people back next year if they are just going to destroy the place and feck off home?
- Help out when you can. This goes for the start, middle and end of the con. If your fellow exhibitors need a hand putting their stuff out, cover for their table for a few minutes and help packing up, help out. Karma is a bitch and will come back to bite you if your not careful.
- Find out about any post con events and make sure to give yourself time to pop along even if its just for half an hour. The really big cons will have events on the day before, during and after the con but even really small ones will have some sort of gathering afterwards even if its just one person yelling "hey everyone meet down the street in 10" Post con gatherings are the best chance to really get to know your fellow exhibitors. Don't be afraid to ask around during the con to find out whats happening afterwards.
After the Con:
- Take pictures, keep notes, and write up a report afterwards. Yes alot of con reports start to look the same after a while but they are good for cataloguing all your thoughts for the event. If your good for updating your website thats great but if your not try and update your website shortly after the con, you gave alot of people your website address and they'll check it out but update it about a week after so people can see your getting new work together and its worth their time to check back again.
- Be honest in your report but don't be bitchy. If you weren't happy for whatever reason then say it, nothing gets changed if you don't say anything. Was the hotel good or bad? Where the directions on the con website good or bad? Did you get value for money? Remember your a customer you paid for your table. The lightning at the con, the facilities, did you have to walk miles to get a can of coke? Was the con advertised enough? Ask people who come by the table were they heard about the con. Most cons will ask for exhibitors feedback [some even hand out customer comment cards at the end of the con for exhibitors to fill out] Cons want to know how they can improve but remember constructive comments - if you just had a **** day cus the printer messed up, you missed the train and it was pissing rain thats bad luck but not really something anyone can change.
- Stick with it. When you're starting out, nobody knows who you are and you probably won't sell that many comics at your first show, but don't let that keep you from coming back next year. People are really good for remembering if you were at a con the year before and they like to see that as it means your not some flash in the pain but that your producing new stuff and its worth their time to keep an eye on your site and look out for you at the next con. If your doing more then one show a year you'll find you meet alot of the same exhibitors and through them you'll find out about other cons worth going to, you'll find out all the best hotel deals, travel deals, best places to eat in a new town, you can share a car or a hotel room with people and really cut the cost of cons right down.
- Keep in touch with the new friends you've made. A quick email is all you need. If someone traded comics with you, email them your comments. Someone took the time to do this after one of my first cons [Thanks Alec!] and it was such a great confidence boast for me. I was emailed very constructive comments and I took them on board and they helped me improve my work. If you find no one ever emails you after a con ask yourself two questions [1] did you email anyone? and [2] did you put your email address on your comic?
- Have fun, your drawing comics for fecks sake. How can you not have fun?
And remember PUT CONTACT INFORMATION ON EVERYTHING!!!!0
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