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Thinking about starting a local comic/collectible show on Long Island

Started by Genesis Comics,

40 posts in this topic

gcstomp

gcstomp

Posted
Posted

Moved out of the island 8 years ago but still consider it home. Nassau County I remember had some nice shows out of Hofstra Fitness center, a good sized building away from the rest of the school, plenty of parking. Always had a great crowd.

 

Tri County flea market in Levvittown had a monthly collectible show, that still going?

 

In Suffolk I recall a monthly collectible show out of a VFW in Smithtown, not great foot traffic, but I am sure it is not expensive to rent to start out that way.

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Genesis Comics

Genesis Comics

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Don't forget event insurance! If you are putting this on, you're officially the guy at the top. Someone slips and falls, you'll be name numero uno on the lawsuit, along with the building management and whomever else the lawyers come up with.

 

Wow...never even thought of that...that's why I love these boards :acclaim:

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sckao

sckao

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Insurance will be part of the requirements/contract generally when you rent a location. They'll also usually be able to rent tables/chairs, etc. to you if they do this regularly.

 

I would hold gaming areas or tournaments to draw in that crowd. Cosplay kids are another segment. They don't generally buy comics though. Some of those kids will eventually read a comic though and possibly transition over.

 

And RENT THE COMIC DISPLAY racks as an option!

 

 

 

 

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the blob

the blob

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Posted
To clarify a few things...

The location in question is in Suffolk county about 20 minutes in from Nassau...There are a few colleges nearby

 

No nearby trains but it's in a hotel on a main road which connects to both the LIE and Sunrise and there is a bus stop right there as well

 

The show would be a non-sports collectible show...I was thinking comics/toys/MTG or other gaming (Pokemon/YuGiOh/HeroClix etc) maybe autographs/original art...

 

Shadroch-the main focus, for now, is getting it off the ground and not losing money the first few shows...I've thought about going in with somebody, but right now I'm in the information gathering stage...that may be a possibility...

 

The dates of the shows would not conflict with the big shows (big apple, nycc, and probably avoid kochs warehouse openings as well)

 

For dealers...what's a fair price for a table? I was thinking $50 for 1, $85 for 2 and $110 for 3?

 

Discounts for anyone that helps me get this rolling :foryou:

 

A free raffle for a free table at the next show with one entry for every table purchased. For example if there are 40 tables at the show and someone purchases 3 they have a 3 in 40 chance of getting 1 free table at the next show.

 

For attendees...what's a fair price for admission? I was thinking early bird (enter 1/2 hour before "official" opening maybe $7.00 and regular admission $3.00?

My thought is kids under 12 are free...

 

My big questions is where to advertise...I was thinking local newspaper, craigslist, facebook, twitter, a website for the show, Wizard maybe?, local collectible shops, and maybe the local college as well? thoughts? (shrug)

Any other thoughts/suggestions folks? :wishluck:

 

Thanks for all the replies so far :applause:

 

Is newsday a "local" newspaper from your perspective or would space there be too expensive?

 

perhaps table prices/admission kind of be in line with what they charge at the clifton/hanover shows, which sound like the NJ equivalent of what you're trying to do?

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Genesis Comics

Genesis Comics

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To clarify a few things...

The location in question is in Suffolk county about 20 minutes in from Nassau...There are a few colleges nearby

 

No nearby trains but it's in a hotel on a main road which connects to both the LIE and Sunrise and there is a bus stop right there as well

 

The show would be a non-sports collectible show...I was thinking comics/toys/MTG or other gaming (Pokemon/YuGiOh/HeroClix etc) maybe autographs/original art...

 

Shadroch-the main focus, for now, is getting it off the ground and not losing money the first few shows...I've thought about going in with somebody, but right now I'm in the information gathering stage...that may be a possibility...

 

The dates of the shows would not conflict with the big shows (big apple, nycc, and probably avoid kochs warehouse openings as well)

 

For dealers...what's a fair price for a table? I was thinking $50 for 1, $85 for 2 and $110 for 3?

 

Discounts for anyone that helps me get this rolling :foryou:

 

A free raffle for a free table at the next show with one entry for every table purchased. For example if there are 40 tables at the show and someone purchases 3 they have a 3 in 40 chance of getting 1 free table at the next show.

 

For attendees...what's a fair price for admission? I was thinking early bird (enter 1/2 hour before "official" opening maybe $7.00 and regular admission $3.00?

My thought is kids under 12 are free...

 

My big questions is where to advertise...I was thinking local newspaper, craigslist, facebook, twitter, a website for the show, Wizard maybe?, local collectible shops, and maybe the local college as well? thoughts? (shrug)

Any other thoughts/suggestions folks? :wishluck:

 

Thanks for all the replies so far :applause:

 

Is newsday a "local" newspaper from your perspective or would space there be too expensive?

 

perhaps table prices/admission kind of be in line with what they charge at the clifton/hanover shows, which sound like the NJ equivalent of what you're trying to do?

 

Newsday was my thought but I have no idea how pricey that would be...

 

What do they charge for tables in the clinton/hanover shows?

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Genesis Comics

Genesis Comics

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And we're not even talking about Food yet... (all kinds of possible problems and licensing issues).

 

 

That's one of the questions I have for the lady I'll be speaking with...can food be brought in from the outside or would we "have to" get food from them...

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1koko

1koko

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Posted
To clarify a few things...

The location in question is in Suffolk county about 20 minutes in from Nassau...There are a few colleges nearby

 

No nearby trains but it's in a hotel on a main road which connects to both the LIE and Sunrise and there is a bus stop right there as well

 

The show would be a non-sports collectible show...I was thinking comics/toys/MTG or other gaming (Pokemon/YuGiOh/HeroClix etc) maybe autographs/original art...

 

Shadroch-the main focus, for now, is getting it off the ground and not losing money the first few shows...I've thought about going in with somebody, but right now I'm in the information gathering stage...that may be a possibility...

 

The dates of the shows would not conflict with the big shows (big apple, nycc, and probably avoid kochs warehouse openings as well)

 

For dealers...what's a fair price for a table? I was thinking $50 for 1, $85 for 2 and $110 for 3?

 

Discounts for anyone that helps me get this rolling :foryou:

 

A free raffle for a free table at the next show with one entry for every table purchased. For example if there are 40 tables at the show and someone purchases 3 they have a 3 in 40 chance of getting 1 free table at the next show.

 

For attendees...what's a fair price for admission? I was thinking early bird (enter 1/2 hour before "official" opening maybe $7.00 and regular admission $3.00?

My thought is kids under 12 are free...

 

My big questions is where to advertise...I was thinking local newspaper, craigslist, facebook, twitter, a website for the show, Wizard maybe?, local collectible shops, and maybe the local college as well? thoughts? (shrug)

Any other thoughts/suggestions folks? :wishluck:

 

Thanks for all the replies so far :applause:

 

From experience you need to determine the cost base before thinking about how much to charge for tables and entry tickets.

 

Think about the cost of hall rental, chairs, tables, parking facilities, ticketing, advertising (especially if going for a multi interest show- you will lose money if you don't target the right audience), insurance, staff, contingency reserve, etc.

 

Pricing will then be dependent on the hotel space as there are limits on the number of tables and people that can be admitted to the show.

 

I have family on Long Island (Cedarhurst) so with luck I might even be there at the time of your show.

 

Good Luck

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted
To clarify a few things...

The location in question is in Suffolk county about 20 minutes in from Nassau...There are a few colleges nearby

 

No nearby trains but it's in a hotel on a main road which connects to both the LIE and Sunrise and there is a bus stop right there as well

 

The show would be a non-sports collectible show...I was thinking comics/toys/MTG or other gaming (Pokemon/YuGiOh/HeroClix etc) maybe autographs/original art...

 

Shadroch-the main focus, for now, is getting it off the ground and not losing money the first few shows...I've thought about going in with somebody, but right now I'm in the information gathering stage...that may be a possibility...

 

The dates of the shows would not conflict with the big shows (big apple, nycc, and probably avoid kochs warehouse openings as well)

 

For dealers...what's a fair price for a table? I was thinking $50 for 1, $85 for 2 and $110 for 3?

 

Discounts for anyone that helps me get this rolling :foryou:

 

A free raffle for a free table at the next show with one entry for every table purchased. For example if there are 40 tables at the show and someone purchases 3 they have a 3 in 40 chance of getting 1 free table at the next show.

 

For attendees...what's a fair price for admission? I was thinking early bird (enter 1/2 hour before "official" opening maybe $7.00 and regular admission $3.00?

My thought is kids under 12 are free...

 

My big questions is where to advertise...I was thinking local newspaper, craigslist, facebook, twitter, a website for the show, Wizard maybe?, local collectible shops, and maybe the local college as well? thoughts? (shrug)

Any other thoughts/suggestions folks? :wishluck:

 

Thanks for all the replies so far :applause:

 

Is newsday a "local" newspaper from your perspective or would space there be too expensive?

 

perhaps table prices/admission kind of be in line with what they charge at the clifton/hanover shows, which sound like the NJ equivalent of what you're trying to do?

 

Newsday was my thought but I have no idea how pricey that would be...

 

What do they charge for tables in the clinton/hanover shows?

 

Clifton - 1 table for $40, $20 for each additional table

East Hanover - $60 for the first (6') table, $55 for each additional.

 

$2 admission for EH, free for Clifton

 

Not sure how they make money at those prices (unless the clifton venue is practically free), but they seem to be succeeding.

 

You might consider free admission for the introductory show. Mike Carbo's last free show in Manhattan last year was a real madhouse in terms of attendees and I got the sense the dealers made out well too.

 

It's crazy, but people like free, even if $2 is basically free. It will depend, of course, on how much all of this is costing you. How many paid helpers you think you might need to work the door, etc. I'm thinking there's probably a void in the market out on LI for this stuff.

 

And for what it's worth, I'd definitely consider renting tables at a show like this once my life gets a little less hectic/the new baby needs a little less constant attention.

 

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Genesis Comics

Genesis Comics

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I highly recommend baby steps. If you start on a small scale you can grow the show. If you try too much the first time out and fail, you won't get a second chance.

(thumbs u

 

I definitlely here ya...I'm just trying to cover all bases...don't want it to be a total bust so I'm trying to get as much information as I can so I don't miss something big...I'll be getting detailed $$ numbers tomorrow so I'll have more of an idea what I'm looking at price wise.

 

I'd love to hear from more people about what they look for in a con...what would make you go?

 

Also, any other ideas for advertising?

 

Thanks for all the advice so far (thumbs u

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Genesis Comics

Genesis Comics

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Insurance will be part of the requirements/contract generally when you rent a location. They'll also usually be able to rent tables/chairs, etc. to you if they do this regularly.

 

I would hold gaming areas or tournaments to draw in that crowd. Cosplay kids are another segment. They don't generally buy comics though. Some of those kids will eventually read a comic though and possibly transition over.

 

And RENT THE COMIC DISPLAY racks as an option!

 

 

 

 

I like the tournament idea hm

Renting the comic display racks...I am guessing you are talking about renting out a table set up with racks shelving already for a higher price?

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shadroch

shadroch

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I think the LI collecting community is fairly starved for a show so a combination of Craigs List, LI Press, and word of mouth would generate a decent turnout. Newsday has a free activities section, but advertising in its regular section would be very expensive. I had success putting ads in my local high school newspapers- they were dirt cheap and the staff artists loved doing them, but times have changed.

A gaming tournament might work, its not my area, but how will the dealers feel about a large segment of the attendees being off in another area playing a game?

I know that when 3/4 of a shows attendees are standing in line to get an autograph, dealers get peeved.

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shadroch

shadroch

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hey BigHulkFan

 

long time no see!

 

I would be interested in helping out.

 

I think you should look into renting out the Nassau Coliseum!

 

Nassau coliseum may be starting out a bit too big...lol

 

A decent show would atttract a bigger crowd than most IceLander games.

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Baron

Baron

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Try and get some *known* creators to appear at the show (free booth, food, etc.). I've been hesitant to go to new or small shows since the ones I've gone to (I'm looking at you Pasadena Rock N Roll Con @ the Rose Bowl) were pretty bad and sparse. But is a creator that I liked was attending, then I'd at least give a second thought about attending.

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