How to build a great little comics-only con? Suggestions wanted.

[HouseofComics.Com]

There are always people on the boards who say they just want comics or they want an old-fashioned show that is comics-dominated. They don't want to hunt for the comics or have the comics dealers ghettoized. They just want a lot of wall displays to look at and a lot of boxes to dig through. I went to shows in the 80s and 90s so I can relate.

 

Having said this, what are the little touches that someone might not think of when trying to put together a show like this?

 

What we've come up with so far that are at least a little out of the norm:

 

1) Con website accepts wantlists so that we can pass requests on to dealers ahead of time and then get back to the collector with the name and booth number of the vendor who has some of those comics or that type of material. This is an attempt to avoid the "I have a box of those but it's back at the shop/warehouse/house and I didn't bring it." Which happens all the time. In effect this allows the organized collector a chance to shop through the entire inventories of the dealer base instead of dealers just bringing what sells best.

 

2) Having an official dedicated meet-up/hang-out table for CGC board members. Shin used to get two booths at Wondercon and had loads of room so it was a defacto hang out place, but this is more official.

 

3) Refund entry fee for everyone who spends $100 with the dealers. This supports the dealers and also gives the more serious buyers free entry.

 

What else comes to mind?

 

 

 

 

[nearmint]

Terry's Comics runs a great comics-only show every year in Yorba Linda. Entrance is very affordable, he usually has 1 or 2 artists there to sign stuff and do sketches, there are door prizes and raffles for comics-related stuff, a guy selling hot dogs outside.

 

It's a small show, but it's comics-only focus attracts quality dealers: Harley, Bunkys, Ted at Superworld, Graham Crackers, etc.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Yes, that is absolutely the gold standard based on quality of material, people flying in for a one-day show, etc. Terry did a great job getting that sort of thing happening from the first show. I almost brought it up in the original post.

[oakman29]

Yes, that is absolutely the gold standard based on quality of material, people flying in for a one-day show, etc. Terry did a great job getting that sort of thing happening from the first show. I almost brought it up in the original post.

 

Terry's show is your benchmark,go from there.

[aardvark88]

Recommendations for the comic-centric:

 

1. Hourly donated graphic novel or cash $$ door prizes to encourage collector/fans to stay longer at the comicon

2. A nearby bank machine in case vendors are not set up with cr card via their smart phones.

3. Don't be afraid to distribute flyers at libraries, community centers, schools or bookshops up and down Berkeley streets or in front of movie theaters (e.g. Ghostbusters, Dr Strange).

4. Strong updated website and networking via Facebook, Twitter announcements.

 

5. Somehow get your comicon location to be a Pokemon Go hotspot. <3

[Buzzetta]

If you are trying to avoid cosplay attendees then just post, "No cosplay." Then stick someone at the door that ensures that the cosplayers don't get in. Don't be afraid of offending them since you don't want them there anyway. What are they going to do... not attend?

 

Be aware though that the cosplayers do bring money and do spend cash though so weigh that option carefully.

[MetalPSI]

Maybe don't let cosplayers in, but put a sign up stating the cosplay afterparty in your hotel room after 10pm.

 

Hilarity will ensue. Trust me on this

[MusterMark]

One could also separate the setup into 2 camps/areas: one for dealers who sell mostly moderns, the other for those who sell mostly GA/SA/BA. I would suggest even further divisions, but I don't think that would work too well, since many dealers' inventories cross so many lines.

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

[Ghost Town]

1. Location, location, location. Hold it in a city that's easy to get to from most of the U.S. (Chicago? Austin?) and has reasonable hotel rates.

2. Dealers, dealers, dealers. Try to attract the top dealers but also some of the lesser known guys with good inventories and reputations.

3. Make sure CGC and CBCS have booths to accept submissions. Same for Joey and CCS.

4. Easily accessible food options.

5. The hang out area is a great idea.

6. Try not to let the room get too crowded.

[HouseofComics.Com]

5. Somehow get your comicon location to be a Pokemon Go hotspot. <3

 

 

Some really good posts in the thread, thank you all. Looking for more.

 

Promotion-wise, I'm trying to figure out where there might be most bang for the buck in terms of trying to reach the back issue buyers. Reaching is the trick, attracting them will be easy I think once they know about the show.

[thehumantorch]

If anyone could run a good, comic oriented show it's you.

 

I think Allan mentioned an updated website. Good idea as it seems that some websites aren't updated often enough. Same with social media, tweet and twiiit and facebook. On your website and social media announce your vendors and what they generally carry. Ask your vendors what they're bringing and ask if they've bought any new collections and incorporate that into your website. Buyers like to know the show is worth their time..

 

Don't discourage cosplay. Excluding people because of what they're wearing isn't friendly and why turn away customers who're there for a good time and spending money. If your vendors are generally comic vendors you won't have a cosplay epidemic anyways.

 

If your show grows to a decent size consider putting up a few big maps of the vendors and bathrooms up on walls.

 

If facility rent is low consider a donation to the foodbank or a small fee as admission.

 

Most important, go after dealers with quality inventory and strong reputations. Talk to them in person or over the phone and personally invite them. If that doesn't work try to make them an offer they can't refuse like 2 for 1 booths, dinner, or a bedroom in your basement Nothing will draw buyers and collectors better than strong vendors and vendors that don't normally do shows in your area.

 

If you don't sell out your booths consider giving unused space to vendors who've already committed. We know that the more display space we have the more likely we are to make a sale and I hate seeing booths sitting empty.

 

 

 

[Doktor]

This is normally where I'd chime in with an awful joke about "a big free bowl of community cocaine in the middle of the convention that everyone is imbibe in"

 

But there's actually a whole host of awesome ideas here. I miss the comics-only or even comic-centric shows. I just want to look at a billion long boxes & walls of books with the occasional toy or whatever mixed in. Not feel like I'm hunting thru a bunch of kitschy junk & old happy meal toys & whatever, while trying to navigate around the jerk in the cosplay that takes up half the isle just to get to the 4 comic vendors in the room that have more than 4 long boxes on a card table.

[Hamlet]

I think the biggest weakness of most of the smaller local shows I go to is stale inventory. There are a couple of good local shows here in the Minneapolis area, but it is usually the same sellers with pretty much the same inventory they had the last time I was at the show.

 

My best experiences with these shows is when a local collector that doesn't normally do shows does one, or when one of the dealers has a fresh collection.

 

I think periodic outreach to local collectors or to dealers that haven't already been doing the convention for years would be helpful.

[F For Fake]

Don't discourage cosplay. Excluding people because of what they're wearing isn't friendly and why turn away customers who're there for a good time and spending money. If your vendors are generally comic vendors you won't have a cosplay epidemic anyways.

 

 

Exactly what I wanted to say. I don't see the point in outright banning cosplay, because there ARE a lot of genuine comic fans who also like to dress up and attend shows while they buy stuff. I'd say just don't actively promote or encourage cosplay. Don't have any sort of cosplay contests or parades or whatever it is they do at a lot of these shows. Don't have cosplay guests, etc. Just stress what your show IS about (Comics! Just comics!) and people either will or will not dress up. But actively discouraging them from coming would be shooting yourself in the foot.

[Doktor]

If you end up with a smaller space with aisles that are more narrow than say your typical Wizard World show, I would suggest asking people to limit the extent of their cosplay though. I've seen people come in elaborate get-ups that take up 3/4 of an aisle just walking down it at some more cramped shows, because they decided to wear the armor from Gears of War or something insane like that. Request that people use their best judgment as space and aisle space is limited, so extra large cosplay costumes would cause difficulty for both the wearer and the other attendees to navigate the narrow aisles.

 

I mean, you hate to basically warn people "hey, you're going to be cramped a little here" and possibly scare off attendees, but at the same time, if there is limited space for foot traffic, mentioning that to maybe convince Gears of War guy to maybe tone it down to Snake Plisken instead. Cause they're both awesome but one doesn't take up 15 square feet of floor space to stand with their gun over their shoulder.

[1Cool]

Based on the huge success of the free comic day - what about a free comic books Con? Instead of booth fees every vendor would be required to provide a free comic book to anyone who stops by your booth (1 per customer). People may come for the 20-30 free comics but would end up buying more books to complete a set (ie gets Spawn 10, 12 and 13 as freebees and needs to go buy 11 and 14 to complete a mini set). Promoters would hopefully get a ton of foot traffic at $5 each and the dealers would maybe give away $100 worth of drek at a packed show.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Nice ideas and comments! I hope to be able to chime in and toss some more thoughts at you guys later today.

 

It's also gratifying to see people mention ideas that we already thought of, but weren't as sure about. Seeing it mentioned here is great confirmation and helpful.

 

I love the free comics aspect and think that would be a big part of things going forward. I don't think there are enough comics-only fans that you can just rely on attendance over booth fees, but one could keep booth fees low with donations of long boxes to give away from the bigger dealers or something.

 

 

[1Cool]

Nice ideas and comments! I hope to be able to chime in and toss some more thoughts at you guys later today.

 

It's also gratifying to see people mention ideas that we already thought of, but weren't as sure about. Seeing it mentioned here is great confirmation and helpful.

 

I love the free comics aspect and think that would be a big part of things going forward. I don't think there are enough comics-only fans that you can just rely on attendance over booth fees, but one could keep booth fees low with donations of long boxes to give away from the bigger dealers or something.

 

 

Its not confirmed but I'm hearing a small one day comic con last weekend in Warren Ohio brought in 2,500 people. O'Barr was signing so I'm sure that helped draw in some people but it was a 90% comic Con so don't underestimate the draw of strictly comic cons.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Okay, that's interesting but OTOH isn't Terry's attendance well under 1000? We have a great established promoter up here and his new comics show with tons of pop culture, etc. (Ie, way way more ambitious than what we have planned) got 1500, just outside the San Francisco limits. In a metro area of like four million.

[1Cool]

Okay, that's interesting but OTOH isn't Terry's attendance well under 1000? We have a great established promoter up here and his new comics show with tons of pop culture, etc. (Ie, way way more ambitious than what we have planned) got 1500, just outside the San Francisco limits. In a metro area of like four million.

 

I was there from 10:00 - 12:00 and it was a packed house. It may be people in the Midwest really like a $5 event. I do know I set up at a couple small local shows that did not have any big name artists and I'd guess they had 750 - 800 people thru the door so not every Con in my area does that well.