How long does it usually take to get ready for a convention? Like prep time including printing (excluding drawing and creating the actual product)?
kiriskaโ: For the first time? A month or two, maybe. Make a list of the things you need to do and how much time each thing takes and go from there. Deadlines are important. I wouldnโt discount the time it takes to create actual product too โ printing takes time, and if your art isnโt ready, then you canโt print, and everything gets pushed back.
I would start prepping a minimum of a month before your con, but probably two months, just to be safe. After your first con, a lot of the setup will be ready to go for subsequent shows, so itโs mostly a matter of re-assessing your stock and seeing if you need to order more stuff accordingly. I generally do restock orders 2 weeks out from a con to allow for shipping. If your supplier is overseas, order at least 6-8 weeks out.
There are numerous AA supply lists floating around the Internet, so this will hardly be exhaustive, but hereโs a short list of things youโll probably want to remember to do and get ready:
Local supply gathering (1-2 days of shopping)
PVC or grid cubes or some other vertical display
Other props or display aids
Online supply gathering (1-2 days shopping, 2 weeks for shipping (add 4 weeks if overseas))
Prints and/or other printed products
Packaging, if desired (bags/sleeves for prints, etc)
Additional display goods (racks, stands, etc)
If you can, definitely build your setup and test it prior to the convention. This will help you figure out what you might still need. If you manage a practice setup 2 weeks ahead of the convention, youโll still have time to order anything youโre missing.
Nattosoup: ย Since Kiri did a great job giving an actual timeline for con prep, Iโm going to focus on what you excluded for our readers who are looking for a creation timeline. ย
If itโs your first ever con, and youโre starting from scratch, I would start prepping and planning 6 months in advance. ย I recommend six months so you arenโt rushing, you have plenty of time to think things over, scope out where fandom is, and adjust your stock. ย I like to work on things leisurely months before the convention in my downtime (assembling buttons, cutting stickers, scoping out new merchandise options), and rushing to have new things the week before the show is miserable and usually leads to me having a panic attack.ย
The basic rule of thumb is: ย The less time you have to play with, the more everything is going to cost you.
Sticker sets- Aim to complete one design per day, from concept to colors, give yourself a week for a set of 5-8, and one day to cut.
Prints, printed at home- Give yourself one week per design, if this is the first time youโre doing prints. ย More elaborate prints need exponentially more time to prepare, so be aware of that. ย If you run out of ink at the last minute, a trip to Walmart for more ink is going to cost you more than ordering a decent knockoff brand of ink online.
Prints, printed at a local print shop- Give yourself a week for the design, and a full day to get everything printed at the store and organized. ย Make sure you go in with your files clearly labeled, and with your instructions written down. ย Be prepared to argue to make sure your stuff is done right (donโt be rude, just make sure you are clear, and donโt settle for lazy/incompetent/didnโt want to do it). ย There have been times when Iโve gone to Office Max at a down hour and was able to check out in a half hour, there have been times when the store SHOULD have been dead, but it takes four hours to get anything done because the people ahead of me donโt really know what they want. ย Plan for this to take awhile.
Prints, ordered- I order my mini prints from Shutterfly when they have sales, so itโs more dependent (for me) on when their sales are, not when my shows are. ย It takes two to three weeks for my prints to come in- I do not use express shipping, I go with the cheapest options available. ย Heidi uses Catprints, so she could give a better timeline for that.
Mini Comics- If you havenโt drawn it yet, give yourself a month. ย If itโs drawn, give yourself three days to get it laid out, to get it printed, and to assemble them.
Perfect Bound Books- ASSUMING YOUR CONTENT IS FINISHED AND ASSEMBLED, it takes about a month for CreateSpace to get your proof to you, two weeks if youโre reordering books from them. ย Other companies differ.
Buttons- If you own a button maker, give yourself a week for every set of 7 designs (or utilize designs created for stickers, with slight modifications), and a day to press ever 100 buttons (your arm will be super sore after, the longer you can stretch out working on these things, the better). ย If you donโt own a button maker, and you are borrowing one, give yourself an additional week. ย If you are sending your designs off to be printed and pressed, give the person you are sending your designs to a month, regardless of what their site says the turnaround time is.
Ordering stuff: ย Give yourself at least four months for things to come in. ย Artscow can be super speedy, or it can take forever, so give companies like that at least two months to deliver. ย Charm companies can take awhile, and it may take awhile on your end to get your files ready, so give charm companies at least three months the first time you order from a new company. ย
Other: ย I order my vinyl banners from BuildASign (if you need reviews, search our tags, Iโve posted about them before), their turnaround time is approximately two weeks, but I give them a month. ย My business cards from Moo take about three weeks, my cards from Overnight Prints take two AFTER THEY HAVE APPROVED YOUR DESIGN (which can take up to a week, and isnโt always accurate in terms of what you get)
PR: ย Start talking about the con youโre attending at least a month ahead of time- show lots of WIP, make sure to tag related fandoms, try to get people excited about the fact that youโre tabling. ย In the week before the con, make sure you update with FINISHED products daily, utilizing the conventionโs tags. ย Two weeks before the show, start checking the tags on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram to see who else is going, and try to make new friends.
Monday before the show: ย Convention demo table, takes all evening.
Wednesday before the show: ย Go buy con snacks
Thursday before the show: ย Leave for show.
Heidi: Both of these ladies did a great job, so I have little to add.ย Because I do conventions regularly and often have a back-stock and many items already ordered, I generally start my to-sell item prep for any given show about a month in advance.ย This gives me time to order any prints or supplies I may need, and usually enough time for any mistakes or shipping delays.
The best answer I can give though is the sooner the better.ย Real life things will happen.ย Hotels will be sold out (try to book this as soon as you confirm your table!ย This also help get the con block, which is usually significantly cheaper!)ย Stores wonโt have what you need in stock, printers will be broken, the USPS will lose stuff (the USPS will lose SO MUCH STUFF), and youโll probably panic and freak out at least once.ย You may also need to do time-sensitive things such as apply for a sellerโs permit.ย And there are always things that you canโt do until the week of the show - like actually driving there (give yourself extra time here too!ย In case of emergencies such as weather or car issues!)