When your VIP boothmate keeps making conversation with you and you want to make a good impression because you’re starting out but you also really want to follow the meeting and make sure you’re not blind-sighted because you’re starting out and you want to make a good impression
Hello guys! Anime Expo is just around the corner, so I’m writing up a little OOC introduction to meeting your favorite artists and people who are running booths!
This does NOT APPLY TO ALL CREATORS, as some run their booths specifically for this stuff, but just keep in mind some things that may happen!
I’m making a read-more since it’s a pretty big article! If you want to chip in, please let me know! Would love to hear more feedback that I’m not thinking of at the current moment!
So, your favorite artist is at a convention you’re going to! They have a booth and are selling their work! How awesome! You run up, eyes glittering, ready to buy stuff and get signatures and talk and ask questions! Everything is TOTALLY okay!
Except suddenly while you’re talking, they make eye contact with another person who is shopping, breaking your conversation for a moment to greet another person.
HOW RUDE, right? Actually, please understand! We are not only here for our fans, but we are running a BUSINESS. A lot of folks really need to make eye contact and conversation with everyone to make sure things go well! It’s not to be rude to you, it’s to be polite to EVERYONE who shows up who is just as enthusiastic as you! (or to even talk to the shy people! They need encouragement sometimes that they are acknowledged!)
As much as I love conversing with some of you, there are some rules I have to set down so I can continue to function, ESPECIALLY in high pressure situations at larger conventions, such as Phoenix Comicon or Anime Expo.
1.) Sometimes, we have to talk to other people, or can’t talk much at all!
- Usually in these situations if things are very hectic and you want to talk, I’ll briefly come and hug you, then ask you to message me on twitter/discord/social media so we can talk more then. Why is that? It creates a better stress free environment!
2.) Please do not sit behind our booth without explicit invitation from the booth holder
- So, this is really uncomfortable. Especially because we have a lot of product and content behind the booth. Please do not sit down if there’s another chair while you are talking with us. It’s like walking behind the desk at store and just sitting in the clerks chair. Sometimes we’ll invite some folks in, but most times it’s highly trusted friends who are running errands for us (food and drink helpers), someone who is trained to help us sell (Such as, at PCC, I hired my artist friend Kirry to help me since there was a lot of traffic so we could have two people helping you guys get back to enjoying the con!), or that chair is reserved for another person selling at the booth with us (Some conventions we share with several artists and split the table!). If it’s empty, don’t invite yourself in!
3.) Try not to hover around the booth too long
- Here’s a weird thing guys, but imagine this. You’re at the store, a small store, and there’s a person just talking to the clerk the ENTIRE time. You have questions but you can’t get a word in because this person is hovering around just talking. You’re a bit shy and not sure what to do. You try to butt in quickly just so you can ask for something behind the desk and take your leave, but can’t even do that hardly. Now, most times, this is where Part 1 comes in and I’ll usually interject with talking person 1 to talk to person 2, but sometimes other artists aren’t sure how to toggle conversations like that. Please be kind of how long you are taking at the booth! People hovering booths (for excessive amounts of time) actually cause SALE ISSUES! Crazy, right? But again, we don’t have a big shop area to display, just a tiny table and our poles holding up the best display we can to show you our wares. One person hovering and just talking to talk can actually hold up lines, cover product others can’t see, and deter others from coming to the booth. NOT TO SAY YOU CAN’T COME TALK TO US, but sometimes if you’re there for over an hour or two at slower conventions, it can be BRUTAL for us. Keep track of your time, ask if they need anything, say you’ll be back around or contact them on their social media to talk at their leisure! We DO NOT want to throw you guys around, but we also, again, are trying DESPERATELY to make this our business and keep everyone happy!
4.) Be Honest
- Shit, you broke that cool charm that you just bought. Guess you gotta go buy another one... but what if you told them it broke on ITS OWN. Maybe you can get another free one? RIGHT? Guys.... we’ve seen it all. We know if you’re lying or not, and we’re also ARTISTS. Just as much as you guys are pinching onto those 10 dollars to buy more product, we’re pinching onto those 10 dollars to feed us after dropping THOUSANDS into making sure this booth looks great and making some money back to cover everything AND pay the bills. CONVENTIONS ARE BRUTAL AND TIRING AND TOUGH! Especially if you don’t have retail training! If you are HONEST with us, depending on the situation, we can try to help you out a bit. I know more than enough artists that are willing to help out if you goofed up and live up to it. It HAPPENS, it’s a crazy high energy convention! We CAN NOT ALWAYS accommodate for you, no matter how honest and kind you are. Charms are EXPENSIVE to make, prints take us HOURS of prep and creation time... product isn’t cheap!
5.) Commissions? Be understanding!
- Some artists take commissions at their booth. Some do not. To each their own, but please be understanding! Sometimes those of us who do, get REALLY exhausted or take on more than we can handle. Keep open communications via e-mail or DM’s with your artist, and see about when they can get it done! Or if they are stressed out, maybe see if they can ship it to you instead! All of us have different levels, some get SICK during the con too, and crazy stuff happens. If you are understanding, they are going to give you AWESOME product when they can, taking their time to make something special for you rather than rushing it through because you want it NOOOWWWW! Communication is key in almost ALL situations of commissions, ESPECIALLY at conventions, I feel!
6.) LOOK FOR SIGNAGE
- This one is fairly self explanatory, but LOOK FOR SIGNS. If it says do not touch, DO NOT TOUCH IT. No pictures? PLEASE DO NOT TAKE PICTURES. Most displays are exactly what they are, displays, and if you only see one piece of product on it, it’s probably meant to show you what they have and that you can ask to buy it from behind the counter. PLEASE be careful about taking pictures. Some artists do NOT want their product having photos taken of them, because of the amount of times it has been stolen.. yes, even from phone cameras. It sucks, but it’s the truth of our world :(
7.) Snacks????
- Bringing snacks as a thank you to your favorite folks? Some of us do not know you, and despite how awesome we love having home baked stuff... some bad people out there have caused us to raise our guard. If you’d like to bring snacks, maybe bring something packaged!
8.) Careful about change!
- This isn’t a huge ordeal as most of us try our best to keep stocked on it, but some times the SUPER LARGE BILLS (IE: 100′s and 50s) can mess us up pretty fast. Also, same with small change. We try to round out the best we can and make sure we have PLENTY of change, but in case things happen, you can help US out a lot too getting smaller bills and keeping pocket change for those who are able to accept it easier!
This is the most I have for now, most of it revolving around the booth! IF you guys have other feedback or want to pitch in, let me know!
Hope this helps you guys! Don’t be afraid to come talk to us, but be kind of your surroundings and what might be happening! That way EVERYONE can get in, talk, and hang out and enjoy the convention!
Love you all, hope to see you (and talk to you!) at Anime Expo! EXCUSE THE RIN RUNNING AROUND THOUGH CAUSE IT’S GONNA BE BBUUUUSSSSYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
When you're alone in the booth, trying to get in the zone with the lights nice and dim, and some random (late) boothmate comes in, turns on the lights and starts shuffling around with papers
and you're like...
*The booth is like our temple. By making a fuss because you are late, you are making your boothmate want to murder you.
When you are receiving a pretty bad feedback with the whole class watching and one of your teammates actually DARES to give his/her two cents on your performance
