ARTIST ALLEY REVIEW: Anime Los Angeles 2020
Ontario, CA
Ontario Convention Center
Well, huh, I’ve had some bad cons but this.. this one is weird. I mean on one hand I had fun collecting the ribbons and trading and making people smile, but on the other I’m there to make money not lose it, and while having fun is great I sort of need funds to keep going in life, ya know? I only made back table, and table cost is high for this event. It’s $300. I can see why many split their tables, and I sort of wish I had now. Granite my stuff doesn’t condense well into a 3 foot space it would have at least saved me a bit. Because right now I’m basically eating my airfare cost and any material costs, which sucks big time.
Going into this I was told this show is fantastic, and it was hard getting in. I had tried the year prior but no luck, and the tables did go fast. So I assumed with the elusive status that meant the show would be amazing. Well, I dunno what factors played into it but this show was not. Maybe having it the weekend after sac wasn’t smart, or during the same weekend as another Cali show, who knows. Maybe kids are just going broke or only saving up for 1-2 shows anymore, meaning their dollars are stretched to the max. Maybe the under construction convention center played a part, again, I can’t pinpoint what factor played a part but I wasn’t the only one who saw slow sales.
I also noticed the crowds just weren’t that big, for a California show I expected more. Even my local Arizona ones draw in more crowds, esp in the mornings for dealer hall opening. Each day when the 10am mark rolled around only a trickle of kids staggered in. I also had the problem my table being in an open aisle area and towards the back, meaning it took a while for said crowds to even make it over to me.
My neighbors, while sweet, also drew in people meaning my table would get blocked from time to time, and some kids even hustled away due to the crowds. So a double edged sword with having popular neighbors who are lively fangirls. I also overheard from attendees, and some even plainly asked me, if this was all the artists. As prior years the con had split up the artist alley and vendors into two separate rooms, and at one point an outdoor tent. So the confusion didn’t help sales either. Not to mention the wonky artist alley tabling numbers, which weren’t labeled anywhere, so I had to resort to posting the alley map on the side of my booth to help wayward souls. Maybe thanked me for that. Hotel wise my mom and I found a place a bit further away from the con, which had free breakfast and they were nice enough to shuttle us each day to and from the con. So hats off to La Quinta Inn, they saved our butts! However a downside was the food issue. Going in I was forewarned the con does bag checks and does not allow outside food period. Well bag checks for us artists consisted of them just hugging my bag and then ushering us along. Downside the con center food was expensive and was just fried stuff. Mom did catch the grilled cheese food truck upping their prices on the 2nd day from $8 to $15. Bit sneaky if you ask me, and no that sandwich was not worth $15!
PROS
Nice weather
Check in easy
2 badges per table
HUGE space behind tables (like 10 feet!)
6 foot table
Ton of hotels near by
Near the airport (yes it is international)
CONS
Table price is $300 (rather steep for this show)
Not many crowds
Sales are low
Ribbon trading crowds are huge, bring them or else
Hall wasn’t full of tables, tons of empty spaces
Attendees confused by layout/prior years flubs with the alley
No signage other than sharpie marks on the tables, so good luck finding F10 from K2
Slow start each day, you can sleep in if you want no point getting to hall early
My advice for ALA, if you choose to go, is try to cut costs where-ever you can. Split your table for one. Share a hotel room or AirBnB. Bring tons of snacks, as the con did not check me for those, to tide you over. Maybe try to pick a hotel that has free breakfast like mine, at least save yourself for one meal. Otherwise I will NOT be going back. I’m not local, so flying in really ate into my profits. I had hoped this show would be better, but it just wasn’t. Now keep in mind this was from my own personal experience. I heard some people did AMAZING, but it seems to be based on table placement along with social media following. My following is pretty low compared to some who had 2-7k followers.















