Deviation Actions
I had to wait a couple of days, until I was less angry, to write this. In fairness, it’s possible my expectations were out of whack. I’d been trying since 2013 to get a spot in AWA, and finally succeeded this year, so it’s possible I let my expectations get too high. However, I don’t really think I did.
To put it simply, this was my first time at AWA’s artist alley, and there’s a good chance it will be my last.
To offer a comparison, the week before AWA, I did Daycon Clarksville, a 2-day con with less than a fifth of the attendance of AWA (I don’t have exact numbers for either, so if anyone reading this does, please correct me). My inventory was more or less the same at both cons. Actually, the inventory at AWA was a bit larger, as I’d made some new jewelry pieces in the intervening week.
You’d think that at a con 5 times the size of Daycon, I’d have 5 times the sales, right? That would make sense. But you’d be wrong. I did roughly the same sales at both. And no, it was not just me who had slow sales. From the artists I talked to, and the chatter going on among the others in my section, it seemed that quite a few had this problem. The poor girl across from me only had maybe 6 or 7 customers, that I saw, anyway, in the whole weekend.
So what did Daycon do right that AWA did wrong? Here is what I think.
1. The room.
At Daycon, the dealers’ room and artists’ room were separate. AWA had them both in the same hall, with nothing separating them. Not even a curtain. Not even a rope. Everyone crowded in the same entrance. This is never a good idea. I’ve never seen this end well for the artists.
2. Oversaturation
There were just too many artists. Every con limits the number of artists and dealers they let in, but a good con doesn’t just base this on how many tables they can fit in the room. Even Sukoshicon, despite all their other faults, figured this out. Artists/dealers are the con’s customers, just as the regular attendees are, and the con needs to make sure we get a good “product” for our money. Part of that is making sure the customer base isn’t spread too thin. Thanks to being in the same room as the dealers, there was plenty of traffic, sure, but most of them were obviously only there to look, not buy, and the few who were there to buy were spread so thin that was no way any of us could turn a profit (even assuming they weren’t crowded out by the looky-loos).
3. Small tables
At Daycon, we had nice, full-size tables. I was able to set up my entire display without stepping on my neighbor’s toes, and showcase my entire inventory. AWA’s tables were both shorter and narrower. I had to rearrange the display, and leave off parts of it. This left the inventory cramped, and some of it hard for the customers to reach. I saw others doing the same, having to reorganize their displays to build up instead of out. The display space is part of the product we’re purchasing, and AWA wasn’t exactly cheap. It’s not unreasonable to expect a decent-size space.
So will I go back to AWA? At this point, I can’t say. I’m not in a place where I can plan that far ahead. For all I know, I could be on the opposite side of the country, this time next year. But assuming I’m still here, if the structure stays the same- the same oversaturation of artists and setup that attracts more looky-loos than buyers- I’ll probably have to pass. This may be my hobby, rather than my livelihood, but I can’t afford to keep sinking money into cons where I don’t sell enough to cover expenses. Sorry, AWA, but you’ve joined Sukoshicon at the bottom of my list.
