NYCC was just as insane as last year… massive crowds exceeding 100,000… tons of celebrities….lots of excited interested comic fans! While it was a lot of fun (moreso hanging out with good friends, than the con itself) I’m not sure I’ll go back next year. The earnings were not enough to make the stress and cost of tables/accommodations/travel worth it. While people were interested in Z&F and Abby, few had the money to spend. First, let me explain the “curse”. You see, almost anything that could go wrong with this trip went wrong. It started months prior, and lasted throughout the weekend. It made us wonder if it was a sign to cancel the trip.
Allow me to bullet point the bigger of the mishaps:
- It was supposed to be the first gathering of all the main Webcomic Alliance members– Byron, Ken, Antoine and I. Well, due to some serious personal issues, Byron had to bow out. The poor guy can’t catch a break! And we really missed having him there.
- While we signed up right away for 3 tables, and paid them in full, the NYCC staff decided to give our tables away to “bigger names”, and poor Byron had to fight to get us at least 2. Yes, that was AFTER we paid for our tables.
- We had reserved this great rental apartment- 3 beds, 2 baths, for $300/night! But 3 weeks before the show the owner cancels due to “damages out of her control”. We were left in a panic, trying to find another rental that was still available as hotels are mighty expensive in NYC.
- Antoine learned the hard way to not order sushi/sashimi at a primarily Chinese restaurant.
- We all learned the hard way that having a reservation in NYC does not mean A: you’ll get your food faster, B: you’ll get napkins/silverware at all, or C: that your table will actually be held for you.
- I can safely say for all of us who went, we did not earn back what we spent on this convention. Massive crowds does not mean massive sales… especially if half the people there just tell you “I have no more money”.
However, there are GOOD points too…
- A very gratuitous rental owner waived cleaning fees and taxes for us to rent his loft. The catch? It was actually 2 lofts– the other about a block away. The hassle of moving between the 2 was very minor, and the lofts were INCREDIBLE.
- The convention staff who cut back our tables initially more than made up for it by cluing us in to 2 open tables… so all four of us each got our own table!
- Though Friday and Saturday were terribly slow sales-wise for me, Kids Day on Sunday made up for it, at least a little bit.
- What really was the highlight, as cliche as it sounds, were the friends and the gatherings we threw together each night. From the Drink & Draw to the dinner at the Tenth Rail (despite the bad service), to just chilling at our 37th floor loft playing cards…. this is what I’ll end up remembering as time passes.
…. and for that, I may go back again.
Now for the goodies:
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Discussion (5) ¬
It’s strange how furious all the webcomic artists where in 2010 yet I see that some went back in 2011? Overall wasn’t bad for me but it was an expensive trip. Airfare commute table food, shipping ran about 1500. (that may not be bad for many vendors but for webcomic artists it is a lot to pay for a con. I think the problem I had is it was too big so with 100k + people barreling through there, it takes an incredible table display, crowd or notoriety to have people stop let alone find you at the Con. I do MUCH better at small Cons. I looked at is a vacation, I got to see the City I was born in again, so that’s why I enjoyed it.
yup, good summary. I’m sticking to smaller cons next year. Philly, Baltimore, trying out SPX, find some more book fairs and such. BUT….. if enough friends go back to NYCC, I may have to consider going as an attendee.. and for the after-parties!
I’m not furious, just a bit disappointed and frustrated. Not sure what happened in 2010, but this show doesn’t seem like it’s that great for up-and-coming creators.. as opposed to the big names. There’s just too dang much to see!
I also meant to mention there’s a fun recap of the NYCC over at the Alliance: http://www.webcomicalliance.com/conventions/you-know-youre-a-nycc-exhibitor-if/
YOU KNOW YOU’RE A NYCC EXHIBITOR IF……..
1. Most of the Horror stories happened to the other webcomickers tables but I was there to bear witness (bare??)
2. My only issue was when I was being told to move my table, I informed the coordinator, that he needed to start at the end and move all the tables NOT IN THE MIDDLE! He then proceeded to tell me to leave it to the professionals. Which I did and he ended up putting 1 & 1 together and moved to the end.
3. No table when I arrived, brought my contract & had confirmed price included table & chairs (I had been forewarned) Teamsters where professional and got table soon there after.
Other peoples problems:
1. They had oversold and couldn’t fit the final table (located in middle of the row) Their solution was to push all the tables together with skirts separating tables. When other artists complained about not being able to exit the booth The same coordinator said you paid for a 6×6 booth that’s what your getting. They fixed the problem when people started rumbling about fire code violations.
2. Table next to me was last in door and had 4 feet to squeeze a 6 foot table in, they moved them round the corner to a HUGE corner booth.
3. Many of the webcomickers got a bill for the table & chairs even though the contract said it was included.
Beyond anyone’s control
1. Once again I can’t blame the organizers or con for my success or failure. It’s not a good platform for unknowns. I had people at the con that never found me (size & crowd) I was basically a little fish in an ocean.
2. Was lucky enough to know other vendors so bathroom breaks where not as much a problem, though I did walk the length of the con to get there.
What I enjoyed
1. I liked the Con the spectacle and the people I met there.
2. I received 15-20 passes if I had known I would have stood on the corner and sold them to make my profit back. I didn’t.
3. Teamsters where awesome they got a bad wrap but they where on top of things.
I’d go back as a fan before going back as a vendor again.