I went down to Phoenix Comicon for the 6th year in a row, but sadly this might be my last. Phoenix Comicon has changed a lot in the last couple years and seem to be pushing anime out of programming- which pushes a lot of my customers out of the con. This year many chose to got to Fanime instead and I really felt their absence.
This was a really busy month for me and I worked very hard to get enough stock to sell there- and we really didn't do that well- we about broke even with the hotel and table cost- whereas last year we made quite a profit. But even so I made some great new friends and met some of my beloved old ones. Here is a simple rundown of my weekend.
Thursday- We came really early to unload and set up the table and I was really surprised by how many people came by the table Thursday. People who intentionally came by just to see me or to buy something. It was awesome and it totally started the con off right for me :) Thanks so much for that!!
Friday- I had the lovely Alexis and Roman watch the table for me intermittently this weekend and I can't thank them enough for it! However, everything I tried to do today either fell through or sucked. Panelist didn't show up for panels because programming double booked groups for multiple panels at the same time. The audio for the AMV contest was messed up and there were barely any submissions due to PCC not having a forum to be able to get messages out. I also wanted to see ANY Star Trek TNG guest but they had them in a panel room that was constantly full and they didn't let more people than the room could fit. It was a disappointing day and made me feel....depressed. There was a "free" firework show from the ballpark though- that was kind of cool. I wore my Mirikawa from High School of the Dead- since they were having a party that night- I only found these people who were actually dressed as the characters and not just wearing the school uniform. I also ended up being too tired to go to the actual party.
Saturday
Saturday was pretty cool because I got to meet and fangirl all over Danielle Corsetto from Girls with Slingshots. She drew me a sketch of Jaime. I also wore my Star Trek Lolita and got lots of photos with other Trekkies who thought I was steampunk for some unknown reason (but they were lovely anyway).
I went to the masquerade that night and it was kind of horribly messed up and disorganized and I felt both bad and relieved that I didn't enter. I was part of a group that asked for clarification on the rules and asked for some changes in how they judged. No real clarification was given and we were told that they wanted to see a lot less of anime in the show- so a lot of us didn't enter due to that. It was kind of a mess, I really hope that it was a learning experience to be improved upon. The hosts were quite charming though, and I love the storm trooper dude who announces every year. He was the highlight this year I think, for me anyway.
Sunday- I was going to wear lolita this day but I was so tired. So regular clothes it was. I did go to see the Star Trek Panel with all the guests- but I had to go to the prior panel and a half to make sure I got in- which sucked. But I got to see them and discovered that Wil Wheaton is my favorite person from TNG- in real life not on the show- but he is always so awesome. All of the characters are so opposite of the real person- I mean, Wil Wheaton is the coolest person and Mirina Siritis is a huge bitch. Micheal Dorn is also really soft spoken. It was interesting. I also got a sketch from another artist who recognizes me every year and whom I really admire- Travis Hanson. I've read all his books and have lots of his prints- awesome guy!
And that was kind of it- The booth down the way from me- Miss. Alainius- was awesome and such a great person. We were BFF the first day. I also saw many of your smiling faces and I appreciate it. I really do enjoy sitting at the table and talking to you all. I think this will be the last year we are an exhibitor at PCC though- the tables are expensive and the hotel is expensive and before I used to staff PCC, but I will no longer do that so it seems kind of pointless to go to be a vendor when the earnings barely make up for the trip.I have lost my love for this con due to lots of behind the scenes reasons and it saddens me that I didn't feel happy leaving PCC- I wasn't impressed or have that con feeling that I usually have. I am debating if I should move to Fanime and try to get a table there instead. Maybe you guys can tell me what you think about that?
We had a lot of fun at Fanime this year and maybe it was because of the way it was presented. The con is a little smaller than PCC, and isn't as overwhelming. From what I can hear on behind the scenes there were a bunch of issues with construction and the power outages but that was mostly from reg and line control. They do put AA, vendors hall, and gaming in different rooms, but they are all next to each other, and make the con feel smaller in my opinion. As for the artists I've always heard good things from them about this convention which is how I first heard about it years ago. The prices have in fluxed a little more in the last few years from about 50 to 75 from what I've heard, but if you split a table it's still not a bad price -and still even cheaper than PCC-. The Variety of artists there were nice, from people selling prints, to shirts, to crafts, some lolita, and BJD clothes. I really wish I had a doll because there were about 3 or 4 vendors that I would have loved to buy from. For you it might be worth it because there are the lolita shops in san fran, it means there might be a market for you as well. Hotel wasn't even that bad. Yes the shuttle didn't run as much as I wanted it to, but it never was a huge problem for me -at least it was provided. The hotel costs were from the hotel that fanime had contracted with and was about 80 a night. For our hotel Fanime decided to host a second convention where people could use their fanime badge or just buy a cheaper badge for that convention. It was a small steampunk con that had a little of everything a big con would have and was a really nice touch imo so that the people that didn't want to deal with the huge anime crowd had their own little place to go. Personally I really enjoyed this convention and think that they have their fan's experience at heart. If anything I would say it would definitely be worth looking into.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for all the info- $80 a night compared to the Hyatt at like $120 a night that is way cheaper and I've heard a lot of good things about Fanime from both vendors and attendees. I have a friend who always has a table there so she can keep me in the loop to try and get one before the sell out. I really missed everyone and the con felt so different, in a bad way.
DeleteThis was my first year going to PCC and I was... under-impressed. I thought it was just because I wasn't there with my friends, but then I discovered other people didn't enjoy it as much either. Fanime sounds like a really great convention that I'd love to go to, but it's much farther away. It's really sad that PCC decided to eliminate so much of the anime stuff though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Star Trek Lolita outfit = genius. xD I love it!