Again another great show. This time the number of attendees was a little limited because it was a first time show. I think as more shows on the Eastern Shore of Maryland are made available, more local people will attend. Regardless, the attendees that were there responded wonderfully to our stuff and that made us supper happy. If your visiting the website for the first time due to the con we want to say thanks for coming to the con and thanks for visiting our site!
I also want to say thank you to all the staff of the Eastern Shore Fan Con. These guys were nothing but professional and super helpful. Anytime we needed anything, the staff members were right there for us. Wether it be help setting up our tables or carrying in our merchandise, or answering questions, everyone was on top of their game and willing to pitch in! They actually asked me if they could help me bring stuff in from out of the car. Nowhere else have I ever gotten that level of service and again I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped out with the event.
When I write these wrap up posts I tend to focus on the cos players. This time I wanted to do something a little bit different. Even though there were some neat costumes (like a complete Iron Man suit made out of foam, or my buddy Tod’s Scott Pilgrim costume) I thought you guys might appreciate a little behind the scenes look at what the convention looks like from a vendor’s point of view. You know it’s not all fun and games. Well actually it’s a lot of fun, and a little bit of gaming, but it’s also a lot of hard work. Between setting up the booth, taking it down, keeping up with inventory, answering customer questions, and trying to get people over to your table when there seems to be no one around, there is a lot to keep you on your toes.
We at the Grim Crew booth like to show up to the convention about 2 hours before guests arrive to allow for time to set up and in case someone has to run out and grab something we might have missed (like sharpies for book signings). I was at this convention on my own this time but luckaly our friends at Octopus Tree House were there to lend a hand as when they arrived they could see I was struggling a bit trying to put up our banner. Jess and Paul, you guys rock!
The booth all set up and looking pretty. Thanks again Paul and Jess for all the help!
Once the table is set up my next order of business is to locate facilities. Location of bathrooms, cafeterias and other vendor’s booths are really important to be able to plan your breaks and maximize the few short minuets you get to step away from the booth. Also the conventions usually supply some type of donuts or coffee to the vendors and artists to make sure we aren’t grumpy as the attendees arrive. And you know I gots to take advantage of that.
And then the gates are opened up to the adoring public. From here on out it’s usually a salesman’s world trying to attract attention to your booth. Sometimes a compliment on a costume goes a long way. But mostly if you are pimping out sweet swag and interesting work, people will be attracted to your booth anyhow. I found at this convention people were really intrigued by Martin Brant’s brainchild, Stitchwork, and Tummelvision’s Kidthulhu. And really who can deny such a cute little Master of Madness?
When we do have downtime it’s important to keep energy up by socializing with your neighbors. With Octopus Tree House right next to me, it wasn’t too hard to stay entertained throughout the entire con. Below is a picture of us playing Zombie Dice in between waves of customers. Jess was way too lucky, and always beat us. Paul says she cheats but I say I need to take her to Vegas. With her dice rolling skills the craps tables wouldn’t stand a chance.
Jess should be like the Zombie Queen or something. She rolled brains and avoided shotguns like a pro. Also note this photo was staged. Most of the game was spent by Paul calling Jess a cheater and Me cursing quietly so customers couldn't hear.
We got to meet some other comic book creators who were super awesome. Howie and Shelly Noel from Tara Normal were great neighbors and all around good people. Phoenix Agin from REALity vs BLISS was a pleasure to talk to and I’m super excited about her new comic coming out! We were also stoked to see Charles Dowd from Lilith Dark there too! We also received an invite from Twilight Zone Comics in Glen Burnie Maryland to come in and do some signings in the future so hopefully we will get to do something with them soon!
But after the attendees leave clean up is all that’s left on the list of things to do. Usually at this point in the day you are tired and more than ready to pack it in for the night. The trick to this though is the more you sell, the less you have to haul back to the car.
But all in all the Eastern Shore Fan Con was a success and we look forward to seeing what they have going on next year!
If you attended the con and would like to say hi, or give us your thought on the convention, be sure to comment below, or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also get more Dead Future goodness on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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