Convention Dates: Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2, 2023
Venue: Honolulu Convention Center
Location: Honolulu, HI
Booth Cost: $292.57
Ease of Load in and Load out: 5/5️
Will I do it again? Yes
Would I recommend? Yes
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Experiences:
Because Friday was a bit slow I got stressed that there weren’t a lot of attendees, but I had to remind myself that it’s likely because people were at work and school. The crowds did pick up on Saturday and Sunday which made me feel better. It got so busy on Saturday that I became overstimulated halfway through the day and had to walk away and take a lot of breaks. For one of my breaks, I went to the Cosplay Cafe for some quick dessert and fun entertainment.
Application and Acceptance:
Since they had a grandfather system in place, I pre-registered for my 2023 table on the last day of Kawaii Kawaii 2022 (April 24, 2022). Applications and payments were done via Eventeny. The application asked for a business name, contact name, address, email, phone, website, business logo, and description of artwork. Once my application was approved I got a confirmation email and my credit card on file was charged automatically.
Booth cost and inclusions:
The standard table came with a 6ft table, two chairs, and one badge.
Event Communication:
The con had good communication. Information packets and updates were sent via email.
Con Crunch Prep:
There was lots of sticker cutting and heat pressing! New merch this year included new Genshin Impact character button pins and keychains, anime head acrylic charms and stickers, and our Pilliam and Dungby totes. Out of everything our best sellers in no particular order were sticker books, art prints, die-cut stickers, tote bags, and sticker sheets.
Day 0 Load-in:
In my opinion, check-in was more unorganized than last year for artists, but it was much better for attendees. Their line was moving much faster than ours, which is great because attendees last year said they waited upwards of 3 hours to get in.
The artist line was long and moving pretty slowly when I got there. I noticed that staff was rummaging through a big pile of unorganized badges as each person went up, which was probably a factor in the long wait. Once we got into the hall I noticed all of the tables were bare with no tablecloth, but it wasn’t a big issue for me because I bring my own tablecloth.
For my table display, I bought brand new pink cube organizers for the tabletop, utilized my backdrop for my art prints, and also tried out a catalog system.
Other things to do at the event:
There were lots of fan panels, guest panels, and autographs scheduled throughout the weekend. Attendees could also participate in the karaoke and cosplay contests, attend concerts, and visit the cosplay cafe and manga library. For shopping, there was the art auction, exhibit hall, and artist alley. Unofficial stamp rallies were happening throughout the artist alley too.
Load-out:
It went smoothly! We packed up and walked out the front door.
Expenses vs Revenue:
My expenses included the standard table cost, additional badge purchase, gas and parking for my car, credit card processing fees, and taxes. I did break even and profited so that’s always a good thing!
Reflection:
The artist alley and dealers room were located in one hall which I liked since attendees only had to go to one room to shop. We were located at table 1041 which was a pretty good location since it was the first row people seen after walking through the dealer's area.
The staff and attendees were all kind, the venue was conveniently located close to Ala Moana with ample parking at and around the convention center. I will do this event every year as long as I get accepted and would recommend it to others. If you’re flying in from out of state do know that flight and hotel can be pricy, so make sure to bring enough stock to sell to make a profit and make it worth the trip
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