Pop Culture Expo [MA]

[Admin Lily]

Website: Pop Culture Expo

[thevillagemusician]

-->GENERAL INFO
-Convention attended: Pop Culture Expo, May 24-25, 2014
-City: Wilmington, MA (10 minutes from Woburn, ~20 minutes from Boston)
-Location: Shriners Auditorium Show Floor 
-Set up time: 10 am-5pm on May 23rd, 8-10am on the 24th-25th
-Contact Information: [e-mail]

-->ARTIST ALLEY TABLE PURCHASE INFO

-->MONETARY INFO:
-Total Cost:
Table: 150 (no badge cost needed & unlimited assistants)
Hotel cost: 250 for 3 people for two nights (not con hotel)

-Profit/Revenue: Did not break even.
-Company/Artist Name: The Village Designs (thevillagedesigns.wordpress.com)
-Vends/Table Stock: Original art prints, posters, and fanart keychains. 


-->OVERALL EXPERIENCE:
-Artist Alley Set-up: The artist alley was combined in with the dealer's room, notably as a single unmarked row sandwiched in between the other dealers. Given the small size of this con (and the fact that the dealers had clearly much differently larger spaces), this was not much of a problem. It seemed as if that there was some kinds of theming based on perspective audience that had been attempted in who was placed where, but this was not entirely clear. We were given an 8 foot table (a welcome surprise after being told we'd only get a 6) and allowed unlimited chairs. We additionally had free electricity right by us. 

-Staff helpfulness: The staff was primarily hands-off, but helpful from the getgo. From the very first time I contacted Gary, the head of the convention, he replied to my emails quickly and informatively and was eager to help. At the con, he and other staff members were easy to find and ready to point us in the right direction. The emphasis on wanting us to do well was clear as well, as shown by how easy it was to add another assistant to our table late in the game (easiness level: I emailed him three days before to ask if we needed to purchase her a badge and he assured us she could just show up with no charge). I did not interact much with any other staff, but they seemed to be around and available to help. 

-Convention vibe: The biggest problem of the convention was the slowness. The triple threat to the con's success was the obscure location (an auditorium in a remote part of a small Boston suburb), the first year status, and the fact it occurred on Memorial Day Weekend. This meant that frequently, especially in the afternoon, the showroom was not very full. That said, many of the events of the con occurred in the showroom, such as contests and gaming, and so it was nice to feel as if we were in the same room as all the action and were not just stowed away in an easily forgettable room. The downside to this was that sometimes it was difficult to hear if a particularly noisy event was going on in the background, and some of the entertainers were cringe-worthy (fortunately the only one with two performances was tolerable). 

This con really does mean it when it advertises itself as a pop culture con, as it boasted many different kinds of events. The prevailing concept did definitely seem to be that of comics, mainstream sci-fi and western toy/culture nostalgia - a vendor I talked to affectionately referred the con and the con-runner as "old-school". However, there were also anime, video game and fantasy vendors and events as well as cosplayers. Many attendees were families and adults, although some teenagers were also present. The con was also very much a celebrity con, with several well known names from television in attendance and many signing opportunities - several dealers hypothesized that a great deal of the expected large crowd came for the celebrities, got their signatures, and left. We were told that about ten thousand people were expected.

I do not know the actual numbers. It was not ten thousand. 

-Worth it: Y, but not monetarily. 

-Comments: Throughout our time on the unsettlingly deserted show floor, it was clear among most of the dealers that their normal goals for this size of a convention were not going to be met. We personally did not make our goal, and many vendors expressed difficulty making back their space costs. This said, the crowd that did attend was likable and we enjoyed selling some of our products that we do not often move elsewhere. It was also an excellent networking con due to the diversity of the vendors and attendees, and we made friends with both several booths we had seen elsewhere and newer tables. We also got a high amount of feedback on our work, and those who did wander through the show floor did seem openminded and interested in looking at the vendors. If there had been a larger crowd, I think we would have done better. 

What made this con in our books a success, despite the slow attendance rates, was the degree of thoughtfulness expressed in putting together the small con. As previously stated, we were welcome to a larger table than we ordered with no extra expense, free electricity, free parking and free assistants, which was a definite perk and took off some the edge of not breaking even. Everyone on the show floor was also available to use the load in doors right on the floor, making our setup extremely easy compared to other cons where we have to trek through the convention loaded down with boxes and cases to get anywhere. There was also decent snack food and drink available from a vendor on the show floor and a few food trucks. What is promising about the pop culture expo is exactly how much the people running the con really did seem to care, and they worked very hard to put on a diverse and interesting show. As a first year con on a bad weekend, it was poorly attended, but this is an element that can change as the con grows and the team learns - a lack of dedication and focus on vendors is something would be a much more immutable problem. While the ambition of the activities sometimes lead to a feel that the con was trying to do too much, they may be able to smooth out this feel in the future and create a more cohesive appearance. 

Whether or not we will be in attendance again is up in the air, but I would recommend this con to someone who wants something to do with their weekend, is interested in the con itself and isn't terribly worried about a profit. We've attended shows in the past where it was not only slow, but the existing crowd was very clearly uninterested in us, and they were much less enjoyable. In the future I would recommend the con to scale its vendor pricing more realistically, find a way to better funnel the celebrity-meeting crowd to the vendors and choose a different weekend. 

TL;DR
Cons: 
Low attendance
A little unorganized
Expensive for attendance and length
Inexplicable thrift store vendor who had a loud classic rock interview and video on repeat 

Pros: 
Good free perks
Nice staff and event planning
Varied and interested crowd
Cannolli Truck