GeekCraft Expo KC 2019

[Left] Super fly design for the show badge. [Right] I just want to take the time to acknowledge that the opening weekend of this show was on the same day as three super hero movies being in cinema at the same time, Avengers: Endgame, Shazam, and Captain Marvel. Think about just how surreal that really is to life in these days of geeky fandom.

Thankfully, most shows I review and participate in have been fairly balanced in it's ups and downs. Let's be honest, putting shows on, and for many of us that ply our wares and creations at these shows, it can be fun, exhausting, stressful, rewarding, and sometimes all of those things at the same time.

But before I get into that, let me explain a bit about GeekCraft Expo KC. It is not a comic book show, nor is it a general pop culture themed show per se, as much as it is distinctly a weekend market place for creators of pop culture items from clothing, to gaming accessories, to artwork, collectibles, and other items. I had heard about the series of GeekExpo shows from other vendors who had done the St. Louis show. Online reviews for the other locations that GeekExpo had been, showed favorable and positive reviews. So I decided to do the show that came to the Kansas City area.

[Left] Newest additions to the Ardor limited series of giclee prints. [Right] I was working so late on these, my assistant Luna Lovefood passed out in a fuzzy ball of cuteness.

Show prep was pretty tight this time, as I had ordered more acid free backing boards, and had finished up some new illustrations. I was also working on refining my display just a bit more to be more flexible and give people that see it at shows a better initial draw in visual. It's still a work in progress.

The front entrance to the show. 

I had to do a bit of figuring out which part of Bartle Hall the show was taking place in, and it turned out to be in the back of what I considered the music hall. One early issue was the lack of signs for foot traffic to find the show. Found out later, that was something on the part of the venue not allowing signs out front.

Curbside assistance?! This was unexpected and very cool of the expo to provide as a service.

When I figured out which door to get to for unloading my gear, I found that GeekCraft had people with long bed trolleys out in front to get our stuff inside.

NO OTHER SHOW I have ever been a part of, has done this. Now granted, I roll pretty slim, as you can see from the image above, but I know a lot of other vendors really appreciated this.

GeekCraft had great greeting/entrance setups. So far so good with the show looking professional.

So this same weekend, aside from three mega comic based movies, there was also Plaza PopCon 2019. Now mind you, Planet Comicon and Naka had only been a few weeks prior. So in doing this show, I did have some reservations on how it was going to pan out. But other vendors had told me about just how ba-nay-nay the St. Louis GeekCraft show and other ones had been for them, so....

If this angle is looking familiar, it's because the last year that Spectrum Fantastic Art Live was in KC, they had a similar set up in I believe a different hall in this same building.

Having an 8 foot table at a show is like a dream come true, and I clearly came under prepared to stretch out my stuff across it like a butterfly spreading out it's new wings.

I may need to add one more rack set up to this, as most people could not tell I had comics for sale until they were all up on the table.

Getting past the set up, which went very smoothly, next was to see what would happen when the doors opened. Now to give you all a run down of some of the points from my notes:

1. Weather: Friday (setup) and Saturday both had breezy and sunny weather, great for foot traffic.
2. Show layout: As you can see from the photo earlier, lots of space, wide aisles, well lit showroom.
3. Hours of the Show: 10-5 Sat, and 10-4 on Sun - not too long on show hours, just about right.
4. Extra activities: Some for the kids, but no panels, it was a straightforward retail sort of market, which is what it was billed as.
5. Advertisement: From what I could tell it was primarily Facebook, unsure/unaware of any Instagram/Twitter/Twitch presence.
6. Admission: Free with pre-registration, or $2 at door, was waived on Sunday.
7. Table Cost: Standard booth $295.00

While I didn't get photos of everyone that did pick up my book and art reproductions, I do want to say thank you to all of you that did!

Armed with the notes above, I knew what I had to hit to make the show worthwhile. But off the bat, challenges would begin to rise. The show was not allowed to evidently have signage out front, so that led to a large amount of confusion from attendees. I spoke to one young lady who had two children in tow, that arrived at Bartle hall at 10 am, but did not find the show location until almost noon.

The last of "the Hunters" series finally went home at this show.

Some of the confusion came from other events happening nearby, that let to people heading to a cheerleading competition, and a dog food expo that also was happening nearby, because they saw crowds in those areas.

I know that any event that takes place in Bartle Hall's general area will have the odds against them when it comes to attendees finding parking that is reasonable in price and distance of walking.

Bright spots of any show is getting to talk to so many people. Sincerely, you all make it worthwhile.

So to be completely honest, and you all know, this is something I do in all of my reviews, the attendance was low. Compared to other events they had put on, I believe this one may have been the leanest in attendance. This was not for lack of trying and effort on the show runners, Dan and Kim were clearly doing their best to promote the show online, highlighting vendors and creations.

But I think that the location was not the best to have had an inaugural show at, especially one that was a bit more specialized in it's presentation. KC does have shows like Strawberry Swing and a few others that are more generalized but still Art/Craft in nature.

Sunday, thankfully, let to a better early crowd, but then in one more twist, the spring like weather decided to change to overcast heavy clouds, wind and rain. An unfortunate further deterrent to any foot traffic we would have been able to get.

General thoughts? The show has potential, but Kansas City is a weird market for new shows to get into and get a foothold in. KCCC for example was a casualty of that in some ways. The truth is that as I've stated before, in years past, pop culture themed events were just that, EVENTS. But Kansas City has shows from Witchita to Overland Park, to Lawrence out to the heart of KC, and in between. I was worried about the booth cost for a yet unproven show in this area. That is something that crosses over for any creators/vendors doing a show. It's a gamble, and that's part of the environment. I get that, but almost $300 in the hole when doors open and no large number of attendees are coming in? That can make anyone reluctant to do a show again.

Kansas City in general is fickle on art. Don't believe me? Go down to first Friday's art walk and tell me it's not just people who don't know a lot about art wanting to see what new food trucks are out on the streets. I know that sounds a bit arrogant, but even the galleries will open earlier in the week for real art buyers to make purchases.

This permeates a lot of comic/geek shows as well. But more so in the aspect that, if one doesn't make it to this convention, there will be another one at some point in the year nearby to attend. And for my own reservations about Planet Comicon, it is still the amazing juggernaut of comic/media in the area. Even Wizard World isn't crazy enough to take on Chris Jackson's show. Most other shows aside from NakaKon (who really draws a whole other crowd), would never schedule near the aftermath of Planet. This is something I hope that GeekCraft can embrace and move forward with this next year.

Yes, next year. Late on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that they would be going to a more accessible event space somewhere in Overland Park. That is a huge step in the right direction, and one I support.

Will I do this show again? Yeah, I'm a gambling man. You can't have ups without downs. I lost money on this show, no shame in that. To be honest I initially thought I got close to the booth fee I paid at least, but I did not, coming in at just under $200.

Since I do not have any other shows planned currently in this facet, it gives me a bit of time to recoup, reorganize, and research other shows. And I did meet more comrades in fellow vendors, and finally got to meet some people in person that I only knew via online interaction, AND lined up more people for some new Creative Interviews!

Until next time, support your local artists and businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com

G33kmas 2018 - a lot of no show for a first time show.

The very cool and unique show badge, and my show setup.

G33kmas 2018.

I feel a bit of a mixed mind on this review. I think it comes down to expectation versus reality. For many of you that read my blog and have thanked me for reviews of shows over the years, in factors of honesty, of visuals, and of both ups and downs, I have to say that it's never enjoyable to write a non-favorable piece on a show. But if there is anything I made a promise I would do with these, was to be as honest as possible.

So, G33kmas is a show that was very much trying to cover a lot of bases and expectations, with what I saw, to some limited success. First the good things. Let's start off on a positive note.

From breakfast cereal, to chips, water, candy, and juice, this was pretty damn nice. Not diabetic friendly, but still great.

The staff interactions during the whole sign up process were wonderful, friendly, and fairly informative. Set up at the show was painless and quick. Two great signs of people that are trying right off the bat, manifested in the admittedly stunning and very unique handmade show badges (see first pic), and the fact that there was a great snack and beverage room for the vendors.

Setup time.

The vendor room was spacious, plenty of walking room, and with the exception of one huge anime display in the corner, was open and welcoming. Set up was not an issue, I managed to get a luggage trolley to get my stuff to my table. Again, the staff was super helpful in getting me to my table area, and throughout the show did come by and check on me, and other vendors.

It was like Deviant Art threw up in an IKEA...

The hours were long. I wasn't too concerned at first, as I've done shows previously that had long running times, both indoor and out. But I was concerned, what with this being the first show date, and on Black Friday weekend. 

For those of use who have done shows, or even more so, created and run any sort of event, especially a convention, Inaugural shows can be an unsure bet. In this case, to use a gambling metaphor, the cards were stacked against it in a lot of ways.

G33kmas was held at the Adams Mark hotel here in KC, just across from my old temp job place, the KC stadiums, so just off the highway, but oddly off the beaten track just enough that anyone whom I told about the show replied, "Is that hotel still open? I thought just the water park inside it, was." Not a fault of the convention's, but not a great sign off the bat.

This should have been posted all over twitter and facebook. I wasn't sure where the front door was.

I came into the show late, signup wise. I believe I got the last booth that was available. The booth which was 5'x8' was purchased for $125, and I opted to rent an 8 foot table for an additional $30, bringing my total to $155 for the show investment wise. I didn't have to get a room as I live not that far from the hotel.

The show.

A shot from the angle of the room furthest from me.

See my booth down at the end of the room? That was still within migraine range of the performance stage.

Okay, with all of that out of the way, let's get down to the happenings at the show. I spent a good bit of time talking to friends that came by (thank you, SINCERELY, all of you that did, you saved my sanity), and fellow artists and some vendors that were near me. I also managed to get started on two new story block illustrations, did some black Friday deal shopping on Amazon, talked to my parents in Warrensburg for a bit, reorganized my display plans, ate some snacks, oh and sold $7 in items.

That was Friday.

Saturday I did all the same thing, for the most part, except instead of wood blocks, I did some warm up sketches, and sold nothing. And Saturday was from 9am till roughly 7:30pm.

A dragon named Toby, and a convention attendee who was nearby.

So lets break this down.

1. I know that according to numbers I was told, and the fact that I did see people in and about the place, that at least a thousand people came to the show, but I would wager more than that did over the two days.
2. My prices ranged from a handful of $1 art reproductions and $2 comics, to $80 original artworks.
3. There was a large stage in the middle of the room set up for School of Rock, which when onstage, did make interactions with what few possible customers that did come by akin to being a member of a School for the Deaf. Because we couldn't hear each other on either side of the table. I think acoustic performances would have been much better.
4. There seemed to be a varied amount of items there, from handmade to mass produced (I'm looking at you Anime banner/pillow tower, no your art was not all original and done by you, and none of it was hand assembled by you, unless it was insert slot A into tab B). That said, the crowd did skew oddly enough to more of an Anime crowd, which I am still trying to figure out how that happened. 
5. The crowd that did attend seemed to be made up of three distinct types. Anime fans (nothing against that, I am one as well, just surprised to see so many). A few comic and toy collectors. And hotel guests that had looks on their faces that ranged from wild befuddlement to bemused confusion.
6. Number five is not that surprising, because the show was free to attend. Free shows will always get an eclectic mix of attendees, but not necessarily shoppers.
7. The hours both days were long. Which, I can see where this may have been an effort to make accessibility to the show easier, but it also can lower the immediacy or urgency to attend the show. It lowers the hype meter.  

So speaking of hype, there seemed to be a lot in the form of the Facebook page, but I didn't know of much else the show did to garner interest. Even I didn't really know who or what else would transpire at the show, and I was IN it.

If you don't believe me, take this instance for example. I am a fan of Shire Post Mint. They make incredible coins for many fandoms. (Seriously, check out their site after you read this blog.) I had been interested in getting an interview with them, AND picking up some of their coins.

I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE IN THE SAME VENDOR ROOM AS ME.

Look, like any show, there are ups and downs, because it's a creative effort, mixed with planning, and financial, and social media presence, boiled down to a few fervent days or hours. It isn't easy, and nor would I claim to know more, or how to do this show better.

But here is the thing. I have said this before, and I will say it again. The convention and art show market is growing and swelling, with new shows practically coming up every year. So many of them want to be all of it. Toys. Comics. Video Games. Manga and Anime. Art Show. Board Games. And sure, there is a cross pollination that does occur across the fandoms that are out there that most major larger shows are often able to cover.

The reality is that while shows are no longer the special events they once were, and they are expanding, two other things are shrinking. One, disposable income. And two, very literally, wall space. G33kmas had that going against it as well, on a weekend from Black Friday to Small Business Saturday to Sink in to Depression Sunday (that may have just been me) to Cyber Monday (where I burned all my art supplies and went west to sell $@%&-ing anime pillows in the lands beyond Overland Park, I hear those things sell like hotcakes).

Now all that said, I will be the first to admit, perhaps my works and my art efforts are not the hot thing of interest. I can live with that. I sincerely can. One cannot always "drop it like it's hot". It doesn't stop me from making art or from looking for new outlets beyond the show circuits to sell art.

It could also be the infusion of a lot of vendors that are doing the scene because the whole "Geek" thing is trendy right now.

So many things are what could take a few weeks of prep, and smash it into two days, and press out $7 in sales.

Here's a $7 shot of rum to finding out what those things are, for myself, for my art colleagues, and for the hordes of shows that need to focus on identity, mission, and execution. We in the creative field can use shows to help us make money, but shows need artists to even be a show. 

Until next time, support your local artists and businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com