CONjuration 2025
The deets
Where: Duluth GA
When: November 14 - 16
Table Cost: $175
Attendance: estimated less than 1000
The space
We were provided a 6-foot table and two chairs. We were in a ballroom-like space and the alleys were pretty tight. They thankfully left gaps between the ends of the tables and we had a decent amount of space behind the table.
The market
There is no separation of artists and vendors, but they did have several different spaces where vendors were set up including the hallway of the hotel. If you’re in the hallway there is less security and you may have folks checking out your stuff while the vendor space is closed. There was a good mix of artists and vendors, including some folks we have met at other events throughout the year. While the con definitely has it’s old guard, the regulars were very welcoming to first time vendors. There are a significant number of author tables.
The audience
Being a con with a lot of history behind it, there definitely is a culture to this event. Many attendees have been coming to it for years, same with many of the vendors. That said, everyone was very nice and welcoming to us newcomers. The audience felt like it skewed a bit older, though we did see some families with younger kids. This audience is definitely more fantasy leaning, and there were a good number of folks dressed up despite it not really being a con for cosplaying.
The sales
We made between 2 and 3x table cost, which is less than we were hoping, but with some adjustments to our stock we think we could do better in the future. Some of the tables in the hall expressed not having broken even on Saturday which is a bit concerning for a 3 day event that has been going on as long as this one has been and with the very reasonable table cost. It’s possible that this is just a reflection of the economy which no one can do anything about.
For this 3-day con our time invested amounted to 18 hours of active vending and 1.5 hours of combined set-up and break-down time (total of 19.5 hours).
Items that sold the best were prints, stickers, and blankets. Most people paid with cash for smaller items and card for larger items.
The rest
This con started as a Harry Potter convention, however it has moved more to generic fantasy over the years. That said, lots of attendees have been coming to this event for years, so it’s one of those conventions that has a very established culture about it. They still do House Points, which is a very cute little competition where vendors can give out tokens to attendees for any reason they want. There’s also a charity auction which vendors can voluntarily donate items to.
Pros
Lots of nearby food options
Easy load in and load out from back of the hotel so no stairs/elevators to worry about for carts and wagons
Free parking
Event staff were very friendly and accommodating
Cons
No separation between artists and vendors (though this is a minor gripe for this size of event)