LUG Con 2026
The deets
Where: Duluth, GA
When: October 1-4
Table Cost: $150
Attendance: estimated 1,400 (anticipated 3,000)
The space
The event was held at the Gas South Convention Center which is a great event space. Aisles between rows were massive and everyone in artist alley got 8’ tables with ample room behind. Another artist accidentally set up in our location when we arrived, but we sorted it out before the event started. Organizers were helpful and apologetic about the mix up. They ended up having a lot of empty space in the hall due to unsold booths and some no-shows. There were more artists through and they confusingly added them along the back wall of the hall rather than the other open space. This hall remains too big for the turnout of the event. They had booked both a large event hall and the ballroom, but none of these spaces were ever packed with people.
The market
There is a proper artist alley this year with tables for artists being cheaper than the booths. However the difference in price seems a bit strange for the spaces being essentially the same size. The curation this year was very well done, but because vendors get to choose their location there were some vendors who ended up selling the same things right next to each other. They definitely should not add anymore vendors next year and keep things the size they’re at until foot traffic justifies adding more people.
The audience
This is now the second time the Level Up folks have run this event. We were anticipating that the crowd would mostly be TTRPG folks. While we don’t think our assessment was necessarily wrong, foot traffic was extremely light for the entire event and our TTRPG items didn’t do nearly as well as expected on the sales end. There were a few first-time con-goers which were very excited to complete the stamp rally we ran. They did a lot more marketing this year, but it still didn’t translate into feet coming through the door. We did see more people on Thursday and Friday compared to last year, and there were a good mix of one-day and multi-day passes floating around. The event has definitely grown, but not in the way it was advertised to vendors. I think they’re still figuring out what are more reasonable expectations.
The sales
Our sales were up 25% from last year. We made about 4.5x table cost, which is an improvement but still a little rough for the time commitment.
For this 4-day con our time invested amounted to 29 hours of active vending and 2 hours of combined set-up and break-down time (total of 31 hours).
Items that sold the best were blankets, totes, original ink drawings, and stickers. We did one sketch card commission. Most people paid with card rather than cash. We ran a stamp rally with a minimum purchase price of $10 at 5 artist booths of which 12 prizes were claimed across the entire weekend.
**We were outliers when it comes to how good our sales were at this event. Many other vendors and artists struggled just to break even. We’ve noticed that, in general, tabletop events can be extremely hit or miss and it’s hard to predict what items will sell well. If you mostly have anime fanart prints, this might not be the right crowd for you.
The rest
The Level Up team has been incredibly receptive to feedback, having made many improvements from last year in areas they have control over. Unfortunately, Gas South just seems to be a bit overbearing with what the event can and can’t do to improve things. Communication and staff/volunteer friendliness continues to be the strongest aspect of this event. Staff and volunteers had branded shirts and vests, vendors were provided information packets well in advance with custom drawn maps of the venue, a PowerPoint of load-in details, security and event staff were visibly present during the whole event, everything really made it seem like this was run pretty professionally. We think this team did a lot right, and given they have improved from last year, we’re optimistic that over time they will become a really solid event for the community.
Pros
Large booth spaces
Clear communication leading up to the event, easy load in and load out instructions with lots of accommodation for timing, load in and out through a cargo bay so no stairs/elevators to worry about for carts and wagons
Break room with snacks and drinks for the vendors in a separate area
Staff and volunteers were very friendly and helpful
Cons
Event space overall was too big for how many people actually showed up
Parking was $10 each day
Low attendance
Limited food options on-site