The deets
Where: Avondale Estates, GA
When: November 1
Table Cost: $80
Attendance: estimated 300
The space
The event was held indoors in the hallway of Olive + Pine. We were provided a 6-foot table, two chairs, a table cloth (we ended up using our own), a custom banner, and one included lunch from the izakaya directly across the hall from us.
The market
The market was very small due to the venue’s space constraints, but that was in the event’s favor. Curation was well done and there was little to no AI or the typical con slop or drop shipped items.
The audience
Predominately locals to the area, many had never been to con-like event before so were excited for the opportunity. Lots of folks in cosplay. Good number of youth and families, but also older folks of all ages.
The sales
For the size of this event and being on a chilly Sunday, we did okay on sales. We made around 3x table cost.
For this 1-day con our time invested amounted to 7 hours of active vending and 2 hours of combined set-up and break-down time (total of 9 hours).
Most people paid with card rather than cash. The breakdown of items sold at this event is as follows:
1 blanket
1 journals/sticker books
2 acrylic charms
25 stickers
8 prints (all sizes)
1 comic
The rest
This was such a good vibes little community focused event. The staff were very organized and communicated clearly in advance of the event. There was a small hiccup with load-in in that it took us a while to find someone with our table assignments. It also seems some folks missed out on signing up for the included lunch. The izakaya did come around at the end and gave out some unsold food items from the day.
Staff and volunteers checked in with us a few times throughout the event and were eager to help or hear any feedback.
There was a very cute costume contest which was broadcasted live to the television in the hall so even though we couldn’t see the area the contest was in we could still watch and participate in activities without leaving our tables.
The DJ was bopping and the volume wasn’t too loud. We grooved out to K-pop demon hunters, Taylor Swift, and anime theme songs.
At the very end, they handed out left-over totes to all the vendors as well.
Pros
Great people who really care about their community and putting on a good event
Free parking (though it filled up fast)
Great on-site food options and lots of nearby places as well
Cons
The ramp for load-in still had steps, so hauling the cart was a bit tricky