Yellow City Comic Con - Opening Day & Things to consider when becoming a vendor
As we were setting up, several vendors, a few convention staff, and the convention owner stopped by to visit the booth as it was being set up and admire the display. Several made the comment that this was possibly the largest display they've ever had at Yellow City Comic Con. This always makes me nervous.
When I first started selling flags, we took pictures of the flags, placed them in a binder, and made it available for the public. Most people either dismissed the book all together or gave it a token glance at best. It wasn't until we displayed the flags and placed them in plain sight that they started to sell. People now stand in front of the booth looking at the flags and discuss where they will hang them.
We understand that some conventions place height restrictions on their booths and we always email new shows pictures of our booth to make it clear that our display is tall. When the convention owners are commenting, I'm always afraid they will try to get me to rearrange or alter the display. The truth of the matter is this: we can't. The booth configuration is physically built for the dimensions it occupies. Fortunately, the owners of Yellow City Comic Con were more impressed by the display.
I mention this for those of you wishing to start your own journey on the comic con scene. So many vendors at comic cons have wonderful merchandise but lack the ability or drive to properly display their product lines. It takes time and effort to develop a booth setting that is both interesting and entertaining to the attendee. And the truth of the matter is this: we are part of the entertainment. We have to keep this in mind at all times.
So many vendors arrive at the last minute, throw things on the table, sit down, and immediately start playing on their phones. The issue is simple, those people are not interesting. Unless they happen to have something incredibly rare, cheap, or popular, most attendees will simply stroll past. Vending is a lot of long hours standing on your feet, telling people 'Hello', and trying to engage their interest for the things you have.
Unfortunately, most vendors don't get it. They fall into one of three categories: sitters, grumps, or talkers.
Sitters have already been mentioned. These are the guys that simply sit behind the booth and leave it to the customer to notice them, engage them, and practically make the sale for them. Sitters don't survive long in the market. Most sitters are employees of business owners and have nothing to lose or gain if the convention breaks even. I've known one sitter for years. He's always complaining that this year is down by 20% and the economy is getting ready to tank. The bottom line is simply, you're not going to sit down and make a fortune at a show. It takes a lot of effort.
Grumps are often owners who have been on the scene so long, they've watched it move from a true comic trading convention to an all-out nerd fest. These guys have tons of experience and really understand the ins-and-outs of the industry. They are also those guys that don't change easily to new trends. Most have merchandise lines that were popular 5 to 10 years ago. They never can understand why things are so bad or others are doing much better. I'm not an anime person by any stretch of the imagination. However, you better believe I've got a line of anime merchandise at all of the conventions I attend. It's popular and sought after. You have to be willing to adapt and change as the attendee interests change.
Talkers. Oh, my lord! These are the worst. I had a friend who was absolutely enamored with Tortured Earth. He loved everything about it. I couldn't imagine a better person to bring with me to market our game. The first customer he lured in was in for a rude 15 minutes. My friend would not stop talking about it. It was clear the customer had not interest in the game but he simply couldn't stop telling him about all the wonderful things the game had to offer. The problem with this behavior is you stand a greater risk of turning that person off of the product than you do convincing him it is worth is time. A good sales pitch should last no more than a minute. After you've said the highlights, shut up. If the customer is interested, give them the chance to ask a question. If they have no questions about the product, let them go or show them something else. You can create are VERY bad reputation for your company if you become known for trapping people.
The best vendors are those maintaining light, casual relationships with their customers. It's always a good thing to walk into a convention hall the following year and have people come to your booth the see what new things you have in stock. As far as my operation, I typically maintain an item on my shelves for 2 years before I rotate it out with a different variation of it or replace it for something fresher all together. This gives customers an opportunity to view an item one year and purchase it the following year. Of course, some items will fly off the shelves while others move at a slower rate.
Fast-moving items are usually the newer franchises that have a rapidly growing fan base. Slow-moving items are not bad to have on the shelf - especially if they sell at a steady rate. I've had some staple items on my shelves for multiple years with variations popping up from time to time. Established franchises usually like the standard, authentic symbols or character representations. Newer franchises usually don't have a diverse merchandise line. Artists thrive with these franchises. They are amazing at fleshing out and diversifying the items available to these new franchises.
As always, if you are interested in Tortured Earth, please check out our website: www.torturedearth.com
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