This year’s BashCon was an interesting experience. I’m happy that I went, largely because I learned a lot along the way. Allow me to break it down for you.
The Good
As always, the best part of the convention was the people. I had the chance to spend the weekend with Tony and Kay Steele, as well as Scott Frank. Today’s image is actually my rendition of Mr. Frank in all of his steampunk gear; I think it’s a pretty accurate representation.
I was fortunate enough to have my booth placed next to a pleasant young lady selling Perler bead artwork. She provided good conversation, and I learned a lot about how to construct my booth.
The Bad
One of the unfortunate things about sitting next to someone whose booth is well arranged is the quiet realization that my own booth is horribly arranged. I suppose the knowledge of how to arrange the booth properly falls by the wayside over time, and a periodic refresher is necessary. The booth beside me made about 5 times as much as I did from selling a large variety of lower cost items. There is a lesson here: convention attendees have a variety of tastes and spending threshold, so getting some low-cost items is going to be essential for sales.
The Ugly
It seems I get sick with every show, and this one was no exception. The only thing that was different was the source of the sickness. No swine flu this time; just food poisoning. I was fortunate to have dear friends there to assist at the booth while I traveled back and forth to the restroom. It could have been a horrible scenario, otherwise.
Conclusion
On the whole, BashCon was a success. I learned a lot, and I’ve continued my trend of always increasing my same-show-sales year over year. Most important, I had a great time and got a great warm-up for Origins.