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I attended Scarefest in Lexington, KY on October 21-23 2022. This is the first time I have vended at this event since 2017 or 2018 I think?? So I really had no idea what to expect. I also haven't vended at this arena since it was renovated, so I REALLY REALLY had no idea what to expect! Okay, just to clear the air, I hate the new updated arena. This is of no fault to the event or the event staff, which were absolutely so friendly and lovely. However, the updated area is not nearly as wonderful as it used to be. Set up is the evening before the event or the morning before the event. Since the event didn't start until 3pm on friday, I just opted to set up the morning of. Set up the morning of was fine. I was able to get into the loading dock easily and get my things loaded out in no time. They have a free gravel lot for vendors down the street which is so nice and convenient! My qualms with the new area lie within the food options and load out. Before the renovations, there was essentially a mall food court in the arena with a handful of different food options in addition to standard convention center foot. Now, there is only your standard convention center food, which is pretty lame. Load out used to be super easy, now it is a bit of a pain as you have to wait your turn to get into the loading dock while hundreds of other vendors are trying to do the same exact thing. The bright side, if you don't have a ton of stuff, you are able to walk your things down to your vehicle, but it is extremely tedious. Once again, this is not the event or event staff's fault. These are just faults of the newly renovated convention center/arena. Okay, now onto the actual event. The foot traffic was.... meh. I talked to other vendors who said it was better last year. So not sure if it was an off year or what. With that being said, I did average. I've had better events. I've had worse events. I also did not have nearly as much stock as I would have liked to after my previous events. While I didn't do terribly, I definitely could have done better if I would have had more stock, which is something I plan on doing next year! This is a fun event, perfect for horror film lovers. I love the city of Lexington, so I will be attending again next year... with more inventory!  I attended the Mothman Festival on September 17th and 18th 2022 in Point Pleasant, WV. Once again, this was another event that has been missed since 2019! Three loooong years later and it was FINALLY back, and let me tell you what, it definitely showed. This was the biggest/best event yet. I can't really say much more than what I have said before, other than make a ton of inventory and expect the unexpected. I am going to copy and paste my same tips and advice from years prior! Mothman Festival is held on Main Street in Point Pleasant, WV. As a vendor, you will arrive around 3 or 4 to set up. Expect Friday night sales! The street will be blocked off, but when you get there simply tell the event staff that you are a vendor and they will let you in and direct you to the spot you were emailed about. When signing up for the Mothman Festival as a merchandise or artist, you have two options - use their big canopy with less space that is already set up, or bring your own. I always bring my own canopy so my space is slightly less crowded and I have more room to display my work. Mothman Festival staff did not proved tables this year, so bring your own just to be safe. You also need to bring your own chairs! Set up is easy if you are able to park close to your spot (which you should). I typically set up my canopy, chairs, tables, tablecloths and any shelving Friday night and set up maybe half of my art and leave the rest in bins in the canopy to finish setting up early Saturday morning. Here are some tips if you are new:
 Finally, after 3 long long years, Pop Con was back!! I attended Pop Con in Morgantown, WV on 8/27/2022 and 8/28/2022. Not only is West Virginia Pop Con my local comic con, but it is the first comic con I ever sold at! Not only that, this event marked my 8 year anniversary of when I started selling my art and crafts as my career! Needless to say, I was very excited for this event and my hopes were very high, needless to say, West Virginia Pop Culture Convention 2022 did not disappoint! WV Pop Con is not the biggest con out there, but it is loved and well attended by locals. Load in is very easy, and parking is free. There are not any huge intimidating loading docks, and you do not need to move your car to a parking garage. It is just a wholesome home town comic con that the folks of the north eastern West Virginia love and hold dear to their heart. I highly recommend this con to new an experienced artists and vendors in the area alike. I am already counting down the days to WV Pop Con 2023!  I attended Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird in Akron, OH on 8/20/2022 and 8/21/2022. I have heard about this event for years (since 2016/2017 year), so I finally decided 2022 was the year to check it out! I've had events go better than this, and I have had events go worse, so I can't really complain. However, I have heard great things about this event, so I was expecting it go a little better than what it did. Set up was extremely easy, staff was so friendly, the creepy/spooky/oddball vibes of the event were spot on, the location of the event was next to tons of small, local places to eat, the event had free parking.... there was SO much going for this event and I wanted to love it desperately, but the foot traffic just wasn't there, unfortuantely. I'm not sure if I attended an off year, but foot traffic was much slower than what I was expecting. With that being said, if you are an artist local to this event, I'd say give it a shot. If you would have to get a hotel for this event, I'd have to say pass on it. I loved the event overall and it was great to explore downtown Akron, so I may give it another go in the future!  I attended Final Boss Con on 7/16/2022 in Rio Grande, OH. A friend told me while I was attending Huntington Comic Con. I needed an event to do in July and thought "What the heck? Booth fees are $40 so why not!" I had noooooo idea what to expect, but I'm so happy that I last minute decided to do this event! Load in was the morning of (my least favorite time to set up), it was a first year event, and the venue was so hot.... BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE!! That is how wonderful this event was!! Foot traffic was steady and heavy, booth fees were extremely cheap, staff was so so so friendly, and the event was only one day. Load in area was easy to find and load in was a breeze. Staff was extremely friendly and giving out free bottles of water. There was plenty of space at each booth. The event was bumpin' from start to finish. I will 100% be attending this one again next year, and I encourage small time artists and artists with more experience under their belts alike to sign up for this event. This is a wonderful, good old fashioned, small hometown event, which are my absolute favorite to vend at. Can't wait for next year. 10/10 Final Boss Con. 10/10!!!  I attended Huntington Comic Con (formerly Tricon) in Huntington, WV on 6/4/2022 and 6/5/2022 as an artist in the artist alley. I had no idea what to expect going into this con now that it is ran by different folks. While it isn't as amazing as Tricon used to be, I can't complain about this fun 2 day event! Compared to Tricon, foot traffic was not quite as heavy, however, Tricon used to be a one day event vs this being a 2 day event. With that being said, I cannot complain about the foot traffic of the event overall. Booth prices are a bit more pricey than what Tricon used to be, but are reasonable for the amount of foot traffic. Load in is the evening before or the morning of. You can park your car right on the street or in the small lot outside of the loading dock which makes load in a breeze. You can park in these places for free during set up and during the actual event. This is a great event for folks just starting out because booth fees aren't terribly, but it is also great for those with more experience under their belts because a well attended event. I can't wait to see this event grow through the years, and I plan on setting up at this event next year!  Between April 29th-May 1st I traveled to Beckley, WV to attend Causeacon. This was my third time vending at this event selling my artwork. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout of the event! This was the busiest one yet, and I 100% plan on attending again next year. Friday was a bit slow and had me a little discouraged, but both Saturday and Sunday both made up for it. The con itself has loads of events and even a handful of celebs to keep guests busy and entertained throughout the day. Parking is free with a ton of spots very close to the load in door. Load in and set up was a breeze. They also provide free electricity with multiple power strips. I do recommend bringing a small extension cord as you share the power strip among other vendors/artists and it might not be quite as close to you as you'd like. There is a ton of good food in the area, and food delivery services will deliver right to the convention center, which is super nice as the food provided at the center is very limited. Booth costs are relatively inexpensive. I do plan on returning for Causeacon 2023, and I highly recommend this con to any artists, vendors, cosplayers, or comic con fans that live within 2 to 3 hours of the Beckley area! Below is a photo of my booth set up for the weekend and a picture I got of me meeting Adassa!
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