Scarefest 2022 Experience

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!