Artist Alley Question

[Alejandro Cuba]

Gonna start with the disclaimer that I am not asking for this and that I am just curious.

I was wondering the other day why it was that we could not have electricity at our tables.  My guess is that either the convention center or the fire marshal won't allow it (I forget if this was mentioned in last year's rules).  I was just wondering because as a crafter, it would be immensely useful to me and I have been at two past cons where I could use power for my sewing machine.  One simply said it was ok to use an outlet if it was behind your table (these were against the wall obviously) and another actually would have you pay extra and the convention center would very carefully run a power outlet to your table from the access panels in the floor.  The wires were very carefully taped down.  I saw that at that con especially, it was amazingly helpful to the artists as well as myself because there was someone with a printer in our section.  But the distance between the back of the artist tables was also further apart, making this a little safer and easier.

More like this:  ||          ||

Then like what I remember Fanime being last year:  ||      ||

Again, I'm not specifically asking for it, just curious.  Thanks!

[chibimonster]

I believe that we don't have electricity at our tables because it would make them all ridiculously expensive. Conventions typically lose money on the artist alley anyway, so adding power would make that problem even worse and we'd all have to pay a lot more for our tables. This would be a huge turnoff to a lot of artists - people complain about a $10 increase; imagine how much they would complain about a $50 or more increase. This makes providing power not worth it from the con's perspective. (And you also have to factor in the possibility of attendees tripping, electrical fires, etc.)

And the tables at Fanime have been geting closer and closer together over the years to make room for as many artists as possible. Soon we'll all be like sardines.

What I'm curious about is the actual location of the artist alley. There's been a lot of construction going on at the convention center, and new rooms are being added. This makes me wonder if the artist alley is going to move to a bigger room this year that could fit more artists.

[octorok]

Another reason there might not be electricity is because artists should be used to not having any by now, hehe.

I skipped over the only con last year to offer electricity at their tables because their prices were WAY too high. Electricity WAS sorta enticing, but I've already learned to get by without power. The extra cost wasn't worth it.

Something I might like instead, though, is WIFI!!!! But that might just be because I don't have a smartphone ):

[Lucifargundam]

Something I might like instead, though, is WIFI!!!! But that might just be because I don't have a smartphone ):

there's no smartphone coverage at teh con... dunno why.

[Alejandro Cuba]

I can usually get half decent coverage inside the typical room that Artist Alley is in and I have a smart phone.  But yes, coverage in the ballrooms can be spotty.

I believe that we don't have electricity at our tables because it would make them all ridiculously expensive. Conventions typically lose money on the artist alley anyway, so adding power would make that problem even worse and we'd all have to pay a lot more for our tables. This would be a huge turnoff to a lot of artists - people complain about a $10 increase; imagine how much they would complain about a $50 or more increase. This makes providing power not worth it from the con's perspective. (And you also have to factor in the possibility of attendees tripping, electrical fires, etc.)

And the tables at Fanime have been geting closer and closer together over the years to make room for as many artists as possible. Soon we'll all be like sardines.

What I'm curious about is the actual location of the artist alley. There's been a lot of construction going on at the convention center, and new rooms are being added. This makes me wonder if the artist alley is going to move to a bigger room this year that could fit more artists.

As to location, my assumption is that it will either be in the same location as always, or they will finally listen to us and let us switch with the Game room which despite having arcade, table top, counsel, and cosplay chess still have massive amounts of room to spare.  From what I recall of the plans (I'm originally from San Jose) and what I've seen of the renovations the main ballrooms shouldn't have been touched beyond minor upgrades which are likely already done since San Jose just hosted the annual car show back in January.  I think most of the remaining work by the time Fanime comes around will be confined to the library build out's interior and maybe a touch of the exterior.  Part of why San Jose is doing the expansion is so that they can draw in more conventions and keep the popular ones they currently have.  They really don't want to see a con like Fanime move because it brings huge amounts of revenue into the downtown area for the restaurants and hotels.  I'm pretty sure that McD's on the corner makes the same that weekend as they do in the following two months.

As for electricity and price, yeah it's an extra expense, but the one con I went to offered it as an option on the sign up form, yes for an additional charge.  But it didn't mean everyone had to pay for it.  It was an extra $50 which was daunting, but given that the table price was for a bigger table then I am use to and included a badge already it wasn't much when compared with a con of decent size, such as Fanime, which has you pay for your badge separately.  Admittedly, I got power because my neighbor had payed for it but let me use some of the outlet he'd been given for part of the price it had cost him.  It would be quite a surprise to me if cons did loose money on Artist Alleys, from a business perspective.  Since one can't really have these type of cons without them (the smart business move being to quit doing what doesn't make you money) the other option is to either charge more for tables or increase admission.  So if it's a money problem it would seem to be that adding a bonus item with an extra charge would, in fact, likely help. 

I do, however, totally agree with you about how cramped Artist Alley is getting.

Another reason there might not be electricity is because artists should be used to not having any by now, hehe.

I skipped over the only con last year to offer electricity at their tables because their prices were WAY too high. Electricity WAS sorta enticing, but I've already learned to get by without power. The extra cost wasn't worth it.

Speaking as a person selling craft pieces and not prints electricity is a serious boon to me and increases the likelihood of making sales.  I don't plan to need to make items from scratch at the con but I'll have halves that I can sew together as people like and if I could do that at the table I could ask them to return in an hour rather then say that I'll have it done tomorrow because I can't go back to my room until the Alley closes.  As we all know, a fair amount of people don't come for multiple days meaning I have to ship it to them or they just decided to not buy.  There is also the chance that it would mean I get more sleep when I do get back to my room (a precious commodity at con) since I wouldn't need to work until I couldn't pin straight, meaning totally worth it for me.  That's basically why I was asking.  Curiosity and because it has done me good in the past.

[chibimonster]

Something I might like instead, though, is WIFI!!!! But that might just be because I don't have a smartphone ):

there's no smartphone coverage at teh con... dunno why.

That's not true. Last year I was able to look up reference pics on my iPhone while I was sitting at my table (service was a bit slow, though). I use AT&T; perhaps other service providers don't work in the convention center.

[Alejandro Cuba]

Something I might like instead, though, is WIFI!!!! But that might just be because I don't have a smartphone ):

there's no smartphone coverage at teh con... dunno why.

That's not true. Last year I was able to look up reference pics on my iPhone while I was sitting at my table (service was a bit slow, though). I use AT&T; perhaps other service providers don't work in the convention center.

Same here.  AT&T and working phone connectivity, so it could be a provider issue.

[ewu]

If you want power, we have considered providing it on a table by table basis, but you do need to cover the cost of it which is somewhere between $150-$300. If this is something you think you would like to do, contact AA staff after you get a table and we will see if we can make it happen. This is no guarantee, but if you ask, we will consider the burden of processing the request, consider the number of requests, and set a price point.

[Alejandro Cuba]

If you want power, we have considered providing it on a table by table basis, but you do need to cover the cost of it which is somewhere between $150-$300. If this is something you think you would like to do, contact AA staff after you get a table and we will see if we can make it happen. This is no guarantee, but if you ask, we will consider the burden of processing the request, consider the number of requests, and set a price point.

Ok, cool.  More questions then.  Is the $150-$300 what it would cost for each person who asks or is it what it would cost in total and then get divided up by the number of people who ask?  If it's the ladder, I can ask around to see what kind of interest there is.  And unrelated to the power question, what are the chances of the Artist Alley getting to move to one of the larger ballrooms?

[ewu]

That is per table. The actual cost relies on many, many factors that are convention wide.

Looking at new spaces:)

[chibimonster]

That is per table. The actual cost relies on many, many factors that are convention wide.

Looking at new spaces:)

New spaces. You do not know how excited those two words made me. I'm hoping that there will be more tables so registration isn't going to sell out as quickly. I got in pretty easily last year, but I always worry I'll have a moment of bad luck (or bad wifi) and won't get a table. I think I get too stressed about these things. Anyone else dreading the table war?

Back on topic, I'm actually glad to not have electricity. I went to a con that provided electricity for all attendees and while it was nice to be able to charge my phone at my table, I don't think it was worth the super high table price (relative to the size and venue of the con). That being said, all I do is prints, buttons and commissions, so I don't have much of a use for it.

[Alejandro Cuba]

That is per table. The actual cost relies on many, many factors that are convention wide.

Looking at new spaces:)

Yes, new spaces!  That is plenty exciting news!  Fingers crossed!

Anyway, yikes!  That's a pretty steep price!  I'll admit that yeah, I probably can't afford to do that, which makes me a bit sad.  But I suppose I could still ask later, right?  I've probably just been spoiled by the other cons.

(I'm starting to wish I'd taken Event Management when I was finishing up my degree.  I'm getting way to curious about how cons work on the business/operations side.)

[ewu]

(I'm starting to wish I'd taken Event Management when I was finishing up my degree.  I'm getting way to curious about how cons work on the business/operations side.)

What? you say you want to join staff??:)

[Alejandro Cuba]

(I'm starting to wish I'd taken Event Management when I was finishing up my degree.  I'm getting way to curious about how cons work on the business/operations side.)

What? you say you want to join staff??:)

XD  Now I'm not so sure about that yet, though who knows?  It's just as I've been getting my Business degree every con I've gone to have made me a little more curious about how they run and how one pulls them off successfully.  So maybe, one day.  But I'd still want my Artist Alley table!  Hehe!

[Alexie828]

That is per table. The actual cost relies on many, many factors that are convention wide.

Looking at new spaces:)

New spaces. You do not know how excited those two words made me. I'm hoping that there will be more tables so registration isn't going to sell out as quickly. I got in pretty easily last year, but I always worry I'll have a moment of bad luck (or bad wifi) and won't get a table. I think I get too stressed about these things. Anyone else dreading the table war?

Back on topic, I'm actually glad to not have electricity. I went to a con that provided electricity for all attendees and while it was nice to be able to charge my phone at my table, I don't think it was worth the super high table price (relative to the size and venue of the con). That being said, all I do is prints, buttons and commissions, so I don't have much of a use for it.

I'm TERRIFIED for the table war. The tables had sold out around 16 minutes after noon last year. I just went to college this year, and the wifi is absolute crap here, so I'm actually terrified that it can't take the 300+ artist rush to get a table this year. I'd be thrilled to even get a table, unlike previous years where I aimed to be one of the first so I can get a table I wanted. But it's all up in the air. I might just beg and plead for my suitemates to turn off all their wifi devices for about 10 minutes, haha.

But I am happy if there are new tables this year! This would definitely make the stress less for me. Have any of you guys been to Anime Expo? If you're talking CRAMPED, then that's it. Fanime provides at least twice as much space for people to walk through than Anime Expo's Artist Alley, and their table count is almost the same.

[Hachimitsu]

Ah yes i remember the table war from last year!....
Hey do they still do the Final 100 tables as a lottery system? or not anymore?

[chibimonster]

Ah yes i remember the table war from last year!....
Hey do they still do the Final 100 tables as a lottery system? or not anymore?

It's not a lottery. Just whichever 300 or so people register first. I was one of the first 100 last year. :)

I'm still nervous because I get the most awful adrenaline rushes from things like the table war. After AA registration last year, I was walking in circles in my living room for about an hour. Hopefully a new space means more tables which means a little less craziness. (I can dream, right?)

I'm TERRIFIED for the table war. The tables had sold out around 16 minutes after noon last year. I just went to college this year, and the wifi is absolute crap here, so I'm actually terrified that it can't take the 300+ artist rush to get a table this year. I'd be thrilled to even get a table, unlike previous years where I aimed to be one of the first so I can get a table I wanted. But it's all up in the air. I might just beg and plead for my suitemates to turn off all their wifi devices for about 10 minutes, haha.

But I am happy if there are new tables this year! This would definitely make the stress less for me. Have any of you guys been to Anime Expo? If you're talking CRAMPED, then that's it. Fanime provides at least twice as much space for people to walk through than Anime Expo's Artist Alley, and their table count is almost the same.

If you have a smartphone with 4g, maybe that would be better than college wifi.

I wonder what the price will be this year (not that this actually matters. Fanime's AA is so much fun that I would go even if it cost as much as AX hahaha). Speaking of AX, I'm going for the first time this year. I've seen pics of the artist alley from past years and it didn't look THAT cramped. Maybe those photos are outdated... Does anyone have a pic of AX's 2012 AA?

[Alexie828]

If you have a smartphone with 4g, maybe that would be better than college wifi.

I wonder what the price will be this year (not that this actually matters. Fanime's AA is so much fun that I would go even if it cost as much as AX hahaha). Speaking of AX, I'm going for the first time this year. I've seen pics of the artist alley from past years and it didn't look THAT cramped. Maybe those photos are outdated... Does anyone have a pic of AX's 2012 AA?

3G only...cell signal isn't great either. Also, typing on my phone is hard. @___@ I'll just brave it or something hah.
Yeah! I'm flying up just for FanimeCon. It's just too much fun selling. I always look forward to Fanime weekend.
Pictures aren't the same as experiencing it. There's barely any space behind the artist tables and walking through the crowd looking at the tables is a nightmare too. You more or less have to follow the traffic flow. It's extremely cramped, I warn you now. There is at least twice as much space between tables in FanimeCon for con-goers to walk through. There's just enough space behind the table for a person to squeeze through...sideways. Or maybe my friends were just in a particularly messy isle.

[Hachimitsu]

i can try and check on my home to find pictures becuase i did took some pictures from fanime's AA but i think the administrators will ask me to put them away since its not polite to post pictures on this forum (something about code of conduct and privacy reasons)

[chibimonster]

i can try and check on my home to find pictures becuase i did took some pictures from fanime's AA but i think the administrators will ask me to put them away since its not polite to post pictures on this forum (something about code of conduct and privacy reasons)

I wasn't asking for pictures of fanime's AA. I was there LOL. I was wondering about AX's Artist alley and how cramped it was. A google image search turned up nOthung that would suggest that it was super cramped. That's why I was asking for pictures.