TCAF 2014 Recap
So now I'm back and more-or-less recovered from jetlag to finally report on my trip to Toronto for TCAF 2014. The show was a lot of firsts for me -- seeing the show from the perspective of an attendee, rather than an exhibitor.
Attendee Impressions:
An amazing lineup of artists in the library. Thankfully, TCAF was posting snippits about each of the exhibiting (and guest!) artists to their tumblr to help folks get acquainted before the show. It helped me get my list in order and discover a few new artists to check out.
Just some of the stuff I picked up on Day 1:
(p.s. The Yowapeda bookmarks were a special order from Grace, who was just attending the show~ She'll be at Anime North this weekend. :3)
Lines & Crowds. This is somewhat invisible to me as an past exhibitor, but there were 15-30 minute lines to get into the 2nd floor room (where all my webcomic friends were at!) alone. Lots of folks downstairs as well. Crowds around people's tables. I had a battle plan of people to see, and I seriously could not find people.
An amazing lineup of panels and signings, outside the library. While everything was in relatively easy walking distance (aside from the Japan Foundation, which was maybe 3-4 city blocks away,) time certainly was a factor. Line up for signings early for a guaranteed slot, or gamble your time in the dreaded rush lines. All the panels I attended were well-moderated, with insightful questions asked and inspiring answers.
Short aside - I was in the rush line for the Est Em / Moyoco Anno / Akira Himekawa lines. I got Est Em's autograph, went to the back of the rush line, and was -the- cut off for the Akira Himekawa signings. So close, no banana. Had to try again on Sunday.
(And yes, I got both the Moyoco Anno and Akira Himekawa signings! Perserverance!)
Friendly friend-spotting. While it was next to impossible to find people wandering the halls of the library, I had waaaay more success spotting people in the lobby of the Marriott. Who knew?
Thoughts for Next Time:
Pick & choose your battles. You will win some, you'll likely lose many. Figure out what's most important to you and give yourself some leeway time to get from point A to point B.
Do not rely on wi-fi or even data to get in touch with people. My connection to Rogers' service was spotty at best and trying to tweet (and even text!) people was madness. It was a miracle I managed to find the 3 people I scheduled to meet at the show.
Come prepared. Time will fly and you will inevitably forget to eat, drink, and take a breather. I had reminders on my phone and fitbit (because of my medication schedule) to eat at certain times and even then I had to scramble my way out of the library to find something to eat in the vicinity. Thankfully, I had a water bottle and granola bar on me to tide me over.
Also, deodorant is a must. It gets really hot in all the rooms... but you guys already knew that, right? :3
And some thoughts as former exhibitor to keep in mind for just about all future shows:
With 3ft of space, it's hard to stand out or be "discovered". Make sure people know you are there BEFORE the show.
As I mentioned above, TCAF does a wonderful job of advertising their exhibitors before the show with tumblr, twitter, facebook, and even news coverage, but you can't expect them to do all the work. You may get lucky and find a few new readers, but discovery is far-and-few inbetween when folks are busy navigating the crowds. You have months to get onto people's radars and make sure you're on their list of people to see.
There are winners and losers in every show, but the strong are those who adapt and learn from the experience.
Sales had been rather lackluster for me over the past couple years and while being declined a table at TCAF this year may have felt like a blow, in retrospect it was for the best. At the time, I couldn't have known that back problems would manifest and exhibiting away from home, much less solo, would have been impossible anyway. Being free of the confines of a table allowed me to be a little more objective and less emotional about the ebb and flow of a show.
Seeing the show from an attendee's POV makes me re-think what I have to change about myself to get the ball rolling again. In the best of all possible ways.
So definitely, a worth-while trip. In fact, if given the choice, I think I'll just stick to being an attendee for a show like TCAF, rather than exhibit for the time being. I had a lot of fun, and way more time (and energy! brain-power!) to catch up with people than I usually do, which is a nice change of pace.
And here's one last highlight from my trip:
Oops, I mean this guy:
♥
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