Already Friday.
So Wicked Faire was a mixed bag as always. In the good category, saw good friends, heard good music, learned a new kink thing, etc. As usual its best to focus on the community aspects of WF, b/c the business side is so hit-or-miss. Forgot to take pictures tho, I was very much in con-overload all weekend.
Monies wise, baaaad Wicked. Made back about 50% of my expenses, and that's b/c I split a "10x10" space with another friend and her jewelry biz. I think she did equally as well/badly.
Oh, did I say 10x10? We paid for that much space, and got 6x10 instead. So that borders on breach o' contract right there :-P And in a hallway with no heat b/c of all the doors to the outside patio where the fire shows were. And whenever there was a show outside, people would stand in front of our table to watch instead of going out, or looking at *the table*. Luckily it got too windy for more outdoor shows on Sunday, so we got a reprieve. And this hallway was bad last year too, management of con and hotel did absolutely nothing about it.
If it were just me taking the hit to my pocketbook, I would look at my business model and figure out what to change. But it seems like most of the vendors I spoke to did just about as badly, and many of them are full-time vendors. WF claimed that ticket sales were up from the year before, but it really didn't look like it from the (lack of) crowds we were seeing. The Voltaire show on Saturday at midnight, usually standing room only with a line leading out and down the hallway, was only half full. They did add programming in a second hotel (with shuttle busses that actually worked this time) but from what I heard it was still mostly ghost-town like.
Of course, WF insisted on running the same weekend as an anime convention, a sci fi convention, and a celtic music festival in the tri state area. Brilliant.
Not to mention vendors getting shifted around at the last minute, one I heard got moved three times before con opened, them switching vending rooms for the kink hallway from last year so nobody could find anything, and then the fire marshal coming in Friday night to ... I wouldn't say throw a wrench in. The fire marshal was doing their job, it's the con organizers who screwed up *their* job to communicate these details before con actually opened.
Usually a bad WF just means not making my expenses back with sales, you just have to stick your hand in the bag and hope for the best. This time it also meant sitting in an outdoor-temperature hallway all weekend, which lead to me being sick from my day job for two days. So that's a new low, possibly too low for me to continue at WF. Especially considering this is a problem they *didn't* fix from last year, they just shuffled last year's vendors somewhere else so they wouldn't have to hear two years of the same complaints.
I may continue with other events by that company in non-winter times, at least SPWF is fun as long as there's room vending. But based on the snails pace they had this year, I may have until December to figure it out if I'm in for next WF. Actually, I still don't know if I'm in for SPWF, which is mid-May.
At WF I talked to someone who is running the Twisted World Divine Decadence event in late April, and it sounds like they've really got a handle on organization. Underselling vendors spaces, getting the fire marshal's numbers along with the relevant hotel staff to keep in communication with. Tho time will tell. And they gave me my vending confirmation (with a nice low, locked-in rate for 2 more years) weeks ago.
Of course, the people that run Wicked have ordered them out of dodge for running such a similar event in the same hotel. 2014 is already set for MD. So just when I thought, "Oh look! An organization that might know how to efficiently run an event!" They get bullied out. *headdesk*
So in the long term, assuming I ever stop being sick, I'm trying to figure out how to get my butt to events in other places than northern NJ, b/c apparently there's only room for one (badly run) events company in that area.
There's Dorian's Parlor in Philly (tho I don't know if they still have vendors), TWDD next year in MD, Macabre Faire in CT, Arisia in MA (tho I'd kinda rather just attend as a private citizen), and something else in NH that I'm forgetting right now. I just have to figure out what I'm (not) taking with me to make travel that much easier on me. I don't really like vending at events in NYC, b/c at the well run events the muggles get on my nerves. At the worst ones, its as badly organized as WF.
So yah, and then I was sick Mon thru Wed, tho luckily I had Mon off. And this time calling in my FMLA claim actually worked. On the other hand, I guess I'd better put a hold on those semi annual week long vacations and go back to stockpiling my vacation time. *sigh*
And while my illness was part respiratory, it was also part stomach flu, plus body aches, some chills, and really nasty migraines on Tuesday night. This morning was the first time I've felt hungry since Monday, and the other symptoms seemed to give up at work on Thursday. At least I'm on the mend. I have been on steady Paleo-Fail all week tho, since for three days all I could eat was rice cakes and hard boiled eggs, but at least rice doesn't seem to hurt me. Will get on the bandwagon on Monday, I think I need some extra carbing to reboot my system this weekend.
My bod's felt more in shut-down mode than usual, I'm worried that I've subconsciously imprinted on this sleep apnea thing. So my body's all "What? We're broken on our own, can't do anything anyway without outside help so I give up. Wake me up when we get a CPAP machine." After so many other things haven't fixed me, I'm not willing to pin all my conscious hopes to this.
But unlike the paleo diet, which I got first person feedback on from one person, I apparently know a ton of ppl who swear by their CPAP machines. Including a nice fellow vendor at WF who told me all his stories and gave me lots of advice ... which I don't really remember now but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I emailed him and asked. Now I just have to suck it up until next Thursday's appointment, plus a couple weeks (or months? depends) to get the machine. Hopefully insurance covers it. I could probably cover it with savings, but in that case it better f'ing work.
It would be nice is fixing the sleep apnea meant fixing some of my recent food problems. I'll still be a lactard so might as well just keep not eating dairy, but the wheat thing is weird. Corn has bothered me on and off for years, might want to stay off that. But not eating soy means I can only have the most expensive of chocolate, and that is really f'ing annoying. But who knows.
Was going to have a sewing binge this weekend, but illness put me so far back on chores and post-con cleanup that I'll have to pass this time. Also, not sure I have the strength/motorfunction to trust myself with a sewing machine and other sharp things right now. Mebbe next weekend. Seeing all the costumes at WF was bad for my resolve.
On the upside, I did pack my seed bead kit with new projects last night. And I may actually need to order more "accent" beads (ie, the catseye and Czech crystals I like to use in beadweaving) before I order more seed beads. But I may hold off until after NYWBS, which is 3/22 weekend. I probably can't spare the vacation day to go on Friday afternoon, but Saturday is such a madhouse. Maybe I'll try a half day and go early, once I'm at work all I have to do is sit and stare into space anyway.
Also need to take some photos, and make some Etsy listings. At WF I was again reminded that my finer pieces look a lot more impressive on the internet, b/c I'm better (or well enough) at still life photos than I am at setting up a table full of shinies. So that's another direction, one that I've been meaning to work on for a long time except for CF. Moar internet marketings! And if that works out I may just quit con-vending, or only bring the bin of $5 pendants with a few uber-awesome signature items.
I did manage to get my con cash to the bank today so I can pay my bills this weekend. And from a cursory glance it looks like I was actually under budget for this month (in part due to the annoying deposit the WF hotel demanded in August, and I didn't know I was vending until December, yaaay). I have all of my necessary tax documents too, but I'ma wait until I can brain better after more flu recovery. Again from a cursory glance last week, it looks like I don't have to write the IRS any checks this year.
And that's pretty much my accomplishments for the week, a list that would be much longer if I hadn't been in con-overload and flu-land. Tho I guess surviving flu-land is an accomplishment.
<3 Chrysilla
ps, Happy Birthday Babylon 5 :-)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth, http://chrysilla.dreamwidth.org/
Monies wise, baaaad Wicked. Made back about 50% of my expenses, and that's b/c I split a "10x10" space with another friend and her jewelry biz. I think she did equally as well/badly.
Oh, did I say 10x10? We paid for that much space, and got 6x10 instead. So that borders on breach o' contract right there :-P And in a hallway with no heat b/c of all the doors to the outside patio where the fire shows were. And whenever there was a show outside, people would stand in front of our table to watch instead of going out, or looking at *the table*. Luckily it got too windy for more outdoor shows on Sunday, so we got a reprieve. And this hallway was bad last year too, management of con and hotel did absolutely nothing about it.
If it were just me taking the hit to my pocketbook, I would look at my business model and figure out what to change. But it seems like most of the vendors I spoke to did just about as badly, and many of them are full-time vendors. WF claimed that ticket sales were up from the year before, but it really didn't look like it from the (lack of) crowds we were seeing. The Voltaire show on Saturday at midnight, usually standing room only with a line leading out and down the hallway, was only half full. They did add programming in a second hotel (with shuttle busses that actually worked this time) but from what I heard it was still mostly ghost-town like.
Of course, WF insisted on running the same weekend as an anime convention, a sci fi convention, and a celtic music festival in the tri state area. Brilliant.
Not to mention vendors getting shifted around at the last minute, one I heard got moved three times before con opened, them switching vending rooms for the kink hallway from last year so nobody could find anything, and then the fire marshal coming in Friday night to ... I wouldn't say throw a wrench in. The fire marshal was doing their job, it's the con organizers who screwed up *their* job to communicate these details before con actually opened.
Usually a bad WF just means not making my expenses back with sales, you just have to stick your hand in the bag and hope for the best. This time it also meant sitting in an outdoor-temperature hallway all weekend, which lead to me being sick from my day job for two days. So that's a new low, possibly too low for me to continue at WF. Especially considering this is a problem they *didn't* fix from last year, they just shuffled last year's vendors somewhere else so they wouldn't have to hear two years of the same complaints.
I may continue with other events by that company in non-winter times, at least SPWF is fun as long as there's room vending. But based on the snails pace they had this year, I may have until December to figure it out if I'm in for next WF. Actually, I still don't know if I'm in for SPWF, which is mid-May.
At WF I talked to someone who is running the Twisted World Divine Decadence event in late April, and it sounds like they've really got a handle on organization. Underselling vendors spaces, getting the fire marshal's numbers along with the relevant hotel staff to keep in communication with. Tho time will tell. And they gave me my vending confirmation (with a nice low, locked-in rate for 2 more years) weeks ago.
Of course, the people that run Wicked have ordered them out of dodge for running such a similar event in the same hotel. 2014 is already set for MD. So just when I thought, "Oh look! An organization that might know how to efficiently run an event!" They get bullied out. *headdesk*
So in the long term, assuming I ever stop being sick, I'm trying to figure out how to get my butt to events in other places than northern NJ, b/c apparently there's only room for one (badly run) events company in that area.
There's Dorian's Parlor in Philly (tho I don't know if they still have vendors), TWDD next year in MD, Macabre Faire in CT, Arisia in MA (tho I'd kinda rather just attend as a private citizen), and something else in NH that I'm forgetting right now. I just have to figure out what I'm (not) taking with me to make travel that much easier on me. I don't really like vending at events in NYC, b/c at the well run events the muggles get on my nerves. At the worst ones, its as badly organized as WF.
So yah, and then I was sick Mon thru Wed, tho luckily I had Mon off. And this time calling in my FMLA claim actually worked. On the other hand, I guess I'd better put a hold on those semi annual week long vacations and go back to stockpiling my vacation time. *sigh*
And while my illness was part respiratory, it was also part stomach flu, plus body aches, some chills, and really nasty migraines on Tuesday night. This morning was the first time I've felt hungry since Monday, and the other symptoms seemed to give up at work on Thursday. At least I'm on the mend. I have been on steady Paleo-Fail all week tho, since for three days all I could eat was rice cakes and hard boiled eggs, but at least rice doesn't seem to hurt me. Will get on the bandwagon on Monday, I think I need some extra carbing to reboot my system this weekend.
My bod's felt more in shut-down mode than usual, I'm worried that I've subconsciously imprinted on this sleep apnea thing. So my body's all "What? We're broken on our own, can't do anything anyway without outside help so I give up. Wake me up when we get a CPAP machine." After so many other things haven't fixed me, I'm not willing to pin all my conscious hopes to this.
But unlike the paleo diet, which I got first person feedback on from one person, I apparently know a ton of ppl who swear by their CPAP machines. Including a nice fellow vendor at WF who told me all his stories and gave me lots of advice ... which I don't really remember now but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I emailed him and asked. Now I just have to suck it up until next Thursday's appointment, plus a couple weeks (or months? depends) to get the machine. Hopefully insurance covers it. I could probably cover it with savings, but in that case it better f'ing work.
It would be nice is fixing the sleep apnea meant fixing some of my recent food problems. I'll still be a lactard so might as well just keep not eating dairy, but the wheat thing is weird. Corn has bothered me on and off for years, might want to stay off that. But not eating soy means I can only have the most expensive of chocolate, and that is really f'ing annoying. But who knows.
Was going to have a sewing binge this weekend, but illness put me so far back on chores and post-con cleanup that I'll have to pass this time. Also, not sure I have the strength/motorfunction to trust myself with a sewing machine and other sharp things right now. Mebbe next weekend. Seeing all the costumes at WF was bad for my resolve.
On the upside, I did pack my seed bead kit with new projects last night. And I may actually need to order more "accent" beads (ie, the catseye and Czech crystals I like to use in beadweaving) before I order more seed beads. But I may hold off until after NYWBS, which is 3/22 weekend. I probably can't spare the vacation day to go on Friday afternoon, but Saturday is such a madhouse. Maybe I'll try a half day and go early, once I'm at work all I have to do is sit and stare into space anyway.
Also need to take some photos, and make some Etsy listings. At WF I was again reminded that my finer pieces look a lot more impressive on the internet, b/c I'm better (or well enough) at still life photos than I am at setting up a table full of shinies. So that's another direction, one that I've been meaning to work on for a long time except for CF. Moar internet marketings! And if that works out I may just quit con-vending, or only bring the bin of $5 pendants with a few uber-awesome signature items.
I did manage to get my con cash to the bank today so I can pay my bills this weekend. And from a cursory glance it looks like I was actually under budget for this month (in part due to the annoying deposit the WF hotel demanded in August, and I didn't know I was vending until December, yaaay). I have all of my necessary tax documents too, but I'ma wait until I can brain better after more flu recovery. Again from a cursory glance last week, it looks like I don't have to write the IRS any checks this year.
And that's pretty much my accomplishments for the week, a list that would be much longer if I hadn't been in con-overload and flu-land. Tho I guess surviving flu-land is an accomplishment.
<3 Chrysilla
ps, Happy Birthday Babylon 5 :-)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth, http://chrysilla.dreamwidth.org/