And that was InConJunction
It was good to see a number of old friends I don't see anywhere else, since they don't go to anime or comic cons -- and to see a couple of friends I know only online, going back to the old SFF.net days.
On the other hand, it was disappointing from a business standpoint. I'm pretty sure we didn't make our sales targets, although I won't be sure until I go through the ledger and figure out how much goes to our consignor.
Last year, people were finally coming out of the COVID-19 shutdowns and were excited to be back at a con, so they were eager to spend money again. This year, people are reeling from the crazy gas prices, and I'm thinking a lot of them are cutting back on their discretionary spending. If they did attend (maybe they bought their memberships last year, when runaway inflation was a distant cloud on the horizon), they were less eager to buy in the dealers' room. What purchases they did make were smaller.
We can only wait and see what this means for upcoming shows, or for next year's InConJunction (other than they're finding a new hotel. There were some serious problems with the hotel this year, and I swear there were mold spores floating around. My allergies would clear up when I was outside, at least after the rain cleared the pollen out of the air, but when I went inside, I'd have a nose full of snot within half an hour).
On the other hand, it was disappointing from a business standpoint. I'm pretty sure we didn't make our sales targets, although I won't be sure until I go through the ledger and figure out how much goes to our consignor.
Last year, people were finally coming out of the COVID-19 shutdowns and were excited to be back at a con, so they were eager to spend money again. This year, people are reeling from the crazy gas prices, and I'm thinking a lot of them are cutting back on their discretionary spending. If they did attend (maybe they bought their memberships last year, when runaway inflation was a distant cloud on the horizon), they were less eager to buy in the dealers' room. What purchases they did make were smaller.
We can only wait and see what this means for upcoming shows, or for next year's InConJunction (other than they're finding a new hotel. There were some serious problems with the hotel this year, and I swear there were mold spores floating around. My allergies would clear up when I was outside, at least after the rain cleared the pollen out of the air, but when I went inside, I'd have a nose full of snot within half an hour).