Re: No Dealer's Room, no go!editormumFebruary 17 2009, 06:07:56 UTC
I made almost $3,500 for ASIM at one Conflux. That's the best of any con I did for ASIM ever, and it wasn't the biggest con we've been at. Dedicated space, open three days. Well worth it.
By comparison, I think ASIM took about $500 at Swancon last year. And that was a Natcon.
1. Yes. 2. Depends where it is. Couple of times, maybe. 3. Dunno - probably buy the same amount of stuff. You wouldn't want it too late in the piece, though, as my spending is partly dependent on how much of my Con budget has already gone into the urinal. 4. I do all of my talking in the bar. 5. Dunno. 6. Probably a launch - if you can get me to it, I'll usually stump for a book or two.
Always visit the dealers room, specifically to stock up on small press. I usually only go on the one day (I'm trying hard to be at cons for no more than 2 half-days) and shop until my bags and arms are full. I usually spend in the realm of $300-$500
( ... )
I'm in it for the in and out purchases, therefore I'm far more likely to want to buy books from a launch than the dealers room. However we do spend a lot on gadgets in the dealer's room which often spills over to the books as well.
There's a good chance all my small press purchases are made at Swancon. As neither a writer nor publisher I hadn't given any thought to what the dealers' room might represent to other con-goers in terms of pitching and deal-making. I confess to being someone who would notice competing noise at panels, because for me the panel programme is more important than the dealers' room :-)
I look forward to people's responses to this, as it's an aspect of cons I haven't had to think about before.
And I guess I should answer the questionsstephbgFebruary 17 2009, 06:13:55 UTC
1. Do you visit the Dealers' Room at a con? YES
2. How many times throughout a con would you say you visit it? Once or twice
3. Are the number of your purchases directly related to the number of times you visit the Dealer's Room? If there was only one day available to purchase, would you buy more or less stuff, do you think? One day is plenty
4. How important is it to you that there is space set aside for such things as one might find in all good Dealers' Rooms? (including people and conversations) There needs to be a space, I never thought the dealer's room was where it necessarily happened.
5. What would you think of a con that did not have a Dealers' Room at all? Wouldn't care.
6. Are you more or less likely to buy a book at the book launch or at the press table in the Dealers' Room? Dealer's room. Book launches excite me not.
The dealers room is an integral part of my con experience & was even before I had books to sell. The last couple of Swancon dealers rooms have sucked. I don't know why its so hard to sort out a dedicated secure space and let folks sell their stuff.
Simply put, the dealers room is in competition to everything else, such as being in direct competition with programming space, and a dedicated secure space is actually quite demanding in many hotels. For example, at the hotel used by the last few swancons, it is impossible to do a dedicated secure space anywhere on the ground floor where most of the con is without essentially shutting off use of the whole space at night.
I think I have changed my opinion on Swancon use of space, and I think the dealers room should move into a dedicated secure space, rather than be crammed into the downstairs foyer (as it was last year, and will be this year most likely) -- the unfortunate consequence of this is that it will likely be more out of the way, with less casual passing traffic. Of course, it would be awesome if we could just more to a more suitable hotel, but there don't seem to be any we can afford in Perth.
Which is to say, you are doing exactly the same way it has been done for the last few years for much the same reasons -- our hotel is small, and we have a lot of programming we wish to fit in that we make a higher priority than a dealers room. And the dealers will think it kind of sucks, because they have the last few years as well, probably correctly.
And market day rather than a full time dealers room is a crappy compromise forced on us by a lack of space -- and it kind of sucks.
Comments 77
Reply
By comparison, I think ASIM took about $500 at Swancon last year. And that was a Natcon.
Reply
2. Depends where it is. Couple of times, maybe.
3. Dunno - probably buy the same amount of stuff. You wouldn't want it too late in the piece, though, as my spending is partly dependent on how much of my Con budget has already gone into the urinal.
4. I do all of my talking in the bar.
5. Dunno.
6. Probably a launch - if you can get me to it, I'll usually stump for a book or two.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I look forward to people's responses to this, as it's an aspect of cons I haven't had to think about before.
Reply
YES
2. How many times throughout a con would you say you visit it?
Once or twice
3. Are the number of your purchases directly related to the number of times you visit the Dealer's Room? If there was only one day available to purchase, would you buy more or less stuff, do you think?
One day is plenty
4. How important is it to you that there is space set aside for such things as one might find in all good Dealers' Rooms? (including people and conversations)
There needs to be a space, I never thought the dealer's room was where it necessarily happened.
5. What would you think of a con that did not have a Dealers' Room at all?
Wouldn't care.
6. Are you more or less likely to buy a book at the book launch or at the press table in the Dealers' Room?
Dealer's room. Book launches excite me not.
Reply
Reply
I think I have changed my opinion on Swancon use of space, and I think the dealers room should move into a dedicated secure space, rather than be crammed into the downstairs foyer (as it was last year, and will be this year most likely) -- the unfortunate consequence of this is that it will likely be more out of the way, with less casual passing traffic. Of course, it would be awesome if we could just more to a more suitable hotel, but there don't seem to be any we can afford in Perth.
Reply
The other half of the Montana ball room will have activities in it which don't require silence (ie noisy discussions / workshops / etc).
The intent is to provide dealers on market day with sufficient central space to make it both comfortable for dealers and encourage members to visit.
Unfortunately we don't have the space to be able to do that for the whole convention, much as we'd like to.
prk.
Reply
And market day rather than a full time dealers room is a crappy compromise forced on us by a lack of space -- and it kind of sucks.
Reply
Leave a comment