Imagine the heartbreak of eagerly anticipating a convention, only to be met with a half-empty, dimly lit, seemingly deserted space. This was the disheartening reality that Clover, a fantasy environmental artist vending at the event, and their friend faced at the Animation Fest.
The event was Anime Nation Fest, an anime and body art convention hosted by Mega Con at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Hall D. It lasted three days, from April 19 to 21. There are no official numbers, but vendors and attendees said at least a few hundred people attended.
The disappointing turnout was a significant issue for Clover, who was disheartened by the low attendance and faced a financial strain. “We originally wanted artists’ alley tables, which cost $400 each,” Clover explained. “And we discovered we could get a ten by ten for eight hundred. We decided to share a booth and get even more space for the same amount of money we put in.” This information was not available on Animation Fest’s website.
K. Rowe broke down the initial cost of having a booth at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention, which was $2,207. The booth cost $250. Comparing the prices of comic and toy convention and the anime and body art conventions, the toy convention was more reasonable, considering the expected attendance.
Comparable booths at conventions like L.A. Comicon, held at the same venue and known for high regular attendance, cost $450. Mega Con told the vendors they had sold around 13,000 tickets, but those numbers still needed to materialize on the event day.
There was a glaring lack of advertising for the event. “If you did not know about the event, you would not know it was happening on the day of,” Clover said. “There was no signage outside. If you were outside the LA Convention Center that weekend, you would never know something was happening other than the street vendors selling food.”
I asked Elena, an event planner not associated with the event, what some good strategies might be. “Partnerships with related businesses and community groups can help extend the marketing reach,” she suggested. “For instance, collaborating with local tattoo parlors and anime stores for promotions or pop-up events can attract more attendees by making it a broader community affair.”
Clover mentioned that the event setup and overall security needed to be improved. Elena described how a standard event like this should handle security. “Safety and security are also top priorities, especially in a space where people might be wearing costumes that include props or where tattoo artists are performing live work,” she explained. “Ensuring a safe environment while maintaining a fun and engaging atmosphere requires careful planning and monitoring.”
This being the first time Mega Con has put on a convention on the West Coast, it has deeply dissatisfied many vendors and attendees. It also caused Clover to reconsider vending at first-time conventions from now on because this experience was so disappointing. “This should be different, as fans often run the events for the fandom,” Clover noted.
The disappointing experience at Animation Fest underscores the critical importance of proper planning and marketing in the success of conventions, especially new ones. Vendors like Clover are now wary of participating in inaugural events, a sentiment that could spread within the community and affect future conventions. For event organizers like Mega Con, this is a clear signal that transparency with vendors, effective advertising, and robust security measures are beneficial and necessary to ensure both the event’s success and the participants’ satisfaction. As the convention circuit evolves, this experience may serve as a lesson in the value of community engagement and meticulous preparation in organizing successful events.
If you want to see and buy Clover’s art, check out their Storefront HERE.
**EDITS** – edits were made to appropriately the name of the show and the organization putting on the event.
More TikTok’s about the Convention.