I saw this kind of train wreck happen at TWO conventions in Los Angeles. One of them rented a big chunk of the same space that Anime Expo uses, but barely promoted the con. The big draws were celebrity concerts and a film festival, but they didn’t actually make sure their tech worked for the film festival, or that they had an audience for the concerts. It was painful to watch, but I got my admission for half-price through an online coupon, so I got my money’s worth and more.
The other con, the convention chair insisted on doing the publicity himself, then had a family emergency, so nothing got into the media until the first day of the con. At THAT con, the registration system didn’t work, and they had no backup plan, not even lined paper. So they let the few people who showed up in for free on the first day of the con, which turned out to be the only day I could go.
Reminds me of one that occured here in Omaha not more than 3 or 4 years ago.
Advertised this one huge guest and a whole lot of little guests no one cared or knew about in the Omaha Metro, decided to host at THE biggest venue in the state, stated that they had over 3,000 attendees where seasoned staffers of other cons estimated that it was probably closer to 600…
I’ve just spent the last two days or so reading through the archive and I’ve really enjoyed the story so far. Looking forward to adding this to my regular reads.
This reminds me of how, in the Eighties, Spirt Of Light would rely primarily on word of mouth to promote their conventions. Never mind that by the time word of mouth reaches anyone in regards to a three day event, said event tends to be over, especially in those pre-internet days.
UnCONventional is a comic that ran from December 2009 to December 2019 about the staff of a small town anime convention and their lives. This is a complete online archive of the comic.
Read Peregrine Lake, the Follow Up To UnCONventional - Updated Every Tuesday!
6 thoughts on “The Quiet”
Langland
Is this the disaster con you’ve been talking about doing or is that still coming?
Trae Dorn
I’m saving that particular storyline for Chapter Seven.
Smithnik
I saw this kind of train wreck happen at TWO conventions in Los Angeles. One of them rented a big chunk of the same space that Anime Expo uses, but barely promoted the con. The big draws were celebrity concerts and a film festival, but they didn’t actually make sure their tech worked for the film festival, or that they had an audience for the concerts. It was painful to watch, but I got my admission for half-price through an online coupon, so I got my money’s worth and more.
The other con, the convention chair insisted on doing the publicity himself, then had a family emergency, so nothing got into the media until the first day of the con. At THAT con, the registration system didn’t work, and they had no backup plan, not even lined paper. So they let the few people who showed up in for free on the first day of the con, which turned out to be the only day I could go.
Nick Schneider
Reminds me of one that occured here in Omaha not more than 3 or 4 years ago.
Advertised this one huge guest and a whole lot of little guests no one cared or knew about in the Omaha Metro, decided to host at THE biggest venue in the state, stated that they had over 3,000 attendees where seasoned staffers of other cons estimated that it was probably closer to 600…
Yep, me knows the feels.
Samma
I’ve just spent the last two days or so reading through the archive and I’ve really enjoyed the story so far. Looking forward to adding this to my regular reads.
Bernhard
This reminds me of how, in the Eighties, Spirt Of Light would rely primarily on word of mouth to promote their conventions. Never mind that by the time word of mouth reaches anyone in regards to a three day event, said event tends to be over, especially in those pre-internet days.
About the Comic
UnCONventional is a comic that ran from December 2009 to December 2019 about the staff of a small town anime convention and their lives. This is a complete online archive of the comic.
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