Chris and I got in on Wednesday, and after checking in to the hotel

unpacking, and getting our staff schedule sorted we headed to a lovely little Japanese place up the road as suggested by a local friend.

With unbeatable lunch prices – we split a bento box with beef teriyaki. This was SO good, it will likely become a traditional first meal now.

The meat was proper cubes of beef, not the super cheap thin strips most places offer.

There’s nothing much for us to do yet, so we go to the hotel and crash.

THURSDAY

We head over to the Hyatt for our badges (hey, there’s our ad!).

And after getting our badges we head to the convention center

to start setting up registration.

Once reg opens we’re very happy to watch the crowd smoothly picking up/buying their badges

I take a minute to collapse behind the scenes

before heading to grab dinner.

On the way back I see this pretty bird out on the windowsill, watching everyone heading through the habitrail walkway

My friend MJ had her Ghostbusters gear on and I had to grab a shot.

The proton pack lights up and was playing music from the movie!

FRIDAY

I wish I got a better shot of this awesome UP! cosplayer

Some more Ghostbusters

Willy Wonka

Pedobear and his girlfriend? These two had quite the crowd, and all kinds of naughty poses. I have about 20 photos (and some would make an excellent gif) of them.

I admit I don’t know this one, but it’s nicely done!

The stain on the floor juxtaposed with this table’s banner cracked me up. Even better, I stopped later and pointed it out and the owner hadn’t even noticed!

SATURDAY

Sonic!

AMAZING chalk artist – Eric Maruscak

SO CREEPY!

These guys were actually really sweet, and the makeup/teeth were really well done.

An example of the custom stuff I do

On my way to the Soap Bubble, some folks were taking advantage of the ambiance and got this setup. To the Deadpool hanging out here – sorry I didn’t realize you were talking to me at first!!

IRT watching the crowd at the dance

Seen in one of the parking lots while walking to my room

SUNDAY

Staff getting silly

That’s it – I’m trying to focus on getting more photos again as lately it’s been RUN THE TABLE AND GO TO BED every day. I miss actually seeing the convention, and the cosplayers, more than what I get at my artist table. The Soap Bubble pictures were actually me getting up at 2 am just to walk over and snap a few shots.

As always – if you’ve not been to Anime Central (www.acen.org) it’s a great one to hit. Feel free to leave questions in the comments.

The main cafeteria area held the Dealer’s booths, and a side hallway had the Artists. They had a video room, some panels, and a maid cafe. I hope they are able to hold the event again next year, and if you’re in the area, I recommend checking it out.

The maid cafe was very cute – it was set up in the home ec room – and the girls were serving and even cooking stuff on the spot.

This little girl was a ball of energy – batgirl can defeat her enemies by wearing them out!

Her mom tried to get her to do Caramelldansen but like any child she did not perform on command.

See how I slave for you people? That’s averaging 10-20 new designs a year to keep things fresh.

Make sure you stop by and see what’s new Anime Central in the Artist Alley. Table 001 and 002.

We had excellent foot traffic, and saw an increase of sales again. I still feel that the table price is reasonable for the attendance even with the second price hike this year. Tables are now $25 each.

There was also a good variety of crafts on display. I walked through the Alley and made a few purchases, and was impressed by the quality of everything as well.

As always – thank you to everyone who stopped by!

This year I want to start adding a selection of photos and highlight my galleries more from my traveling, so enjoy!

Click for more: GlassCityCon Photos

I couldn't help but laugh - these guys did a GREAT job on an unorthodox cosplay...

The hallway on Sunday - watching the people walking through.

Our table - showing off the new banner on the left.

These are so adorable - I bought one at JAFAX, and had to admire them again. Great quality!

This guy was showing her a dance step, and I loved the bright red against the sunny windows.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, especially those who are our repeat “we have to find you every year” customers. My favorite moment was listening to someone trying to direct their friend by phone to their location to meet up: “We’re at DisjointedImages. The fun table!”

Our next convention is in Ohio – http://www.glasscitycon.com/ Please come see us!

Come see us for high quality buttons and our solitaire game MahJong House.

It was great seeing all the new faces, and getting great ideas for buttons for next year.

Can’t wait for 2012!

While attendance was low – and Friday was skewed due to the free admission – I think with the right nurturing it could become a good alternate convention.  I’d like to see them branch out a bit more to stand out against Youmacon, rather than being two of the same.  Perhaps what Reactor was supposed to be?  I really enjoyed the first 2 years at Reactor (before it became frat-con) and was disappointed it didn’t continue as it was conceived.

I was particularly pleased with how much the staff wanted input from the Artist’s on how to change/improve for next year.  They recognized and admitted faults and were genuinely open to criticism and comments.

I do believe we’ll be keeping an eye out for next year’s dates and making plans to attend again.

For part 2  I’d like to go over some of the things that AA staff can do (or has done in the past that stuck with me) to really make the experience that much greater for the artists.

Registration and check-in – Let me register everything together – badge(s) and table(s).  Preferably there should be a package deal so I am not forced to register early for badges before knowing if I have a table.  Unfortunately I cannot go to nearly as many conventions if I’m not selling, and having to get locked into a badge ahead of time is a turnoff.

Check-in should be the day before if at all possible.  Otherwise, at least an hour or two before opening so I have time to settle and set up before it opens to the public.  I actually prefer assigned seating to first come.  There’s nothing worse than having to elbow someone out of the way, or make someone move after they’re set up because of an electrical outlet placement.  Get your tables laid out, and make sure everyone’s needs are accommodated.  Very few alley’s do not assign anymore, as it is more trouble to deal with fallout.  Be firm!  A layout has more benefit to everyone.

Layout, layout, layout – No matter how long or short the convention, eventually your butt starts to go numb and you start feeling claustrophobic.  Artists are there to be AT our table to sell our art, and if you make sure there is enough space between the table and the wall and a gap between every 2-3 tables for someone to get out for the occasional potty/water/food break it makes life so much better.  Believe it or not, this has been overlooked at some cons.

Speaking of…
Water/Food – Not all conventions have the luxury of staff to do so but man do I appreciate when someone is able to come by and offer to do a “food run”.  Bottles of water, the generic cheese pizza (ie a bunch were ordered and someone brings some by the AA).  At the very least – making it well known where the drinking fountains/closest food or snacks/restrooms are in relation to the Alley is awesome.

Advertising – Many folks have some sort of website these days, whether it’s a deviant art account, a full website setup, or just facebook/flickr/twitter.  Listing prominently on the convention site who is coming and how to find out about them before hand (or get in touch after) makes a really big difference.  It increases the odds for commissions (and allows for the potential of more commissions than you could do at the con), generally gets people interested in the AA, and gives an easy way to follow up if there’s any problems/praise afterwords.

Trash – No, don’t give me trash, give me a place to put it.  Easily accessible, frequently monitored/emptied, and enough to accommodate the number of people in AA and attendees passing through.

Attention – Come acknowledge me!  Please take a minute to come by and introduce yourself – odds are I’ve only talked to you online and sometimes not even that (most cons have just a form and never need to talk one on one with the DH) and I’d love if you stopped by, said hello, and made sure things are going well.  It shows you’re paying attention to the Alley, the people in it, and are truly open to feedback…

Feedback! -  Paper survey, online forum post, anonymous form – give me some way to give all my criticism and happy thoughts.