Going to a small local con versus a huge one like NYCC was a total game changer

I always thought the big conventions were the only way to go, you know? I went to New York Comic Con for three years straight, spending over $200 each time just to get in and fight the crowds. It was impossible to actually talk to anyone. Last fall, I tried a smaller show in Rochester with maybe a thousand people. I had a twenty minute chat with a writer whose work I love, bought a sketch from an artist right at their table, and didn't feel rushed once. The vibe was about loving comics, not just buying stuff or waiting in lines. The big cons feel like a theme park now, but the small ones still feel like a community. Has anyone else switched to smaller shows and found better connections?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer2d ago

You said it feels like a theme park and that is SO true. I spent a whole day at a big con just standing in a line that snaked around a booth for a free tote bag. A TOTE BAG. My priorities were a mess.

karen_sanchez491d ago

That "content mall" idea is spot on. It's like they sell you a ticket to a store where you pay more money to stand in line for ads.

holly_reed552d ago

Totally get that. I read a blog post last year that called the big cons "content malls" and it stuck with me. The writer said you go there to consume, but you go to a small show to be part of something. My local one-room con is where I actually remember people's names year after year. The big ones just feel like a loud, expensive blur now.