FanExpo Dallas 2023

The last FanExpo convention I attended was in June of 2019. I cosplayed, wandered the vendors, caught a few panels, and helped out a few of the exhibitors that I became friends with over the last few years of attending. Then the Covid-19 Pandemic arrived and I didn’t attend anything for long while. I was asked in 2022 if I would start attending conventions again. I declined as I wasn’t comfortable with the thought of so many people in a single space, something that had not bothered me before the pandemic in the slightest.

Early this year plans to visit Disney World were made with friends. I’ve been to Disney World once. It was a lot of walking, waiting in lines, food, and a lot of people. (I really did enjoy my first trip there) And this time I have the entire Star Wars section to look forward to. (It had just started being built during my first visit.)

Then a friend asked if I planned on attending the FanExpo this year. I thought about it and initially decided that if I went by myself I would likely attend for a single day. But I also offered to help my friend out if she managed to get a booth. (She offered to let me sell Fandom Llama Pins at her booth if I wanted.)

Well, I found out the Sunday before the convention that my friend did in fact get a booth. Which left me four-ish days to get my inventory, displays, and a new method of taking card payments because PayPal Here no longer worked with my phone and it is being phased out in September anyway.

There was a flurry of activity with tagging pins, ordering the new POS system and display rack. I created back up plans just in case the POS system didn’t arrive on time (it didn’t) with QR codes to scan, created pricing sheets to primarily help me remember how much things would cost including taxes. And then I waited. Ellen, my friend that had the booth, picked me up at an awful time in the morning (because I couldn’t actually sleep Thursday night) and we were off to the convention center to set up her booth before the event opened in the afternoon for VIP ticket holders.

I can’t say that it was easy peasy once we arrived at the convention center. I felt like we had to go through a maze that was not altogether well marked to get to the loading dock where we could unload everything. But arrive we did and set up may have taken a lot less time than anticipated.

We had enough time to grab some food and I tried really hard to settle my growing anxiety and doubts.

A short while after the convention opened for the VIP early preview a coordinator told our entire row that if we had the ability to spread to the remaining booths on the row that were empty (there were three – 2 of which were confirmed not coming and 1 that hadn’t heard anything back yet) that we should. After waiting for about twenty minutes (it seemed longer) to hear about the third booth Ellen and I decided to move my pins and setup on the empty table. Dina from Fandom Threads Studio loaned me a basket for the few knitted items I had on hand and Ellen let me use some of her shelving. And just like that I ended up vending on my own at FanExpo Dallas with ten enamel pins, a few knitted samples and one and half boxes of business cards.

I managed to put together a closet cosplay of Harley Quinn for Friday because I didn’t have the brain space for much else. I almost opted not to but in the end with Ellen helping to lace me into the corset I felt somewhat more comfortable sitting at a booth on my own. Even if I did manage to leave a few key pieces (hat, hair-ties) at home.

Our booths were directly across from a slew of comic book artists that were there primarily for signing purposes. Lines for these artists were long and crowded the majority of the lane that attendees walked making it a bit difficult for anyone to do anything other than scoot past the lines let alone to stop and actually look at the booth they passed by. If the outside lanes were a little wider I don’t think it would have been an issue. By the time we left to go home I felt like I was catching something as my throat was starting to feel scratchy and irritated.

Saturday I had my POS system finally so I didn’t have to use my phone to take payments and I had the ability to swipe cards if needed. (Surprisingly most purchases were tap to pay which hadn’t really existed the last time I attended the convention as an attendee – not complaining and quite glad to see it finally taking hold in the US.)

The primary issue on Saturday was the the section of convention we were in didn’t have air-conditioning. It had apparently stopped working overnight and now on the day that the convention expected its highest capacity of attendees we had no a/c.

It wasn’t necessarily unbearable but it was definitely uncomfortable. I had decided that morning to wear light layers and had attempted something Star Wars – esq ala Leia and was super glad to be able to take at least one layer off.

We were told by someone in charge of some aspect of the convention or facility that they were working on getting it fixed as quickly a possible, I almost suggested they could provide exhibitors with water for the duration – because really that’s what we needed to cope with the rising temperatures. But I had a feeling that it would have fallen on deaf ears at that moment.

Inspired by my booth neighbor to the left of me I grabbed a notebook and laid it out on the table for folks to leave notes or doodles as a way to commemorate my first time vending at a convention. I used it as a conversation starter throughout the day as attendees wandered by. Even though I only had ten pins, they did receive a lot of double takes. There were more than a few surprised looks when realizing that the pins were llamas in costumes. The smiles that flashed across attendees faces boosted my self-esteem and told me that my initial idea for the fandom llama pins was in fact a good one. I was absolutely tickled when members of the 501st stopped by and then purchased a few of the pins (R2, Luke, and Harley Quinn)

Sunday the a/c worked again and all the attendees that waited to purchase things made the rounds. I wandered with Ellen through part of the convention on Saturday. It felt like maybe 15 minutes but was actually an hour and we barely saw a fourth of the vendors outside of Artist Alley in my opinion. I took a quick break on Sunday to pick up a few mystery boxes that weren’t technically mysteries to me thanks to some folks that stopped by the booth and talked about some of the things they were carrying and the rest of my purchases were made from my booth neighbors – Ben Byrd (IG @benbyrdart) and Jessie Olney (IG @artsyrobotz) The only other time I actually left the booth for something convention related was to catch the Star Wars march down the center isle. I saw some amazing cosplays and even managed to take a few pictures from my chair at the booth. By the time FanExpo Dallas closed every single one of us were ready to go home. Packing up took even less time than setting up did and I was home and cuddling with my cats by late evening.

Recovery from this three day event took me three days. It turned out that I was not getting sick but that I had talked so much more than I normally do that I came close to loosing my voice. I did suffer from dehydration – no one to blame but myself on that count really. After copious sleeping, rewatering and reflection I think that this FanExpo Dallas will be one I will remember for quite a long time.

I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if it weren’t for Ellen. I started the convention telling myself that I if I just sold one enamel pin then I would call it the adventure a success. We were extremely lucky to be able to use the second booth, that is not something that I see happening a second time. Our booth neighbors were amazingly kind and encouraging. Even when they didn’t buy anything from me, I was gifted a smile from every person that stopped at my booth. And I have some really cool doodles and messages to remind me of this adventure.

I’ve already discussed the possibility of vending again with Ellen and we are in the process of working the logistics out while I dream up new pin designs. (You may see a Kickstarter for handful soon)

And that’s about it for my thoughts on FanExpo Dallas 2023.

Much love,

Charlie