Hi! Hello! Welcome to my first ever proper blog post here on my brand-new website! Yes its been a long time in the making considering this has just been sitting and gathering dust for about a month, but you know how life is, things crop up and suddenly that thing you meant to do the next day becomes next week…next month etc.
So! What’s new with me? Well I’ve just come back from attending my first ever convention as an exhibitor which is something I have wanted to do for absolutely years, and I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. From the 25th to the 28th of July I attended London Film and Comic Con run by Showmasters at the London Olympia in Kensington with one of my closest friends and going into the whole convention prep thing was certainly nerve wracking and I have learnt a lot of things what to do differently and what to improve for next time! One of those things’ being don’t go to London during a heatwave!
Day 1 – Arrival and set up
So the convention ran over three days and in our exhibitors pack we were told to set up on the Thursday between 10am and 8pm, the day started off in a blind panic, although all my convention stuff was packed I’d left clothes packing to the morning which wasn’t helped by the fact our train to London had been cancelled! Due to the fact London was going to hit 39° the train companies were cancelling trains left right an centre just in case the lines warped in the heat, because of this it was a mad dash to the station in order to catch one of the only trains running to London that morning!
Stepping off the train in London was like opening the oven door and being hit with that wave of heat and the tubes were so much worse, after a few sweaty tube rides we arrived at the Olympia, found my spot and quickly set up as the building had not turned the aircon on! Things did get a little wobbly towards the end of the day though as on the way to the hotel a combination of stress and sweltering heat caused me to nearly pass out on the platform at Canning town but after a very cold shower and lots of water I felt much better.
Day 2 – First day of the con
Arriving bright and early I was quick to get the stall set up and ready to go only to realise I had gotten there an hour early! XD this just meant I was able to walk around a nice empty show floor and have a little browse before the crowds got in though (note to self: always check the exhibitors pack for opening times!)
So, with my fairy lights turned on and my copious amounts of water to stop another fainting episode, the convention opened. For me day 1 was the most stressful as I had never done it before, especially with my anxiety playing up I had no idea how to act, was I smiling too much? Not enough? Too much or too little eye contact? It was all quite a big learning curve, however once my first ever sale had happened, I couldn’t stop smiling, even more so when one of my favourite artists who happens to draw realistic looking Pokémon came up to me to compliment my work! After that I began to relax, and the rest of the day went by without a hitch!
Day 3 – The flood
After the success of the Friday I was a little nervous when setting up on the Saturday, I knew it was going to be the busiest day and it didn’t help as it was pouring down with rain meaning I got to the convention looking like a drowned rat, and then just to make me panic just that little bit extra an announcement came on that they were opening the convention 10 minutes early due to how busy it was outside!
Let me tell you having that table to hide behind during the busiest convention day was a blessing, it got so incredibly busy so quickly it was difficult to walk the 100 meters to the bloody toilet and back let alone wander up and down the aisles, sales came in waves over the day, I’d go from having no one even glance at me for 30-45 minutes to having a queue of people waiting to be served, this certainly kept me on my toes over the course of the day that’s for sure! We finished off the day with a visit to the brand-new Hard Rock Café on Oxford street to celebrate and it was amazing!
Day 4 – Last day and pack up
Sunday was another rainy day in London but that didn’t stop the hoards from coming to the convention, the Sunday was a more steady stream of people rather than waves throughout the day and it was a much more relaxed atmosphere, I was also graced with the wonderful Deadpool Bob Ross paying my stall a visit which made my day! We started packing up the stall at around 5pm and by half 5 we were running to make our train, an hour later we were sat exhausted on the long coach ride back to Wales.
So here I am a few days later, slowly getting over a form of con flu, still bruised and achy from carrying stupidly heavy bags and sleeping far too much from getting up at 6am for 5 days straight but I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life and I cant wait to book my next convention!
First of all I couldn’t have done it without the help of some very special people in my life and you know exactly who you are, thank you so much for all the support driving me towards actually going through with this convention, for boosting me up when I needed it and of course minding the table over the weekend for me so I could stretch my legs and have a loo break! And thank you to Showmasters and London Film and Comic Con for having me!
FoxFall Xx
P.S I’m thinking of doing more posts in the future over what I did for my convention prep, where I got my materials, equipment etc and a breakdown of my costs leading up to the event, if you’re interested in this please leave a comment below! Or let me know if you have any questions or things you want me to talk about!
