I’m often surprised about how last minute some creators are, preparing for a convention. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some artist lament that their new book was going to miss the con entirely, because they didn’t get it started quite early enough. Sadly, we’ve all been there.
My strategy is dumb simple: plan ahead.
There’s no sense trying to do everything last minute, as you’re bound to mess things up, and miss out on some last-minute opportunities.
Why leave your business success up to chance?
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Here’s a very general time line that we use at Steam Crow.
12 months out:
- Decide what events you’d like to do for the next year. Apply for them now. Put them on Google calendar for easy reference.
- Set up igoogle to pull rss feeds from all of your convention websites. (Both confirmed and dream cons.) Watch for news/changes/anouncements.
Three months out:
- Buy plane tickets and hotel room for the event. (If necessary.)
- Decide what new products you’re going to debut at the event. Make a deadline, so that you have plenty of time to order the prints/shirts/pins/etc. If it’s a new book, start even earlier.
- Request time off from work, if you need it.
- Approach the convention organizer, and see if you can contribute anything. (Exclusive print, event promo poster design, etc.)
Two months out:
- Finalize your new product designs. Have someone else look at it. Adjust if necessary. Get it ordered early to save last minute hassles!
- Figure out your table layout strategy. Do you need a new banner? Tablecloth? Sign? Order now.
6-7 weeks out:
- Order your product, and make sure that you give yourself an extra 2 weeks of buffer, in case something goes wrong. (Manufacturing/shipping/mistakes)
- Drop any products that you just don’t have enough time to have made.
- Make sure that you have enough collateral (business cards, flyers, etc.). If not, order more now.
- Test out your setup at home, just like it’ll be at the con. (If you don’t have all of your product yet, use placeholders.) Move stuff around, and tune it up. Photograph it for set-up reference and save the photo.
- If you were going to redesign your website, get it done in the next couple of weeks.
5 weeks out:
- Apply for a business license/permit for the event.
- Introduce yourself on the convention forum, if they have one.
- Make any last-minute product changes/adjustments now.
- Announce that you’re going to be at the event, on your blog.
2 weeks out:
- Take photos of your brand new products.
- Announce the event in a web story on your site. Show photos of your new products along with a map graphic on where to find you. Bonus: pdf down-loadable map.
- Post an announcement on TINYARMY.com, and the event’s forum, along with wherever else makes sense.
- Tune up your website. Make sure that your store is ready to go for post-con add-on sales. Is your contact form working? Test it out.
- Twitter about your con preparations.
- Review the convention website for setup details.
1 week out:
- Send your enewsletter, linking to your full event web story. Show off photos of your new products.
- Start making a pile of the convention stuff you’re going to need to pack. Toss it in a box or bin for later. Keep adding to it as you find things you might need.
A few days out:
- Pack your con gear. Get it organized. Include the photo of your new set-up.
- Make sure that you’ve got enough change for transactions. Go to the bank if not.
- Get snacks and water at the grocery store. Pack them up too.
The night before:
- Double check that you’ve got everything you need.
- Load up the car. (Full tank of gas?)
- Print out a map (including parking) if you need it.
- Go to bed early so that you’ll have good energy at the convention.
Last minute:
- Twitter about the event.
- Make sure that you have your wallet, permit, tickets, and money.
Post event:
- Pack up everything in an orderly fashion, to make the next event easier.
- See if you can pay for next year’s table with this year’s earnings.
- Thank the organizers and volunteers.
- Tally up your earnings, and pay your event taxes.
- Drop me a line, and tell me what worked, and what I forgot.
Daniel m. Davis is the co-owner (with his wife Dawna) of Steam Crow LLC, a Phoenix, Arizona studio that creates characters/stories/goods with a monster imagination.
He also creates the Monster Commute, a 5 day a week monsterpunk adventure comic.
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