Galaxycon Austin 2023 | Tales of a Con Artist

[@zimulacrum4803]

I’m a disabled cosplayer, and I use a walker to get around big spaces-when I was at galaxycon Austin, they refused to let me in just because I couldn’t get down the stairs and they left me out in full face paint in the 100+ degree heat for 20 minutes as I banged on the door.

[@superpandaidol_3]

Oh my gpd. That’s horrible.

[@lanettechutty]

sounds like torture

[@vaporean_boylove.0w083]

WTH?! Thats awful!

[@djblueu7608]

WTH THATS SO RUDE

[@supernovablade]

Sorry that this con was such a bust. But, I will still forever be grateful that I got someone into Castoff because of this con and convincing them to come to your table.

[@CATel_]

Ayo non member yet still here ',:| huh!?!?

[@supernovablade]

I'm a patron.@@CATel_

[@bnha]

@@CATel_ patreon! lol

[@AmyTheMudkip]

Fancy seeing you here!

[@InsomniacUnicorn]

GalaxyCon Louisiville was one of the WORST conventions I've ever had to deal with. I think it's just the entire GalaxyCon franchise. A massive lack of panels, poor organization, in the case of Louisiville the parking situation was NOT disability friendly unless you got there absurdly early for one of like 10 accessibility spots, and artist alley being tightly crammed together in the back of the dealers room. They make their guests charge for autographs too, even if the guest normally wouldn't. Hearing what you went through in Austin, like I said, sounds like the franchise as a whole is the problem and I wouldn't hold my breath on them changing any time soon.

[@F0rtuneLT]

yea one of the more well-known issues with the Austin Convention Center is its lack of attached parking, which is an issue for multiple reasons, chief among them is the lack of parking *period* in downtown austin

[@tinylordhelix]

Went to GalaxyCon Raleigh as my first (and last) convention since I became physically disabled and can confirm that with just the line for the elevators being as long as the lines to meet guests, the accessibility for the con in general was a nightmare. I've been to this convention center many times before and not once have the elevators had more than 3 people waiting to use them, compared to the 25 or more. My manual wheelchair got caught on cords that were not properly secured, you could rarely find the Fast Lanes for guests and accessible seating for the 1 panel I wanted to go to, which I was in the room an entire hour ahead of time knowing I wouldn't be able to get to that floor in time for the panel had I not done so; I still had to sit near the middle of the room in between the aisles because there really wasn't a place to park my chair. The whole experience made me feel like cons were just something I can't do any more if they're run like this.

[@KelciDComics]

We had a lot of similar problems at GalaxyCon in Columbus, OH, along with REALLY bad artist alley placement. Not worth the $350 table. Not going back.

[@FamouzIsHere]

Oh wow, I did not know Loiseville had a GalaxyCon. Definitely not going to any here.

[@Gaianna1]

I had the unfortunate luck of my first con being GalaxyCon Minneapolis in 2019, I even paid for VIP for my partner and I. It was a shit show, nothing was location branded it was all generic everything. VIP ticket were 1000% over sold, so all vip thing were a crowded mess of disorganization. The venue they picked has no food options in the area and very little in house. The "Super VIP Party" was in an room so small it couldn't fit us all

[@Garoogie]

I was one of the people who chatted with you at your booth on Friday and Saturday of the con, I enjoyed myself but I could definitely see that the artists were suffering. I didn't get stuck as long in the hellish line because I had gotten my badge on Friday, but my friends did, and seeing that there were only two bag checkers was ridiculous. It definitely seemed like a con that super prioritized the celebrity guests, and honestly they did a great job from my POV with the photo ops, which seems to be their main attraction. The larger events like the costume contest and late night cabaret were also really well done. I hope, though. that if they return to that convention center they really switch up their organization. I'm not a con artist but I'm an artist who has been to a ton of cons, and I'm glad to have been able to talk to and support the people in the artist alley! It was great meeting you also, it was so wild hearing your voice in person when I listen to you while working/drawing so often. :D I'm glad you have the opportunity to take a break from cons soon, I hope you enjoy getting to rebalance everything during your time off!

[@F0rtuneLT]

One thing i dont think ive seen anyone mention is how concerningly lacking the security was. So, for those who don't know, most cons will require cosplayers to have "prop tags" attached to their props as a way for con security to know that what you have isn't an actual weapon. These are usually tags that are attached to your prop that cant be replicated as a way to prevent fake tags (for example some cons will coat theirs in a reflective filament to prevent it from being copied/printed) The prop tag for GCA? a singular orange zip-tie that you can get at home depot for like $1. meaning if someone had malicious intent, all that was stopping them from doing something dangerous was a dollar at home depot to fake a prop tag "but wait" i hear you ask. "wouldn't they be stopped at the metal detectors?" Funny you mention that! because the metal detectors at GCA were merely a suggestion at GCA I was cosplaying as a ghostbuster, so i had a LOT of shit on me (Proton pack, ghost trap, ecto goggles, pke meter, etc) so im used to having to take it all off for the check-in. I walk up to the table and ask if she wants me to empty my pockets (as is what you usually have to do at a con) and she says no, i then begin to take my gear off because that's what im used to doing and the lady at the table stops me and just waves me through. I step through the archway and like 7 different alarms go off because yeah I've got 30 pounds of electronics strapped to my back/around my waist. I fully expected to be pat down or scanned with the metal detector wand, but instead the guy just kinda...looks me over, and goes "Yeah ur good lol" and waves me on this was the same with *everyone*

[@indiecrowarts]

As a Floridian who’s used to “dangerous incidents involving metal weapons” being a common concern especially for big events- that last paragraph sent a chill down my spine 😬

[@F0rtuneLT]

@@indiecrowarts by the time sunday rolled around they weren't even checking for the ""prop tag"" they just did a very brief look-over of your person and waved you through

[@SunnyCress]

I’ve only been to one con and it was a very small uk con, I don’t remember any kind of security checks but I guess general weapon control is much stricter in the uk? Still a tad worrying

[@Mr424242424242424242]

Wait, there's metal detectors at cons? I'm entirely used to the loading areas being open to anyone with a badge shaped object, and the general public having unfiltered access to the concourse of a convention center, with only event spaces having even a badge check. I can hardly imagine a competent security desk not ending up causing a scene from the reactions of the general public at a convention if I actually have to unload all my equipment and things for a security check, given my normal convention staff bag is about 100lbs of tools, along with a holster for my carry gun if I need to be belly down on something to work on it. Like, I've been to cons with 'peacebonds' that are the older fanish term for the proptags, where they will happily mark actual swords as props provided they're even slightly acquainted with you. It's not like most of the state laws I'm familiar with actually allow publicly owned convention centers(including the one Gencon is in) to bar weapons from attendees. There's quite literally nothing legal or otherwise that most cons are permitted to do to exclude a properly licensed person from carrying whatever weapons they damn well please on the premises. I mean, they can invoke their right to revoke your badge for any or no reason if they catch you violating convention policy or they don't like weapons, but that's the end of what would happen, most places they can't even trespass you from the concourse because it's a public access space.

[@FinandDandy]

I was wearing a really nice galaxy dress so I kept my badge in my pocket during the weekend. I was only asked to show it twice all three days. Very very concerning.

[@ufoesferico1050]

The way you described the layout of the con is exactly what they do to small artists in the cons in my country, especifically in my state. They always put the original and small artists at the end and far from the areas of interest, but the pirated merchandise and questionable articles are always visible and occupy most of the con. So unfair, ugh :(

[@ellaart7083]

Waiting in a line in Texas heat sounds like actual hell. Great vid, star

[@dalekrenegade2596]

Makes you wish for a nuclear winter.

[@catherineelmore2004]

As someone who waited is that line, it was. There was a lady there though- con mvp far as I’m concerned- who actually went and bought with her own money cold cans of coconut water to give away for free to people in the line. So so nice!

[@edman813]

I was so fortunate to have only waited 30 minutes that first day because I just casually showed up not knowing anything at all over cons and got there at 1:45pm and saw so many people it was over 100F and surprised my wait didn't take so long and then I met my hero Cristina Vee 😊😊😊😊😊

[@imonly1man_]

omg Tales of a Con Artist is such a clever title

[@Splat654]

I am actually happy whenever i see people openly talking and discussing bad conventions because i had a terrible experience regarding this theme. I am from russia, and in the past, long before the war, i went to a local anime festival as a cosplayer (small town, not much of festivities or even anything to do). It was my third fest after visiting Baltic state and going to great conventions there. I knew our local festival was bad so i didnt have high expectations. But it was worse than i imagined. Afterwards i was advised, by people from my friend circle, on reaching out to administrators and telling them all problems that i had notice and sharing my ideas of improvement for their event. Worse mistake of my life. I did just that, foolishly thinking, that their festival is so bad, because they either dont have money or ideas to improve it. This is not how it works. If organization consistently making the same mistakes for years and arent changing anything about their event, they are most likely can but do not care to improve. They have a comfortable position of cashflow from audience of children that come in every year and no competition in the town. Admins of the festival that i mentioned, acted incredibly creepy on me. They fisrt pretended to be interested in my critique, let me write and send it to them, and then went on harrassing me on every point that I've mentioned, plus my age, life experience, ect. Somehow they scared me with this technique of "luring in and then attacking" so much, that I was scared that if I would go somewhere else in town in my costume i could get in trouble. Because the way they went berserk on me signaled that the guys are kinda insane, thus you dont know what these people are capable of. There were only 2 of them but it was enough to scare teenager me. I still get triggered whenever i randomly see their faces or names in our town's articles. But I desided on not posting publicly about my situation with this fest, for the sake of my mental health. Still i feel sorry for overall situation. I know that lots of other kids and teenagers were verbally harrassed by these admins. And more concerning things happened. Yet, they still doing their thing, and organising their events. Maybe other people just didn't share their stories or commented on the festival, keeping it to themselves, like me. As i know, the rare ones that did comment and leave any form of criticism received the same harrassment i endured. Still, it's a little festival organized by local bonkers in a middle russian town, a country with a lack of any regulations. It's unlikely that anything is even possible to be done about that. That's why i let that go. But in any other places, you should always share and speak openly about terrible treatment on conventions, because unfortunately silence about bad treatment serves as permission to this treatment to continue and then grow into something more. Just like it probably happened with the festival that i have mentioned.

[@roberthernandez5802]

@happy875 you have some interesting story's, you should start a channel like this.

[@hellotanibelle]

Take this as hearsay, but I've been selling at cons for 10 years now so I know people who run shows and hear what they talk about. So con runners who focus mostly on guests and seem to ignore everything else are doing it because when they sign these contracts with celebrities they guarantee $X for the guest to earn via autographs & photo ops, and anything over that they(the con runners) take a percentage of it. I've heard as low as 10% but as high as 35%. It ends up netting them SO MUCH MONEY, they honestly don't care if vendors or artists or even attendees had a good time. They think their celebrity pull will be so good they bet on a fresh wave of people to come in. They use vendors and artists to just pay for the rental fee of the convention center, staff pay, and celebrity guest hotel rooms/flights. The shows that focus on fostering community are the ones to attend nowadays now, the cash cow shows (which are MOST comic cons) don't care about their community, only how much $$ the area will give them.

[@sarahschreffler5407]

This was true even when I was regularly attending cons because in the late 90s/early 00s. The commercialized cons get the BIG GUESTS but are not as fun as the hobby cons run by volunteers.

[@gojifanpat]

I love how the title of this series is *"Tales Of A Con Artist"*

[@playlistdj]

This is the first one of these videos I'm watching and I genuinely thought this video was gonna be about a *con artist* and not a *con* artist lmao

[@JMDAmigaMusic]

Can i suggest to change title as Con(vention) artist?

[@js955]

I got to see you on Saturday. I was so excited to see an artist I recognized, I bought like, 6 of your vtuber keychains lol. Galaxycon was my first con experience and I had a lot of fun, but I never knew the other side of what the artists and special guests went through while there. The carelessness and disorganization is insane. I hope you can come by to another local con, even if it's not Galaxycon. Either way, I hope you enjoy your time off. I love your stuff :)

[@just_squidding]

apologies if you've already done it, but if you're ever interested and have the time, i'd love a video from you that's basically "how to get started being a freelance artist" - how to begin setting up and running an online store, social media presences, first cons, etc. basically "freelance artistry for noobs" lol. you're pretty much the one person who got me into the idea of potentially being a freelance artist, i love how transparent you are with this "Tales of a Con Artist" series and basically everything else, and you're just all-around a huge inspiration. i think a video like that would be really helpful for me and lots of others. just an idea i had though, of course ^^ also, i hope your break from cons serves you well! you totally deserve it and i'm really glad you have enough income that you get the chance to take a hiatus ^^

[@miqolysa]

Hey, Have you watched her 100.000 subscriber special jet? It touches some of these topics and her journey on youtube. Still would join your questions and would love to watch a guide by star ^^

[@momob4276]

Aw man I've been meaning to buy more Rune Factory merch from you, but I was dumb and forgot about Galaxycon that weekend (It's literally 30 mins from me). Really wished I had remembered and attended to help those sales numbers.I attend cons for artist alley, not the guests. I would have B-lined it to artist alley and bought a ton of stuff. Sorry it sucked. Honestly, if you skip it next year (which is justified), I think personally I will try not to miss it for the artists that will attend next year.

[@GREATPOWER235]

Not even lying that Galaxy con you mention ME and MY dad at 22:17 I can’t even make this up i say that with 100% honesty crazy to see when im looking up videos of the costume contests i see this video and stumble apon ur mention i was so confused for a moment like “Is she talking about us??” I go to my dad show him the clip SURELY ENOUGH he confirmed he has a slight memory of it so i was not going crazy

[@F0rtuneLT]

you bringing up the ear-blasting PA system is really funny considering that happened *multiple* times i vividly remember towards the end of the final day, Chris Sabat from DBZ scared the everloving shit out of everyone in the con center because he had the mic right up to his lips, i have never in my life heard a room with that many people go that silent that quick before

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

So um just FYI being a large con doesn't mean it will be handicap friendly. SDCC is not friendly to you if you need a wheelchair/walker or cannot use stairs. You'll be late to everything and waiting many hours for the elevator in spurts of 7-10minutes at a time.

[@HeyItsCettefille]

IT WAS THEIR FIRST YEAR??? Geez that makes way more sense. I was cosplaying Shadow from Sk8 and my face makeup was a MESS from waiting in the line for more than 2 hours. I did find your booth tho and buy some CR merch from you! I had no idea you had a KZbin channel! Glad to find you now! Yay local artists!!

[@Wraith26]

It's nice to hear honesty with bad cons. Conventions that treat artist like this need to be pointed out and exposed so they can learn Artist do talk and will not come back. Great review truly appreciate your honesty.

[@StrawberryNova]

Sounds like a REALLY frustrating con! I'm hoping to do my first one before too long and that definitely concerns me I hope that your break from cons serves you well and that it leaves you energized to get back into it when you're ready!

[@Dragmiredraws]

You know you’ve made it when people are cosplaying your characters! That’s my goal!!

[@maikulnaim]

Renting the least amount of space at convention center, little to no panels, pushing artists at the back of the con…Sounds to me GalaxyCon does the bare minimum to maximize their own profits, only splurging for the guests since they’re the biggest pull for attendees. Thank you for your detailed report, it doesn’t sound like the kind of con I’d attend guests or not

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

It's rather bizarre to put your guests right at the front. They should be spread out. Encourage your attendees to explore the whole floor, and make sure there's good signage EVERYWHERE. A lot of small conventions here in the UK do that - even the most inexperienced ones XD

[@LancerX916]

Cons have different sections. The artist allay, the vendor section and the guest/celebrity section. The last thing you want is to have a huge line for an MCU actor in the middle of the vendors or Artist allay sections. That really pisses those people off.

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

@@LancerX916 A fair point. I do still disagree with setting the guests right at the front of the whole event though, because that cuts the vendors and artists off too. And we're not talking about a big convention either, the chances of getting a guest of total event disrupting importance is highly unlikely.

[@paranoiacircus]

I had the same issue with trying to get in to begin with 😭 but instead of finding cool guests, I got a rude staff member though who acted like it was entirely obvious that the check in/entrance was exclusively in the loading dock, literally went "ugh" and made a face at me for asking and then stomped away 💀. Then I had a terrible table neighbor who I couldn't even submit a complaint about because staff kept disappearing anytime I had time get away from my table. The amount of money made was already disappointing, but everything else just made the con badddd.

[@narrowwing]

it is mostly volunteers from what I understand. I went to okc and most volunteers were pretty great, there were a couple of people who weren't that great though.

[@catherineelmore2004]

And actually the metal detector situation- they *ended up* with three metal detectors. But when they opened Saturday, they only had one. Which meant that Austin Police Department, which was doing security, wouldn’t let them open more then one door to let people in until they got more- which is what lead to the 2+ hour line. They then had to go get more and then figure out how to get the, turned on- I heard this from a volunteer who was near the entrance right before I got in. By this point I’d been waiting for 2 hours and if I hadn’t been there to see Walter Koenig who I may never get another chance to see cause he’s getting on in years, I might have just turned around and gone home myself!

[@DefinitelyA_Person]

I was there and oh my god it was single handedly my worst experience in my 6 years of con visiting. I was starving the whole time my friends abandoned me in the middle of the con, and my step siblings whined and whined until we had to go home. OH YEAH I ALSO ALMOST PASSED OUT DUE TO HEAT IN THE LINE

[@vroinks]

Ahh! Been waiting for you to post this since we talked about it at the con! (LudowFresca/neighbor table)

[@chrismerrell7957]

I know you've mentioned in previous videos that you have a specific list of cons that you visit, but it would be so cool to see you at FanX in Salt Lake. I can't really say I know a huge Castoff fanbase in Salt Lake, but D&D is a huge attraction for the whole event. Edit: I'm a dummy, I commented before I finished the video. Hope things work out on your con hiatus!

[@charlieyipeee]

congratulations for 100 subs! u truly deserve it and i wish the best for you and your channel ✨

[@missilelaunched]

hahaha i remember i tried to table at galaxycon richmond in 2020 (BEFORE QUARANTINE!!!!) and they had placed the wrestling events in the same space as the vender/artiststs. hellish time tbh

[@jonahfalcon1970]

NY Comic Con (and other Comic Cons) have Artist Alley in the back, BUT, they also have their celebrity autographs in the same space. Basically, you have to walk through the vendors to get to them.

[@Nek0Ni9ht_RAin]

I hope one day I can go to a con and meet you in Vector cosplay cause I love him! He reminds me of one of my own characters XD he’s kinda like Sage and Vector meshed!

[@edman813]

Galaxycon is not coming back to Austin in 2024. Originally it was but they quietly removed it from the page and tickets were listed but every page is now 404d.

[@AmethystSky0]

18:25 wait wait wait wait wait. did she just say "The next moaning" ???????

[@Tor469]

Liverpool comicon, Wirral Pretty great, once you got in. We were close to the front, but I remember watching the line, that looped back on itself, shift 5 minutes after we moved forwards. Eventually, somehow, the line immediately collapsed into a crowd, pushing us to the back It sucked. Props to the star lord cosplay tho. He had an actual boombox and played "hooked on a feeling" to us all. He was great

[@FinandDandy]

I've been going to cons literally since I was 3 months old and 5 in Texas in the last 14 months. Galaxycon Austin was a Mess. So crowded and disorganized. Including comic guests, cosplayers, voice actors and celebrities, they had over a hundred guests. While the others I've attended have had in the range of 25-38. On top of all this, this is one of the smallest convention centers of the whole lot. It was just so packed, crowded, not enough food or seating. The exhibitors and artist alley were really truly a highlight but gosh it was so poorly organized. I'm so sorry you went through so much. I'm glad to have seen this video and to know me and my sister weren't alone in how we felt.

[@TransformARTive]

Funny I been doing a panel called "So You Want to be a Con Artist" at comic, anime, and furry cons for a decade now, and even had the Con Artist webcomic just recounting my con experiences that has been on hiatus for years. I started watching your videos today because I wanted some tips for getting my webcomic started again, then I see this, which is just up my alley and something I cover in my panels.

[@jessicacastillo9988]

I had vendor buddies set up at Galaxy con. They did not have a good time. I went as a casual guest for Saturday. We were in line outside for 3 hours wrapped around the building!!! It was 100°+ outside!!! And we all came from out of town.

[@Suwawako]

I need more con stories good or bad lol, these are nice to listen to

[@tzisorey]

Ohhhhh... when the title said "con artist" i had something *_completely_* different in mind.

[@valsfilms9200]

Galaxycon was my first and only convention and I didn’t realize how bad it was compared to other cons until reading these comments 😬

[@skedizzle]

As a visitor of Galaxycon Raleigh I have only ever gone to see celebrity guests. Artist Alley there was set up in a small small meeting room in the corner of the highest floor, _2 floors away_ from the signing area and the rest of the vendors spots. It was a much smaller crowd up there than in the basement. I can tell you, if you're looking to do cons as an artist, don't go for Galaxycon Raleigh. Also there were a lot of awkward panels there. 3 of the panels I went to were cancelled because the speakers never even showed up, 1 of them was some people almost certainly drunk arguing about whether tony the tiger or the trix bunny was hotter, 1 where the woman was having technical difficulties the entire time (did not do a rehearsal I guess), the writers panels were unfortunately very empty, and the comedy shows they had were all being run by the same improv group. On getting inside, the security only kind of checked bags. Like every other bag they just glanced into. My friend brought a fake katana (and a pocket knife they never even saw) and they didn't say anything about it, but like halfway through the day when she was already inside, somebody made her put a safety check ziptie on it. She had been walking with it on her for several hours and they didn't care until then. On seating areas, the only places to sit outside of panel rooms were a few benches, the floor, and staircases, the latter one being the most risky as security would run over to you quickly and make you move. Which is fair enough, because nobody, in their exhaustion from having to travel across 4 floors all day with almost no working elevators, is going to notice you sitting in their path. I don't think I ever saw a single water fountain btw.

[@forestfairy114]

I was at school while this came out! But I am now super happy, because right after school I get to watch Star talk! And oh boy, do I feel bad for her.

[@Epscillion]

That really stinks! As an artist who attends cons I feel you on this. Pop Con Indy began to prioritize their celebrity guests over vendors and artists as well. Markiplier was one of the celebrity guests and omg people screamed when the doors opened and ran like an army from Lord of the Rings across the convention center to the end of the building where his panel was. I was genuinely worried someone was going to be trampled. All of us artists and vendors watched from afar in slight terror, thankful that at least we weren't in the path of the fan mob. But sales weren't great and other vendors complained as well that this was a growing trend in cons over the years. I hope this changes!

[@TheCherryClown]

its so strange watching you draw the sticker I have on my sketchbook

[@kikiyori]

I just came back from Animate Des Moines, another GalaxyCon brand, and it was so. so. slow. The demographic was so interesting too. First time attendee for an anime con, mostly families so there were lots of children, and many people only had one day badges. Needless to say, as an artist, I only made back my table all weekend, and definitely did not break even at all.

[@Invomniac]

I felt like I was listening to a horror story when hearing about the lines

[@EVILtobs]

hi!! i actually went to galaxycon earlier this month, won an award and that was sick but thats besides the point, my friends and i were actually talking frequently throughout the convention about the sheer lack of appreciation the con seemed to hold for art, especially when you got an birds' eye view of the convention, which you could due to the building it was in. the tickets were horrendously expensive, especially since it was the FIRST YEAR that they had come to my city. and with the con's vendors, there were a shit ton of stands where it wasnt even art at the front, and mostly just factory made stuff, the artist alley only really being at the back which i was really sad about. but something that i like about it was that at my con, when waiting in line for the cosplay contest on saturday, they offered everyone a bottle of water in the whiteroom which was honestly really cool. it was a special experience for me but that may just be because im a wee child whose never gone to a con outside of my general vicinity, and the main thing was that i got. too many compliments for my ego. TLDR: i went to galaxycon and there was no appreciation for art and moreso for stuff like celebrity guests, etc. generally a positive experience for me but its clear it was not for many others in the comments here

[@angelicrose8406]

San Japan fan here! Have so much fun every year! I wish it had'nt ended ;^;

[@11ofcups]

I'm from San An so I went to San Japan but as a disabled person I'd be fuming about the lack of seating areas and lack of water. Being able to sit is so vital for a lot of disabled folk, and while I still needed to rent a wheelchair my friends needed places to sit with me too. On the note of TX cons and accessibility- San Japan was *incredible* in my experience. There was a wealth of priority seating for disabled folk in panels, including space for my friends (or a carer) to sit with me. I was also allowed to get into panels early so I could get situated! There were tables reserved in the different tabletop areas that were easier to navigate to for disabled folks. I had some trouble with the artist alley tables being taller than I'd like, and it was difficult to see wares laying flat on tables. Navigating the crowds in a chair was also challenging, but thankfully I was getting pushed by a friend which helped. The con staff was also super willing to help me when I needed it, which I super appreciate. The food at the Henry B. Gonzalez convention center always sucks though, my friends went to the mall down the river to get us food instead most days.

[@NotDIY]

this is gonna be fun

[@mindopolis6089]

Austin Convention Centre needs to have signage of where do you need to go and where you are. Edit: Welcome to Texas where we always have the volumes of stage speakers set to max

[@RandomDuck-Productions]

Take a break if you feel butnt out! If you do choose too , we all under stand! ♡♡♡ you work so hard!!!

[@Whatlander]

Reminds me of the comically terrible layout of Jekyll Con when I went once. It's a tiny comic-con/horror convention, most of which is all in one room. They had all of the celebrity guests stacked up at the entrance to the convention hall. Past that was the dealer's hall/artist alley, and in a weird nook off to one side were all of the exhibitors and artists who'd come for the horror part of the convention. The place was so small, but foot traffic to the horror section (supposedly the main draw) was nearly nonexistent. Everyone I spoke to said it was a bad con for sales, but the horror folks were straight up livid. Very friendly, but pissed off at the conditions. I decided not to apply for a table next year; just bought art/made friends instead.

[@catherineelmore2004]

Oh man… I went to this… the wait outside in 100+ degree weather for 2+ hours to get badges… the fact that the internet was terrible in the convention center so no one could take Venmo and needed to take cash and *then the only ATM broke down*… the fact that they only had one magnetometer for everyone to walk through so they could only have one entry door open…. There were so many organizational issues with this con.

[@Woolblossom]

It’s really interesting to hear that they set the new Galaxycon Austin show during the same time as another established Texas con, because for the new Animate Raleigh that happened in January they ,,,, also put it during the same exact weekend as a long running, established NC con not far away (Ichiban Con) so uhhh kind of seems a bit … purposeful lmao 😭😵‍💫 animate was also not a very good show too!! I made about as much as you did at this 🥴

[@BrigantinosDoRoudos]

Hoping the upcoming con is a bit better for artist's sake this year, geez.

[@bully056]

I can not endorse San Japan enough! I was there with a VR crew for 2023 and it was well organized, their staff was polite and knowledgeable and their security was on top of EVERYTHING! I really hope to go again next year with the same Crew! Also if you happen to be going to NekoCon in November, please pop-by and check out VR Zone!

[@narrowwing]

hearing all the horror stories about galaxy con is interesting, because I went to OKC on their first year, and it was the best convention i've ever been to. maybe they're learning? they had signs literally everywhere as well, and maps. or maybe okc is an anomaly. this is from the perspective of a cosplayer and not a vendor. the convention center itself was also new and very well laid out.

[@hatchawayyy]

i went to it too on sunday did you not hear about the child walking in on the hazbin hotel panel and asking an inappropriate question

[@narrowwing]

@@hatchawayyy I did not, but I don't really care for hazbin hotel so wasn't really listening for anything related and I also missed most of each day due to con crunching and living far away. I have heard of similar things happening at a lot of conventions including comic con though

[@CartoonCreatureLover]

Holy cow! Your experience is absolutely ASTONISHING in a BAD way! I went to a different Galaxy Con just earlier this year, & the layout of it was completely different than the one you vended for. Friday was PACKED & it was hard to navigate the Artist's Alley because so many people were checking it out! The celebrities were (I think) on a completely different floor & different room to the Artist's Alley in the back of the Dealer's Den. I guess completely different people were in charge of organizing the Texas Galaxy Con & its layout if they did everything THAT backwards, oh my! From my experience, the other ones seem to be better than the Texas one, since it was actually easier to find the Artist's Alley than it was the celebrities! (We walked around for AWHILE trying to find them, & stumbled across the Artist's Alley first thing!)

[@BloodSlimeNuggit-un9fg]

Was it the one in VA?

[@magsromanciere1724]

My Goodness! I am so Sorry all this stuff happened to you! I was actually planning on coming to see you especially at GalaxyCon. But a few family emergencies left me without a good way to get there. All of the issues with the con itself make it seemed so horrible. I do eventually hope to make it to A Texas Con so that I can meet you eventually. Please take all the time you need in order to recharge and come back when you're good and ready. We all love you and your art/stories so much, we can be patient. I can promise you that.

[@KelciDComics]

Glad I'm not the only one taking a hiatus from conventions for a while! Shows this year have friggin SUCKED.

[@griff6447]

I've never attended or sold at a con that didn't give all vendors an info packet at least a month in advance, table layout, accessibility, venue map. It's crazy to hear all this! Also, I feel the pain with the country music, I did a small con in Inverness, right behind me was a stage with a live band >:0

[@cyberisincrediblygay]

I love your story times so much! Each one is just so interesting to watch/listen to while I draw. It reminds me of art KZbin from 2015-2018 it’s been a while since I’ve found a story time and speed painting channel that I enjoy these days. Sorry I’m rambling, but keep up the amazing work, your art is gorgeous and so adorable and I hope to commission you when I’m not broke haha

[@missjade25]

This was my first con and i did NOT enjoy it. My brother likes to go to conventions so i decided to go with him this year. We only went Saturday and waited outside for well over an hour. AND then had to wait at least another 45 mins to an hour to get our badges. Why prepay if we still have to wait!! It was so unorganized and frustrating. I did buy from a few artists and got a picture with LeVar Burton, so that was nice, but i dont think ill go to another one again. I was hoping to go to Andy Serkis' panel, but all the waiting we had to do burnt me out. We ended up leaving around 5

[@princess_shymiera]

My boyfriend and I will be attending AWA 2023, so I'll definitely be stopping by your booth, no questions asked. Just keep an eye out for Gir from Invader Zim, Herbert West from Reanimator, or Sailor Jupiter

[@hakimitus]

Sorry for such a bummer experience, but thank you for sharing! It's very insightful.

[@smileyfroggyz]

so sorry that con went so badly :( I hope ur break from cons go well! I’m super excited for rose city comic con :D I’ll try to stop by and say hi to u- :3

[@MrTophatter]

i remember a little while before that con happened, they were giving out little fliers for it at my local comic shop. i saw it and was like "ive never been to a con before, but this looks fun i should go" but then i saw the date and realized it was way too short of notice to plan a trip to austin, so i didnt go. now im really glad i passed on this one, that would not have been a fun first con experience.

[@koikat6638]

omg that sounds awful. Sadly it also reminds me of this years sakura con though. While the artist alley wasn't dead, it was in another building. I don't know why they couldn't squeeze the artist alley onto a higher floor of the new convention center, but they decided that it was worth it to have the artist alley in the old convention center... and the artist alley only. While they were only a block away from each other, the entire block is on a decently steep hill and after a few hours of walking, it was an active decision to go to the artist alley instead of just and intuitive elevator or escalator ride up. Very bad placement

[@Suspinded]

Pro Tip for parking garages : Elevators are always next to handicapped parking spaces, even if there's no signage. First year events are always a cluster unless the group running it is VERY experienced.

[@edman813]

After Galaxycon I went to Hill Country Comic Con in New Braunfells this past Saturday, for my 2nd ever convention attendance and let me say the contrast between GalaxyCon Austin and HCCC was astronomical. The latter aside of being worse with parking was so much better because for 1 the attendees actually felt like they wanted to be there and the staff for Hill Country Comic Con were so much more professional and less business centric and more convention fandom friendly which really helped the atmosphere. I met Katie Griffin and Linda Ballentine at HCCC and they were so cool, had fun with lots of other Sailor Moon fans unlike GalaxyCon I actually bought merchandise, talked to the people running art/merch and there was a sense of them succeeding at selling.

[@cherrycrows3844]

Sadly Galaxycon is the only sort of mainstream convention we have here in Columbus, so it's sort of all we can get sadly. It actually used to be called Wizard World Comic Con, but I think they changed the name because it went bankrupt? But, after having been to both, you can tell that either they're one in the same, or the company had owned them both because the setups are EXACTLY the same They're sadly all like this and, weirdly, also feature a lot of wrestlers as well. The tattoo artists I can understand, it gives people a selection of artists who know how to ink the anime style freehand if that's what they want! But...wrestlers...mm

[@BloodSlimeNuggit-un9fg]

The Virginia one in 2023 was a bitch to endure, even as a customer.

[@marvelgurrl666]

Oh WOW! Sorry that you had such a horrible experience. I went to my city's first ever GalaxyCon last December, and it was miles better than what you described. The Artist Alley was integrated in with the dealers main room, like every 3rd or 4th table was AA rather than a licenced dealer, so very well done. We also had a ton more to do as attendees. Soooo many pannels that we could barley fit them into our schedule. It was honestly a great attendee experience, and probably a really decent dealer/AA experience as well as the traffic was all in 1 massive room (GC had rented out all of the main show-floor rooms to use for everything - so everything was all in the same main area). Oh yeah, we also had plenty of sinage. Need to know where the main hall is? 50 signs pointing you in the correct direction. Bathrooms? 100+ signs for each one. But, what you described, omg, nightmare fuel! I could not imagine wanting to go back.

[@aleashaacevedo179]

26:04 I’m not sure if this was a misspeak, but did you mean to say gross income instead of net income here? Gross = counted before taxes/expenses/etc. Net = counted after all those things. As a fellow convention artist it’s always interesting and highly informative to hear of how others do at different shows, and the information is always appreciated! I was just confused when you called the initial count “Net”…

[@nomistarry]

I really appreciate the numbers you give at the end- I’m applying for my first con soon and feel like I’m going into it pretty blindly so this whole series has been SO helpful!!

[@cherryr9285]

holy shit that's a horrifying experience, still, thank you so much for sharing your expertise on everything!

[@sharklyat]

I was planning to go to GalxyCon, but it happened to fall on the same weekend as San Japan (which my friends has already bought my ticket for). I decided on San Japan. Glad I lucked out and ended up at the better con wow.

[@heyindiegamer7831]

As a veteran Raleigh GalaxyCon con-goer, yeah, they are a disorganized when people come into the convention as well. And I don't think they are going to get any better. Despite this, my family has such a great time going (Although we never ran a booth, so I can't speak for the vendors there). Although last time we went, on a Saturday around 3pm, we went back to the hotel and back since it was right next to the convention. It was me, my sibling and their boyfriend as we had to remove our cosplays for a photo op coming real soon. Our parents still being in the convention. We walked out and there was a singular line, the building having three doors, a large tent over the doors BARELY being used for long and a line that snaked around to the streets that could be very hazardous down the block. We asked around if there was another way in, and their might have been another entrance, but it was a floor below in another hotel that we never been in. In 90 degree summer weather, a sibling with a history of having heat stroke once and a photo op closing in, we asked a couple, who were dressed similar to my sibling, if we can cut in line because of pressing matters. They allowed it, cutting 3/4 of the line to finally get back in to meet up with our parents, albeit having to endure couple smoking before we got to the No-Smoke Zone. It turns out that the day passes went on sale for a last minute cash grab, but I don't understand when the convention could not open two lines as there was enough room in the tented area to hold more people. Let this be a lesson, but GalaxyCon really does need to treat there attendees better. (On that note: I didn't see any water bottles, but there were food trucks on the end, and I would hate to be the single person going without a group. There was a guy selling shaved ice with flavored syrup and I bet he made bank that day.) (Another note: the building was 3 stories with a basement, the basement being where both the bug vendors and the celebrities are. Artist Alley, this year, was placed on the top floor right next to the main stage where the celebrities talk or even sing. While it having four rows of indie artists, it was certainly crowded on Friday and Saturday in a smaller room. My problem was that I had a hard time finding vendors again, as I would like to find the vendors again, but it was hard to find as they leave early and get replaced. I would have no idea where they can be on top of the show floor below. But these are my experiences, like I would know what goes on behind the scenes there.)

[@MsMvsc]

Could you tell me more about Galaxycon Raleigh? There's little info online. I was trying to see how large attendance is.

[@heyindiegamer7831]

As a con-goer, I have a good time there. I usually have anxiety when going on trips, but going to GalaxyCon always feels welcoming and I hardly ever feel anxious (except when getting up and asking questions to VA). Attendants, on the weekend, can get as high as 50k, especially Saturday. Thursday will have the least amount on attendees there. It'll be the best time to get everything done, like shopping or Autographs. The best time to get tickets is after the last one ends, for the discount is at its lowest around that time. There are a lot of good places to eat around Raleigh. GalaxyCon has several food trucks. Although this year, they were placed outside, which meant you have to go through the front entrance again. This year had the most shops I ever seen, so maybe set a budget. I know I went over mine when I went that year, especiallyin Artist Alley. The big negative I have is usually getting through the front doors. It varies from them being carefree from filing people in to a SINGULAIR LINE on a hot day when there are three doors they can use. Once your in, your golden. Another peeve is the lines for Autographs are bad. Unlike Momocon (Really good con as well) where the rows are nice, long and define, GalaxyCon use tape on the ground and expects everyone to follow them proper. The stars that might get more people usually get a longer line, but if the organizers assume wrong, the line would cut into other lines and places it shouldn't have. If you have the money, the VIP ticket is worth it. My dad had it and it cut the wait time in half so next year my mom will get one as well. Overall, it is a fun weekend with lots of stuff to do. I have a good time, but it may depend. The shows get bigger, but the building isn't as big. It's is, however, the best place in all on NC to meet lots of genuine like minded people who share the love of Anime/Gaming/Artistic media.

[@CeruleanFoxArt]

I was also an artist at galaxycon, and it was AWFUL for me. I made $475. And the only booth that was available was the $890 “vendor” booth. I will never be going back. I went to comicpalooza in houston and it was AMAZING for me. I’m still trying to recover, no commissions from it, no extra traffic to my website, nothing.

[@CeruleanFoxArt]

I do charcoal realism work, and I make like anime characters in realism black and white. It was so frustrating being squished between a weapon vendor and and a toy vendor. I was just ignored the entire weekend. Only up side is a few Voice Actors are interested in working with me.

[@kate_likes-horses6626]

I just need to say i didn’t realize castoff was on webtoon and I binged it all in one night it’s so good bro

[@meteorcity]

i went to galaxycon richmond and it was one of the worst i've ever been to! i only went as an attendee but my main motivation for going to cons is artist alleys. the no signage bit is reflective of my experience as well. if there weren't a lot of people, it wouldn't have been obvious where to go at all. there was like no checking of badges and it would have been very easy to just walk inside the con. i was told to put my badge around my neck once, but when we got to the vendor's room which was just one big room with everything in it rather than having separate places for artist alley and panels, there was no check. you could just walk in. worst organized vendor's room/artist alley i've ever been in. there were plenty of spaces in the convention center where they could have housed things separately, and a lot of the room was taken up by people there to see guests, making for a super unpleasant shopping experience. (haha i wrote this before i got to 13:34 in the video where you mention the layout. yep. checks out) i remember saying while i was there that i felt the con was bad, poorly organized and far too 'corporate' feeling.

[@BAESDart]

I just Tabled at Galaxy Con San Jose and I had the same exact things happen to me lol. Almost exactly except table is $485 now!!!

[@alien-insomniac0532]

I originally considered going to the upcoming show in St. Louis but after not only seeing how expensive the con was but reading the reviews on trustpilot and rewatching this video. I’m reconsidering lol

[@Hannah-vm2rh]

Sorry to hear you had such a bad time! Honestly, everything you said about Galaxy Con also applies to Fanboy Expo (at least the one I went to in Knoxville). The line to get in wrapped around the building (45 min wait in TN heat), they clearly prioritized high-profile guests over everything, the only panels were guest Q and A’s, artist alley was hard to find and wasn’t prioritized, and the whole con felt very loosely organized. I didn’t even see any volunteers checking wristbands or controlling lines around the con. I also didn’t get a chance to go to the artist alley cause I spent the whole day waiting in panel lines (for 2 panels). The ticket cost was the same as an early ticket to MTAC, which is a WAY better convention by MILES. So Fanboy Expo is another one to avoid if you ever start selling at conventions again (or even as an attendee tbh).

[@BeeCreates929]

I'm convinced the entire GalaxyCon franchise is a scam. As an atendee, you pay for a badge just to get in (absolutely EXORBITANT attendance fees too) and then EVERYTHING costs money. Panels charge attendance, the cosplay contest charges an entree fee, no photos allowed on the con floor (only place to take cosplay photos is tbe cosplay lounge... which costs money). The only thing worth doing at galaxycon other than artist alley is the celebrity guests and those cost approximately an arm, a leg, a first born and an immortal soul. And this is Raleigh GalaxyCon, which is very established. I never bother going, even though I live in Raleigh.

[@herpsandderps8967]

I attended as a guest to check it out before I vended it. It took 2.5 hours to get through security on Saturday and I noticed that crowds didnt pick up until 3:30pm. The crowds were there, they just couldn't make it in the door because there were only 2 security people at the door.

[@woodromeillustrations]

You make outrageously more than I make at my local cons. I normally average $250 for a 3 day con. Barely enough to pay for the table. I need to make some changes for sure.

[@classicforreal]

The first step to avoid in running a con is running a con. - source: everyone who ever been to a con.

[@Star_squirrel]

At 5:59 I realized the music was kick back or chainsaw man

[@bowlOnudel]

Love the music box cover in the background I was humming the whole time lol

[@tiandao8503]

I was involved in running a convention years ago. Each year the same people were in charge and actively tried to destroy anyone who tried to do things better and provide a better experience for con-goers. Eventually, no one wanted to volunteer because they knew they'd end up regretting it. I finally walked away in such disgust that I've never attended a convention since. I've always said that they're three things you don't want to ever see how its made: laws, sausages, and cons.

[@mizushimma]

Animate! Columbus is another new one for Galaxy con this year Also a $410 table. It was so terrible. Nobody made any money. It was super dead. They didn’t curate any of the vendors so there were obvious bootleggers and random people just swooped in and tried to sell things at empty tables. I don’t think I’m ever going to do a con that they run ever again. It was so bad

[@tailsimp]

Okay but that was a 100% amazing explanation of shipping

[@cianoconnor1680]

wheeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 100k letsssss goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@boots1622fan]

if it makes you feel any better, san japan was a mess also, but. granted, that might just be to volunteers...

[@eloritia.cosplay]

I'm writing this comment as I'm watching the video because I was in the artist alley for Galaxycon Columbus 2022 and seeing this video I was immediately curious about how their other cons went. 2022 was also their first year in Columbus, and I applied only because I am local. Never doing any Galaxycon affiliated show again tbh. That whole thing was run /horribly/, the artist alley layout was terrible, there were honestly some fire code violations i believe ( according from what I heard from people familiar with those ), there was traced and straight up stolen art in the artist alley. They also charged by card on acceptance so I'm guessing this is just how they work, there was no notice about them charging upon acceptance either so I was baffled and unprepared. I also got in within a day of applying, which probably means they auto approve a lot of people. In my case there were artists that got shuffled /during/ the convention and switched tables to other empty tables in order to attempt to get better sales. I guess at least it's good that the organizers allowed that but this shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Another thing Columbus did is send out an email AT the show to rebook for next year at a discount while also still raising the price of tables like 100$ extra so....yea. Regardless of the con being local to me (literally 10 minutes away) I will not be doing any Galaxycon shows in the future until there is actual improvement.

[@zmartin5546]

I used to table a lot of the Austin/San Antonio comic con circuit. There are some truly abysmal, money-grubbing con "organizers" in this area. Sorry to hear things haven't changed much.

[@amazing-spiderling]

I was at this con but almost ended up skipping it after we drove by at about 1 on Saturday and saw the line. We ended up driving home and coming back at 3 and the line was nonexistent, which really tells you that there was no need for the line, it was just poor management. Apparently, the line was also terrible on Friday, so I have to wonder why they didn't start Saturday with a better plan. I had very basic expectations for the convention myself, I basically only came to meet some comic artists and writers and get a few books signed, so that part of my journey was successful, but it was CLEAR how unorganized the layout was. I was keeping close tabs on the convention on IG and once they started announcing really random guests (sports mascots?) I was really getting strong "anything for a buck" vibes. I'm glad you managed to turn a profit in the end, though. I can't say I blame you for not returning.