Return to Wichita’s Air Capital Comic Convention!
My first convention attending as an artist was Air Capital Comic Con in 2021. Before that, I participated in a local Free Comic Book Day where I set up a booth and sold my art for the very first time.
I had such a successful start to my art career and thought the only logical move was to progress to a bigger event. Surely, I would find the same amount of success, or dare I say, more success? Turns out, that is not what happened. I went from a good high to a sad low.
After last year’s disappointing affair, I wanted to give Air Cap another chance. Honestly, it wasn’t Air Cap’s fault, I really wanted to prove to myself that I could do better. However, I couldn’t help being nervous with all the questions I was asking myself.
Would the turnout be greater?
Would having more print designs and stickers increase my sales?
Would having a year of experience at these types of events aid in my success overall?
I received the event information in an email a week before. Looking at the map of all the vendors, I spotted my booth and began to wonder… did I filled my application out wrong AGAIN?
My booth was not located with the other artists and creators, but in the mix of vendors reselling comics, Pokemon cards, and Funko Pops. I’m not sure what the logic was, but I just hoped this wasn’t signifying a repeat of last year.
A good thing about the location was that I was in a memorable place - close to the back edge, but a straight-shot from the entrance. Hopefully, traffic would find me easily.
We selected the Hyatt Hotel this time around. Being connected to the convention center seemed appealing, and we assumed walking over to the event would be a breeze. WRONG.
I’m not sure what the builders were thinking, but walking through multiple doors (most of which were locked), guessing which elevators to take, and feeling generally lost was not helpful. We had a little over an hour and I still needed to set up; the panic started creeping in. Don’t worry though, we ended up finding our way with plenty of time to spare. Ironically, we found out later that going outside and around the building was faster.
Saturday
Arriving at the event Saturday morning, we quickly got to work setting up my displays. A great thing about Air Capital Con? The booth space: it’s much bigger than other events I’ve been to. I was able to extend my backdrop to feature all of my prints and had plenty of room on my table for fixtures and framed prints. With our friend helping out, it wasn’t long before we were ready for the con to begin!
I took the extra time we had before doors opened to go say hi to my art friends. Everyone was in a good mood and looking forward to what the weekend might hold. My husband and I also made friends with our booth neighbor, Peter, who turned out to be a really cool guy. He just moved to our area and happens to run his own convention in Oklahoma called Uncanny Expo. If you’re in the area, make plans to go check it out!
Comparing this day to last year, the Saturdays were similar. The convention held different events like stunt actors, Q&A about Star Wars, and a cosplay contest to attract attendees. It was reasonably busy with all age groups, and I got to speak to a variety of people about my artwork.
I even had a few interactions with people who bought my art during my last visit, and the fact that they remembered me was a pleasant surprise!
Of course, I also enjoyed conversing about pop-culture, Marvel shows, and favorite anime or video game characters. The most memorable moment for me was when a lady reacted to my Final Fantasy pieces and ended up buying three prints for her son and herself. It brought me a lot of joy knowing she liked my art and wanted to share it with her loved one.
The cosplayers were abundant, and it was such a treat to see people in amazing costumes.
Wichita After Hours
Once Saturday’s hours had ended, we decided to visit a new place for dinner and cocktails. Dockum was a few blocks away from the convention center under a hotel. The atmosphere was chill with old jazz music and a vintage interior. The drinks were enjoyably sweet and the food was delectable and easy to share.
Then, we headed over to Lava & Tonic for a tiki-themed experience. This was not a new place for us - we actually found it last year and were excited to return.
I want to give a quick shoutout to my Manager Babe for thinking ahead and reserving our seats because they were super busy! Turns out they don’t accept walk-ins on Fridays and Saturdays, so take notes if you want to check them out.
We had an intimate, cozy spot in the corner and was able to appreciate the fantastic décor.
The drinks were especially delicious, and to our delight, their seasonal Pumpkin Painkiller was back on the menu. Before you judge me for being basic, I urge you to try it if you ever get the chance. The boys both agreed that my drink won that round - it tasted just as good, if not better, than I remembered.
We didn’t need to indulge anymore, but we also tried their pizzas and egg roll appetizer. I usually fall in the category of “pineapple does not belong on pizza,” but I made an exception that evening. And wow! It was pretty life-changing!
The night ended rather late, but luckily for us, Daylight Savings Time was ending, so we gained an extra hour of sleep! Yay!
Sunday
We checked out of the hotel Sunday morning and hit up Doo-Dah Diner for breakfast. This was another repeat from 2021 that did not disappoint. Their Sunday buffet is the epitome of American food - not just breakfast. You can get anything from biscuits and gravy, waffles, mac & cheese, and salmon! I highly recommend visiting this place , but do it after the new year as we were told they won’t be doing the Sunday buffet for the rest of 2022.
After we ate more than our fill, we waddled into the convention center with almost an hour to spare. I took advantage of the extra time to meet new artists and check out the wares. Everyone I spoke to was so friendly.
One of the girls shared a couple of local events that she had participated in, and I found our conversation very helpful. It’s always great to get the perspective of another artist who participated in a convention that you’ve never been to. I also made an effort to stop by the other tables promoting comic conventions for next year. A couple of them were local or not too far away, so I added them to my list of future events as possibilities.
As we settled back into our booth space, I dreaded to think about the day being slow. I distinctly remembered 2021 involving at least an hour with no traffic. Groan. I also remember wanting to pack up and leave early, but doing that would have ruined my chances to participate again. To my delight, it didn’t come to that as Sunday exceeded my expectations. The turnout was higher, and I sold more than 2 stickers - whoo! Surprisingly, I did nearly as well as the previous day.
Takeaways
After everything was said and done, I saw a 30% increase in sales from LY which was very pleasing. I think this shows that having more print designs and stickers helped. My new Final Fantasy 7 print was well-received, and I couldn’t have been happier!
Now for some takeaways, or things I thought improved my experience this time around.
Having a few conventions under my belt - I felt more at ease with the whole event - setting up, talking to people, selling, tearing down, etc. I was more comfortable and could enjoy the moments without being anxious.
Variety of products - Like I mentioned, having more designs appealed to more people. I sold an unusual amount of greeting cards during the event. A couple of times, it was because the design was available in a smaller 5x7” size. So, maybe I should think about adding a smaller print size.
Managing Inventory - this may go in a later post regarding mistakes, but it finally occurred to me that I don’t have to take my whole supply of prints. I would never sell through 30 Tanjiro prints at an event, so why do I need to take them all?
Looking back at my numbers for Planet Comicon, I based the amount of prints I took with me on sales I did during that time, and had plenty of stock. It was way easier to transport everything too. I bought two, different-sized, plastic carriers to hold all my prints, and it worked well.
Directing Conversation - My husband brought this up to me - he noticed I managed conversations better. I’m talking specifically about those lovely, awkward individuals who will stand in front of your booth and talk to you for 15-20 minutes. Have you encountered them too?
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy most of those situations, but at this event, when I saw someone standing behind the said-individual, I would respectfully usher them along and wish them a good day. Then, I would direct my attention to the person who was more interested in my art or had intentions to make a purchase. I didn’t feel like I was being rude, and it prevented me from missing out on opportunities.
Collecting Leads - This was not a new technique for me, but I was more consistent. You know when people walk by, see your stuff, compliment you, and then take your business card before walking away? How often do you think people actually reference your business card to manually look up your website or social media? The answer is very few. Those are extra steps that most people don’t want to take.
I’ve mentioned how having a QR code readily available is handy for these situations, but I actually took it a step further. When someone came by and gushed about my art, I would ask if they had Instagram, and then pointed out my card with the QR codes. Then, I would ask them to follow me. I received several new followers by doing this.
Some people would casually admire my products and ask if I had an online store. I would tell them yes and then point to my newsletter sign-up sheet while letting them know that I send out alerts when I have a sale, like a Black Friday sale for instance. This helped build my email list to increase my own engaged community - take that social media!
The Verdict?
To conclude this recounting of Air Cap, I can answer my previous questions with positivity. The turnout was better, more products and designs helped my sales, and having participated in more events the past year increased my confidence and comfort levels resulting in a more fortuitous outcome! Will I go again next year? I haven’t made up my mind because I have other events lined up. So, if I do, it will be a surprise! For now, I’m going to hibernate and pump out more art.
Let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful! OR let me know what fanart you would like to see more of.
As always, stay stellar!
Hey there, Night Owl!
Are you thinking about participating in a convention or have you just started attending shows? I’ve made a checklist of items to take with you the day of the event! After a year of conventions, I included everything that I need to have for a successful day - over 20 items. Whether you are an artist going to conventions or a crafter attending a market, you’ll find this list handy! And yes, I use it myself because I don’t want another Planet Comicon moment where I forgot my photo backdrop at home. Click the button to get a downloadable PDF!
