A few weeks ago, I traveled to Savannah, GA for Savannah Comic Con. This was my first year attending, and like so many events this year, it was neither bad nor was it amazing. This is primarily due to oversaturation in convention scenes as well as the overall economy.

I had already gone into this event with mixed feelings. Initially, it was supposed to be held in May, but a month before the event, they announced that the event had been moved to August. Now, that was fine for me since I didn’t have anything planned for that weekend, but the messaging as a whole was done poorly. I only found out due to a Facebook announcement, and never received any official communication until I reached out directly.

But, I went into the event cautiously optimistic: after all, I was reaching a new market with new people. I never vended in Savannah (although I love the city), so I was excited to reach potential new readers.

Yet, more disorganization became relevant during the load-in process. The line for the loading docks was long, and vendors were forced to park in a muddy-grassy area that suffered as the weather turned sour over the weekend. Vendors were not assigned booths either; rather, the laid out the vendors as they arrived.

This procedure worked in my favor (at least in some aspects) – as I ended up being in the row facing where the cosplay contests and other events took place. Yet, some vendors were placed near the bathrooms, where they had less visibility.

Overall, I was happy with my set up – although, the tables were a bit smaller than I had anticipated.

While, on one hand, my location had its benefits due to visibility, that visibility also created issues. I was often one of the first artists people saw, and since they didn’t want to carry around books (understandably) they often said that they would be back. Of those who said that, only a couple returned. It wasn’t that it was slow either; people just weren’t spending money, or were waiting to spend.

By the end of the first day, I did make back my table expense, although it below where I would have liked to be so that I’d be comfortable.

But, I’d have to say, the best part of that first day was the dog rescue that was there. All day, dogs visited my table, including this cutie below:

Let me tell you, if I was local, I might have caved and adopted.

After hugging dogs, I concluded my first day, picking up some food at Flok to the Wok (one of favorite restaurants there) before returning to my hotel. Of course, I had to get a couple picture of the river (and of a giant pikachu) before returning.

The next day started off somewhat better, especially considering how slow the show was by end of the first day. While it wasn’t as busy, there were more customers, which is always good.

Yet, I know I wasn’t alone in dissatisfaction for the first day. A few people didn’t return, and many packed up by midday. I held out though, which is great because I ended up with a few large sales towards the end of the event. While I didn’t make back 100% of my expenses, it meant I was only $50 of everything for the trip. Not terrible, really.

But, even with the not-so-terrible experience, I probably wouldn’t return to this event unless I was a local. While I made back nearly 3x table, which is my general rule of thumb for whether or not I’d return, the disorganization did mark this event down. Staff never checked in with the vendors, and on the second day, they kept making announcements about misplaced vehicles. It took them 2-3 hours to add any identifying information regarding these vehicles though, which frustrated many of the vendors because we didn’t know whether we had been impacted. It’s a small thing, but it showed how poorly done the communication was for this event.

While I rarely pack up early, I did start packing up an hour before the event ended so I could get on the road by 5pm and make the 4 hour drive home. With Hurricane Debby coming up the coast, I wanted to beat the traffic. But, in addition, after the cosplay contest – just like the day before – the convention died immediately. So I didn’t feel bad leaving 15 minutes early.

But, with all this being said, I have given the following ratings to the convention from MY EXPERIENCE:

While this wasn’t the worst event I had attended, with a decent ROI and experience, the organization of the event had a negative impact on my overall rating. I don’t think the organization negatively impacted attendees. In fact, it seemed like most attendees were having a blast! But, as a vendor, it had its affects. I think if I was local, I would consider doing this again, but it’s not worth my travel to Savannah, GA.

So for all this reason, I still give this convention a passing grade of a C. It wasn’t terrible, there were puppies, and I met some new readers.

With that being said, if you’re local to Savannah, check out this convention. It’s not huge, but there’s a decent number of attendees, and there’s plenty of events. As a vendor, you’ll make some money too…just I didn’t think it is worth my time to travel again.

But maybe I’ll find another convention up that way…because I sure do love Savannah.

Disclaimer: All opinions are based on MY personal experience at the event. This should not say anything in particular about the event as a whole. Rather, I encourage readers to gather multiple perspectives from other vendors and attendees to make decisions of their own.

For details on my rating system, you can go here.