Behind all the glitz and glamour of SDCC, there is the back bone of the whole event; the vendors. Not just the Hollywood Studios and Marvel and DC but the rest.
They take up the entire exhibitor space of the floor. This is pretty astounding when you think about how many different booth/tables are there.
What are your goals?
Are you looking for that that rare addition to your collection?
A SCC exclusive you can sell on eBay?
To make connections?
Someone to review your work?
It’s all there. Review the program guide on line before you even set foot in the convention center and you can save yourself a lot of time.
Be organized. Know what you want to buy and the price you are willing to pay. Introduce yourself and talk to the person with respect. Hand them a business card and let them know they can contact you if the price changes. If this sell doesn’t work, you are laying the foundation for the next one.
Need a mentor or a review of your work? Many of the smaller press tables are willing to help. Only bring what you want to show. Be prepared to talk about your work. Again, give out your business card and take theirs. You want to follow up with them with a polite email after the show regardless of their comments.
Looking for swag? A lot of it’s is just paper and will fill your suitcase and cause it to be over the weight limit at the airport but vendors often have several tiers of swag. There is the stuff for the common person that is just coming around with their hand out. Then there is the person that has a genuine interest in the product. Sometimes, just sometimes they have something special for you.
I was talking to the Topps people about mis-cuts and ragged edges. After a few minutes they pulled out a metallic Star Wars card promo. It was mine. And no, you can’t have it.
The vendors want to talk to you. They want to get to know you because you hold the gold. If you aren’t buying their product they need to know why and either improve it or get something else to sell. And as the holder of the gold you need to be respectful and polite. To have this power you must understand your responsibility.
Vendors are the backbone and often taken for granted at ComicCon.
AH
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