A Creator’s Guide to Conventions

I began working as a creator at and organiser of events and conventions in 2016. I’ve tabled at some of Ireland’s biggest events, at Thought Bubble and MCM London, at WorldCon in Dublin, and at smaller conventions all over the country of Ireland. I ran a market in Dublin for two and a half years, and I’ve been working with Octocon (the National Irish Science Fiction Convention) since 2021. I’ve been a panellist, a moderator, a programme director, a trade hall manager, a fan, and a creator showing off my portfolio. In this article, I’ll be distilling the best bits of advice that I wish I had heard before I started on this wild journey.

Tabling 101

We’ll start where every artist looks to get: tabling at a convention.

The first thing that needs to be said: every convention is different, and your experiences will vary from the other creators at the show. Some people will hit the right notes for attendees. Some conventions will be grossly underattended. Don’t lose hope. If an event ends up a failure – for you or for the organisers – you can still use the experience to your advantage. Simply having attended and having photos of your display gives you something to show off and talk about when applying for other events. Nothing makes an organiser’s decision easier than proof that someone is a right fit visually and thematically for their convention.

There are a few basics you’ll need to get started when you begin working behind a table:

• A tablecloth – some events provide them, most do not
• A means to take electronic payment – whether that’s cards (preferred in Ireland and UK) or wireless transfer (including PayPal and Revolut)
• A means to point people to your social media/website/portfolio – typically a pullup banner and a business card, but more people are going cardless and simply putting a QR code to scan and an image on their table with usernames
• A means to display your stock – from bookstands to wire cages, and everything in between, this will all vary depending on your stock

If you haven’t yet started, don’t be afraid to ask artists you know (or who seem approachable) where they got their display pieces, and if they can share their manufacturers’ details. Printers are more likely to be shared than merchandise producers, though many people rely on the same marketplace sellers to handle things for them instead of going directly to manufacturers in China.

When you have everything you think you need, attempt a mock setup at home based on standard trestle table sizes. Some key points:

• Vary the height of different parts of the display – this is where cages help to provide elevation
• Vary the colours on the table so that you become more noticeable from far away
• Leave some space between products so that it doesn’t become cluttered
• Add prices to your display to make things easy for people
• Give yourself space behind your stock to be able to put things down, including your lunch, your cash box, your card reader, a means to track sales, etc.

When you’re happy with your setup, take a picture to help guide you on the day. And then, prepare for tabling. On top of the other items above (and your stock) remember to bring:

• Change for cash sales
• A means to track sales – I make a list of everything I have and use tally marks to track them
• Food and water
• An additional layer in case the venue is colder than expected
• Hand wipes or hand sanitiser

These are just some basic tips, but starting out can feel intimidating when you don’t know what to expect. Take events one at a time, and do a review of how it went for you afterwards. Remember that sales can’t just cover the table cost – they also need to in some way cover the cost of producing work, and paying you for your time. A lot of the time, you will be largely building an audience and trying to get repeat customers.

Panels, Talks and Workshops

Every convention has them, but it’s not always apparent how to get involved, or why you would want to do that. Let’s look at that before we look at the how.

Being on a panel, giving a talk or running a workshop typically achieve one of the following:

• You are seen as an expert on a topic (clout)
• Your work is seen by people who might not see you in the Artist Alley or Trade Hall (exposure/sales)
• You have an opportunity to meet people with a similar set of interests as you who you might otherwise not meet (networking)

It’s also fun. I cannot stress that enough. If you apply to run or participate in a programme item at a convention, and your anxiety doesn’t get the better of you, it can be a great experience. My first time on a panel was in 2018 at Octocon. Less than a year later, after only one other panel (at Dublin Comic Con), I was moderating panels at WorldCon.

Moderating is stressful at times, but it’s also a good chance to lead the conversation and to get the most out of people whose opinions you admire. If you want to go down that route, Octocon has a panel with some tips and tricks on moderating featuring myself, Kat Dodd and Catherine Sharp (the last three Programme Directors for the convention).

If you want to run a talk or a workshop, the benefits are similar, but the workload is greater. You’re more likely to be seen an expert from a talk than from a panel, but you also have to prepare a lot more material. For any of the three:

• Make notes for yourself to follow
• If you’re making the presentation, make it clear and easy to follow, and be aware that you might be running on a different version of PowerPoint at the venue
• Time yourself speaking on different points, especially for Talks
• Bring additional materials where appropriate, such as a copy of your book to display beside your name (and your name display if provided by the convention – events like Octocon and WorldCon do this)

Now that you have some idea of why you would do it, and what to do to prepare, we still need to look at how to apply.

How to apply for convention programming

Conventions with a lot of programming and a team behind making panels will have application windows for participants to apply. This often includes a chance to pitch an idea. Note that your idea might be ignored (they don’t know how to work with it) or may not get to go ahead (there may not be sufficient interest from other participants.) With conventions like this, you usually cannot request a line-up of panellists to appear.

For other conventions, where they open panel applications without a programme team, they want you to pitch with a name, description, and a list of participants. It’s more work for you, because you need to create the whole idea, but you also have more control over who appears with you.

Note that programme applications usually open up way in advance of a convention. Octocon typically stops looking for participants in June, running in October. WorldCons tend to close applications six months out at a minimum. Other conventions can run closer to the weekend they run if everything is provided by applicants (name, description, etc.)

You should also consider:

• How do you want to participate at a convention? Just on programme, mixing programme and tabling, or just tabling?
• How much time could you give up from behind your table? Do you have cover?
• What can you bring to a panel?
• Does a panel fit your brand? (Gross marketing word, but it’s relevant, sorry!)

Of course, you might not choose to participate in programming at all. And that’s fine!

Meeting Your Heroes

Conventions almost always have guests. Sometimes they’ll be behind a table all weekend. Sometimes they’ll be wandering the convention just like you. Sometimes they’ll charge for autographs and pictures. Sometimes they don’t have signing times at all, and you might just need to catch them. Regardless, there are some tried and tested measures for meeting your heroes.

• Don’t take up too much of their time – if everyone told them their life story, they wouldn’t get to meet a lot of their fans
• Be friendly, be kind, and respect the fact that they’re booked in for a weekend of work – they might seem less friendly than you expected, but they might also have just flown in, gotten over an illness, or had any other Life Event happen recently
• On that note, remember that they’re just people
• Don’t overstep personal boundaries (and avoid the trap of parasocial relationships)
• Always ask to take a photograph
• Tell them what you like about their work, bonus points for actors if it’s a newer role and not the one that most people associate them with – James Marsters was delighted that I brought up Runaways after I mentioned Buffy, because he liked getting to play someone different
• Don’t be afraid to offer them a small gift as a token – I like giving prints to guests at conventions of their characters, if I have one (sometimes you get things back, like a signature, a print, or – as in the case of the wonderful Doug Jones – a hug)

It bears repeatedly: your heroes are just people. Treat them well, don’t ask for too much, understand that they have their own personalities and some people are much better at being Switched On for a public event than others. Also note that they usually have a handler with them if they’re a TV or film star, and that person’s job is to take payments, to take care of the guest, and to be the asshole to you if need be.

Building Fan Relations

Remember when I said you’ll be spending time building an audience?

Conventions are a long-game for many people, but especially for those with anything involving storytelling. Comics, novels, and games, for a start, all rely on audience development. Or, as we’re calling it here: fan relations.

Here are some simple tips for building fan relations so that every event you work at benefits you at least a little:

• Be yourself, that’s who people want to see
• Stay consistent with style, genre and a release schedule
• Build a mailing list
• Advertise when you’re going to be at events, and where
• Take part in programming to be introduced to new people

There’s no such thing as overnight success, but you could get lucky with a new release – particularly if a convention advertises debuting works. Remember:

• Memorable titles are valuable
• Good cover art means your work will stand out
• Your cover and style of artwork should match the genre you’re working in

Presenting Your Work

As a creator, going to a convention gives you several opportunities for presenting your work. We’ve already looked at a few of these, but the opportunities are multitude:

• Sell your work in the Artist Alley
• Participate in panels
• Host a workshop
• Deliver a talk
• Do a reading of your work
• Show your portfolio to an editor
• Take part in a stamp rally in the Artist Alley
• Submit to a convention Art Show

Public readings are a difficult thing to do, especially as a new or relatively unknown writer. The written word is one of the hardest things to sell at a convention, not because people aren’t buying books but because every story requires something of a hard sell, and prose fiction only has one image to draw in a reader: the cover. But people aren’t at readings for covers, they’re there for the contents. This is an option for people who (a) don’t mind the risk of a small audience (or who might prefer that) or (b) have a readership present at the convention already.

Showing work to an editor is likewise easier to do as a comic book artist instead of writer, because comics are a visual medium. Bringing work to an editor as a writer requires pitching yourself, and having an easy to take away copy of your work for them to read properly at a later point.

Art Shows are convention-organised activities. Not every convention has them, and they all have their own rules. You will need to look at which conventions run them (usually WorldCons, as a minimum) and query directly with how to get involved.

Stamp Rallies are organised by the artists. The gist is that a group of artists with similar styles or interests will participate to encourage people to visit all of their tables during a convention. This sort of scavenger hunt activity is also an aspect introduced by convention organisers, but usually as a broader aspect of how people can participate without highlighting individuals (who aren’t guests.)

And, of course, have courage when showing your work. It’ll be worth it in the end.

An Incomplete List of Irish Events for Comic Creators

There are dozens of Irish conventions, which vary in appropriateness for comic creators. That said, very few comic creators do just one thing, and none have only one interest. This list is based on the last instance of each event that I could find (in mid-2024, in case you’re looking at this in the amorphous future).

January

• MegaCon Live! Dublin – Dublin – Focus on Media and Comics
• Warpcon – Cork – Focus on Gaming

February

• Akumakon – Galway – Focus on Anime
• Itzacon – Galway – Focus on Gaming
• AthventureCon – Athenry – Focus on TTRPGs

March

• Dublin Comic Con – Dublin – Focus on Media and Comics
• Leprecon – Dublin – Focus on Gaming

April

• Kaizoku Con – Cork – Focus on Anime and Sci-Fi
• DCAF* – Dublin – Focus on Comics
• Cosmic Rebels Con – Wexford – Focus on Media and Comics
• Cúirt International Festival of Literature – Galway – Focus on Literature

May

• Gamerfest* – Dublin – Focus on Gaming
• Gamecon – Bantry – Focus on Gaming
• International Literature Festival Dublin – Dublin – Focus on Literature

June

• Enniskillen Comic Fest – Enniskillen – Focus on Comics
• Hobocon – Dublin – Focus on Gaming
• Celtic Con – Newbridge – Focus on Comics
• Q-Con – Belfast – Focus on Anime and Gaming

July

• Irish Gaming Market* – Meath – Focus on Gaming
• DCAF* – Dublin – Focus on Comics

August

• Small Press Day – Dublin – Focus on Comics
• Dublin Comic Con – Dublin – Focus on Media and Comics

September

• Offaly Libraries Comic Con – Tullamore – Focus on Comics and Literature
• Comic Con Northern Ireland – Lisburn – Focus on Media and Comics
• DCAF* – Dublin – Focus on Comics
• Underground Cinema Comic Con – Dun Laoghaire – Focus on Media and Comics
• Cork Comic Expo* – Cork, Mahon Point Shopping Centre – Focus on Comics

October

• Octocon – Dublin – Focus on SFF Literature and Media
• Murder One – Dublin – Focus on Literature (Crime specifically)
• Red Line Book Festival – Dublin – Focus on Literature
• Irish Discworld Convention – Cork – Focus on Discworld, every other year
• Gamerfest* – Dublin – Focus on Gaming
• Gaelcon – Dublin – Focus on Gaming
• Bram Stoker Festival – Dublin – Focus on Bram Stoker/Dracula/Horror

November

• Ballinasloe Comic Con – Ballinasloe – Focus on Comics
• Irish Gaming Market* – Dublin– Focus on Gaming
• Dublin Book Festival – Dublin – Focus on Publishing

December

• DCAF* – Dublin – Focus on Comics

This list isn’t complete, because there are always more events and there are a lot more literature festivals than I’ve included. Many of them are poetry focused or I don’t know the specific instances of how comics has fit into them in the past.

*These events are listed at their last-known dates, but are subject to change. In the case of the Cork Comic Expo, it does not have a schedule for when it returns. Irish Discworld Convention is every second year in Ireland, on odd-numbered years.

Let your shows begin

If you’re new to working at conventions, this has probably been a lot to take in. If you’re experienced, I’d love to hear your thoughts on ways to improve the guide to help the next generation of creators.