Peoriacon 2026 Review

I've been meaning to sit down and type up all the convention reviews for all the cons I've attended and sold at over the last year or so because, while I don't think that my opinion is most important, it can help folks who are either just starting out or are looking to expand to new areas. I have included in some of the things I have heard from other attendees as well as other vendors and artists, but have left out names so there isn't backlash or negativity towards them.

Peoriacon was held at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois on Saturday March 7th and Sunday March 8th. I had sold as Seifer's Stitches last year, but did not make enough money to justify my business being there, but Snacc Pack had a rollover from 2025 as we were guesting at another convention and the Peoriacon organizers were kind enough to allow that. Load-in instructions were sent about a week before the convention and were very precise and helpful, including a map for where we needed to go to load in. I really appreciate this as many conventions do not do this and it can be overwhelming and confusing for some folks.

Set up went relatively easy, and while I did have to pay extra for a second vendor's badge for my partner, it was only $5 and not crazy (some conventions will only include one badge for a 10k+ attendee convention and expect you to pay $40+ for an extra badge.) One gripe I do have for Peoriacon is that it's $250 for an 8ft by 6 ft spot, so if our neighbors behind us had shown up, we would have been really cramped.

We set up for Snacc Pack, and had a secondary table on the corner of our rectangle with some extra merch as well as a few of Seifer's Stitches' amigurumi so that I might have had a chance to also make money. To be transparent, sales have sucked since November and almost everything I make goes directly into paying my bills so that my lights stay on. I had also been dealing with terrible flooding due to a mess of plumbing issues and my landlady basically pulling the rug from under me. Moving on, I did my best to have a great display, but again, for $250, I would hope for a little more wiggle room so that two people could sit behind our table.

We did have to leave right at 7:30 pm on Friday as that was when the doors closed for the evening in order to be ready for Saturday. We checked into our hotel just down the street after enjoying a couple of slices from SliceHub Pizzeria (For real, $6 for a HUGE slice of pizza and a soda? Amazing deal.) We were able to get into the convention center early on Saturday without issue to finish setting up and again, left room for our neighbor to the back to be able to set up if they showed.

Not only did they never show, but several other vendors just never showed up. One gentleman showed up late on Sunday morning expecting to make money and then proceeded to leave early because the crowd just wasn't spending.

The crowd was definitely younger, where you could tell that the kids were just dropped off with maybe $50 and told that they would be picked up around 6pm. I was mostly by myself, as my partner had some things to take care of. A lot of these children were very rude, claiming that our charms were cringe, and after hearing that 20 times in an hour, I finally had to say that "hating on people learning to love themselves is cringe." These kids were taken aback. I don't think they'd ever been challenged in that way. Sales were decent for us, but after talking with a friend, it seemed that the only people who really did well that weekend were the folks who were part of the stamp rally. I'm happy for them, but after hearing from so many folks that they did terribly, it hurts.

I had a lot of folks pick up my amigurumi, look at the price tag, and gawp at the pricing. Most of my work is relatively affordable. $15 for an Unown, or $35 for a 10 inch tall Vanillite really isn't asking for much. I understand, we're all hurting, but tearing others down for one-of-a-kind pieces is not it. It also wasn't one or two people, it was dozens. I told them if they wanted to learn to crochet or if they already did, I had crochet patterns available and I got scoffed at.

I did end up asking the organizers if I could spread out a little, after the doors had been open for an hour and a half and our back neighbor had never shown up. I kept being told "Not yet, not yet." But they had told the other vendors in our block if they would put a table cloth there and their business cards, "to make it look busy." Eventually, I just moved my amigurumi and when the organizer came by to stare at my display, I asked if it was alright and if not, I'd be happy to move it again. They shrugged and said it was fine. I made my first and only sale Sunday morning to another vendor and I undersold it because I knew they wouldn't have taken it otherwise.

It also hurt not just me, but other vendors that the cosplay competition took place an hour before the vendors hall closed. It was basically empty for an hour and a half before it closed each day. I appreciate that Peoriacon has an adults cosplay competition and a teen/kids competition, but it killed sales and I don't like being able to walk away from my table and not have to worry, if that makes sense.

Our sales ended up basically covering the gas and hotel costs for this weekend, and again, I made less than $50 with my actual business. I heard from so many others that they weren't able to cover their table or just barely were able to cover their tables. I really wish I could do this for free, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. If you like someone's work, and you can do so, please support them! I have lost so many artist friends due to how all the world is running and I would hate to have to quit just so I can make sure my family is fed. I told my business partner I personally will not be doing Peoriacon again until 1. Their attendees get a better attitude (Treat others the way you want to be treated, and if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all) and 2. The event itself is better organized. Load-in and Out was great, but that doesn't amount to much if I'm hauling out basically the same amount of product as I came in with. If you made it this far, thank you. I really want to do more of these con reviews, again, so that it can help others see if a show is worth it or not. Personally, unless you can walk down the street to the Civic Center, and have plenty of cheap items for people to purchase, it's not really worth it. If you would like to help me get rid of some of the stuff I've had on hand for a while, please use the code "Stockcleanout" for 10% off any of my Ready to Ship items. It helps me not only get rid of older stock, but helps me prepare for my move in a few months.