Tsukicon 2026 Con Review
Apologies for the delayed review! Things have been super hectic behind the scenes while also finishing, cataloging, and shipping out orders lately while also catching up on other smaller projects! I had the honor of vending at Tsukicon's first year of being a con and while I didn't have super high expectations, I at the very least broke even, which I can't necessarily say for previous conventions that have run much longer. From what I learned, asking around, Tsukicon's staff has run multiple single day events and markets and even though there were some hiccups, they seem willing to learn from their mistakes and hear their attendees, vendors, and guests complaints and criticisms.
Tsukicon was held this year during the weekend of October 16th-18th, in Dayton, Ohio. As this was a little more than a couple hour drive for us, we left on Thursday to set up. I appreciate that the staff were very responsive if folks had questions, and they even had an app to make everything kind of streamlined (I am also very happy there was a website version, as I don't have room on my phone for all the apps people recommend I have for my business.) We got checked in pretty quickly, but there weren't tables set up until you arrived. I thought that was a little strange, as it could have gotten confusing. What did end up confusing a lot of folks was the lack of end caps or barriers to keep attendees from just walking behind our booths, and many people did. I did bring this up with staff, and they already had it on their list.
Friday's hours were from 1pm-8pm, which I feel, personally, was a bit of a waste, as people didn't really start coming in until 5pm, in earnest. I am very fortunate that I not only had a few people come up to my table, saying they know me, but I got to make a few sales! Unfortunately, I was in the minority, which is crazy to me, as there was a great variety for different types of work. I also got to make friends with the person across from us (you can find her work here) and someone on the whole other side of the convention (find her work here). So while things were really slow throughout the weekend, at least I had some new friends to commisserate with. There was also no closing announcement except in one corner of the hall, so if you weren't in that exact area, you would not have heard them playing "Closing Time" and that resulted in plenty of attendees still walking around after hours.
Saturday was much worse than Friday, with our hours being from 10-7 and it feeling much slower. I did just under half what I did the day prior. I also had plenty of folks who had no idea what was going on, or it was their first convention and were very rude in their ignorance. If you haven't attended a con before, shouting, "WHY IS THIS SO DAMN EXPENSIVE?" is a big faux pas. If you do not like the price, or cannot afford it, that's alright, and you can move on. Folks, including myself, have spent hours, days, months, and years perfecting their craft and you trying to bully people makes them not want to sell to you. The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated, is incredibly important.
I did get a couple of custom commissions, which definitely helped cushion the boredom and lack of smaller items going home. I did end up selling all my simple color scalemates, which was awesome, but I still have both of my Roxys and the two Makaras I had made (they'll be under my Dragon Troll plush listing, if you'd like to send them home), and the amount of compliments definitely outweighed the negative comments. That is what I love so much about the cosplay and convention scene: the kindness that does overflow to smother the hate.
I am very thankful that I was able to book an AirBnb close to the convention center, as it was about half the price of the hotels in the surrounding area for the same timeline. Had I stayed at a hotel, I definitely would not have broken even. The place I stayed was very quaint and the only complaint I had was that there was no television, but thankfully, I brought plenty of books (which I then finished on the ride back home.) I also got to talk books, movies, and more with folks and that definitely passed the time. I got asked by so many people why I picked the characters I did and when I explained, they were surprised and impressed. Every character I can possibly make should have a pattern so that others can also make their favorite characters!
Sunday was a lot of the same thing, but I felt there was a few more people than Saturday perusing. I had this sweet older woman who was pushed in a wheelchair by her just as sweet son. She pointed out my Zephyr amigurumi and was so enamored with him. She's never played League, but she really loved the way the little guy looked. We talked a bit about patterning and how she loves making blankets for the Unhoused, and was so sweet in her demeanor. I gave her my card and told her if there was any pattern she needed to feel free to message me anytime. I also sold almost exclusively ribbons on the Sunday of Tsukicon and sold out of my "Serving Cunt" and "Out Papa'd John" ribbons, which I'm hoping to restock for Colossal North. If you'd like to help out, you can always buy me a ball of yarn on my ko-fi which also enters you in to win one (or more) of my Digibabies raffle! I'll also hopefully have new designs for North and beyond and can't wait to show you those!
All-in-all, Tsukicon could have been better. Having 120 vendors when you should have probably had 40 at most, so that people wouldn't feel like they wasted their time, money, and energy for a con where they may not have made anything. I feel like the hours could have changed just a bit, as longer hours do not necessarily mean that it will equal more sales. Again, I do appreciate that the staff were walking around and talking to folks about how they could better improve and then also sent out a digital feedback form. You can tell that these people have passion and care about the con experience without just caring about how much money they could make. I hope that they continue to grow and while I may give it a couple years for their growth before I return, if you're local to the area and can save on hotel, I would definitely give it a shot. Until next time, friends!
(I also was able to get Brionne sewn up and Morgana from Persona 5 made while it was quiet enough, and started on Shiny Tyrantrum, which should hopefully be done and typed up in the next couple of days!)
Comments