So a few things before I go into full details:
When speaking with the staff and with vendors who had been to Bash Con in the past, I found out that:
- Apparently Bash Con has been a University of Toledo event for nearly 40 years – which is bonkers to me because I had never heard of this show until a year or two ago.
- This show is usually held in March. So, the fact that it happened in February this year is an anomaly compared to past years. This made me wonder, more than once, “Why did they reschedule? Especially because February in Toledo isn’t exactly spring time.” (Plus we got a fresh blanket of snow on Friday – day 1 of the event.)
I think that both of these factors – that the show is advertised by word of mouth, and that they rescheduled from past years – contributed to the show floor being so…quiet.
There were attendees, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t sure what kind of crowd to expect (because I had not attended this show before). But the crowd was small. I don’t think paying $40 for a half-table would be worth it for most people, considering the low attendance.
That said, local artists like me did not lose out a whole ton. At a show like this, it helps to be local because you’re not out the cost of a hotel or AirBnB. I had recouped the cost of the table fee through other means, and my only other expense for this show was meals. Thankfully I made enough sales that I recouped that cost on day 2. (I don’t tend to count the cost of printing because printing is used to make merch that gets carried over to future shows.)
On the plus side, the folks who did stop by my table were mostly lovely! There were only two people that made me go, “Please walk away” in my head, which…it’s Toledo. Having that internal reaction to two people at an event in Toledo is the batting average. I had the same thing happen at Momentum in 2024 and the Toledo Comic Arts Fest last year.
There was another unexpected perk from Bash Con, but to talk about it, I need to establish a little context.
Most conventions don’t have lunch breaks. The expectation is that you will eat something from the vendors who service the convention center or whatever hall is hosting. (Unless you sneak in snacks.) It’s considered lucky if a convention has a Green Room with snacks and drinks for the vendors and guest artists. (This is part of why I love A2CAF – they have a green room with full-on catering, and it’s lovely.)
Bash Con did it a little differently. Saturday the vendor hall was open from 10 am to 10 pm…but closed for lunch and dinner so the vendors could get food. Once at 1 pm for an hour, and again at 6 pm for dinner. I genuinely did not expect that, but it was super helpful!
Also, the event was held at the University of Toledo student union. The top floor has a restaurant called Phoenicia, with diner seating and everything. And just about all of my meals for the weekend came from them because their food is freaking delicious. They also had tea with honey! Bless them. They saved my poor throat – I only just recovered from a nasty cold, and forgot how much talking is done at a con, even a slow one. Their tea saved me multiple times.
FINAL VERDICT: vendors – locals only for this one. Please don’t drive in from outside of the Toledo, OH area to set up here. Maybe it’ll be a different story if they hold this again in March next year, but that’s yet to be seen.
Bash Con – for the love of all that is holy, you gotta promote this show better! Social media alone is not going to cut it. If you need pointers, reach out to the organizers of Pittsburgh Indie Expo. They ran their first show last year after a long hiatus and the turnout was huge. I can give you their contact info, just let me know!
That’s all for now. Thank you for checking in!
You. Are. Awesome.