Have you been to Otakon or heard about this con? 👀 // Thank you to everyone who stopped by! Hope to come back next year 🥹 💖 Support me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mualcaina (+ get Artist Alley reviews and tips I don't share on UA-cam 👀) 🌸 Shop my stuff! mualcaina.com/ 📌 Helpful Resources Artist Alley Network (AAN) Discord discord.com/invite/artistalleynetwork Mualcaina Artist Alley Vlogs: ua-cam.com/video/kyPFldAdi9c/v-deo.html
New vlog, but more importantly, NEW PHONE! 🎉🤣 Interesting that they don't allow stamp rallies too considering their popularity atm. I'm still stuck on the west coast for vending for this year, but it's great seeing your business grow to the other coast! Your videos have been so helpful with keeping up with artist alley trends and setting up as a vendor, so keep it up! ✨
YES finally I don't have to worry about my phone storage 😂 I think they also limited rallies bc it can give an unfair advantage for some artists participating vs others who did not know about it (at least with what I heard about ANYC), but it was also a nice change not having a rally since it keep everything more simple for Otakon. Thank you for watching!!
it was such a surprise seeing your booth there!! i must've looked over your name on the artist alley list. i sadly didn't get to meet you but it was so awesome to see your stuff in person!! i'm a huge fan of the channel and im so happy otakon went great for you!
I've heard so many great things about Otakon. So glad it went well for you! 🥰 Also, I'm glad you mentioned the temperatures lol I never thought about that detail that can honestly make or ruin your day 😂
Professor artist 👩🎨 alley Macy M, much thanks 🙏 for your xperience and wisdom sharing. Chris Cayco, Inkwell Dustin and you are one of many artist alley vids I follow 😎🌎
Im so glad you posted this vlog! I was supposed to go for the first time this year, but got the 'rona and couldn't go. Now I can see a little bit of what i missed!
I’ve been to at least five oktakon events (four from Baltimore, and the first year in DC). I loved it but it’s so crowded and I’d find myself in Artist Alley and Dealers rooms, sometimes crawling out to a panel if one of my favorite VAs is around. I haven’t been back for years due to the entrance fees getting too expensive even for one day. But me and my friends were thinking about attending this year as a final hooray. But not soon after, I got a new job in my career field and I decided to wait another year. Last week, a friend and I walked into Sephora and I saw one of the clerks rocking an adorable twin bun with hair sticks that she got from otakon the day before. Not gonna lie, I kinda regret not going this year as it looked like it was a blast. but I hope I can go next year and see you
I loved watching this! I'm glad you had a good time, and that your bags are waterproof!! lol. I'm from the East Coast so I'm used to the humidity, but I also hate it. ALSO Thank you for the temperature of the artist alley info, I like to be prepared for things like that too. I have a bit of "trauma" (Dramatic) from my first Otakon as an Artist. It was my dream con, and I was pretty new to the scene, and I did soooooooo badly. I felt horrible about it and ended up never applying again. But honestly looking back on it now, I can tell it was my own fault as I really didn't have much to offer at the time. I think going now I would be much more prepared and would probably do well, but man...those prices and hours really are staggering. I really want to try to come back, but for someone who only does this on the side, the cost is a hard pill to swallow. And the hours were sooooooooooo long, especially for someone like me who doesn't have much of an option for table helpers. Maybe I'll be back one day!
Love this video! I hope you understand I was not knitting while watching this in the background... I was WATCHING THIS while knitting in the background 😂😂😂💖
I saw you at AX, but had no idea you were here at Otakon! Instant follow! :) Otakon has always been great for me as well as being local. The artist alley is awesome as always, but the dealer's hall this year seems a tad bit lackluster
So I’m new to your vlog, but I’ve been following you on IG for a few months now you’re actually one of the reasons I went to Ota this year. I’ve been going for about four years now. I will say you had one of the cuter booths at arts Alley though it took me a little bit of time to find you and I didn’t find you until day two but I’m glad I did and it was nice to see all the behind-the-scenes things that you went through and I hope to see you again next year and buy more pins from you 😊
1:29 I've heard of this situation, but for San Diego Comic Con. More people attend the bigger show, but the bigger show costs more to attend than the smaller show (food, hotel, etc...) So people tend to focus and spend more on a narrower set of things they want rather than to look around and be more open to spending on things that are unfamiliar. Or they only spend money on the necessities because they can't afford to do much else but attend and see panels and whatnot. So for some venders, you have to go in knowing you're going to lose money and you have to see having a table there as a way to self-promote and network rather than as a convention where you can sell and make a profit. It's also why you only see big locals and big name guests do those big shows. They're the ones that either can make a profit because they're local and don't have to spend as much and/or lose as much, or don't have to worry about spending money because their table and hotel accommodations (and sometimes food and drink) are comped by the convention. AX is the largest convention in the country but I'm assuming it also has more costs attached to attending it than something like Otakon. And that it works mostly in the same way. It's why I'm hoping that more of the smaller booths in Artist's Alley and the Exhibitor Halls start to network and promote within each other and to customers. To hopefully prevent that kind of lock-out and make it easier for people that aren't big names to set up and sell and not lose money taking the risk. Either way, congratulations on your success and I hope you see more. And now I'll watch the rest of the video.
I am just starting to sell my art. I just applied to get into my first indoor table at a fair. But one day I hope to do cons! My ultimate goal is Dragon con in Atlanta. I live near Animazement! I used your table display as inspiration for my display. I do a lot of original art. But also I don’t know how well how well my fanart would sell. I do bleach, naruto, and older anime (probably cause I am old) like cowboy bebop, trigun, and witchblade. I noticed all the youtubers doing cons seem young. I worry if I could be successful.
Best of luck with your first event! While most of us Artist Alley vloggers are in our 20-30s, I have seen a lot of “older” vendors that are just not represented in the con content creation space but seem to be very successful in their vending experience!
I would love to see you on the east coast more! Glad you had a good con! Momocon is a pretty big one here if you ever want to come to the east coast again!
I have another vid going into more detail but basically AA is a smaller space for artists wanting to selling their art and products on a smaller scale, and dealers/exhibitor is more expensive with a 10x10+ space, and typically has licensed or resold merch, or original art
they're STILL doing the thing where the unlimited booths get 6fts while standards get the 8fts? That happened when I vended the one time in 2017 and everyone who bought an unlimited booth was upset.
Otakon seems like it's a good investment financially but all the headaches, theft, extra charges, and regulations just make it a NO for me. It's just not worth the hassle.
ahhhhh! I wanted to stop by your booth but I was tabling alone and just got in a week before the con so i was not thinking 🥲here's hoping next time! I always get compliments on my ita bag from your store! Def going to subscribe to the biz buddies tier! I NEED ALL THE TIPS
Have you been to Otakon or heard about this con? 👀 // Thank you to everyone who stopped by! Hope to come back next year 🥹
💖 Support me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mualcaina (+ get Artist Alley reviews and tips I don't share on UA-cam 👀)
🌸 Shop my stuff! mualcaina.com/
📌 Helpful Resources
Artist Alley Network (AAN) Discord discord.com/invite/artistalleynetwork
Mualcaina Artist Alley Vlogs: ua-cam.com/video/kyPFldAdi9c/v-deo.html
New vlog, but more importantly, NEW PHONE! 🎉🤣 Interesting that they don't allow stamp rallies too considering their popularity atm. I'm still stuck on the west coast for vending for this year, but it's great seeing your business grow to the other coast! Your videos have been so helpful with keeping up with artist alley trends and setting up as a vendor, so keep it up! ✨
YES finally I don't have to worry about my phone storage 😂 I think they also limited rallies bc it can give an unfair advantage for some artists participating vs others who did not know about it (at least with what I heard about ANYC), but it was also a nice change not having a rally since it keep everything more simple for Otakon. Thank you for watching!!
it was such a surprise seeing your booth there!! i must've looked over your name on the artist alley list. i sadly didn't get to meet you but it was so awesome to see your stuff in person!! i'm a huge fan of the channel and im so happy otakon went great for you!
Thank you so much!! Hope you also had a good Otakon 🥹
Don't tell me I was the one person to purchase the tote bag on its own XD
It was fun seeing you in DC. I'm glad you enjoyed your time here!
It was so nice being able to meet you!! I hope you come back again sometime!
Thank you so much for stopping by!! 🥹 Hope you had a good Otakon!
I loved being able to meet you! As someone just getting into the con scene, your videos are always so helpful. Hopefully get to see you next year!!
Thank you so much for saying hi!! Hoping for next year 🫶
i also appreciate the info about the temperature in the convention centers 😂super useful info for fellow vendors! thank you maci!!
LOL finally another person who appreciates it 😂🫶
so so good to see you at otakon bbygirl
Yayyy I’m glad it went well!!!! I hope you’re able to come next year!!!! ❤❤❤
Thank you!! Here's to hoping for next year 🥹
It was so great to meet you, it was so fun hearing your experience and I'm glad your bags are truly waterproof 😂
So nice meeting you! Hope to see you at another con 🥹
I've heard so many great things about Otakon. So glad it went well for you! 🥰 Also, I'm glad you mentioned the temperatures lol I never thought about that detail that can honestly make or ruin your day 😂
Welcome to the East coast!! Congratulations.
Thank you so much!!
Your booth was such a joy to visit! I was a little shy to say hi 🙈 But your vlogs really helped me prepare for this artist alley. Thank you! 🌸💖
it was so nice meeting you! i’m glad you had a good time on the east coast, hope to be able to see you again! :’)
Yes!!! So nice meeting you as well, hopefully we can vend at the same con in the future! 🫶🏼
Professor artist 👩🎨 alley Macy M, much thanks 🙏 for your xperience and wisdom sharing.
Chris Cayco, Inkwell Dustin and you are one of many artist alley vids I follow 😎🌎
Enjoyed watching another vlog! Thank you for sharing your experiences going to an out of state con :)
Thank you so much for watching!! 🥹
Im so glad you posted this vlog! I was supposed to go for the first time this year, but got the 'rona and couldn't go. Now I can see a little bit of what i missed!
Thank you so much for watching!!
I'm glad you had a good con! Your booth looked awesome
Thank you so much!! It was such a fun con 🥹🫶🏼
Oh yeah we like the video...and the voice
Couldn’t go to Otakon this year but I’m glad to hear you had a good experience!
Yes!! It was definitely a great time 🙌🏼
I’ve been to at least five oktakon events (four from Baltimore, and the first year in DC). I loved it but it’s so crowded and I’d find myself in Artist Alley and Dealers rooms, sometimes crawling out to a panel if one of my favorite VAs is around. I haven’t been back for years due to the entrance fees getting too expensive even for one day. But me and my friends were thinking about attending this year as a final hooray. But not soon after, I got a new job in my career field and I decided to wait another year. Last week, a friend and I walked into Sephora and I saw one of the clerks rocking an adorable twin bun with hair sticks that she got from otakon the day before. Not gonna lie, I kinda regret not going this year as it looked like it was a blast. but I hope I can go next year and see you
Oh wow! So you’ve definitely seen Otakon since their Baltimore days 😮 There’s always next year!
Otakon opened the "Air Wall" between rhe dealers room and artists alley for the first time in 2024, prior to 2024, DR snd AA had seperate entrances
I loved watching this! I'm glad you had a good time, and that your bags are waterproof!! lol. I'm from the East Coast so I'm used to the humidity, but I also hate it. ALSO Thank you for the temperature of the artist alley info, I like to be prepared for things like that too.
I have a bit of "trauma" (Dramatic) from my first Otakon as an Artist. It was my dream con, and I was pretty new to the scene, and I did soooooooo badly. I felt horrible about it and ended up never applying again. But honestly looking back on it now, I can tell it was my own fault as I really didn't have much to offer at the time. I think going now I would be much more prepared and would probably do well, but man...those prices and hours really are staggering. I really want to try to come back, but for someone who only does this on the side, the cost is a hard pill to swallow. And the hours were sooooooooooo long, especially for someone like me who doesn't have much of an option for table helpers. Maybe I'll be back one day!
Otakon definitely felt like one of the marathons of Artist Alley with those hours 😮💨 Hopefully you can get back into it in the future!
waitt the air tag thing is so smart!!! forsure doing this if i ever travel too 😂❤
Yes!! I just started putting airtags in my luggages and packages and they've been so helpful 🤩
Love this video! I hope you understand I was not knitting while watching this in the background... I was WATCHING THIS while knitting in the background 😂😂😂💖
OMG 😂 I’m very honored HAHA hope you enjoyed the video!!
I saw you at AX, but had no idea you were here at Otakon! Instant follow! :) Otakon has always been great for me as well as being local. The artist alley is awesome as always, but the dealer's hall this year seems a tad bit lackluster
Ooo thanks for sharing your insight as an attendee!
I don't do anime cons but I have been getting ready to be an exhibitor at game conventions and your videos have been so helpful for my planning!! 🎉
Haha so glad you loved the Nanami print!!
Thank you again!! I'm excited to add him to the office 😂
So I’m new to your vlog, but I’ve been following you on IG for a few months now you’re actually one of the reasons I went to Ota this year. I’ve been going for about four years now. I will say you had one of the cuter booths at arts Alley though it took me a little bit of time to find you and I didn’t find you until day two but I’m glad I did and it was nice to see all the behind-the-scenes things that you went through and I hope to see you again next year and buy more pins from you 😊
Thank you so much for stopping by and saying hi! Hope you enjoyed Otakon 🙌🏼
@@Mualcaina yeah it was really nice to getting to say hi to you & I had a blast at Ota
1:29
I've heard of this situation, but for San Diego Comic Con. More people attend the bigger show, but the bigger show costs more to attend than the smaller show (food, hotel, etc...) So people tend to focus and spend more on a narrower set of things they want rather than to look around and be more open to spending on things that are unfamiliar. Or they only spend money on the necessities because they can't afford to do much else but attend and see panels and whatnot. So for some venders, you have to go in knowing you're going to lose money and you have to see having a table there as a way to self-promote and network rather than as a convention where you can sell and make a profit. It's also why you only see big locals and big name guests do those big shows. They're the ones that either can make a profit because they're local and don't have to spend as much and/or lose as much, or don't have to worry about spending money because their table and hotel accommodations (and sometimes food and drink) are comped by the convention.
AX is the largest convention in the country but I'm assuming it also has more costs attached to attending it than something like Otakon. And that it works mostly in the same way. It's why I'm hoping that more of the smaller booths in Artist's Alley and the Exhibitor Halls start to network and promote within each other and to customers. To hopefully prevent that kind of lock-out and make it easier for people that aren't big names to set up and sell and not lose money taking the risk.
Either way, congratulations on your success and I hope you see more. And now I'll watch the rest of the video.
Thank you for the helpful insight! I can definitely see those differences with smaller vs bigger name events
Yipppiee!
I am just starting to sell my art. I just applied to get into my first indoor table at a fair. But one day I hope to do cons! My ultimate goal is Dragon con in Atlanta. I live near Animazement! I used your table display as inspiration for my display. I do a lot of original art. But also I don’t know how well how well my fanart would sell. I do bleach, naruto, and older anime (probably cause I am old) like cowboy bebop, trigun, and witchblade. I noticed all the youtubers doing cons seem young. I worry if I could be successful.
Best of luck with your first event! While most of us Artist Alley vloggers are in our 20-30s, I have seen a lot of “older” vendors that are just not represented in the con content creation space but seem to be very successful in their vending experience!
WHYYYYYY, I am always TRAVELING during JULY!
Would you ever consider doing mega con?
I would love to see you on the east coast more! Glad you had a good con! Momocon is a pretty big one here if you ever want to come to the east coast again!
Yes!! Momocon is also on my apply list for next year 👀
😢 I just realized you didn’t go to AnimeNYC! I saw Ivy there, and I was like oh Macey might be here 😭! Hopefully maybe next year? 😢
What is the difference between the dealers room and artist alley?
I have another vid going into more detail but basically AA is a smaller space for artists wanting to selling their art and products on a smaller scale, and dealers/exhibitor is more expensive with a 10x10+ space, and typically has licensed or resold merch, or original art
they're STILL doing the thing where the unlimited booths get 6fts while standards get the 8fts? That happened when I vended the one time in 2017 and everyone who bought an unlimited booth was upset.
Yes 🥲 Standard booths were also provided 6ft tables
Otakon seems like it's a good investment financially but all the headaches, theft, extra charges, and regulations just make it a NO for me. It's just not worth the hassle.
It’s definitely not for everyone! The costs can get pretty high and the hours are very long 😅
Not 50 items, 50%.
Oh whew, thanks for the clarification.
7:21 "america" while clearly showing of a french flag xD sorry had to
ahhhhh! I wanted to stop by your booth but I was tabling alone and just got in a week before the con so i was not thinking 🥲here's hoping next time! I always get compliments on my ita bag from your store! Def going to subscribe to the biz buddies tier! I NEED ALL THE TIPS
Omg hopefully Otakon was good for you!! Thank you for your support 🥹💖💖