First: What is Wicked Faire? And why was I so excited to vend there?
From the webpage: “The Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire is a miniature explosion of entertainment and activity, wrapped up in a fresh-baked Renaissance Faire exterior, filled to the brim with big tasty chunks of well-seasoned festival, spiced with a bit of convention, then dipped in a sauce of unconvention, and served at a terribly low price during one fantastic frenetic weekend every year. Only not so much with the “miniature” part. There are so many madly diverse fun things going on at any one time that, in general, if you come looking to find a good time, you are damn likely to find one.”
That's a pretty good description. The event takes place in the Doubletree hotel in Somerset, NJ. Every conference room in the hotel has vendors, or panels, or workshops, or some type of performance (musicians, magicians, burlesque, dancers, and more). They're all filled, all day, every day of the con. Frankly, there's almost too much to do. And even if you don't want to do anything, the people watching is pretty great. A lot of people come in costume, and since this isn't an anime or fandom convention, the costumes run the gamut of genres and genre-bending creativity.
It's also 16+, and while it isn't as risque as it used to be (the creators of Wicked have started some new cons specifically for the kinky and risque) it's still NOT a kid's faire. The entertainment, panels, and costuming is definitely adult-oriented.
I've attended six out of the nine Wicked Faires. Wicked was also my very first ever vending gig. So it has a pretty special place in my heart. Being accepted to vend again was a huge deal for me.
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| My First Booth: Wicked Faire 2005 |
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| Wicked Faire 2014 |
When I was a vendor in 2005, things were a bit different. It might be hard to tell from the photos, but I had a much smaller stock. The 2005 table is 6' across. The 2014 table is 10'. I had six months to prepare for 2005's show, compared to a scant two months to prepare for 2014's. And the quality of my work! I shudder to think of the quality of work I was producing in 2005! Now, I'm not where I want to be, in terms of quality and quantity, but I'm getting quite a bit closer. Anyway, all of this is very personal business stuff/amused remembrances, and not likely to help you at all.
Here's what you should know about Wicked, in no particular order:
1. It's expensive, especially if you have to stay at the hotel like we did. But it's NOT unreasonably expensive, either, considering the amount of people who come, and the fact that many of them are there to buy.
2. Its a very niche crowd. Attend Wicked as a guest before you commit to vending there. People-watch, attend as many performances and panels as you can, and spend some time at the hotel bar. Get to know the attendees, and whether or not you think they're your type of crowd. The Wicked crowd isn't the same as a Rennie crowd, or a Goth crowd, or a cosplay crowd, or a Pagan crowd, though there's a lot of overlap between all of them. They're... delightfully wierd. And they're looking for stuff that's as festive, quirky, and unique as they are.
3. Have a LOT of stuff. I find my big ticket items don't sell well, but they do lead to custom orders. The smaller items--spoons, pins, pendants, trivets--sell very well, and variety is key. I had a lot of little trinkets this time around, and a few big show pieces, and I walked away with pretty good sales and a month's worth of custom orders to fill.
4. Value connections above sales. For shows like this, it truly pays off. Take a "soft sell" approach. Talk to potential customers; suggest an item they might like to take home today, of course, but also encourage them to tell you what they might like in the future. Get their information, and offer to contact them later about that "special item." Then follow up with them when you get home! They may only buy a small trinket now, but come back to commission something bigger later. This isn't how it works for other vendors, and I know that, but it's how it tends to work for me, especially at themed shows like Wicked.
5. Be prepared for long hours. Wicked vending on Saturday is 13 hours. You'll still need set up and break down time, as well as time to get into and out of costume. Keep bottled water at the booth. Make sure you have someone trustworthy to relieve you for meals and bathroom breaks. If you don't have anyone to help you at the booth, keep snacks on hand. The other vendors are lovely people and most of them are happy to mind your booth while you run to the bathroom, but taking an hour for a meal is pushing things a bit.
6. Ask for help. We're all in this together, and the other vendors usually have a very helpful and kind attitude, especially in shows like this, where there isn't a lot of direct competition. (That's one great thing about a lot of juried shows; they tend to be very careful to avoid duplicate vendors.) Also, the staff at Wicked is simply lovely, and if they can't help you, they will find someone who can.
7. Wear a costume. If you're going to be doing any themed events--Ren Faires, Fandom cons, Steampunk events--wear a costume. Seriously, the guests will love you for it. I don't want to buy from just any old fellow looking to make a profit off of my joy! I want to buy from someone who understands and shares my enthusiasm! Right? Right! Also, you don't get a lot of opportunities to play dress-up, so take them when they come.
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| Photo by Luis Rojas - RojasCreativeWorks.com |
So that's it for my advice.
Now, on to my feelings about this particular Wicked.
The Bad:
First off, I didn't get away from the booth for more than maybe an hour total all weekend. So I'm biased in that I only experienced what happened in my room.
I was not pleased with the hotel. Considering how many times I've stayed in this hotel, and how lovely the staff usually is, this year I feel it slipped. The doors to our vending room were not properly secured at night, and two of my boothmates had items stolen on Saturday night. The food, which is usually fantastic, was not up to their usual standards. There were problems with both my room and the charges to both my card and my husband's. All in all, not what I'd come to expect from years past.
I was not pleased with the fire marshal. I won't get into any gossip-mongering or tale-telling, but I will say that I was vending in a room that would have easily--and legally--accommodated 100 people. The fire marshal forbid us from having any more than 30 people in that room at any one time. There were 10 to 15 people in the room just with vendors and their staff! It was completely unacceptable, and, yes, I feel our business absolutely suffered for it.
Also, with so few people allowed in our area at any given time, I hardly got to see any costumes! It was so disappointing.
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| But I DID get to see Simon and Kaylee! SHINY! |
Another word on the attendance. This year, the Necrocomicon was held on the same weekend, the next hotel over. I don't know that this was a good idea, from a vendor standpoint. The attendance was now split between two hotels, with a full schedule of events in both venues, and frankly, I think it was too much. We didn't see nearly as many people as we had in past years, and how could we have, when people were torn between two hotels?
Finally, I was a little put out that I didn't see any volunteers assisting the vendors this year. In years past, Wicked staff always provided volunteers to check up on the vendors, and assist them in small ways: fetch water, get extra chairs, keep an eye on the booth for bathroom breaks (though, understandably, sales were never made while the vendors were gone), and so on. As a vendor, I loved this service, and as a guest, I made sure to volunteer in this capacity myself every year I attended.Maybe the volunteers simply didn't come back to our vending room, or maybe they came but failed to tell any of the vendors who they were and what they were there for; I'm not certain. But I definitely missed having them around.
I'm hoping that these problems will be resolved when Wicked Faire moves to it's new hotel in 2015.
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| Megan poses with Some Gorgeous Guy In Equally Gorgeous Armor |
The Good:
Having said ALL of that, Wicked was a good event for me. It was well worth the expense and the hotel troubles.
The staff was, as always, amazing to work with.
The other vendors are a real pleasure to be around, which can make ALL the difference when you're working a 13 hour day!
The guests are, in general, a great bunch of people. They're fun and humorous and tend to be just as geeky and quirky as I am, and they're super-excited and appreciative to see quality goods and artwork.
The general atmosphere is relaxed and jovial. We're all here to have a good time, and it shows. Even that long Saturday isn't terribly difficult to get through when you're surrounded by happy, positive people.
I'm going to try to do it again in the future, but with far more stock on hand. And, definitely, I'll make a point of getting away from the booth!
Want to actually see what Wicked is all about? Head over to The Fan's POV and check out their review of the event!
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