Discussion
Some of you might remember that I wrote a (fairly even and measured by my standards) unhappy blogpost about a toy show I attended in 24 and 25 (see https://ajroach42.com/joelanta-2025-retrospective/ ) and that, as a result of that, I was explicitly excluded from the (generally much more profitable show) in March of this year that's run by the same crew.
We're less than a month out from this year's show.
One of the secondary organizers of the September show just texted me that they have extra space they're looking to fill, offering me a dirt cheap last minute spot.
Now, I know this guy pretty well. We're friends.
He watches the news obsessively. When the weather up here gets bad, he usually texts me before I discover it on my own, to let me know bad weather is coming.
He's, more than once, kept me from being on the road during a major pop-up storm.
So I'm not surprised that he invited me to the show.
But I would be surprised if he had the main organizer's approval to invite me to the show.
So now I'm trying to decide if I
1) Just accept and show up and act like it's cool.
2) Ask him to verify that this is okay with the main organizer first (and then, if it isn't... what? Certainly my friend will be confused, at least, and possibly even angry with the primary organizer?)
3) Just say "no, sorry"
4) Just say "no sorry, that show is a waste of time now that [New Organizer] is in charge"
I told him to check with the main organizer and make sure it was cool.
If it's cool, I might go!
But if it's as slow as last year and the year before, I'll probably end up filming for most of the show again.
If I go and there's a crowd, I'll stay in my booth and mind my own business.
If there's not, I'll film the show.
I feel like that's probably going to be my MO at any show that's slow enough, from now on.
Just take a camera and walk around with some entirely neutral questions like
"How has the crowd been this year?"
"So how long have you been doing this show? How does this compare to previous years?"
"How does this show compare to other shows you've been at this year?" (and "do you think that's timing? Or 'the economy'? or something else?" )
"What's your best show, usually?"
"Will you be back next year?"
I don't have to say anything. I can let the other vendors do it.
And if I talk to more than half of the vendors, I'll cut together some clips and post 'em.
And if I talk to everyone, or most everyone, then we're slow enough for me to start live streaming too, I guess.
The main organizer was, in fact, not cool with it.
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