"BookCon"

[u/MarbledCrazy]

If a theoretical "Book Con" were to take place, what are a few points of feedback you would want to see?

* What would you pay for admission for general and VIP tiers?

* Genres of focus or balance?

* Emphasis on local, regional, national authors

* Should there be an opportunity for vendors to set up?

* What venues make the most sense?

* Which activities would make you most likely to attend?

* Would you prefer a one-day event, or weekend event?

* What would make attending easier for you?

* What would prevent you from attending?

[u/hermitiancat]

I have a mental block about paying to attend an event where the main activity is spending money. I would love to have a set up where you pay for admission and have an option to get a partial refund or a discount for next year if you make enough purchases.

Related, having a few things that don’t cost money on top of admission is a big help. Something like a craft activity or a panel discussion.

The upstairs space at Tenth Ward would be really nice for something like this on a Sunday afternoon in the winter when they’re less busy.

For vendors, having tea & coffee available in addition to cocktails downstairs would be peak.

Sorry, I obviously also have this as a personal day dream.

[u/MarbledCrazy → u/hermitiancat]

Completely understand on not wanting to pay twice for things, but unfortunately holding events is expensive so admission tickets are sort of needed. Venue rental alone can cost several thousand dollars depending on location, and that's before you even look at marketing or decorating. That said there would certainly have to be free events inside to balance things as well as not everything should be "pay for play".

Statistically, Sunday afternoons are the worst times for events as they feature the lowest turnout. Typically that's when individuals and families are winding down their weekends and turning towards preparing for the upcoming week.

I appreciate your feedback, and of course coffee would be a must have lol

[u/hermitiancat → u/MarbledCrazy]

Rent is also cheaper on Sundays and downtown is still plenty busy. Are you local to Frederick?

[u/orcas- → u/MarbledCrazy]

Take a look at what Kensington Day of the Book does. It’s excellent, maybe you could even get one of the organizers on the phone? They line up as street stalls off some backstreets. They have areas with mini-plays and food vendors, but are also funneling people into local shops. No admission fee.

https://www.dayofthebook.com/

[u/WhatABeautifulMess → u/[deleted]]

I think you're going to need to expand upon what you're imagining for people to better give feedback. If it's significantly different than similarly named events in the area the difference is not obvious from your post.