Win Some, Lose Some - My Weekend Event Experience

When you write books, and try all kinds of ways to promote them, some pay off, while others do not.  This past weekend's event was one that did not. I do know that it's a gamble with conferences and conventions, because it depends on timing, location, marketing and promotions. Further, you have to pay about 1 year in advance to get a vendor spot, not knowing much about the event. Today's blog is about my experience this weekend.

(Photo: My vendor table with all books displayed. Credit: R.G.)

This past weekend, I paid for a vendor table to sell and sign my books at a conference. It sounded like a really big event, but it didn't turn out that way, at least for me and the other vendors. 

When you commit to events like this there's a lot of preparation.  I had to pack my truck the night before with books, postcards, signs, etc.  I always take a suitcase full of copies of my 10 books, a large container with book and postcard displays and two stand up banners. 

Then there was the travel. I had to drive through Boston to get there, and traffic is always bad.  To get there in time to set up in the 8 a.m. hours, I woke up at 5 a.m. and it was a 2 1/2 hours to get there. Fortunately, there was no traffic at 6 a.m. Not the case coming home at 5:30 pm after the event. 

(Photo: The location of the convention. Credit: R.G.)

Sadly, it was very poorly attended and that led to a financial loss. In fact, I would be surprised if more than 40 or 50 people paid to attend. I sold only 12 books, which is really awful, leaving me just $60 in profit (Most of the people who bought my books were other vendors).  Adding in the cost of the table - which was $125, I took a loss of $65, plus the cost of a full gas tank, which amounts to about $100 in the red.  Aside from a financial loss, I spent 16 hours out of the house (the entire day). 

Some benefits included meeting some new people, being in a different location, and the advertisements that, in a week or two before the event, finally included my name. One interesting thing is that people there heard about me as the "Pets" guy, and came over to talk with me. If there were a bigger crowd, it would have been much better, but it's always a gamble. 

The bottom line - This has all been a good lesson, and I decided I won't be coming back next year.