BLush Convention 2024

Last January I applied as a merchant for BLush Convention 2024. I tried to apply for the sake of it. Eventually, my application was approved so I was given the opportunity to attend as a merchant.

I was really excited and  happy when I got my  acceptance email. I was happier when I realized that my finances allowed my attendance to be viable. That’s when it dawned on me that I really was going to attend BLush Con! Last year, I was accepted to participate in Cebu Literary Fest but couldn’t attend because I had no budget. That’s why I was really happy that I got accepted in an event and was able to attend it.

Setting up our Display

I came with my sister. We arrived at 9:44 am at the venue and were greeted by a long line of merchants. I took some pics to commemorate this event.

I was aiming to arrive earlier but things happened. I learned first hand that you have to arrive at these things early. You have to carry with it the same energy you carry while trying to pay for your electric bill after it has been cut off. 😂

First and foremost I am a fujoshi, so while I went to the event to table as a merchant, at the same time I wanted to participate as an attendee and listen to the informative talks. However, I still had the opportunity to listen to them since the venue is closed and the stage is not that far from the artist alley.

It was my first time tabling at a con! I shipped all my stuff before hand to a friend so I wont have to bring all of them from Cebu. I only brought my merch and packaging with me.

We were busy but I had to practice setting up my booth so that setting it up on the day of the convention would run smoothly. That way, we won’t be  stressed at figuring out how to set it up. In the wee hours of the morning on the day of the con, we were still preparing so we were all sleep deprived. Here is a picture I took while we were preparing:

Waiting for our turn to get inside the venue took a lot of time. It took more than 30 minutes of waiting before we finally got inside. When we finally got inside, we immediately tried to find our table. It was funny because when I entered the venue I got confused because I could not locate where our table was. A kind older man helped me and directed me to where our table might be. After that we were finally at our cabin. I asked an artist about what table she was and she told me that she was table number nine. I was thinking that if she was table number 9 then the one next to her is table number 10. So I immediately went to where our table supposedly was.

Lo and behold, someone mistakenly set up their stuff on our table so we had to wait for them to get their stuff and move it to theirs. At first they were thinking if maybe they could occupy the table; that we should just exchange. However, it is impossible because we already posted about our catalogue and location of our table. If we changed tables, it would confuse people who were already planning to visit our table.

In the end they had to transfer. While they were getting all of their stuff, we started setting up our display. We set up like mad men because time is running out. The start of the event was breathing down our neck. When we started setting up, the announcer was already announcing that we only had 15 minutes more to go before the event opened.

We didn’t have difficulties in setting up because we only had a few stuff to sell, so we could finish right away. Finally we finished setting up our table. There are two versions of our table.

This is the first version:

The first version had no labels. We  only put the amount and the kind of merch. However, we realized that labels are needed so that the guest can easily see what merch we had and so we have our version number two:

In our version two we displayed our twst plushies and dolls. We brought our Twst dolls but no twst merch. I was planning to make twst merch actually but life was hectic for me the past months so I couldn’t.

I forgot to say that I forgot my artist card so in the end I could not give them out even tho I prepared huhuhu so we made do with just that label dedicated to my twitter and IG handle.

The BLushCon Experience

As I mentioned earlier, this is the first time that I am attending a convention as a seller. Beforehand, I was told by my friend that I should aim to at least earn back what I had spent. She is right, but my reason for joining this event is not because I want to make a profit. Sure I’ll be happy if I end up making a profit, but the reason why I decided to participate was for me to be able to exhibit my Tadaai Fanbook; to have the bragging rights of having published something.

At first I only wanted to make a fanboko, but this desire evolved into wanting to exhibit it at a convention. Truthfully I wanted to exhibit a Fanbook at Cebu Literary Fest last year, however I could not work on one.

I also wanted to experience participating in an artist alley. I’m really glad that I took a chance because I  learned a lot from this experience. I am really bad at things related to business stuff. Participating in this convention connected me to the business side of art making. I realized the importance of labels. I was given the opportunity to observe first hand about buyer behavior and things like that. You get to realize that the little things are important and those little things, and the effort you put into them matter because more than anything else, in my opinion,  those things  will actually decide whether or not you get good sales.

What surprised me was that the merch that I had no confidence in actually ended up being sold out. It is my Tadaai Sticker Sheet:

Every time people would buy it, I would be surprised. I thought it had the lowest probability of being bought since Tadaai is not popular. Even so, my feelings for them are so strong. I made that sticker sheet with all my heart, so I was moved every time it was bought.

Since this was our first time, every time someone bought our merch we would be sorta frantic. Good thing my sister is so adaptable. She is the MVP in this event. I am so glad I was with her. Next time I’ll buy a calculator and a better organizer so I won’t have to panic.

While manning our table, from time to time, someone would browse my  copy of my Tadaai Fanbook. One guest told me it was inspiring and took a picture of it! I was really happy. Publishing a Fanbook has been on my wish list for a long time. Finally it happened! I finally succeeded in publishing a Fanbook against all odds! This is an achievement in itself you know.

Another  reason I decided to join BLushcon is also to take pictures of my dolls. You see I bought my Tadaai mochis to take pictures of them camping. Here are some pictures:

I also took pics of my Vil doll:

While taking pictures of my dolls I met other sk8 lovers and an adam fan.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed the event! I was able to listen a bit to the talks. While interacting with people, I was glad that I got to experience community with fellow BL fans. I just wish I could have done more to share my love for tadaai to more people.

The event was fullfilling. I learned a lot of stuff. I have joined an event as an attendee, but this is a first for me in the artist booth. Being in that position is quite an experience. I feel motivated  to celebrate the things that I love. I feel motivated to try new things.

It took a lot of guts for me to come to Manila and participate. It took a lot of guts to have my merch printed especially my fanbook huhuhu. I even tried my hand at marketing and opening up pre-orders for it. Everything that I invested in this event was worth it. I can’t wait to join BLush Convention again next year! I hope I can still join as a merchant. But if I can’t, I would still go as an attendee.

I can’t thank the organizers enough for organizing this event. Sa uulitin! 😀