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Hola
Cats and Kittens! So, you want to host a 24 Hour Comic Book Day
Challenge? Excellent! Let’s assume you’ve got the basic of basics all
taken care of (staff for the event, all of your registration stuff
taken care of, a bathroom available, etc). Here are a few more pointers
that have always served us well:
PAY FOR
AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE: I know, I know, this sounds ridiculous. ‘How am
I supposed to have a successful event, without breaking the bank?’
Well, pay attention, because there’s a lot to learn here. First things
first: What do you need for this particular event?
Participants.
Obviously we’re not paying them to come enjoy the event in our venue.
So, how about getting in touch with your local high school art teachers
(most schools have websites these days), colleges and universities?
It’s not as hard as it sounds! All you need to do is make a phone call
or two, send an e-mail, chat it up with your customers, and mention it
to the local paper. Make sure you have a sign up sheet, where everyone
can give you their contact information, ready to go. It’ll fill up in
no time! (Oh, but please be reasonable, huh? If you really only have
enough seats for 10 artistic butts, please don’t allow 20 to sign up.
Be fair to everyone that chooses your space to experience the
challenge, and take a look around for other venues that may be
appropriate places for refugee artists to land.)
Space.
Aaah, don’t we all wish we had just a few more square feet? Where are
you going to put all of those interested parties? Hmm? Well, I have a
big ol’ classroom that I’m putting them in, but I recognize that my
dedicated space might be bigger than some of the venues in question.
So,
what to do? Well, the first year we participated in this event, we had
markedly less space than we have now, and we still made it happen for
upwards of a dozen artists. Of course, we ended up with about half of
our sales floor being utterly unusable, and artists seated at stools by
the cash register, but it’s only for 24 hours after all. If you don’t
have enough tables and chairs to make a comfy space, how about turning
to your customer base? I rely heavily on the talents (and resources) of
others, and so long as I’m willing to reciprocate, generally speaking
it’s a very harmonious relationship. Surely there is a customer that
you are friendly with, who goes to a church. Right? Well, how about, in
exchange for donation to their next fundraiser or silent auction, we
borrow some banquet tables and chairs? Anybody you know in the PTA at a
local school? Same deal. Don’t be afraid to ASK! Worst case, if you
decide you need to rent tables and chairs, try to speak to an owner or
supervisor at your local rental company. Explain the virtues of the
event. Chances are that they will be willing to help you out, in
exchange for a mention in your e-mail blasts, their logo on your
signage, or even just the goodwill that comes from helping out a fellow
small business. Trust me. Ask them.
Food/Drink/Snacks:
Why
should
you provide these things? How can you possibly afford it?
WHAT are you going to do?
This is
my favorite part! And, really, for the effort, it’s the one with the
biggest bang. Ok, here’s what I do: I write a form letter, touching on
what the event is, and asking for a donation. My event runs from noon
on Saturday till noon on Sunday, so I aim to provide
lunch/dinner/midnight snack/breakfast, as well as all the caffeine,
water, and munchies that my peeps are in need of.
Lunch
comes from the pricey Italian joint that happens to have a general
manager/comic book fiend. Remember, for the price of a pan of pasta, a
sack of rolls, and a tray of salad, this guy is getting his
restaurant’s name and logo on all of my marketing. Pretty savvy on his
part, don’t you think?
Dinner
is from a locally owned, and very popular, barbecue place. Would you be
surprised to know that their GM has been shopping with us for 10+
years? Take a look at your customer base, people! I’m pretty well
guaranteeing that you have similar contacts. What does it hurt to
inquire? Remember my motto: GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO ASK! Plus,
all restaurants have a budget for donation costs. Get to them early
enough and you can pretty well count on them sharing it with you.
Ok,
where was I? Midnight snack! This one is crazy easy. We approach a
local, franchise pizza joint, tell them about the event, and viola!
Four large pies show up as their store is closing, just about midnight.
In
order to get my participants through the night, we rely on the goodness
of strangers. Well, I mean, they’re not really all that strange. There
is a national market (that’s ‘grocery store’ to some of you….) that is
all about their foods being in one piece. Get my drift? It’s like a
MARKET, and all of their FOOD is WHOLE. Neat, huh? Anyway, each of
their locations has a marketing department. Call ‘em and see! And, each
of these marketing departments has a marketing budget that they HAVE TO
SPEND. How weird is that?? Ok, so ask them for snacks. And water. And
coffee! In the past, they have supplied everything from baby carrots
and dips, chips, fruit leathers, cookies, nuts, and left over demo
items. They’re not all delicious, but they are all free for the picking
up, and at three in the morning, maybe your artists will be in the mood
to try something vegan. You never know! This particular chain is also
really great about sending over cases of bottled water. Remember, I
have never purchased food for this event. EVER! And you really
shouldn’t need to, either.
Ok, so
on to breakfast. Again, there is a national restaurant chain that we
always call on (yep, I actually go there. There’s value in face
recognition after all). They have HUGE muffins, and, again, a marketing
budget. Try to keep in mind that these places really want their name in
their community, just like YOU DO. So, let them give you 6 dozen
muffins for breakfast! (Although, by the time the event is winding
down, you probably won’t need anywhere near that amount. In fact, of
the 25 artists that started with us, last year, there were only 8 left
for breakfast time. (So, why not go ahead and accept FAR more food than
you need? ‘Cause if they find out that you didn’t make use of it, why
would they ever give you any again? Be reasonable!) OH! And this year,
if you are within driving distance of a Bawls distribution warehouse,
there are two cases of energy drinks coming your way. Slam dunk! Don’t
be afraid to have some sodas and extra waters on hand, but do everybody
a favor and charge at least your cost for them. This isn’t a
freebie-come-on-over-and-be-a-mooch event. Everyone should be getting
out of it what they’re looking for. In our case, as always, we’re
looking for a good time and a great bottom line.
Art
Supplies: Most of your artist types have a pretty definite
idea, coming into the event, of what they want to create. They tend to
plan accordingly, and bring along their own supplies. In our case,
however, we try to level the playing field, as it were, by asking
everyone to have their finished works end up on our paper. Now, what I
mean by ‘our’ paper, is a ream (500 sheets) that we have had donated
(from, say, “Paperclips”, the office supply superstore) and we print
with our own Blue Line style guides. That way, when we scan everyone’s
art after the event, it’s all the same size, and can be easily uploaded
onto our website. (It was also incredibly helpful the two years that we
had a printer donate books of all of our artists work. That one’s a bit
tricky, however.)
Additionally,
we
have
been fortunate enough to have a LOT of art supplies donated to
us for the event. Try your local art supply stores, try the national
chain arts and crafts stores, even ask the college book store in town.
Somebody, most likely, has some boxes of pencils and pens, maybe some
rulers and erasers, that they would be happy to have you make use of.
And make use of it! Put it all out, along with a sign that says who
donated it, and watch the creative sparks start flying. A small
donation goes a long way. And remember, you can always save this year’s
leftovers for next time around. After all, these tips should help you
have a successful and FUN event. Why wouldn’t you want to do it again?
The
Wrap Up: When the event is over, the tables and chairs put away,
all of the artists safely gone to beddy-bye, it’s time for you to
really get to work. Did you take pictures during the event? (Please
remember to get one of each participant, as they work, to put up with
their finished creations.) Well, it’s time to post them on your
website, get a flickr account, or even just display them in the store.
Did you remember to thank each of your sponsors as the day went along?
How about sending them a thank you note/letter, with a photo of your
participants enjoying their food/drinks/snacks/tables/toothbrushes? (I
forgot to mention that we also get a local dentist to donate a big
handful of toothbrushes and toothpaste. Put them in the bathroom, along
with a stack of business cards. Makes a huge difference, believe me!)
Write up a little post mortem press release, and let your local paper
know what they missed. Be sure to mention your sponsors, and that this
is an international, annual event. You’ll be sure to get even more
participants next time around.
I sincerely hope that this lengthy diatribe has helped
you get excited about the 24 Hour Comics Day Challenge! If you have
questions, feel free to shoot’em on over. I’ll do my best to help!
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Portlyn
is co-owner of Brave New World Comics, along with her exhausted
husband, Atom!. Located in Los Angeles’ Santa Clarita Valley, BNW is
the 2008 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award recipient. portlyn@bravenewworldcomics.com
~ 661.259.4745
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