So, we are going to the Chicago Wizard World show, and I wanted to know if any card dealers will be there? I have been disappointed in the lack of cards at the New Orleans WW, so hopefully the new (at least to me) venue will be more rewarding.

Hi Will,

I will be there but as a helper. Will have some boxes available but won't have much display space. I will be at the booth of Terrys Comics or Nationwide Comics.

Don't know if they will be there this year but some other dealers who have done the show in the past are Tony from Triangle Cards, Kevin from K&J and Henry from Texas. Henry usually goes by the name of Juniors toys and comics or something like that.

In case you have trouble finding me in the hall my e-mail is derekwoywood@gmail.com.

Sadly last I talked to Henry he wasn't going to attend. Tony isn't on the dealer list either. . . Marco (258 West) is on the dealer list -- hopefully he is bringing some of his cards.

I'll be looking for Pop Century boxes and autos if I make the show.

I ended up driving down to the show by myself on Friday because my in-laws surprised me with a groupon for admission. My only real goal was to meet Stephen Amell, although I also ended up getting a few Funko Pop! figures and had one of them autographed by Scott Wilson/Hershel Greene from The Walking Dead.

I have not been to one of these shows in a long time - I think the last time I was there was when I met Thomas Jane when his Punisher movie came out. Going this time I remembered why. They just aren't very fun - the C2E2 in Chicago is a much better and more organized show in my opinion.

Here are the best photos I could get of Arrow. After I snapped these the security guard (very kindly, but very firmly) told me that I would be removed if I continued to take photos. Now that they charge for photo ops these cons don't allow photos at the signing tables which really detracts from the experience for me.





No photos of Scott Wilson, but there is the Pop! vinyl figure I had signed:



They also gave me four cards which were apparently part of the Groupon deal (along with a Walking Dead comic):

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jason00,

quote:

Originally posted by Jason00:
Now that they charge for photo ops these cons don't allow photos at the signing tables which really detracts from the experience for me.

In the somewhat distant past, I have often taken a couple of pictures of a signer while waiting on the line. I also always purchase the photo op, along with the autograph ticket, usually tickets as I prefer more than one signature.

I never considered it the same thing at all. You should pay for a photo of the two of you taken by the staff, but the other is a random snap that you could take out on the street. I'm not saying you have the right to use a roll of film and bother people, but you are not stealing anything to have a candid picture, especially not when you have already purchased the package.

Guess that kind of attitude would get me thrown out now.

The "No candid pics" thing really varies from guest to guest. Some allow it, some don't. Some have special requests like no flash or don't stick the camera right up in their face. I usually just ask the volunteers when I'm in line and avoid any problems that way.

Never understood this when you are taking photos while waiting in line. It's not holding the line up or disturbing anyone and creates bad feeling and lost revenue as people walk away when hassled like this.

Now stopping people taking photos with the guest or after they have got the photo signed I am totally in favour of. Cuts down on wait time and enables more people to meet the guest.

Looks like in addition to the 4 cards posted on above, there is a Neal Adams one also

Well, my experience with this show is mixed. The lineup of people who were signing pics, talking, etc., was okay, but not fabulous in my opinion. My wife was very stoked about meeting Nathan Fillion, which turned out to be a good one. Very nice guy, talked with everyone who came to the table, and was very personable. We dropped the money for his VIP pass, and got a family shot with him. Glad we did that.

As far as the rest of the event, I would give it a "Meh." We were there for the whole weekend, and attendance at this show is far bigger than the one I normally attend in New Orleans. Lots of dealers, artists, and exhibitors, but also lots of attendees. This made moving through some of the aisles challenging at times. My experience in New Orleans told me not to expect a lot in the way of cards, and it certainly seemed to hold true in Chicago as well. I was able to pick up several comics that I was seeking, and bargains were to be had on Sunday, if you could wait until then. Some truly fantastic artwork all around, most of whom were new to me, as I doubt these guys will travel all the way to New Orleans for a weekend show. The biggest artist, in my opinion, was Neal Adams. I have always loved his work from the early 70's Batman and the epic Green Lantern/Green Arrow books. I didn't get a chance to talk with him, as other attendees were monopolizing his time. I really wanted to pick up some large prints of his Batman or GA/GL work, but I couldn't figure out how to get them home on a plane without damage. Oh, well....

One of the best panels came on Sunday afternoon, with Ben McKenzie and Sean Pertwee of "Gotham." I was not able to meet either one of them, but their talk and Q&A session was very good, with just the right mixture of humor, insight, and "What's it like working on the set?" questions. It hit me while sitting there that Sean's dad was one of the early incarnations of Doctor Who, so I thought that was pretty cool. (Sorry, I'm not that familiar with the Dr. Who series, so I never put the connection together.) Hearing them is making me even more excited for the return of the show in a few weeks.

So, I have a question for the card dealers here who read this post: Is there some reason why you would or would not do a show such as this? I know that it must be a daunting task to handle a card dealer table with the number of people in attendance at one of these shows, so I figure that must be it. Either that, or is the anticipated sales or profit is not enough to justify the cost of a table at a show this big? Just wondering....

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
So, I have a question for the card dealers here who read this post: Is there some reason why you would or would not do a show such as this? I know that it must be a daunting task to handle a card dealer table with the number of people in attendance at one of these shows, so I figure that must be it. Either that, or is the anticipated sales or profit is not enough to justify the cost of a table at a show this big? Just wondering....

It's not necessarily the distance. I drove to Chicago this spring for the Chicago Non-Sport Card Show.

For me, it's the high cost of doing the show. Tables are expensive. Hotels in the area are expensive. Eating in the area can be expensive. The initial investment, before selling a single card, is $2000-$2500. The sales don't justify the overhead, or they never did when I did do Chicago.

One problem, and it's not necessarily a Wizard problem, is that the more guests you have the more people are tied up standing in line and the more money is tied up getting autographs and photo-ops.

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
So, I have a question for the card dealers here who read this post: Is there some reason why you would or would not do a show such as this? I know that it must be a daunting task to handle a card dealer table with the number of people in attendance at one of these shows, so I figure that must be it. Either that, or is the anticipated sales or profit is not enough to justify the cost of a table at a show this big? Just wondering....

It's not necessarily the distance. I drove to Chicago this spring for the Chicago Non-Sport Card Show.

For me, it's the high cost of doing the show. Tables are expensive. Hotels in the area are expensive. Eating in the area can be expensive. The initial investment, before selling a single card, is $2000-$2500. The sales don't justify the overhead, or they never did when I did do Chicago.

One problem, and it's not necessarily a Wizard problem, is that the more guests you have the more people are tied up standing in line and the more money is tied up getting autographs and photo-ops.

Ed

Since only Ed has answered, I'll add what I have observed from dealers I know who do larger shows.

If they are coming from out of town, they have to be somewhat sure they know what the show audience is looking to buy. If the running theme is not in line with the inventory they brought with them, they can't go home and change it. If they are local dealers, then maybe they can bring more of what people are asking for on the next day, if they find that few of the attendees are interested in what they are selling or that the hot items have been left behind.

Another thing is the hours, security and how many people you need to bring with you. Large crowds are distracting and there can be at least some small theft if no one is watching. You have to have enough people to man the booth at all times and still be able to watch. That usually means more expense above the price of the space and any travel cost.

If you are a dealer with a lot of small and inexpensive items it hardly pays to do a big show unless the purpose is just promotion. Or at least that is what I have been told.

Read someplace that Wizard has lost 2M on one of the recent shows, maybe this one ?

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
Read someplace that Wizard has lost 2M on one of the recent shows, maybe this one ?

They lost $1.8M in the last fiscal quarter.

Not hard to imagine since they didn't have one of their "major" shows (ie Chicago and Philly).

Comparing against last year it was an almost $4m drop, as last year the quarter had $2m in profits.

If it happens several quarters in a row, THEN something is afoot. Till then I'm just assuming this was a quarter with a lot of expenses that the smaller shows didn't offset.

Ed

Ed, why did they not have their major shows ?
Did you mean that they just did not occur yet ?

I read someplace that comic book sales are
actually UP the past 2 years, the highest
level since 1998 or so

Wizard World has expanded the number of shows and even held one in China, which seems to have had been less than profitable, as they say they learned from it for next time.

I have seen quite a few successful businesses expand into failure. When there is one good store in the neighborhood, everyone comes from all surrounding neighborhoods to buy. When that same company opens up six stores in each of the surrounding neighborhoods, they split up the same customers and have seven times the overhead. They are just competing with themselves.

Hopefully Wizard World will stay where it makes money.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
Ed, why did they not have their major shows ?
Did you mean that they just did not occur yet ?

There just weren't any of their "Big" shows in that fiscal quarter. Philly was the quarter prior and Chicago in the next (now current) quarter.

Talked to what I think is the only card dealer and the show and it looks like he won't be back either. Not enough sales to warrant the expenses.

Apparently the layout of the sales floor is terrible and traffic does not flow from one area to another very well. So people getting autographs have to Want to find the dealers.

Ed

All of this really bums me out. I just heard about Wizard World San Jose today and it's this weekend and I thought it was a great opportunity to see some cards. Then, I looked at the exhibitor list - no card companies and no obvious card dealers. It makes me wonder if there are going to be any promo cards given out at all or anything to buy.

Now, I might just go Friday to scout it and let my brothers know if it's worth going to during the weekend.

There were a few cards at Wizard World Chicago, but you really had to dig to find then. One artist had the Penny Dreadful cards and some of the others had promo cards that they kept boxed and out of sight. There was also an author that passed out cards. I did not see trading cards in the dealers section although it was jam packed with people.

Stevetrek, did you get any of those cards that Jason posted on above ?

Like I said, I saw a 5th one on an auction site

Do you have extras that you'd like to part with ? Please let me know

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
So, I have a question for the card dealers here who read this post: Is there some reason why you would or would not do a show such as this? I know that it must be a daunting task to handle a card dealer table with the number of people in attendance at one of these shows, so I figure that must be it. Either that, or is the anticipated sales or profit is not enough to justify the cost of a table at a show this big? Just wondering....

It's not necessarily the distance. I drove to Chicago this spring for the Chicago Non-Sport Card Show.

For me, it's the high cost of doing the show. Tables are expensive. Hotels in the area are expensive. Eating in the area can be expensive. The initial investment, before selling a single card, is $2000-$2500. The sales don't justify the overhead, or they never did when I did do Chicago.

One problem, and it's not necessarily a Wizard problem, is that the more guests you have the more people are tied up standing in line and the more money is tied up getting autographs and photo-ops.

Ed

Thanks for your input, Ed. That certainly makes sense, and it was sorta what I was alluding to in my earlier post. Doing a show that large obviously involves some major upfront cash, and the long hours and small profits would certainly run away potential card dealers. I can also understand that potential customers are spending lots of time in line and paying lots of money to get autographs, instead of spending their money with dealers.

I can only address the two Wizard World shows I have attended, which are New Orleans and Chicago. NO is a much smaller show, and most of the activity takes place in one large room. The layout is very cluttered, and the noise level can get high. Additionally, the increased number of attendees is starting to make it difficult to maneuver the dealer and exhibitor tables. Chicago was more spread out, but the layout of the dealer tables made for bottlenecks in multiple places, especially right near the only entrance. I found it difficult to get through the tables at many dealers, since they had them pushed together pretty close. Still, lots of good stuff for sale with lots of dealers in attendance.

I haven't been to it in many years, but are there still a number of card dealers who set up at Dragon*Con? I attended that one many years ago, back when Angel was still on television. The major draw that year was a number of Buffy related guests, most notably James Marsters. Lots of great dealers, both cards and non-cards, were set up that weekend, as well as a number of celebrity signers. I need to get back to that show one day....