There is probably a lesson here.
Unfortunately, I have not learned it.
Most sensible traders do not completely redesign their stall layout for an event with a two-hour setup window.
I am apparently not most sensible traders.
Paisley Comic Con seemed like the perfect time to completely rethink the stall layout and try something I had not done before.
What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Customers were arriving while I was still building displays. Stock boxes were stacked everywhere. Plenty of things I meant to put out never even made it out of their tubs. The card reader decided this was the perfect time to update itself. At one point I was trying to finish the setup, serve customers, and explain that yes, it would all look more organised in a minute.
Probably.
Despite all that, the new corner layout actually worked rather well. It gave people more room to browse, made the stand feel more open, and helped show off more of what BlueCyborg brings to events.
More importantly, Paisley brought a fantastic crowd.
There were cosplayers, collectors, tabletop gamers, families, horror fans, and plenty of people who had absolutely no intention of buying anything until they spotted the one thing they did not know they needed.
As always, some of the best parts of the day were the conversations. Hearing about gaming groups, convention adventures, favourite shows, painting projects, and upcoming plans is one of the reasons I enjoy getting out to events in the first place.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stall, whether you bought something, had a chat, or simply came over for a look.
The final challenge of the day was packing everything back into the van.
Over the years I have picked up plenty of little tricks that make event pack-down faster. Better storage systems, more efficient packing, knowing where everything lives, and generally making fewer mistakes than I used to.
The result is that I can now pack away significantly faster than I could a few years ago.
Despite this, I still managed to be the last trader leaving the venue.
At this point I am fairly sure it is tradition.
No matter how much I improve the process, no matter how efficiently everything gets packed away, I somehow remain the final person loading stock into a van while everyone else is already halfway home.
Some things never change.
Thank you again, Paisley. The van is unpacked, the stock is being restocked, and preparations for the next adventure are already underway.
If you missed us at the show, or saw something on the stall and forgot to come back for it, you can find us online at BlueCyborg.com.