A Bazaar of the Bizarre

May 12 and 13 saw my artist friend and me at Oddmall: Inside Out. It was our first experience attending the event ... and it will be our last.

On the plus side, the event benefited from strong attendance despite the venue being changed from Akron to Canton and the inclement weather. Vendor booths populated the Stark County Fairgrounds inside and outside. A plethora of food trucks offered a variety of cuisine to tempt anyone's tastebuds.

Oddmall: Inside Out bills itself as the "Emporium of the Weird," and attendees comprised an interesting cross-section of the local population. All generations were represented. There was a lot of ink. I don't believe I've ever seen so many tattoos in one place. The tattooist did a brisk business during the event, inking skin during the show. An interesting variety of vendors populated the event: chainmail, polished crystals, spiked vambraces, video game paraphenalia and merchandise, cakes, pillows, and ... you get the picture. Many attendees and vendors indulged in cosplay, some with quite elaborate costumes and makeup. It made for entertaining people-watching. There were only a couple of other authors and artists there, so Cindra and I didn't have much in the way of direct competition. We received lots of compliments on our paintings and lots of empty "I'll be back" promises.

We spoke with some of the other vendors—some who were returning vendors and others who were first-timers like us. They reported similar experiences to ours: a lot of people, but not a lot of sales.

My experience with the event was tainted before I arrived. After registering as a vendor and paying a premium for a prime vendor spot, I checked the event web page to ensure I was listed as a vendor. No, I wasn't. I also noticed that the location information wasn't the same as I had originally recorded. What happened?

I contacted the organizer. The upshot: the event had outgrown its original venue and been relocated to a new venue. I had not been informed. I had been dropped from the vendor list. The organizer offered me a vendor spot of "equal" value at a future Oddmall event, but neither a partial nor whole refund. I was not happy.

The organizer did return me to the prime spot (which I'd paid for) and eventually added me back to the vendor list. Then we arrived. Signage should have been more prominent and obvious.

Entering the building, we had trouble finding our space. We got help from another vendor who was also a volunteer with the organization. He consulted the online map of the vendor hall and we found what was supposed to our spot. An hour or so later, we learned that it was not our spot. Our spot had been moved. Neither the volunteer nor the affected vendors (including me) had been informed.

I was not happy, nor was the vendor who wanted that prime spot to which she was now assigned. However, with my tables were already set up, she agreed to move into the reassigned spot. The level of disorganization experienced—especially for what I paid—left a bad taste in my mouth.

The event hours were brutal. The event ran from 5 PM to 10 PM on Friday night and from 10 AM to 11 PM on Saturday.  Vendors began leaving around 5 PM on Saturday. Exhausted and dispirited, we left early, too, about 9 PM, on Saturday.  I don't know anyone stayed until 11 PM. In our not-so-humble opinions, the event would have done better to conclude earlier on Saturday.

Attendance, as stated earlier, was strong overall and despite the rain. Some attendees mentioned that they didn't know there was anything inside the building because there were so many outdoor vendors. Signage, also as stated earlier, should have been more obvious and prominently displayed.

For an author, profit is not the primary indicator of event success. An author goes to in-person events to build brand/author awareness and build his or her fan base through personal rapport and interaction. For an artist, profit is a primary indicator of event success. Since I flatter myself as being both author and artist, I hoped to at least break even if not make a profit.

I didn't. In fact, my expenses exceeded revenues. Cindra reported the same dismal economic results. We were asked to sign up for future Oddmall events ... and we noticed that vendor registration rose $75 for those future events. Neither of us found the increase in price merited.

The upshot: we're not going back to Oddmall. However, we have just finished a 3-day event, the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market Extravaganza (May 19-21). In my next blog, I'll publish a report of our experience and our decision regarding whether we'll return to the event in 2024.