Marc Alan Fishman: The Responsibilities of a Show Promoter

Marc Alan Fishman

Marc Alan Fishman is a graphic designer, digital artist, writer, and most importantly a native born Chicagoan. When he's not making websites, drawing and writing for his indie company Unshaven Comics, or rooting for the Bears... he's a dedicated husband and father. When you're not enjoying his column here on ComicMix, feel free to catch his comic book reviews weekly at MichaelDavisWorld, and check out his books and cartoons at Unshaven Comics.

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1 Response

  1. The rule of thumb that fan-run shows have tried to live by is simple – the dealers’ room pays for the show. Cover your budget with the hucksters, as soon as the first fan walks in, you’re profitable.

    I ran Comicfest down in Philly back in 1993. Be honest, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing, save for the snippets I picked up helping out at sci-fi cons. But at that first con, we also out-drew San Diego, something it took NYCC quite a few years to do. Of course, it was a very different business back then. We were still enjoying the comics boom, and Philadelphia hadn’t had a proper comic show in years, possibly decades, so they were hungry for one.

    To give you an idea how different a world it was, didn’t even charge for artists’ alley tables. We had a staff of about ten people. But we followed about all the rules you list here – there was room to move, the dealers knew how to make a sale, and the fans were happy.

    It took like fifteen years for another professional company to step into the comic convention market, and I’m real pleased they did. I’m hoping they try to keep them fun.