Back from the Imaginarium 2022

I spent July 8 - 10 at the Imaginarium , held at the Holiday Inn Louisville East in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the fourth time I've attended the Imagarium as a vendor.

Passing through the hotel's convention entrance upon arrival on Friday, July 8, I was struck by the sheer number of vendor tables in "Creatives Alley" waiting for their temporary occupants. I quickly estimated that there were twice as many as in 2021. The dealers room was filled, too. My friend, Cindra, who accompanies me to many of these events, and I noted that the extra money paid to be placed in Creatives Alley was well-spent in 2021, so with the promise of a much larger event than last year, we looked forward to this year's convention.

We were doomed to disappointment.

The convention was better organized than ever. Kudos to the organizers for a well-run convention!

Friday afternoon began slowly, but with encouragement. I sold a couple of books and a painting. The first day of this 3-day event is usually slow, so I wasn't worried.

Saturday, Cindra and I ate a substantial breakfast to tide us through the day, and took our places at our table. And we waited. We spoke to several people, particularly our neighbor, poet/artist/musician Jaysen William Allen . On our other side was the Louisville Chapter of a cosplay group enthralled by the Ghostbusters movie franchise. Interesting costumes, guys! We saw familiar faces, too, such as horror author Stephanie Ayers and romance author Colleen Green .

The Imaginarium began as a gaming convention for those who enjoy Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering and other similar role playing games played with dice and cards. The event's gaming room was typically packed with diehard players in weekend-long tournaments. This year, however, the room was practically empty most of the time.

We learned last year that the Imaginarium was transitioning from its original orientation on games into a writers conference. It succeeded. The multi-track program was packed with seminars and panel discussions mostly related to writing and publishing. It has become an information-packed writers conference.

The transition in attendee type means that the event doesn't really attract my target audience anymore. Writers and aspiring writers don't attend writing conventions to buy leisure literature. Those who attend for the games, cosplay, and other program activities are often receptive to authors selling books as well as artists selling paintings. Last year, I sold quite a few books and paintings; the crowd offering a good mix of target clientele.

Also, we and other vendors surmised that the number of vendors greatly exceeded the number of registered attendees. The out-of-the-way location in an economy conference hotel means that the general public don't wander in off the street, so vendors must rely on event attendees for sales. When prompted by even staff for feedback, Cindra noted that unfavorable ratio of attendees to vendors. The staff person acknowledged that he'd received several such comments from other vendors and was taking notes to provide to the organizers.

Some vendors who also reported a lack of pedestrian traffic—especially in the dealers room—also suggested reasons for poor sales: skyrocketing inflation tightening wallets, a mismatch between vendors and audience (regarding number and type), the weather (rainy Friday and Saturday), etc. Past events boasted a better mix of merchant types: books and comic books, artwork, jewelry, sculpture, weapons, costumes and accessories, games and game pieces, music, etc. This year, all but a mere handful of vendors were authors hawking their books, so competition among them was stiff. As I wandered among the vendor tables, I noted how difficult it was for a single vendor to stand out from the competition. (The paintings at my table drew people to the table.)

I remember one author whose book covers were dead simple: a novel font in black against a white background. No graphics. I can't remember his name, but I do remember his uncharacteristically plain book covers which stood out among a sea of brilliant cover designs. The covers neither drew me in nor enticed me to pick up the books to learn about the stories contained within, but they did grab my attention and stick in my memory. Some vendors wore costumes. Rose Marie Machario , whose table was directly across from mine, looked delighfully 1950s-ish and rocked a Rosie the Riveter costume on Sunday, July 10. (The short, curly hairstyle she now wears looks terrific!) Another author dressed as an angel, complete with wings. As always, Cindra and I got all gussied-up and sparkled with jewelry. (We do like our jewelry.)

Speaking of custumes, there were far fewer cosplay attendees this year. Cindra and I missed seeing the costume parade held at past events. At conventions like past Imaginarium events and MARCON, people-watching is most definitely a spectator sport.

The venue itself was well-organized and appropriately sized for the event. The air handlers and air conditioning units worked all too well, with people donning sweaters on days with temperatures exceeding 85° Farhenheit.

Will I return to the 2023 Imaginarium? I'm not sure. I want more information regarding the vendor-to-attendee ratio and the audience targeted for attendance. I'd like to see the games revitalized and greater inclusion of cosplay. I'd like to see a greater variety of vendor types rather than almost all authors. Because a high percentage of event income comes from vendor registrations, it behooves the organizers to more finely adjust the event to meet vendor expectations.

Personally, I think combining the audience and programs of both MARCON and Imaginarium would make for a slam-dunk of a creative convention that would attract an even greater number of attendees and vendors.

#henhousepublishing #hollybargobooks #Imaginarium