This line went from one end of the lobby all the way to the other end, and that was 15 minutes before the show opened for public access! 10 minutes later, the line was winding itself back towards the middle of the lobby!
As part of Pen Shows 101, I did a tour of the show floor so that folks could see the lay of the land and know that there are hallways and side rooms, in addition to the main ballroom. It was hard enough for me to walk around, let alone lead a group of people through the show, and talking at a reasonable volume was next to impossible.
There were some flow issues too, the biggest of which was at the PLOTTER table, where folks lined up around the table, out the door and down one of the hallways. This resulted in some attendees thinking it was the line to get in (and it wasn’t), and also prevented folks from getting access to the vendors in the hallway. I did like that they put more of the nib workers in the back hallway, which made it easier to get access to them. They also moved the PLOTTER “corner customization” to that hallway, so some folks moved out of the main ballroom while they waited for their PLOTTERS to be customized with pretty corners (which, btw, is a show-only customization).
The show also eliminated some of the classrooms that were located near the main ballroom and used that space to add more vendors. This also meant that some of the classes had to be held elsewhere. There were classes on the 3rd floor of the Westin and also at the Aloft across the parking lot, which is a bit disjointed, but I totally get it - there’s only so much space on the main floor. Even the Bayshore Ballroom hosted two classes in the same room, with some panel screens separating the two; I heard that it was a little disruptive because you could hear what’s going on in the other class. For what it’s worth, I didn’t have any issues teaching my class while sharing the room with Abbey Sy who was also holding a journaling workshop, but I could see where it could be noisy if the class had a lot of questions or was particularly loud.
Despite the crowding issues, most of the attendees that I talked to said that they had a great time and couldn't wait for next year's show. They loved the variety of vendors and the ability to talk with folks they had only ever seen online. I also spoke with quite a few of the new and returning vendors who told me that they had great sales, and they really loved meeting their customers in person as well as showing their products to new folks. In fact, some of these vendors told me it was their best show this year, which is great to hear. Many of the first-time vendors are already making plans to come back again, which is awesome because despite being at the show all weekend, I still didn't do as much shopping as I wanted to! :-)
Considering it’s only the show’s second time at this hotel, I do appreciate that the show has been trying to find new ways to fit more vendors who are banging down their door, while working on different places for some folks, while also trying to placate existing vendors who want to stay in their spots, and while trying to make it work for attendees who just wanna be able to wander the show and blow their budgets. These are tough problems for any show to handle, but especially one that seems to have already outgrown the hotel that they have a multi-year contract with.
A couple things that attendees could do to make it a little better:
- Bring slim bags to the show - Backpacks and other large bags take up a lot of aisle room, especially when bending over. And if you do have a big bag because you should definitely NEVER leave anything visible in your car, put it down by your feet because it takes up less room. (Pro tip: putting a bag ON your feet means you’re less likely to walk away without it.)
- Be aware of your surroundings - Make sure you’re not blocking the aisle, don’t stop abruptly, or back up without looking. It’s easy to trip and step on feet/bags/etc.
- Use the app - the Starbucks app, that is. The hotel has an actual Starbucks, so it was much easier and faster to order via the app and be notified when your order is ready, instead of wasting precious shopping/selling/resting time while waiting in line.
As many of you may have heard, COVID has been rearing its ugly head again. So it was good to see a fair number of people who were masked at the show. It wasn’t as much as back in 2021, but certainly more than at any other show I’ve been to this whole year. Aside from Odin’s PSA on masking, the show also provided masks at the registration & entry tables for anyone who wanted one. As someone who travels a lot and doesn’t wanna get any kind of crud (COVID or otherwise), it was a welcome sight to see more people masking. And I get that not everyone wants to wear one (or can’t for medical reasons), but don’t judge or belittle folks like me who choose to do so. I won’t belabor the point, just be safe out there.
Ok, enough about that, let’s move on to my favorite parts of the SF Pen Show!
It’s no surprise that I love dogs (I love cats too but I’m allergic to them) and I love that the SF Pen Show is a dog-friendly show! The ones I encountered were all sweetie pies that didn’t bark or pull or anything of the sort! In fact, some were even shy! I couldn’t get pictures of them all but rest assured, I gave them lots of pets, scratches and boops!
