SMACC: Southern Michigan's Arts and Creativity Conference

[Jacques Treatment]

George and I are working on a convention concept that we've had for a while. The thing that bothers us about most of the conventions that we go to is that we're often stuck across from a comic book store with dollar bins, some used book store with their sci-fi collection, or a collector with gee-gaws and gimcracks from other conventions. What we wanted to do was a convention by creators, for creators, whether publishers, musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers, jewelry makers, artists, photographers, filmmakers, or theater groups.

To that end, we're putting together SMACC, a two-day show in Dearborn. We have a dealer's room for creators with items to sell and a performance area for film makers, theater groups, and anyone who wants to make some sort of presentation. $50 buys a table plus three free memberships, so that you can keep your table staffed and still have a person free to walk around--you are also welcome to sub-let your table to other independent creators. We are looking to sell just 40 tables, so everyone has an excellent opportunity to show off his or her work.

The web page is up to take orders and distribute guest contracts at

http://idea-men.us/smacc.html

Please order soon--the sooner I get the deposit money together, the sooner I can completely cement the date. If I can't get the deposit money together by the end of April, everyone will have their money reimbursed. If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will be happy to answer them.

If I can get this off the ground, this is going to be one hell of a party for all of us! (And it'll make us all a mint!)

[d:konstruct]

I like the idea. Let me know if you need musicians when you get it together.

[Jacques Treatment]

I like the idea. Let me know if you need musicians when you get it together.

Yes, we do need musicians and other performers; in fact, we'd love to have someone with the right contacts help us book the event. We do compensate our volunteers, as well. Please contact me at michael@idea-men.us for more information.

--J,

always working

[TheOsakaKoneko]

Oh this sounds fun!!! How much will it be for non-presenters/general public to enter? I'd be interested in getting a table for selling items, but I'm curious about this because if it's too much it may keep people from coming. But I do think it would be incredibly fun!

I notice there's a $5 fee for CC or Paypal...how else can we pay? Or am I just dumb to have missed it?

I assume handmade jewelry and clothing are acceptable items to sell?

Also, is it acceptable to have a collaboration between 2-3 creators at one table? (I would definitely want to sell my clothing and my mother's jewelry, and possibly have a friend with me with her stuff.)

Edited July 29, 2009 by TheOsakaKoneko

[Jacques Treatment]

Oh this sounds fun!!! How much will it be for non-presenters/general public to enter? I'd be interested in getting a table for selling items, but I'm curious about this because if it's too much it may keep people from coming. But I do think it would be incredibly fun!

I notice there's a $5 fee for CC or Paypal...how else can we pay? Or am I just dumb to have missed it?

I assume handmade jewelry and clothing are acceptable items to sell?

Also, is it acceptable to have a collaboration between 2-3 creators at one table? (I would definitely want to sell my clothing and my mother's jewelry, and possibly have a friend with me with her stuff.)

Regular, off-the-street attendees can get in at a price of $10 per person for the ENTIRE TWO-DAY SHOW, $8 for children; I consider that a very fair price for an art show with a concert/film-festival (*36* planned hours of entertainment!) attached.

Yes, it is quite acceptable to have a collaboration between 2-3 creators at one table--please download the dealer contract from the SMACC website, print it out, and have each member fill out their own portion at the bottom. For payments other than PayPal, it should still say on the site:

Please make check or money order payments (and send dealer contracts) to:

Hamtramck Idea Men

PO Box 12097

Hamtramck, MI 48212

If you could please do me the favor of checking http://smacc2010.us and making sure that it's there (it should be somewhere to the right of the handle of the paddle), I would appreciate it. Sometimes, on my PC, the cache won't clear, and I would like to make sure that the most accurate version of the SMACC page is up.

Thanks,

Michael Marcus

[TheOsakaKoneko]

Regular, off-the-street attendees can get in at a price of $10 per person for the ENTIRE TWO-DAY SHOW, $8 for children; I consider that a very fair price for an art show with a concert/film-festival (*36* planned hours of entertainment!) attached.

Yes, it is quite acceptable to have a collaboration between 2-3 creators at one table--please download the dealer contract from the SMACC website, print it out, and have each member fill out their own portion at the bottom. For payments other than PayPal, it should still say on the site:

Please make check or money order payments (and send dealer contracts) to:

Hamtramck Idea Men

PO Box 12097

Hamtramck, MI 48212

If you could please do me the favor of checking http://smacc2010.us and making sure that it's there (it should be somewhere to the right of the handle of the paddle), I would appreciate it. Sometimes, on my PC, the cache won't clear, and I would like to make sure that the most accurate version of the SMACC page is up.

Thanks,

Michael Marcus

I did check out the site. I just was wondering..I will be there, and if my friend goes in with me, I'm sure she'd be there, but I'm not sure my mother will be there. A lot of the jewelry is collaboration items with me (me designing, her creating), and some is all her. Would I be able to sell some of her stuff as well? Also, it states you have to be there, but presumably as long as we are both at the con somewhere for most of it, we don't both have to be sitting the whole time, right? Thanks for the clarifications!! Sorry to ask so many questions. Thanks for checking back on this!

The address is there, yes! Sorry for the confusion. Shame you are charging so much for Paypal...but I can write a check.

[Jacques Treatment]

I did check out the site. I just was wondering..I will be there, and if my friend goes in with me, I'm sure she'd be there, but I'm not sure my mother will be there. A lot of the jewelry is collaboration items with me (me designing, her creating), and some is all her. Would I be able to sell some of her stuff as well? Also, it states you have to be there, but presumably as long as we are both at the con somewhere for most of it, we don't both have to be sitting the whole time, right? Thanks for the clarifications!! Sorry to ask so many questions. Thanks for checking back on this!

The address is there, yes! Sorry for the confusion. Shame you are charging so much for Paypal...but I can write a check.

I wish I didn't have to add a charge for PayPal, but with them charging me, I have to pass along that five-dollar service charge. The money I get from the tables goes directly into paying for the venue and some of the paid publicity and advertising. If I didn't, the payment pool would not pay for as much, and attendance (and thus at-show sales) might suffer.

Yes, you have to be there, but yes, like I said, as long as at least one of you is at the table, you're going to be okay. That's the big reason behind the three membership passes--I wanted it to be convenient for the dealers that are buying tables. Most other shows (that will remain nameless) come with only ONE membership pass, which means that having backup coverage at the table can cost another ten to FORTY dollars, depending on the show... and even with the single extra membership, if someone goes to the bathroom, your business partner can get slammed all too easily. With three free passes, you can rotate one person out at a time and never have to worry about anyone getting overrun. It also means that if somebody wants to make a food/drink run, it's just a quick trip out to one of the many restaurants within walking distance--one of the ways we're bringing costs down and making the show affordable is by not having a "con suite." All those do is raise the cost of putting on the show in the first place. With a first-year show, we needed to bring the costs down as low as possible, but still have enough money in our funds to get the show more press (and signage) than some of the other local shows get.

--J,

by the artists, for the artists