Kumoricon

What an absolutely delightful convention. Seriously, it was a breath of fresh air from other conventions I've attended. 2021 was the first Kumoricon I've been to and I sincerely hope I'm able to attend more. The artist alley was organized, tables were clearly labeled, and may I say the shining stars of this convention were the staff. By far, out of every single convention I've attended across the United States for the past several years, the staff at Kumoricon was the best. They were helpful every step of the way, each person I spoke with for information not only had the answers to my questions, they offered to walk both my luggage and me to where I needed to go. They even had a table you could go ask for emergency supplies, like tape or zipties for your setup.

Maps were clear and abundant, aided by the venue having huge halls that were easy to spot. The staff was careful about COVID protocol and at no point did I feel unsafe. The food options were all right, there was some food provided in the hall, but if you don't like those options, you might have a bit of a walk to find something you like outside of the convention. However the staff provides a helpful list of nearby food options in their welcome packet.

Attendance was great. It was likely bolstered by people wanting to attend from 2020 being skipped, but regardless, turnout was good. Even as an out-of-state artist, I was able to make a nice profit. The autograph section was next to artist alley which also helped our numbers because the staff would announce whenever an autograph session was available, so people could hang out in artist alley before or after each session if they wanted to.

Whether you're local or not, I'd say this convention is worth it as an artist. It was not a cheap convention to attend mind you, so take precautions in planning out your travel expenses, including potential rideshares.