Atlanta Comic Con 2021
Atlanta Comic Con (formally called ATL Comic Convention, because there's a one-day event that calls itself Atlanta Comic Con) is one of the newer conventions that the Imaginarium Agency created as it was expanding into new markets. Because of the problems we'd experienced with parking in Atlanta when we there in 2004 for Dragoncon, combined with it typically being scheduled right after InConJunction, we'd considered it to be something that wasn't worth our bother.
This year's Atlanta Comic Con was held over the weekend of August 6-8, 2021, the week immediately after Tampa Bay Comic Con, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta's gigantic convention center. Since we have to go through Atlanta on the way to and from Tampa, and we were down on conventions after having lost one of our biggest anime cons to a stupid miscommunication (after dumping another whole family of cons in 2019 because the promoter would prefer to shoot the messenger than solve a serious safety problem), we decided to give it a try. We had enough Wyndham loyalty points to buy our entire stay at one of their less expensive hotels, and we'd just stay an extra night in Macon on the way up. That would also give us time to do laundry and pick up some additional food on Tuesday.
On Wednesday we carried our personal belongings out of the van and checked out of the Sleep Inn in Macon. I think we managed to do it in record time, but it helped that I was rested after a good night's sleep, rather than exhausted from loading out at a convention. Then we hit the road to Atlanta. It's not that far, so we made it in pretty good time, although we did have the usual supply of boneheads. However, we didn't have any truly terrifying close calls like the one in Gainesville on Monday.
On the other hand, we missed the turn to our hotel and ended up going a good distance south before we finally found a bakery where the baker knew the area well enough to set us straight. We finally found the proper place to turn and got into the lot of the La Quinta. Unlike the one in Tampa, this one was an indoor property (one in which the rooms open onto an interior hall, rather than opening right onto the parking lot). They had bell carts, but they were incredibly funky little things that put me in mind of the ones at the Comfort Suites where we'd stayed at our last Con+Alt+Delete, back in December of 2018. As a result, it took me several trips to get all our personal belongings into our room so I could move our van into a proper parking spot.
Since we got settled in right after lunch, I had plenty of time to do bookwork left over from Tampa Bay Comic Con, including going through our ledger to determine our gross receipts and send an accounting of consignment sales to our consignor (who was happily surprised). I also dug into my latest Odd Prompts writing challenge, trying to figure out how it would fit into the larger project I've developed from so many of these writing challenges.
I also did some catching up online, including dealing with an ongoing problem with an eBay sale that had gone awry, thanks to our local postal distribution center. It wasn't a happy way to resolve it, since even the buyer acknowledged that it wasn't my fault, but eBay doesn't provide any way to resolve these sorts of situations that doesn't require taking it out of the seller's hide.
On Thursday we could sleep in a little, since the grab-and-go breakfast didn't start until 7AM. Unlike all the other hotels we'd stayed at, this one required us to show a little paper ticket attached to our room key sleeve in order to pick up our breakfast. It was in bags at the front desk, and there was a little fridge from which it was supplemented with either fruit or yogurt, according to our preferences.
Since we couldn't even start loading in until 2PM, we took our breakfast back to our room and enjoyed it there. Then we made a leisurely preparation, having our salmon for lunch instead of supper and fixing wraps to take with us to eat while setting up.
It was a good thing we left early, because we discovered one very unpleasant thing as we pulled out of our hotel -- the main road is so busy that there was no way we could get across the lanes of traffic to our entrance ramp in time. We ended up stuck in a neighborhood, trying to find our way around and back on the road we needed. Fortunately we were able to salvage the situation and make our way to the Georgia World Congress Center without incident, but when we got to the gate that had been indicated in the directions mailed to us by the promoter, we found the gate locked and no one at the guard shack.
Shortly afterward, another dealer showed up and said he thought we were supposed to go in another way. However, he didn't wait for us to get turned around so we could follow him, so we had to go as best we could, and ended up going the wrong way at the railroad tracks. When we found yet another closed gate, we got ourselves turned back around, then returned to our original spot, where we called the phone number on the guard shack -- and got directions that were clear as mud. We were finally rescued by a security guard who gave us good directions, but even then we were rather uncertain driving through the maze of garages under the convention center. The place really felt like it would be a great LARP dungeon, but was a very frustrating place for a vendor just trying to find the loading dock.
As it turned out, we actually got to the loading dock before 2PM, and there wasn't a line to get in. Instead, we could park wherever we found a suitable place, but we couldn't carry anything in until the appointed time. I pulled out merchandise until I could get to our cart, then piled our first load onto it so I would be ready to start loading in as soon as the doors opened.
Although it wasn't quite as hot and humid as it had been in Tampa, it was still sweaty work and I drank a lot of hydration drinks while pushing cartload after cartload of merchandise and store fixtures into the exhibit hall. As usual, I prioritized our mini-grids and connectors so my husband could start building displays while I was hauling in the rest of the merchandise.
By the time I finally got everything in and took the cart back to the van, we had several vehicles parked behind us. As a result, I had the perfect excuse not to leave the convention center to take the van to parking, so I just dived in on the process of building display structures so my husband could fill them. Thanks to getting an early start, I was able to build all our structures before we decided it was time to head back to the hotel, although the last one was being rather difficult for me.
Going back out, we were able to find our way back through the maze, only to discover a train stopped on the tracks we'd crossed to get in. Since neither of us was excited at the prospect of waiting indefinitely for the train to move, we got the van turned back around and started looking for another way out. We ended up finding a path out that was being used by the people who had been at some other event, and at least we weren't hassled by security as to why we were joining the flow of traffic.
Then we had to figure out how to get back to our hotel. The streets of downtown Atlanta can be confusing, and we were a bit turned around. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was tired enough that my patience was fraying, which was not a good thing when I was having trouble getting aligned in my parking spot. Finally we got it to the point where it was at least marginally adequate for the night and we could go in.
While we were winding down for the night, I did do a little more scribbling on my Odd Prompts writing challenge. Then we turned in, knowing that at least we were more or less on schedule to be ready when the doors opened.
On Friday we got up and picked up our grab-and-go breakfast, then headed downtown to finish setting up. Instead of turning onto the major street right by our hotel, we went back through the neighborhood to a place where we could come out at a light, making it much easier to turn. This time we were able to find the loading dock with ease and I dropped off my husband, but finding parking that would fit a big van felt like chasing a unicorn. There was supposedly free parking included with our vendor booths, but only at a parking garage that my van wouldn't fit into, which was annoying.
After a wasted hour that took me into some neighborhoods and some tight turn-arounds, I finally found the marshaling yard almost by accident. It cost a bit more than I'd planned (and as it turned out, they double-charged me that day, although a call to the credit card issuer got the second charge removed), but I got the van safely parked, and we even had shade from the huge solar panels that were on the area we were to use. Then I had to find my way back to the exhibit hall, which involved finding a door that wasn't locked. While I was struggling, I encountered a dealer who was looking for the loading dock. I offered to guide them, since it would get me into the loading dock, but they didn't have a spare seat in their vehicle. One of the security people finally pointed me to the correct door, then led the other dealer to the correct entrance.
By that time there was nothing to do but dive into getting our setup finished. I got our t-shirts up and then put out signs, so we were actually ready when the doors opened. We had a few good sales, but there were way too many times that were almost unbearably slow. I fiddled around on my phone a lot, trying to keep myself occupied. By the time the doors closed for the evening, I was thoroughly ready to get back to the hotel. Of course I first had to retrieve the van and drive all the way around the complex so that I could get into the pick-up area. At least being able to park under the solar panels meant that the van wasn't unbearably hot when I got back to it.
When we got back to the hotel, I prepared supper. Then I did some Internet stuff and continued the previous week's Odd Prompts effort a little further forward to see where it might actually go.
On Saturday we got our grab-and-go breakfast and headed back to the convention center by a new route that my husband had found online. This time it worked better, but when we arrived at the loading dock (where the promoter's staff had assured me I could drop off my husband before parking the van at the marshaling yard), I found a whole lot of unhappy vendors backed up at a closed gate. There was a security guard telling us we couldn't go in and we'd all need to turn around and drop people off at the pick-up area in front of the convention center. However, my husband was able to slip through on the grounds he had medical needs that required bathroom access under ADA, so I just had to go park the van.
All the same, I was rather annoyed as I walked back from the marshaling yard, and a little worried that perhaps he'd been stopped and turned around, only to find our van gone. I was glad to arrive at our booth and discover that he'd clearly uncovered the tables, although he wasn't there. I folded up some of the table covers and did a little restocking. When he arrived, he told me about how one of the promoter's people had showed up and told the security guard that yes, exhibitors were supposed to have dock access each morning to drop off personnel and supplies. However, we were both annoyed enough that we decided not to test it on Sunday. I'd just drop him and our equipment off at the entrance, since nobody was hassling us about parking there as long as we kept it short, then go park the van.
I did a little tidying up and even had a bit of time to look around. Then the doors opened and we started to do business. Yet again customers came in spurts, with times that we were overwhelmed and times that were so slow I'd get my phone out and look at various things.
When the exhibit hall closed, I headed over to the marshaling yard to retrieve my husband and we returned to the hotel. I did some more work on the Internet while having supper, then continued my effort to tie the previous week's Odd Prompts writing challenge to the larger storyline I've been calling the Big Messy Project.
On Sunday we headed back to the convention center, where we had to deal with some officious people who wouldn't let us into the exhibit hall for dealer prep time until Mickey's big hand was on the twelve, never mind that the doors were open and the lights were on. Finally one of the promoter's staff told them to knock it off and let us in, so I could drop our stuff off and get the van to the marshaling yard. This time I was astonished to find no one at the guard shack to take my parking money. Since there were other vehicles parked under the solar panels, I figured it was safe to park without paying and headed back to the convention center.
Sales were slow, and we started packing early, getting all the small, fiddly stuff put away before the doors were even closed. Only after the show was over did I finally start packing the t-shirts, because it's hard to avoid being obvious about emptying the displays. Although we'd sold a number of t-shirts, including designs that hadn't sold for ages, when the doors closed and I packed them, we hadn't emptied a single box. I wondered whether it might be the result of my having had enough time that I could go through the displays, straightening and refolding stacks that had become heaps.
Once the t-shirts were boxed, I retrieved the van from the marshaling yard, then started loading stuff out while my husband continued packing and breaking down the structures. At first I had to use our own cart, which meant I was limited on how much I could carry on each trip. However, we eventually were able to secure one of the convention center's carts, which really sped up the process. It also enabled me to put our cart into its place and load around it.
Although we'd sold a fair amount of stuff, enough that we actually were able to get several boxes nested one inside the other, things didn't pack as well as they had, and we were left with a number of voids. As a result, I could tell that we were going to end up with no great reduction in the amount of stuff we'd have in the middle.
We were one of the last vendors to leave, and I was very glad to see the gates still open when we left. Because I really didn't want to find a train blocking the way out again, I found another way out and we left the Georgia World Congress Center without problems. I was very glad to put that place behind us, and resolved not to do any other shows there unless I'd heard the staff had gotten a lot better at communication.
We actually got back to our hotel at a reasonable hour and were able to spend a little time eating supper and doing things on the Internet. I did some more things with my Odd Prompts writing challenges, trying to figure out where to take them, before turning in for the night,
On Monday we ate our grab-and-go meal in the room before carrying our personal possessions out to the van. We actually got on the road at a good time, but we had to go partly back downtown to pick up I-75 without having to do a lot of zig-zagging through neighborhood streets where we were apt to get lost. I was very glad to get past I-285, although that's not really the outer limits of the Atlanta metropolitan area. I also noted the place where we'd had the blowout on our 2019 trip, and the road to the Goodyear place where we got the new tire (which is now our spare, since we put all four new tires on our van after noticing that the tires we'd purchased in 2016 were showing cracks along the tread).
The first part of our drive went fairly well. We stopped just north of Atlanta to get gas, then again north of Chattanooga. Since we'd learned that Caryville no longer had low gas prices, we decided to wait until we got closer to Lexington before buying more gas. As we got into Kentucky and close to the place where we'd found the really nice Quality Suites for an unexpected overnight stay in 2019, the sky grew steadily darker. When we got to the station that had the best gas price we'd seen advertised, it was clear we would have a storm to deal with very soon.
As it happened, we got gas just in time. As we got back on I-75, the rain went from sprinkles to a downpour so heavy I had to slow down to about 30 MPH and put my four-way flashers on. Worse, a good bit of that was through a construction zone, so we had Jersey barriers on both sides of us. It wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience, and by the time we reached Lexington, I was getting pretty tired. We pulled in at the rest area just north of town and we actually spent some time resting. We called our friend and let her know that we'd had reasonably good sales at both events, although we weren't planning to go back to the Atlanta one after all the trouble we'd had with the convention center. She told us that the vegetables we'd given her were delicious and she really appreciated our kindness.
Finally we felt ready to continue on our way home. I thought we were going to make good time, but as it turned out, we didn't get home until dark. I still had to get supper for us and carry our stuff in. But it was still good to be back home, even if it was only for two nights before we hit the road again for Michigan where Grand Rapids Comic Con was having their Summer Bash.
Copyright 2021 by Leigh Kimmel
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Last updated August 30, 2021.