Last weekend, I returned to Tulsa, OK to participate as a vendor at Tails and Tornadoes FurCon for the second year in a row. Some of you will recall that this particular convention proved to be my best vending experience of 2024. This year, things were a little bit different…
For starters, TTFC moved to a new venue this year: the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. It is a very nice hotel with an interesting aesthetic, and the convention layout was straightforward enough. Artist Alley was right in front of the Dealer’s Den this time, so I don’t think anyone had a hard time finding us. Additionally, setup was open the previous evening, so there was no need to rush on Friday morning–always nice if you can get it.
Perhaps the starkest contrast between this year and last came in the sales category. Ironically, in 2024, I made more sales at this convention than any other event all year. In 2025, it set the record for lowest sales ever at a furry convention. Why this happened, I can only guess, considering attendance was higher than before (as usual with these kinds of events lately). Perhaps it was my slightly higher price model I’ve been favoring this year; perhaps it’s the fact that I did not have a monopoly on bookselling this time. And of course, the new venue and layout could have something to do with it as well. It’s hard to say.
Fortunately, as with last year, there was no hotel expense for me, so the loss was not as horrible as it could have been either way. And on the positive side, I did have several interesting conversations with folks, including a few I met previously.
Would I return to TTFC again? Perhaps. However, considering that next year I would have to actually stay in the con hotel, I would need to be reasonably confident that sales would be significantly better. In fact, I might try another event that tends to happen on the same weekend, for that kind of expense. Would I recommend it as a first try for other kinds of artists? Absolutely! Especially if, like me, you know someone in the area you can stay with. But if you’re looking to sell books here, I’m afraid the market is a bit saturated.