Anime Boston

Information on the 2013 Artists' Alley is now available here.

New to the Artists' Alley this year is the Pro Row. The Pro Row are table spaces specifically meant for professional artists, albeit at harder requirements and a premium price.

All artists are required to read and comply with the Artists' Alley FAQ and all instructions, rules and policies set therein. Please also be aware that table prices and sizes have slightly changed from last year. You can find them in the Artists' Alley FAQ as well.

Finally, the Artists' Alley Beginner Guide has been updated. If you're new to Artists' Alley in general or just looking for some advice, it's a good resource to check out.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here.

Awesome! thanks Chris !

Love the 'after 11AM'

YAY! Calendars are marked! So much looking forward!

Yay for an updated Beginner's Guide, too!

thanks for the help with the beginners guide - so what do you all think of the new formatting? a little easier on the eye? a little easier to find answers?

Looks awsome to me, Nikki.

EDIT: And my hubby just pointed out that I'm going to be on an airplane all that day. Just checking, but is my assistant allowed to sign up in my place? I know that we can't both apply if we only plan to get one space, but she's allowed to do it in lieu of me, yes? Possibly in my name?

as long as it is in YOUR name with YOUR email address, then yes, you can arrange to have someone else do it for you.

Looks awesome! Thanks for the info!

My computer just crashed. Will I be able to fill out the letter of intent from an iPad?

i don't see why not - it s on a web browsers and ipads can go on the web.

however i do not have the finances to actually buy one myself, so i don't really know.

this may be a question for our webmaster who created the form to answer.

however, i KNOW that people can do it from their phones, so why not the ipad?

It was cheaper than getting a smart phone once you total in the data plan, and allows me to use the square credit card reader. It has paid for itself at conventions because of the credit cards!

Thanks for the quick reply. Now I won't panic.

I've been looking through the forums but haven't seen anything regarding sign up times tomorrow. I know it will be after 11 am, but will it be on the hour like it has been in previous years?

Just to chime in, an iPad should be fine. I've used on on the site and haven't had any issue with it.

i don't pay much extra on my phone plan for data....so for me, it actually would have cost more in the short run, which is where i can't raise the money, because too many emergencies come up and eat away my money before i can save it for anything.

as for the hour - whatever hour it winds up being, most likely.

So, just to clarify: if it were in the 9am hour, it would be near the hour-mark, not some random middling time like 9:21. I am using 9am as an example, because we ALL KNOW THE WINDOW DOESNT OPEN UNTIL AFTER 11am. (just so noone goes OMG, it's opening at xx!)

I wouldn't have to pay that much for the data plan itself, but I would have to end the current contract on my phone, purchase a smartphone, and then pay for the data plan. It just didn't add up for me.

that is certainly the aim of it, yes. i have a really tight schedule tomorrow so i'm hoping i don't have to fudge anything.

yeah, that makes sense

Oky, thanks. That makes it much easier than clicking refresh every two minutes for untold number of hours!

I have a question that's a little complicated....

I am in a studio group, and we did ABoston last year. It was a fantastic experience and we did register again today and hope to be part of it in 2013! The problem is, we have 7 members and after last year we realized we just had way too much stuff to be sticking in one table (and we'll have even MORE this year...). So we registered for two tables this year. The two tables will not be sharing stock - all the stuff that belongs to 3 members will go on one, and all the stuff that belongs to the other members will go at the other.

However, we're wondering how, assuming we get into Phase 2, to register the tables. We understand that even if we request to be put next to each other it might not happen, but all our display signs and business cards are for the group as a whole. Should we just split into 2 different studio groups for this artist alley? We wanted to ask because there's really no way we can all have our stuff together even in an 8ft table but we also don't want to break any rules or cause trouble.

Zae wrote:I have a question that's a little complicated....

I am in a studio group, and we did ABoston last year. It was a fantastic experience and we did register again today and hope to be part of it in 2013! The problem is, we have 7 members and after last year we realized we just had way too much stuff to be sticking in one table (and we'll have even MORE this year...). So we registered for two tables this year. The two tables will not be sharing stock - all the stuff that belongs to 3 members will go on one, and all the stuff that belongs to the other members will go at the other.

However, we're wondering how, assuming we get into Phase 2, to register the tables. We understand that even if we request to be put next to each other it might not happen, but all our display signs and business cards are for the group as a whole. Should we just split into 2 different studio groups for this artist alley? We wanted to ask because there's really no way we can all have our stuff together even in an 8ft table but we also don't want to break any rules or cause trouble.

The other years they allowed you to specify if you wanted to be next to a certain neighbor or not especially if you guys were connected and I don't know but I'm pretty sure they'll do it if you ask them. These guys are pretty good at working hard to set up the artist alley for all of us and making it work. I don't think it would be any trouble but I can't speak for them, you would want to talk to Nikki (Tuberat) since she's the head of the Artist Alley and sets all that up.

Face usually has a lot of information too so I'm sure one of them will respond at some point, they're really good at getting back to people.


Also off topic but Nikki, the beginner's guide is great! It really has all the information that every new AA needs. Also those wire cubes are a god-send because you can do so much with them. My partner and I make archways but keep the shelving in the back to store things.

Also the demographic targeting~ -fist pump- I'm glad that was added because we're artists but we're also businessmen/women and salesmen/women so it's important to know your audience, even for seasoned artists. Plus with the economy the way it is it's important to remember what people will buy or not and what is cost-effect for you and the customers.

glad you're liking the beginners guide i took what we had, and a lot of the feedback we got from you guys and then ran it through someone who was much better at making it COHESIVE and understandable. it took us quite some time since the original REALLY needed to be fixed.

as for requests - yes, make sure both of you put down that as a request if/when you get in. the only reason i don't fill requests like that is when A) too many people ask to sit next to the same person. there just isn't room. or B) one person got in and the other didn't until much later, and now i have to rearrange an established map that requires the permission of the artists we now have to move around to accomodate the change.

Hi, I have a few quick questions.

When are Phase 2 / Registration e-mails sent out? I know that planning needs time and that it's impossible to give out exact dates... but is there a rough estimate in comparison to previous years at AB?
This is the first time I've ever applied and I'm really excited! I hope I can go this year. I just don't want to get too anxious about it if confirmations are normally sent out in March or something. Plus, depending on the time of year, it's likely I could miss that 3-day window and I'd like to prepare, if possible.

If I'm put on the waitlist will I get an e-mail too?

Also, how many artists normally sell at AB each year? 100? 200+? Not that this is necessary to answer, I'm just really curious.

Thanks for your time and I'm looking forward to AB this year!

well, every year, something new crops up that makes the AA department have to wait on other departments. so phase 2 has not started yet, and i'm unsure when they will. i need a go ahead before i can do so. i wanted to have them started before xmas, but if things go on too much longer, that might not be possible (as i will NOT do it the week before or the week after xmas)

if you're waitlisted, you WILL get an email

while we only have a 140 + tables, we generally get between 300 and 500 people i need to make AA badges for. lots of artists have assistants and others share their tables with fellow artists. so an exact count is pretty much impossible to do....sorry...

Thank you for your answers, I appreciate it. I know that it's really hard to make guesses this early on! And the 300-500 ballpark gives me a much better grasp on things, thanks again.

Ah I was gonna ask the same thing lol. Thanks for the info!

Nikki, if the AA announcements go out after Christmas/New Years, will we still be able to get assistant badges for the reduced rate? The rate increases after the 31st. I can't buy my badges until I am certain I am in the alley. I know it's only a few bucks, but figured its worth asking.

no, assistant badges will be whatever the current price is. only the main artist will have the reduced price. sorry

Looks like we will be getting word after christmas since next week is the week before!

Hey Nikki (or Face, whoever gets this first), has the table listings already been put up or is everything still in the works?

in the works

Hey Nikki! (or Face) I have a question, in the what you can't use in the AA you list machinery of any kind but would that include a small handheld button press? We wanted to bring it along just in case we needed to make more buttons but I want to make sure that's okay before doing so.

button press should be fine. we don't want things that could actually be a hazard or cause damage to the environment we're in. Like mini drills and convection ovens.

Will there be wi-fi available in the new AA room?
I haven't seen any information yet otherwise, since I seem to recall there being wi-fi available last year.
Thanks!

Yes. It's free and open, so it's shared and that means it might get a bit pokey over the weekend, but it does exist.