Artists giving Amanda free stuff like they are making sacrifices to the god of conventions so they have good fortune at their booths is something very precious.
I had an artist alley booth at anime impulse last year when it was raining REALLY hard. There were holes in the roof and the area my booth was in had one right above it and my section got flooded too. Tons of my prints were completely destroyed. By the end of the day I was completely soaked and freezing. I reached out to them to see if I could at least get a refund on my booth (not even talking about my merch damages) and they never got back to me. I decided I was never going back after that. It's just a completely unacceptable way to run a convention.
@@musicinmymind623 thanks. Actually I bought a booth for the other anime impulse earlier that year as well and it was during a heat wave and there was no AC. Like a third of the artists in the artist alley didn’t show up for the second day because it was so unbearable in there. That should have been the last straw but now I know better.
@@CS-zb7hx I hope so. Between the damaged prints, my booth, and my hotel and travel expenses I probably lost about 3.5 thousand dollars on that convention. It’s the only time I haven’t made a profit or at least broken even.
hi i'm the artist at 19:00 with the Jerma photocards! i was in the normal anime artist alley not the kpop section and i thought it would just be funny to make little jerma photocards given that i'm a kpop and jerma fan. a lot of people really loved it, we sold out on the first day and my helper and i stayed up late making more 😭😭 i think i'll bring it back for anime impulse la 2024 so i gotta prepare way more than this time.. thanks for enjoying it! 💗
@@K.Arashi He has no rules. No boundaries. He doesn't flinch at torture, human trafficking, or genocide. He's not loyal to a flag or country or any set of ideals. He trades blood for money. He's your new best friend.
Swell I would pay SO much money to see you attend DragonCon. That convention is so wild and has a whole culture attached to it at this point. People literally started a cult around a carpet pattern that was rEMOVED FROM THE HOTEL 10 YEARS AGO and that’s honestly not the weirdest thing that happens.
@@Madeleinewith3Es the funniest bit is that they FOUND THE REAL JON and offered him a guest pass. He didn’t take it (and I don’t blame him). But like imagine being some dude who did a modeling gig once and then years later you discover that there’s a new cult around it. With custom-made fedex robes and everything
i went to dragoncon for the first time this year and the WHOLE TIME i was thinking about how bad amanda needs to come there and completely tear apart that event because Good Lord. I didn’t encounter a single security check in any part of the event. The line to get into the vendors hall was an hour+ on SUNDAY so i can’t imagine what it was like earlier in the event, with no security, no traffic direction, nothing, outside in the hot Atlanta summer sun. The fact that there hasn’t been a shooting is a bible level miracle. I would never everrr go to dragoncon again after that experience
@@kittystache yeah their line management sucks, and it’s REALLY confusing trying to get literally anywhere. I’ve been going for 11 years and it used to be a LOT worse pre-COVID. They actually cap attendance now. 2019 was a straight up fire hazard, they had like 10,000 more people that year. The security thing isn’t true through, I think you just missed them. They have great security- dragoncon hires outside event staff (they all wear bright yellow shirts) and works with the APD. It’s hands down the best at any event I’ve ever been to. They actually shut down some of the streets near the dealers hall for safety reasons. During the parade they actually have literal barricades up. They have event staff at literally every door. I got stopped constantly when my badge was flipped around or not easily visible. They also have armed cops in all of the buildings. My complaint tends to be that they have too MUCH security in some areas. It’s a little scary when you’re out drinking in one of the hotels at night and run into 5+ armed cops.
i was there in cosplay and i think the funniest thing that happened to me was these two boys walking past me (who both looked to be about 10 years old) muttered “i would NOT talk to that person” 😭 it was so weird because i got a lot of odd looks from people who i assume were there for sneaker expo but how could they not know that this was also mainly an anime convention??
The best thing in a the world a 10 year old boy could say to me is that he doesn't want to talk to me lol. You were blessed on that day. I'm sure your cosplay was great too.
I wish they had a "not-crowded con". Charge more for tickets, and have some breathing room. First and last time I went to a con was 2012 and I had a panic attack from being so close to so many people. But when I go to professional convenients through work, there's like 10% the people in the same amount of space, which is nice and chill.
@@PsRohrbaugh you want an independent small con then, the ones happening in community centers and ball rooms, where youll get maybe 200 people in total attending, with maybe only 50 people at the con at a time, its great
@@Badusername2000 On one hand that atmosphere sounds perfect. On the other hand, they probably don't get as many good panels, and there are certain people I'd like to see. That's why I don't mind the idea of a more expensive con.
Oh Amanda, you don't have to apologize for not liking kpop (I'm sure you'll continue to apologize in future videos). But I used to be a performer in a group similar to those dance groups and it was some of the most fun I ever had! Dancing is one of the few forms of exercise I can tolerate lol
Yes I agree like I LOOOVE kpop and have for over 8 years now, but everyone has their own tastes! So it's totally ok! I don't get the people who get mad at others who don't like kpop... it's not always due to racism or stereotypes about us! Some just genuinely don't like the genre and it's ok
Exactly! Huge on KPop, but I get that not everyone likes it. Also I'm a kinesiology major who strangely hates sports and exercise but KPop dances are so fun
i am an unapologetic kpop stannie and i don't believe in being embarrassed about fun silly interests but: i always think it's funny when people go the other way and get offended when other people aren't into it. who cares lmaooo. i hope you get invited back this was fascinating!!
Off topic of this video but there was a very messy anime convention in my town this weekend and the whole time I was getting info from artists who worked the event I kept thinking "wow Swell wouldve had a field day with this!"
I went to KPLAY in San Diego back in March, and to explain the Jerma thing, no, Jerma is not associated with KPOP. The shop may like Jerma, but he's not associated. KPLAY sold a lot of Pedro Pascal photocards, even in the KPLAY Artist alley, because the shop wants to be funny and quirky and wants to sell something besides some KPOP merch but still sells KPOP merch, they also just so happen to sell that little niche of popular actors or streamers.
23:42 Yeah, my only time ever going to an Anime convention (In New York), there was this women that was advertising photos where she would sit or step on you, you could walk her like a dog, she could suck your toes, or SPIT IN YOUR MOUTH! This was back in 2022. Maybe that was the same person you're talking about lol
as person that goes to convention through the year. i doubt it but there could be chance, I see these signs alot and I may have an album on my phone of just me being stepped on lol
I was one of the artists there (blue booth at 13:30) that said hi to you at the beginning of Sat! I've gone to AILA 20 and 22 as an attendee, a helper at AIOC 22, then a vendor at AILA 23 and AIOC 23. The attitude towards the con has changed A LOT since they started collaborating to with company vtubers like Nijisanji and now Hololive, which allows them to host multiple conventions a year. It was quite quaint before but truthfully, and I wouldn't buy a regular attendee ticket unless someone I really liked had a M&G and I wasn't already vending.
If you invite Amanda to a convention, under the guise of "for fun", _knowing full well_ what her channel's about...you really can't be upset when the video comes out shortly afterwards. To me it all seems to be a backdoor, ultra passive manner of asking her TO make the video. So you make that content, Amanda. Don't let these passive twats hold you back.
It might be because she's talked about her management telling her to take a break and didn't want to pressure her to make a full video if she didn't want to. They almost definitely expected that they would get some kind of promotion from giving her free tickets even if it was just a couple of tweets or something like that.
Watched the whole video, theres not a single mention of getting banned, thinking the titles just clickbait. Not invited back thoughts is funny but nothing definitive shown ot stated.
Off topic but I was just at Galaxycon in Austin Texas vending, and I had a “vendor booth” ( I do traditional charcoal artwork of anime characters in a realistic style and video games and all other stuff, and have framed worked so it’s kinda big) and I was put across from a replica weapon vendor who took the whole side of the isle and sandwiched between two giant toy vendors. 85-90% of potential customers or just people looking at my work were looking at the weapons then turned and saw the toys as I was the 3rd booth. I didn’t even make booth back. I got $475 for a 3 day event and my booth was $875 before tax. It’s demoralizing, especially as an artist who STRUGGLES on social media and can’t really travel to every con i’d like to go to. And I sell my framed originals but also just prints of my work, so it wasn’t just a pricing thing on my end :(
Sorry for the rant, but the artist alley setup and isle spacing just sparked that in my head. Feels like they just slap people wherever without putting thought into it which kills smaller artists like me.
Its not just Austin. The Galaxycon organization as a whole doesn't have a great reputation when it comes to organizing their events. The event in Richmond, VA oversold and lead to both very cluttered space in the convention center, massively long wait times just to enter the building as well as major traffic problems with nobody part of the company seeming to know what they're doing. I also do recall thinking that the places the booths were not having a lot of consistency to them. In a well run con, there is artist alley, makers market, a section just for comics, a section for novelists, and a section for collectibles, but Galaxycon doesn't seem as committed to be that organized.
@@moviesquad73I went to galaxy con in VA. And it wasn’t as cramped. But it was like a fucking maze. Like I ordered a poster from someone at the front near one door and they had to leave to get more paper And I giant pastel booth. Ignore my previous comment: I was thinking of a different con I go to.
@@moviesquad73 exactly! A 10ftx10ft booth at Comicpalooza in houston was EXCELLENT and only $325! I don’t know if I’ll be going next year to Austin honestly. The crowds where slow and basically non existent on Friday. My guess, maybe 15k people the entire weekend, which isn’t awful, but for the price, not worth it at all.
I’m so sorry that happened !! I don’t understand why there isn’t an artist section and a dealers section. I hate that I inevitably miss artists like you because of how turned away I am by the giant vendor booths. It’s not fair to you guys or the consumer 🤧
Cosplayer stepping on you for money is really common but most events categorize it as soliciting, and therefore not allowed. A lot of cons just…look the other way tho
Hmm i never considered them not allowing it, i see it so much and as a cosplayer it’s HILARIOUS to me, especially when it’s a common franchise so their related characters can pose with them too LOL
To explain the jerma thing- in kpop there’s a big market of photocards/trading cards, which usually come with kpop albums and other merchandise. I know a lot of photocard traders/sellers like to make their own unofficial photocards of their faves (both kpop and non-kpop). Usually the non-kpop ones are more jokey and self-aware in the sense of “hey isn’t it funny that we’re literally spending money on paper with ppls faces on it hahaha”. I’ve seen fanmade photocards of jerma, pedro pascal, bad bunny, ryan reynolds, literally anyone lmao
Why is it such a common experience to be traumatized from being screamed at for taking pictures in the artist alley as a kid 😭 lesson learned tho cause I’ll never do it again
Midwest FurFest is happening November 30th to December 3rd in Chicago, it would be cool to see you there if you're looking for another furry convention!
Kpop stan here! The event where they play random clips from kpop songs and people dance to it is called a “Random Play Dance”! It is a very common thing to see at kpop events both in Korea and internationally. I think it would be very interesting to see you go to KCON one day 😂 Great video as always!
honestly I really appreciate the fact that while you may not be into kpop, you don't discredit it/the fans..I see way too many people wave off kpop events and fans bc its not their thing, so it's nice to see you acknowledge the community in a positive way!
A lot of the staff didn't come back after lockdown - at least that's what happened in the furry sphere. Cons are about 1/3rd down on staff and that seems to be sticking around. The people who have the experience don't want to do it any more, the ones who were doing it for "horse fame" are sticking around.
Repost: hi Swell! I was the crazy person with the notepads! I hope you enjoyed them! It was kind of a lackluster con for me so meeting you made my weekend! (I think I accidentally deleted my first comment while trying to edit it lol)
I'd heard. I used to do furry cons and you could get banned from loads of those just by submitting feedback (they usually ask) or suggestions which weren't 100% positive bordering on sucking up. Crazy how fandom culture differs so much.
it was sooooo fun catching you while i was tabling for fanclubs at kplay!!!! def wanna bring up a lot of confusion about fanclub tabling, where we had an official slot for 11:30 on sunday and were not allowed to admit through the vendor entrance, making us late to our tabling despite lining up an hour early
@@moth1560 I mean it’s interesting hearing more about Swell personally and always cool to know you have more in common with a creator you like to watch
Thank you for coming out and enjoying the event! We appreciate the feedback!! It's actually our first time at the ACC (we're usually at the Fairplex and went on a California tour) so there's bound to be some growing pains and learning curves for each new venue! We'll take every critique and concern to better our events for the future!! Thank you again!! 🙌
How this convention has been going on for 8 YEARS! And still haven't figured out simple issues is mind blowing. The issues are like 1st year con issues. I'm just confused.
Hey Amanda I am not sure if this would be up your alley but there is a maid cafe in LA county (Arcadia) called Asayoru Maid Cafe. It's very cute and fun, especially when they host events. Like they recently held a "Swole" themed one with a bunch of buff guys in maid uniforms and some of the regular staff to help out in general (It was a real bi-panic moment). Unfortunately they already sold out for the Swole event ( and they sell out kinda quickly) but they announce different events fairly frequently while also having the normal days they are open. People can pay for dance/song performances to be done by one of the maids on duty, to play games with them or if you want to take polaroid photo with them (which they decorate!!!). The food isn't exactly high cuisine so it's truly more an experience, especially when only some of the things are served with "Maid Magic", so keep that in mind if you will. (Not to excuse this since it /is/ a cafe/restaurant. They're also running an indiegogo to help fund the new standalone location they're moving to by the start of 2024. They already met the base goal (yay!) but it wouldn't hurt to get some more eyes on it since they have some stretch goals which would be a blast to also get. Sorry for this long comment but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try to reach out here because it's become my recent obsession 🥺
I have staffed a convention in the Midwest and we gave artists a whole day to setup and whole room under lock and key and a dealer/ vendor concierge staff in place to meet all vendor needs during the whole weekend, this few hours of loading and setup of vendor booths is unacceptable and convention staff complaining to vendors why they are not ready is unacceptable, for a late start.
No, but seriously, the "Are you drawing while watching this?" comment sent me into space because when I told my friends who ALSO draw, they had also had the same jumpscare moment
Quick question- why is the video titled “getting banned from anime impulse”? It sounds like you had a fabulous time there with no altercations that would result in you getting banned. Did I miss something? 😅😅
When she first said "K-pop" I full on thought she said cakepop, and I was completely committed to the idea that it is common to have convention cakepop stages where they make cakepops or something, and that Swell isn't that into cake.
can we please get a swell podcast or main channel video on how to attend events solo safely? i feel like you have a lot of experience that would be beneficial.
I know she's mentioned how she gets approached by dudes who've noticed she's alone at every single convention so I'd say a really important thing is having your creepy arsehole radar on constantly. Shame, isn't it?
I've seen a lot of convention coverage these past few months, but I haven't in recent memory seen a full review of a venue itself. This makes me very happy.
The way I screamed when you mentioned Professor Lando. Sometimes I really hate how I act even in private. Anyway, fantastic video as always. I've been LIVING for these convention/event videos.
As both a kpop fan and anime fan, that sounds like a great time! Having a random play dance as well as allowing kpop in public groups to perform is so cool. Probably a lot more accessible to people than kcon LA
20:58 to be fair to the drive-by note pads person, I'd do the same exact thing lmao. "Hi, SUPER excited to see you, but I'm terminally anxious and I can't stop to talk, TAKE GIFT."
You're telling me I almost had a chance to be on Amanda's channel?!!! I performed at KPlay and I couldn't agree more about the audio and stage positions. BUT UGH I wish I saw you! 😭😭😭😭💕 ALSO: I've been attending these events for a few years already (prob since it started) and they have always been jumping around to different venues/locations. So everytime it's been a different experience when it came to how the tickets worked/ parking/ etc.
4:24 -- That was THE thing to do when I was a kid back in the mid 80s. You'd collect all your plastic wrist bands from going to water parks and theme parks. The more you collected over summer, the cooler you were when you got back to school. :D
I feel like part of the reason swell can't help but work is that it would get pretty lonely and quiet without someone or "something" to talk to going to an event alone that's full of people. Plus people are less likely to come up to you and bother you, aside from a wave in the background if you're recording.
Me and you are the same age and yet the way you just go out into the world is so well done and just so different- in the best way !!! it inspires me to try and not be afraid to be an adult going places all by myself lol
I don't know if I sound rude, but I am a fashion designer, since I found your channel, almost every time when I start sewing, I listen to your video, not because I am interested in your topic but because I find the way talk you about something is interesting, just like how I always chit chatting with my friend .love from Malaysia!!
My heart is warmed by the KPLay attendees. I wish I loved a something that much and I just adore that there are Gen Z'ers out there dancing to music *in public* like putting themselves out there. Warms my old. introverted Millennial heart.
I am BTS ARMY 🎉 38 years old. Huge fan of yours also. My husband thought that I would love your content since I'm wholly unable to travel to be able to go to any conventions, etc. He was correct and I've been watching you since. Thank you for all of your hard work and willingness to explore, while being a kind human.
Anime conventions have been getting crazy. I went to Sac Anime a few weeks ago on a sunday (which have been the slowest days in the past) and it was CRAZY. I almost had a panic attack. Their aisles are super close tpgether and they moved the meet and greets and autographs next to the artist alley so it was just super crowded and difficult to walk around, especially in full cosplay.
Hey man, you don't need to clickbait in your titles. I watch almost every video but after this one I got confused because you didn't say anything about being banned, so I checked the video description and transcript to make sure I didn't miss anything, and then I realized it was just a lie :/ I can usually trust your titles to be relatively accurate so this threw me off
It’s so cool to see your experience at Anime Impulse OC!! It was fun to see the differences between that one and the one I went to! I actually went to Anime Impulse Bay Area and that one was the venue that was both inside and outside and I can confirm that I got sunburnt 😭 the food was outside so I was stuck waiting in the sun for my food
Amanda you need to come to Otakon in DC next year. It’s the biggest fan run anime con in the USA. It’s always run really well. I’ve been going for years! Badge pick up is Thursday evening, con starts Friday morning and goes until Sunday afternoon. There are dozens of panels at any given time. The artist alley is huge and the dealers room is even bigger. There is a maid cafe and a masquerade and usually a concert of some sort. There are also constant watch rooms with anime playing and I always have so much fun!
Used to work on conventions, for some of the talks in large halls we used wireless headsets with a infrared system. Worked great because you can use the space but not have to worry about people not being able to hear or across other panels!
volunteered at anime impulse before and the management was really poor. directions weren't that clear and it didn't seem like the ppl in charge were taking it seriously until they realized just how many people were going to come. which was such a shame because it really was a cool convention and there was some banger food but that soured my experience.
ONE OF MY FAV RU-vidRS WAS IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME AS ME AND I DIDNT SEE HER 💔💔 also my friends were part of the Avatar dance group!!! Thank you for featuring them in the video!! Our dance team is just our high school’s ❤️ it’s awesome u recognized them
For events like anime cons that happen all over in varying sizes, it would be fun to see someone go to and compare cons of different sizes and region (Come to anime Iowa, I promise we aren't a barren corn and soybean wasteland)
Swell gonna become an event consultant, run seminars called "How to make your event not suck" 😂 EDIT Seriously though, there are so many influencers out there with no idea how to run meet and greets or cons, you could make a mint if you wrote a book about this stuff.
Unfortunately it's extremely common for conventions to just assume that the vendors will figure out a workaround to loading/unloading issues and congestion. So far I've not seen anyone figure out some kind of magical solution. And for whatever reason a lot of event spaces like to keep loading docks closed so that everyone needs to file into one or two entrances with all of their stuff.
i wasn't able to go to anime impulse, but something that bugged me was that they were announcing guests not too long before the event? i wanted to go specifically for the holostars panel + meet & greets (in the vtuber jumpscare at 11:16 theyre the dudes on the far left), but tickets for both things were getting sold a few days to a week after they were announced to be attending the con; meet and greets sold out within five minutes for all four of them, and their panel was sold out within hours of tickets going live before it was moved to a different area of the con less than a week before the con. i'm a young adult who can't drive and who has overprotective parents, i can't come up with plans that fast, and i wasn't particularly inclined to spend my money on a ticketed event if i wasn't even sure i could go yet. other guests who would be at the main stage were also getting announced only a couple of weeks before the con as well, so fans of theirs also had to quickly come up with their traveling and housing plans if they wanted to see them. and if i was already struggling to make plans as a guy already in SoCal, then the international fans were Definitely Not Happy with not being able to come up with plans quick enough to see some of the guests for either the main stage or ticketed events. personally, i just wish there was more breathing room between when guests are getting announced, when tickets go on sale for their associated events, and the days of the actual con.
Weird. I did an LA event for pins a while ago, and it was a similar set up. Like there was a sneaker area, a street music thing, and then the pin thing. But they were completely seperate. Just bizarre.
3:16 amanda, it's going to be SO HARD for me not to say "oh, worm" from now on whenever someone tells me about a traumatic experience. p.s. start carrying sour gummy worms in your purse, so the next time you give your friend a trauma worm, you can give them actual worms 😂
as someone who’s allergic to ink- I HATE when venues only stamp- like I have a risk of it scarring after bubbling up and then I’ll have “over 21” or a smiley flower scarred on my hand forever
I performed w/ my team at k-play fest in the bay area this past July and it was a v cool experience! It was a bit chaotic getting in bc we didn't know where to go, but I think as they keep doing these events, it'll hopefully get smoother
For only discovering this channel after the Smosh video, 2 things are true about me. I love conventions, and 2 shenanigans is my favorite word of all time. So that's already 2 points for the good. Other favorite words include, Fickle, Malarkey, and Skedaddle. Honorable mention to Finaggle.
Selling in the aisles: that was absolutely NOT ALLOWED at any of the anime cons I ever sold at because it was 1) blatantly unfair to the people who paid for their tables and 2) illegal/questionable because if the state comptroller came and did a surprise sweep for sales tax permits and unauthorized vendors didn't have one, the con would get nailed with a fine. In most states you MUST have a sales tax permit to do business, even if only at cons, and you have to list your sales tax permit ID number on your application for a table. I actually got busted for "squatting" (as it was called in the early '00s, don't know if that's changed now) at the first A-Kon I ever tried selling stuff at because I had a little suitcase of prints with me. In my case it was because I was young, dumb, inexperienced, and sincerely didn't know any better. I was grateful that the con staff who busted me were _incredibly_ nice about it, gave me the benefit of the doubt that I really was just clueless about that not being cool, and told me how to purchase an abandoned table space the next day if available. That's how I got started, actually. 13 years later and I was the artist alley staff badge artist for three years running and a member of their admissions jury. Everybody has to start somewhere, right? lol
Jerma may not be directly connected to kpop but you bet he is integrated into convention in general Next time you visit a conventions like this, I challenge you to find the secret jerma references found in merch from the artist's alley
I think a lot of Jerma fans are also K-Pop fans and like to make photo cards of him too because it's funny 😭 I've seen a lot of crazy good Jerma Kpop fancam edits too. I'm more of a Jerma fan than a Kpop fan so I could be wrong lol
Tip for the socially anxious: working an event is very different than going as a guest. Whether u do paid work or volunteer, you get less fun activity time but it's so much more comfortable to have a defined role! I love it, and I really hate most events as a guest lol. Sign me up for a 3 hour shift & I'm happy as a clam! Omg totally agree about just judging events hard. I do nonprofit marketing, lots of events, but I wud much rather work an event than just go.
