Artist Alley

Signing up for Artist Alley

HOW?
- send us your application to the email address: program.cs.as@gmail.com

- In the subject specify the convention that you’d like to apply for. For example "Artist Alley application - provide the name of the next upcoming convention that you’re applying to". It is not possible to apply for any other convention further in the future than the next upcoming one.

- In the email give us a short description of who you are and what you specialize in.

- Be sure to include a lot of examples (pictures) of your art and creations. You should also add a link to a webpage with your portfolio (for example your facebook / instagram / deviantart /etsy store).

WHEN?
We process all applications no sooner than approximately 3 months of any upcoming convention. If you will send them sooner, be prepared to wait.

WHAT’S NEXT?
After your application is processed, you will be notified from the same email address that your application is noted. Please be aware that submitting your application doesn’t mean that you will be automatically selected. Since our Artist Alley has a limited capacity (e.g. by the number of available tables that we are able to fit into the particular premises), there’s an internal selection process for artists before each convention.

After the application deadline, which is usually approximately a month before the upcoming convention, we contact each applicant by email – both the successful ones as well as the ones that didn’t make it.

Artist Alley Terms and Conditions

AI “art”
We do not acknowledge any AI-generated creations, even if a human subsequently adjusted or processed them further. Artist applying with AI-generated images will be automatically disqualified from the selection process. If an artist should not disclose the intention to sell such wares beforehand, but tries to sell them directly at the convention anyway, they will be immediately removed from the Artist Alley as well as the convention’s premises.

Fees
Since 2023 we are charging a rental fee of 50 euro for a stand/station in our Artist Alley. The fee covers the rental of one space/table and the entrance fee. However, this applies only for one person. This means that if you are planning on bringing any entourage or helper to help you run your stand or just to keep you company, they will need to buy a regular ticket.

If you want to also book an extra table to the one you’ll already get by default, you can do so for an additional fee of 50 euro. For this you need to notify us by email beforehand (a week before the convention at the latest).

It is no longer possible to book more than one extra table due to spatial and capacity limits. If you really need more than two tables, you will be re-classified as a “vendor”. Vendor prices are higher, however on the other hand you will get other benefits in the form of a more attractive placement and traffic to your stall.

The rental fees will be collected towards the end of the convention.

It is not possible to rent a spot in the Artist Alley for less than the entire convention (3 days). If you should arrive at the convention later or would need to leave sooner, we do not refund the rental fee or even part of it.

Artist selection process
During the artist selection process, we also consider the ratio of fanarts versus the artist’s own creations. Ideally an artist should have at least 50% of their work their own art.

When selecting artists we consider several criteria such as: art type/art form, variety and size of their portfolio of creations, the artist’s previous experience with conventions, their follower-count, as well as their competitiveness.

Competitiveness in this case means, that the smaller the portfolio or the fewer items the artist has or presents, the lower is their chance of being selected to be part of our Artist Alley. We consider this to avoid the situation that after a day or two of the convention the artist will not have any more items to sell, which is unfortunate, because an empty stall is not good for anybody, neither for the artist or for the convention.

Communication
After the selection process is closed, we contact the chosen artists with further instructions and also in case of any changes. That’s why it’s important for the artists to check their emails and respond more often after being selected.

If a person fails to respond to messages even after repeatedly being asked to, they will be deleted from the Artist Alley shortlist and their spot will be offered to a substitute.

Substitutes
It can happen that sudden events or complications may cause, that someone from the selected artists won’t be able to attend the convention. In such cases they need to let us know asap and we can then offer their spot to the next suitable artist.

The Convention

What will be provided
- Each artist will be given their own table or rather table space.

- The convention provides its own tables measured at 0,6m x 1m. The placement as well as seating plan for artists is determined by the head organizing staff.

- There will also be a power socket at your disposal in the vicinity of each table. IMPORTANT NOTICE - considering the fact that the building, in which our convention takes place, is older and reconstructions are not up to us, nor in our power, the electrical network can get overloaded quite quickly. It is possible that in such cases you will be asked by the convention’s staff to unplug your electrical devices. Therefore please do not bring any big lamps or other highly power-demanding electric devices, because in the end we might not let you use them.

What we recommend
- We would like to see, if possible, that each artists occupies their stand/station for all three days of the convention. However, in special cases (such as holding a presentation as part of the convention's program or helping out in other ways) or if you need to use the bathroom or go get yourself some lunch, we will of course accept your absence within a reasonable level. We would be happy if you used this opportunity to raise the visibility of your work and yourself to the maximum.

- So in case it is necessary please have someone with you that would take your place during your absence.

- If applicable we also recommend bringing your own stands or display cases for showcasing your work.

- Bringing your own business cards (even hand painted ones) containing information for potential customers on where to find your gallery or shop online, how to contact you and etc. is also recommended.

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Lastly, we would like to stress that the Artist Alley is mainly an opportunity to raise each artist's visibility and to introduce themselves to a broader fanbase. Furthermore, we would also like for our visitors, our colleagues and the staff, to have the best possible experience while attending our convention. Therefore I would ask each artist to, whatever the situation, keep a polite, civil and professional demeanor.

If any conflicts or displays of impolite or other unwanted behavior should occur, the organizing staff of the convention reserves the right to warn or even disqualify the artist from the Artist Alley or even to escort them from the premises.