Brochure now available for BotCon 2015

Seibertron wrote:

redoutlander wrote:I am a club member but, I've never attended Botcon so please excuse my ignorance. I like a few of the Cybertron Most wanted Figures but noticed that the Iacon package cost $409, I assume this does NOT include shipping. Also, The Primus Package is $409 and it includes Cyberton's Most Wanted, entry to the event itself, AND an additional figure!

Wha'why? Is this just standard Club shenanigans, or am I missing something?

It's to encourage people to attend the event, which is the primary purpose of these exclusives.

If I ran BotCon, I'd immediately do away with non-attendee packages because I feel it creates an environment where people feel like they don't have to attend the event to get the exclusives. It seems extremely counter-productive to me to have sets available for people who aren't attending an event. Non-attending figures should be available only after the event if there is any stock left over. I would also reveal all of the available exclusives except for the "freebie" figure to help encourage people to attend.

Trikeboy wrote:Thats all and good for American attendees but those of us overseas who cant afford flights, hotels, then a $400 ticket price to get exclusives, non attending packs are great. I've wanted to go to Botcon for over a decade and hoped to make it this year but that is too much. Ebay sellers will have that set going For over $500.

Exhibitor’s product
content must be at least 50% Transformers related. This means robots,
action figures, comics, sci-fi or related products. General toys or dolls
are not allowed. Exhibitors must collect the 8% Illinois sales tax or
current rate in effect at the time of the show. Exhibitors must file and pay
using the forms provided at the show one week after the conclusion of the
event. Please do not bring products that violate Hasbro owned intellectual
property.

Seibertron wrote:

Trikeboy wrote:Thats all and good for American attendees but those of us overseas who cant afford flights, hotels, then a $400 ticket price to get exclusives, non attending packs are great. I've wanted to go to Botcon for over a decade and hoped to make it this year but that is too much. Ebay sellers will have that set going For over $500.

I don't understand this logic. I don't expect overseas conventions or stores to make it easy for me to obtain foreign convention or retail exclusives. I have to jump through hoops, pay middle-man markups, etc to obtain those items. I don't understand why BotCon exclusives should be any different than exclusives for other conventions or retail exclusives. There are a lot of fans who bend over backwards to attend the event every year (not to mention fans right here in the US). Convention exclusives are a selling point for why someone should attend an event. If you allow those items to be sold to non-attendees, aren't you in a sense eliminating one of the reasons why someone should attend your event. It just doesn't make sense from a business model that is designed to make money.

Seibertron wrote:

philswitch engage wrote:My assumption is that it probably has a lot to do with a combination of fan demand and production run costs. I am working with the assumption that it costs less per figure to make when they have a larger run. On top of that funpub had to notice that their sets were selling for a hundred dollars or more on top of the original cost on eBay after the events. If they have a demand for a product and they can get a lower cost per figure to make more, then their net profit goes up and fan customer satisfaction increases.

I failed to mention one of my biggest reasons behind my statement above, which is that it seems like BotCon attendance has slowed or become stagnant over the past 7 years (particularly since 2009). I have attributed part of that decline in those exclusives being available outside of the event. While there are many factors involved with what I have observed at past BotCons (and by no means am I making any official numbers about attendance ... I don't have any numbers, just going by what I have seen and heard), it seems like people have become complacent in recent years about obtaining non-attendee packages instead of attending the show. Those that are on the fence every year would probably be more inclined to go if attending the show was their only way to guarantee that could get obtain the exclusives they desired.

While I sympathize with some factors that prevent people from attending, I still don't understand the "entitlement" attitude that I see regarding a convention product being available outside of a convention. I get what philswitch engage is saying, however, and maybe from a business perspective that does make sense. Production costs on a larger run isn't something I had considered.

However, I still think doing whatever it takes to encourage people to attend the event should take precedent. I'm just looking at this from a business perspective with regards to how to grow this event and that I think it's counter-intuitive to offer a way to obtain an event's exclusives outside of the actual event.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Or it could be travel cost, I mean it's way more expensive for me to go to Illinois for botcon than it is for me to go to SDCC just due to my location alone.