[EldestofThree]

I'm fairly new to the whole Artist Alley scene, and have never been to ACEN before at all. I just have a couple quick questions, hopefully not painful ones. I don't think they were answered elsewhere, but if they were, I apologize.

Is the Artist Alley locked down after hours, or do we have to tear down our setups every night? I've had to do this for some conventions, and it definitely affects where I stay hotel wise if I have to haul stuff back and forth every day.

I'm a little confused as to how to go about paying for registration. I understand that its not included in the table fee. But how do I go about paying for it and ensure that I get an Artist Alley badge? Do I just fill pay through the registration on the website? Or do I need to send it in when I send in the check for the table? And if the latter, do they need to be separate checks?

Also, what's this convention like, all you veterans? I've sold at a couple others before, mostly ones further east, including Matsuricon and Tekkoshocon.

[JujuFox]

They do close and lock down the convention hall at night. Most people throw a blanket over their table, some others will haul things back if they are real expensive. It's up to you. Just make sure to never leave your cash box!

If you were approved all of the information was in the "ACen AA/AS Registration Approved" email. You should read it again as it tells you where to mail your check to.

If you haven't purchased a full weekend badge yet then you need to log into the main site, go to the "Purchase Badge" link under "Registration" in the left navigation, and add a weekend badge to your cart. From there it should tell you how to pay, or you can read the information page to find out.

ACen is huge, crowded, and sometimes smelly. There are a lot of awesome friends to be made, cosplayers to take pics of, and tons of entertainment. The AA hours are long, but there is still stuff to do afterwards like fun panels, dancing, and concerts just to name a few. The arcade was closed when we tried to go to it, but that is one of the most places to go at night. Browse the site and the forums and you will get a glimpse of what ACen is like.

[Voltaire30]

DavenEvanXaviour, on 17 December 2011 - 12:49 PM, said:

If you were approved all of the information was in the "ACen AA/AS Registration Approved" email. You should read it again as it tells you where to mail your check to.

Yep

but if you didn't get your email of confirmation I believe you can also go to your user account on the website, https://www.acen.org/user, and check your status there. Some people have acen.org flagged as spam, so even if we would want to email you, it would never get to you

Also, if you want to pay for your AA items online, it is a possibility, but I don't know how to go about doing it, step by step wise. If someone who has already bought their items online would like to post how they were able to do it, in this topic, it may help others.

[EldestofThree]

Ah. Thanks very much

[BrokenRemnantStudios]

Just thought I would say, welcome to ACen and The Artist Alley!

Since you're questions seem to have already been answered by our noble leaders and seasoned artists , i figured i would throw in my two cents based on experience. I've only done artist alley two or three times and each time is an amazing learning experience! you learn what's in, what's out, and meet some amazing people on the way! I myself try to make sure that my products are easily taken with me or easily hidden beneath my table. ACen has always done an excellent job of making sure everything is locked down, safe and secure. I've never had any problems in that area. However, if you simply feel better having certain or all merchandise with you, you can always take things with you.

I've always had a blast every year I've gone. It's HUGE, it's crowded, it's noisy and a virtual heaven for nerds here in the midwest.