Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Micia and Billy Joins the Circus at MCM Comic Con!
Wow! This word pretty much sums up my time at MCM London Comic Con. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I have been to a convention before but this was the first time I was there as an exhibitor and it was quite an experience. My illustrator, Jenika Ioffreda, takes part in many Comic Cons, all over the world, and it was absolutely brilliant to be there with her, signing copies of our new picture book, Billy Joins the Circus.
Behind the Scenes - Set up
I rolled into ExCel London, with my purple suitcase full of picture books, at around 4 pm on Thursday for set up. I purchased a snazzy new Beeswift Hi-Vis security jacket and as soon as the set up was complete, I headed over to check out The Treehouse and the Family Lounge area. It was a magical forest setting, complete with cute mushrooms, bean bags, little tables, sunflowers and a tree at its centre point. I've never seen ExCel this way before. In set up mode. It was pretty cool seeing the artists and creators wheeling their things in and setting up. It was 'the quiet' before the show!
Interactive Space
We created an interactive space where children could listen, watch videos, read and learn about our story, Billy Joins the Circus. It was a lovely opportunity for little ones to meet us and get a signed discounted copy of our beautiful new picture book.
Ready to go
From the moment I stepped off the train at Custom House on Friday morning, I felt like I had stepped into another Universe! I rushed past Spiderman, Wonder Woman and many other superheroes as I was running late and wanted to make sure everything was ready to go before they arrived. After a few little adjustments, quick photos and a coffee, the doors opened and the fun began. MCM London Comic Con is the biggest convention of this kind in the UK, with about 130000 visitors in three days. Saturday was sold out and although there were times when I found it a challenge to keep up, it was fantastic!
We were in the Artist Alley close to The Treehouse and Family Lounge area, so every now and then I popped over to see the children and chat with the lovely folks over there. I didn't manage to see much of the exhibition or take many more photos as it was so hectic and there wasn't any time. I even missed taking photos of our book signings but I can say, that everyone we talked to had a great time and it was a very successful weekend. I feel so lucky to have been part of such an incredible event and now I can't wait for London Film & Comic Con coming up in July!
There was no time to rest after this event as the next morning, I had another book signing and Storytime at Wimbledon Library which I will tell you about in my next blog post...
BIG thank you to Jenika, you are the coolest person I know.
Anna Christina
Links
Shop | Billy Joins the Circus | Billy Joins the Circus blog post | The Making of a Picture Book | Dreams Come True! | Book Signing Day | MCM London Comic Con | neptunefactory.com