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When the pandemic made it hard to attend conventions in person and many began canceling events in their entirety, BizBaz Club started hosting virtual conventions via Twitch. BizBaz@Home is one of BizBaz Club’s several monthly events it hosts, between these virtual cons, Pop Shop lives, in-person events in San Diego, nerdy hangout nights, and more.
I’ve vended at several BizBaz@Home events in the last year, and this time I’d like to give you an idea of what it’s like! It’s very different from busy anime cons at a big convention center.
Most of BizBaz@Home is handled either on Twitch or Discord. The hosts Jules and Stephen stream for 10 hours via their Twitch channel, and all contests and vendor info is shared in their Discord community server. Once you pay your vendor fee (which includes the event-exclusive pin, a badge and lanyard, and other BizBaz related goods like stickers or prints to be able to post and advertise the event. Part of your vendor agreement is to promote the event online the week beforehand, and they make it really easy by providing you with tons of images, blurbs, and tags for you to copy and paste. They make all the vendors their own info card with their shop info, some product photos, and their event promotion so you can promote yourself as well.
For the BB@H for July I hosted an art panel. I suggested streaming while I draw emotes of the BizBaz mascots. Their panels are paid positions, which helps offset the price of the vendor box. During my panel I was given access to their call and streamed Procreate from my iPad while watching the Twitch feed muted on my laptop to keep up with chat. I had quite a few technical difficulties (my iPad got an update mid-stream and kept stopping my screen recording) but the BizBaz community is so kind and fun-spirited, I kept up with everyone in the chat and powered through!
During the stream the hosts hold a few different segments to highlight their artists. First, all the vendors are compiled in an “exhibitor hall” channel on Discord, and Jules virtually leads us through this hall by going through each vendor’s website. She highlights different products and invites discussion about your goods or projects. They also show off your instagram, which makes it nice to show off your most current and up-to-date items.
Secondly, the Meet The Artists segment is a group call with all the vendors (sometimes split into two groups based on size) where we introduce ourselves and hold a small moderated Q&A session. It isn’t mandatory to be on camera or have any special setup, but it is fun and encourages to dress up or decorate your space however you’d like. Some vendors have setup a display of their items, others use a green-screen effect to completely obscure the room their in, and some simply sit at their work desk. Occasionally someone may show off a recent project that isn’t in their shop, like an ita bag sample or a work in progress. This short panel was a little stressful the first time I participated, but Jules and Stephen do a great job promoting discussion so the pressure to speak isn’t on anyone in particular.
BizBaz@Home also features several contests, from cosplay to coloring to minigames. All of these are free to enter with varying prizes. For just I submitted to the coloring, Jackbox TKO tournament, and the pet costume contest. I ended up winning the coloring contest! All the voting is done anonymously through Discord by all event participants. Jules also does Gatcha pulls, Guess The Artist games, and other minigames in between the major panels.
Now I’m sure you’re asking, how much money did I make? Overall my expenses were $50 for the vendor box, and that’s it. Since it’s all done from home, I didn’t have to travel or spend any money outside of my vendor fee. I spent about 5 hours over the week before the event making a banner for my website, posting about the event, and doing other BizBaz-related communication. While it definitely isn’t necessary to be present for the entire stream, I usually watch the entire 10 hour stream with plenty of stretch, bathroom, and snack breaks. I can pull Twitch up on my phone and participate in chat while doing errands around the house, and only have to be actively sitting at my desk during panels or contests I’m in. Far from strenuous work.
I was paid $30 for running my panel, made $90 in sales, and won a giftcard from the coloring contest.
Total, I profited $70 from BizBaz@Home July. While it isn’t any extraordinary event financially, I will likely continue to do these monthly BB@H streams when I don’t have other events to attend in-person. Their focus is community, so being active in their Discord or in the Twitch chat definitely helps get more eyes on your work, but it’s still pretty easy for someone that can’t commit to much or are shy on camera.
