#con setup

Here's my con roster for 2025 so far!

Still waiting on some replies and to apply, but for now this is where you can find my sister and I :3

Name is Sketchbook Sisters

Kiriska: Gonna assume you’re talking about grid cubes/wire grids, but man, I think 10 minutes to set those up is really good????

I’ve never personally used grid cubes because I hate how heavy they are and think the connectors are The Worst, but I’ve helped many a friend set theirs up and it’s always a big ordeal. I assume it gets easier with practice, as most things do, but I also think there’s a limit on quickly you can put them up and still have them be reasonably secure. Zip ties do help provide extra security when your connector pieces get worn out over time and things get dinged and dented though.

I use PVC instead of grids, but I can count on a minimum of 10 minutes to set them up too, depending on the size of the table and which particular PVC configuration I want to go with. It usually takes me about 30-45 minutes to fully set up my table with PVC, print displays, precise arrangements/etc, but I usually try to give myself double that amount of time so I’m not rushing.

Being able to set up quickly is great, but being able to take your time and triple-check everything is better.

If you do need to speed things up, I don’t think speeding up the building of your primary table foundation/structure is the thing to speed up. That’s the thing that’s most important to take your time on! Instead, maybe try to speed up how you hang up your prints or how you set up items on your table.

Are there things you can leave partially set up and still pack? Can you store things a certain way so they’re quick and easy to find when you unpack? I think not having to look frantically for every piece of your set up when you set up is the best thing you can do to cut down on setup time.Nattosoup:  I use wiregrids, and have for a few years!  It always takes me a while to set up those grids (just a fact of life, I’m afraid), and I have several years practice and do demo setups before each con.

Some tips:

Standardize your setup

Make a chart of your grid setup, in case you have assistants

Take photos of setups you enjoyed

Simplify if possible

Bring zip ties and scissors

Plan that your grid setup will take a while to get set up- take advantage of early set up times