I’m not the most organized person (although I plan on changing that thanks to the first legitimate New Year’s resolution I’ve ever made). Just planning my own workday can put me on edge, so the idea of planning a large event with hundreds of attendees is out of the question.
That’s why, after signing books at Charm City Odyssey, I wanted to learn more about how the event was put together. The brainchild of Robert Miller, this con was the first of its kind in the Avon Park area, and the turnout was quite impressive.
It was a definite win for both Robert and Highlands County, which many would say has been long overdue for an event centered around pop culture, comics, gaming, and indie artists.
That said, let’s dive into the interview with Robert wherein he shares helpful insights to anyone who might be thinking about starting a con in their area!
What inspired you to create and host Charm City Odyssey?
That’s a big question. I could go with wanting to bring the con culture to Highlands County, my love of comics and writing, or the chance to build something I’ve always wanted to see and that my kids would love to attend.
The reality is that it’s all that.
I’ve talked for years about wanting to see two things brought to Avon Park: a comic book convention and a writer’s conference.
Charm City Odyssey started life as HCACON, an idea to have anime artists and writers as part of Fusion Fest 2024. It was a small thing, just five vendors among a couple of dozen artists inside another festival.
I threw that together in less than six weeks and it was a big success. We got some great feedback from those in attendance, and it was immediately decided that it should be its own event.
HCACON and Fusion Fest happened at the end of January and by the end of February, I had put together a few people to act as a committee to discuss if we could do this and how. So really, Charm City Odyssey from inception to event was about nine months.
When I saw the opportunity to turn a small idea into its own full-fledged event and bring an honest-to-goodness comic convention here, I knew I couldn’t let it go.
I also realized that if this were going to happen, we needed to do it right and for that to happen, it needed to be shepherded by someone who knows what a con like this should be. A fan.
How much event planning experience did you have when putting together CCO? What aspects of planning other events carried over?
Not a lot really. In 2019 I was part of a small group that put together Heartland Film Fest, a short film festival held in Sebring. That event was put together in about three months and was a big success. We raised several hundred dollars for Champion for Children with that one. Plans for a follow-up was derailed with the pandemic and we never revisited it.
I had limited involvement with Fusion Fest 2023 and was pretty involved in 2024, especially with the HCACON aspect. Fusion Fest is a festival celebrating art and culture from across the county. Earlier this year I was involved in helping HCA put together their birthday celebration for Peter Powell Roberts, which saw over 100 attendees in July. I think the single biggest aspect of what I did for those that carried over was marketing and making the flyers/art.
With the Fusion Fest event, I had to contact vendors, find potential sponsors, organize the costume contest and volunteers, and do all the marketing for our little HCACON. I basically had to take that and turn it up to 11 for Charm City Odyssey.
Now that you’ve done the first event, what do you wish you’d done differently?
Get more help! LOL I ended up handling most of the calls, emails, and web stuff myself. At least for the first six months or so. A few months in I discovered that Red’s Auto Options down the street was putting on their own event on the same day at the same time, so I made the brilliant decision to partner with them.
We helped each other with marketing and their help was huge. Heartland Cultural Alliance (HCA), Sara Pipal, and Angel & Emilio Garibaldi were all valuable partners each with a different aspect they helped with.
By the end, I had several partners who were invaluable, so I guess I’d say I wish I’d partnered up with them sooner. My focus in the beginning was all about reaching out to vendors. I would have benefitted from at least one other person helping to reach out to partners and sponsors at the same time.
For the next one, we are all going to start on the same page and work from the beginning, hopefully fixing some of the problems I ran into this time.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start their own local con?
First, I would say if you aren’t in it for the culture, the art, the love of the con, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons.
If you have a passion for the event or what it represents, potential vendors or sponsors will see it. Sponsors/partners especially. Some are more likely to want to help because you’re passionate about it. Second, visit other cons. Big ones and small ones. It’s a great place to make contacts and you can see what one looks like, how they operate, and what they offer. I visited several cons while planning this one and left business cards with vendors that I spoke with and took theirs so I could email them later with an invitation and more info.
I must have sent emails to something like 100 potential vendors and guests and we ended up with 25. But checking out other cons that were in their first or second year was helpful in seeing what they offered, what kind of vendors they had, and the venue they used.
Don’t underestimate the value of talking with other con organizers too. For good or bad, you’ll get some valuable info there too.
What sort of things does someone need to successfully run a local con? (Money? Sponsors? Investors? Connections?)
Money for sure. I went in thinking that I could do this for next to nothing and what little costs may come up HCA might help with that. They gifted me use of the venue, so that was $625 I didn’t have to pay. And they gave me a $500 grant for marketing purposes. But I still ended up spending over $1,400 when it was all said and done. And that was me trying to be as cheap as possible but still have it look nice.
Having investors early on would be helpful to that end and is something I’m starting with upfront for the second one. I also recommend applying for any grants you can and partnering with local hotels and of course any gaming stores in your area. They are always excited to help and get their brand out there.
And don’t take for granted any connections you have amassed over the years. I am not exaggerating when I say I think I called in every connection I had from the last six years LOL
I met comic book artist Austin Janowski in 2019 while putting together a film festival in Sebring. I reached out and he ended up being one of our celebrity guests. Our actor guest, Kevin Porter, was the friend of the son of one of our volunteers. So you never know who knows someone that would love to be at your event.
Any tricks to getting people to travel from other areas to come to your event?
This one is easy: have stuff they want to see and put on a good event LOL
This is one reason I went to other cons. What drew people in? What did each age demographic want to see? Cosplay was big for every one of them. Fans love to dress up as their favorite characters and if they don’t dress up they want to see others who do. So having a cosplay contest and encouraging cosplay was key.
Then I wanted a mix of fandoms such as anime, comics, tabletop games, collectible card games, authors, and celebrity guests. I think I ended up with a pretty good mix.
You also have to market it well. Not just getting it out on socials, which I did through the con’s socials and website and my own channels, but it’s also good to have partners and volunteers putting it out there too. Your guests and vendors will put it on their socials because they want people to see them, which is where having vendors from outside your area attend comes in handy. We had vendors from the Tampa area and even as far as Jacksonville attended and they told their followers where they would be.
Is it hard to get special guests? Do they expect money or compensation? What kinds of guests seemed the most open to attending a start-up con?
Yes, and yes. Many ‘celebrity guests’ like to be compensated for their time, but you can be lucky to find one or two who like helping small cons get on their feet. Also don’t underestimate the value of giving someone free table space for their attendance and involvement. Just don’t do it for everyone. You’ll know which ones are worth the sacrifice.
Cosplay groups love cons and I found one who loves helping startup cons. Indie publishers and artists can be open to smaller cons. They are trying to get their brand noticed just like you are, and if they can see the pros in it they will be happy to attend.
You had your own table at CCO — what did you have for sale? What items got particular attention?
I had two of my books for sale – Dragons in the Dark and Uncharted: Stories of the Wild, the Weird, and the Wonderful. Both books are short story collections that lean towards horror but also contain science fiction and dark fantasy. I also have a third book, The Blood of Altlock, available. It is a dark fantasy that tells the story of a dwarf and a young vampire who are out to stop the evil vampire queen from resurrecting the ultimate evil.
I also had some prints and stickers made from my daughter’s art. It was an image she drew of an original character that we created for a comic book I am working on. Sharing a table with me was my sister Christina who was selling her paintings. Her paintings were of particular interest and some were interested in Uncharted.
Any big ideas or plans for next year’s CCO?
Bigger and better. Work will begin in January but we are already throwing ideas around that would make our event bigger for year two. Like I said before, we are starting prep with many of the same partners that we ended with and they all have amazing ideas already. I can’t wait to get into the planning room together and start brainstorming.
There is a tentative plan for time and date but I’m not ready to announce that just yet. Our website www.charmcityodyssey.com and our socials will have that info once we have it nailed down.
I can say to expect more cosplay, more artists, and more fun!
Any other events coming up?
Our next big event will be March 29, 2025, at the Avon Park Community Center and is called Spring Book Binge. The event is a book fair and author signing bringing together authors from fiction and non-fiction and multiple genres. There will be a kid’s reading area as well as author panels and giveaways.
Our partners for this event are Writers of the Ridge (myself, J. Paul Roe, R. M. Hamrick, and Jessica Kaye); the Historical Society of Avon Park, they will make their Silver Palm Train car available for lunch and are helping bring some of the non-fiction authors; and the Heartland Cultural Alliance (HCA) has also partnered with us to help with promotion and marketing and reaching out to local authors.
All told, what’s most important when trying to put together large-scale events for the first time?
Passion for the subject matter is important. Planning an event this size takes a lot of time and dedication. I worked many hours of my free time and sacrificed writing time to make this happen. Nothing happens without blood, sweat, and tears. An event like this I think took all three from me. But it was totally worth it.
I’m sure some readers are interested in trying this. Any thoughts on writing a guide to starting your own con? Maybe doing some coaching or consulting on the side?
I wouldn’t be opposed to writing a guide of some sort. The writer in me actually thinks that sounds fun! Coaching or consulting isn’t out of the question either. I’ve never been a ‘public speaking’ guy but private consults aren’t as scary LOL
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Thanks for taking the time to answer this barrage of questions, Robert!
Truth be told, Robert and I have had a lot of good conversations around events, book marketing, and (of course) writing novels — for a long time, and will continue to do so!
I’ve got to say that I’m super proud of what he put together for this first event, and it was great being a part of it. Looking forward to his future events!
Follow Robert on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therobertmiller/
Check out Charm City Odyssey’s website: http://www.charmcityodyssey.com/
