A Guide To ToyConUK *UPDATED*

• Get there early, if you are looking to buy exclusive and/or limited edition items

• If you are looking to buy exclusives jot down which ones are your priority, this way you will know which booth to go to first and less chance of missing out on the item you want.

• Carry some cash with you, because not all booths will accept credit cards/PayPal. Get your cash out before you enter the hall (BP Petrol Station over the road from the venue on 339 Cambridge Road  has a cash machine)

• Some artists will sign/doodle things, like sketchbook/toys, but please remember they will be busy and don’t bug them too much if they decline – don’t take it to heart. If you don’t have Blank DIY toys etc there will be vendors with blank toys – so you can purchase them at the venue).

• Make sure you’ve printed your tickets out

• Some Vendors/ Booths with have goodie bags & giveaways – so make sure you check out all their social channels, plus The Toy Chronicle website for more information.

• Worst thing to happen is for a fan bringing more then 3 items for artists to sign and then finding them on eBay a day later! Please don’t do it and have respect for the artist!

• There will be question & answers sessions with artists on Centre stage., so prepare some questions you would like to ask. Bring a note pad & pen – you might learn a few things from artist/customisers sharing their tips and guides 

• Take a shopper or tote bag with you, those toy boxes get heavy quick and some sellers won’t have bags 

• On the booths there will be flyers/business cards – pick them up! sometimes there are discount codes for future purchases!

• Please don’t haggle the prices. Artists work far too hard and don’t make that much money on toys – with the hours they put in to their work. If your looking for a few bargains, last year we found a couple of booths doing a little bit of discount towards the end of the con.

• Take your time to look around, always hidden gems. It’ll be quieter in the afternoon, so will give you more of a chance to wander around again to see if you have missed anything.

• Take your chance to see everything in hand, much better then photos and videos.

• Buy it quick or you will regret it (happened to us before)
• If you break it, you buy it. 

• Take photos of ToyConUK then upload them and hashtag it to #TheToyChronicle you might get something through the post 🙂

• Most important is to ENJOY the experience and look at artist work you wouldn’t normally look at or interest you, you might be surprised at what you find!Tips from Exhibitors (Updated)
• Check if it’s ok to handle products on booths before picking things up. Some people are fine with it, others aren’t so keen (no sneaky feeling my blind bags!) – DMS
• Don’t be afraid to chat to people running booths. I really enjoyed chatting to people last year, including chatting about making plush and answering questions about Dan Dms stuff when he wasn’t at the booth. If you’ve spoken to me online, let me know and tell me who you are. It’s great to put a face to a name, especially if your profile picture doesn’t look like you (like mine doesn’t look like me)! – Neese Plush

 Floor Plan 

Live events that are going to be taking place at ToyconUK

 

As if there wasn’t already enough awesome stuff happening at ToyCon UK we’ve also got our panels and live customising happening on the main stage.

This is your chance to get up close and personal with the artists and ask them how they do it.

There’s two panels:

Customisation – We’ve got some of the UK’s best customisers ready to talk you through their techniques and give you tips.

Live Customisation – Titan Merchandise have provided our artists with blanks from their Doctor Who series and we’ve got Mr Lister, JonPaulKaiser and David Stevenson bringing their brushes to bear on the toys.

Resin and 3D printing – We’ve lined up some of the best in the business to talk about resin casting and the growing world of 3D printing.

All of the panels will be hosted by our very own Ben Hart and will take place on the main stage.

Places are very limited and will be strictly first come first served.

For those of you who don’t manage to grab a seat we’re recording the sessions and we’ll publish them online after the event.

ToyConUK 2014 – 12 April 9am-5pm

York Hall, Bethnal Green

345 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PJ, London, UK

Map: HERE

Nearest Tube Station: Bethnal Green (Central Line)

Nearby buses 8, 106 and D6

Parking is only on side street parking with Pay and Display.

Don’t forget to check for travel news on the day at: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/