This was the first year for Botcon to be held in the Fall, but as it was held in Frisco Texas there wasn't much Fall-like about it. With the impending hurricane Rita to hit the Texas coast at the start of the convention, a lot of Transfans wondered just how this convention would go. Of course, TFsource was there to provide the great deals and Product all the Sourcefans have come to expect, so read on to find out more about the convention!

This year Botcon was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel/Convention Center, and the setup was relatively smooth for us dealer-types. The tables had a weird type of velcro skirt on them, which caused a lot of re-arranging. We're also never fans of the "U" shaped dealer booth, as customers never seem to want to walk into a tiny booth (it's not a store organizers, it's a booth), so we redid our three 10' x 10' booths to form one solid wall optimizing use of the tables.

There was an early entry period for registered guests to the dealer room from 2-5 on Friday, and although not busy, sales were brisk. It was a nice perk for those who wanted to make sure they got what they wanted from the dealer room. A lot of TFsource regulars took this time to stop by and chat, or if they hadn't yet meet the staff of TFsource. We had a great time meeting our many customers, and hearing what they had to say. It seemed like just about everyone that came up to us said they have ordered from us, and were impressed with our shipping & packing job, as well as great prices, so Kudos to our great team!

Saturday marked the general admittence day. Saturday is also the day that most often is the biggest day of the con, yet attendance could be called sparse at best. In the past, I could never leave the booth for even a minute, now I was able to walk around for a half an hour. We're pretty sure a few things contributed to this:
1) Time of year - College students can't really come to a con like this since they're back in school, and college students are a big % of the overall fanbase
2) Location - Texas, although in the central part of the US is far South. Not good for those on the East coast, or Washington area
3) Hurricane Rita - So many of the locals were too busy evacuating and concerned for their lives/possessions, Botcon took a back seat (logically)
4) Cost - The cost to attend this con was approximately twice last year. Exclusive toy sets were five times last year

Sunday was typical, fans scavenging for that one piece they missed out on, small sales of parts/tech specs/low $ items, and lots of "dealing" with fans looking to get a bargain on goods forking over the last of their remaining cash.

On the whole, we'd say attendance was around 50-60% of last year, although we don't have any official numbers. I remember when Botcon used to be the talk of the town and the one big convention to look forward too.... yet now there was little hype in comparison, and it's getting a little lackluster. True, it's a great convention, and we'll likely attend every year, but the mistique that was Botcon, just isn't perceived in the same light.

Dealer room - the dealer room was a little sparse as well. With booth/table costs being approximately twice what they were last year, and coupled with the fact that many dealers thought they'd do poorly, many of the past regulars have given up on this convention. There was a good selection of product, moreso than at Cybercon Expo, but to be honest, it's definitely down in quality. TFsource was there with all of our goodies, but looking out for the fandom...certain items like Japanese Boxed, were no where to be found. The convention goers also continue to be more fickle about what they buy, resulting in much lower profits for dealers. So I do have to say the economy of Transformers has a lot to do with it as well. The TF collector convention goer is much different than the Star Wars collector convention goer. Many dealers sold 1/2-1/3 what they did last year, so next year, we anticipate unless the location and time of year is improved, dealers in the room will be considerably less. There were many of the big dealers that we all know though: Eric from www.toyaddictsite.com, Joel from BigBadtoystore, Bill from Billstoysandgames, Captured Prey, and more.

What was hot?

- BT-15 Prowl - in high demand and we sold out fast
- RM-25 - this Skywarp/Thundercracker 2 set was very popular
- Transformers Resources: Transmanuals, Generations Book, Complete Book - all sold very well
- #19 Perceptor - this piece was very hot
- World's Smallest - All series including 2.5 were hot, Hot Rod being the hottest of them all, a new mold and chase piece in CVS series, we sold lots of him
- The TFsource Bargain bin, Make an Offer, & El Cheapo! - Our bargain bin was near empty by the end of the show, and our Make an offer box was bought out before the show even started!
- Botcon 2005 Exclusives - Many of these were made in low quantity, and are in high demand.


What was not hot?

- G1 Anything - G1 just wasn't that hot this year, people weren't paying much for it, and early series just sat there... better to sell this stuff on ebay than at a con anymore
- e-hobby Product - Sold some, but the more recent releases weren't moving that briskly
- Binal Tech - certain binal tech didn't sell, especially some of the earlier ones
- Loose Targetmasters - Didn't perform nearly as well as last year
- MISB & Boxed toys - seemed more brisk than last year, but still only a few pieces sold unless it was priced to move
- Tech Specs & Manuals - surprisingly these weren't nearly as popular as in prior years, nor as popular as at Cybercon Expo...not sure why

How did TFsource do?

As usual, our product was priced to move, with pretty much the best prices on our loose, loose complete, G1 parts, reissues, e-hobby exclusives, and Binal Techs our product didn't sit around. We sold a decent amount of Binal Techs, Predaking Giftsets, e-hobby giftsets and TF resources. Had the convention been as high in attendance as last year, we may have come back with an empty van. G1 was really slow even at great prices, but we did shift a decent % of what we brought..but nothing compared to prior years. Overall we can't complain, selling about 30% more than we did last year, we just hope the low attendance, time of year, and location don't have a negative impact on the brand of the convention itself.

Overall, we were pleased with the organization and content presented at Botcon 2005. The sales for us were good, and we enjoyed seeing all the many friends we've made across the years, as well as all of our great customers (TFsourcefans). Even a hurricane couldn't prevent us from attending Botcon this year, and we hope the smooth execution of this show leads to even better things next year in 06'. Thanks to all who attended and stopped by to say hi, we look forward to seeing everyone there next year!

Customs: Nemisis Prime - shows Optimus who's boss

Everyone loves Bumblebee!