It’s hard to know which conventions are worth traveling to when you’re attempting to book your first round of convention visits.
You can look online, you can search far and wide, but in the end, all you know is what you read online. Well, luckily we have an expert on our hands for this “Got Ink?” roundup in Corey Anderson, the sales and event manager for Lifestyle Brand InkAddict.
After traveling the country and visiting countless events and conventions, he was able to boil it down to his 5 favorite expos to add to your list.
The List
Motor City Tattoo Expo, Detroit MI
Hell City Tattoo Festival, Columbus, OH
Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (Villain Arts), Philadelphia, PA
Baltimore Tattoo Arts Convention (Villian Arts), Baltimore, MD
No Limits International Tattoo Expo (United Ink), New York City, NY
The Favorite
Being from Detroit, MI, Anderson obviously digs the atmosphere of the hometown show. “Motor City is easily one of my favorites… I love to see how much love and support we have” from the locals. The Convention weekend itself is one big party, as it’s set up in the General Motors Renaissance Building, right on the riverfront of Detroit. There’s a swanky Mariott Hotel inside the building, as well as a few bars and food court so you can party it up all night without even leaving the building if you so choose.
Tattoo Artists Abound
When it comes to conventions, the best part about going is getting in contact with artists you wouldn’t typically see. Anderson highlights artists Dave Tevenal and Emmanuel Mendoza are his favorites to run into, and he feels that Eman “has one of my favorite styles of tattooing. Just the things he thinks of and draws up are insane!” You can also see artists that have made it to the “big leagues,” or have been on shows like InkMasters like Cleen Rock One.
The Side-Shows
Most conventions are a party, whether you’re watching a show or competition, the outer culture of the show, or in Corey’s case, you may even see some insane fights go down! He witnessed a fight happen in a hotel bar, and he said that sometimes people get crazy. But don’t let that deter you from the fun. He’s also very big into skateboarding, so checking out the local spots and the fact that No Limits gave out Skateboards for trophies, he thought that was pretty sick as well. Another cool thing to make note of is the celebs that come through. From Horror Flick legends to tattooed models that make the mag covers, there are tons of bumping elbows to be had.
Project 2018
Anderson notes that he’s most excited to have the people he met on the road come through to Motor City in 2018, and to visit Hell City once again. He also shares that everyone treats you like family when you roll through, so he can’t wait to do his next tour through the U.S. and report back on all the fun that is to come.
Be sure to hit the rounds this year at some of these great festivals, and if you see a blonde dreaded tattooed guy, go and say hi!
Amy Cooper has quite a few tattoos, and most of them are Harry Potter related.