Last Friday evening we were part of Pasadena’s Art Night, and when I say part I mean it: the events were scattered over many locations throughout our hometown. Our corner of it was in the Central Library, and was indeed in a corner, with at least four other shindigs also occurring in other wings and rooms.

This is not to say we were completely forgotten — there was an okay amount of people filtering through in the four or so hours allotted, if not a crowd. But the floor space was far more intimate than your average convention, and for that matter quite cozy with its wooden lamp-equipped tables, book-lined walls and comfortable carpet. You could actually talk to people without having to raise your voice.

And so, because of that, I decided that I could do worse with the time allotted than just walk around and get to know some of my fellow exhibitors, especially ones whose banners I recognized from past shows but who I’d never actually approached. At other conventions just the sheer amount of walking to be done and the amount of different people can be intimidating, not to mention that I don’t want to feel like I’m interrupting or preventing a possible sale. And again there’s that noise factor and the acoustics of the standard convention hall swallowing your voices.

So when you get a small space, a soft carpet and a slow crowd, well… perfect time to go around and hobnob with fellow travelers that you might be too exhausted to talk to otherwise, also without feeling like you’re irresponsible being away from your own wares for long. You might not make a lot of money, but you can potentially make some new friends.