Minneapolis indie XPO

WE HAVE MOVED!

2010-06-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Mpls Indie Xpo is all growed up, and we are posting on a new site now!

Here is our official website.
Here is the new blog.
Follow us on Twitter too!

Meeting February 13 at Diamonds Coffee Shoppe, Mpls

2010-02-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! You are welcome to attend our next meeting this Saturday at Diamonds Coffee Shoppe from 4:30 to 5:30. As always these get-togethers are open to anyone who is interested in helping to plan MIX. Please join us for this special "Valentine's Day edition" meetup!

Topics for discussion:

Budget/table rates
Applications
Grants

Diamonds Coffee Shoppe is located at:
1618 Central Avenue Northeast
Minneapolis, MN 55413-1684 (map)

Saturday, February 13
Meeting from 4:30-5:30 PM

Meetup #4

2010-01-14T11:03:00.001-08:00

Meeting time, everyone! Among the exciting topics scheduled for Sunday's meeting:

Website design
Space planning and pricing
Non-profit status update
Sponsorship
Afterparty

NEW LOCATION! This meeting is at the 501 Club, a contender for the location of our afterparty. We will try to make ourselves conspicuous by talking loudly about comics so we're easy to find. But we don't have a reserved area this time, so here's what I look like for reference if you haven't met us yet (note, beard not shown):

This is Sarah:

We hope to see you on Sunday!

501 Club
501 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1127
Sunday, January 17
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Mailing list added

2010-01-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked about an e-mail newsletter for MIX notifications. We have added a mailing list signup on your right if you're interested in joining. We're planning to use this list for important updates, such as notifying you when we begin accepting applications, or exciting announcements like guest artists.

All of those things will be shared on Twitter and here on the blog as well. But if all you need is an email now and then with the highlights, this mailing list is for you!

Meetup #3

2009-12-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hello friends, it's time for another meeting! Most likely this will be the last public get-together of the year, and it's the most exciting one yet. First off, we are pleased to announce a time and location. The first Mpls Indie XPO (or "MIX" as some people have taken to calling it) will be held:

Saturday, August 21, 2010

at The Soap Factory

We're meeting to discuss plans again this Sunday. Topics for discussion may include:

Registration
Branding (name, logo)
Non-profit status
Printing project
Tables

Come prepared to ask questions, offer feedback, and hopefully volunteer to help! See you there!

Sweeney's Saloon

Ashland Room (enter main door and go right)

96 N. Dale St, St. Paul

Sunday, December 13, 6:oo PM-7:30 PM

Meetup #2

2009-11-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Our first public meeting was a great success! We discussed a lot of ideas and now it's time to start making decisions. The expo is shaping up as a free one-day event in downtown Minneapolis, fiercely focused on comic artists and their work. We're very excited about our concept and look forward to thowing an awesome event with your help!

At our next meeting this Sunday, we'll be asking volunteers to start work on projects such as:

Space planning
Guest coordination
Volunteer recruiting
Web marketing
Sponsorship

If you cannot attend but want to be involved, send me an email and we'll talk about what needs to be done. I hope to see you there!

Details:
Sweeney's Saloon Ashland Room (to the right of main entry)
96 N. Dale St, St. Paul
Sunday, November 8, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM

Get involved

2009-10-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Do you want to be involved with the Mpls Indie XPO? We're holding an informal get-together on Sunday for anyone who is interested to ask questions, offer ideas, and sign on as volunteers. Whether you can help with planning and organizing, have a great suggestion to share, or just want to learn more, this meetup is for you!

Don't miss the opportunity to join the launch team for this exciting new convention! It's not essential to attend this event if you want to help, but if you can make it I would love to see you there. Let's make it happen!

Details:
Sweeney's Saloon Wine Bar (to the left of main entry)
96 N. Dale St, St. Paul
Sunday, October 25, 2:00-4:00 PM

The beginning

2009-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Andy Krueger, and I'm organizing the Minneapolis Indie XPO. I set up this page to share my history and what I'm trying to accomplish with this event. Your feedback is encouraged as well! If you're involved with comics in any way--whether as a creator, or as a fan--I hope that you will get involved and share your input and ideas for the show.

Origin Story: If you're familiar with John Allison you may recognize the reference to Mpls Indie XPO from this comic about a fictional convention. People around here started to get excited about this imaginary show, and then disappointed when they realized it wasn't real.

That's my cue.

Five years ago I started planning the St. Paul Craftstravaganza because there were no indie urban craft fairs in Minnesota, although there were successful events around the country. My passion is bringing together artists and their fans (and finding new fans, and empowering new artists). The Craftstravaganza provides a low-key environment where attendees can meet their favorite crafters face-to-face, and craft artists can hang out with each other for a day.

That event is now in its fifth year and regularly pulls in thousands of attendees. It has provided numerous opportunities for artists, and local shoppers look forward to it every year. Now I'm ready to apply that experience toward my first love: comics. And so the Mpls Indie XPO was born.

We are fortunate to have hardworking and talented people hosting comic conventions here in the Twin Cities. Our goal is not to compete with existing shows or duplicate their work. Rather, we aim to complement them with a different kind of show that will benefit participating artists and enrich the local community. My vision is a comics festival where artists can connect with their readers without distractions

If we succeed, here is what will make the Mpls Indie XPO different:

Artist-centric: no dealers, only creators and small-press publishers
Web comics spotlight: bringing nationally-known web artists to Minnesota
Public outreach: positioned to attract a crowd of new comics readers

I'm assembling a team to plan and coordinate this event. If you can commit some time and would like to contribute, I'd love to talk with you. All the feedback we're received so far has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Our contact information is on the right, and you can comment under the posts here.