Inside LAcon V’s Marketplace: What Is Confirmed for Dealers, Artists and Buyers

When LAcon V opens in Anaheim on August 27, the public-facing marketplace will not be a single undifferentiated vendor hall. The ground floor of the Anaheim Convention Center’s ACC North building will bring together a Dealers Room, an Art Show, an Artist Alley and fan tables, each with its own application process and reason for being there.

For Showfloor.TV, that distinction matters. A bookseller committing to a five-day dealer space is making a different bet from an illustrator buying a four-hour Artist Alley slot. An artist placing work in the Art Show does not even have to attend the convention in person.

Here is what LAcon V has actually confirmed.

The Dealers Room

LAcon V says its Dealers Room will emphasize books, products and services connected to science fiction, fantasy, horror and fandom, with space also reserved for businesses carrying a distinct California character.

The rate card reflects a professional sales floor. An eight-foot table cost $455 and included two chairs and one vendor badge. A 10-by-10-foot inline booth cost $800 with one table, two chairs and two vendor badges; a corner booth cost $950 with two tables, four chairs and two badges. Extra tables were $280 and transferable helper badges were $175.

Those helper badges provide building access but do not carry the World Science Fiction Society voting rights attached to an individual convention membership.

Applications closed April 20, with late requests placed on a waiting list. Vendors must provide a California seller’s permit or business-license number and are responsible for applicable sales tax. LAcon V lists the Orange County rate as 7.75 percent.

One important planning detail remains provisional. As of August 8, LAcon V says Thursday hours may run 2–7 p.m., Friday through Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Monday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Those are useful planning windows, not yet a final operating schedule. Buyers and vendors should check the convention program before relying on them.

Power is not included with a dealer space. General convention-center internet is expected, while higher-bandwidth dealer service may cost extra.

Artist Alley: four hours at a time

Artist Alley uses a lighter, more flexible model. Instead of requiring a five-day commitment, LAcon V sells tables in four-hour blocks at $50 per slot.

Thursday has one block from 2–6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday each have two: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and 2–6 p.m. Monday has one final block from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

That structure works particularly well at a Worldcon, where artists may also be appearing on panels, signing books or placing work in the Art Show. An illustrator can book selected hours around the rest of a convention schedule rather than staffing a table for the full run.

Artist Alley applicants are vetted by the Art Show team and must hold an attending LAcon V membership for the days they use a table. Sellers also need a California business-license number.

The content rules are explicit: displayed work must be original and related to science fiction, fantasy or fandom. LAcon V says work made with artificial-intelligence image generators or systems trained on other artists’ work is not allowed in Artist Alley.

The Art Show

The Art Show is a separate program. LAcon V says it is open to professional and fan artists, and artists do not need a convention membership merely to enter work. A membership is required only if they want to participate in convention activities in person or online.

The difference is practical. Artist Alley puts the creator at a table for direct sales and conversation. The Art Show puts the work itself on display for members to browse and purchase.

LAcon V has published a long participating-artist roster that includes established genre names and newer creators. As of its June update, the list included Vincent Di Fate, Rick Sternbach, Ruth Sanderson, Bruce Brenneise, Kelly Freas, Kestrel Michaud and dozens more.

What the convention has not published on its general Art Show page is just as important. Buyers should not assume that auction thresholds, commission rates, print-shop rules or mail-in procedures used at earlier Worldcons automatically apply in Anaheim. Artists should use the LAcon V registration form and control-sheet documents for the current terms; readers should wait for the convention’s purchasing instructions rather than importing rules from another year.

Fan tables: community infrastructure, not ordinary retail

Fan tables sit alongside the commercial and artistic areas but do a different job. They represent conventions, Worldcon bids, clubs, workshops, nonprofit groups, fanzines and other parts of organized fandom.

For visitors, that makes the exhibit floor more than a shopping trip. A buyer can move from a specialty press to an original painting, then talk to the volunteers bidding to host a future Worldcon. The room maps a working ecosystem: people who make things, people who sell them, and people who build the events and institutions around them.

Why this floor matters

Worldcon is often described through its awards and its guests. ACC North will show the economic layer underneath that culture.

Many of the participating businesses are small enough that the person across the table wrote, drew, edited, printed or fabricated the product. The ability to meet that person is the advantage of a physical show floor, and LAcon V is creating three different ways for that exchange to happen.

Before going, buyers should check the final program and hall hours. Artists and dealers should rely on their acceptance materials for operating rules. The outline is already clear: five days, one shared hall, and several very different routes from a creator’s work to a reader’s hands.

Sources

• LAcon V Dealers Room
• LAcon V Art Show and Artist Alley
• LAcon V fan tables
• LAcon V facilities overview

Research verified August 8, 2026. Schedules, exhibitors, speakers, prices and access details may change; confirm current information with the organizer before attending.