A few things I’ve learned from attending (a few) pen shows

I have a pen show hangover!

Last March 18-19, Fountain Pen Network-PH finally held another Manila Pen Show (the last one was in 2019, which I had also attended). I remember feeling so bummed out when I thought I was going to miss it, I was bummed because I would have missed it for the first time. The last pen show in Dallas was just…fine and was really different compared to MPS. There’s really just something about the Manila Pen Show (MPS) that hits different. I guess being back home this year had its perks.

I haven’t attended a lot of pen shows (but hey, perfect attendance for all of Manila Pen Shows!) but here are a few lessons I’ve learned from my limited experience.

☀️ Be early

To be completely honest, I don’t like being the first person to arrive at an event. For pen shows, I have made an exception. Being early means you beat the crowd (but surprisingly for the Manila Pen Show, 10AM was not even early enough). Arriving early on the first day is even ideal because the rare pens (with good deals) and limited edition inks run out so fast.

From personal experience, I was able to get a limited edition Pilot Decimo and some inks that I knew were crowd favorites. Aesthetic Bay had these Decimos with vibrant colors and just to have the Teal/Emerald one. After a couple of hours, the colorful ones had already been already sold).

👕Wear comfy clothes

The event is indoors but always account for the size of the venue and the number of people in it. It can get really warm when it gets crowded (the A/C is no match for this). There’s also the walking and standing around.

This year, in the Manila Pen Show, I knew that I had to wear some kind of athleisure outfit. On the first day, I wore leggings and a light sweater because the venue isn’t really small. It was still a mistake and seems that I underestimated temperature with all these people. On the second day, I put on biker shorts, a tank top, and covered myself with a button up shirt that I could take off if it gets warm.

☑️ Make a priority list

Create a list (in whatever form) of the things you want to purchase at the pen show. For me, it was merch, a dot grid spiral notebook for work, limited edition inks or elusive inks (specifically Troublemaker), an affordable Sailor Pro Gear, a notebook cover for my B6 planner.

The list was a good guide to prevent overspending or purchasing without rationale. Once I got what I needed, I went back a few rounds to see what else I wanted to buy. I was able to check everything except for the notebook cover (looks like I’m going to purchase a Moterm).

✅ MPS Merch

✅ Spiral notebook

✅ Rare inks

✅ Sailor Pro Gear (good price)

💵 Bring cash

Whether you told yourself “I’m not going to buy anything” or not, bring physical cash. You’ll just never know if the vendor accepts credit cards or digital payments. Some vendors could come from another country and wouldn’t have a POS with them. To simply put, carrying cash is a good backup in case there are no digital options.

I didn’t carry much cash (I just had $20 with me) but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase inks from Straits Pen (which is a vendor from Singapore).

🧑‍🏫 Sign up for workshops and talks (if there are any)

This year marked the first time I signed up for a workshop and I’m so glad I did! I picked one during the last day of the show because I missed the registration for the workshops I wanted to attend during the first day.

The only one I was able to sign up for was the panel discussion on curating a fountain pen collection – which is the final workshop at the Manila Pen Show.

🫠 Don’t be shy

I went to the pen show alone and stayed the entire day. I met a few friends (who I’ve penabled) and met their friends who they’ve penabled. I’m an introvert and talking to people has always been a struggle. But with events like these, I know that I have to socialize. I also wanted to ask the volunteers if I could take a few photos of the workshops that I won’t be participating in (so thanks to them, I have something to report and look forward to next year).

It’s so easy to talk to people who are passionate about the same things as you. I was able to talk to some vendors and nibmeisters. Some saw me waving my Col-o-ring book around with all of my swatches (I noticed that some people spotted it too). I also made conversations with some because of the film cameras I was carrying around. It was nice to meet other website runners like me who write about the hobby too (I randomly met Ronin of http://pennoob.com!).

Don’t be afraid to ask questions especially if you’re new, they’ll be happy to help you out (and probably even share stuff with you)

On to the next pen show… 🚀

Now that things are going back to normal, I’ll be able to attend more and add more learnings here. Tokyo or Melbourne might be next for me. The DC Pen Supershow is still on my bucket list (which I can’t attend this year). If you’re looking for one near your city, here’s a list from The Well Appointed Desk.