2nd Athens Tattoo Expo Review

On Sunday the 8th I decided to visit the second Athens Tattoo Expo. I've been to the International Tattoo Convention before, so I had high expectations.

The event took place at the Music Conservatory of Athens, on the 7-8th of October, and it cost €10 to enter.


 The facebook page didn't have much information on the program, times etc.
You had to visit their official website to get a better grasp of what was going to take place during the Expo.

The price wasn't mentioned on the website until the week before the Expo would take place. Same goes for the program.

I didn't really pay attention to the website, and so I wasn't aware of the program and the times of the Expo.

 On Sunday, I decided I wanted to go, since Sunday was the 'Black and Grey' day.
I procrastinated all day, and around 7pm I thought I should get going.
I messaged the event to ask if it was worth it going this late, but I didn't receive a response.
I went anyway.

Upon entering I asked if I was too late, and the people at reception said I wasn't. They said I was just in time for the last 'Black and Grey' competition.
When I went downstairs they had already awarded the person who was on stage.
I decided to walk around and look at shop's portfolios.
I noticed a barber shop that offered free haircuts for men.
I also noticed a Vans room, where there was a movie on a big screen, presenting Vans creators and four shoes on display.
Outside the room was a huge Vans shoe you could draw on. There was barely any space on it, so I drew a little heart.

Inside the room I also noticed there was a laptop (unattended).
I was quite surprised anyone would leave such an expensive item unattended at an Expo.

I also noticed there was a 'Make a Wish' booth, where you could get a star tattoo for €20 which ςασ donated to the NGO. I passed the booth several times and I saw at least five people who had gotten star tattoos. Some looked better than others.
You had five or six designs to choose from.

Next to the booth were some shops booths like Monsterville, a sunglasses shop, a hat shop and a Monster (the energy drink) booth.


Overall, the space wasn't great. The tattoo shop booths were tiny, and I'm surprised people had enough space to tattoo. Also, the room where the Expo took place was underground, with no visible windows. And to get out you had to climb a lot of stairs.
I saw there was an option for wheelchair access, which is a first for Greece, and very positive.

I personally found a few tattoo shops that attracted my attention due to their portfolios. But due to the place being so crammed there was no space or time to make connections with any of them.

I definitely think that paying the full ticket, even though shops started closing within 30 minutes of my arrival was unfair. I would have rather receptionists told me the truth, that there was no point in me entering, rather than take my money and leave me with a sour taste in my mouth.
Another thing they could do would be to reduce the entrance fee towards the end.

I understand my opinion may be biased, as I didn't see any of the shows that took place, due to arriving late. However, had the Expo been more organised and published a flyer with the program of each day early on, things would be a lot different.

I personally don't think I'd pay to visit this Expo in the future, unless there's a lot of changes in the way they promote and manage it.