AFA- Creators Super Fest

This was my third time tabling at AFA CSF, and this year brought quite a few changes. The venue moved from Expo to Suntec, and all artist tables were standardized to 120cm. I opted for the premium booth scheme, which included wall backings and additional space — something I was looking forward to making the most of.

I had fairly high hopes going into the event. I’d heard that many attendees preferred Suntec as a venue, and my experience at last year’s AFA CSF was genuinely great. While I wasn’t expecting a repeat of last year’s performance, I didn’t anticipate the gap in experience to be so stark.

Unfortunately, the event turned out to be underwhelming — and in many ways, frustrating. Despite the higher booth fee, premium booths were placed right next to the concert stage, which created major issues with both noise and visibility. Unlike past setups at Expo, there were no curtains or sound barriers, which meant we were exposed to constant flashing lights and extremely loud music throughout the day.

The noise levels were uncomfortably high — even triggering health warnings on my smartwatch. Many artists, myself included, wore noise-cancelling headphones just to cope, but the intense bass continued to reverberate through the floor, making it physically uncomfortable and even nauseating at times.

It was also disheartening to hear from friends and customers that they were actively avoiding the premium booth area because of the overwhelming environment. Unsurprisingly, many of us in this section struggled with poor sales and had difficulty covering costs, despite extensive preparation, including new artworks and merch made just for this event.

Experiences like this have made me seriously reconsider whether AFA CSF is still a worthwhile event to booth at in the future — especially when paying more doesn’t seem to offer any real advantage or consideration for artists’ working conditions. While I still value the community and excitement that conventions can bring, I hope future iterations of the event will take artist feedback into account and prioritize a more thoughtful layout and experience for everyone involved.