I.N's Birthday Bakery (Cup sleeve Event)

Introduction

On February 8th, I was invited to attend a cup sleeve event in honor of Stray Kids' maknae member, I.N (Jeongin), hosted by the lovely Pporangi. Cup sleeve events are generally in small venues with only a few artist/vendors, including the hosts. The event helps gather k-pop fans with like-interests to recive and purchase exclusive events. And as these events feature some cute cup sleeves with designs of the featured k-pop artist, they are usually held at little tea shops!

Arrival and First Impressions

Parking was simple, as we found a close enough garage in downtown Portland, across from the venue, Tea&Tea. The venue was small, but enough room for guests to come through and enjoy time with other fans. We had a bar table behind us, so it was easy to store our personal belongings while we were there. We also used it to have our lunch on! The host was very kind and welcomed each artist as they came in to set up their table. We were pleasantly surprised by the featured drink options, and I immediately ordered one to get me through set up. I decided on a very simple set-up this time around, since I only brought my k-pop related items. Overall, pretty simple.

The Atmosphere

The host table was adjacent to ours, so it was easy to communicate anything to them. They were so sweet, and even did some trading with us!

The community that came through were kind people of all ages. It shows that k-pop does not have an age restriction! This made it fun to connect with many different fans. It was amazing to see just how many BangChan fans are in our community.

The other vendors were fun to chat with. There were many different types of art-forms represented in this event. Boo.Chet was a vendor who crochets beautiful bags, fan-covers, and other accessories. Bun-Mi created very intricate press-on nails with images of k-pop idols and other fun things. And KConnect PDX worked on some adorable toploaders, charms, and cards!

Memorable Highlights and Personal Reflections

At the end of the event, the owners of the tea shop were so kind to give the vendors and host a reusable bubble tea insulated cup! It was very kind of them, and I hope the event got them more business.

I also brought some of my clay, bread-themed charms for guests to pick from and receive a souvenir pair of earrings from my booth for free! It was so much fun to watch them pick out their baked goods and see the joy when I made the earrings for them.

I personally enjoyed my time there, and am grateful for the opportunity to vend in such a welcoming little community.

Score

• 5/5 Registration

• 5/5 Host Communication

• 5/5 Environment

  I would love to participate in another event like this.