List of conventions

[lving4today]

What are the top conventions worth visiting each year?

I missed the Texas ones and am hoping to cross it off my bucket list this year but am unsure of dates later this year

[real meta]

The only one I can comment on personally is the Philadelphia convention. It's huge, and I would definitely say it's worth visiting if you have specific tattooers you want to see/buy something from/get tattooed by. But a word of warning: although it brings in a lot of amazing tattooers, it also attracts tons of garbage tattooers, as well as companies from industries that latch on to the tattoo community as a way to make a buck (e.g. stupid clothing companies, body jewelry companies, apparently there was even a porn star selling DVDs this past year).

Basically, as long as you have an eye for quality work and a high tolerance for dumbasses, it's worth going.

[Joe Shit]

Yeah,the Philly show is good for this area,but they could cut out a third of the booths,and just have good tattooers.I heard the | Hell City Tattoo Festival 2013 is a good one in Columbus.

http://m.capefearexpo.com/ is a few weeks in Wilmington,NC.

Paradise Tattoo Gathering : is a good one usually held in MA.

Roc City Tattoo Expo I heard this one is good.

http://ink-n-iron.com/ has a very good roster of tattooers.

[Graeme]

I've only been to the Montreal convention, but I really like it, and the tattooers I've talked to who have tattooed there seem to think it's a good well-run convention as well. Artists are there by invite only so it's only good tattooers. Montreal is a great city to visit too (just don't get it in your mind that you can stay here though):

Art Tatoo Show Montreal

[Other]

In terms of overall good artists, London Tattoo convention is the best show I've been to so far. Venue is big and organized, people are all very nice, and top notch work from all over the world.

Within the states I really enjoy Ink-N-Iron in Long Beach California as well as Hell City in Phoenix Arizona / Columbus Ohio. Both have some really good artists and brings something worth checking out to the table.

Ink-N-Iron has a great venue (on the Queen Mary Ship) along with good vendors, live music all day, and some great custom cars all in one event.

Hell City is just organized very well and always struck me as a consistently good show. The Arizona one is hosted nearby/on the premises of the Biltmore Hotel which is amazing. I definitely didn't enjoy the temperature of Arizona but the convention more than made up for it.