We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My name is Rachel Smith and I am one of the cofounders and organizers of the California Mermaid Convention in Sacramento, CA. The convention is a three-day shell-ibration of everything mermaid; a group swim, photoshoots, panels, workshops, shopping, a parade and more! We are the longest running mermaid event on the West Coast, and open to all ages.
I get my work ethic from my parents and grandparents; especially my mother, and both grandfathers. My mother is constantly on the go, extremely disciplined and hard working. Both of my grandfathers came from rural communities and exceled in their fields. I am very proud of all of my family members, and where they came from, and the life they lived.
I founded my LLC ‘Mermaid and Mom’ with my mother Laurie. We perform at private parties and events as mermaid characters, create mermaid art and costumes for sale, and help put on large scale events for the public. I can imagine no better business partner; she often outpaces me in stamina. I am always looking to her as my moral compass and example of how to live an ethical and kind life.
Together with my college Ashley Rastad, we are proud to put on the California Mermaid Convention every May!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The California Mermaid Convention was created to celebrate unity, friendship, diversity and community. I am extremely proud of the event we have built, and what it means to our community. The convention is built of professional working mermaids (underwater performers), recreational mermaids, photographers, divers and free divers, influencers, cosplayers, families and ocean enthusiasts,
The convention started in 2011 as the Promenade of Mermaids in historic Old Town Sacramento and has grown to an annual gathers that draws merfolk from all over the world. In 2014 we added events to the Promenade of Mermaids and created Mermaid Weekend in Sacramento. Mermaid Weekend kept growing larger and larger, and at the encouragement of my finance, I announced the rebrand of Mermaid Weekend to a full convention in 2019.
When the COVID19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, we kept our community strong and held a three – day digital event that featured art classes, an online masquerade ball, and much needed interaction and joy. Creating a digital event helped us reach merfolk around the world, and saw us through a challenging journey.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
We have learned so many lessons in creating such a large scale event for so many years! Here is just a sample of some hard-won knowledge
-Listen to your attendees. Often our guests have wonderful ideas that we may not have considered, as people so close to the event. We make a point to ask for feedback and make changes based on guest satisfaction. It is very important to us that our guests enjoy themselves, and feel safe and seen at our event.
-Give back to the community that built you. We make a point to donate proceeds to local charities that we can see make an impact. Whether it is the American River Parkway Foundation, which helps keep our Sacramento waterways clean, the Sacramento LGBTQ Center, or a local animal charity, we make sure that the city we live in feels the impact of our event in a tangible way. We even organize and participate in two river clean us throughout the year!
-Have your contracts/license’s/paperwork in order. The mermaid industry is on the edge of creation and regulation. It can often feel like the wild west; we have seen a few other conventions falter and fail due to poor contracts, communication and not following standard procedure. To legitimize our industry, we have to be safe, sane and honest with ourselves and with clients.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are ALWAYS looking for partners and collaborators for the convention! We are seeking partners who have a strong branding presence, who can help connect us to major sponsors in our area. If anyone is interested in collaborating they may always email us at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://californiamermaidcon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/californiamercon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calmercon
Image Credits
Please credit Lee Harland Photography
