Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.PHOTO SHOWCASE: The tattooed attendees of the "Best in the Midwest" tattoo convention.
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Shane O'Neill's “Best in the Midwest” tattoo convention is all about the ink.
No sideshow attractions or cheap gimmicks will distract those who attend from interacting one-on-one with some of the industry's best this weekend at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, organizers say.
Convention-goers can get fresh ink and take part in seminars with industry leaders on everything from trademark styles to the legal side of operating a tattoo shop.
J.P. “Smitty” Smith, owner of Big Brain Tattoos in Omaha, coordinated the event with O'Neill after seeing a void in the convention market.
Smitty said he was pleased with the vendor turnout for the convention and the buzz surrounding it.
“We filtered and screened for the best,” Smitty said. “We've got the popular people here, the tattooers with the biggest audiences, and they have spread the word (about the convention) better than I could.”
People from all over the world have come to get inked and interact with noted tattoo artists.
Yall Quinones, for instance, traveled from San Juan, Puerto Rico, after friends told him about the convention.
Tyler Deford, a 19-year-old from Omaha, came with his 17-year-old sister Amanda Deford to talk to veteran artists about breaking into the business.
“It's cool that I just get to walk around and talk to the artists about how they became the best,” Deford said.
The convention continues Saturday from noon until 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for a one-day pass and $30 for a two-day pass.
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