(Con-goer Beware) TLDR: Don't support Jeff Mach Events as vendor, attendee, performer, etc. This company is slime and you *will* get cheated and possibly blacklisted in related communities. That's Wicked Faire, Kinky Geek, Steampunk World's Faire. Probably more, but I've been pointedly avoiding this company for years now. I left due to horrible business practices, but now dozens of allegations of predatory sexual behavior have been heaped on over that.
I stopped vending at J Mach events a long time ago after the year his company blatantly cheated me and my co-vendor out of the 10x10 space we'd paid for, and then stuck us in a freezing cold hallway that gave me con crud for the first time in years, and actively damaged our profits for that year. As it turns out, we got off pretty light in terms of JME screwing us over.
In following years I heard some accounts of performers and other folk not getting paid for their contracts over the years. Also that this company actively squishes out as many other nerd events in the NJ/PA area as they can to force attendance to their own. Not to mention playing favorites with vendors/suppliers that give them free stuff over those that couldn't afford to.
One friend volunteering for WF heard him telling staff about how Dreamation was actively trying to sabotage his event by having it the same weekend. Never mind that Dreamation is at least a decade older than this company if not more.
Apparently JM's burnt out the last batch of minions, and in putting out the call for more volunteers with a weirdly vague FB post aaaaaaall of the vile stories are coming out, most of which I'm sad to say I didn't know about already. Everything from sexual misconduct on his part or that of his staff to tax evasion, to staff selling or handing out drugs while on duty at events, or turning a blind eye when someone spikes the open water cooler with MDMA, resulting in the staff response of "Its not a real con until somebody goes to the hospital!"
In light of new info, I'm now shifting my official opinion from the previous "Do what you want but I'm not giving him my $$" which I am now ashamed of myself for, to "Please don't give this dbag any of your time or money," because as others have said, by supporting JM events you are actively supporting the financial, physical, and sometimes sexual exploitation of employees, guests, and performers. If you are part of any kind of company (performance, gaming, film, etc) and JM offers you a spot on their billing, please don't take it. Its just a matter of time until this event company screws you over and/or throws you under the bus.
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