Organizers of city's first tattoo convention are set to make a mark with family-friendly event

By Mike Devlin, Times Colonist - March 11, 2010

When organizers Scott Pettersen and Shawn Steinberg hatched the idea of staging the city's first tattoo convention, they didn't fret over where or when it would happen, or how much it would cost to produce.

They were more concerned with the possibility of it even happening at all.

Tattoos, although more acceptable than ever, still have a stigma attached to them, perhaps more so in a city like Victoria than bigger metropolitan areas. It is something that both Pettersen, 38, and Steinberg, 33, know full well heading into the planning process for this weekend's Capital City Tattoo Convention.

To some, the pair's array of tattoos -- Steinberg has them on his hands, neck and face -- suggest a checkered past. That such an assumption is based solely on appearances is what bothers Steinberg the most.

"Some old lady said to me, 'What does your mother think of that?' And I said, 'My mother? She loves me.'"

Tattoo aficionados will love him and Pettersen even more after they see what's on tap Saturday and Sunday at Pearkes Arena. Two days and nights of events, a few dozen exhibitors and tattoo artists, plus thousands of expected attendees, will no doubt make for an eventful inauguration.

Tattoo equipment suppliers will be on hand, as will a handful of bands performing for patrons in the beer garden, with after-party concerts Saturday (Dead Eyes Open, Rotterdam, and Black Hat Villain) and Sunday (Unleash the Archers, Ninjaspy, and Danny Kilshaw) at Sugar nightclub in conjunction with the event.

"Everybody told me I was crazy [to do this], which only made me want to do it more," said Steinberg, reclining in a chair at Ascension Studios, the Bridge Street tattoo shop he owns and operates.

"And then I found somebody just as crazy as me, and here we are."

Crazy, yes -- but also creative. Steinberg and Pettersen are both musicians and businessmen with numerous operations running concurrently: In addition to running Ascension, Steinberg is head of security at Sugar nightclub; Pettersen, who owns a portion of the Levi's Store on Government Street, also owns TNT Printing, which creates products for his and Steinberg's clothing line, Ruined Clothing, among other local clients.

Free time is a luxury not afforded to the convention creators. They were able to get the project up and running with the help of a small team of friends and family, including Erik Van Kobra and Sean Wall. The convention also benefited from the goodwill of community members and various industry professionals -- from event security to beer garden service staff -- who want to see the pair, and the project, succeed.

"People have been saying, 'Whatever you need, I just want to be a part of it,' " Pettersen said.

There will be a number of familiar faces on hand over the weekend, from artist Twig Sparks, formerly of A&E reality show Inked, to local shops such as Urge Tattoos and Universal Tattooing.

However, the vision of Pettersen and Steinberg was to focus on the art rather than the artists. That decision prompted a maverick manoeuvre from the organizers, who offered vendor booths to tattoo studios free of charge.

"We're the first people to ever offer artists booths for free," Steinberg said. "They don't have to pay to be there. It's about the art, it's not about making money off the artists."

Steinberg, an artist with six years of experience under his belt, did his homework prior to launching the event. Hoping to uncover potential roadblocks, he attended much larger conventions like the Alberta Bound Tattoo and Arts Festival and Toronto's Northern Ink Xposure Tattoo Show, and made rounds of phone calls. Some of his fellow convention organizers were more than helpful, Steinberg said. Others, not so much.

He encountered some dissent locally as well. The pair knew it wouldn't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is, Pettersen said. "We don't worry too much about standing on people's toes, only because we're not trying to rock the boat. You're always going to upset somebody. You're never going to make everybody happy. Whether people think we are the guys who should be putting this on is beside the point."

A big priority was to make the Capital City Tattoo Convention a family-oriented event. Children under the age of 12 are admitted for free, which should put reluctant parents a little more at ease, Steinberg said. He's hoping that by attending they'll see how much misinformation about the tattoo industry exists today.

They built it and it looks as if people will come: To their pleasant surprise, everyone from the hardcore enthusiast to the complete newbie has shown interest in attending.

"The guys I've talked to who are most excited are the ones who wear a suit to work that covers up their tattoos," Pettersen said. "They're super-stoked about coming out with their families and getting out for the weekend in this kind of community."

Issues surrounding safety and sanitation (health regulations stipulate that individual hand-washing sinks must be present at every two booths) are occupying a large part of their attention at the moment. Everything is by the book, an effort that Pettersen hopes will be repaid once the convention doors open.

"I'm proud at our age that we're able to pull these kind of things off and are in a position to dream outside the box. A lot of people had said, 'When did this Capital City company come to you guys and get you on board?' Everybody thinks it's somebody with a lot of money and a lot older. Not so much -- it's a couple of jackasses doing it for the love it."

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