A quick look back as a Game Con Vendor – Con of the North 2016.
Since my first crack as a Game Con Vendor at Con of the North 2016, I’ve finally gotten a chance to write down my thoughts. Based on our preparations, I was well prepared and staffed for demos and sales. The booth looked great even though it literally squeaked under the 8ft tall ceilings. Overall the convention was a success but I thoughts on how to make my vending experience for next year even better. This is a follow-up post to the goals I initially established for the Con here.
The Good:
- The passport game at the con was a success. I donated one copy of Brewin’ USA to the cause and in return had 100+ people stop by to get a stamp on their passport that might not have stopped by. Some were definitely intrigued by the game and this engagement even led to a few sales that probably would not have happened. A Passport stamp game is a no brainer.
- At Con of the North, the vendor hall never really closed. I wasn’t aware of this going into the Con but it definitely benefits somebody who is okay working late. Vendors drape their wares when they leave and do so anywhere from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. I stayed pretty late on Friday and Saturday which gave people extra time between their scheduled events to sit down and play Brewin’ USA. This was a big success as we really utilized our demo table space well.
- Demoing, staffing, and having a setup to sell product (cash / credit) worked as expected. The booth setup looked professional and held up well. Used vendor booth paid off and more in one con!
Things I can improve on:
- Finding players can be more difficult than it seems. This sounds silly at a gaming convention but it is always the truth. I did my best to scour the room for somebody looking for a 30-60 minute demo which often worked. Finding players for pickup games is still something I have yet to see a good solution.
- I did not deliver on the my initial goal of doing something different to help stand out.
- Make a better effort to network with other designers, publishers, and hobby retailers.
- Have more product on the table. I started out the con with 3 boxes on the table and ended up with maybe 8-10 on the table. Not many people made an impulse purchase after hearing about the game, but later during the Con they would come back to the table. I felt that more boxes on the table felt more professional and legitimate as a vendor.
We will definitely be back to Con of the North 2017 so I hope to see you there! Also a huge thanks to all the volunteers that make this con run smoothly.
Hey man. I am all for game demos. And I appreciate you developers that do that. I found your site while I was browsing the exhibit hall map for GenCon. I’ll stop by and check it out. Thanks for all you do. Keep fighting the good fight. Cheers.