Retrospective – Game Con Vendor

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. I did not deliver on the my initial goal of doing something different to help stand out.
3. Make a better effort to network with other designers, publishers, and hobby retailers.
4. 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.