[Gencon] Where do I go, what do I do?

[Blankshield]

Ok, this is straight up questions to the primary sponsers, so please don't post unless you happen to be one of them with answers.

I'm getting off a plane Wednesday morning.  I've blocked off Wednesday afternoon to assist with booth set up.

Where do I go to help?
Where do I go to get my badge?
What should I do with my box of product?
What should I do with my demo kit?

Is there a contact number/person/place I should go to if I get to where I'm supposed to be, and it's not there/ready/Security is refusing me/whatever?

And how do those answers change for people not me who are arriving later on Wednesday, Wednesday after hall hours, or not until Thursday morning?

thanks,

James

[timfire]

You'll have to double check with Ron or Luke, but I believe you just go to the registration desk---I forget if there's a seperate desk for vendors---and tell them you're with **Adept Press** (NOT your own company) and give them your name. They'll give you a badge and you'll be free to enter the main showroom. That's all I remember doing last year.

After that, just go to the Forge Booth, #1237. Brennan is handling stock so he'll tell you what to do, but last year we kept a contingent of books at the booth and the rest in somebody's hotel room.

At some point, either Wed or Thurs morning, we'll have an orientation session where we'll discuss how everything works. I forget when exactly that is.

Your demo kit you should either carry with you or shove it in some corner of the booth. Be warned, though, that last year we had an issue with too many piles of stuff lying around, and this year even though we have more space, we also have more people. So I'm not sure if lying your stuff down is going to be an option.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi James,

Tim has accurately stated how it works. You probably shouldn't bring all your books and stuff to the booth at the first visit, as we don't currently have an exact idea of how Brennan wants to manage the stock. Better to handle that after checking in. People can help you shlep from your car, if necessary.

I also need to stress: arriving on Thursday makes you a pain in everyone's ass. If you must, then you must, but be aware that the basic expectation is that you be there on Wednesday to help set up the booth. This is especially important for first-timers, as demonstrated again and again, every year.

For everyone ... GenCon has undergone two changes of ownership and one change of venue since we started doing this Forge booth thing. That's a lot of management decisions and policies that got rapidly replaced and altered on-site. Every year, they change one or two little things, and sometimes those little things involve us.

So be warned: we don't know what the situation on the ground will be. Do show up, do tell the nice people at the exhibitor booth who you are and say "Adept Press." The booth number might be useful too if this proves difficult. Don't say "Forge" - that's not a company name and it confuses them badly. For some unknown reason, neither does mentioning my name instantly bring a squadron of angels to your aid. If all goes as well as last year, then the nice person will give you your badge.

In the past, and not necessarily successfully, we've used some cell phone contact. This year, here's what I suggest - if you really want to be uber-sure, then contact Luke and get his cell number, and then, if you arrive at the convention hall and are lost and lorn, you can call him for help.

Best, Ron

[Blankshield]

Thanks gents, exactly the confirmation I was looking for.

Consider this thread closed unless there's some other glaringly obvious bit being missed as to how to show up and say "use me."  (I don't think there is.)

thanks,

James

[Michael S. Miller]

Please also note Luke's reply in this thread on the same topic.

I plan to arrive between 3 and 5pm on Wednesday with a minivan's worth of IPR stock. If folks are around to help with the unloading, I'd sure appreciate it.

[Keith Senkowski]

To follow up Mr. Miller's post.  Mr. Wilson and I will be there with the chairs sometime within the same window depending on lovely Chicago traffic.  Unlike Mr. Miller, instead of appreciating help, we demand the services of others because we are both lazy bastards and I'm ornery...

[Brennan Taylor]

I will be there by 2:00 Wednesday, and we can discuss nitty gritty then.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

FYI: Mark and I should be there by 6:00, and I have the Helios Rising shipment coming later that evening or first thing Thursday morning from my Indy contact. As you know, the books are quite large. I have 100 total, but I'll probably just keep them in my hotel room and bring them in batches as needed to avoid booth clutter. I assume that's okay.

[Brennan Taylor]

Yes, a lot of the stock is going to have to be stored in a hotel room. We are really not going to have room at the booth for the large number of boxes.

[btrc]

I think it is worth noting that the booth area is sans floor covering, which I'll be bringing 400 square feet of, sometime on Wed. Mapquest says I have a 9.5 hour drive, and I hope to get out of the DC area early, but I'm still thinking it will be 6'ish when I get there. So, try not to place any heavy objects in permanent spots (like loading books onto shelves) until the flooring is in place underneath them...

Greg Porter

[drozdal]

Mapquest says I have a 9.5 hour drive, and I hope to get out of the DC area early, but I'm still thinking it will be 6'ish when I get there.
Greg Porter

9,5 Hour drive in Mini Cooper. Greg you're not a man, You're machine!

[btrc]

9,5 Hour drive in Mini Cooper. Greg you're not a man, You're machine!

Two notes on that:
1) 9.5 hours would be if I drove the speed limit...
2) I'm staging from a friend's place. He's the one with the Impala SS with the Corvette engine in it. Rides smooth as glass on the interstate and chews up the miles like nobody's business. Also has a trunk that sleeps three.

So, I'm less machine than you might think. I'll only be doing 4 hours in the Mini for the first leg of the trip up to friend's place.

Greg Porter

[Jason Morningstar]

I'm wheels-on-tarmac at 1418 hours if everything goes smoothly, and I'll be over to help out shortly thereafter. 

[Luke]

I think it is worth noting that the booth area is sans floor covering, which I'll be bringing 400 square feet of, sometime on Wed. Mapquest says I have a 9.5 hour drive, and I hope to get out of the DC area early, but I'm still thinking it will be 6'ish when I get there. So, try not to place any heavy objects in permanent spots (like loading books onto shelves) until the flooring is in place underneath them...

Greg Porter

Greg, just to confirm -- you're arriving at 6 pm Indy time?

[Ron Edwards]

Greg's on the road and off-line, so I'll tell you what he told me just before he left home.

He hopes to arrive before 6 pm, so we can lay the tiles before dinner. He and I will be coordinating by cell phone in the afternoon.

If something goes wrong, we'll organize a posse either for that evening, just before the hall closes, or for the first-thing Thursday morning, which is the worst-case scenario.

But at present, the plan is to do the tiles late-ish in the day, but not threateningly so.

Best, Ron