GAMA Trade Show

[Michael Hopcroft]

I won;t have a badge at the GAMA Trade Show, but I will have a badge. I hope to learn a lot at the Manufacturer's track, but my mood is not very good right now and I'm starting to worry that I won't get anything out of the show.

Has anyone here been to GAMA without the ability to sell, and what should I expect there?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Michael,

I've been to two GAMA trade shows. For the first one, I had a booth and no game yet (just promotional folders); for the second, I had a game but just piggybacked at the Tundra booth, like I'll do this year.

One thing you and everyone should understand is that you don't sell anything at this show. No one is buying anything; they're there to make contacts, see what the games look like, and generally get some vacation. You're promoting, not selling.

To clarify: people with the booths are manufacturers. The people wandering up and down are retailers and distributors, and sometimes advertisers or promoters. They are making sure that games they heard about really exist (because often they don't), that companies they heard about really exist (ditto), and that nothing really big (in their sense of the word) is coming out that they don't know about.

For people with games like ours - by which I mean strong specialty interest and a lot of "sleeper" general appeal - the best bet is to develop as strong personal connections as possible. That means engaging in conversations, listening a great deal, and explaining the strengths of your game in brief and pointed terms. Always remember that these are not potential players; many of them do not role-play and may not even especially like it. Also remember that all of the people there exist in a webwork of information, alliances, rivalries, and old grudges, so do not ever tell person A what person B said, or you might find yourself embroiled in complex personal hassle from which there is no escape.

In many ways, the GAMA show is a money sink - you pay for a badge, for a hotel room, for the flight, and so on, without much hitting the bank account in return. But if you work it socially and positively, the payoff can be substantial over the next year or so, in terms of getting onto distributors' radar and in terms of making helpful personal connections.

Personal poise, being willing to listen instead of talking or speechifying, and as much sympathy as you can muster for the special needs and positions of retailers, are all a must.

Best,
Ron

[Michael Hopcroft]

Oh well, at least everything is paid for except for my meals. This is going to be awkward, though. I'll have a Manufacturer's badge which allows me to attend the manufacturer's panels but not to market my games myself. the GPA was determined to get me into a booth, but Grey Ghost persuaded me I'd learn more from the seminars than i would standing around in a booth all day.

I will only have a booth at one convention all year -- GenCon.

[Michael Hopcroft]

GTS is getting closer and closer. I've paid for my tickets, but I haven't picked them up. I need someone to remind me of the dates, though, because I may be triple-booked in between GameStorm in Portland, followed by GTS, followed immediately by Anime Oasis 2003 in Boise. How the bloody 'ell am I going to get to Boise from Portland in remotely enough time to make the con?

Darn, I need a working PDA to remind me when these things come up!

[Michael Hopcroft]

Turns out I CAN make all three shows, albeit not comfortably. I'll be spending the night of March 21st at the airport waiting out the time between the arrival of my flight from Vegas and the departure of my flight to Boise.

Now I just have to figure out the other pieces, like how I'll eat in Vegas, how I'll slkeep in Boise and how I'll manage to avoid becoming a complete wreck by the end of ten days of constant travel.

[philreed]

Buffet if you want to go cheap. You can get an awful lot of food for very little money.

And I'm pretty sure you can still get the $2.99 steak and eggs meal at the Orleans at something like 2 in the morning.

You can also spend $100 or so on a meal for one. I don't recommend it.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Is there anyone here going to the show who might be willing to share a meal with me on occasion? Not so much for financial need as for company?

Also, what are the breakfasts like? One of the highlights of DunDraCon for me was having a truly delicious belgian waffle on Sunday morning....

[Michael Hopcroft]

Well, I leave for Vegas the day after tomorrow. I'm having a hard time relaxing and preparing.

At the very least, I know I'll get there and have a roof. My bank is not being very cooperative with me in terms of how much money I'll actually have available for the show (I deposited a big enough check, but most of it is behing "held").

Who all here is going to GTS? Who am I going to meet there from the Forge? Hopefully I'll have a manuscript to show off, but even if not I hope to do some business.

[Jake Norwood]

Ron and I will both be there, Michael.

Jake