Don't panic.

You can still be in a booth in the exhibitors' hall at GenCon if you want to. You have a couple of choices.

Choice 1: make your own booth. This is what I did with some folks last year and we're doing it again this year. I have some kind of general advice and information for you.

Here is GenCon's exhibitor page. Right now there's nothing on it, but there it is. As I understand it, you can start applying to exhibit around or after Feb 22, so check back then.

I hear a rumor that GenCon's going to be offering a first-time exhibitor deal: a plain 10x10 booth for $1100. That's a good deal - my returning group would pay $1300 for the same booth. GenCon will probably need $550 from you in March and the other $550 in May, I'm guessing.

Your booth will come with two free badges. After those two, every badge will cost you ... $65? $70? Something like that. You won't need to have a final badge list until May.

Armed with "it'll cost us $1100 plus badges," you can start getting together your group.

The Forge's model, primary sponsors plus later buy-ins, is practical and I recommend it. If you and a friend can invest the initial $550, you can secure your booth early, and assemble a larger group under less time pressure. It seems like a sure thing to me that there'll be people looking to buy in come April. If you can, choose a friend who won't miss deadlines.

If you want to be near us, then when you fill out your application, under preferences you can list "in the quiet zone" and "near The Playcollective." If you email me your company name, I'll see about adding "near you" to the Playcollective's preferences too. No promises, I have to mail our paperwork away this week, but I'll see what I can do. You can check with Ron about what to do to be near the Forge booth, or maybe he'll say it in this thread.

Anything else? I'm happy to answer questions.

Choice 2: get into an existing booth. The existing booths I know of are the Forge booth, the Playcollective, and the Ashcan Front. I expect there are others I don't know of. Ron's the person to talk to about the Forge booth, of course. You can talk to me (lumpley at gmail dot com, preferred) about the Playcollective, and for the Ashcan Front talk to Paul Czege or Matt Snyder.

Other groups, who should people talk to, if anybody?

Choice 3: you don't HAVE to be in the exhibitors' hall. I expect that Games on Demand is going to be a thing again this year. I don't know who you should talk to about that, either - but if you find out, let me know. Emily and I have a thing we want to talk to them about.

I don't know what else! Like I say I'm happy to answer questions. Also, if anybody has more or better information than I do, please feel free.

-Vincent

It's also worth noting for folks that, while you won't get the advantages of Forge booth demo rights, and the cut IPR will take will be about twice as big (equivalent to a retailer sale, basically), folks who aren't members of the Forge booth but whose products are listed on IPR are still liable to get some booth representation at the Forge/IPR booth, at least in the sales-area on the shelves.  So if you're looking to just kick back and attend the convention as yourself rather than under your publisher-hat, but still get a few copies of your game sold (or have somewhere to send folks when they've enjoyed your demo and want to buy the game) the option *does* exist.

Well, hold on a second about that buy-in thing. I have permission to do that from GenCon LLC, specifically because the Forge booth offers a particular showcase function for the grassroots culture of game design. It possibly, although on the edge of interpretation, violates the letter of GenCon rules, and I'm permitted through an executive interpretation. Since Peter gained ownership of the con, I've been careful to make sure that it's a legitimate thing to do and I abide by their interpretation to the letter.

I do not support copying the buy-in model on your own just out of the blue. The small staff of GenCon LLC works really, really hard to make this con happen. Please be sure to work with them and not cut corners.

My favored suggestion is to work with Games on Demand (or whatever it's to be called this year).

Best, Ron

Well, the PlayCollective booth already did something as, y'know, a collective of publishers.

The GPA buys booths in blocks and then parcels them out to its members.

I think there are precedents in place!

Ron: good to know.

-Vincent

Ron wrote: Well, hold on a second about that buy-in thing. I have permission to do that from GenCon LLC, specifically because the Forge booth offers a particular showcase function for the grassroots culture of game design....I do not support copying the buy-in model on your own just out of the blue. The small staff of GenCon LLC works really, really hard to make this con happen. Please be sure to work with them and not cut corners.

My favored suggestion is to work with Games on Demand (or whatever it's to be called this year).