Gen Con Community

Maybe rather than 'price jump' the name of the topic should be 'price shot out of a cannon.' Are any other exhibitors going to have to back out after rates went up by more than 50%? I was going to share an endcap with two other companies, but with the incredible price increase and the new sharing penalty, it would cost more for each of us to get our own booths, especially since the other two people are new and can get entrepreneur rates. I can't get the entrepreneur rate - this is my second year, and those booths suck anyway. I can't get the rebook rate, because that's for people who are making this their fourth year or later. So for anyone for whom 2008 is their second or third year, it sure feels like GenCon asked us not to come back. Is GenCon just not interested in seeing small companies any more?

If the prices had been close to what they were last year, we would have been fine. We had the money set aside, plus a little inflation cushion. But when sharing an endcap went from $2640 to $4590 - an increase of nearly 75% from last year! - we're just plain out. That's insane. I'm just not going to sell enough to cover my end of nearly five grand, and the two new guys I was bringing with me are probably going to sell even less. After you factor in hotel room, food, travel and shipping product, every sale would be costing me money.

Maybe for big companies, this is more acceptable. But for the little guys, this is a real kick in the nether regions. 

Matt Drake
VixenTor Games 

I speculate that Peter has to pay a similar price for the Convention with a 30K sq ft loss of space.  Same price + less space = higher cost to the exhibitors.

I think he would have bumped up badge price $5 and let the exhibitors get a break.

But I haven't been exhibiting since 05. I've been exhibiting since 07.

Or am I still missing something?

 

For existing exhibitors the price went up for those that get a smaller tables or endcaps and may have gone down for the larger booths.

Previously the price has gone up from 5%-20% every year.

Looking at price changes from 2007 to 2008. The price is not based on when, but on who and when. The lowest end has been removed.

Small Booths

10x10 Regular - 2007  $1095 (early registration) - $1385 (normal registration)  - $1520 (Last minute)
10x10 Regular - 2008  $1300 (exhibited in the last 2 years) - $1600 (last minute - never exhibited)

10x10 Entrepreneurial - 2007  $745 (early) - $1065 (normal) - $1220 (last minute)
10x10 Entrepreneurial - 2008 $1100 (anytime)

10x10 Corner - 2007  $1290 (early registration) - $1540 (normal registration) - $1690 (last minute)
10x10 Corner - 2008  $1560 (exhibited before) -  $1920 (last minute - never exhibited)

Biggest Booth 

50x60 Island - 2007 $41,200 (early) - 49,440 (normal) - $54,380 (last minute)
50x60 Island - 2008 $39,000 (exhibited previously) - $48,000 (last minute - never exhibited)

Looking at the prices, singles, corner and end-caps (smaller booths) went up about 20%.
Islands and larger booths went down in price except pennisula's.

It now looks like they are rewarding re-occurring customers and newer exhibitors that want more than an Entrepreneurial booth.

The new $250 per company sharing cost is not surprising. The number of shared booths has risen over the last few years including several that are 4+ companies at 1 or two booths. If Gen Con has empty booths while at the same time 5-6 companies share a single booth it is reasonable to charge for multiple companies at a booth.

Though it has increased the cost of my booth I think this is a reasonable change. In the past there were 51 different rates depending on size of booth and when paid. Now there are 3 rates based on square footage:  $11 (Entrepreneurial only 10x10), $13 (reoccurring - early) - $16 (everything else)

Fat Dragon Games:

I think you're misreading the documents we all received today.

Lesimony:

Fat Dragon Games:

I think you're misreading the documents we all received today.

Did y'all get these by email? I haven't received anything, and Megan should have my email because I sent her a message last week.

Maybe you're on the wrong list, go ahead and email her at megan@gencon.com.

Lesimony:

Fat Dragon Games:

I think you're misreading the documents we all received today.

Did y'all get these by email? I haven't received anything, and Megan should have my email because I sent her a message last week.

Yep, got it by e-mail. I had a problem with receiving anything from Gen Con last year when i had it sent to my Verizon account (not even in the spam folder), so I have them send everything to a yahoo account now. 

The good news this year is if we register next week we should have our booth number by the end of February. 

Megan has confirmed with me, and asked me to post that "anyone who has exhibited any year from 2005 to 2007, no matter how many times qualifies for the rebook rate"

So it seems you are good to go for the rebook rate Vixentor.

Fat Dragon Games:

I had a problem with receiving anything from Gen Con last year when i had it sent to my Verizon account (not even in the spam folder), so I have them send everything to a yahoo account now. 

Thanks!

I may have overreacted a little. OK, in all fairness, I definitely overreacted. Megan answered all my concerns and was really nice about it, which was nearly saint-like after the email I sent Friday. The prices were not nearly as bad as I had thought, and now I can afford to go to GenCon again.

So, uh, see you all at GenCon!