I was just wondering does anyone have the number of attendees for the last 5 years and have an estimate what this year might be like?

Lots of people. Sorry. Dunno exact number.

Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 to 25,000 unique attendees over the four-day period, rough estimate.

The Chronek:

Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 to 25,000 unique attendees over the four-day period, rough estimate.

thats actually pretty accurate from what I heard.  I read that last year was record attendance which was around 27,000. 

The wikipedia page has attendance figures on some of the years of the con, but I don't know if they're the "official" numbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Con

 
I think it states the previous years attendance in the vendors information packet.

I'm wondering what sort of an effect the economy and gas prices will have on Gen Con attendance this year. Of course I'm hoping they do very well, but the introvert that hates crowds in me would love to wander a vendor hall that's not packed to the gills with people.

i imagine thats why i have been seeing more 'carpools to gencon' threads popping up. I think people would still go via car or plane, though it would have been cheaper  for me and the NJ crew to take a car most of us used frequent flyer miles in order to get semi-cheap tickets.

 everytime i describe the dealers room to friends i say that it's like a small shanty town/trading outpost i almost feel like i should be negotiating with a jawa over the price of a droid.

I think gas and food prices impacted Origins.  There seemed to be a lot less people than in the past.  However, some who normally attend both conventions may have decided to hold off on Columbus this year in favor of Indy.

I'd still look for about 25k+.

Seeing a lot more people cancelling rooms too, looking for others to pick them up. I expect it to be down, but hopefully not too much.

I think the economy will keep enough people away to make a difference to vendors, but not to attendees.  It will still seem as crowded and exciting, but number will go down some. 

My bet is the attendance will be down to maybe 22,000.  Totally unscientific, but it's my guess.

I think it is less gas prices, and more that people were looking at the fact that gencon declared bankruptcy earlier this year, and it looked as if WotC was going to boycott it entirely (which is why their events were so late coming).

I think a lot of people looked at it when registration opened and said, "What, no RPGA?" and just didn't bother signing up.

Wait a minute.. Didnt everyone who paid taxes get the Gen Con Stimulus Checks?

When the Presedent and Congress says Go To Gen Con! you better go.

Well I think its time for folks to start reverting back to Milwaukee days.  When my brother went he carpooled spent several nights staying at a dorm.  The cost of his room was cheap and carpooling with four other guys was easy.  It seems a lot of folks go the VIP route anymore and don't no how to reduce expenses.  I don't mean the VIG that the con offers, but staying only two to a room in a connected hotel and complaining about the expense is bringing it on your self. 

 Find some roommates to help cut the cost, find someone to ride with, even if its old college buddies and you have to drive an hour out of your way to go get them.  Eat cheaper meals, get some bread, meat, and buy a case of pop before you leave or when you get there.  Gencon is as expensive as you want to make it.  I'm flying in and staying out by the hotel for a reasonable price, and also renting a car for a reasonable price and have parking for a reasonable price, because I have done some serious research to this event. 

 My advice for folks on a tight budget is to do the con on a comfortable budget, you don't have to do true dungeon, or 10 events.  If you have to drive crosscountry and roadtrip, you don't have to sleep at hotels, find some relatives crash there and move on, or do what other folks have done camp out, get a one night camp spot and research it before you go there.  Alot of small towns have campgrounds that cost a few bucks to sleep, throw in a couple of tents and go.

 Folks need to learn how to rough it again. 

 I'm working on getting the exact numbers, but from what I've heard so far GenCon was a better con for everyone (except for the ones who decided not to go for whatever reasons they chose.)

Pre-Registration was higher than last year, On-Site registration was higher and sales for every exhibitor I talked to were higher than last year too (many surpassed their 2007 numbers by Saturday morning, though 2007 was a bit of a slump) and some of the artists sold more originals than they have in the past too.

The only company I talked too that mentioned sales not being as good as they hoped (Offworld, or some other large shirt dealer) said that while they made more than last year, they had doubled the size of their booths (from 3 to 6) and at that time didn't think they made enough extra to cover the additional cost.  

 So if these things do hold true after all of the accounting and  fact-checking, I think GenCon '08 will set a new milestone.

I think it came down to GenCon being a destination for a vacation.  People often save up and do what they need to in order to get to GenCon.  I'm not saying that they did what was financially good for them, but the economy didn't seem to adversely affect attendance and spending this year.  Then again, I've noticed that other cons I've gone to have been doing better each year, even through the growing hard times.

I didn't make it around the ICC as much as I usually do, but it seemed to me that it was less crowded this year.  Whether that signifies less attendees for better use of available space, I can't really say.

I am glad though, with the exception fo the mid-hallway "let me take your picture" crowd, the halls seemed to be a bit easier to travel through and that's always a good thing.

Braelun:

I didn't make it around the ICC as much as I usually do, but it seemed to me that it was less crowded this year. 

I thought moving games out into the hotels did some nice things.  There was often more room with fewer games going on.  This was true of miniatures on several occasions, being in a downstairs ballroom and up in the rooms behind the Sagamore ballroom.  This also meant that the noise level in these games was better than in years past.

If attendance was about the same and it was merely the effect of relocation, I am all for it.  If it was because attendance was down, tthat's a different story.  But fewer games per room over many rooms often means much better sound levels.

 

Braelun:

I didn't make it around the ICC as much as I usually do, but it seemed to me that it was less crowded this year.

Agreed.  By a LOT too, but that was only a visual impression.  Last year was the 40th anniversary of GenCon, so I'd assume a 'spike' in attendance for that.  VERY surprised that the #'s are indicating higher in all categories.  So much for eyeballing being an accurate count.

Vallan:

But fewer games per room over many rooms often means much better sound levels.

Agreed again.  Particularly for NASCRAG.  Last year the ambient sound was a roar, this a dull roar.

Gerrin:

It seems a lot of folks go the VIP route anymore and don't no how to reduce expenses.  staying only two to a room in a connected hotel and complaining about the expense is bringing it on your self.Folks need to learn how to rough it again.

And agreed again- like being upset that it costs so much to fill it up an SUV.    Admittedly, I stay in a connected hotel, but I am cool with paying for the convenience.  Still, GenCon can be done for cheap if you're clever, plan ahead, & are willing to go cut some corners.  I'm at best 2 of 3.