TOPIC: GenCon 4-day badges are sold out

The Javtis Center in NYC is barely larger than the Indiana Convention Center. 840k sq ft of exhibit space vs. 749k sq ft (when combined with the stadium). Anaheim actually has the same problem only 813k sq ft.

Unless you assume a large attendance drop from moving there are very limited places to go. Assuming a minimum expansion of 33% which means you are looking for a convention center with at least 1 million sq ft of exhibit space, you are stuck with only 10 convention centers in the US.
Chicago, Orlando, two in Vegas, Atlanta, Louisville, New Orleans, Houston, Cleveland, and Dallas. Even then some of those make no sense like Louisville which has a lot less hotel rooms than Indianapolis.

I'm shocked no-one mentioned Orlando. I have been to conventions that were huge there. Everything was contained right there. If people want to wait 2 years the Tucson, AZ will be ready with both Hotels (Currently being built) and plenty of close (Walking distance) restaurants.

Harlax wrote: Milwaukee!

...

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Not if Druegar has anything to say about it.

Harlax wrote: Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

kurtreznor wrote: Not if Druegar has anything to say about it.

Are you kidding? Dream away!
Otherwise I have nothing to crush.

Mike Steele wrote: I really doubt GENCON will leave, it's a huge success in Indy. There's no guarantee everyone will make the move to a new city if it moves. I think it's much more likely that they would leave it here and hold a second one in Chicago.

Heh .. they tried that back in the 90's when it outgrew Milwaukee. GenCon Mid-west, GenCon West Coast, etc. It didn't go well at all and thus Indy. I think it would be a hard sell to justify trying that again.

Eventually it will move. The hotel situation in Indy is ridiculous. GenCon could easily top 250k attendees, but a lot of people get VERY frustrated with the whole ambiguity of 'will i have a place to sleep .. that I can afford .. and not spend 45 minutes driving in.' [There is a great point made that due to GenCon being essentially 24/7 .. hotels are a HUGE factor.]

Indy gets a LOT of business from GenCon, but I know a few years ago anyways .. they were cutting back on the concessions the city made to the convention. But yes .. it would be a BIG blow to the local economy.

Really there are only a handful of cities it COULD go to .. Chicago is probably the most .. centralist .. of all of them. Orlando would be able to handle it .. but east coast, and nightmare flights depending on the season .. Vegas could handle GenCon, has a billion hotels *ALL* within walking distance, but is just so ... out of the way .. it would be painful for vendors/exhibitors. Toyfair West is a good example of how GenCon out there could go .. some years great, some years horrible.

Harlax wrote: Milwaukee!

When the Bucks finish their new arena and the surrounding entertainment district is built out.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

I miss the Safehouse ...

Anyone who thinks Chicago is a good idea or even possible has never exhibited in a trade show in McCormick Place. I feel it is extremely important to point out the union rules in Chicago are extremely strict. It would likely be impossible to put on True Dungeon, at least without a LARGE price increase. The rules would prevent True Dungeon from using volunteers to setup or tear down the dungeons and would require that different union personal would be hired for different tasks.

To give you an idea on how crazy the rules are, you cannot put up a sign if it requires more than one person or a tool (including a screw driver). A table skirt must be installed by union personal if it uses any attachment methods included snaps and velcro. All items must be moved into and out of the exhibit hall by teamsters unless you carry it by hand.

While Gen Con might be doable in Chicago, I do not believe True Dungeon would be possible.

Kenban wrote: Anyone who thinks Chicago is a good idea or even possible has never exhibited in a trade show in McCormick Place. I feel it is extremely important to point out the union rules in Chicago are extremely strict. It would likely be impossible to put on True Dungeon, at least without a LARGE price increase. The rules would prevent True Dungeon from using volunteers to setup or tear down the dungeons and would require that different union personal would be hired for different tasks.

To give you an idea on how crazy the rules are, you cannot put up a sign if it requires more than one person or a tool (including a screw driver). A table skirt must be installed by union personal if it uses any attachment methods included snaps and velcro. All items must be moved into and out of the exhibit hall by teamsters unless you carry it by hand.

While Gen Con might be doable in Chicago, I do not believe True Dungeon would be possible.

You know .. I totally forgot about the six hour wait for the union guys to move our booth contents from the floor to the loading dock, and the two hours for the 'loading team' to move it on to our truck after the 'back the truck up to the dock team' got it to the right bay.

There was a reason we started trading display boxes of 40k away at the end of RCHTA.

Kenban wrote: While Gen Con might be doable in Chicago, I do not believe True Dungeon would be possible.

DING DING DING! This^^
Applies equally to all CCs with ridiculous union rules. My admittedly lousy understanding is that Vegas has similar bullsh... er, draconian union regulations.

Druegar wrote:

Harlax wrote: Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

kurtreznor wrote: Not if Druegar has anything to say about it.

Are you kidding? Dream away!
Otherwise I have nothing to crush.

it's comments like this that make you one of my favorite posters on the forums

Brad wrote:

Druegar wrote:

Harlax wrote: Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

kurtreznor wrote: Not if Druegar has anything to say about it.

Are you kidding? Dream away!
Otherwise I have nothing to crush.

it's comments like this that make you one of my favorite posters on the forums

+1 to this. Crush those dreams! Crush them all!

.
BAM!