I got back yesterday from PAXEast in Boston, my first time at that show. Aside from staying a day later than planned thanks to Delta Airlines (DELTA: Doesn’t Ever Leave The Airport), the trip was great.
So, for this post, I’m returning to a long-held tradition of mine: To recap some of the things said or heard at the show, via context-free quotes.
“I’ve got some kind of magical animal.”
“You could park a zeppelin in here.”
“What could be better than dough?”
“The Walking Poor.”
“Sexy Foreign Guy Is Here For Your Womens.”
“This is my sister. She sang that Madonna song.”
“Occasions!”
“I tend to talk faster and get much more Welsh.”
“Enjoy your artisanal sandwich… it’s rustic. Says so on the plastic.”
“We’ve made the stretch goal! Everyone eats!”
“I think we need a Nemesis.”
As an aside — it is definitely a show worth attending for tabletop games companies. The population concentration in the northeast alone means that you’ll be seeing more traffic than you get at GenCon, even if the tabletop area is secondary to the main expo hall area.
Oh, and another thing you should be aware of: The tabletop exhibitor area runs around the open-gaming and tournament tables — which stay open until 2am — and there’s no separation. So even though expo hall ‘closes’ at 6, that’s not the case in tabletop, as people still come through. We’d wrap up around 9ish (3 hours after ‘close’), but could’ve stayed there the whole time… if we wanted to work a 16-hour day. Worth keeping in mind when considering staffing.
Worth noting, the local retailer, Battleground Games & Hobbies is at every PAX East, and stays open until the convention center throws everyone out. If you’re looking for opportunities to have products available at the show without having to staff your own booth till 2am, it might be worth giving the owner a call before next year’s show :)
True, but these sorts of shows represent a golden opportunity for publishers and creators to directly interact with gamers, rather than through distribution and retail intermediaries, which isn’t normally the case. Not an opportunity which should be missed, frankly (and not just because it’s better to earn 100% of a sale instead of the 35-40% through retail, either).