I have been attending Gen Con for many years and the Paizo booth has been one of the few booths I've made multiple visits (and purchases) over the years.
But I was a bit distressed last year that it became very difficult to gain access to the booth, that a line needed to be formed 'outside' of the exhibit hall and it was never a short line to get in.
Now in a sense it is nice to see that Paizo has gotten to be so popular where it may be necessary, but also frustrating as I wasn't able to visit the booth for that short amount of time I sometimes had between events.
Does Paizo have a larger booth this year where it will be possible to just walk into the booth openly like prior years, or will there be a line done again like last year?
Hey Hobbun,
Our line management procedures for future Gen Con shows should mimic ours from 2014 so I'd be prepared to wait in line to enter the booth. We understand that this isn't ideal for most attendees but it's a fact that we have to plan for.
Jeff
That's really disappointing to hear, especially as it sounds like that is what you are already planning for future Gen Cons as well and it appears you won't be looking into other options.
Thanks for the response, Jeff.
That's really disappointing to hear, especially as it sounds like that is what you are already planning for future Gen Cons as well and it appears you won't be looking into other options.
Thanks for the response, Jeff.
Hobbun,
I'm always looking at other options but there's only so much we can do with the limitations we have.
I'll also point out that part of what's driving our need for booth and line management is dictated by Gen Con itself. They have specific rules regarding how an exhibitor has to manage their booth area and any lines that form due to their activities and we have to conform to those. They actually told me after the show last year that some of the other big exhibitors are thinking about moving to a similar system as ours for queuing (out in the hallway) to get into the booth.
Could I figure out a different solution for future years? Maybe. I'm a creative guy and am always watching what others in our industry and others are doing. But I have to be honest and I'm trying to set your expectations at a reasonable level so that you're not surprised when you approach the booth and are asked to queue up for entrance.
It could be worse, my friend. When I was at the Lucca Comics and Games Show in Italy last year, there was a 3-4 hour queue just to get into the exhibitor's tent and that was before you got in line to buy stuff.
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Jeff, I have to admit that the huge lines at Gencon (and Comic-con) to enter into companies booths to purchase items is a major turn off for me as well. It does encourage me to purchase the items and materials I want online or via my LGS (which I am sure my LGS love anyways).
I know at Comiccon, some of the companies hand out tickets that allow you to queue up into the buyers lines at certain points throughout the show. (Hazbro I am looking at you). This means faster lines, but basically means that buyers cannot do impulse buys.
I always understood that impulse buys were a major driving force for much of the retail sales at Gencon though.
Of course the tickets were only for the show specials and not for the general merchandise, and some vendors would split their stores into two parts: 1. Gencon specials and totally new stuff, 2. older and standard (unlimited) merchandise.
This might be an idea.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Sounds like you need a bigger booth! It might not eliminate the line, but could shorten it.
Also, it would be great if Paizo could work with some of the exhibiting 3rd party companies that are in the Pathfinder Ecosystem to have their booths adjacent to or part of a larger Paizo booth.
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The size of the booth is not the issue. I'm sure that it is already as big as the staff can reasonably handle.
The issue is that in past years, people milling around the booth (and the booth of other popular companies) disrupted the flow of people thru the entire dealer hall, and even created a safety hazard.
As somebody who went there during some of the busiest times of the convention last year, I can tell you that the line moved quickly and efficiently. And I had an opportunity to speak with James Jacobs, Rob McCreary, Bulmahn, Daigle, and others on the occasions I had to wait. As well as appreciate the entertainers and cosplayers making there way thru the halls.
The only problem I saw was the lack of opportunity for some of the busiest volunteers with narrow scheduling windows to pick up the hottest items. And I'm sure Paizo will try to address that this year.
The Paizo booth is one of the most popular destinations at an extremely busy convention, yet still being run by a relatively small group of people. If we want to get stuff on the busy days, we have to wait.
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Maybe if subscriber pick-up was moved out of the booth to some other location? I don't know (although i'll bet it can be found) how much of the traffic is "pickup" versus "pickup + add'l stuff" versus "plain old purchase" If just plain pickup is high enough volume, it might make sense to move that traffic... Pickup + add'l stuff creates two booths which may just double the headaches... Maybe pickups & pre-orders?
Trying to think outside the lines :)
--Tom
Jeff,
Again, thanks for taking the time to respond. I know you are extremely busy and to respond to an issue only a few people (at least on this forum) have brought up, means a lot.
As I said before, in a sense it’s a good issue you have as it leads to being a very active and popular booth, which I am sure has led to more sales, and that’s always a good thing.
Paizo has always been a very personable company (in evidence of you posting here), but that is one of the things I am little frustrated about with the sectioned-off booth as it makes the area less-personable. And I don’t mean the staff is any less personable or friendly, but it makes them less accessible.
Over the years at Gen Con I would make multiple visits to your booth throughout the con if only with the intention to talk to very friendly staff or to purchase something. Although usually even when going with the intention of only talking to someone, I would always find myself looking once again at your wares and normally picking up yet another purchase(s).
But now with the line outside, it makes it less likely for me to make those impulse visits (and purchases) as I have to wait through the line just to get into the booth. And where I understand why, it doesn’t prevent it from being somewhat disappointing.
And to Scribbling Rambler, maybe you were lucky on the times when you visited the booth, but it was “busy” pretty much all the times I visited, and I tried at various points of the day when I had the time to do so.
I will say I am more lucky than most as I do have early exhibit hall access, so I will be able stop at Paizo’s booth first without worry about the line, and I will make my planned purchases/pick up subscriptions and talk to anyone I am able to. But the line will cut down (or out) my impulse visits.
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I had to miss last year due to a wedding, but I'm coming this year. So, if I'm hearing correctly, to even get in the booth area to look at merchandise, you have to stand in line that winds outside the exhibit room?
In '12 and '13, I remember big lines for the cash register but you could still look at stuff.
I had to miss last year due to a wedding, but I'm coming this year. So, if I'm hearing correctly, to even get in the booth area to look at merchandise, you have to stand in line that winds outside the exhibit room?
In '12 and '13, I remember big lines for the cash register but you could still look at stuff.
Yes, that is correct, there is a line to get into the booth now as well.
I mean it isn't terribly long, but if you are on a time schedule for an event, or you only want to peruse the wares or talk to one of the Paizo staff, it can be a factor in deciding whether you want to, or can, wait.
While no one wants to stand in line, I did perhaps enjoy my time within the Paizo booth a little more. The products and staff were more accessible with a lower population density inside the booth space.
Chief Technical Officer
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Sounds like you need a bigger booth! It might not eliminate the line, but could shorten it.
Also, it would be great if Paizo could work with some of the exhibiting 3rd party companies that are in the Pathfinder Ecosystem to have their booths adjacent to or part of a larger Paizo booth.
Neither of these things are possible in the foreseeable future.
On the first point, Gen Con's exhibitor hall is very popular—the entire show floor is generally fully reserved a year in advance. Because Gen Con wants to be able to host a lot of different vendors, they limit the exhibitor space that any one company can have, and Paizo is already at that limit.
On the second point, Gen Con, like many other large cons, has a "priority" system that rewards their best customers by allowing them to choose their booth space first. Priority factors in things like the number of years you've been exhibiting, the size of your booth, your sponsorship level, and so on. We can't elevate the priority of those other companies, and we can't afford to set aside our own booth space for them (see point 1).
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Developer
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I had to miss last year due to a wedding, but I'm coming this year. So, if I'm hearing correctly, to even get in the booth area to look at merchandise, you have to stand in line that winds outside the exhibit room?
In '12 and '13, I remember big lines for the cash register but you could still look at stuff.
The issue we've continually run into is that once people have looked at stuff, they grab that stuff and get in the line to pay, and then that line stretches beyond the edges of the booth. By limiting the number of people in the booth at any given time, we can ensure that the line to pay never obstructs the walkway or becomes more than we can manage. So rather than waiting in line to pay with merchandise in hand, customers now spend that time in line outside the booth, allowing them to more quickly pay once they've had the time (as much as they need) to peruse the booth.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Sounds like you need a bigger booth! It might not eliminate the line, but could shorten it.
Also, it would be great if Paizo could work with some of the exhibiting 3rd party companies that are in the Pathfinder Ecosystem to have their booths adjacent to or part of a larger Paizo booth.
Neither of these things are possible in the foreseeable future.
On the first point, Gen Con's exhibitor hall is very popular—the entire show floor is generally fully reserved a year in advance. Because Gen Con wants to be able to host a lot of different vendors, they limit the exhibitor space that any one company can have, and Paizo is already at that limit.
On the second point, Gen Con, like many other large cons, has a "priority" system that rewards their best customers by allowing them to choose their booth space first. Priority factors in things like the number of years you've been exhibiting, the size of your booth, your sponsorship level, and so on. We can't elevate the priority of those other companies, and we can't afford to set aside our own booth space for them (see point 1).
That's unfortunate. I'd much rather they moved the art show back to a separate room then if it's in the main exhibit hall at the expense of more and larger booths from game companies.
