What:: GASPcon 16
Where:: Monroeville Convention Center (MCC), Pittsburgh PA
When:: November 6th through 8th, 2015
As we ramp up for our 16th year, we made the call to add a dedicated dealers' room to the convention this year. This has been our #1 request over the past few years, but until our move last year to the convention center (MCC), it just wasn't practical (or affordable). We now have plenty of space available, and are looking to fill it.
We were able to add-on the enclosed space beside our main hall, which we will utilize for both our vendors and demo games. This gives us over 12,000 sq ft of space for this purpose. As I mentioned, this will be used for both dealers and demo purposes. I'll touch on each use briefly.
For dealers, we are offering space at prices lower than any convention or event we researched. Most conventions charge $200 USD+ for a 10'x10' space, often with additional fees for tables, chairs, electricity, etc. GASPcon is offering the same size space for $50 USD for the entire weekend, with the only additional cost being WiFi access you can get directly through the MCC. If you need space larger than 10'x10', we offer an additional discount based on the size you need. For example, our largest planned space is 20x30, which we are selling for $240 USD (20% discount), which includes 4x 6'x3' tables AND 4x Weekend Passes ($120 value). We are looking for a wide range of vendors, from traditional game products, to jewelry makers, t-shirts, miniature painting services, artists, LARPing gear, etc. If you are a dealer, or know someone who would be interested in being a dealer, please complete (or have them complete) the vendor form (see link at the bottom of the post) and send it back with payment. Booth location and size will be assigned on a first-come basis.
For our demos, we are setting-up what we'll call Demo Alley, a row or two of 10x10 booths that we will offer for free* (yes free) to any game developer/designer/entrepreneur that will use the space to exclusively run demos of their products. These could range from complete games to games in early development and looking for some playtesting. Demo Alley will be open during exhibit hall hours each day, and this will be the place to go and demo new and upcoming games. We've already reached out to some local game designers (through Kickstarter) and the interest in this free space is gaining momentum. In addition to game developers, we'll also offer a free 10x10 booth to any game club that wants to come and promote their club/organization/event. GASP is about the gaming community as a whole, and we realize that our club doesn't fit everyone's needs, so we want to help promote the whole community. If you are a game designer or club, be sure to fill out the vendor form ASAP, as this free space will be on a first-come first-serve basis.
We have a few other perks that we hope will be attractive to both our dealers and buyers. First off, we are allowing anyone access to the dealers' room, you don't need to buy a GASPcon badge to be able to browse the dealers' room. We'll give a wristband to anyone that's wants to shop or try demos, and this will allow them access to the dealers' room only. If they wish to stay and also play games, they'll need to buy a GASPcon badge. We are also closing the dealers' room for 1 hour each afternoon, to allow our vendors and designers a small break to grab some lunch and get ready for the afternoon crowd.
There's a lot more exciting new planned for GASPcon, but one other I want to touch on is the addition of smaller meeting room (roughly 20x40) that we plan to use for a special event – Artimus, Star Trek Experience (see links below). We are still working out some of the details, but we think this will be an awesome experience for our attendees. Each session will be an hour long, will accommodate 5 people, and will cost an extra $10 USD/person. We're going to work on getting these sessions into the Warhorn schedule, so people can book spots in advance. Below are a few links to YouTube videos of the rig he uses.
* If game designers wish to sell product, in addition to providing demos, there will be a nominal $25 USD charge for the use of the space for the weekend. Product sold should be limited to games designed and being demoed by the entity using the space. Booth space must be manned at all time during exhibit hall hours. Abuse of this space will result in ejection from GASPcon without a refund.
GASPcon LINKS
GM Event Submission Form – gaspgamer.com/?page_id=240
Warhorn Registration – warhorn.net/events/gaspcon-16
ARTIMUS, STAR TREK EXPERIENCE
Full bridge:
• youtu.be/euDZaolJAro
• youtu.be/wMP4-unszKk
Single console close-up:
• youtu.be/5EyZcyJBV8A
VENDOR PACKET
PDF link
