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writes:A lot has been made about the fact that GenCon seemingly is exclusively fantasy and science fiction, to the exclusion of historics. I was able to pose that question to Peter Adkison, who co-owns Gen Con, LLC along with his wife, Melissa.
Prior to Hasbro's purchase of Wizards of the Coast, Peter led the team that put on the convention. When Hasbro decided to spin off WotC's non-core enterprises, the team bought the convention, has continued to operate it in Milwaukee, and has expanded to an annual U.K. convention as well. A bi-annual convention in Spain has been licensed, and there is the possibility of similar conventions in France, Italy and Germany.
This is Gen Con's third year in Southern California. The first convention had 4,500 attendees, and last year saw 5,500 unique visitors. It is hoped that this year's numbers willl increase by 10%... and an increase in pre-registration for this year is cause for optimism.
A large percentage of the attendees are here for the events sponsored by Upper Deck Entertainment and its subsidiary, VS Systems, for Yu-Gi-Oh, Marvel and DC Superhero card games (along with other TGC's). As convention sponsors, their logos are featured prominently when one enters the convention floor.
There is a dedicated area for miniature gaming, but this is about 20-30% of the area used by the cards, and is located towards the rear - next to the dealer area. However, many of the gaming rooms on the second floor are given over to miniatures gaming.
"We have a lot of support from the RPGA and the game manufacturers in this area," says Peter. "We don't actually run the games. We provide the venue and support. The games are put on by a company or a group."
He notes that, among other things, "Upper Deck and the other companies actively promote their events with tournaments, championships and prizes. There aren't any big historical miniatures manufacturers.
"With its release of Axis and Allies, Wizards of the Coast may have become the biggest historicals company," Peter added, noting the irony.
Attempts have been made to entice local historical gamers to attend. "We've offered discounts to HMGS members, and Marcelo Figueroa has been working to increase that demographic." But, he observes that, "historical gamers tend to be a bit insular and stay with their own conventions."
However, Peter does say that he'd like to see more miniatures and more historicals in the future, saying, "We'd love to have them."
So Cal's attendance demographic is mirrored by that of the Milwaukee and U.K. conventions, with a large portion given over to TGC's. Games Workshop's Warhammer and Warhammer 40K games tend to dominate the miniatures areas, but separate GW-sponsored Game Days tend to be the focus of the majority of those gamers. Southern California has a higher percentage of LARPs (Live Action Role Players) who attend - many drawn to the True Dungeon, which took over a hotel ballroom this year.
There was also a rumor that needed to be quashed. Some attendees noted that the convention guide listed the dates for Milwaukee's convention out to 2010, with only the date for next year's So Cal event printed. The reason for this, according to Peter, is that, "We're a small event by Anaheim's standards. They're unwilling to commit to us for more than a year at a time." He continued by saying that his plans are to remain with a So Cal event in Anaheim for the foreseable future.