Welcome back! Attending conventions is one of the many things that a game designer can/should do when promoting their game. That said, attending conventions can be time consuming and expensive. As I am preparing for my next convention appearance next weekend, I thought I would share with you five tips for getting the most out of your convention appearances.
Tip 1: Determine best type of interaction for convention type – elevator pitch, quick demo, or complete game
Every con isn’t going to be the same, and the type of interaction that is going to work might change based on the venue you will be located at during the con. For example, a booth in the vendor hall will likely lend itself more to quick elevator pitches with the occasional quick demo, where the open gaming area works well for getting lots of quick demos completed with the occasional complete play through. Knowing this before hand will help you be the most efficient with the time you have available.
Tip 2: Be prepared to collect contact information
Once someone has expressed interest in your game, you are going to want to be able to contact them again after the con. Most people will get people to sign up for their newsletter, but a simple pen and paper can work too. It doesn’t really matter how you do it just as long as you do.
Tip 3: Have a sell sheet to give to interested parties
I normally prepare business cards to hand out, but I read somewhere about how using sell sheet’s can be much more effective, so I am going to give them a try and next weekend’s con. Even if they aren’t willing to provide you with their contact information, giving them something they can refer to later is a really great idea. Remember to include player count, age restrictions, game time, and brief overview of the game, images, your contact information, and any other pertinent information.
Tip 4: Bring water, hand sanitizer, and a couple small snacks
Keeping hydrated and your energy levels up will help keep you presenting you game for as much of the time you have at the con as possible. And with all of the people you will be interacting with, hand sanitizer will help keep con crud away so you don’t loose time to being sick.
Tip 5: Get help whenever possible
There are so many advantages of having additional bodies to help you out. From running additional demos at the same time, to covering meal and bathroom breaks, to helping answer questions, additional bodies can really increase your efficiency.
That is everything for this week. I would love to hear about what you do to get the most out of your con appearances? I certainly can make an improvement on what I currently do, and will make an effort to do so next weekend. Until next time, happy designing.