What do you think?

[Ebonbuddha]

What do you think?


So with a nip in the air and a burning question on my mind I have to ask.

Why do you think that conventions are dying?

What can we do to keep gaming conventions alive?

Do you care if they survive?

 

[JesterzUSMC]

I don\'t know, I\'ve never been to a \"big\" one.
Ditto.

I care, I would like to see some before they go the way of the tupperware parties.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Ebonbuddha
Why do you think that conventions are dying? Poor Advertising. Excessive transport costs (especially in the UK) Unsuitable venue\'s. Limited market place. GW\'s \'heavy\' dominance of the gaming marketplace.

What can we do to keep gaming conventions alive? D\'uuuuh Attend as many. Discuss/arrange with the organisers the posibility of a Painting Demo table. Or a Table setting out your abilities for Commission(s).

Do you care if they survive? Very definitly Yes!

 

[generulpoleaxe]

most of the ones i have attended in the uk unfortunately were just stalls selling products i could buy from the internet.

if companies had new releases ready for the convention and the organizers gave commision painters/sculpters a little space for free to do some demos that would help bring in people.

the goverment putting the rates up constantly has made it more expensive to put an event on, hence increased entry fee and less people willing to pay the increased prices.
(even tho they will readily pay £25 to go to GD)

 

[green stuff]

Conventions are dead ???

Just a few that took/will take place in Europe recently or in the next few months :

*) Salute;
*) Ravage Mix Open;
*) Lugdunum;
*) Montrouge;
*) Agon;
*) Blagniac;
*) the World Expo at Girona
*) and all the various GDs.

And the special edition Ravage that covers the Mix Open was out a few weeks ago.

@Ebonbuddha : did you start this thread because GD Atlanta was canceled?

 

[Infidel Castro]

I\'ve never been to one but it\'d be a shame if it all went tits up. Let\'s be fair, it keeps the weirdoes off the streets

 

[Orb]

Originally posted by green stuff
Conventions are dead ???

Just a few that took/will take place in Europe recently or in the next few months :

*) Salute;
*) Ravage Mix Open;
*) Lugdunum;
*) Montrouge;
*) Agon;
*) Blagniac;
*) the World Expo at Girona
*) and all the various GDs.

And the special edition Ravage that covers the Mix Open was out a few weeks ago.

@Ebonbuddha : did you start this thread because GD Atlanta was canceled?

Add to that in the US:
the Valley Forge Show
Scamms
Chicago show
the MFCA show

More European shows:
Euro Militaire
Le Petit Soldat
Kulmbach

Smaller UK shows:
Scale Modelword (Milton keynes)
Welling

 

[airhead]

there are several small to medium cons in my area.
Mega (large - actually more attendance than Origins)
Oasis
GrailQuest (canceled last year due to primary sponser selling game shop - supposed to be back this year)
DragonCon (my excuse to go to Atlanta this year since GD is canceled)
Hurricon (mostly military)
Necronomicon

Some of these are very small (one hotel convetion room), yet they manage to hang in there and bring a core group together.

 

[JesterzUSMC]

Do any of these struggling cons need financial backing?
I used to make a living finding backers for struggling businesses. Helped a lot of wholesalers make the switch over to drop-shipping.
Anyway, when I get my millions again, I\'ll be more than happy to help keep some of the better ones going.
Sometimes that makes all the difference.
Oh well, just a thought in case anyone knows the people running these.
CHEERS!

 

[Ebonbuddha]

No. I was talking to some friends in the US who said a lot of the old cons we went to have died or are dying.

There in one in Canada that I heard is gone too. I think it was/is called Conflict. Plus a lot of people seem to avoid cons because they feel superior to some of the other attendants.

Your list is impressive, but none of them are in North America. I don’t think too many people have the funds to go to Europe every year or so to compete; especially since they can the same thing in their own country IF they had a place to do it. So that is why I started this discussion.

I want to start a con when I get back to BC and get settled. Of course you will all get an invitation. Especially Dragonsreach. He has seen Alberta, now he can take a look at BC. Its one of the more beautiful of the provinces in my opinion.

Originally posted by green stuff
Conventions are dead ???

Just a few that took/will take place in Europe recently or in the next few months :

*) Salute;
*) Ravage Mix Open;
*) Lugdunum;
*) Montrouge;
*) Agon;
*) Blagniac;
*) the World Expo at Girona
*) and all the various GDs.

And the special edition Ravage that covers the Mix Open was out a few weeks ago.

@Ebonbuddha : did you start this thread because GD Atlanta was canceled?

 

[green stuff]

Message original : Ebonbuddha
I want to start a con when I get back to BC and get settled.

Honnestly good luck and lots of success to you !

Threads where people complain that they don\'t have a convention in their backyard really irk me, but I\'m really happy to see your motivation.

Just a thought, maybe start out \"easy\" by creating a club and build from that for the convention; that\'s how they did it for Lugdunum, Nice, Montrouge, ... .

When are you going back to BC?

 

[Gilvan Blight]

I know we have a fair share of smalish cons in the South West Ontario Area.

From GD Toronto to Conflict Windsor, the Great Canadian Baycon in Hamilton.

Just had someone advertise this one on my forum as well:

\"HotLead 2008 is scheduled for March 28, 29 & 30 at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford

http://www.hotlead.ca/

One of the best miniature gaming conventions around, if not THE best! Close to 100 participation games held over the three days. All periods covered from ancients to sci-fi. Great venue and lots to do for the \"significant other\". \"

Doesn\'t seem like cons are dying around these parts.

 

[Sand Rat]

Lack of money is a real killer - so is a con owner who puts all the money into $900 Italian Suits, and hookers and blow.

At least thats what killed the DFF\'s.lol

 

[Ebonbuddha]

Thanks for the wishes of luck. But I think I’ll need money instead. I never said it was going to be a huge con. But maybe it can grow. In Mobile there is a convention called Mobicon. If you look up the Con on Wikipedia, you will see the establishing date being 1998. This is wrong. It should be 1983 or there abouts. This guy wanted a gaming con in Mobile so he started it. This con should be dead. But it manages to keep kicking. I figure if they can keep a gaming con going in the buckle of the Bible belt. I can get something started in liberal B.C.

There is also one in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that grew from a gaming group. It is called Hubcon. They are a great bunch of guys. I miss them. It’s not huge but it is fun.

But then again, I keep hearing how cons dying, so I figure it’s a good thing to talk about.

Originally posted by green stuff

Message original : Ebonbuddha
I want to start a con when I get back to BC and get settled.

Honnestly good luck and lots of success to you !

Threads where people complain that they don\'t have a convention in their backyard really irk me, but I\'m really happy to see your motivation.

Just a thought, maybe start out \"easy\" by creating a club and build from that for the convention; that\'s how they did it for Lugdunum, Nice, Montrouge, ... .

When are you going back to BC?

 

[green stuff]

Message original : Ebonbuddha
Thanks for the wishes of luck. But I think I’ll need money instead.

That\'s why I\'m suggesting that you start off by creating a club. You\'ll be able to start gathering up funds with member subscriptions (though I\'ll give it to you that it won\'t be a fortune in the beginning ) and, most importantly, you\'ll be able to contact retailers and miniature companies (they\'ll be the ones paying for the rent of the convention hall and booths).

 

[Ebonbuddha]

Did I miss something?

Originally posted by green stuff (though I\'ll give it to you that it won\'t be a fortune in the beginning )

Thanks for the advice. But I will talk to the other that I know who started them.