This was the first year Arisia held an Indie Developer Event and we'd never been to this con -- so we weren't sure what to expect.
Fortunately, the event was exactly the right type, where we seem to thrive. Attendance in our room was somewhere north of 600 attendees, so constant foot traffic throughout the day passed by our tables. Many of the attendees were dressed in geek-themed cosplay, so the crowd was an eclectic & energetic bunch. We met some outstanding fellow gamers!
For Geek Fever Games, this was the first event where we were able to command two tables and demo multiple games simultaneously. And we certainly did! The tables were hopping all day and our ability to demonstrate/play games fitting different styles benefited us for sure. After gauging an attendee's preference, we could direct them to the proper table/game. Feedback was all-around positive.
For The Game Crafter, we had several interested designers ask us questions about the experience & process. One such individual inspected the printed components for Mars vs Earth and was impressed with the quality. In all such discussions, we had positive things to relay to the attendees.
On the "lessons learned" side, we might ask the size of tables from now on. We were given 2 very small rounds which provided a less-than-stellar surface for board games when put together. Luckily we brought our own table and Arisia didn't balk when we set it up and borrowed some chairs. This was also the first con where we couldn't sell copies of our games without a costly out-of-state tax license. Not being able to sell copies to interested buyers right there was probably the most negative part of the con for us.
Thanks to TGC for sponsoring our table and for the $5 coupons - we handed them out like candy. We have some great feedback for Arisia which will make next year's Indie Event much more successful for small developers.
Fortunately, the event was exactly the right type, where we seem to thrive. Attendance in our room was somewhere north of 600 attendees, so constant foot traffic throughout the day passed by our tables. Many of the attendees were dressed in geek-themed cosplay, so the crowd was an eclectic & energetic bunch. We met some outstanding fellow gamers!
For Geek Fever Games, this was the first event where we were able to command two tables and demo multiple games simultaneously. And we certainly did! The tables were hopping all day and our ability to demonstrate/play games fitting different styles benefited us for sure. After gauging an attendee's preference, we could direct them to the proper table/game. Feedback was all-around positive.
For The Game Crafter, we had several interested designers ask us questions about the experience & process. One such individual inspected the printed components for Mars vs Earth and was impressed with the quality. In all such discussions, we had positive things to relay to the attendees.
On the "lessons learned" side, we might ask the size of tables from now on. We were given 2 very small rounds which provided a less-than-stellar surface for board games when put together. Luckily we brought our own table and Arisia didn't balk when we set it up and borrowed some chairs. This was also the first con where we couldn't sell copies of our games without a costly out-of-state tax license. Not being able to sell copies to interested buyers right there was probably the most negative part of the con for us.
Thanks to TGC for sponsoring our table and for the $5 coupons - we handed them out like candy. We have some great feedback for Arisia which will make next year's Indie Event much more successful for small developers.
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