Gen Con, the oldest and largest table game convention in the United States, will host an in-person event this year. Originally scheduled for early August, the event has been postponed to September and will include a limited number of participants. The announcement was made Wednesday on Gen Con’s official website.
The new dates for Gen Con will be September 16-19. It will be a hybrid event that will take place in person at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. There will also be a live broadcast element, with content being broadcast live around the world. In addition, local game stores around the world will be able to participate in related pop-up events.
“Based on CDC guidance, recent federal government announcements and projections by public health experts, we believe there are significant reasons for optimism for a mid-September convention to be held with reduced participation and some smart modifications,” he added. . wrote co-owner Peter Adkison on the Gen Con blog. “If that changes and the experts tell us that we need to change course, the plan will change.”
The Gen Con FAQ, updated with the announcement, states that social detachment and other security requirements will be in place. “Participation priority will be given first to participants who donated or rolled their 2020 badge,” wrote the organizers, “and then available to everyone. If we believe that we can safely hold the convention for additional participants, we can offer additional waves of badge availability. “
Gen Con is the largest convention held annually in Indianapolis and generates about $ 70 million for the local economy. As the popularity of table games has grown, Gen Con has also grown. The event peaked in 2019 with over 70,000 attendees. Gen Con regularly overloads the city’s facilities, booking hotel rooms for miles and filling its huge convention center with events 24 hours a day. They range from organized tournaments to open games. In recent years, the action has spread to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts team.
Most importantly, the Gen Con supplier floor is the epicenter for industry announcements and new releases in the board game, role-playing games, collectible card games and miniature games industries around the world. His return signals a light at the end of the tunnel for many publishers who have been struggling due to the pandemic, the Trump administration’s trade war with China and issues related to Brexit.
The badges will go on sale soon, said Adkison. Those interested in participating are being advised to subscribe to the Gen Con newsletter.