New Hotness And Classic Choices: Gen Con Booth Sales Saw Both

What do you bring to a convention? Logistics can be tricky even for attendees, but I had no idea how complicated they could be for exhibitors until I started working at Steve Jackson Games. There are the practical concerns, of course – the booth structure itself, shelving, the POS system – but the most important element is merchandise. Our team did a great job of selecting a range of games and merchandise for Gen Con, and our fans responded in a big way:
 
  • Our Box of Astonishments were a smashing success at Gen Con, with all of our boxes selling out by Saturday. One customer purchased several over those 3 days! Apparently people like a bit of mystery at conventions and are willing to take a chance (or two, or three) on blind boxes.
  • Groo: The Game generated a lot of excitement at our booth, with comic book fans in particular snapping up copies of this fun card game. How many people love that bumbling barbarian? So many that we were down to our last few copies by the time the exhibition hall closed for good on Sunday. 
  • The verdict is in, and people are crazy for Car Wars. Our Orange/Purple Starter Set made its debut at Gen Con this year, and it seems there are a lot of secondary-color fans out there. Our Red/Yellow and Blue/Green Starter Sets also saw steady sales, which can only mean one thing: people are gearing up for some epic bouts of autoduelling.
  • The classics never go out of style. Munchkin Deluxe remains a perennial favorite at conventions, and it was great to hear Gen Con attendees sharing their favorite Munchkin memories. It seems that taking treasure and stabbing your buddy brings people together . . . which is kind of weird, if you think about it.
  • Pathfinder Revolution! came out late last year, and it was nice to see some steady interest in this fantastic game. The game of blind bidding, bluffing, and strategy is unique among boardgames, and that's something that makes it stand out from the pack. I'll admit to being a bit biased – it's a personal favorite of mine – but it was great to see more and more people taking an interest in this particular offering. 
 
What did you pick up at Gen Con this year? What would you like to see at our booth in the future? Let us hear from you on the forums!

-- Katie Duffy