How to Get Me to Your Con

There are more game conventions and events than any one person or company could possibly attend each year. There are some that are must-gos for Green Ronin, like GenCon and GAMA Trade Show. Other than those bedrock shows, the cons I attend vary from year to year. I’ve never gone into how these decisions are made and a recent Facebook thread made it clear to me that people have some misconceptions. Let me clarify a few things.

First, I love to travel. Game industry wages being what they are, I don’t have the money for many actual vacations. Conventions then provide a great way to see more of the world. I can do a one day show in London like Dragonmeet and then have a few days to enjoy the city. My best overseas trip (a week in Finland) was thanks to the amazing Ropecon. So traveling for me? Not a hardship.

So what does it take to get me to your convention? Three things:
1) A plane ticket.
2) A hotel room.
3) A date that works with my schedule. I do have to spend time at home writing and running the company, so I can’t do everything, as much as I’d like to.

The following aren’t required but they are big plusses:
1) An interesting location, particularly if its overseas.
2) One or more locals to show me around. Always better than a guidebook.
3) Good food, particularly local cuisine I can’t get every day in Seattle.

And that’s it really. I don’t have speakers fees. I don’t demand you pick all the cashews out of the nut assortment or that you remove all the red M&Ms from the candy dish. My most outrageous demands would be a chance to play some games and trips to nearby museums or historical sites.

In short, if you’d like me to come to your con, ask me! Nicole will usually come with me if possible, so really you get two Ronins for the price of one.

And Poland, China, Australia, Japan, and the Czech Republic? Call me. 🙂

6 thoughts on “How to Get Me to Your Con

  1. So…offering you just a place to crash instead of hotel room, is that still a thing or not? The con I’m thinking of is in August so it might not work with GenCon on the same week, probably.

  2. Me too! Me too! And if you get me to a game Con in another country, I’ll be happy to serve on panels, run games of Deluxe T & T, and spread scandalous rumors about the early days of the gaming industry in the USA. 🙂 After all, I was there.

  3. Pingback: How to Get Me to a Convention | Steve Kenson

  4. Hey Chris, I am the convention director for a student-run gaming and anime convention hosted on campus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, called UBCon. We are a small, but well funded convention. The dates of the convention are April 15-17. We are prepared to provide compensation should you accept our invitation. Travel expenses, living amenities, appearance fees, and other forms of compensation you may desire will be discussed further via e-mail, phone, or mail. We’d love to talk more if you are available.

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