One month countdown to Gen Con!

A month from now I’ll be experiencing my first trip to Gen Con and I’m super excited!

I’m counting down the days and can hardly wait. (August 4-7 in Indianapolis, IN)

For those that aren’t familiar with Gen Con, it’s the largest gaming convention in the United States. Or to quote from their website:

Gen Con is the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world! Featuring 500+ exhibiting companies from the game industry, award-winning authors and artists, costumed attendees, more than 14,000 events, a Family Fun Pavilion, and the debut of exciting new games, Gen Con truly is The Best Four Days in Gaming!

And the statistics back up the claim:

Last year, the attendance at Gen Con was 61,423!

And the turnstile attendance over the 4 days was 197,695!

Being board game reviewers, we’ve been aware of Gen Con for many years. Which means I’ve also been interested in attending for many years.

And this is the year I’m finally going to go!

I’ve been close to going the last couple years, but inevitably something else comes up (family reunions, business trips, etc.). Well, this year I set my sights early, blocked it out on our family calendar, and started setting aside Gen Con trip funds (as well as vacation days from work).

A few months ago, I also applied for a press pass to the event and was lucky enough to get the nod. So I’ll be taking in as much as I can at the event as well as sharing it with you.

With over 500 companies exhibiting, there’ll be plenty to discover!

Rather than an event where attendees spend most of the time playing games (like SaltCon), Gen Con is more about checking out the hot, new, and upcoming games.

Games such as SeaFall, Merchants & Mauraders: Broadsides, Covert, Kung Fu Panda the Board Game, Clank, Islebound, Mr. Jack (re-release), Codenames: Pictures, and Vikings on Board.

And as excited as I am to take in the wide range of games and game accessories at Gen Con, I’m even more excited to meet up with the wonderful people in the industry.

I’ve enjoyed working with many great folks over the years — game publishers, reviewers, podcasters, etc. — but most of them I’ve never met face-to-face. Interacting with folks across the globe through social media and email is fantastic. But meeting in person is the best!

And I’m really looking forward to finally meeting so many of these wonderful people in just a few weeks.

If you’re going to be at Gen Con, drop me a line — I’d love to meet you!