A Dozen Things NEVER To Forget When Running A Game Convention
By Steve Jackson

Reprinted by conditional permission from Games Quarterly Magazine issue #2. Games Quarterly Magazine is a trademark owned by Matthews Simmons Marketing. All Rights Reserved. http://www.gamesquarterly.net.

Conventions are good. Are we all on board with that? They’re a way to meet new gamers . . . buy things . . . sell things . . . If you’re a publisher, they let you promote new product, and sell backlist as well. If you’re a gamer, you can see what’s brand new, and maybe pick up classics that most retailers no longer carry. Conventions are good.

I’ve been attending science fiction and game conventions for . . . well, for many, many, many years. I helped run a lot of them, back in my fannish days, and I even chaired one. These days I get invited to a lot as a guest. More than I can manage to attend, darn it. I really enjoy conventions. But . . . they could be better.

And I admit this is something that really interests me. The convention I chaired, InstaCon in Austin, was a convention for convention organizers. There’s a science to putting on a great convention. And when it’s over, you still want to have your pocketbook . . . and your friends . . . and your sanity.

A lot of you, some day, will be helping to put on a game convention. I approve! I’d like to share a short list of just a dozen things to get right. Every one of these is an answer to a problem that I see often. If you can just avoid these dozen goofs, you’ll put on a better show and have a better time.

Three Things About Registration

When the fans come in the door, Registration is the first thing they see. If they haven’t joined the con yet, Registration takes their
money. If they pre-registered, Registration finds their name on a list. Either way, Registration gives them their badge and program, and welcomes them to the con. It’s their first impression of your convention. Make it a good one!

• Registration must be easy to find, well organized, and open on time. And when it’s closed, there has to be a sign saying when the table will open again! The only thing more frustrating than showing up at a convention and not being able to find out where to get your badge . . . is getting to the registration table and finding nobody there . . . or finding somebody there who has no idea what’s going on and can’t take your money or find your records!
• Name badges must be legible. The purpose of the badge is to identify the wearer as someone who’s paid, and SHOW THEIR NAME. It’s amazing how many conventions print their badges in tiny type . . . or expect every member to write his own name on the badge . . . or print black ink on purple paper. When I show up at a convention and can’t read the badges,
  right then I know the people in charge haven’t been thinking.
• You’ve got to be ready to take their money. Have LOTS of change, and be ready to get more. Agree in advance what your check verification procedure will be, and make sure it’s followed. And if you are
  accepting credit cards, make sure everyone knows HOW . . .

Three Things About Guests

Not every convention has guests. But most do. It’s a great way to attract attendance and to remind everyone that it’s a big hobby. Your guests don’t have to be Big Name Designers. A local adventure writer or shop owner will still have interesting things to say about what he does!

• Guests must get their schedules in advance. If you expect them to be at specific events . . . TELL them. In writing. As soon as they arrive at the con. The guest packets should be at Registration, not hidden away “safely” in the con chair’s room where nobody can find them. And don’t hand your guests the program and expect them to sort out their own schedules. It’s inconsiderate at best, disastrous at worst.
• Check BEFOREHAND about allergies, etc. If any of your guests has a medical condition that can get in the way of their participating, find out in advance and take steps to avoid it. I keenly remember the convention that went to great pains to find out what sort of food, drink, and music I enjoyed. They created a great gift basket, but (though I’d warned them in advance) stuck me in a hotel room so full of smoke that I was sick the whole weekend. That was no fun for anyone.
• Assign a liaison for each guest. A watchdog, a “keeper” if you will . . . so the guest will always have somebody he can talk to if he has a question or problem, and so YOU will know that the guest is happy, healthy, and where he’s supposed to be. The keeper should not have any other duties at the con! And it’s important that the keeper should be a responsible adult, not a raving fanboy. You don’t want the keeper to pester the guest with questions or demands, try to borrow money from the guest, hit on the guest, abandon the guest 50 miles from the hotel, steal souvenirs from the guest’s room, follow the guest around like a puppy, or keep the guest out drinking until 6 in the morning. Really, you don’t. And (this is sometimes harder) you don’t want to pick a responsible keeper who comes with an irresponsible child, parent, or Significant Other who will do one of those scary things . . . and yes, every one of them happened to me or someone I know.

Three Things About Setup

Most conventions are set up in hotels; a few big ones are in convention centers, a few tiny ones are in malls, apartment party rooms, and other interesting (and cheap) places. But no matter where you’re setting up, you want your site to be accessible, comfortable, and clean . . . and you want the site owners to welcome you back next
year.

• Post big, clear maps, with BOTH the name of the room and the name of its function. For instance, if your dealer room is in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom, your maps should say BOTH “Grand Ballroom” and “Dealer Room.” Put a map in the program book, and put a big one in the hotel lobby. It’s a wonderful touch to put a big map right outside the elevators, too!
• Rooms must have posted schedules. Outside every single room should be a sign or an easel listing the events that will be there, by the hour. Again, this is to make it easy for everyone – staff, guests, and attendees – to find the room they want!
• Have LOTS of big trash cans, especially in the game rooms. This one shouldn’t need any explaining. The hotel may not believe how much trash gamers can generate, but you don’t want them to find out the hard way.
  

Three Things About Your Staff

• Con staff must be identifiable and findable! If attendees . . . or hotel staff . . . need to find a representative of the convention, it should be EASY. Give them an identifying shirt if you can afford it. If not, give them a special-colored badge. As a last resort, use a colored ribbon to indicate staff. But don’t fall into the trap of making 20 different colored ribbons for 20 different things. That may give the ribbon collectors a thrill, but it just confuses people who need to be able to look across the lobby and instantly spot the one who can help them!
• Con staff must get enough sleep! Some will try to work the whole weekend. Others will want to go from a 10-hour duty shift to a 12-hour party shift. And neither breed will be presentable, or able to do their jobs, by Sunday morning . . .
• Con staff must have a written table of organization and job descriptions. I know this seems pathetically obvious as you read it, but trust me . . . nine out of ten small cons don’t do it. And most of them will suffer for it.
  

There you have it . . . an attempt to distill 20+ years of good and bad experiences into a dozen tips. I hope it does some good. Catch me at a con some day and tell me how it went for you!

Steve Jackson is the founder, president and chief game designer of Steve Jackson Games, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. Steve’s award-winning designs include the classic Ogre and Illuminati, the universal roleplaying system GURPS, and the current hit Munchkin and its sequels. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his garden and his game company.