The Game Crafter recently sponsored a Designer’s Table at OrcCon 2014
for Kevin Warner and his team. It was a successful event and Kevin
wanted to share some helpful tips on how to run a exhibitor table at a
game convention. You can see photos and read more about his experience
on facebook or google+.
Here a some things we thought really made our OrcCon weekend a success for us.
1. Draw People To You
I really recommend putting effort into
making an attractive table display. Try laying out the components on the
table like you would in a magazine ad. Stand some things up so your
display doesn’t feel flat and can be seen from a distance. When people
walk by say a simple friendly “Hello”- if they slow down or came over
then ask “Are you enjoying the convention? What games have you had a
chance to play?” By letting them talk to you about what they are excited
about you open a dialogue, make them feel comfortable, and you can
tailor your pitch to their interests.
2. The One Minute Demo.
Work out a quick 60 second demo your game
that focuses on the story, theme, and goal of your game- don’t try to
explain all the rules in 60 seconds. The goal is not to teach someone
how to play- it’s to make a viewer interested in learning how to play.
If possible demo with a minion at your table who knows how to play- it
can take the pressure off a watcher. At the end invite them to learn
more.
3. Invoke the Collector. Instead
of handing people flyers or business cards for the games we let people
choose one of 5 convention exclusive promo cards. The promo cards had
our website on the bottom. These functioned just like business cards but
had perceived value- people then wanted to have the game that went with
the promo card. If they were on the fence I offered to give them the
complete set of 5 with their purchase. If you can figure out a way to do
this for your game I highly recommend it.
4. Run Demos. Some
people were interested but not ready to buy. I invited them to come play
a full game at one of our demos, or would even send someone to demo it
for them right then. We sold a lot of games when people came back from a
demo excited and ready to purchase.
5. Have a Plan for Selling Out. Once
we sold out the weekend could have been over if we hadn’t made a plan.
We had a tablet with Wi-Fi set up for purchases. To add incentive for
people to do it right away instead of waiting till they go home where
they might forget, we had coupon codes ready that we would give to
anyone willing to buy online right then at out booth.
6. Bring a Team. I
could not have pulled off this weekend without the support of my
friends- I had a team of 6 who were there all weekend to run demos, take
photos, give me breaks, run for food, and be awesome. We all wore
matching t-shirts and the fun we were having brought people over to us-
they wanted to have fun too.
Note: If you are interested in running a Designer’s Table at a game convention, please visit our Designer’s Table Sponsorship page in the help section of the site.
No comments :
Post a Comment