| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 03:13:50
So they finally decided whether or not to do GenCon, this year...
Gen Con Postpones 2021 Convention to September
Announces Hybrid Format with Concurrent In-Person and Online Experiences
quote:
Today, we’re announcing that we are postponing Gen Con 2021 as originally planned for August 5-8 in Indianapolis and announcing plans for a hybrid slate of concurrent in-person and online experiences, including the rescheduled Indy convention, this September 16-19, 2021. We believe this is the best approach both to meet the many challenges of the moment and to explore possibilities for the future.
By offering a flexible range of opportunities to participate, we hope to safely include the largest number of people in the Gen Con experience this year and adapt to conditions as they are in September: in-person at Gen Con in Indianapolis with capped attendance and a modified format, from home through Gen Con Online events and livestreaming, and at local game stores through Pop-Up Gen Con retail activations.
With the rollout of effective vaccines, we look forward to an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and an eventual return to normal convention conditions, but the timeline is far from certain. In consultation with public health experts and local partners, with community feedback in mind, and with cautious optimism, we are moving forward with planning while maintaining the ability to shift course as needed to meet the requirements of changing conditions.
Convention planning happens on a long timeline, and we appreciate your continued patience as we tread these murky waters. By postponing our dates and expanding our approach, we hope to provide you with the best experience we can this year. With so many pieces in motion, we aren’t yet announcing dates for badge, hotel, and event registration, but we will announce those decisions soon as we advance to the next stages of planning.
Read a personal message about this announcement from Co-Owner and Chairperson of the Board Peter Adkison on our blog.
We understand that our date change places Gen Con on Yom Kippur. We recognize the seriousness of this conflict and the valid disappointment felt by our Jewish attendees and exhibitors. During the course of investigating our options, this was unfortunately the only date we could take that maintained an opportunity for us to still run Gen Con this year.
We intend on offering accommodations to our Jewish fans and vendors, including on-site Erev Yom Kippur service. You can check the Help Center article “What will Gen Con be doing for Yom Kippur?” for more information as it becomes available.
Click here for a message about Information and Accountability for Gen Con and Yom Kippur from the team.
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| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 29 Mar 2021 : 06:43:08
Maybe they deliberately chose a "bad" weekend for the event? Allowing the diehards to attend (and collect the usual trophies for their collections) while also keeping the crowd numbers below a scandalous threshold?
I'm guessing there'll be an underabundance of vendors, kiosks, authors, and designers in attendance. I doubt many of them will travel cities or states to be at what might be a low-attendance event ... unless they're obligated to make a showing so they can announce/sell their just-released or soon-to-be-released projects. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 29 Mar 2021 : 04:14:25
quote:
Originally posted by TheIriaeban
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And the Comic-Con organizers, seeing the blowback on GenCon being scheduled on a major Jewish holiday, said "hold my beer" and decided to hold the con during Thanksgiving weekend!
Interesting choice. Do people go to a Comic-Con or do they actually have a Thanksgiving with their families again since they couldn't last year? I am not sure what kind of attendance they are expecting.
I wouldn't expect great attendance there, myself... Not only is there the family holiday or con choice, but that's also the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season -- so potential attendees also have to weigh out the costs of going to a major con like that (which isn't cheap) right before the "go out and spend all your money and then some!" holiday.
Even if I was actively planning a trip to Comic-Con and wasn't concerned about Thanksgiving, doing it any time close to Christmas would make me think twice. |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 29 Mar 2021 : 01:51:01
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
I think running a convention this year is bonkers.
Bonkers indeed, but I fear the collective national impatience is going to break free any day now.
It has been almost a year since I last set foot in a grocery store. Initially, having someone else do it for me was almost kinda relaxing. However, at this point, I am counting down the days until I am fully vaccinated and can actually get back in there and get mad at the person in front of me for pushing their basket way too slowly down the aisle. |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 29 Mar 2021 : 01:38:50
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And the Comic-Con organizers, seeing the blowback on GenCon being scheduled on a major Jewish holiday, said "hold my beer" and decided to hold the con during Thanksgiving weekend!
Interesting choice. Do people go to a Comic-Con or do they actually have a Thanksgiving with their families again since they couldn't last year? I am not sure what kind of attendance they are expecting. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 29 Mar 2021 : 00:20:40
Indianapolis currently has a "mask mandate" which will be re-evaluated in April (then again every subsequent 90 days, if necessary).
It might remain in place (meaning that large indoor public gatherings will be prohibited, masks must be worn at all times, and civil penalties will apply to violators) or it might become a less severe "mask advisory" instead (meaning that such gatherings will be permitted if reasonable precautions are observed, masks are "optional" but also "recommended", civil penalties will only be applied vs gross violations). |
| Azar |
Posted - 28 Mar 2021 : 23:57:45
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
I think running a convention this year is bonkers.
Bonkers indeed, but I fear the collective national impatience is going to break free any day now. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 28 Mar 2021 : 23:47:58
And the Comic-Con organizers, seeing the blowback on GenCon being scheduled on a major Jewish holiday, said "hold my beer" and decided to hold the con during Thanksgiving weekend! |
| Garen Thal |
Posted - 24 Mar 2021 : 13:13:21
quote:
Originally posted by scererar
Why even try? Do something virtual to keep things going and plan for future in person events.
Not trying to speak for Gen Con here, but this is my read on the situation:
Gen Con 2020 moved virtual because current health regulations, COVID rates, and CDC guidelines made an in-person convention impossible. The company missed out on a lot of revenue that it gets from badge sales and booth fees, and very few people "donated" their 2020 badges. What they did earn from the convention was likely eaten up well before the end of the calendar year paying their year-round staff.
So there's the fiscal reality that two years of no revenue is bad for any company, but Gen Con also has contractual obligations to the city of Indianapolis, the ICC, and whatever other parties are tied into those agreements. The force majeure that was in place in 2020 is not in place in 2021, and while I am not privy to the specifics of the contracts, it's possible that they would require Gen Con to pay penalties equal to or exceeding their rental fees, plus additional penalties to the hotels for the lost business that they've been promised.
I have never seen Gen Con's financials. I don't have access to their bookkeeping. But even from the outside, that looks like enough to kill the company. If the choice is "Hold a pared-down in-person Gen Con in 2021," or "not hold Gen Con in 2022 (or after)," they're going to pick the latter. |
| scererar |
Posted - 23 Mar 2021 : 04:20:11
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
I think running a convention this year is bonkers.
Agreed. Why even try? Do something virtual to keep things going and plan for future in person events. |
| Gyor |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 17:57:18
Is anything FR related planned yet, |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 17:55:14
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
I think running a convention this year is bonkers.
I'll admit I was surprised by the announcement. I really expected it to be virtual-only, this year.
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| keftiu |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 17:27:40
I think running a convention this year is bonkers. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 16:32:27
Gencon last year was the first time i was able to attend (although staying up to 3am was hard) and that was purely because it was a virtual event.
Virtual for me for gencon and everything else from now on. |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 16:27:45
I am in a similar boat to Wooly (increased risk, works from home). However, even in a "normal year", I wouldn't be able to go so things going virtual has allowed me to do more than I ever have. So, if there is an event that is both virtual and of a subject of interest to me, I will attend it virtually. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 03:28:52
So for me, personally...
I'm one of those that falls into a higher risk category, with the Covid-19.
That means I've played this whole thing cautiously. I've been working from home and taking reasonable precautions whilst out and about. I have gone shopping, but I mostly limit that to groceries and essentials -- I've only made a handful of non-essential jaunts into retail outlets over the last year.
At this time, I'm personally not convinced GenCon can be done safely. This is not to say I think it can't be done safely -- I think it's too early to tell, one way or another. The vaccination rollout is progressing quite nicely, and it is possible that the precautions GenCon folks have detailed already will be sufficient. Much will depend on how well this continues, and on any variants of the virus that pop up.
That said, I'm not interested in a limited attendance con. I'm an introvert, and I don't really like crowds -- but GenCon is another story. GenCon is a gathering for all of us gamer-types -- and that's enough for me to overcome the introversion. We all roll the same D20s, and that makes a difference for me.
And while I'll wear my mask while out and about, without complaint, I do not want to wear it for hours on end. Every time I go to the store, it's a relief to me to get into the car and take the mask off. Since I'm lucky enough to work at home with minimal impact on my job, I've not had to wear the mask for hours on end, like some -- and I'm very glad of that! I'd expect masks to be required at the Con, and while I support that, it's not something I would look forward to doing.
So for me, this year, I'm only going to attend virtually, and that's only if something grabs my eye. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2021 : 03:14:31
We generally have some enthusiasm in our halls for GenCon, so I figured we should get a discussion going on it.
While I know that there is going to be a mix of opinions on holding GenCon this year, I should like to keep the discussion focused firmly on GenCon itself, and leave debates about vaccines and politics elsewhere. It's fine if you don't feel safe attending -- I just don't want people debating the vaccines themselves or bringing real-world politics into the matter. We are NOT going there.
The fact that the con is being held during Yom Kippur is a valid topic, though I should request that we approach that discussion with respect for those impacted. Our own Brian Cortijo has already spoken of this on Facebook; I suggest that anyone who isn't familiar with Yom Kippur (as I myself wasn't) read what Brian has said, and do some research on the holiday.
Now, I will take the mod hat off, and open the floor to discussion. |
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