Gen Con Sold Out!

You can't walk in and buy a Gen Con badge this year, because--for the first time ever--it is completely sold out.

Gen Con has been in Indianapolis since 2003, after outgrowing the facilities in Wisconsin. This year, over 60,000 attendees have bought badges. Gen Con is one of the world's largest tabletop conventions, which launched in 1968 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

GEN CON INDY 2024 ARRIVES THIS WEEK FOR HISTORIC, SOLD-OUT CONVENTION, CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS WITH SPECIAL EVENTS

• Gen Con Indy 2024 is a sold-out show -- for the first time in the convention's history, all badges have been sold and no walk-up badge sales will be available.
• In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the convention will feature a slate of retrospective events, special guests, a pop-up D&D Museum, and an exclusive early chance to purchase the hotly anticipated 2024 Player's Handbook.

INDIANAPOLIS (July 29, 2024) — Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, returns to Indianapolis on August 1-4 for a sold-out show and a projection of record attendance.

The annual event, held in Indy since 2003, brings tens of thousands of gamers and fans from around the world to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium for four days of gaming, shopping, cosplaying, and enjoying the best of local food, beverage, and Hoosier hospitality.

"We are beyond thrilled to be hosting Gen Con 2024, a monumental celebration of gaming history, with a special focus on Dungeons & Dragons, a cornerstone of our industry,” stated David Hoppe, President of Gen Con. “This year, we are not just celebrating games; we're honoring the legacy and the incredible community that has grown around these adventures. From the open-air excitement at our Block Party to the immersive experiences inside the convention center, every element of Gen Con 2024 is a tribute to the pioneering spirit of gaming. We can't wait for everyone to join us in this unprecedented celebration."

The convention features an exhibit hall with over 500 vendors selling new and popular games, merchandise, costumes, art, books, and more. Over 20,000 ticketed events are planned, including gaming sessions and tournaments, comedy, film, entertainment, writing and crafting workshops, and the fan-favorite Costume Contest and Parade.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of globally popular tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, and Gen Con is celebrating the occasion with a slate of special programming that offers a look back at D&D's history through retrospective panels with special guests and a D&D Museum. Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of D&D, is exhibiting at Gen Con with several events and activations, including live play events, a special tournament, and a preview of the game's future with the release of the hotly anticipated 2024 Player's Handbook. To further commemorate the game's place in pop culture history, the USPS will be revealing and selling D&D stamps on site at Gen Con.

Outside of the convention center on South Street, Gen Con's outdoor, open-to-the-public Block Party activation is expanding, with dozens of local food trucks set up alongside Gen Con's local food and beverage partners Sun King Brewery, HotBox Pizza, Daniels' Vineyard, Helm Coffee, Social Cantina, and Harry & Izzy's.

The Gen Con Makers Market returns for its second year, featuring over 20 local Indy artisans, crafters, creators, and vendors in a vibrant bazaar shopping experience.

For Gen Con's annual charity program, the convention has partnered with two nonprofit organizations that will split the proceeds of fundraising programs held during the convention: the Rose Gauntlet Foundation, which provides access to education and resources for individuals who wish to pursue a career in the tabletop gaming industry and hosts the BIPOC Lounge at Gen Con, and Tangram, an Indiana-based organization which provides disability services, programming, and care.

Gen Con's organizers have worked with Tangram throughout the past year on accessibility enhancements for the convention, including wider aisles and walkways, on-site scooter and wheelchair rentals, enhanced signage and wayfinding, and ASL interpreters at major events like Opening Ceremonies and the Costume Contest.

 

[Umbran]

I find it interesting they didn't hold any tickets for day-of sales. Casual gamers might want to poke in on Saturday or Sunday but I guess it's not feasible.

Sure presales >> maybe day of sales. And there are only so many casual gamers in the Indianapolis area to serve in this manner.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Been to 30+ and the I thought the first one in Milwaukee was packed and then a few years later thought it was crazy big. Then the first in Indy and the one in 2017 was just "damn, did not know there were so many gamers." Now, just think if you build it, they will come.

As to sales, we don't have all the marketing data or environmental data, things like occupancy totals, walk-up ticket buyers, floor space cost, profit margins and so much more. On-site ticket may not be worth the squeeze, I mean on-line ticket sales is money in pocket and todays strategies you try not to have leftovers.

 

[der_kluge]

Are folks in this thread there? Someone made a comment about how only older people were at Gen Con. I mean, I guess there's always been some aspect of "financially secure enough to afford the brazen expenditures required to get on a plane and play games for four days" which kind of lends itself towards older folks, but someone I spoke to recently commented about how it seems like Gen Con just skews older and older every year, and it's mostly a thing that just older people (I'm guessing Gen X, basically) do.

Is that true?

 

[Zander]

This morning (Friday) at GenCon, the Exhibit Hall (trade hall) was packed with toe-to-heel steps in places. But by this evening it had thinned considerably and was actually quite pleasant.

 

[MNblockhead]

The time and money needed to go to Gen Con are hard to justify with my current work and family obligations. My youngest son and I are into TTRPGs, but it is not something my older son or wife would have any interest in.

I used to enjoy Con of the North, a small regional convention in Plymouth, MN. For a small convention, they had a good selection of indie games being run. It is a great little convention to go and try out new games. But the merchant area was small and limited, there were no panel discussion, and you didn't have any designers, celebrity DMs, etc. showing up there.

Now that I'm in Milwaukee, I did decide to give Gamehole Con in Madison, WI a try. Seems like a good sized con. Lots of games being run and a good selection of games outside of D&D and Pathfinder. Lots of panel discussions, including a number of panels on different eras of D&D history with designers and historians on them. Opportunities to play with game designers. Plus a number of interesting events like True Dungeon and LARPs. Large enough to draw participation from major publishers, but not quite large enough to for the major live play shows.

It does have some of the headaches of a larger con, like having to carefully curate your event wish list and rush to submit as soon as registration opens. But, for the most part, it is in the goldilocks zone for game conventions, especially as it is close. I could have saved a lot of money by commuting back and forth every day, but I like to get a room as close as I can. Even for Con of the North, I would always get a room at the hotel in which it is held.

Next year, I'm going to try to finally attend Gary Con.

I might try to do a father-son vacation with my youngest son to Gen Con in two years, if he is still into the hobby. It is only a 4 hour drive for me, so I can save on airfare and have more to spend on a good room and early registration (if Gen Con offers that) and events.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I might try to do a father-son vacation with my youngest son to Gen Con in two years, if he is still into the hobby. It is only a 4 hour drive for me, so I can save on airfare and have more to spend on a good room and early registration (if Gen Con offers that) and events.

I took my older brother, who started in Basic D&D and quit the hobby as a teen, with me one year when it was still in Milwaukee. He went as a 'well, it's a new experience' kinda thing, but had a great time. I believe the year they moved Gencon to Milwaukee is the year they finished the 2-hour car ferry from my hometown to Milwaukee, which was a shame - two hour boat ride instead of five hours through Chicago.

Hope you guys get to do that.

 

[dragoner]

My GenCon 24 haul: pin from a streamer, free dice from chaosium, and an illuminati pride pyramid from Steve Jackson. Even today (Sunday) it was crowded.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Today 08/05/2024 attendance was posted as 71,000!

 

[Queer Venger]

for anyone interested, here are some pics of panels I attended plus the D&D museum on display!

 

[Queer Venger]

Highlights for me:
Meeting Ed Greenwood & Jeff Grubb at the Candlekeep and FR panels;
the 5th edition anniversary panel with Mike Mearls, the secret history of D&D panel & winning the FR campaign guide signed by Ed & all the developers for 3e.

It felt nostalgic for me, will probably be my last Gencon. I remember my first GenCon when I was 19 years old, driving with an Air Force buddy of mine from Dover to Lake Geneva (which should date me, LOL). I attended in 2014 when they launched 5e. This time it felt very crowded, corporate, SDCC; though I was happy that I found a place a couple of miles north so I got to walk and discover all the awesome places outside the downtown area. Met some awesome players of DCC (my new obsession) and they talked me into going to Gary Con and GameHole con next year.

All in all, a great Gencon despite the PHB shitshow.