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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rushbolt" data-source="post: 9089604" data-attributes="member: 7037578">I live about 40 miles away from Indianapolis so I am very familiar with Gen Con.  I have attended the convention many times since it moved from Milwaukee and even went a few times before it moved.  It already has almost 1 million square feet of space and 4700 connected hotel rooms.  I don't believe this will do a lot to alleviate the issue.  Indianapolis is also planning on building a stadium for the soccer team just southwest of the stadium.  It only has plans for a boutique hotel in that area but hopefully it considers adding a high rise for additional rooms.None of this will solve anything if the convention just keeps drawing more attendees.  Gen Con benefits from the attention of being the largest gaming convention in the United States, but it really needs to consider revisiting something it attempted several decades ago.  Gen Con should be held twice a year.  The secondary convention will help split some of the attendance and may even get it back to the 40,000-50,000 that Indianapolis can handle easily.  It could be held in the south, out west, or somewhere on the east coast.  This is a golden opportunity for Gen Con to actually make significantly more revenue from it's brand and get ahead of the issue of growing too large for Indianapolis even after the convention center expansion.This is all assuming that Gen Con continues to grow.  That may not be a safe assumption.  The record attendance this year was certainly affected by the fact this is the first time in years Gen Con has not required masks because the pandemic is not really an issue at the moment.  Many people may not have fond memories of the cost and overcrowding of Gen Con this year when they look back on it next time they consider attending.  The new buildings are not due to be completed until 2026 so there will probably be two more years of people being packed into the convention center like sardines before any relief comes.  The public opinion of people outside the midwest about Gen Con may not be as favorable by the time those buildings are done.  Also, other conventions like Origins, Gary Con, and Gamehole Con are expanding to the point where they offer many of the options of Gen Con without being as expensive or crowded.</blockquote>

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