D&D 5E No D&D / WotC Booth in the Hall Again at GenCon 2014?

[Perram]

Last year WotC did not have a presence in the Exhibit Hall, and it appears they may do so again this year when you look at the Exhibit Hall Map again.

For those of you who participated last year, how was it?

Edit: Here is a link to the map:
http://www.gencon.com/attend/exhibithallmap

 

[fjw70]

That's interesting. If they were going to release any books at Gencon where would they sell them? Would GF9 sell PHs if they were available?

 

[Klaus]

Last year WotC did not have a presence in the Exhibit Hall, and it appears they may do so again this year when you look at the Exhibit Hall Map again.

For those of you who participated last year, how was it?

Edit: Here is a link to the map:
http://www.gencon.com/attend/exhibithallmap

But they had a huge set-up on the second floor, and probably will do so again.

 

[Morrus]

It wasn't on the second floor, but it was huge. Much bigger area than you could put in the dealer hall. They had loads of games going all day every day.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Yeah, I also had a theory that they might attempt to organize the selling of the book a bit more than a giant line. They have a character creation seminar. What if they sold a copy of the book to each person who attended. Likely in addition to a line but as an alternate method.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Another thought occurred to me. Last year they had a store at their play area but almost nothing to sell. They were selling Dragonspear castle and murder in baldur's gate and that was it. But their booth was pretty big and had plenty of space for a large line up. I'm wondering if it wasn't a test of the layout to work out the logistics needed for this year.

 

[billd91]

I thought the WotC area was actually pretty lame. Sure, they had playtest sessions going on, but it was totally without the spirit and energy of the exhibit hall. If they set up that area with something more like their traditional exhibit hall booth, it would have some of the glitz but it would still not fit with the rest of the environment. They should get their butts back in the exhibit hall and contribute to the energy rather than try to divert it.

 

[Kinak]

That's a shame. I'd definitely at least look at their stuff if they were in the exhibit hall. But it seems unlikely I'll happen to end up in the WotC room.

I went the entire four days last year without registering where the WotC room was. It's possible I walked right by it and tuned it out, like the minis room, but that doesn't speak well for me ending up there this year either.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Shemeska]

If they do have the full 5e at GenCon to release for sale, I think it's a serious mistake to not have a prominent spot in the dealers hall.

Restricting it to a D&D play area is going to seriously restrict the number of people that are getting a look at your product unless they specifically seek it out. You end up only advertising to the people that are already interested in it rather than a broader audience, which is really unwise when you've stated a goal to appeal to new players.

I'm confused about this unless it changes.

 

[Perram]

I don't think WotC needs to advertise that 5e exists and is coming out. People WILL seek them out, I'm sure. But I really wish they had at least a presence in the vendor hall. Last year I barely noticed they existed. Their room was off on its own, and only GF9 had books about D&D.