Why is there no Gen-Con East, anyhow?
- Thread starter WizarDru
- Start date
grodog
Hero
GenCon East I and II were held in the greater Philadelphia area starting in 1981. The early- to mid-1980s were the heyday for conventions in the Baltimore-Philly-NYC corridor, when sometimes a month didn't go by that there wasn't some decent-sized regional con going on, or a larger show like Origins, GenCon East, or EastCon happening.
I cut my teeth on GenCon East, and during the later 80s and early 90s I probably wouldn't have quit D&D if there had been regional shows. I'm glad to see that ShoreCon and its successors have picked up the pieces and that Winter Fantasy has hit the area too.
That said, it would be great to have more local regional cons in general....
I cut my teeth on GenCon East, and during the later 80s and early 90s I probably wouldn't have quit D&D if there had been regional shows. I'm glad to see that ShoreCon and its successors have picked up the pieces and that Winter Fantasy has hit the area too.
That said, it would be great to have more local regional cons in general....
CarlZog
Explorer
GenCon South was the first con I ever went to (1981). Drove five hours from South Florida to get there -- quite a pilgrimage in my teenage mind, but that became my standard "acceptable driving distance" for a con.
Last year, I drove from Rhode Island to Indy for GenCon -- 15 hours. Next time, I'll definitely fly. Given the time involved, the exhaustion factor and the nominal cost difference between airlines and gas, it was not worth it.
If there was a GenCon East in NY, it would be easier to get to, but I probably wouldn't be able to take the time or spend the money to go to both NY and Indy, so I'd have to choose. And in that case, the massive grandeur of the original GenCon would win out everytime.
Besides, I can't imagine anyplace on the east coast better suited for a major game con than the massive complex in Indy. Having everything interconnected (center, hotels, mall) made for uber-convenience and a great atmosphere. And I don't go to game cons for the sake of local sightseeing, so it doesn't matter to me whether the facility is in Times Square or a cornfield.
zog
Last year, I drove from Rhode Island to Indy for GenCon -- 15 hours. Next time, I'll definitely fly. Given the time involved, the exhaustion factor and the nominal cost difference between airlines and gas, it was not worth it.
If there was a GenCon East in NY, it would be easier to get to, but I probably wouldn't be able to take the time or spend the money to go to both NY and Indy, so I'd have to choose. And in that case, the massive grandeur of the original GenCon would win out everytime.
Besides, I can't imagine anyplace on the east coast better suited for a major game con than the massive complex in Indy. Having everything interconnected (center, hotels, mall) made for uber-convenience and a great atmosphere. And I don't go to game cons for the sake of local sightseeing, so it doesn't matter to me whether the facility is in Times Square or a cornfield.
zog
Kid Socrates
First Post
I think a gaming convention should be held in Kansas City -- we're equal distance from practically -everyone-!
In all seriousness, I don't think the market for a KC con would be high enough -- the biggest thing going for us is logically setup roads and manageable traffic. Having come from the Washington DC area, I still am amazed when I drive somewhere in less than an hour and a half.
Then again, I haven't been to any cons, and don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of modern-day gaming. Even still, I think I'll try and get to one before too long.
In all seriousness, I don't think the market for a KC con would be high enough -- the biggest thing going for us is logically setup roads and manageable traffic. Having come from the Washington DC area, I still am amazed when I drive somewhere in less than an hour and a half.
Then again, I haven't been to any cons, and don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of modern-day gaming. Even still, I think I'll try and get to one before too long.
Barendd Nobeard
Explorer
WizarDru said:
Not for GenCon, if you want to stay right by the convention. What were the rooms going for last year - about $130/night? And that was in a city with lots of hotel rooms. Those who got much better rates--how far away did you have to lodge? And if you got a room right by GenCon for under $100/night, your hotel-fu is much stronger than mine.
WizarDru
Adventurer
Well, I'm gauging by the Hotel Pennsylvania, across the street from Madison Square Garden. It was relatively inexpensive for NYC, but it was a terrible place to stay. 125 year old buildings do not make for great hotels. I vowed never to stay there again. The Loews, further downtown, was much nicer and more modern...and $220 a night. In 1999. I just checked Hotels.com, and the Hotel Pennsylvania (ranked at 2 stars) is $107 for friday nights and $169 for saturdays...for 2 adults. Make it 4 adults, and the price more than doubles. Most of the Hotels, though, are in the $220-$420 range for 2 adults.Barendd Nobeard said:Not for GenCon, if you want to stay right by the convention. What were the rooms going for last year - about $130/night? And that was in a city with lots of hotel rooms. Those who got much better rates--how far away did you have to lodge? And if you got a room right by GenCon for under $100/night, your hotel-fu is much stronger than mine.
For Southern Exposure, in NJ (about 15 mins. from Philly), rooms are $99 a night at the clarion for a room with 2 queen-size beds during the 'con. For Otakon, we're paying more, but even being across the street, coupled with being on the Inner Harbor, that's to be expected. Compared with NYC prices, and on a quality comparison, my experience has been that Balitmore wins out. And Baltimore's convention center has to be cheaper than the Javits Center, although I also assume there has to be other spaces available in NYC. Whether or not they're as new as Baltimore's, I couldn't say. I do know that Baltimore really likes geek conventions, as I've attended several there (Balticon, Worldcon, Otakon) and they've all been well recieved. With an anticipated Otakon attendance of 20,000, I'm sure they're ecstatic, really.
MrFilthyIke
First Post
I've always thought that a perfect place for an East Coast major gaming con would be Orlando.
a) Tons of low-cost airlines (Song, Southwest, Jet Blue, etc...)
b) a convention center close to a mile plus long in size!! (it's frickin' huge)
c) more hotels than you can count, most on the I-Drive strip along with
the Convention center.
d)restaurants, restaurants!
The only probablem is its not down town, so its a bit of a walk to some places, but there's a "trolley" that cost $,25...pretty cheap.
Shane
a) Tons of low-cost airlines (Song, Southwest, Jet Blue, etc...)
b) a convention center close to a mile plus long in size!! (it's frickin' huge)
c) more hotels than you can count, most on the I-Drive strip along with
the Convention center.
d)restaurants, restaurants!
The only probablem is its not down town, so its a bit of a walk to some places, but there's a "trolley" that cost $,25...pretty cheap.
Shane
grodog
Hero
[slight hijack]
So diaglo [and the rest of you old-time east coast D&Ders], I have to ask (even though 100% positive that I've asked before), but are you familiar with the old Rutgers Univesity Gamers convention (held in New Brunswick in north Jersey) called Northeaster 1-3? I'm still looking for a tourney that I played there called "Treasures of the Dragon Queen"? Details on my web site at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_tourneys_dragon_queen.html
Does this ring any bells for anyone else?
[/slight hijack]
Unfortunately, I purged most of my old convention programs and such many years ago (though I kept all of the badges). I never really picked up convention shirts, though, until later---I focused all of those dollars on the games
diaglo said:
So diaglo [and the rest of you old-time east coast D&Ders], I have to ask (even though 100% positive that I've asked before), but are you familiar with the old Rutgers Univesity Gamers convention (held in New Brunswick in north Jersey) called Northeaster 1-3? I'm still looking for a tourney that I played there called "Treasures of the Dragon Queen"? Details on my web site at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_tourneys_dragon_queen.html
Does this ring any bells for anyone else?
[/slight hijack]
i think i still have the t-shirts...
Unfortunately, I purged most of my old convention programs and such many years ago (though I kept all of the badges). I never really picked up convention shirts, though, until later---I focused all of those dollars on the games
Similar Threads
