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Gen Con

Gen Con 50 Expands to Field Level of Lucas Oil Stadium

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Gen Con will increase its 2017 presence within Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS), adding exhibition and event space to the same play field used by the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. To commemorate 2017’s historic Gen Con 50, the convention will create a showcase area on the LOS field that honors the first Gen Con, held in 1967. In this space, attendees will get to see gaming artifacts and tributes to the early Gen Con events, including an homage construction of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin’s Horticultural Hall.

“Gen Con 50 will be the largest and most exciting yet,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO/Owner of Gen Con. “Our expansion inside of Lucas Oil Stadium reflects the increasing scale of the convention, but also will allow us to comfortably fit a tribute space that is approximate to scale of the first Gen Con, right on the field.”

As part of this new space agreement, Gen Con’s already large games library space will relocate from the Indiana Convention Center, expanding further in its new location on the LOS field. Game companies such as Co-Sponsor Mayfair Games, Twilight Creations, WizKids Games, and numerous event organizers will host activities in this new space. True Dungeon and Anime & Animation events will return to Lucas Oil Stadium. Free-to-play Kids’ events will have a dedicated space, as well. Further event details will become available in May.

“We are delighted with Gen Con’s continued growth and success in Indy,” said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy. “Lucas Oil Stadium was connected to the Indiana Convention Center and deliberately designed to serve as a multi-purpose venue to provide exactly this kind of flexibility in growing events here. We look forward to activating the Lucas Oil Stadium field level for Gen Con’s partners and gamers from around the globe.”

Charlaine Harris Announced as Gen Con 2017 Author Guest of Honor

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Gen Con has chosen New York Times Best-Selling author Charlaine Harris as its Gen Con 50 Author Guest of Honor. Harris is best known for her #1 best-selling Sookie Stackhouse series which inspired HBO’s television hit True Blood. As Author Guest of Honor, she will participate in Gen Con 50 Writer’s Symposium events, as well as hold a book signing.

“Gen Con fans will not only have an opportunity to meet a best-selling author at her book signing,” said Jeannette LeGault, Senior Director of Event Programming. “They’ll also have a chance to ask questions about her experience during a Q&A and other panel events. Whether an aspiring writer, a lover of southern horror or just a huge True Blood fan, they will have a unique opportunity to meet a legendary author!”

Harris will take part in all four days of the Gen Con 50 convention, held August 17-20 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Gen Con will announce her specific event dates and times in May 2017.

Gen Con 50 also will feature appearances from other renowned authors, including Brandon Sanderson, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Patrick Rothfuss, and David Brin (via remote communication). These authors will appear as Special Guests at the convention’s annual Writer’s Symposium.

SOURCE: Gen Con

They Might Be Giants To Play Exclusive Concert at Gen Con 50

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Gen Con has announced that Grammy Award-winning recording artists They Might Be Giants will play an exclusive concert to celebrate Gen Con 50 on the evening of Thursday, August 17 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. More concert details will finalize in the coming weeks, but Gen Con attendees will be able to purchase tickets when Event Registration opens on Sunday, May 28 at noon (Eastern) at gencon.com.

“Gen Con attendees are some of the most passionate, loyal people in the world, and we wanted to create yet another memorable, ‘can’t miss experience’ for them for Gen Con 50,” says Gen Con CEO/Owner, Adrian Swartout. “They Might Be Giants has an impressive catalog of music that spans decades, and we hope that this concert sparks wonderful new memories for gamers of all ages.”

This marks Gen Con’s first use of Indianapolis’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home to the NBA’s Indianapolis Pacers, which adds to the already large footprint of the entire Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and seven participating hotel convention spaces.

Gen Con 50 Event Submissions Due by Sunday

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Gen Con 50’s Event Submission deadline is coming up this Sunday, March 26 at noon (Eastern). If you want to ensure that your events are placed early and ready in time for the opening of Event Registration (May 28), you must submit them before Event Submission closes. Late events are unlikely to be ready in time for the start of event registration in May. First-time event organizers can get helpful tips at this Tips for New E0s/GMs webpage. You can submit your events using this form (Sign-in is required). The updated, comprehensive Event Host Policy is also available, should you have any further questions.

Gen Con Announces New President, David Hoppe

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David Hoppe
David Hoppe

Gen Con, North America’s longest running and best-attended tabletop game convention, has announced that game industry veteran David Hoppe will join the company’s executive team as President. As such, Hoppe will take over the management of Gen Con’s operations at the company’s Seattle office, beginning in May 2017.

“I’m ecstatic to return to the hobby game industry and join the incredibly talented team at Gen Con,” said David Hoppe, Gen Con President. “Gen Con has accomplished so much over the past 50 years, and I’m looking forward to working with Peter Adkison, Adrian Swartout, and the entire Gen Con team to continue making the ‘Best Four Days in Gaming’ even better for sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and most importantly, the 60,000+ attendees who make Gen Con a truly global gaming community.”

After 10 years of leadership, in which Gen Con’s annual attendance has more than doubled, Swartout will step down as CEO following this August’s Gen Con 50 event. Hoppe and Swartout will work together to jointly manage the company and ensure a smooth leadership transition throughout the next four months. Subsequently, Swartout will continue to serve on Gen Con’s Board of Directors.

“David brings a wealth of game industry experience and a strong managerial skillset to the Gen Con organization,” said Adrian Swartout. “As our organization has scaled rapidly, efficient management of our growth has become an increasingly important business goal, and David is an ideal leader to help Gen Con manage the continuing evolution of our business.”

David Hoppe is currently Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Blastworks, Inc. a mobile games developer and publisher with operations in North America and Europe. At Blastworks, David oversees performance marketing, analytics, data science, and business development. Prior to Blastworks, David spent five years as a Director of Business Operations for Xbox Live and Microsoft, as well as being a founding member of two game development startups (Flashlight Creations & Tenacious Games). He also served as a consultant to Upper Deck Entertainment, and from 1995 to 2002 was SVP of Organized Play, as well as Brand Management at Wizards of the Coast during the meteoric rise of both the Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon trading card game franchises.

SOURCE: Gen Con LLC

Gen Con 50 Early Event Submission Ends February 19th

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Want to host events at Gen Con 50? Event Submission is open now with thousands of proposed events already submitted! While Event Submission will last through July 17, the Early Event Submission period is rapidly approaching its cut-off date of February 19. Events submitted prior to this date have the best chance at being placed, and also can receive more feedback from the Program Management team.

Want to learn more about running events at Gen Con? You can read more at Tips for New EOs/GMs. You also can get comprehensive information on the topic from the updated Event Host Policy.

Gen Con 50 Housing Registration Begins February 12th!

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From Gen Con…

Housing Registration in 2017 will differ from prior years’ processes. The most important change to know is that all attendee badge purchasers will receive a unique randomized access time the day before Housing Registration opens. All attendee-type badge purchasers will receive access times. Not all attendees receiving access times will participate in Housing Registration. Extra time also has been built into the registration process, so attendees should not be discouraged if they receive a much later access time compared to previous years.

After randomization of all the purchasers of attendee-type badges, a countdown timer for your unique access time will appear on your “My Housing” page on gencon.com.

All customers that purchase an attendee-type badge after Housing Portal access times have been assigned will be placed at the end of the Housing Portal Access queue.

The first customer in-queue will gain access to the Housing Portal at noon (Eastern) on Sunday, February 12with subsequent customers receiving access thereafter. Badge purchasers can reserve one room for every 1-2 badges purchased. Rooms will be reserved one-at-a-time, in real-time. Refreshing your browser page will not cause you to lose your position in the Housing Portal Access queue.

Nightly minimum stay restrictions will be in-effect again for all hotels in the downtown area. Reservations for hotels in the downtown area must consist of three or more consecutive dates and must include the night of Saturday, August 19. Nightly minimum stay restrictions will remain in place throughout Housing Registration. Reservations at suburban hotels are not subject to nightly minimum stay restrictions.

To secure your hotel reservation, you must use a credit card that expires after the 2017 convention. The Housing Portal will not allow you to reserve a room with a credit card that expires before the convention ends.

Gen Con Selects Child Advocates as Official Charity for Gen Con 50

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Gen Con, the longest-running game convention in North America, has chosen Indianapolis-based charity Child Advocates as its Official Charity Partner for 2017. As part of this agreement, they will receive the proceeds from Gen Con’s numerous longstanding charity events, including a charity auction, a balloon sculpture and its destruction, and the popular “Cardhalla,” a giant construction of cards.

“We at Child Advocates are thrilled to be included in the Gen Con 50 event,” said Cindy Booth, Executive Director at Child Advocates. “Child Advocates is celebrating our 35th year of advocacy for children in Indianapolis and what a way to help us celebrate: benefitting from the generous participants of Gen Con, who’ve had a long history of helping children in our community while enjoying their time at Gen Con.”

In 2017, Gen Con will take place from August 17-20, celebrating its historic 50th convention and its 15th year in Indianapolis. During its time in Indy, Gen Con has raised more than $230,000 for local charity partners including organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Gleaners Food Bank, and the Julian Center.

“Gen Con is honored to work with the team at Child Advocates,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO/Owner of Gen Con.

“Their work makes an immediate and important impact in the lives of children in the Indy community. Our team takes great pride in the kindness and compassion of our attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors. We hope for another great donation that really pays tribute to our 50th convention.”

Interested parties can purchase badges now at gencon.com. Sign-up for charity events will begin in May 2017.

Gen Con 50 Badges Go On-Sale At NOON!

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Badges for the historic Gen Con 50 will go on-sale Sunday, January 29 at noon (Eastern) on gencon.com. 4-Day badges, single day (including Sunday Family Fun Day) badges, and Trade Day badges will become available for purchase at their discounted Pre-Registration prices. During Pre-Registration, attendees from the United States can choose USPS Priority shipping or 24-hour on-site Will Call pick-up. After Pre-Registration closes, badges will revert to their standard prices and must be picked up via Will Call.

Attendee badge prices for Gen Con 50 are the same as last year. Additional badge information can be found at gencon.com/attend/your_badge.

Gen Con 50 Badges on sale on January 29, Sun King will Craft The Official Beer

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Gen Con, the longest-running gaming convention in North America, has announced a renewal of their partnership with Sun King Brewing Company, continuing an uninterrupted relationship that began in 2012. As part of this partnership extension, Sun King will craft the official beer for the historic Gen Con 50, operate an outdoor 21-and-over beer garden during the convention, and provide entertainment on W. Georgia St in Indianapolis.

For Gen Con 50, taking place August 17-20, Sun King will brew a Belgian-Style Golden Ale, available in both cans and drafts at the convention as well as via bar, restaurant, and packaged liquor providers in the Indianapolis metro.

“While pondering Gen Con 50, thoughts of a Belgian Golden Ale came to mind,” said Dave Colt, Head Brewer/Co-Founder of Sun King Brewing. “A golden anniversary should be celebrated with a beer golden in color, with complex fruity esters and moderate spiciness, a first for Sun King Brewery to make in celebration of our partnership with Gen Con.”

Sun King Brewing has created official beers for five prior Gen Con events, including last year’s 20-Sided Rye.

“Our partners at Sun King truly understand the Gen Con attendee,” said Scott Elliott, Vice President of Business Development at Gen Con. “A significant portion of last year’s 61,000 Gen Con attendees sampled the Sun King beer, and their feedback on its taste, branding, and packaging art was our best yet.”

“Gen Con is one of our favorite events of the year and over time, as our partnership has grown, so has the excitement and anticipation around the brewery!” said Clay Robinson, Co-Founder of Sun King Brewing. “We’ve got a lot of fun in store surrounding Gen Con 50 and are honored to be a part of the celebration.”

Badges for Gen Con 50 will go on-sale on January 29 at noon (Eastern) on gencon.com.

SOURCE: Gen Con