Gen Con Sets New Record Attendence

As I’d mentioned to some of the folks during our interviews at this year’s Gen Con, it looked as if the number of attendees was noticeably higher than last year and it turns out my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. The official numbers are out and it looks like the convention set a new record with over 41,000 gaming fans coming out to have a great time.

From Gen Con:

Gen Con Indy returned to the Indiana Convention Center last weekend, August 16-19, to commemorate a special 45th Anniversary as well as its 10th Anniversary in the city of Indianapolis. Launched with an official proclamation by Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, the nation’s largest annual consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure gaming convention continued its record growth with a turnstile attendance record of 134,775, including more than 41,000 unique attendees.
 
“2012 was a year of important anniversaries for Gen Con Indy,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO of Gen Con LLC. “The city of Indianapolis and the greater gaming community have provided us tremendous support, and the welcome Gen Con received for its 45th Anniversary amazed us all. The contributions of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, event organizers, volunteers, and the hospitality industry have helped Gen Con reach all-new heights.” 
 
Unique 2012 show attendance rose more than 12% over last year’s prior attendance record, propelled by significant increases to pre-show badge sales and on-site growth in Sunday’s Family Fun Day attendance. Overall, the show has grown in attendance approximately 30% since Gen Con Indy 2010. Turnstile growth for the weekend also was up 9% from last year’s prior record of 119,000 plus weekend attendees. Gen Con’s pre-show Trade Day also expanded, including 232 retailers attending the event, in addition to the growing numbers of educators and librarians that participated in the tracked pre-show program.
 
“We consider this not only our most successful Gen Con ever, but our most successful convention appearance ever, period,” said Robert Carty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mayfair Games, a Gen Con co-sponsor.
 
“We love hosting Gen Con in Indianapolis,” said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy.  “For four days, the energy and enthusiasm of 41,000 gamers creates a vibrant atmosphere like no other throughout our entire city. We hope it’s a relationship that never ends.”
 
Gen Con will return to the Indianapolis Convention Center on August 15-18, 2013. In a prior announcement, Gen Con announced their commitment to the city of Indianapolis until 2020.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Jeff McAleer

Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...

Latest posts by Jeff McAleer (see all)

• Chivalry & Sorcery Fifth Edition Reviewed - Nov 3, 2024
• Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns Reviewed - Nov 2, 2024
• The Roleplaying Game of the Planet of the Apes Quickstart | First Look and Page-Through - Nov 1, 2024