Gen Con 2016 Sets New Records
Gen Con saw nearly 61
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGen Con organizers say this year’s convention set new records during a four-day run at the Indiana Convention Center. Turnstile attendance hit a new high for the seventh consecutive year with just under 202,000 attendees, while unique attendance dipped to nearly 61,000 gamers taking part in the event.
Last year, the convention recorded more than 61,400 unique attendees. Gen Con says unique four-day badge holders increased 4 percent over last year and a record number of ticketed events took place with more than 16,500.
"Our goal when planning Gen Con 2016 was to optimize the attendee’s experience," said Adrian Swartout, owner and chief executive officer of Gen Con LLC. "We introduced a new pricing structure to incent earlier badge purchases to help improve show planning, and also created more comparative value with our 4-Day Badge. By growing the Exhibit Hall and expanding into the stadium, we were able to improve attendee traffic flow and offer more entertainment opportunities. Reviews of this new show experience have been overwhelmingly positive."
Gen Con set a record in May for the number of exhibitors signed on for this year’s event with 518.
This year’s Gen Con was the first with the convention expanded into Lucas Oil Stadium. While official numbers are not yet available, Visit Indy expects this year’s event to have generated $71 million in economic impact.
Gen Con is slated to be held in Indianapolis through 2020. In an interview on Inside INdiana Business Television, Visit Indy President Leonard Hoops said Gen Con’s future in Indy beyond 2020 is about capacity. "It’s really a question about growth for Gen Con… can we handle their growth versus a city with more convention center space and more hotel rooms."
Gen Con will return to Indy August 17-20 of next year for its 50th annual event.