Local Game Store tips with ICv2
ICv2 has a feature called ‘Busines 3×3’ where they ask gaming store owners to talk about 3 things they do well, three things they wish they hadn’t done, and then some geenral outlook questions.
The latest one makes for interesting reading.
It has some good general tips such as selling what sells (something many retailer forget to do!), but I was really interested by the owner’s point about the lack of games industry conventions this year:
“I’ve always thought that publishers waste a lot of their money through conventions that could be better spent in promotions through the stores,” he says. “I think what we’re seeing in the COVID times is that sales are up, but there are no conventions. So I don’t know if conventions have been as effective a marketing tool for publishers as they might think.”
Does the industry need conventions? It’s an interesting question. Companies like Wizards of the Coast and Games Workshop are having a fine 2020, but they never really needed conventions anyway. I suspect if any companies are hurting it’s the lower or mid-tier companies who relied on conventions to help spread the word about their product to potential stockists.
I don’t know whether this is the case though. Perhaps in 2021 and beyond we will see fewer industry conventions as marketing budgets (which generally underwrite these things) are directed elsewhere. In-store events and promotions may be in for a boost.
Scent of a Gamer 
Interesting post… I do wonder what the effect has been on miniature companies too not having any trade shows this year.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Hi Pete, yes I expect there must be a number of smaller miniature companies who don’t necessarily get space in retail stores, but who used to do well at the various conventions.
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I agree with, Pete. This is a great topic you shared with us. I am lucky enough to live near Adepticon and it has so many people there that I find it hard to believe it does lead to some money being made for someone. At the same time though, perhaps GW, for example, would still make a lot of money without it. I enjoy Adepticon and would be sad if it went away or got scaled back but that certainly could be a possibility in the coming years.
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Adepticon and similar are probably great for miniatures companies without much presence in retail stores. These days they have been left to their online presence only for sales.
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That has been my experience as well. I enjoyed seeing all the non-GW products and browsing their miniatures because there were many I had not seen before.
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