One of the biggest draws of Gen Con is the vendor hall where people can see the latest offerings from hundreds of game and other vendors as well as visit Author Alley where a number of artist and authors promote their books. There are hundreds of vendors. Many are offering demos of their newest or most popular games as well as offering them for sale. There are also a variety of other vendors selling cosplay, and other wears as well. Some people attend Gen Con and do nothing but meander through the vendors.
This article is the first of several I am posting on Ten Things for Newbies to Know About Gen Con.
Getting Into the Gen Con Vendor Hall
The vendor hall is open from 10 am to 6:00 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. For those new, there are a few things to keep in mind are or at least be aware of.
The vendor hall opens at 10:00, but people will be lining up to get in well before that. If you arrive a few minutes before it opens, you likely won’t get anywhere near the doors. People will start congregating in front of the doors well before the opening. People will arrive early hoping to be the first in to get any limited deals before they are gone or in hopes of getting into the front of a line for a promotion.
If you arrive really early and don’t care about being first into the vendor hall, you can go to the second level and simply “people watch” and see the crowd swarm into the hall. There are many videos of this “running of the nerds”. I believe it is a rite of passage at Gen Con to both watch the routing of the nerds into the vendor hall and to be a part of it.
Gen Con Newbie Mistake: It is a newbie mistake to think you can get to the doors of the vendor hall at 9:45 to be one of the first to enter. By 9:45 the hallways around the doors of the hall will already be packed like sardines for those ready to enter.
The Vendor Hall closes promptly at 6:00 pm (4:00 pm on Sunday). An announcer will broadcast as it gets close to this time. By 6:00 pm, many of the` venders are tired, so expect them to also be ready for people to exit quickly.
The Coupon Books and the Bags
In past years Gen Con provides a coupon book. Assuming the coupon books continue, the are generally found at the end of the Will Call and services booths on the Northeast corner of the convention center. The coupon books offers a variety of free and discounted items.
The coupon book has evolved over the years. In years past, there were a number of free items for the first number of people to arrive at a booth. This tended to lead to a bit of the chaos that can be seen when the vendor hall doors open. Most of the free items have been replaced by more standard discount coupons or coupons that give you something if you buy something.
Having said that, one coupon that you’ll want to grab is the Crystal Caste coupon for a free D6 die. This is “the” annual collector item for many attending Gen Con as they will get one each year they attend. Crystal Caste gives the D6 free with the coupon, but they also sell a metal tin with the remaining dice in a set. The tin is generally label as Gen Con, so it too is a nice collectable item. Each year the dice are a slightly different color scheme and the D6 is updated to have the current year.
At times Gen Con also give a bag along with the coupon book but that is not a guarantee. Last year, there were specific times when bags were being handed out. These bags are larger sized, which is great for holding any games and other items you might purchase in the vendor hall.
Lanyards have also been given out, however, those are generally included in the ticket and will call areas. When they have these, they are generally only available while supplies last (which is true of the bags as well).
Gen Con Newbie Tip: Make sure you get the coupon book and mark the coupon for the Crystal Caste die. There are often posts for people looking for die they missed getting in earlier years. Don’t be one of those people. Instead, start off right by collecting them from the beginning! Also, when you go to get your die, be polite. Don’t interrupt the vendor’s people if they are working with a paying customer!
My final recommendation with the coupon book is to look through it to see what is offered and what vendors are listed. There is generally an index with the vendor names. If you see something interesting, dog ear the coupon so it is easier to find later. Some people rip out the ones they want and discard the rest of the book. That’s an option as well, but you might change your mind alter and decide you want a coupon you no longer have!
Other Collectables
There are a few other collectibles within the Vendor Hall as well. Some are free, some have a fee. One that many collect is at the Pathfinder booth. Pathfinder has done daily pins (as in the round button pins) that they give in the mornings while supplies last. While there is no guarantee they will do this again, they have done this in the past. It’s worth swinging by their booth early in the day to see if they are handing out the buttons. They are fun item to collect and they do tend to run out early in the day.
Many other vendors also offer collectable items be it a special card or token for their game, or another item. One collectible that I will do a special shout out for is the Baby Genny ornament at O Christmas Geek (Booth 118). These are fun little dragon ornaments that, while Christmas themed, can be displayed all year. They have been offering a new ornament the last few years. If you ask, they might even still ahve a few of last year’s you can still get!
While not really part of the vendor hall, another collectable I’ll mention more in a future post is the convention center drink cup. This cup is generally branded with Gen Con and can be used to get cheap refills. In the past the cups have been around $25 with refills at $2. I don’t know if that will continue in 2026. If so, check the convention center food areas for availability.
The final collectable item I’ll mention is the glorious badge ribbon. Many vendors will give out badge ribbons that can be added onto your badge. These are also given out by organizations and individuals attending Gen Con. Some vendors sell special badges as well. Badges can represent something fun or they can represent something specific. For example, if you are a member of the Facebook group Fans of Gen Con, you can stop by their table and get a ribbon showing you are a member. Some vendors have given a badge for demoing their games. In the past, the Catan demos would give out ribbons for the various game elements (coal, sheep, wheat, etc.) Some attendees make it their goal to collect as many ribbons as possible
Discounted Games
Everyone wants a deal! Just because you pay to get into Gen Con doesn’t mean every game will be at a bargain price. In fact, there might be cases where you could order games cheaper from Amazon. By buying games at Gen Con, you are supporting the companies and their cost for being at Gen Con. In many cases, the vendors will offer a premium item with their game (such as a bonus card). In other cases, you might be getting the chance to get an early release of a game.
Discounts on games can be found. Some vendors will give you a discount depending on the games you select. This might be older games or their latest release they are promoting. Some vendors will give you a discount provided you demo their game or product. Most vendors will clearly display what offers they have going. This is also where you make sure you look at the coupon book. The discount might be listed there and you might need to be the one to present the coupon. Not all use the coupon book to offer discounts, but rather simply do something in their booth. Again, if a game is super popular, it might not be discounted, but rather might have some other bonus or simply be available earlier than general release. You can always ask a vendor if they are offering a deal or discount.
There are other vendors such as Miniature Market that sell other companies’ older games at a discount. These might be games you’ve never heard of or ones that are a bit older. Even so, you can find some interesting gems if you look. There are a also booths ran by game stores. For example, Moon Shot Games out of Noblesville (that’s an Indianapolis suburb) has had a booth the last few years. They offer a variety of popular games as well.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: Some venders will offer discounts on Sunday afternoon. This is so they don’t have to pack up and ship any unsold games. It can be cheaper to offer a discount. Some people will wait until Sunday afternoon to try to get a deal. This is extremely risky because vendors will sell out of popular games. Additionally, not all venders will do a discount even on Sunday at the end of the day. My stance is that you can always ask if they will offer a discount, but the answer might be “no”.
The People You’ll Meet: Game Designers, Authors, Artists, and More
You will find over 700 vendors at Gen Con. In addition to meeting people directly from the game companies, there is often a chance to meet game designers. You might even get to play a game with the designer. When the designers are there, they are generally happy to sign a copy of their game especially if you buy a copy there. Speaking from experience, there is a bit of joy in beating a designer at their own game!
You also have the chance to meet a number of authors and artists. There is a special area in the vendor hall specifically for authors and artists to promote their works. Many are located in the back of the 600 to 1000 rows. There are also lots of artists and authors within the exhibitor booths as well.
Selling More than Just Games
In addition to board games, dice, and other game related item, you will find there are other vendors as well. Most of the items booths are related to gaming, but other vendors include cosplay outfit sellers, gaming tables, toy weapons, lots of dice, and other pop culture type booths. In recent years there have been booths by companies such as Half Price Books and eBay as well. The theme of these booths tend to focus on gaming.
Buying and Selling Cards and Other Items
There are also vendors that will buy from you. Specifically, there are generally vendors that will buy collectable card game cards such as Pokémon and Magic the Gathering. In the past I have sold items such as Funco Pops and Nintendo Video Game cartridges within the Vendor Hall to vendors. These are less likely to be bought today but MtG and Pokémon cards tend to always be in demand.
Ultimately, what can be sold varies depending on what vendors attend. Note that selling to a vendor is different from selling in the consignment store or auction, which are their own topics in future posts).
The Most Important Information: Navigating the Vendor Hall
Navigating the vendor hall can be daunting. There are times when the aisleways can be packed with people. The hall is large, so some people will spend most of their four days simply going through it. If you look at each booth and play offered demo games, it can take many hours to get from one end to the other.
Here are some tips for navigating the vendor hall:
- The aisles of the vendor hall are numbered by 100s starting at 100 and going to about 3200s. There are banners above the aisles to indicate the row. Note that not all aisles go from from the front to back.
- Booths within aisles have a number. The ones closest to the front (north side) have lower numbers than those near the back. The booths on the left have odd number; the one on the right have even numbers. Sometimes the numbers are included on the ground in front of a booth. Gen Con lists the vendor’s location number on their map.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: A newbie mistake is to see something at a booht and say “I’ll come back for that.” Know that after going through a few more aisles, you’ll forget where the booth was. Use your phone to take a picture of the booth, the item, and then the row banner to show the row number. This will make it easier to find the vendor later.
- Being aware of others. Most of the time, there will be a lot of people in the vendor hall. Many are not paying attention to other people. If you are wearing a backpack, keep in mind that it sticks out. Also be aware that vendors are trying to promote their products, so don’t stop in front of a vendor’s booth to have a conversation if there are others trying to interact with the booth. There are places to step out of the way to have conversations.
Gen Con Newbie (and others) mistake: When working through the vendor hall with others, it is easy to stop and have a conversation. It is easy to forget that there are others moving around. Stopping in the intersections of the aisles means you are blocking traffic. If you determine you need to stop and chat or fix something, then step to the side.
- Backpacks can be dangerous. I mentioned this in being aware of others, but it is worth a second mention. Backpacks can be dangerous. People can be very close and at times so packed in that nobody can move. If you are wearing a backpack and turn quickly when in a big group of people, your backpack has a good chance of hitting someone.
- Don’t have conversations in the crosswalks. It might seem obvious, but don’t stop in the intersections of the aisles of the vendor hall. While there might be trashcans or other items within these intersections, those are not good areas to stop to have conversations. You will find that most people with interlace moving through intersections. It is good to yield to let people through, but you should try to not stop.
- No wagons and strollers. The Gen Con policy has changed over the years. Wagons and carts are no longer allowed in the vendor hall. Strollers were allowed as long as they contained a kid. If you are bringing a stroller, you should consider the environment. A double-wide stroller will be hard to navigate through the vendor hall.
Doing Demos
The number of demos in the vendor hall have gone down over the last few years. Even so, many vendors offer demos of their games. These are very popular and a good way to determine if you want to buy the game. You might have to wait for a before getting to do demo a game, but most vendors are happy to provide them with many having tables specifically for this.
Note that the gaming in the vendor hall is mainly focused on demonstration. With many games taking a long period of time to play, you should not expect to play a full game. Keep in mind that others are likely wanting to do a demo too. For many of the most popular games or for the larger vendors, you will likely find events that demo the game or allow you to play them in full in areas outside of the main vendor hall. The events happen elsewhere in the convention. Some vendors also have dedicated rooms outside the vendor hall where they are doing full demos and full game playing.
So Much More…
I could write a book on the vendor hall, but I’ve hit some of the big things. Some other topics include:
- Family Fun Pavilion – This is an area within the Vendor Hall where the games are more focused on families and younger players.
- Entrepreneur Avenue – This is an area in the Vendor Hall that focuses on newer vendors and newer game developers.
- Pin Bizarre – Pin trading and collecting has become a part of Gen Con. Many vendors will offer a pin for sale as part of the Pin Bizarre.
Beyond the Vendor Hall
Over the years the Gen Con has packed more and more into the Vendor Hall. In recent years, there have been a number of “vendor” booths outside the Vendor Hall as well. These include community and charity booths that are within the convention center as well as booths that are in the hallway tunnel between the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium. These are additional booths that include charities and smaller vendors. Some of them also promote things such as gaming programs offered at universities. As mentioned before, there is also a table promoting the Fans of Gen Con Facebook page, which I’ll be helping to man on Sunday.
In Conclusion
The Vendor Hall can be overwhelming, but it also is a key part of Gen Con for many attendees. Use patience and be considerate as you navigate the hall. The Vendor Hall can take as much or as little time as you want to dedicate to it. You can find a list of the vendors on the Gen Con website including their booth numbers. That’s also helpful when you want to demo
Note that it is craziest when it first opens. As you work your way through, take the time to demo a few games you would not normally consider. And remember, the vendor hall will give you the chance to prove whether it is true that you can never have too many dice!
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