The Houston area has around three and a half million people. Four percent of
the American population either play role-playing games, collect comics or card
games, or are die hard fans of speculative fiction. Four percent of three and
a half million is one hundred and forty thousand. Now why, out of one hundred
and forty thousand people in the Houston area with a marketable interest, do
we only have a showing of a few hundred people at local area conventions? Why
is it that conventions in Atlanta Georgia, and Lake Geneva Wisconsin, have an
annual attendance in the thousands?
The answer is a little more convoluted than we would like. The local area
convention scene peaked in the mid to late eighties with such events as
Houston Con, Con Troll, and Nan Con. However, the nineties have seen little
to no push for conventions. Have the old war dogs of the eighties tired out?
Or has the interest simply evaporated? Many of the younger generations of
gamers and collectors, ages fifteen to twenty, haven't even heard of a local
convention. I haven't heard a thing about Con Troll for at least three years.
Owlcon died for most of the nineties and only recently struggled to revive
itself with an admirable showing. Nan Con was cancelled last year, and
Houston Con left us before the nineties even came. Have we seen the last of
the big convention days of Houston? Or is there something we can do to turn
it all around?
So let's kick back for a second and identify the problems with the convention
scene and figure out what we can do to fix it.
First of all, the people who run conventions need to run them like a business
if they are going to see the results they want. This means they have to
market it. You can't put up a few posters and flyers and hope people
show up. Local area magazines, college campus newsletters, other conventions,
military base newsletters, and the Internet are just a few of the marketing venues
that could make or break a convention. You can't approach marketing with a
limp-wristed attitude. It has to be a daily, active pursuit.
Secondly, you have to entice your dealers by drawing attention to your dealer room and
catering your event schedule to the needs of the dealers. Try getting a local
folk band to play in the dealer room, or have a live theatre performance or
presentation to draw the listless crowds in.
Thirdly, approach the city convention bureau and make it an actual city sponsored event. This puts
you in all the city's event publications and places you on the city calendar
of special events and attractions. It also makes the local area hotels come
to you with proposals and gives your event clout and recognition.
Lastly, local conventions need to pool their resources and work together. There
shouldn't be competition amongst conventions. They all promote the industry. A
healthy string of conventions produces a healthy market for everyone.
And for everyone out there who has yet to attend a local convention . . .
step up to the plate and help out the industry that has provided you with
countless hours of entertainment and imaginative freedom.