Background

We know that many of you will want to know why we have scheduled Gen Con UK in mid-October and at the Butlins resort in Minehead. Here is an outline of reasons:

Who had input on this decision? When planning Gen Con UK we have spent a lot of time listening to the UK gaming community and various other interested parties, including:

• attendees at previous conventions - whether as a player, a judge or just there for the atmosphere
• SIG (special interest groups) - groups of people who co-ordinate / organise / run one element of a large gaming event, such as a Living/CSC teams, or CCG provider, etc.
• manufacturers and retailers
• Gen Con LLC - owners of the Gen Con brand
• Wizards of the Coast - through RPGA and DCI, provider of a significant amount of organised gaming activity

We obtained our feedback through

• questionnaires
• forums / e-mail / e-mail groups / chat rooms
• face-to-face meetings

After analysing this information, we were able to define what kind of event we wanted to organise, which would meet the general expectations of the gaming community.

Why these dates? Firstly, most attendees at previous Horsemen Events conventions wanted Gen Con UK in the second half of 2004.

Secondly, one of the things that makes Gen Con special is the presence of manufacturers in the trade hall, often launching/demonstrating new products. Many US manufacturers do new product launches at Origins or at Gen Con Indianapolis; from there it takes up to 3 weeks for these products to enter mainstream distribution through retail outlets. This year the Origin/Gen Con Indy season runs late June - late August, so new products will not be widely available until mid-September. In addition, with the new Gen Con SoCal running in mid-December, we needed to choose a time in between, when manufacturers would be able to support us. After speaking with a number of manufacturers, the best way they could support Gen Con UK is if they could combine a trip to Gen Con UK with their trip to the Essen Spiel game fair, which runs in late October.

Why this location? Broadly speaking, there are three types of venue which may be able to host Gen Con UK

1. convention centre
2. university campus
3. holiday resort

Firstly, we spent a long time visiting many different venues in all three categories, evaluating each sites pros and cons; some sites had to be rejected on cost grounds alone - we can't afford to rent a venue at �100K per day!

Secondly, because of the unique nature of Gen Con, not every venue can provide the infrastructure needed to support an event of this magnitude - some of the requirements are

1. 4-day event for attendees, 6 days+ for organisers, traders etc
2. number of attendees (2000+)
3. range and number of events available (RPGs, CCGs, LARPs, board games, computer games, art show, trade hall) - each with their own need for space & layout
4. on-site or nearby accommodation for attendees
5. transport to/from event

Although convention centres offer the most 'professional' environment, attendee feedback indicates that the high cost-of-living associated with most convention centres is not ideal (geared towards businessmen on expense accounts); and because of the dates chosen (during term-time) university campuses are not available.

After careful research, the Butlins resort at Minehead met more of our criteria for a venue than any other site

• on cost (hence entrance ticket price to you)
• on accommodation options (self-catering or half-board) (hence accommodation price to you)
• on space (more space than Olympia 2, in one arena - no steps/lifts/escalators to go wrong)
• on food/drink (fast-food or restaurants/cafes/pubs, at typical high-street prices - not London pricing)
• on expansion potential (on-site accommodation for 7000+ people)
• on transport links (to the rest of the UK and Europe, by road, by rail, by sea, and by air)

We hope this information helps to clarify our reasons.