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[burtonposey]

Hey guys,

I just made arrangements to get two tickets from a friend for PAX Prime. My wife, who helps me run the business part of my company is going with me. I'm hoping to get the time (via the "drinks are on me" and "lunch is on me if you wouldn't mind me showing you my game" strategies) of some game journalists to give them a glimpse at my guy and hopefully generate some buzz.

I wanted to see if anyone else on here has done this before. I'm planning on being a walking booth for my game and just let people play it and give feedback. Hopefully some of those guys can help spread the word. During our Kickstarter last year we managed to get writeups on a few game blogs, so I'm planning on following up with them beforehand to see if any of them will be there so they can see how it's progressed and buy them drinks for all of their help during our campaign.

Any thoughts on how best to approach the weekend with the aforementioned goals in mind? I definitely need to start trying to make plans to get the time of people while I'm out there. I understand PAX prime isn't as industry focused as other conferences, but I still felt like there'd be a contingent of game writers there and I'd be able to get some of their time, if only for five minutes.

Thanks for any feedback. If you're going and you want to meet up, please let me know. It would be great to some guys from this community. Take care!

[randomshade]

I vaguely remember hearing of a guy doing something similar at E3 and he was able to get some online press. Anyway, there's a ton of journalists/media outlets at PAX, the trick will be finding them when they have time to spare for your game. Setting up meetings/getting in touch beforehand sounds like the safest bet to me.

As far as wandering around and showing off the game, I think that will be tough in the main areas. It's really crowded and jam packed. Sometimes it's difficult just to move around, let alone stop someone and show them something. However, there are plenty of places where there is a bit more breathing room and still lots of people passing by. You could probably scope out a few strategic locations and garner some interest that way.

We're going to have a small booth and you are welcome to hang around there too

[burtonposey]

I vaguely remember hearing of a guy doing something similar at E3 and he was able to get some online press. Anyway, there's a ton of journalists/media outlets at PAX, the trick will be finding them when they have time to spare for your game. Setting up meetings/getting in touch beforehand sounds like the safest bet to me.

As far as wandering around and showing off the game, I think that will be tough in the main areas. It's really crowded and jam packed. Sometimes it's difficult just to move around, let alone stop someone and show them something. However, there are plenty of places where there is a bit more breathing room and still lots of people passing by. You could probably scope out a few strategic locations and garner some interest that way.

We're going to have a small booth and you are welcome to hang around there too

Thanks so much for the offer. At the very least, I will drop by and see you guys.

Thanks as well for the advice on the major areas. I haven't ever been to a large game conference (more than 1500 people) of any kind so I'll make sure to try and line everything up ahead of time.

[ikhalil]

Also, at least in PAX east, the best place would be when people are waiting in line for a talk. People would not be rushed and might spend more time giving you feedback, and most of the time they are looking for something to distract them from the line. 

[burtonposey]

Also, at least in PAX east, the best place would be when people are waiting in line for a talk. People would not be rushed and might spend more time giving you feedback, and most of the time they are looking for something to distract them from the line. 

Good advice. I can definitely see this working out well.

Do you guys think I'd have any issue if I went into the show with a box (in a backpack) full of stickers? I figured if they let people dress up in costumes with props, they'd likely let me come in. I'm also not selling anything, just giving them away. Just trying to cover my bases.