[Deptheads] Fwd: [SCGD] OrcCon 2009 Report

[Eric M. Aldrich I]

He's probably on the low side on the attendance, but not by much. I'm  
guestimating 1200-1300.

Eric

On 19 Feb, 2009, at 13:55, Eric Burgess wrote:

> In case anyone isn't on the list, Robert's assessment of the  
> convention is more about logistics than games. He's even making  
> comments about things (like attendance) that we don't even have  
> final numbers on, I thought.
>
> ...ERB
> www.boardgamebabylon.com
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Chrisrob <chrisrob1225 at yahoo.com>
> Date: Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 12:04 PM
> Subject: [SCGD] OrcCon 2009 Report
> To: WsG Group <westsidegamers at yahoogroups.com>
> Cc: Westside Spielers <westsidespielers at yahoogroups.com>, Group  
> Strategiccon <strategicon_Con at yahoogroups.com>, Group SoCal Games  
> Day <SoCal-GamesDay at yahoogroups.com>, Shane Sauby <mrsauby at yahoo.com>
>
>
> I was at OrcCon 2009 (Presidents Day Weekend Strategicon) all four  
> days starting 2 PM Friday (9 AM or so the other days) through 5:30  
> PM Monday (going home after midnight the other nights).  I am still  
> tired.  I know that there were "Werewolf" games running to 4 AM most  
> nights.
>
> I played and/or ran 64 games over the convention (I ran eight  
> tournaments the biggest being "Princes of Florence", "Ra", and,  
> "Power Grid") including one I had never played before ... "Army of  
> Frogs" (a simple game that I recomend to you abstract fans).  I did  
> not see any tournaments that did not run (there may have been one  
> somewhere) and there were enough games so that everyone who wanted  
> to play could in most cases.  Most days had their first tournament  
> start at 9 AM and the last regular boardgame tournament at 11 PM  
> (party games till starting as late as 1 AM).
>
> The board gaming was again in a large ballroom making concentration  
> hard but better than the shared space at the Weston.  Open gaming  
> was in the back half of the ballroom which added to the confusion  
> (it would have been better if they had put up a wall) but I do not  
> think most of the gamers minded.  In all the board gaming area was  
> very healthy with numbers only slightly down from OrcCon 2008.
>
> Attendance last year was around 1,400 (a recent record for  
> Strateticon) and the initial numbers
> for this year were 1,100 to 1,200.  All things considered the  
> numbers were better
> than expected and Strategicon ran out of convention booklets.  Going  
> into the convention staff had expected a big dropoff due to not  
> having a parking structure (it was torn down just before Gateway  
> 2008 & is not contracted to be finished until October 2009) but most  
> gamers attended anyway.  In hearing from "old timers" who have been  
> going to Strategicon for years there has always been a significant  
> drop in numbers when Valentine's Day lands in the middle of the  
> convetion (gamer geeks have relationships????) so maybe the parking  
> problems kept very few away.
>
> The parking structure is only half done so I parked at Lot C the  
> entire convention which cost me:
>
> Friday - $5
> Saturday - $2 & $5 (left for a few minutes in the middle of the day)
> Sunday - $8
> Monday - $4
>
> Cost was free for the first two hours and $1 for each two hours  
> after (or part of two hours).  total parking cost $24.  Lot C is two  
> blocks away from the hotel.  Many people were parking at a lot one  
> block away and others parked at the hotel using the valet parking.   
> For the valet parking it turned out the convention had a stamp to  
> reduce the $20 daily cost to $13 (or $10?) but that was not known  
> until after I was there.
>
> I think that the convention went well and Patrick (with Lori & Mary  
> & others) did a great job running the board game headquarters.   
> Flags marked the location of every tournament and Patrick provided  
> at least one copy of nearly every featured game in adition to copies  
> brought by moderators and others.
>
> *** The news for next time is:  Gamex 2009 MIGHT be moved down the  
> street to the Sheraton. ***
> It turns out that some of the space in the hotel has been doubled  
> booked for Memorial Day weekend (that is some impressive sales  
> staff ... selling space in a hotel that has no parking to TWO  
> DIFFERENT GROUPS!) so a change of venue is being discussed.  The  
> owner of the Raddison also owns the Sheraton down the street and the  
> site will be viewed in the next few weeks to make a decision.  The  
> positive is that there is a parking structure for the Sheraton  
> across the street and the structure being built at the Raddison  
> MIGHT be done early (so in time for Gateway 2009) but will not be  
> ready by Memorial Day so parking would be easier.  Info on any  
> change should be known in a few weeks.
>
> Hope that gives some information to you guys.
>
> Robert
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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