Origins Takeaways
It’s hard to believe I’ve been back from Origins for almost a week. Origins was my first convention representing my game/company, and it was a great memorable experience. I got to meet so many amazing people and watch so many other designers chasing their dreams; I only wish I got to have more time there.
Now having these five days to reflect on the experience, there is a lot I feel proud of and a few things I want to do better next time. Today’s blog will focus on my takeaways from my first convention as a soon to be publishing. (Manifest your dreams)
Top 10 Things I Learned at Origins:
Prepare ahead of time - This was technically something I learned before the con, but the validation of the lesson didn’t happen until I was there. Three weeks before flying out, a mentor forced me to create a list of all the tasks I could think of to prepare for the best possible outcome of my time in Ohio. Without that visualization of what a successful convention would look like and not completing the 37 different tasks we came up with, my experience would have been just playing new games and wandering in the exhibition hall. While both would have been fun, I would not have left Ohio feeling like I had achieved anything.
Communicate ahead of time - This lesson ties into the previous one. I am glad I reached out to others I wanted to meet at the convention beforehand. This year there were over 16,000 attendees at Origins, so to just think you would run into someone is a foolish thought I had before reaching out to them. Reaching out before Origins helped to taper my expectations and not get TOO bummed out when I didn’t have enough time to meet with everyone I hoped to.
Say “Hi” to anyone - 98% of those at the convention are there to enjoy the same hobby. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen them on youtube, they’re setting up a game you are interested in learning about, or just have a cool booth set up; if you’re polite and say hi, it may lead to an awesome conversation. Having the courage to say hi was how I got to chat briefly with Eric Reuss, the designer of Spirit Island
Bring your “best dress” - Not literally, but if you’re looking to get eyes on your game and you don’t have a booth set up, find something you can bring that will draw eyes. For me, this was the cover art TJ was working on. TJ had spent many hours on the box art, and I knew if I could mount it to an old box, it would be a hit for people I walked by. My mounting suspicions were correct. The box alone was enough to get people to stop and listen to how the game overview.
Push yourself out of your comfort zone - There were a few moments during the convention when I felt ready for bed. My schedule starts around 5:30 am, so I’m in bed by 9 pm. Fighting that instinct to return to the hotel gave me 3+ hours to talk with people.
Make connecting with you easy - I had the landing page QR code for Everstone right on the back of the box and made a t-shirt showing off some of the game's assets with the URL to my website. While this made it easy for people to access the site, it left the ball in their court for signing up. The QR code and URL link made it easy for others to connect, but if I were to do things differently next time, I would have tried to find a way to incentivize them actually to sign up for the email list.
Find time for fun - At the end of the day, the convention is based around board games. You should find time to have fun. Yes, getting Everstone in front of the public eye and networking were my two main focuses, but it’s important to have balance. Playing Northgard & RA with new and old friends was a memory I will hold on to for a while.
Bring a water bottle - these next two lessons are simple and don’t have much of a story. If you listen to the first few lessons, you’ll talk a lot. Keeping the water intake up will keep your voice from getting lost too quickly. You’ll still lose it, but it won't be as fast if you have that water.
Wear the right shoes - you’ll be standing a lot if you want to network. Comfy sneakers were huge for me. I brought vans, but they stayed in my hotel room. If I had worn them
Leave space to bring things home - My initial instinct was not to leave the room because I didn’t want to give any reason to come home with more games than needed. What I didn’t consider was that most of the manufacturers at the convention have sample boxes for you to take home. If you want to self-publish your game, YOU WANT THESE SAMPLE BOXES. Leave space in your bag for them if you are flying. It will be beneficial for you to get detailed quotes from vendors on the price of your game.
