FracturedKoi wrote:Ryan, love the map of traffic inflow, very interesting, if not saddening to see how little traffic you're getting from my neck of the woods! Also, I know I've said I don't really care for it being in Cali, but what you said about just holding it in the same place every year sure would make planning easier! Much better than waiting til the end of the year to announce it...it's like musical chairs as it is xD
Remember though Fractured, what I said earlier applies to your area as well. How much of a percentage of the population of the US lives in your state vs. the percentage of site visits? That's why the states with the highest populations have the highest site visit count, though by capita I believe Illinois is the highest (we can blame Ryan for that...
).
ALso someone mentioned the possibility of voting on locations, I think, I few pages back. That too would be pointless as it would still end up in the highest population centers. My point is this: if you have it in San Diego or Pasadena, or Orlando, or Fort Worth every year, you will essentially end up with the same people coming every year. Once you get the initial level of "walk-ins", you will not see much more of an increase than that. Only certain people will experience BotCon every time it's held. By moving it around, there is the potential for significant exposure to other people and areas. With this exposure, it means that if they have a good time, they may come to the next one or the one after that, even if it isn't in the same place. The possibility may not be high, but the fact that there is potential there now whereas there wouldn't be otherwise is a major plus. It's the same concept as having a store in multiple locations. Multiple stores means that you can expand your brand within locations in differing population areas and demographics. While I do understand the positives of having it in the same place so people can plan around it, I think the financial positives of moving it around can outweigh that as, in the end, that's really what it's about for FunPub.
Along those lines however, I think the best thing for FunPub to do is to plan 1-2 BotCons ahead of time and have the next location- if it indeed moves- selected BEFORE BotCon for that year. That way we will literally have an entire year to plan ahead. THe more time people have to plan ahead, the higher the likelihood of them making the journey.
As for me personally, I don't understand why the Midwest isn't selected more. The central location means lower cost for flights for most people, and lower drive times for those on the road. Indianapolis is a fantastic location for a conventions (ask the folks at GenCon about THEIR attendance, or maybe ask the folks who run the NCAA Final Four about their experiences), is very affordable, has fantastic restaurants (at least two dozen within a block of the con center), and a huge convention center literally in the heart of the city with 9 or 10 large hotels attached to or within 1 block of the center. The tax rate and cost to visit is listed as significantly lower than SoCal. That means a lower overall trip cost which translates to more money for the participants to spend on vendors and figures. Having been to GenCon previously, it is a great place to have a convention; my wife went as well and she found tons to do while I was away rolling dice and getting killed by GMs and PCs- shopping, historic buildings, there was a walking ghost tour, food, more food, pointing and laughing at participants...
These points all make sense in a business standpoint. What it boils down to is this: if you make it worth while for vendors to come and that they will make a profit on the trip, they will come. If you can build the brand while you do that, it's a brilliant business decision.