Gen Con 2019 to Feature Record-Breaking Number of Exhibitors and Events

Gen Con 2019 to Feature Record-Breaking Number of Exhibitors and Events

INDIANAPOLIS (July 26, 2019) — Gen Con will return to the Indiana Convention Center August 1-4, 2019 for The Best Four Days in Gaming™, and current badge sales indicate the show is on pace for another stellar year of attendance, with record-breaking numbers of exhibiting companies and ticketed events.

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America. Gen Con 2019 will feature more than 19,000 events taking place over the four-day convention, and an Exhibit Hall filled with more than 520 exhibitors. Last year, Gen Con had more than 65,000 unique attendees coming from all 50 states, every Canadian province, and more than 50 countries. According to tourism group Visit Indy, Gen Con drives more than $70 million in annual activity to the city of Indianapolis.

Attendance Information
Gen Con 2019 will be open to the public Thursday, August 1, through Sunday, August 4, 2019. Thursday through Saturday, the Exhibit Hall is open 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. 24-hour gaming takes place at the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and at area hotels during the four-day event.

Everyone attending Gen Con must purchase a badge. A badge allows the individual entrance to the show, admittance to the Exhibit Hall, Art Show, cosplay events, seminars and any events happening in the public areas that do not require an event ticket.

Badge Information

Badges are available now at gencon.com, with Will Call pickup on site.

4-Day Badge Price: SOLD OUT
Single-Day Badge Price: Thursday-Friday $60, Saturday: SOLD OUT, Sunday $15

Children ages 10 and under are free with a Child Wristband.

$10 from every Friday Badge that was sold between July 17 to July 30 will be donated to Gen Con’s 2019 charity partners, Special Olympics Indiana and Game To Grow.

Headlines for Gen Con 2019

Below are just a few of the major headlines announced throughout the year leading up to Gen Con:

Pop-Up Gen Con — Can’t make it to Indianapolis for Gen Con 2019?  Pop-Up Gen Con brings the convention experience to a store near you! We’ll ship exclusive demo copies of new games debuting at Gen Con to game stores across the United States (and a couple in the U.K.), so you can play and pre-order convention-release games before they hit the market! In the pilot year of the program, activations will occur at over 40 participating stores August 1-4, and feature video content streamed live from Gen Con 2019 in the Indiana Convention Center.

Gather with the local gaming community, try out hot new games before anyone else, and feel the excitement of The Best Four Days in Gaming™ — all from the comfort of a friendly local game store!

Check the list at www.gencon.com/pop-up to find a participating store. Registration is $5 and includes a commemorative badge and an exclusive Pin Bazaar: Gen Con pin.

Livestreaming on Gen Con TV — Live gaming, Main Stage events, publisher demos and interviews, and more, streamed live from Gen Con at twitch.tv/gencontv.

Sustainability Improvements — 100% of show signage for this year’s convention will be printed on recyclable cardboard; 27,000 sq. ft. of vinyl table coverings replaced by linens and recyclable paper; reusable cups at all concessions stands.

E-ticketing and Official Mobile App — An increasing number of events are electronically ticketed; Game Masters and Event Organizers will scan attendee badges using Gen Con’s newly released mobile app.

Make-A-Wish — Gen Con has partnered with Make-A-Wish to bring twelve-year-old Drake Kiderlen of Troy, MO, who is battling a Pineal Parenchymal Tumor, to Gen Con this year on an all-expenses-paid trip with members of his family. Drake’s wish was to, “go to Gen Con to play Dungeons and Dragons, and learn about new board games!”

Gen Con Insights — Gen Con Insights is an initiative committed to sharing the stories and ideas that matter in tabletop gaming. This year’s Gen Con Insights presenters, Tanya DePass and Steve Kenson, are key contributors to the ongoing conversation about diversity in gaming. On Thursday at 1 pm at this year’s convention, they will record their Insights talks in front of a live audience, livestreamed on the Main Stage Twitch channel (twitch.tv/genconmainstage) and made available afterwards on YouTube.

Sun King Brewing Tapping Party, Wednesday, July 31 — Indy’s own Sun King Brewing is releasing their official Gen Con beer, Brewtron 9000. An open-to-the-public tapping party will serve as the official kick-off to Gen Con 2019, beginning on Wednesday, July 31 at 5 pm on Georgia St. This party will feature local Indy DJ Helicon. 

Gen Con 2019 Industry Guests of Honor — Monte Cook and Shanna Germain.

Gen Con 2019 Charity Partners — Gen Con has partnered with Special Olympics Indiana and Games to Grow as this year’s charity partners.

Gen Con Block Party — Georgia St. will be filled with food and activities with more than 65 food trucks, the Sun King Brewery Beer Garden, Hot Box Pizza food area, games, and more.

34^th Annual Costume Contest — The best and most creative costumes will be on display for all to see. Numerous awards will be bestowed across a wide swath of categories during the Annual Costume Contest beginning Saturday, August 3 at 3:30 pm with pre-show entertainment.

Authors’ Avenue & Guest of Honor and the Art Show — Check out independent authors and small press publishers of fiction in fantasy, sci-fi, horror, military, and anime genres. Author Guest of Honor for 2019 is award-winning novelist Cherie Priest.  Meet industry legends and new artists at the 2019 Art Show.

Record Number of Sponsors and Media Partners — More companies are bringing dedicated events and event space to Gen Con 2019.

This year features the following sponsors: Fantasy Flight Games, Paizo, Rio Grande Games, Czech Games Edition, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Forbidden Games, Greater Than Games, Bushiroad, Table of Ultimate Gaming, Renegade Game Studios, Pandasaurus Games, Square Enix, CoolStuffInc., Breaking Games, Funko Games, Goliath, Spin Master Games, Mattel Games, Wyrd, Catan Studio, Troll and Toad, Upper Deck, Steamforged Games Ltd., R. Talsorian Games, Slugfest Games, Bicycle Games, Eldritch Foundry, The Broken Token, Ravensburger, Game Trade Media, Pegasus Spiele, Borderlands: Tiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party, University Games, Wyrmwood, Syrinscape, The Op, Hero Forge, Catalyst Game Labs, Ultra Pro, HotBox Pizza, Sun King Brewery, Panda Game Manufacturing, Gate Ten Events & Parking, Brother, Games & Gears, Quills Coffee, Ship Naked, Chaldea, Burger Study, Lyft, Wild Bill’s Soda Pop, and D&D Beyond.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from more than 19,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.