Last month I was on 7 airplanes, in 4 countries, and at 2 work
conferences. Most of that happened in the span of 12 days.
Though I'm full of stories and excitement—not to mention
exhausted—I want to focus on one thing in particular: my
experience at GAMA Expo this year.
This is the third time I've attended Expo. The store has been a
member of the organization for over a decade, and my business
partners have attended about 10 times each. For them, it's a tried
and true tradition, while I've been working to find my place in
the commotion.
Expo this year is the first time I’ve truly, deeply felt like I
belong. Attending Expo was an opportunity to recharge, learn from
amazing people, and see friends.
Even without friends to visit and people to travel with, GAMA Expo
has always been an awesome and worthwhile experience. If you're in
the game industry and haven't joined, you should try it, and if you
haven't attended Expo, I strongly recommend you do.
There are other conventions throughout the year, other gaming
gatherings, and many of them are fun. Yet, Expo holds a special
place in the industry: it's not consumer-facing at all. There are no
customers around—it's a completely professional-facing conference.
It's also the best time for people from all tiers of the industry
to come together, break bread, share stories, and connect.
Why is that so important?
Well, fair enough. Let's talk about GAMA Expo 2025.
A Gathering of Friends
There isn't anything like being at GAMA Expo—where 3,400 retailers,
publishers, creators, and everyone in between band together to take
over the convention center and surrounding area of
Louisville, Kentucky.
It's the only time I get to see many of my all-time favorite people.
It’s how I recharge to face the upcoming year of work, and a great
reward after spending Q1 buried in paperwork. It’s how I stay
motivated and inspired to work hard on
Total Escape Games
and keep optimistic in the face of new challenges.
When I left from Expo this year, I was so bummed. Even though I was heading
abroad for a mix of business and pleasure, I missed everyone the
second I said goodbye. I would’ve gladly traded my second trip to
have more time at Expo. We had to leave early to attend the
Festival International Des Jeux
in Cannes, France, and next year I’m committed to staying the whole
time at Expo, instead.
This is what makes the tabletop gaming industry special. This is what
I mean when I speak about community and togetherness. The connection
I feel within our industry is unmatched—never have I seen so many
people open to collaborating, and never have I received so much good
advice in such a short period as at Expo.
Seminars are regularly packed as passionate professionals from
throughout the world congregate to listen to our peers share advice.
Game nights are alive with people from all tiers of the industry as
we try new games to bring in—and slip in some casual games with
friends to share in our industry-wide love of games.
Throughout GAMA Expo, I got to:
Learn about copyright & trademark law
Explore negotiating tactics and practice them with my peers
See new and creative ways to market and brand the store
Better understand inventory management, especially how it relates
to eCommerce and managing multiple shopping channels
Hear dozens of publishers explain their games and creative process
The entire week is full of opportunity, learning, and new ideas.
Everywhere you go, people are talking in groups in hallways and at
restaurants. People I’ve met once or twice smile and wave at me when
I walk by or, if we both have time, stop and chat for a few minutes
to catch up since last year.
Every year Expo reminds me there’s nothing I’d rather be than a
part of the tabletop gaming industry.
A Growing Industry
GAMA Expo hit a new milestone this year—3,400 attendees
representing every tier of the industry, including nearly 700
retail stores. This marks the second time in the last decade we've
outgrown our venue, and in the coming years we'll see GAMA Expo
move to accommodate this growth to better serve the members
of the organization.
It's incredible. I can feel the difference from my first attendance
in 2022 even just in what it’s like to walk around and attend
presentations. The air inside the conference is electric.
The industry's reach is growing, we're achieving better diversity, and
the professionalism is improving. This year’s seminars were by far
the most interesting, diverse, and insightful I’ve seen thus far.
I've been in the industry for 8 years and I've never been more
proud of my peers or my involvement with GAMA. We’ve come so far
since the pandemic, let alone since I was a kid playing
board games at home. Reached new audiences. Had breakaway hits
that took over the mainstream
(D&D, Wingspan, the Pokemon card game, etc).
What could be considered a relatively new industry, a niche industry,
has been growing explosively in recent years. There are a variety of
factors that affect this—the pandemic, consumer interest in games,
or a need for distraction that specifically isn’t on a phone.
But, to me, it's because of the people at least as much as any
other reason.
The leaders of the industry care so deeply. They listen. The GAMA
organization listens. We all want the industry to grow and prosper,
not just for ourselves but for all of us.
I've never seen people be more receptive to feedback at
whatever scale. I've never seen companies with over $1B in annual
revenue taking feedback from outside professionals like this, even
from new retailers who have yet to hit six figures in revenue.
When we were in Reno and had totally outgrown the convention center,
GAMA got to work moving the convention to a bigger location.
When retailers complained about the contents of the complimentary
GAMA gift box (a box full of games as a thank you for attending),
GAMA worked with publishers to get more in-demand games included.
When the lunch vouchers turned lunch into a labyrinth of enormous
lines and traffic jams in the convention center just to reach maybe
the worst tacos on the planet, GAMA took note and changed the food
plans for the following year.
When the women and non-binary industry breakfast got scheduled on
top of the Committee Open House, the president of GAMA found out and
immediately got to work to make sure it didn’t happen again next year.
At the board meeting that took place at Expo, there were questions
about the Site Selection Committee and how they’ve been working to
decide the next location for Expo. The questions were answered by
members of the committee, in great detail, and even led to my
business partner creating a blog post,
in excruciating detail, about the criteria all sites had to pass.
There's a welcomeness to the industry that's hard to describe, and
at the same time it feels like everyone’s eyes are on the future.
There’s a lot of work getting done.
Memories for a Lifetime
No matter what happens, no matter where I end up, I'll always
remember my time attending GAMA Expo. The connections I've made
there, and the friends I have from it, have genuinely changed my
life. My time in the industry is punctuated by these
memories—some of the brightest and most heartwarming
moments I've ever had.
Expo is where I was nearly brought to tears by an industry leader,
a retailer I know and love, after she opened up about imposter
syndrome and I felt myself resonate with her experience.
It’s also where I regularly stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning
talking with peers, learning about their stores and their lives,
joking around, and deepening our friendships.
It’s where I was told to believe in myself, where my opinions on
business operations were not only respected but encouraged, and
where I learned incredible lessons which help me
better navigate Total Escape Games through any number of hardships.
Though Expo was just a few weeks ago, I already miss it. As I
return to day-to-day life, to my work routines and big upcoming
projects, I try to channel the energy I received from GAMA Expo
and from my peers.
That way, when we all reunite next year, I can share the projects
we’ve completed in the meantime, laugh and talk about life and
business and strategy and life and everything in between, and
it’ll feel like a family reunion.
That's not something you can buy. That's not something any
convention, or any industry, can promise just for the sake of it.
But GAMA Expo has given me that sense of belonging in a way that
defies words. It snuck up on me slowly and then all at once.
I'm not here to evangelize the show or the organization.
GAMA has its own website
and can do that itself. Hell, we all know there are flaws in any
organization and any event. Life is about progress, a sustainable
improvement year after year that only upon looking back reveals the
incredible heights to which we've climbed.
That's what I want to say about GAMA. We're climbing right now–you,
me, the whole industry. One day, when we look back, I can only
imagine how proud we’ll be to reflect on the journey.