Patreon, Go Fund Me, and Kickstarter are just a few platforms artists use to get projects off the ground. Join panelists as they discuss how they fund projects and answer your questions.
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Featuring: Jesse Scoble, Nicholas Marchetti, Oriana Leckert
Learn how to work publisher booths, demo games professionally, and turn your gaming skills into paid opportunities. Includes live pitch exercises and practical exhibitor-floor insights.
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Ever wondered how people get paid to demo games and work events or booths at conventions? This interactive seminar breaks down what it actually takes to succeed on the exhibitor floor. We’ll cover booth etiquette, demo fundamentals, audience engagement, and how to represent a brand professionally.
You’ll also learn how badges, compensation structures, housing and event staffing typically work behind the scenes. The session includes live “speed pitch” exercises where members from the audience can give a 30-second pitch for their favorite game and receive real-time feedback.
Whether you're hoping to break into convention work or just want to sharpen your pitching skills, this seminar offers practical guidance you can use immediately.
How to Start and Grow Your Local Board Gaming Group
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Coming to Gen Con with 9 years of experience, join some of the hosts of the Gleeful Meeple Board Game group to learn strategies for cultivating a board game group in your community!
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In this seminar, the speakers will go through examples from Gleeful Meeple history to help give attendees the tools and the confidence to start or grow existing board game communities in their area. The hosts have experience in event planning, marketing, conflict resolution, and running inclusive/welcoming events. There will also be time for questions at the end of the presentation!
How to Start and Grow Your Local Board Gaming Group
Summary:
Coming to Gen Con with 9 years of experience, join some of the hosts of the Gleeful Meeple Board Game group to learn strategies for cultivating a board game group in your community!
Description:
In this seminar, the speakers will go through examples from Gleeful Meeple history to help give attendees the tools and the confidence to start or grow existing board game communities in their area. The hosts have experience in event planning, marketing, conflict resolution, and running inclusive/welcoming events. There will also be time for questions at the end of the presentation!
How to Teach my Child Chess - a Forum for Parents & Caregivers
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Chess is great for young minds and to play as a family. Chess Master Adam Weissbarth, coach of two National Champions, will teach you how to foster a lifelong interest in this evergreen game.
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Curious how to get your child interested in the game of chess?
Come to our session to hear from Chess Master Adam Weissbarth how chess can benefit your child and the best ways to foster a lifelong interest in this evergreen game. Adam’s organization has taught chess to over 150,000 children over the past 20 years, and has now grown to include a global virtual chess academy for kids.
Chess is the original tabletop game and a wonderful introduction to strategy. It’s a great game to play as a family, and children love the idea of something where (unlike a sport) they can legitimately win against an adult!
The event will include an introduction to chess, examples of how to make chess fun for your child and suggestions about the next steps you can take to help grow your child’s game.
Most gaming professionals & FLGS underutilize public relations. PR encompasses areas marketing doesn't address, including internal comms, reputation management, crisis communications & more.
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Many people think of media relations when they hear "public relations," but that's just one facet - and mass media is dying. Unlike marketing's focus on creating purchase conditions, new strategies in PR focus on managing your reputation and building relationships with various audiences.
In practice, marketing and PR work best when integrated. This seminar will show attendees how to create cohesive campaigns that both drive sales and build brand credibility. Learn:
The difference between PR and marketing (and why you need both)
Five PR tools beyond media relations that build lasting relationships
How to turn one announcement into 5+ pieces of content across multiple channels
When to handle PR in-house vs. when to hire a professional
How to develop an integrated communications plan on any budget
Where to find additional resources without getting a PR degree
Confederate sub Hunley, concept origins, prototypes, operations leading to attack on Housatonic. The crew. Sister ships. What it meant to submarine warfare. Capt. Mark McDonagh, USN/ret., NSDMG staff
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Confederate submarine Hunley, aka the Fish Boat, was the first submarine to sink a ship in combat. Lecture will discuss the origins of the concept, previous prototypes, her construction, the operations leading up to and the attack on USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864, the aftermath, and sister ships. Also covered are what is known about the men who crewed the submarine on that day, follow-on Confederate submarine projects, and what Hunley meant to the development of submarine warfare technology. Presented by Capt. Mark McDonagh, USN/ret., physicist and former nuclear submarine officer with 12 years' experience at the Naval War College, on the National Security Decision Making Game staff.
Christopher Badell (Greater than Games) and Luke Crane (Burning Wheel) take you on an auditory journey, designing a roleplaying game with you along with way.
Immersion is the Best Medicine: Designing Games from Lived Experiences
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Discover how thematic games can be designed based on life experiences, interests, and research. Learn about the stages of creativity and how it applies to the design process.
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Are you a theme-forward designer, or a fan of thematic games? Join Dave Beck, owner of Paverson Games and designer of Distilled and Luthier, to learn how your creative output relies heavily on immersing oneself in a topic. Referring to his process behind the creation of various games as examples, you will learn about how to identify unique subjects, what patience in the creative process looks like, and how theme extends beyond just gameplay mechanics.