Summary: In this episode… Five is the lucky number for podcast number seventeen as the three of us are joined by Marc Spector and Brian Lenz. Marc and Brian are the founders of Grand Con, Grand Rapids Michigan’s first ever board game and comic book convention. Grand Con brought in around fifteen hundred people and had vendors that included, Plaid Hat Games, Arcane Wonders, and R & R Games. As first time convention founders, Marc and Brian provide many helpful tips and what it takes to start a successful convention of your own in your city! Introduction We welcome you to the Happy Mitten Podcast, proud member of the Dice Tower Network and introduce our guests Marc, and Brian. Feature: -Starting Grand Rapids Michigan’s first ever board game and comic convention is a daunting task. What gave Marc and Brian the confidence necessary to tackle this task? -What does a convention founders stand to gain by starting a board game convention or any other type of convention? How should you goal set? -What sort of research needed to be done when planning out Grand Con? What resources would Marc and Brian recommend to somebody who was looking to start a convention of their own? -Where does Brian and Marc find inspiration? Are they inspired by looking at the success of other cons? -What was anticipated to be the most exciting part of developing a board game convention and what ended up being the most exciting part? -What didn’t go and planned and what would they do different next year? -How do Marc and Brian see the convention evolving over the years? Helpful Tips Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Show them that you are passionate about what you are doing and display through your words that you are legitimate and are putting forth your effort to accomplish what you are setting out to do. Creating a convention is not something that can be done alone, you need a fantastic group of people to surround yourself with as well. Hear about how Marc and Brian accomplished this task perfectly. Company Updates Marc and Brian share some updates on Grand Con 2014 and West Michigan Tabletop Jeff, Lee, and I have been playtesting the crap out of our signed game and are still looking at a few other game prototypes. Look for Jeff at UConn! Say hello and join him for great times and playtesting!
