Peter D. Adkinson was one of the founders of the powerhouse company, Wizards of the Coast, a millionaire because of his companies success in collectible card games. They bought TSR games, Hasbro, and got involved in many other ventures in the late 90's. Their founder left the company, spent a year rock climbing in France and touring the world. Then he bought the rights to run Gen Con, originally the convention hosted by TSR for role-players, dating back to 1967.
Okay, so this guy Peter (a millionaire) decides to run Gen Con in Indianapolis, and also Star Wars Celebration.
(poster for the European version in 2007 below) I know about SWC because my brother attended it when living in Dayton before the release of episode III.Anyway, Adkison toys with the idea of running gaming conventions in Europe, and talks about why this would not work. He then opens a convention in Southern California, and this is the main scope of the article.
If you have an interest in the business of the games industry, or have ever been to a game convention, you will find this article about his experiences a fascinating inside look into the process.
The End of Gen Con So Cal
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