CGE 2k5?

[Querjek]

I know I'm asking this WAY in advance, but is there a tentative date for CGE2k5 yet?

[Sniderman]

"Way" in advance?!? @_@ Try 362 days in advance!

Wow, CGE 2K4 just ended 48 hours ago. Give 'em a little time to unpack, will ya? LOL

[Sniderman]

Bad form to reply to my own reply, but CGE 2K5 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! :eek 2: @_@ :eek 2:

August 20 and 21, 2005. Mark your calendars!

www.cgexpo.com

No, this ain't a joke! :D

[esquire]

argh, San Jose again? I was hoping they move it back to Las Vegas. :(

[digitalpress]

argh, San Jose again? I was hoping they move it back to Las Vegas. :(

Las Vegas? We just LEFT that place.

San Jose was good but it could be better. We need to devote more time to the PR to bring in locals. We had 1871 attendees in total, that includes approximately 90 "alumni", which was an all-time record (and much of the reason for moving the show).

The San Jose Convention Center was great but very expensive and very difficult to get the proper signage out for. It's also a bit out of the way for local activities if you didn't have a car. We're 99% sure that next year will be held at the Hyatt in Burlingame, which is about 10 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose, offers free shuttle to the BART public transportation system and has far better amenities. The rooms and Expo facilities are also much nicer.

Obviously there will be more details to come but there you have it. We typically announce shows after the 1st of the same year but we were really happy with the way things ran in San Jose and have lots of local support. We're going to stick to our original commitment of keeping the show close to where videogaming's roots are.

To be continued.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Bad form to reply to my own reply, but CGE 2K5 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! :eek 2: @_@ :eek 2:

August 20 and 21, 2005. Mark your calendars!

Commencing Budgeting Procedure...NOW. :D Ain't no way in hell I'm missing another one of these.

[Pantechnicon]

The San Jose Convention Center was great but very expensive and very difficult to get the proper signage out for. It's also a bit out of the way for local activities if you didn't have a car. We're 99% sure that next year will be held at the Hyatt in Burlingame, which is about 10 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose, offers free shuttle to the BART public transportation system and has far better amenities. The rooms and Expo facilities are also much nicer.

Obviously there will be more details to come but there you have it. We typically announce shows after the 1st of the same year but we were really happy with the way things ran in San Jose and have lots of local support. We're going to stick to our original commitment of keeping the show close to where videogaming's roots are.

To be continued.

Thanks for recognizing some of the issues that have been given voice. I was actually going to start a thread on "Marriott vs. Hilton" as I thought the hotel situation itself had certain issues. But if we're possibly looking at a whole new venue then this question is for now rendered moot depending on what kind of digs the Hyatt in Burlingame is offering at that time.

Anyway, boss, you and the other organizers did one hella job this year and thanks again.

[Querjek]

I'll see you there next year :)

[john_soper]

We're 99% sure that next year will be held at the Hyatt in Burlingame, which is about 10 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose,
That 10 minute figure needs to be upped, those cities are 50 miles apart. Man, the only worse than people who get numbers wrong is people who nitpick :)

[Dan Iacovelli]

boy that was fast again I wish I could go but Cali is basicly out of the question for me(unless something come up for me(or if AVC have rep there to do a report on it)

however, we be proud to be an web affiliate again.(if theres way for me have some brouchures there for AVC let me know)

VGS'05 is still in the works and won't be decided on at least until novemember.

[digitalpress]

We're 99% sure that next year will be held at the Hyatt in Burlingame, which is about 10 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose,
That 10 minute figure needs to be upped, those cities are 50 miles apart. Man, the only worse than people who get numbers wrong is people who nitpick :)

Heh, nitpicking doesn't bother me one bit! Isn't that what forums are for? ;)

Maybe we were driving really fast, but John and I (and a tourism representative) got us to the San Mateo Convention Center, San Jose Convention Center and Hyatt in Burlingame (where we stayed overnight, in fact) all in one day. We were driving around a bit but I'm easily disoriented. :monkey:

May very well have been 50 miles (I defer to your local know-how) but in any case it's a hop skip and a jump from San Jose and still right in the heart of the bay area. I am looking forward to it already!

[esquire]

argh, San Jose again? I was hoping they move it back to Las Vegas. :(

Las Vegas? We just LEFT that place.

I thought Las Vegas was a great place to have the CGE. IMO there were many reasons to keep it there.

For one, it's not as far for those of us who don't live in California. It's also more accessible as far as flights are concerned. I looked into getting a direct flight from Detroit to San Jose and it was near impossible. I would have had to fly into San Fran to do that. Airfare to Las Vegas is also more affordable. Airfare to the bay area was nearly double the airfare to LV.

I think the best thing about Vegas was there was a lot more to do in your spare time, and you could tie the trip into a vacation. There is of course, gambling, nightclubs, shows, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon, flights into the Grand Canyon, just to name a few. San Jose doesn't offer much in the immediate area. It's like Fresno, and to quote Johnny from Airplane, "Fresno? Nobody goes to Fresno!" And no one plans a trip to San Jose (outside of CGE).

I know part of the reason for the move was that "CGE had maxed out in LV." However, LV is one of the fastest going cities in America right now. Sure you probably had more people from California attend this year, but you also probably had less people from the East and Midwest attend than in the past.

As far as the Plaza was concerned, I can understand people not liking the venue. It is one of the older casinos and it is downtown. But there are so many other places in LV to host CGE. Practically every casino on the strip has a convention center. Moreover, LV has its own convention center, with monorail access all along the strip.

I understand that you want it to make it more convenient for the speakers of the industry to come to CGE, but what about making it more convenient for the attendees outside of California?

That's just my two cents. I am not criticizing the extraordinary efforts you undertake to plan this thing year after year. It is greatly appreciated. I just thought you may want to hear from the silent minority who didn't like the move to SJ. Thanks.

[D-Lite]

argh, San Jose again? I was hoping they move it back to Las Vegas. :(

Las Vegas? We just LEFT that place.

San Jose was good but it could be better. We need to devote more time to the PR to bring in locals. We had 1871 attendees in total, that includes approximately 90 "alumni", which was an all-time record (and much of the reason for moving the show).

The San Jose Convention Center was great but very expensive and very difficult to get the proper signage out for. It's also a bit out of the way for local activities if you didn't have a car. We're 99% sure that next year will be held at the Hyatt in Burlingame, which is about 10 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose, offers free shuttle to the BART public transportation system and has far better amenities. The rooms and Expo facilities are also much nicer.

Obviously there will be more details to come but there you have it. We typically announce shows after the 1st of the same year but we were really happy with the way things ran in San Jose and have lots of local support. We're going to stick to our original commitment of keeping the show close to where videogaming's roots are.

To be continued.

Joe, I was saying nearly the exact same thing to some others at the show. Should be moved north closer to San Francisco, but not in San Francisco. Much more of a tourist draw for people to come out to the show and Burlingame is MUCH MUCH MUCH nicer than SJ. And that's damn close to the San Francisco Airport too and BART (subway/metro system for the un-initiated), so transportation is much better too. And I have to agree that you're smoking some good stuff if you think it's 10 minutes to SF and to SJ. Try 30+ minutes to San Jose and about 20 minutes to SF, but definitely close enough for some fun by the BART.

So attendance was a record? That's cool. I bet the new location brings more people in. Gotta sell the point that it's basically in San Francisco and within about 1.5 hours drive to Napa/Sonoma.

Also Joe, Geddon and I are starting to work on Shawn (from www.neo-geo.com) to do a booth next year. I was honestly quite disappointed with the lack of SNKP presence and especially with the lack of any Neo Geo cabs :(

[D-Lite]

argh, San Jose again? I was hoping they move it back to Las Vegas. :(

Las Vegas? We just LEFT that place.

For one, it's not as far for those of us who don't live in California. It's also more accessible as far as flights are concerned. I looked into getting a direct flight from Detroit to San Jose and it was near impossible. I would have had to fly into San Fran to do that. Airfare to Las Vegas is also more affordable. Airfare to the bay area was nearly double the airfare to LV.

I think the best thing about Vegas was there was a lot more to do in your spare time, and you could tie the trip into a vacation. There is of course, gambling, nightclubs, shows, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon, flights into the Grand Canyon, just to name a few. San Jose doesn't offer much in the immediate area. It's like Fresno, and to quote Johnny from Airplane, "Fresno? Nobody goes to Fresno!" And no one plans a trip to San Jose (outside of CGE).


These are good reasons to move it to Burlingame. Super close to the massively touristy San Francisco and also literally right next to San Francisco airport.

[RetroYoungen]

I would suggest my own home town, Vacaville, but there's very little space at either of our convention centers, and nothing is really close...

But yeah, just outside of San Francisco is great, as is visiting S.F. (at least in my opinion). Fisherman's Wharf is simply a beautiful sight, the shops around the town, and the Golden Gate are reasons plenty to move it closer to that direction.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

These are good reasons to move it to Burlingame. Super close to the massively touristy San Francisco and also literally right next to San Francisco airport.
Hey, can we do a public demo of the Magnavox Odyssey in Burlingame and have Nolan Bushnell drop by and sign the guest book? Oh...waitaminute. Never mind. ;)

[dojosky]

Hi ya all it was great meeting ya all also this year was my first time to cge .... It was a wonderful and excellent time and experience for me ! I am definitely going to the next year CGE !!! And honestly Burlingame would be an ideal place as its very very close few exits away from san francisco airport which is great plus burlingame has one nice small video game store !!! And a goodwill store on the corner which I believe is also close to the Hyatt .... So go for it ! Too bad I didn't have much time this year cuz I had to work grrrrr ! .....and my payday was on the 25th so I didn't get the chance to get more stuff from swap meet LOL .... As myself born and grew up in south bay california my uncle used to work at atari and showbiz (now chuck e cheese) when both begun my uncle also used to work aat ampex (sp?) so he was the one who got me started with video games I first played pong when I was 2 yrs old and then moved onto various systems ....... Its the home of atari, sega, apple, and many companies nearby such as capcom , konami, and many more ! Plus there's a vintage computer museum in mountain view which is off highway 101 south of burlingame ......hope to see ya all again also I want to help more for next years cge !!!! Also I have some rare and prototype stuff so let me know who to contact about loaning the items for display in the museum thanks again ! Sorry for the long post LOL ...

Don

[dojosky]

Also I forgot to add one more thing san francisco airport is better cuz of cheaper air fares last year I compared airfares between sf sacramento and san jose san francisco always had the best rates ! Also there's some tourism activites for ya tourists in san francisco and san francisco isn't far away from lake tahoe make 3 and half hr and Reno too ... So I would go with Burlingame ! Vacaaville is a small town but kinda out of way for out state travellers from san francisco airport so that's probably out of question ! Also I ve been thinking since many gamers here in CA should set up some kind of gatherings or clubs or even expos look aat some other states that has their own expos such as oklahoma pennsylvania and wisc but its (MW) and ohio too I think I might be mistakened as I'm on my sidekick I am at work my pc is at home ...and also I think if I remember correctly ralph baer was in burlingame demonstrating his magnavox pong system ! So its a perfect choice ! Props to ya all DPers and the CGE CREW u all did an excellent hell of job this year many thanks !

[Jibbajaba]

It's like Fresno, and to quote Johnny from Airplane, "Fresno? Nobody goes to Fresno!"


Hey, god damnit, I'm from Fresno. Good game stores there.

Chris

[Jibbajaba]

I would suggest my own home town, Vacaville,

I live about 15 minutes from Vacaville, so I would have to agree. Hey Retroyoungen, we should go to the flea markets some time!

Chris

[dave2236]

FANTASTIC !!! Count Danny and I in for next years activities.

[Chainsaw_Charlie]

i want to go to it
________
buy vapir oxygen (http://www.vaporshop.com/oxygen-vaporizer.html)

[fahrvergnugen]

Protip: Check the fares to the Oakland and San Jose airports, and not just San Francisco, if you don't mind renting a car and driving in the traffic out here.* While SFO is right next to Burlingame, both SJ and Oakland airports aren't more than 30-40 minutes away.

Also, with a BART station right next to the hotel, it'll be really easy to get into SF and go see a show, or tourist around a bit. You can even go see the EB on Union Square, which most likely has one of the highest rents of any game shop in the USA, and laugh at it.



*You mind.

[D-Lite]

There's also a pretty damn good video game shop in Burlingame that you may have seen on eBay, Network Video. Good used stuff in house there.

[RetroYoungen]

I would suggest my own home town, Vacaville,

I live about 15 minutes from Vacaville, so I would have to agree. Hey Retroyoungen, we should go to the flea markets some time!

Chris

Honestly, I've been here for twenty years, and the only flea I know about is the Denio's in Roseville! Isn't that horrible? :embarrassed:

[RetroYoungen]

Dammit, can't edit. We should hook up and check out the fleas (though like I said, I only know about the one!), that would kick ass!

[mcgrail0007@netzero.net]

Bad form to reply to my own reply, but CGE 2K5 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! :eek 2: @_@ :eek 2:

August 20 and 21, 2005. Mark your calendars!

www.cgexpo.com

No, this ain't a joke! :D

Damn. My wifes' birthday is August 20th. I will never be able to talk her into a show on her birthday.

[dojosky]

There's also a pretty damn good video game shop in Burlingame that you may have seen on eBay, Network Video. Good used stuff in house there.

shhhh thats the bay area's secret lol just kiddin !!

[ianoid]

Burlingame is a great location.

And what was wrong with the Marriot and Hilton? I thought both were great hotels. The Plaza was a dump dump dump.

I think that outside of locating it in the city, a car is a good thing to have, but then again it's absolutely unnecessary in Burlingame. Close to SFO, which is good for people flying in from far away.

But if you have ANY sense and live in the right city, you will fly into SJC or OAK because of Southwest- cheap and easy to cancel flights/reuse funds.


Some advice for advertising:

TV is probably too diffuse and expensive if can't get cheap time from like Comcast community channel, which has limited reach anyway.

I think print and, less so, flyers/posters are the way to go.

You only need one ad design(to include the basic information and directions) and if it's designed well, it can be made onto small cards and posters without much refinement, and can also be put into print.

As far as print, I recommend not so much the chronicle and regional papers, which aren't too bad if you can get into the weekend sections, but the Guardian, the SF Weekly, the East Bay Express, and whatever freebie papers cater to Marin, the peninsula and SJ/Santa Clara. The freebies are what most people look at when in 'planning their weekend' mode. You probably have to advertise in those two weeks- the week before and during (they mostly come out Tues or Thurs.) We need to look into the rates, which should be available online.

If you can get flyers/posters into area game stores through EB or Gamestop, that's big (especially if they can be regionally distributed, preventing the footwork of going to each store), but getting posters and flyers into hipster shops in different SF neighborhoods (Mission, Haight, North Beach, whatever) might be kind of cool.

This year was awesome, but to deliver and bring people back year after year, we need to get the arcade games back in full force, and then some. Game stations galore would help if we can get the big crowds. I think if people can get an hour or two on those, they will always feel that it's worth the trip, since for most folks, buying and collecting aren't job one.

[ianoid]

As well, basic articles in the local papers about the event are probably as good as ads, if not better. I would even consider ads in places slightly further away to be potentially useful, but I wonder if they will even pay for themselves (Santa Cruz, Gilroy, Stockton, Sacremento.)

Radio depends on the price. It can be good, but then how many stations, how many ads, how much does it cost to tape and ad?

[Dan Iacovelli]

It does help if you get a Pr or an article of sorts in the papers(VGS'04 had 3 mentions 2 in the same paper and another one in another local(plus we got a small listing in the summer section of the chicago sun times)

Also If you can find a local amusement place that is willing to pass out flyers
durring the wekends that will be hugh help(Like Idid for for VGS'04)

[PapaStu]

There's also a pretty damn good video game shop in Burlingame that you may have seen on eBay, Network Video. Good used stuff in house there.

shhhh thats the bay area's secret lol just kiddin !!

Network is nothing like what it used to be. When it was sold off a few years back to the current owners, it to me felt like it lost something. I know that theyve been in local papers recently (within the last year) so maybe theyve gotten better, though ive not shopped there personally in almost 3 years.

[dojosky]

Yup me 2 ! Haven't been there ever since 2000 so didn't know that they've changed ! But I heard from a friend of mine who was there few months ago said they have neo geo aes and ngpc games etc including metal slug 4 anyways plus there's a game master and small independent store in redwood city .... Not too far away from burlingame so I wud say that's excellent plan plus thrift stores/goodwill stores too ... (San jose hasa huge flea market yea but no independent video game stores there they all got killed few yrs ago) EB/GS/GC everywhere but I am sick of those stores myself I personally prefer independent stores ! Sure I do shop at EB/GS/GC stores myself but very rarely do !