“At a conference, it’s much easier to sell people a tangible thing that they can hold and cuddle, instead of a cold unfeeling game code on a card or sticker.”

“At the close of each day, I wrote in my notebook on how things went. This resulted in my list of “things I need to do differently next time”, mixed with idle observations…”

“At 10am, the crowds came in. Big crowds. Proportionally, this show felt more crowded than any other PAX. The issue with 40,000 people at a convention is that cell towers go down. So you have no cellular reception, and no 4g. I wanted to update the builds for Fearless Fantasy, but there was no physical…

“The best part of PAX was getting to physically meet and chat with people and developers I’ve previously known only via email. With video games nowadays oftentimes having no physical media to speak of, beamed directly into your computer by digital voodoo, getting the opportunity to say “hello!” to fans is a rare and wonderful…

“If you have an option between keyboard and controller for your game, definitely go with controller, especially if the player is going to be standing. With the stand, you can’t adjust the height of the keyboard, and it makes it really awkward for taller players. I had several people stop playing because their hands were…

Gabe Telepak (Butt Sniffin’ Pugs), Kelly Wallick of Indie Megabooth, and a deluge of other experienced exhibitors offer insightful tips in this Gamasutra article by Bryant Francis.

Sometimes numbers don’t tell the whole story. Check out this short-but-sweet old-timey picture show postmortem by BetaDwarf.

First-timer Corey Warning offers advice on GDC survival, iterating sales pitches, guerrilla marketing, press interviews, and more.

It’s not every day a developer gives away thousands of dollars in free game codes. But that’s exactly what Juicy Beast Studio did to attract attendees to their booth, as inspired by Vlambeer. Read all about the freebies, elite tournament, space design, and more.

Looking to spruce up your email marketing? Untame, the folks behind Mushroom 11, capitalized on memes to defy the stuffy conventions of the mundane press release email with humor. It’s quite a laugh.

Indie developer Luis Antonio spent last weekend promoting Twelve Minutes in the Indie Minibooth at PAX East 2015. Here’s an excellent roundup on pitch refinement, asking for player feedback, and gaining visibility by having others pitch, too!

This writeup has some great points on researching vendors and how one might consider quality, utility, and tactile properties for items in a booth. There’s also some foresight for equipment choices one might make based on the expo environment.