I didn't attend last year, but heard the dealer hall was really invigorated by the participation of lots of new vendors. And one of the things that irritates me about the dealer hall is the huge amount of floor space taken up by large vendors like Fantasy Flight Games and others sprawling across multiple aisles. To me, it makes it more difficult to maneuver through the hall, and I wonder if their demo tables would be better located in dedicated ballrooms in other parts of the convention center. I get that they pay a LOT of money for those prime locations, and repeated attendance builds up some 'seniority' in how the booths are allotted.

When (hopefully) these large companies return this year, will they return to huge footprints and their central positions in the hall? I'd even be happy if (like Paizo), the big vendors would be placed near the edges and corners so their booth presence can still be epic but don't impede movement around the hall. Also, perhaps keeping the large numbers of demo tables down a bit would free up more spaces for other vendors to whom we might otherwise not be exposed. Your thoughts?

I’ve mentioned this a couple times in the past.

They could put all the big booths either in the front or back rows and keep the regular grid for the booths in the middle.

I have missed more than a few booths going around big guys in the middle and not reconnecting with the row I was in.

Mike

I’ve learned to always write down the booth number.

Gen Con’s online map is helpful to find it again.

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Or you can look on the map.

I take a picture of the item(s) that interest me and something to identify the booth/number.

I am the opposite I missed the big names which useally have the product that I end up buying, last year felt kinda of generic. 

I try and see every booth. Big multi-aisle vendors on an end are easy, it's the ones that block the middle of the row that causes issues for me.

Personally I really wish they would intermix the dealer hall and the play areas through the whole convention center instead of having a dedicated area to just the dealer hall. I think it could eliminate the traffic jams, help the vendors sell more, and allow them to lay things out so things are bettered grouped. I just feel like it makes more sense for the Paizo booth to be next to where the pathfinder society is running games, the miniature companies to be next to where the miniature games are running or even the cosplay vendors to be next to a cosplay area. Maybe the vendors might lose some sells to the random guy walking by that normally wouldn't be interested in what they are selling but I think they would make that up and more with having everyone that just gets done playing some of theirs to instantly go and buy it.

My exhibit hall pet peeve is booths that do business in the aisle.  So customers stand in the aisle to browse and/or buy; you can't go "in" the booth.

This is what creates log jams - especially when booths across from each other are both doing it.  

This has been really bad on the higher numbered aisles.  Ironically, I think it's the lack of big booths in that part of the hall.

Also, the vendor hall also has the art and book area where would they go?

No the vendor hall is just what it needs to be and just where it needs to be.

Also, many games happen outside the hours of the vendor hall, mixing them together would mean closing the gaming areas at the same time

Movement in both directions is stopped while people stop to take pictures...

Although I generally have a pet peeve of any activity that suddenly stops traffic in the vendor hall.   If I need to do something, I always try to find a dead spot somewhere to do what I need to do (look at a phone, get something out of a pack, look at a map, etc...)

Too bad the vendor hall couldn't have longer hours (like til 8PM...)   Heck.. make it 24/7... they can sleep on Monday.  :)

I see your point and I can see where you are coming from but I sure hope this never happens.  

The gaming rooms are already loud enough - having the additional noise from nearby people who are NOT playing the game?  That sounds awful.

I'm also one of those people who enjoys looking at everything that is up for sale - even things in which I normally have no interest.  The idea of having to go all over the ICC to see everything means I personally will spend a lot less than I do presently.  Most of us will already walk 5-10 miles a day while at Gen Con; the idea of having to, effectively, hunt down vendors like some gamer scavenger hunt? No thanks.

Even if it is true that this would result in more sales (which I doubt), this won't ever happen.

There's a reason that pretty much every convention (gaming or otherwise) does it the way Gen Con does.  It allows for limited hours, security and lockup overnight with minimal work.

No one wants to try to staff these things for 16 hours (much less 24 hours).

Even at smaller conventions it is a little confusing when they try to integrate the gaming areas with the merchandise areas; at the first PAX Unplugged there was one dedicated vendor section in this big open hall, but then a bunch of other booths were attached to the sections where their tournaments and such were happening, and it was genuinely hard to tell which ones were selling things and which ones just had random tournament prizes and things sitting out waiting to be awarded (as all of them had big bold signage of course).

I do remember at Gen Con 2021 that Wyrd Miniatures (and I think a few others) had their booths (or a booth, anyway) set up in the wargaming halls. Not sure if that was due to any COVID-based restrictions on the Dealer's Hall or what.