This is the sixth and final part in a series breaking down our process as first-time exhibitors at PAX. This section addresses what we’d do differently next time, and our costs.
What we’d do differently next time
The answer to a lot of this is probably written farther up, but I’ll summarise here anyway.
Our preparation wasn’t bad. Next time around it’s possible that we’d arrange a different set of merchandise to reflect potential changes in the game, but I think we’d probably expect to bring merch again.
We might set the table up slightly differently. Ideally a merch board should be as near as possible to where people are going to wonder about it, rather than in the front where people are looking past it. The sheer lack of storage space is difficult, so ideally we’d figure out some organisational improvements.
Next time, I’d push harder to be included on the panel. And failing that, I’d turn up assuming I deserved to be there anyway. I don’t think I had the confidence a few days ago to demand to be included, so perhaps this was an experience I needed to have. It felt rubbish to be the only one of the winners not on the winners panel. PAX, get your act together and stop that.
We’d make sure our email subscription was prepared for our success. That was an oversight, but I am still very happy that overall we achieved said success.
I hope by next time we’d know which media people to reach out to in advance of the event. We don’t want to spam disinterested parties, but hopefully we can turn the next great opportunity into its biggest possible success.
In future we need to drink more water.
Costs breakdown
Outgoings (estimates, in AUD):
Showcase application – $40
Accommodation – $750
Travel/fuel – $110
Parking fees – $30
Merch (pins, tattoo sheets, collector cards) – $1500
Printing – $150
Flat-pack drawers – $50
Spin wheel – $75
Uniforms (t-shirts, hoodies) – $150
Staff costs – $180 flights, $50 food, $100 additional
Acrylic standees – $140
Custom magnets – $35
Custom tablecloth – $40
Tablet computer and keyboard – $125
Professionally printed copies of the full game – $200
Additional expenses – $150
Total outgoings (estimated) – $3875
Takings (AUD):
Merch sales – $1750
Total spend: ~$2125
It should be noted that we got very lucky in parts of our expenses – such as when we walked into Officeworks to buy packets of expensive photo paper and found that it was discounted almost 90%. It wasn’t the one we were planning to buy but we swapped our plans and took advantage of the price drop.
I have almost certainly missed out some of our expenses here, and our merch sales we do still have to pay tax on, so it’s not all going into our pockets. Maybe that’s another $250 to account for. But this should give a rough idea.
If you happen to be from Melbourne, you could probably save more than $1000 on these costs – roughly, a week of accommodation, travel/fuel costs, and getting a friend there to help out. And of course, everyone’s set-up and expenses will be different – one of the other winners this year already had their game printed and could sell it at PAX, so their +/- would have been quite different from our own.
Final thoughts
Overall, PAX Aus 2022 was a really incredible experience. It’s amazing to see just how much enthusiasm there is for games – and on a personal level, just how much enthusiasm there is for our game. It’s one thing to have faith that that exists, it’s another to have proof.
If you think your game is ready for the Indie Showcase, I would very much encourage you to take the opportunity and submit. Being ready doesn’t have to mean printed or even print-ready. Be prepared that even with the prize it may be quite a costly weekend. If you have any questions, you are welcome to get in contact. I am no expert, but am happy to share what we have learnt.
One of the big take-aways for me, rather nebulously, is that I belong here if I want to. I don’t know everything there is to know about games, or even a subset of them. It doesn’t matter. There is no reason that this industry ought to be exclusive. If you are a creator who feels similarly uncertain of your steps – keep going. Do your best. Learn what you can, from those who have already learnt it. And then – be different. If you want to be here, then you belong here. Just like me.
The PAX Aus Indie Showcase – tabletop – Class of ’22. From left to right: Sarah Whillier and Christopher Ng, Aethermon (Aethermon); Jono and Anderson Cheung, Yum Cha (Quokka Games); Lyndon Patrick Cullen, Pixel Star Frontier (Mauii Makes Games). Not pictured: Steve Dee, The Score (Tin Star Games).
