PAX West is coming up and that means a bunch of y’all will be venturing to Seattle for the first time. Come sit around the fire and let Grandpa Spencer (this will be my 13th PAX) give you some tips for surviving your first trip to the Pacific Northwest’s biggest show. Before we begin it is worth noting that we’ve already posted about some tips for your first convention and it’s worth reading that too. Furthermore, I’ve never exhibited at PAX so I won’t be covering any of the in and outs of managing a booth at the show.

So, let’s dig into it:

Set your expectations

Before going to any show it’s useful to ask yourself “what do I want to get out of this event?” For a show like GDC you may want to learn more about your craft, at something like E3 it may be to connect with press or publishers. PAX (alongside its eastern, southern, and Australian cousins) is a bit of an odd bird in that it’s one of the only major American games conventions that is explicitly consumer oriented. This should color what you’re expecting from the show. If your main goal is to get the general public excited about your impending launch then you can’t find a better place to set up camp. On the other hand if you’re hoping to do some backroom deals with major publishers or folks from non-American countries you’re probably better off skipping Seattle.

Consider the press

I can tell you from my time in the press that PAX represents kind of a dead zone for coverage. While there are always a handful of games announced at the show, PAX West sits in a weird valley between E3, Gamescom, and the battle royale that is the fall launch season. If you’re trying to get noticed by the press there’s a good chance their schedules will be more open than at any of the bigger news shows. That said, outlets usually send a smaller contingent of reporters to PAX so keep that in mind as you reach out.

Seriously, this is a consumer-focused show

I know I said it up top, but it bears repeating: PAX is a show for consumers. The majority of the panels, show floor, and events are designed for people who aren’t in the industry. This is all totally ok! If you’re going to PAX, you might as well treat yourself like a regular joe for a while. Most of us got into gaming because we loved the medium, it’s ok to remember that and just have fun for a weekend. I’ve met tons of great people in and outside of the industry at PAX because of our shared love of games. When you’re working head-down on a project for months it’s hard to let yourself relax and enjoy games sometimes. PAX is a great excuse to make new friends and just take stock of where the industry is at.

Do you have any PAX tips? Share them with the class in the comments below.