My general policy is no Sunday meetings, to be honest, so I don’t have much to say about today. I didn’t even play any games! Instead, I usually focus on just going around, saying hi, and expressing gratitude to people I talked to during the weekend. I think it’s a nice way to finish up the con.

So, instead, I’m going to think a bit on what I wish I had done better at Gen Con, and what I’d recommend to new press and new publishers hitting Gen Con:

For Press

• Seriously. Stay hydrated. You’re going to get messed up real bad if you don’t.
• Wash your hands regularly. You shake a lot of hands, and you’ll get sick pretty quickly if you don’t clean them frequently. Like, more frequently than you’d think; again, lots of hands.
• Make time for meals. I mean like, good, sit-down meals. Hit up Buca di Beppo or a food truck or something. Your body will thank you and you won’t be as hangry all the time.
• Schedule 25- / 55-minute meetings. Don’t do 30 or 60 minutes; you’ll end up running long anyways and then you’re late for the next thing. If you start your morning late for one thing, that lateness bubbles through your entire schedule. It sucks.
• Check your time zones. I’m on Pacific Time and definitely missed at least one meeting because I had thought I scheduled it on Eastern Time and I did not. Whoops!
• It’s fine to say no to things! Don’t just do everything; you’re going to stress yourself out and you won’t be able to fit everything in your luggage. Instead, have a list of what you’re looking for and want to do and stick to it.
• Follow up! I usually send a follow-up email about half a week after Gen Con. Give everyone time to stop feeling like garbage. Sure, the companies may not respond and that’s … cool, but I think it’s still good.

For Publishers

• Let us know what you’re looking for. Do you have review copies? Are you just looking for coverage? Photos? Interviews? It’s great because a lot of places are already upfront about it.
• I really appreciated the one booth that booked on the 15s. It meant that I was forced to have a 15-minute break in my schedule, which helped a lot.
• The earlier you can schedule, the better. I unfortunately had to turn down a few meetings that I wanted to take because they were asking for slots I had booked weeks earlier. Life happens, for sure, but it would be really helpful if I had my schedule laid out before Gen Con started, rather than trying to schedule things at the con.

Lots of fun at the convention, though! What were your highlights? Let me know in the comments!