Las Vegas, Nevada.  The GAMA Trade Show ended on a high note here today, with attendance up 15% to nearly 2000 total attendees, around 1100 of which were retailers.  And although the RPG category is going through a tough time, there was plenty of good news from the rapidly expanding CCG, miniature, and board and family game categories to support the over-all mood. 

Schwag was again a big draw, with WizKids once again leading the way with its Galactus figure (see 'WizKids Readies Galactus Giveaway').  But the expanded number of exhibitors, the greater number of seminars (see 'Multiple Offerings for Retailers at the GAMA Trade Show'), and better opportunities for networking with the larger number of attending retailers were undoubtedly also factors. 

This was the first GAMA Trade Show in recent memory not under the management of Mark Simmons, who recently resigned as Executive Director of GAMA (see 'Mark Simmons Resigns').  It was under his leadership that the GAMA trade show grew to become the largest trade event for pop culture retailers in the U.S.  Over-all, the transition to new management went reasonably well, despite a few minor problems that would have been less likely under Simmons' experienced hand. 

This was the last year for the show at the Orleans Hotel, which has hosted the event for a number of years, and the only time the event would use the space at the Orleans Arena, a small hockey stadium that is the home ice of the Las Vegas Wranglers.  That provided more space than the cramped GAMA show has had the last few years, but also meant that attendees had to cover some substantial distances just to get around the show (it was a ten minute walk from registration to the exhibit floor).  And even the expanded space that the floor of the Arena provided was not enough for all of the exhibitors; some were in the main concourse around the outside of the stadium.    

The new space was not without its glitches, including variations in floor height that led to lots of trips and near-falls.  The lack of signage also made it hard to find convenient routes to different parts of the exhibit floor, or to identify aisles by number.  The concourse area was a ghost town much of the time as a result.