Greetings good friends of Gen Con!
Back when we started bringing Gen Con Indy back to life post-lockdown we emphasized two key principles: consistency and communication. Consistency means minimizing changes to plans and policy, and communication means telling you what we’re thinking on a regular basis, even if it means overcommunicating a little (is there even such a thing?). As we approach the summer season, I hope we’re delivering on both of those fronts.
As of now, our policy remains the same, and I’ll repeat it here: masks and proof of vaccination* will be required for participation at Gen Con Indy 2022. We will continue to update you with more details as we get closer to the convention.
We do this for the community. Masks and vaccines help both you and the greater Gen Con community stay safe. We get a lot of feedback from stakeholders — exhibitors, GMs, attendees — and as of now the majority want us to maintain our policies. It may feel like a hassle to always be masked while walking around the exhibit hall, but please consider the vendors, event organizers, demoers, and other good folks who put in long days — many on a volunteer basis — interacting with a steady stream of attendees, fans, and fellow gamers. Many of our stakeholders have medical or life complications that increase their risk. We mask up for them.
We’re always evaluating the situation, locally, regionally, and nationally, and while many aspects of daily life are restriction-free, our convention is different. Not only are there many, many attendees, but the intimacy and interaction we share while gaming puts us in particularly close proximity over multiple days. It’s not like a football game or a trip to the mall; it’s just different and that direct, person-to-person interaction is part of what makes Gen Con special.
In addition, we always look to see what our convention peers are doing. Some conventions are dropping mask requirements while others are keeping them. We understand and respect that each convention has their own unique and complex set of factors to consider when making these decisions.
The good news, I noted last time, is that Gen Con 2021 happened during the Delta wave of the virus and one thing we learned is that masking works. So, the 2022 event catalog is up, event registration begins Sunday, May 15, and Gen Con is just over 80 days away. We can’t wait to see our smiling, masked friends there!
*If you have a valid medical exemption from vaccination, you will be allowed to attend with a doctor’s letter and a negative COVID test from within 48 hours of arrival at the convention. Please show your paperwork at our Special Services desk onsite at the convention. It can be found at the Customer Service kiosk.
In addition to masking and vaccination requirements, everyone is required to abide by our general show policies which can be found on our website.
