I came on after the initial attempt at delivering the show failed. Co-organizer and co-founder of the East Coast Gaming Expo, Chuck Whitby put up a little ad for an additional organizer on the official site and I answered it. I consider my partnering with Chuck as the point where the "modern" East Coast Gaming Expo was formed. I'm not sure what the "first version" of the East Coast Gaming Expo was formed for, but our version and mission is to unite and inspire all those that love gaming.
AA: What are your thoughts on how the original expo did?
RF: For an upstart indie show, we did very well. We were even mentioned in Game Informer. We originally aimed to have a bunch of vendors and 100 gamers or so at the first event. We ended up with 600-800 people showing up. A lot of the folks who came out to the first show returned last year.
AA: What kind of growth have you experienced from year one to two, and what turnout are you expecting for the 2006 expo?
RF: We grew in size but I feel attendance increased only marginally. Part of that is due to the fact we had a lot of inner turmoil planning the second event. It was also on a Sunday. We almost didn't do it at all but felt if we were serious we needed to “show up” in 2005.
This year we're expecting the growth we wanted in 2005. In previous years the shows were all “word of mouth affairs.” This year we have an advertising budget (including a commercial that will run in PA on FX, Cartoon Network and Comedy Central), a full weekend show, more experience and more support all around. There's always room for improvement but I feel we're “doing it right” this year.
AA: What are your thoughts on the independent/homebrew developers who showcase at the expo?
RF: I like the indie guys that come out. As long as they’re not breaking any laws I encourage it. Last year we had a lot of Dreamcast homebrew people. A Dreamcast magazine was supposed to launch at the show last year but it was pushed back. I never heard what happened to it.
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