Gary Con is thrilled to have over 100 booths spaces for those who wish to join us as an Exhibitor—including: game and game accessory companies, artists, crafters, promotional organizations, etc.! This traditionally translates to 65-70 different Exhibitors at the show.
The first step for ANY company/individual hoping to be a Gary Con Exhibitor is to fill out an application. The application page will provide all the details and costs associated with the current year’s convention. We typically start receiving applications around mid-May for the following year with announcements driven mostly through our Facebook page or Facebook group and our newsletter, which you can sign-up for on our News page.
We typically receive 175 or more applications to get a booth, so it is a challenge to be accepted. Although it’s wonderful to have so many who wish to join our celebration, it’s tremendously difficult (for us and them) to have to put so many Exhibitor hopefuls on a Wait List. Despite that, we use our Wish List to fill spots if/when booth space opens up.
If you wish to be a Sponsor for this year’s convention, please reach out to [email protected]. There are many opportunities at different levels so we’re able to tailor a package (which could guarantee access to booth) that suites your budget.
The rest of the information on this page is reference info intended to assist Exhibitors who have been approved and have already purchased their booth(s) for this year’s convention.
Booth Management
Once you have been APPROVED for receiving a booth and you have completed the purchase process, the person who filled out the application can go to here to manage the booth. NOTE: Due to necessary lead times, any changes made after January 15 may not be reflected at the show, so please make changes before that date. If changes are needed after that date, please contact a member of the Exhibitor Management Team—Gil Gagne ([email protected]) or Dave Conant ([email protected]) with the desired change.
You can also get to your Booth Management page by going to:
TTE Home Page –> Exhibit –> Apply to Exhibit
Exhibitor Badges
You can pickup any badges that were in the TTE system by the January 15, 2026 cutoff, in the Forum Lobby (in front of the Exhibit Hall) any time Wednesday during Setup. For either badges submitted after that date OR badges not picked up on Wednesday, you will need to go to the Registration / Help Desk to pick up your Exhibitor Badges. The person who filled out the application for your booth can verify the badges currently associated with your booth in TTE. (Some persons in your group may have a Special Guest badge and these badges will not show up under your Booth Management page.
Attendees with Exhibitor Badges or a special identifier on other badge types are able to access the Exhibit Hall during the hours listed on this page.
NOTE: After the latest time listed for each day, the Hall will be closed and LOCKED. Nobody will have access except Hotel Management and specified Convention Management. The doors will remain locked until the next morning. Additionally, all Exhibitors must be cleared out by Sunday 9:00pm.
Exhibitor Hours
The following chart shows times that the Exhibit Hall is open:
| Wednesday | March 18, 2026 | SET-UP DAY Roll-Up & Side Doors @ 8:00am-5:00pm Side Doors Only @ 5:00pm-10:00pm |
| Thursday | March 19, 2026 | Booth Set-up @ 7:00am-9:00am VIG/VIP Walk-Thru @ 9:00am-10:00am Open to All @ 10:00am-5:00pm Booth Clean-Up @ 5:00pm-6:00pm |
| Friday | March 20, 2026 | Booth Set-Up @ 8:00am-10:00am Open to All @ 10:00am-5:00pm Booth Clean-Up @ 5:00pm-6:00pm |
| Saturday | March 21, 2026 | Booth Set-Up @ 8:00am-10:00am Open to All @ 10:00am-5:00pm Booth Clean-Up @ 5:00pm-6:00pm |
| Sunday | March 22, 2026 | Booth Set-Up @ 8:00am-10:00am Open to All @ 10:00am-2:00pm Move-Out @ 2:00pm-9:00pm |
*All times presented are in Central Time.
Setup Times
Exhibitor setup at the Forum starts on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 8:00am and goes until 10:00pm when the room will be locked. The following days, there is time before public hours begin for refreshing your booth space and an hour after Exhibit Hours end to clean-up, with the exception of Sunday when teardown starts at 2:00pm. See the EXHIBITOR HOURS above for details.
NOTE: There is a difference in the hours on Thursday, when Set-up opens back up at 7am and VIG/VIP Guests are allowed Early Access at 9:00am—a benefit that both these badge holders and many exhibitors appreciate. Finally, another note that you should not regard the 10:00am “Open to All” time as a strict time—the doors will be opened as soon as the Opening Ceremony has completed in the Forum Lobby.
Loading In / Out
On Wednesday, you can park in the lot to bring stuff down the ramp and through the side doors OR you can use the Roll-Up Door. The Roll-Up Door is not connected to the lot so you will need to go around to the Loading Entrance (see map below).
NOTE: There’s usually a line of trucks waiting to use the Roll-Up Door; speak with the Dock Master, found near the Roll-Up Door, to get on the schedule BEFORE pulling a truck into the loading area to Load-In. The Roll-Up Door will CLOSE at 5pm on Wednesday and will not open again until Sunday for Load-Out.
Parking
When you’re finished loading in, please move any large vehicles or trailers to the back section of the Mountain Top Ski Chalet parking lot. The parking lots near the Forum and Hotel are in high demand during the convention and we cannot allow any large vehicles to take up multiple spaces. Additionally, the Grand Geneva Resort will institute a new policy this year during Gary Con—they will be charging for parking for anyone not staying onsite. Only vehicles whose license plates have been appropriately registered will be allowed to park for free. You will be receiving a request for parking registration for your vehicle within a few weeks of the convention.
Shipping to/from the Convention
Shipping to the Con
You can ship items for your booth directly to the resort and it should be waiting for you on Wednesday, assuming your carrier can get it shipped there in time.
Labeling
Please have a large label on each package with the following information:
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
Gary Con Exhibitor Booth #____
Attention: Haley Bartz
7036 Grand Geneva Way
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Packages must…
- …INCLUDE THE BOOTH NUMBER.
- …be labeled as shown above. If they are not correctly labeled, they will not be delivered to the forum. It is then the Exhibitor’s responsibility to retrieve and transport their shipped packages from the hotel to their booth.
***PACKAGES SHOULD NOT ARRIVE BEFORE MARCH 9, 2026!!***
To ensure your items are received, please print and keep any Tracking Numbers associated with your packages. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your shipped packages, that is between you and Grand Geneva (262-753-6890).
You can find your Booth Number on the reference map included in our Shipping PDF. If you need assistance with booth information BEFORE the convention, please contact someone on the Exhibitor Management Team–Gil Gagne ([email protected]) or Dave Conant ([email protected]).
Receiving Packages Onsite
If correctly labeled, your packages will be delivered to the Exhibit Hall. Traditionally, the hotel delivers packages to the Main Entrance of the Forum early Wednesday morning. While onsite, contact the Hall Captain if you have any issues. (NOTE: The Door Check at the Main Entrance can contact the Hall Captain if needed.)
Costs For Package Handling
To receive, store, and deliver your packages, the Grand Geneva charges:
- $6 per box that weighs up to 40 lbs.
- $10 per box that weighs over 40 lbs.
- $100 per pallet
Shipping from the Con
Grand Geneva Shipping Form
Fill out and attach the Grand Geneva Shipping Form (page 3 of our shipping PDF or obtained from the Front Desk of the hotel) for EACH package you wish to ship out from the resort after the convention. These packages can be left to the side of the main entrance of the Exhibit Hall (opposite corner from the Gary Con Merch Booth) before you leave. A Grand Geneva Associate will transport all packages to the Loading Dock and process shipping on Monday, March 23rd.
Cost for Package Handling
In addition to the cost for shipping the package, the Cost for Package Handling is the same as inbound packages:
- $6 per box that weighs up to 40 lbs.
- $10 per box that weighs over 40 lbs.
- $100 per pallet
Getting Help
If you have any issues, there are three people you can to look for depending on when it is:
- Exhibit Hall Captain – will be on duty in the Exhibit Hall whenever it’s open
- Door Check – will be at the Main Entrance of the Exhibit Hall and will be able to contact the Captain if needed
- Dock Master – will be available near the overhead roll-up door while it is open on Wednesday for setup (8am-5pm) and Sunday for tear-down (2pm-9pm).
You may join our Gary Con Discord Server to use the Help Desk channel as a quick and convenient tool to help route inquiries and resolve issues.
If you need to reach someone during the convention, the Registration / Help Desk is a great area to find assistance, or you can e-mail [email protected] and they should be able to route you to someone who can assist you.