What I've been trying to explain is that the policy that you have, which you claim is in place to fill up Saturday rooms (which already have limited supply) is having other effects, which will prevent me from attending GenCon.

I've been trying to Buy low-demand rooms in your block, and I'm being treated like an idiot for expressing frustration at a policy that prevents me from doing that.

I'm not REFUSING to stay longer--I'm not ALLOWED to stay longer.  I'm not trying to avoid a Saturday Stay--there aren't rooms available.

The policy is one designed to INCREASE specific demand, when Demand is already far outstripping supply.  Thus, the policy is explained incorrectly, or it has another purpose. 

Whatever the case, if you aren't able to realize that this is an actual issue CAUSED by your policy, then that's a problem.  But clearly, that's either not being properly understood, or you simply don't care.  Either way, it is not satisfying as a customer.

Just about given up on any resolution, but perhaps that was too much to expect in the first place.

The random allocation was to ensure the servers didn't get overloaded. With the limited amount of downtown rooms and how popular Gencon is, I don't really understand how everyone thinks they'd be able to get a downtown room at a discounted rate.

When I go see a sporting event or concert, I have to make a decision on whether its worth paying more money to stay close to the event or if I'd rather drive and save money. I don't see how this is any different except that I am grateful that Gencon is able to get block pricing for hotels that I have a chance to get. I can guarantee that the NFL didn't provide a block rate for people going to the Superbowl when it was in Indy.

Well, as I stated--I was HOPING to book for Wed-Sunday.  If Everyone was held to the SAME block of days, as a first cut, then I'd take my chances.  Instead, people have been able to peel away the  PRIME days, WHILE the system prevents me from settling for the Scraps.

Their system has allowed people to Cherry pick the Prime Days, and leave the less in-demand days sit.

The fact is--I could adapt my GenCon to a lesser stay--STILL buying a 4 Day pass, but now, I can't get ANY days, which will leave me no choice but to not attend at all.  How does that benefit anyone?  GenCon Loses my ticket sales AND hotel bookings to MAYBE get them later form someone who already had a chance to take them.

They've allowed people who grabbed the prime days to essentially block out those of us who were willing to take the remaining days.

Yes, volunteers, exhibitors, and game masters do make the con possible. But like employees, these people are peforming these services for other reasons. Employees of a business make the business possible beacuse they get paid to do the work they do. The same goes for volunteers and exhibitors - they are already receiving benefits for their service.

Exhibitors are there to get paid. Exhibitors will receive the benefit of over 60,000+ attendees walking past their wares ($$$). I don't see why they should be given downtown hotel rooms on top of that.

Volunteers and game masters usually receive free passes to the gen con, and they may also receive free or discounted hotel rooms. But I don't see why the hotel rooms have to be downtown hotel rooms. I guess it depends on how much voluneering you do, and what your contribution is to the overall con. 

Perhaps volunteers and gamemasters don't make much of a dent in the downtown housing supply. But I would think that exhibitors probably do. Exhibitors should be provided housing outside of downtown, and if they want downtown hotels, they should have to enter lottery like the rest of the paying customers.

The one thing I'd like to see is some way of booking a longer stay using this system, for those who want to arrive before Wed or leave after Sun. 

rhe complexities of a system that ranked people by pre-selected dates..that are dependent on location for some....then sorting through an entry process, yeah, I'm glad they arent even trying that.

It is akin to being present at a raffle when they raffle off and arriving earlier for earlier entries.  

I think you're severely overestimating the number of people who amble into the site several minutes late on registration day.  And if that number isn't already near zero, it will be now that people know downtown rooms will be gone in under an hour.

The problem is, that no matter how they tewak the system someone is going to be unhappy. the previous system where everyone went in at the same time made people mad because to them it was unfair to people who didn't have high end computers or internet connections. Also in past years they had no restrictions on the downtown rooms, so you could get in and find that all the hotels had every night but Friday available. Last year they fixed that by requiring a 3 night minimum and you must take Saturday. The issue people are having now, is that the protion of control that had (getting to the site early and waiting for noon) is gone; even though you really only had to be there 5 minutes before. The new system was designed to help reduce the stress on the servers by only letting a few people in at a time. While I agree this is not a perfect system, it certainly does help, and if you are lucky enough to get in early the process is quite smooth. In years past when everyone was trying to get in the servers would time out and you would lose your progress and have to start over, potentially losing your downtown room. Quite honestly, I don't see a way for them to make a system that will make 100% of the people happy, someone has to win, and someone has to lose. there are just too many people and not enough downtown rooms to give one to everyone who wants one.

I do not work for gencon in any capacity, but I have run many conventions and negotiated contracts with hotels and convention centers.

So there are a few things brought up here. 

The simplest one is about booking other dates through the portal after sat is booked out. This is something in the hotel contracts, stating that gencon guarantees a certain number of room nights and that it includes certain days. This is why they can get $200 rates downtown.  The downside is that partial bookings are not allowed through this system, as per the hotel contract. It is not up to gencon to just decide.

For exhibitors, they do not get free rooms, they pay for the floor space and the room spaces they take. Their people work often full shifts+ every day, and need to be close if anything happens. Given the number of dealers expanded a bit, yes, that takes some more rooms, but not as many as you would think.

Gen con rooms: what I said above is doubly so for gen con staff. They work like dogs all con with often extended wierd hours and need to be quick to site.

The problem is that the downtown core can only hold so many in hotel rooms. This is a major problem for any city, and very few can handle a con the size of gencon.

As an example, look at PAX. They sell out badges in minutes, and have no room block. The hotel rates are high and fully booked, and they have 1/4 the attendees of gencon.

Everyone who has gone multiple times has housing horror stories, and I remember the old system of praying the server wouldn't crash on each of the 5 page loads you needed, and that the hotel you initially selected wasn't gone by that time, starting you over again.

I believe they started the 3 day block because people were taking allllll the friday to sunday stays leaving just the nights around it, which was awful. Oh the debates. I think at one point people were screaming for 4day badge purchasers to be given priority but it was pointed out that wouldn't work because it is cheaper to buy a 4 day than it is a friday and saturday.

Seems to me like the next thing will be to require a 4 night stay instead of a 3, but in my opinion, this won't change anything: people will just book fri sat sun mon and then check out early. Saturday is in demand not because gen con 'wants' saturday to sell out but because everyone and their brother actually wants saturday.

As to the argument for effort being 'rewarded' by a gencon system...uh. What effort? Buying a badge? Clicking a button? Effort is starting in August, and systematically searching the websites and such until an acceptable outside-the-block reservation is unearthed. And incidentally, that effort is also making it worse for the gen con housing to have enough rooms. The 'backup' room I snagged (which is now my primary) was one room that was not available to everyone else THROUGH THE BLOCK. Did I still try to get a better room? Yes, of course. However, my 3 hour plus time sure made me glad I didn't trust to luck. Multiply this though, by everyone ELSE who booked a backup room and I imagine it puts quite a dent in the available rooms. I have no hard data however.

This will be the fourth year in a row though that my 'backup' has become my actual room. Starting to see a trend here...

My backup room would never have been available in the block, because it's a room type that the hotel doesn't offer in block.  So I have no qualms about booking it in advance, and cancelling it if I get something in block, and my doing so doesn't affect anyone else trying to get a room in the lottery.  But I didn't.  And next year, we're going to PAX Prime instead of GenCon, so I'm definitely not stressing 2017.  :)

It seems like everyone is missing the point of greengirl22 actual argument: The housing portal requires a Saturday booking, but once Saturday is sold out at any given hotel, it doesn't relax that restriction. So once a hotel sells out of Saturday, if it still has other rooms, those rooms are in a "limbo" that is completely unavailable based on the rules of the housing portal.

That does seem like an issue. Greengirl22, feel free and correct me if I've misinterpreted your point.

I dont think they will ease the restriction so early.  Its barely has been 24 hours since housing registration opened.  There is still the chance GenCon might be adding more rooms to conention block and want to keep that policy intact until that happens. 

I expect there are a lot more rooms to be added to the block.  You have over half a year to find a room.  no need to panic right away.

If they relaxed that restriction, any more rooms that are added (or cancelled) that are available for Saturday would then no longer be subject to that restriction. I can see maybe lifting the restriction a few months after the initial housing date but to expect it to be lifted after the first instance of them being sold out is silly. It's a siutation that is very much in flux up until the transfer the rooms to the hotels in July.

It seems like everyone is missing the point of greengirl22 actual argument: The housing portal requires a Saturday booking, but once Saturday is sold out at any given hotel, it doesn't relax that restriction. So once a hotel sells out of Saturday, if it still has other rooms, those rooms are in a "limbo" that is completely unavailable based on the rules of the housing portal.

That does seem like an issue. Greengirl22, feel free and correct me if I've misinterpreted your point.

That's /exactly/ her point - I remarked on that yesterday evening.

Actually MotoGP was the weekend after Gen Con last year.  Personally, I do wonder how Gen Con negotiates because it seems some of the similar sized events in Indy have lower room rates. That is just anecdotal, but it sure seems that way. Perhaps we have greater demand for downtown than other similar events. 

Doesn't look like anything big this year, but I don't think the NFL schedule is out.  This looks interesting:

Saturday, August 6, 2016, 8:30 PM.
'Mind Tripping' Show at the Indianapolis Hilton Hotel.
A mind-bending, reality-twisting interactive show that will leave you wondering "How did they do THAT?" Fri/Sat at 8:30 PM (may be preempted by private bookings). $20-35. Ages 13+ only. Info: 317-691-2385.
Location: Indianapolis Hilton Hotel, 120 West Market Street, Indianapolis, Marion County.