It’s been such a long time since we’ve exhibited at an event – we’ve been living under various forms of Covid restriction for almost as long as we’ve been a company! Last weekend was Carronade, and our first trip out in a very long time.
We were satisfied that the Carronade organisers had things set up safely, we’re double vaxxed, and masks were worn all day, so we were happy to attend.
Carronade is our local show, but it’s surprisingly large, filling 3 gym halls and various other rooms in a local high school. It’s primarily a wargaming event, and features loads of participation and exhibition games along with tons of traders.
Handiwork Games exhibited at Carronade back in 2019, back when we had The Forest Dragon, Bang & Twang, and a handful of dice trays on offer. These days we have over 100 different products on sale, so this weekend was a nice opportunity to take stock of just how far we’ve come! Covid meant stalls had to remain at 2019 size, so we were back on a 6 foot table. (For comparison, at the last Tabletop Scotland, we had three 8 foot tables!) We weren’t able to bring everything, but we tried to fit in as much as we could. Map Tiles were a notable victim of the lack of space, but we managed to get a few in!
Before the day, I had decided we would be content if we had a day out, got to set up the booth, and met some other traders. I had zero expectation of sales, because who can predict anything anymore?
Such measured expectations were profoundly blown out of the water as the show opened and we sold a lot of stuff! Over the morning we had really good sales, with a consistently busy stall, and lots of compliments about the effort we’d put in to present things, which was really kind. Trade and traffic then noticeably slowed through the day. I think people came early, got what they wanted, and went home, which in these covid times is entirely reasonable.
Carronade has very easy trading hours of 10am until 4pm, so we were all done mid afternoon. It was a thoroughly enjoyable show, it was great to see a bunch of old friends from the Scottish gaming scene, reconnect with some of our fellow traders, and make new friendships. Nothing quite compares with face to face contact with you, the gaming public, and it was lovely to be out and about again!
Thanks to everyone who chatted and shopped with us, and a huge thanks to the Carronade organisers. We’re very much looking forward to next year!