AdventureCon is a three-day board game convention run by Meeple Academy, a Northwest Arkansas nonprofit that builds community through tabletop gaming. Anyone can buy a ticket. There is no membership list, so attendees come from the general public, and vendors, publishers, and local creators come to set up and sell.
Event director Q Ray started AdventureCon in another community with a goal of bringing it to Rogers and filling a convention center. Here is how it has grown:
Year one: held in another community. 350 attendees.
Year two: first year in Rogers, using meeting space on the hotel side of the Embassy Suites. 500 attendees.
Year three: half the Grand Ballroom at the Rogers Convention Center. 700 attendees.
A ticketed event for the general public
AdventureCon sells tickets to anyone who loves games. Most attendees come because they want to. The vendors who set up are the ones working.
That changes what a destination has to do. A room block does not fill itself, and a bigger room only helps if more people show up. For Q Ray, the goal was a convention center full of people who chose to be there.
What they come for: a library of more than 400 board games to play, card games, RPG sessions, miniatures painting, Warhammer tournament, workshops and demos, a silent auction, and exhibitors who are local creators, vendors, and publishers. Vendors travel in from all over. The show runs Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Embassy Suites & Rogers Convention Center
Year two put AdventureCon in the meeting space on the hotel side of the Embassy Suites, and the event grew to 500 people. In year three it moved next door into the Grand Ballroom at the Rogers Convention Center and grew to 700.
The two buildings connect by a climate-controlled walkway and run under one contract, so the move to a bigger room did not mean starting over with a new team.
Out-of-town attendees book room blocks at Aloft and Tru by Hilton. The Walmart AMP, Topgolf, and the restaurants and shops at Pinnacle Hills Promenade are all close by, so a weekend at AdventureCon can turn into a weekend in Rogers.
Embassy Suites & Rogers Convention Center
Services Destination Rogers Provided
AdventureCon works with one person at Destination Rogers: Dane Clark, our Sales & Services Manager. Dane sells the event and services it, so there is no handoff to a second team and nobody asking Meeple Academy to explain AdventureCon again. They tell us once, and the person who heard it is the person who runs with it.
For an event that sells tickets to the public, we also work on the part that fills the room:
Listed AdventureCon on the Destination Rogers community events calendar, so Rogers residents and visitors planning their summer can find it.
Showed up with Rogers swag for the exhibitors, so the people running tables feel welcomed.
Answered questions fast, year after year, so the Meeple Academy team could spend its time on the show.
Working with Destination Rogers for AdventureCon has been a wonderful experience as they have been great partners year over year. They are very responsive and helpful in answering our questions to ensure our board game convention is a success. From listing our event on their community events calendar to showing up with Rogers swag for our exhibitors, their support is instrumental in fostering and growing the gaming community and ensuring all those who attend the convention have a fun and great time! We would not be able to make AdventureCon as amazing as it is without their support! Thank you Destination Rogers!
Jessica, Meeple Academy, Marketing Director
Our own Dane Clark in the jean jacket getting owned by pros
A convention that found its home
In two years in Rogers, AdventureCon grew from 500 attendees to 700 and moved from hotel meeting space into the Grand Ballroom, with vendors coming in from all over.
AdventureCon has always been a success, but it has truly taken off in the past two years thanks to our partnership with Destination Rogers and Embassy Suites. We can’t imagine Meeple Academy or AdventureCon calling anywhere else in Northwest Arkansas home. That’s a testament to Dane and his team, who have made us believe AdventureCon is an essential part of summer in Rogers!
Q Ray, Meeple Academy, Event Director
Some events arrive with a company badge and a room block. Others arrive with a ticket line and a lot of passion. We give both the same level of care.
