On https://www.gencon.com/attend/VIG

It's stated that Registration for new VIG's is Sunday, February 5, 2023 Noon (Eastern).

Is that a lottery style registration? 

I'd sent an email to vig@gencon.com as suggested on that page a while back, and never heard back from them.

If it is lottery style, will the "register" button be on the VIG page? Or somewhere else?

Thanks!

No, you would know if you were given the option of being a new VIG through an e-mail. New spots open up as older VIGS decide they no longer want their badge, those open spots are than through a random lottery given to people who place themselves on a waiting list. They were contacted a while back.

Yes, and specifically that refers to the fact that new VIGs (the people who won the December VIG lottery) get their badges a week later than extant VIGs.  I guess that might have been to give returning VIGs first crack at the hotel block, but there are so few new VIGs that I am not sure it really makes much of a difference 

Out of curiosity, do the few exclusives VIG status provides seem to be worth it? I know there's a lounge and a mixer thing plus some swag but first crack at hotel lottery seems almost like the best value it provides. So curious if any VIGs think it's clearly worth the few extra hundred for a badge?

Also, every year there seems to be a legion of people wanting to join the VIG ranks at the current price so market forces alone would keep the badge pricey; there's plenty of people willing to pay that amount. 

As previously stated the VIG program is a random selection process every year.

At the bottom of the VIG page we put the information on how to apply for the next year...I'll be doing that soon.

Here is the process:

Please email vig@gencon.com between November 15 and December 15, 2023 to be entered into the drawing for a 2024

1. You must provide your name as it appears on your Gen Con account in the body of your email
2. You must provide the email associated with that account in the body of your email.
3. You must be 18 to enter.
4. Do not send it multiple entries from other account you may have in the system.
5. If your account is associated with a group or Organization please let us know (You cannot buy a badge unless that org is temporarily unhooked from your primary account)
6. You must buy that VIG badge for yourself. VIG badges and packages are not tradeable or transferable. The Companion badge can be bought for anyone on your friends list.

There are 100's of entries each year for the spots that open up.

Mike
 

There are always some stragglers that don't inform us on time that they are not returning so we (I) need time to inform the lucky few who are on the cusp that they are in!

Also, New VIG's need a different set of instructions and it's easier to handle them in a bunch separated from you returning peeps.

Mike

Yeah as Alex says the incredibly low turnover rate for VIGs is definitely proof that those in the program think it is worth it.  The swag always has a few things I would have spent money on if possible (Gen-Con/VIG-branded stuff at the very least), I know I can skip buying dinner on Thursday because the spread at the Oceanaire is fantastic, and I definitely save at least $10 a day on coffee just by getting refills in the lounge, haha.

But honestly yeah even if not taking that maybe $150 I am not otherwise spending into account, I am not sure how expensive the badge would have to be before I stopped thinking it worthwhile for the rooms alone.  I used to book 11 months early for the convention, but since the pandemic it seems like Hilton Hotels at least have really stopped cooperating with this technique, so unless I want to pay $1,100 a night at Embassy Suites (the actual out-of-block price it has been showing since September) the VIG is convenient AND a bargain. 

 quarex wrote:
Yeah as Alex says the incredibly low turnover rate for VIGs is definitely proof that those in the program think it is worth it.  The swag always has a few things I would have spent money on if possible (Gen-Con/VIG-branded stuff at the very least), I know I can skip buying dinner on Thursday because the spread at the Oceanaire is fantastic, and I definitely save at least $10 a day on coffee just by getting refills in the lounge, haha.
But honestly yeah even if not taking that maybe $150 I am not otherwise spending into account, I am not sure how expensive the badge would have to be before I stopped thinking it worthwhile for the rooms alone.  I used to book 11 months early for the convention, but since the pandemic it seems like Hilton Hotels at least have really stopped cooperating with this technique, so unless I want to pay $1,100 a night at Embassy Suites (the actual out-of-block price it has been showing since September) the VIG is convenient AND a bargain. 

I thought I would not use the lounge much, but it has proven to be my second favorite thing. Gen Con can be overwhelming at times. A quiet place, free coffee, bag check, cool people...I'd be really bummed if this benefit were dropped.

As a ViG I find myself as more and more of a detractor recently and have a price point where the ROI goes negative and I will return my badge. Over the past 6 years ViG's have lost: Free Board Game Rentals, System Credit, ViG Exclusive Events, and Early Exhibit Hall access. Unfortunately I cannot think of anything that was added value wise... Even the ViG T-Shirt was sold by Rollacrit after the convention.

The last remaining perks that everyone seems to agree on is the ViG lounge and early hotel reservation. Both of those are not so much "perks" as payed access. The "swag" bag has delved into more and more obscure items, with most "games" being expansions (for a game) and not actually a game. Swag is a though issue as you cannot please everyone but there needs to be at least a couple exclusive items (not more embroidered/GenCon Branded lunch bags).

The ViG program still has benefits but it has lost a lot of its shine and unique charm that has been replaced with just a means to get a down town hotel room and free water/coffee in a back room.

Plus, as a ViG I can still completely blank out on the events day rush and end up paying for the program but missing out on the games I really want to play, just like everyone else!

There are still a few VIG exclusive events but not many.

I don't believe the VIG t-shirt was sold to the general population. There was an exact design sold by them but not with the VIG logo.

I think you may be confusing the prior GenCon/Industry supported events ran in the lounge with VIG submitted events ran in the lounge. They were discontinued due to not having the popularity desired (IIRC Mike posted about this in the VIG forums).

That may actually be the strategy to keep VIG in line with rising costs, as the new people who get in are signing up for whatever benefits are there that year.  Like this is only my third year, I did not even know about half of those benefits you mentioned being taken away so obviously it does not impact my decisionmaking, and if it chases you out there are hundreds of people waiting for your spot. 

I am not saying you cannot be disappointed by the way, and they do try to add or keep things sometimes too, like giving VIGs an alternate entrance to the Exhibit Hall or keeping canned drinks when people were disappointed about the planned switch to reusable cups. 

As a VIG, I think it is still worth it.  Guaranteed housing access will always be the biggest perk, and convenient for years when I have a large group and can get two rooms in the same connected hotel (with a companion).

I also find that the minor benefits add up. It's convenient to be able to grab soda/juice/water as needed, and at Con prices probably saves me about $100 over the course of the convention.  Having bag check and a dedicated ticket kiosk are time savers.  

Plus, the lounge is convenient to reach from the food trucks to be able to eat out of the heat in a space that isn't too crowded.  

I miss the early vendor hall access but understand why that went away.  VIG swag quality has dropped over the years, but the swag bags that normal badge holders used to get are completely gone, and the value of the coupon book has dropped overall as well.  I attribute that to companied being tighter on margins overall and not being able to justify as many freebies.

That having been said, the pressure to have early access for me has come way down now that Paizo doesn't seem to do convention pickup any more and Fantasy Flight no longer has a store. Avoiding the huge lines there was my primary early access motivation.

The swag bag is still fun to go through, even if half of it ends up at my local half price books. And of course the early hotels are still the big prize right now. Also, the VIG staff in the lounge are fantastic every year.

From my understanding as a VIG for a good amount of years, it went away for multiple reasons. But the main two were as follows.
1. Some of the Vendors complained because it basically meant they had to be ready to go an hour early, everyone had to be there, and fully setup, and some of them wanted that extra hour in the morning to finish prepping, or to eat or to make sure their staff was all there etc.
2. VIGs would enter the hall and swarm a lot of places with convention exclusives or limited early-release products and things like that. So when the non-VIG people came running in they would encounter a line already, or a booth where the person shrugs and told them they were sold out for the day or in some cases the con already.

Now I know for a fact this early buying still happens. People inside the Vendor halls will often want something and will A. Allow their staff to head off to the booth they want and get the idea right before the doors open or wait till they open and grab the item and come right back to their booth. I know this because many have told me they have done it and I have seen it happen. So VIGS no longer do it, but Vendors still do to a lesser degree. But it's not as bad as it used to be when VIGS had early access.

And yeah the Swag bag has very much gone down in quality over the years. But that is due to many reasons aka. Way too many new VIGs have been allowed to join the program mostly starting in 2021 as means for a large cash boost for GenCon after 2020, so they need more swag to hand out, as well as rising costs for the companies. I am not sure if they donate the swag or if GenCon buys it at a discount, but either way, the swag quality, and quantity have gone down.