The GAMA Retail Division formed a Facebook Enhancement committee at its meeting at Origins, along with committees charged with International Outreach and Power Retailer Award Engagement.  Retailer Pat Fuge (Gnome Games, Green Bay, Wisconsin) had requested that the organization organize a campaign to create a category of business for game stores, and to create a category for events that works for tabletop gaming events (see “Facebook Category for Game Stores?”). 

Other committees operating for the GRD include Community Outreach/Education, Marketing, and Origins Store (the GRD operated the Origins retail store at the show for the first time this year).  

The Origins Trade Day attracted representatives of 62 stores, the GRD announced, with half of them new to the event.  Attendees were offered six retailer-to-retailer presentations chosen from the presentations at GAMA Trade Show in March, and four publisher presentations by sponsoring companies Iello, WizKids, Cryptozoic, and Upper Deck. 

A retailer lounge during the show was sponsored by distributors ACD, Alliance, GTS, and Southern Hobby, and Crystal Commerce and GGI.

Overall unique attendance at this year’s Origins Game Fair was up, with overall attendance reaching nearly 16,000 unique badges (see “Origins Attendance Up Over 23%”).